I loved the different perspectives from the characters, even though it took a while to see the two story lines intermix. Once you get to the crossover it becomes twisted and dark, fast. It was a such a wild ride to watch everything unfold! I loved all the twists and turns, even up to the last page!

Triggers: mental health, child abuse & death.

Casey Kelleher is one of my all time favourite thriller writers and this is a very dark psychological thriller that had my heart pounding through out.
The book follows the story of two characters , Emily and Sasha, and deals with mental health issues and the after effects of acute trauma.
It is a well written compelling read, and whilst I did guess the outcome I still had a 'WOW' moment at the end.
I highly recommend it and if I could give it 10 stars I would.

So first thing I just want to say first, is that I absolutely love Casey Kelleher previous books, her gritty crime ones as they were real page turners and addictively good stories. But now Casey has started writing Thriller books, which is somewhat of a change.

So anyway this latest book of Casey’s, I really wanted to love this book more than I actually did. Throughout the story there are two stories being played out, both in present but two very different characters. It took a lot longer than usual for the two different characters stories to be linked with each other, so you spend pretty much the whole book trying to figure out how these two characters are linked together and it doesn’t become completely clear until about the 75% mark and after that point it becomes pretty intense and dark. So that dampened my enjoyment somewhat. Come the end there were a couple of twists, one of which I’d already guessed but then there was one I hadn’t.

The story and characters are well written and it’s a pretty unique story plot if I do say so myself, but it is a slow burner and one of the reasons I chose this book was because it was under 300 pages so thought I’d get through it quickly but that was not the case. I wasn’t captivated enough by the story which meant I was easily distracted by other stuff and so kept putting the book down.

Trigger alerts for anyone wanting to read this book: there is occurrences of child abuse and mental health issues.

Lots of very clever twists in this one and a great ending. Will look out for this author's books in the future.

An absolutely brilliant and breathtaking story so full of twists and shock’s it is almost impossible to put down.
Explosive revelations aplenty in this utterly thrilling and chilling book which is spectacular in every sense of the word for lovers of crime fiction.
I cannot recommend this highly enough and completely deserving of 5 Stars.
THIS is worthy of a television adaptation.
For audio listeners, beautifully narrated highlighting the atmosphere written so well by its author.
Stunning and I loved it.

Let me tell you about this book that got me so stuck on it until the end...

In this book we follow two characters - Emily and Sasha - and both of their POV's and stories. Sasha is trying to understand her own past since her mother died 3 months before. She goes to see a Victorian house, from where she thinks she grew up but ends up being a live-in nanny for a woman with two little kids, even though that wasn't her purpose. And so, Sasha inserts herself in the lives of those little kids, trying to fulfill her purpose. And Emily is a deranged woman, who lives in a small apartment, and she receives visits from the carers, who make sure she eats and takes her medication. But Emily confides in one of them that she hears the child crying inside of the walls and that that is driving her crazy; so she blames one of the carers, Louise, saying that she is making her feel that way on purpose, so Louise can send her back to the hospital facility again as a punishment for what she did in the past.

This book was just wonderful! At first, I was so confused as to why we had to POV's from two different characters and I was trying to understand how their stories would connect with one another. And I was so surprised to understand the connection between them! I wasn't expecting all of that at all. I was curious all the time, trying to understand what happened to Sasha and who Emily really was and why did she always thought Louise was trying to put her back in the facility where she was almost free from.
I mean, I didn't knew Casey Kelleher before, but I can tell you that I'm so ready to go read another book from her. I need to!

Keep up the awesome work, Casey! I will keep reading it, no matter what!!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the copy of The Babysitter’s Secret by Casey Kelleher. This book started out great and Sasha was a fun and conniving character. I really liked her chapters, but Emily’s chapters bored me. I just couldn’t connect with her or her story. Cecilia is really portrayed as a terrible mother - she’s never home and she hires Sasha without references, talking to her, or having gotten the name of the new nanny from the agency in advance because she’s in such a hurry to leave.
If you love a lot of surprises and twists you might love this one. This book didn’t work for me because I never connected with or cared about any of the characters so I didn’t care about their stories. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

So refreshing to read a good thriller with a strong focus on mental illness. Such a thrilling read that I wished never stopped.

Book Title: The Babysitter’s Secret
Author: Casey Kelleher
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: May 24, 2023
My Rating: 4+ Rounded up

I read Casey Kelleher’s book, "I’ll Never Tell" and loved it and have been looking forward to reading another story by her.

Personal Note: I went into this story not knowing anything about it. In fact, after reading ¼ of this story, I stopped to double check on the genre. It is listed as thriller ~ but after reading it I changed to Psychological Thriller. Definitely dark and creepy and close to Horror –which I am okay with but those who aren’t fans of dark and creepy might be disappointed.

This told is told from the POV of Sasha Hammond – the babysitter and Emily Pickett.

When Sasha’s mother dies, she finds out that she was adopted and wants to find out more about her heritage. She goes back to the house where she grew up - just to take a look. When the taxi drops her off at 64 Maple Street, Sasha is sure he dropped her off at the wrong house but before she can correct him he has driven off. She then decided to check anyway.
When stressed mom Cecelia opens the door, she mistakes Sasha for the substitute to replace her regular nanny who is sick.
Sasha doesn’t deny why she is there and see this as an opportunity to explore. She comments on how large the house is and Cecelia said that she is has been completely remodeled that it was completely unrecognizable from the way it was when it was a home for ‘vulnerable women’. Sasha decides it is still worth a try as she is sure the house holds secrets and she is hopeful that something brings back memories. The two young children - Annabelle and Zachery will be at school most of the day so plenty of time to look around.

In the meantime, Emily has been released from a psychiatric hospital after being convicted of a murder 20 years earlier.
She tries to act like she is better; she has been assigned two caregivers - Louise and Charlotte, their purpose is to help Emily with her adjustment to the outside world.
Charlotte is kind but Emily is suspicious of Louise.
Emily cannot stop hearing a little girl crying. The crying child, of course, isn’t there but is real to Emily. Emily finally realizes that neither Louise nor Charlotte can hear the crying child; she
is fearful that if Louise becomes aware she will send her back to the hospital.

Wow Wow Wow I am a big psychological thriller fan and love the twist and turns but also love trying to figure them out. Totally fooled me! Quick read as I could NOT put it down.
I was sure there was Sasha and Emily connection but was clueless.

In author, Casey Kelleher’s “Letter from Casey Kelleher” AKA ‘Author’s Notes’; she tells us that when she started to write this story with a creepy Victorian house, a disturbing bathtub scene and Emily hearing voice all came into her mind – she had no idea who voices Emily was hearing but knew her story would be a dark one.
She goes on to say that characters often take on a life of their own.
I have heard this from other authors and I think it is AMAZING!!


Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for granting me the pleasure of reading this Psychological Thriller early!
Publishing Release Date scheduled for May 24, 2023.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is masterfully crafted, with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end, and I mean the very end. The story is told from multiple perspectives, giving reader a unique look into the lives of people in these two houses. It's well- paced and enjoyable.

This is my first book by Casey Kelleher and I can say it will not be my last. This book gripped me from page one and I finished it in 2 sittings it was that good.

The book is told from the perspective of 2 women in the current time frame. We go back and fore one to the other and their stories seem unconnected and irrelevant to each other to start with.


Emily has just been realised from a mental health unit into a bedsit that is part of an ex offenders scheme after being convicted for killing her baby son. She is struggling with hearing a ‘crying girl’ next door. She has 2 carers, Charlotte who is kind and friendly and another who she is convinced is trying to get her sent back to the unit. But can she really trust anyone?

Sasha has lost her mother and her parting gift was a letter telling her she was adopted and details of the house she lived before she was ‘saved’. Sasha goes to the house and us mistaken for the new nanny, rather than explain who she really is she gets caught up in having the house to herself to look around and try and reclaim any early memories that she has lost. She seems to be caring and nurturing to the children Annabelle and Zachary much to their mother Celia's delight. Until her psychosis starts to hinder her care.

I I didn't work out the connection between the 2 women until further on in the book but I did work out where the story was going, which made it better as I was eager to see where the book was taking me….but I didn't see the twist at the end! And what a twist it was! It left me satisfied that the story had tied up all the ends and given me more.

A must read book from the author, extremely enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley for my digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 ⭐️ If you’re looking for a twisted psychological thriller, this book is PERFECTION!!
From the very beginning, this dual perspective story grabs ahold of you and doesn’t let go until the VERY LAST SENTENCE. I never wanted to put it down!
Knowing that Sasha had lost 4 years of her childhood and she stumbles upon this babysitting job which should have never been hers, this story really digs deep into the trauma of childhood, parenting, and the things we do as parents to protect our own.
Loved every minute of it!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Publish date: May 24 2023

I loved this book. It started slowly, but I knew the excitement was coming. The twists weren't noticed, which was a big deal to me.. it was totally believable and a great read. Exciting characters and an exciting read. Great book.

A rather complex, edge of your seat, wondering what the heck is going on thriller. This one will keep you turning pages as more is revealed and things quickly spiral out of control, Each time another piece falls into place, you have more of those "oh no" moments, until it all comes down to a spectacularly horrifying train crash you can't look away from.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The cover and synopsis really drew me in, giving all the creepy vibes a good thriller should. I found it an easy read, well written with short snappy chapters.

The story is told from multiple POV and I was a little confused by Emily initially, who she was and how she was going to fit into the story overall, having no mention of her in the synopsis. The more I read the more it became clear.

I really enjoyed the early scenes with Sasha and the children, their relationship blossomed quickly and it gave some really wholesome ‘family’ scenes.

A good thriller is nothing without some twists and turns and I’m pleased to say this book had plenty. I did guess a couple of the main plot twists but it didn’t detract from the reveals.

Overall a solid read which I thoroughly enjoyed!

Amazing book! I love the twists and turns. Each chapter provided a little more information and clues to help bring the whole story together. I LOVED the endings twist. This was my first Casey Kelleher book and it will not be my last!

I enjoyed this book so much it’s a page turner that you can’t put down. It has plenty of twists and turns throughout to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters were interesting, the story itself was great, the ending was unexpected and the style of writing was perfect. This is the first book that I have read by this author, can’t wait for the next one out.
I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading psychological thrillers.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Oh my goodness…. All the twists and turn a psychological thriller should have. I was biting my nails at the edge of my seat the whole time. The amount of turns this book took and that final bang at the very end, my jaw is still on the floor with this one. Very well written! I’m giving this book a 12/5 because it’s that good.

The Babysistter's Secret by Casey Kelleher
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts off with a twist already which quickly got my attention. The kind that makes you say WOW I need to know how it got to this!?

This story is of two different women Sasha and Emily. Sasha is looking for answers as to why she can't remember much from her childhood home. She goes off in search of the home thinking maybe if she can get a look around it will jog some memories for her and give her some much needed answers and closure. She there meets the owner who mistakes her for a replacement nanny for her two children. Instead of correcting her she takes the job to stay close to the house. What happens next.....???

Emily is a women who has recently been released from a psych unit and is under close, daily care by two different nurses(one she is sure is not to be trusted and trying to get her sent back as soon as possible). Why can't she stop hearing a little girl crying and what can she do to make her nurses believe she is not crazy and doesn't need to be back in a psych unit....???

I thought this was cleverly done from the beginning as the author draws you in with something so vague you can't help but have so many questions. It made me feel like I needed to keep reading to find the answers. I felt invested in both characters stories although Emily's was a bit more slow and confusing to start off with. After it started picking up it all came together quite well. Excited to read more books by this author.

TW: child abuse, and death.

I literally could not put this book down, such a creepy dark story that in parts really chilled me.
The story is predominantly based around Emily and her carer Charlotte .Emily has just came out of an institution after committing an unspeakable crime and is trying to adjust. The book also introduces us to Sasha, Sasha is a young lady that has recently found out she was adopted at a young age and after some digging she returns to the house that she lives in during her forgotten younger years. The way the two stories merge is just brilliant. Another fantastic book by the very talented Casey Kelleher.