I normally love Emily Shiner’s books, but unfortunately didn’t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. I love mysteries & thrillers, and loved the idea of the plot, but the execution wasn’t working for me. I will continue to be a fan of the author and read future books!

I was exited to read it from the description but I couldn’t get into it! I didn’t make it far as it couldn’t keep my attention.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

The Caretaker
Emily Shiner
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You’ve seen the hills have eyes? Now you should read the house has eyes? Can you imagine moving into a new home and constantly feeling like someone is watching you. This book sure gave me the chills! I may have to keep check on anything weird going on in my house! A must read!

The premise of The Caretaker by Emily Shiner sounded so good to me! And I love the cover (I totally do judge books by their cover!). Unfortunately, it fell a bit flat to me and I was let with just wanting more.

Newlyweds Amy and Tim buy a big, old house in surprise, a rural area. What ever could go wrong?! They end up hiring a caretaker to help with the property. The caretaker, Paul, lives in a tiny little cottage on the property. That's when strange and creepy things start to occur. I won't say too much to not give anything away but it was rather predictable. This is my first book by Emily Shiner and I do look forward to reading more from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amy and Tim have been through some tough times and now they want to start fresh. The run down large house they acquire is just what they need to start a new life together. So much to do….why not hire someone to help out?? The person who appears to be the perfect fit is far from it. Entertaining and suspenseful this novel will keep you turning pages. Told through the voices of everyone involved it is a quick and satisfying read.

I have read and enjoyed several of Emily’s books. I read the synopsis for ‘The Caretaker’ and it certainly sounded like just my type of read- a psychological thriller with a twist. I couldn’t wait to start reading and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for an interesting afternoon of reading. Overall I did enjoy reading ‘The Caretaker’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a while to get into this book. I think that part of the problem was the fact that I didn’t gel with either of the main characters Amy or Tim. They are newly wed couple, who have done without a honeymoon so that they could buy their ‘forever’ home. Both characters tended to get on my nerves for some reason. I got the impression that both of them were hiding secrets. Eventually I did get into the story. I had my own suspicions as to what was going to happen and I had to keep reading to see if I was on the right track or if I had wandered down a diversion. This wasn’t a book that I could read over the course of a single day so I binge read it over the course of a few days. I found ‘The Caretaker’ to be an interesting read, which certainly kept me guessing.
‘The Caretaker’ is well written. Emily certainly knows how to grab the reader’s attention and take them on one hell of a journey. For me this was more of a slow burn story. As time went on and the story developed, the pace of the story quickened and the level of tension steadily increased, culminating in a dramatic conclusion. Reading ‘The Caretaker’ felt like being on an at times scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with several twists and turns along the way. I love the way in which Emily makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the action.
In short and overall I did enjoy reading ‘The Caretaker’. I will certainly be reading more of Emily’s work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

This book just did not do it for me. I found it hard to pay attention, and it was kind of cliche. I found the relationship of the main characters more frustrating then anything. There was not much to the plot. I feel like the most happened in the first few chapters of the book then, nothing… overall it was not gripping or suspenseful for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

An average thriller with an average plot, characters and writing, I had a fun time, but nothing really stood out to me while reading this.

I enjoyed this book but didn’t find it the “edge of your seat thriller” that it’s sold as. The story was good but unfortunately the characters and storyline was a bit predictable. I found it a slow burn which fizzled a bit for me.

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They found their dream home. It’s the perfect place to die.

Newlyweds Amy and Tim move into their dream home, anxious to put their rocky past behind them and make a fresh start. But the rambling fixer-upper and its surrounding gardens need more work than they expected, so they decide to hire a live-in caretaker.

Paul seems to be the perfect candidate. But he has an ulterior motive – taking the job is just one part of the deadly revenge plan he’s been hatching for years.

Now Amy and Tim are in a fight for survival - and their dream home has become a nightmare from which they may never escape.

The characters didn’t seem very realistic and were actually quite flat. Some tensions but not a book I enjoyed.

The CareTaker by Emily Shiner.
Newlyweds Amy and Tim move into their dream home, anxious to put their rocky past behind them and make a fresh start.
Brilliant read. Read in one sitting. Really didn't expect that. I love this author. 5*.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was not at all what I expected. Amy and her husband, Tim, buy an old house that needs alot of repairs. They hire a caretaker, Paul, to help with all the landscaping. When Tim goes away on a business trip, strange things begin to happen in the house and Amy turns to Paul for comfort. While her husband is away, she constantly feels like someone is watching her. The book was okay at the beginning but got so repetitive and a little far fetched.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

#netgalley #thecaretaker publication date 20 April 2022
This is a page turning physcological thriller with a twist I enjoyed the plot of this one but felt like in the end it feels unfinished, I did plough through it easily just a little disappointed with the ending. 4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Inkubator publishers for the ARC!

This was my first introduction to the Author Emily Shiner. The story was fast paced and had a good plot.

I found that the character Amy and Paul had a strange relationship to begin with, this resulted in the twist being not as shocking as it had already been given away early on.
The dialogue was a little flat.

I wish there was more character backstory, I often found myself feeling like a lot of the story was missing due to this.
That being said I did enjoy the beginning of the story, and the initial plot was definitely unsettling.

I do look forward to reading more from this author.

Disturbing Undercurrent…
A fresh start. A dream home, Amy and Tim are pleased but with much work needed on their new property they decide to hire nothing less than a live in caretaker. A good idea they think. Right? Hmm, think again guys. Paul, the new caretaker, seems perfect. It’s not long, however, before things begin to go very drastically wrong. For Paul has a plan. Amy and Tim will soon be fighting for their lives. Tense, menacing suspense with a very disturbing undercurrent.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley.

Newlyweds Amy and Tim move into their dream home, anxious to put their rocky past behind them and make a fresh start. But the rambling fixer-upper and its surrounding gardens need more work than they expected, so they decide to hire a live-in caretaker. Paul seems to be the perfect candidate. But he has an ulterior motive – taking the job is just one part of the deadly revenge plan he’s been hatching for years. Soon, Amy starts to notice strange things happening around the house. Tim dismisses her concerns, and tension between the couple starts to build. As the rift between them grows ever wider, Paul sets the final phase of his horrifying plan in motion. Now Amy and Tim are in a fight for survival - and their dream home has become a nightmare from which they may never escape.

What was that??? This book was creepy to the max. The weird revenge vibes morphing into the stalkerish element did not necessarily make for enjoyable reading. I guess Shiner did a great job because I was very put off by the characters.

Obsessive revenge!


Newlyweds Amy and Tim buy their dream home and are thrilled with it. It is breathtaking and the yard is incredible, but the yard needs work. So they hire Paul to take care of the gardens and yard.

The story is told in each person's point of view, Amy, Tim and Paul share their opinions.

I really got sucked into the story, and did not want to put it down. While the last section sort of dragged or slowed down and got confusing, the wondering of what would happen next kept me engaged and reading.
I did have to find out the end of the story, and the epilogue was a surprise to me for sure.

This is another solid thriller from the author, it kept me guessing and wondering and enjoying how things unfolded.

People who enjoy thrillers and psychological suspense will enjoy their time spent reading this book.

3.75******


-------------Many thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC.

review posted at NetGalley, Goodreads, Wordpress and will post at amazon on publication day.

I was interested in this book from the beginning. Imagine buying a house unseen and then realizing that there was so much work to be done that you needed a live in caretaker. You think you found the perfect person for the job, only to find out he has other motives behind taking the job.

I think the book could have had a better plot. A lot of the story and some of the incidents went nowhere or made no sense to the overall story. I wish the characters were more drawn out instead of just saying who they were. The ending was very predictable.

The writing style was good, just needed some more development in some places.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.