Ohhhhh how I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, it kept me reading and wanting to know how it was going to end. On the other hand, I felt that the writing was very different, in a non-engaging way. In the beginning I was very distracted by the writing style. It felt ingenuine and non-developed. Not that I am a writer, but I just felt that it was different. That being said, once I got into the plot and the storyline, I was able to push through it, because I needed to know what was going to happen.

This book is about a young couple, Amy and Tim, that buy their dream house, at a dream price. Yes, it requires some work and finesse, and there are some strange things that happen, but they are excited to take on the challenge, especially the garden on the grounds. They quickly realize that this may be a situation that requires professional help. They hire a Caretaker, Paul, to assist in cleaning up the grounds. As Amy gets to know Paul and begins to build a relationship with him, she also begins to question some of the strange things going on in the house, and the eerie feeling that she is being watched.

Like I said, I struggle with how to rate this book because I never felt like I had to drop it.... but the writing style was incredibly distracting at the beginning, the character development isn't entirely phenomenal and there aren't any major twists and turns or surprises that tend to be par for the course for psychological thrillers.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I enjoyed reading The Caretaker overall. The first 75% of the book walked us through the characters, their struggles and set us up for the end. This portion of the book seemed to move at a good pace, the last 25% of the book seemed rushed and almost unbelievable. Chaotic at times, the ending seemed to bounce around from character to character without a seamless flow. The last chapter seems to set up for a potential book 2 in a series.

An exciting story of love and revenge. Following four central characters and all set in one location of an abandoned and overgrown mansion, this story has all elements of a fun psychological thriller. Unfortunately the writing style was really lacking for me. There were many repetitive phrases and the characters perspectives all had the same voice and tone. The title of the book says 'killer twist', but there wasn't really a twist at all. The only thing that remotely could have been considered a twist was revealed in the first third.

Easy to read, but doesn't really have much else to offer.

This was a decent thriller. Interesting enough to keep reading and find what happens. Most of it was predictable and too spelled out--the caretaker's identity, presence, and motive was too much given away too soon--but there were still a couple fun surprises. The ending was an intriguing cliffhanger.

Thank you for this early access. The Caretaker was a gripping book from the start. I devoured it within 24 hrs. I enjoyed it but it isn’t the psychological thriller it claims to be. Also felt the end dragged out a bit.. And after all that dragging, we’re still left on a cliffhanger. I think it could be nicely wrapped up instead but that’s just me.

Deceptively delicious! This fun thriller will have you on your toes wondering what will happen next! Adored that it was written from different perspectives and that the details really felt like you were in mansion too.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for the approval of this e-ARC.
Unfortunately, it was not my cup of tea. I went in with so much hope the plot was very intriguing, I don't read this genre often so I was excited to change a little bit.
But I was disappointed basically from the start. All the characters were really unlikable, don't even get me started on the "I'm the man I need to protect my wife" situation, I was appalled by how many times it was said a woman couldn't be left alone at home without feeling scared. I get angry thinking about it again.
The story was supposed to be gripping and thrilling but it was neither.
I finished it only in the hope that it would redeem itself by the end, and yes, there was a moment that kept me a little on my toes (hence why the 2 stars and not 1) but the very ending was just another "oh wth, thank god I'm finished".

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read - a psychological/revenge thriller with a strong plot, an unrelenting pace and a trio of well-drawn central characters. The premise is that a young professional couple move out of town to a remote, grand old fixer-upper which they intend to make into their dream home. Finding the job too much for them, they employ a caretaker/handyman who turns out to be not what he seems. The story is told through the alternating perspectives of the three main characters and I thought this device worked very well and certainly held my attention throughout. It isn’t a stunningly original story but it is a good contribution to the genre.

This book was so suspenseful and fast paced. I love the authors writing style and I was captivated from the very first page!

I finished the book in less than 2 days but I did not really enjoy reading it. The plot of the book was promising but what the book was missing was characterization. Despite all the characters having their own POV, it doesn't work in building attachement to each of them. How I wish this book was written differently. It doesn't feel like I was reading a thriller because of the swithcing povs and the fact that the mystery of the caretaker was already presented on the very beggining of the book, there is nothing left to discover. Even the cliff hanger at the end doesn't make up for it. 😔

This book was creepy and I loved it! It kept me guessing the whole time, and I couldn’t put it down!

Have you ever thought that moving away from the place you called home could fix everything that is falling apart around you? That's what Amy and Tim are desperate for by moving out of their apartment into a huge, abandoned mansion set in the country that was miraculously in their price range. Tim makes good money working in HR so with his paycheck they could afford the house and they wanted to do the hard work of restoration themselves to save some money and to grow closer while doing it. Sounds ideal, right?

The ideal lifestyle goes out of the window when they realize that the house is too much for them alone, so that is where Paul, a live in caretaker comes in, and he is the perfect match, until he isn't . Paul has other plans in mind for this couple, and they aren't ones to improve the house.

This book got me hooked instantly with the premise and didn't disappoint me even when it ended. The idea of someone having a hidden vendetta against me scares me, but it is a great plot for a book. Emily keeps the reader engaged with how she makes the words come alive and makes you think that you are in the story watching from the audience. I couldn't put this book down because i just had to know what was going to happen next, what Paul's plan was, and who was going to make it out of this house alive. There were amazing twists and turns in this book that I didn't expect and the ending had my jaw on the floor. This book will be playing in the back of my mind for a long time coming, I can't wait to read more of her books.

In this story, we follow Amy (a writer), Tim (a business man working in RH) and Paul (an elderly gardener).

Amy and Tim have been married for a few of years and decide to have a fresh start in a new place after Tim’s infidelity. The couple bought a large estate with an impressive garden. The house is quite run down and needs some hard work while the land needs some work it to make it more habitable.

After a few days of working on their renovation process, both Tim and Amy decide to hire a third party to help them with the outdoor part of the project due to not being able to do everything on their own. That’s how our other main character comes to play. Via the real estate person, they contact Paul and hire him for a month trial. In this time, period he would get acutance with the property and get his hands dirty and the couple would evaluate if he’s suitable for the job. The housing arrangements were quickly made due to a small cabin being available a few meters from the main house and there’s where Paul would be staying.

Soon after, certain objects form the house start missing or keep appearing in different places. Let’s not forget about Amy’s constant feeling of being watched.

What I really enjoyed about this story is that it’s told from the perspective of the main characters, so we get a feeling of what’s going on in their heads, what they’re feeling or the motive of why they’re doing certain things.
Regarding the characters, there are only a few things I can say. Amy is quite naive, easy to believe what the other person is telling her even though she has the gut feeling there’s something more going on. Tim… I just didn’t like him, at all. Even when he’s at fault, he always finds a way to blame it on others. And don’t get me started how rude he’s towards Amy. Finally, we get Paul. I can understand why he did what he did but… Didn’t enjoy how quickly he changed his plans and disregarded why he was doing everything for.

Plot wise, it is an easy to follow book. It doesn’t take long to find out what is going on and it’s really fast paced. I wish it was more developed in certain areas, as in the chapters being longer and more development of the story. The ending was somehow predictable if you have been reading this kind of books for a while.

This book would be amazing for people who are starting in the thriller/mystery department. It isn’t heavy with details you have to hold on because it will be relevant in the future. It was a nice distraction and it served its purpose.


*Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*.

I don't know how I have missed this author in the past, what a brilliant book this is, a fantastic page turner from the beginning until the last page that I couldn't stop reading, a great plot and I just love books like these. Easy to get into the story line, great characters and a definite 'knicker gripper' for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Inkubator Books for this fantastic ARC copy which I can thoroughly recommend.

This psychological thriller was very good, it’s full of twists and turns. It’s a page turner with lots of suspense throughout. The characters were good, the setting and plot itself was great and the style of writing was perfect.
I have read other books by this author and have enjoyed them all so I will continue to keep my eye out for more in the future. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy, for my honest review.

This book gave me the "The Intruder" movie vibes. Most of it was predictable, but there were a few surprises that made the book good overall! Amy got on my nerves a bit because she didn't stand up for herself much and Tim acted childish a lot during the book, but I would recommend this book to someone who likes psychological thrillers and/or domestic thrillers.

A good thriller but a little bit too predictable for me, enjoyed it but it seemed to be finished up way too quickly and no slow burn to it but an enjoyable read all the same ..

Tim and Amy think they have bought their dream home in the "fixer upper" they have just purchased. Newly married and wanting a place to raise a family they are in heaven. Once they decide to hire a caretaker to help with the many repairs and gardening their lives begin to change. A chilling page turner to the very end.

Ugh. This was like a bad Lifetime movie. I did not like the writing or the characters and the story didn’t go anywhere! I can’t believe I finished this snoozer.

“It’s so weird to think a stranger could change your life but that’s exactly what Paul is going to do, especially if we get to keep him on year-round”

Amy and Tim move into their dream home excited for their new beginning. The place needs a ton more work than they thought so they decide to hire a live-in caretaker.

Paul seems perfect for the job. Unbeknownst to them Paul has had a plan for revenge for years that he is about to put in motion. It starts with little things. Amy notices strange things happening. Objects appearing and disappearing. Her husband doesn’t believe her and this causes stress and tension in their relationship. As Paul’s plan enters the final stages, Amy and Tim realize that they are in a fight for their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm very mixed about this book. I get what it was aiming for but I felt it lacked in making the charac6ers and scenarios well written and realistic. There are some parts you really need to just take with a pinch of salt. It's OK for what it is though. I liked how it wad written from various perspectives but you are left wondering initially who exactly they all are since it doesn't tell you kcuh about who the voices belong to. It passes a few hrs though