I received an ARC from NetGalley

This was a slow start. My attention wasn’t being pulled right away into the book. It turned out better than what I was expecting based on the first few chapters. As the story unfolded it became more interesting. A good read that will keep you entertained.

The Childminderis a great psychological thriller filled with breathtaking twists by Hayley Smith.
My third Smith story and I really enjoyed the heck out of this one.
It moved along at a great pace and kept me guessing right till the end.
A fantastic thriller that kept me turning pages.
Overall an interesting read and will look forward to more from Hayley Smith.

This was my first Hayley Smith book, and I think I’m hooked! The Childminder is about a group of 4 girls and one guy who all have secrets to hide and someone determined to make those secrets public knowledge. It all starts with The Childcare Circle: Monday, Stacey takes care of the kids; on Tuesday, Kim takes care of the kids; Wednesday, Rhiannon takes care of the kids; Thursday, Nina takes care of the kids; and finally, on Friday,, Jarvis takes care of the kids. Nina decides to plan a fun vacation for the Childcare Circle group. Before their vacation, though, Stacy, Kim, Rhiannon, Nina, and Jarvis all get mysterious letters asking them to tell their darkest secrets. Who would send this mysterious letter and why? The group goes to Kittiwake House, but this is not the first time Nina, Stacy, Rhiannon, and Kim have been there. Kim reveals that her brother Dylan had died on the beach by the house, and she knows who did it. It was Stacy, Nina, and Rhiannon, or so she thinks. Kim is ready for revenge and will not let anything get in her way. Over the weekend, people are killed, truths comes out, or so Kim thinks. But could it be that Kim doesn’t know the truth at all? This book is about secrets, truths coming out, and revenge with a last-page twist.

My favorite quote is that everyone has the power within themselves to do anything, to change anything. You’ve just got to believe in yourself, see what opportunities arise, and then make the most of them. And sometimes, too, you have to keep secrets. - Paul

I want to thank Hayley Smith and NetGalley for giving me this opportunity to review this book.

A school has set up a unique solution to the lack of quality and affordable daycare: a Childcare Circle consisting of parents rotating days of the week to mind their own and four other children. Because there have been some new additions to the group, and as a little reward and motivational activity, the group has decided to go together with their kids, on a weekend away.

The vacation house is kept as a surprise until the last minute and when the group arrives...it's definitely not what they expected. But they have plenty of food and games, and decide to make the best of the beautiful location. But there is a lingering question - who sent the letters and text accusing each of them of having a secret? And should they really be trusting each other to watch their children?

The characters each had their own personality, secrets, and motivations and this is a book you will be totally absorbed in, racing to the final twist!

Thanks to NetGalley and to Bookouture for taking me along on Books on Tour.

A group of parents form a childminding circle to each take it in turns to care for all their children. It’s the perfect solution and going well until they receive notes saying that someone knows their darkest secrets and they only have a short while to tell the truth.

I found that I really enjoyed this story and was quickly drawn into the childminding circle. This was a simple, yet effective concept, that added something slightly more original to the usual thriller genre. There are a lot of characters introduced quickly and it took me a while to work out who was who but once I did it flowed nicely. The characters, although well written, were some of the most unlikeable I have come across. Some are worse than others.

I raced through the pages trying to discover what the hidden secrets were and some discoveries were dark, shocking and uncomfortable. I had real moments of anguish while reading some parts, while some gave me shivers. The atmosphere is very well written, I could feel the eeriness and isolation within the setting.

The story keeps you gripped as it twists and turns, and although the main twist suddenly dawned on me around 70% in, it made the story come together nicely. This is one I would definitely recommend and I’ll be reading more books by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you Bookouture for a copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Childminder is the newest psychological thriller from UK author Hayley Smith.
A child care minding group spend a weekend away together.
Five adults and their children.
Just before leaving each receive a mysterious, menacing letter.
Many secrets are revealed over the days.
Until all is revealed in the ultimate climax.
This was a crazy, wild and twisty ride.
As it slowly unwraps, page by page, it all comes together in the most unexpected way.
A very worthy read.
I must read more from this capable author.

Wow! Just many secrets can a group of people have? From the get go there’s a sinister vibe that fuels the intrigue. The storyline twists chapter after chapter. As my curiosity grew, I couldn’t put it down. The short, fast paced chapters (POV and timeline identified) read very quickly.
This is a great escape read! I highly recommend it. I look forward to Hayley Smith’s next book. I like how she writes.
Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture, for the invitation and opportunity to enjoy this ARC.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me an ARC copy to read and review.

The Childminder - Hayley Smith

This book is a super easy read, but didn’t quite hit the wow factor for me - a very easy 3*.

The pace and writing in this book was spot on, credit to the author immediately, but it did unfortunately lack something I can’t quite put my finger on. This doesn’t mean it isn’t for everyone however! Some people might really really love this.

This was a very intense read all the way through, the pace and tension was great and kept the danger flowing.

A group of parents set up a childcare circle, knowing little about one another, for a group of young children. All of them receive a letter asking about what is their greatest secret, followed by a text in a similar vein. This starts some worry and self doubt among them, which comes to a head during a stormy weekend away at a deserted house. The house which has some memories more than one of the childcare circle share in.

This is a good thriller with lots of twists and turns along the way. The story has a good pace and I enjoyed the characters and finding out more about them and what drove them to the ultimate ending here.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Chocoblock with twists and turns, I could not put it down. Short chapters have that ‘one more chapter’ vibe going on. Thoroughly enjoyable read! Thanks to the author, NetGalley and publishers for the arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

An easy read with a lot of mysteries and secrets, some perhaps more obvious than others. i enjoyed the characters, they were a bit cliched but they were easily distinguishable. Quite often in this type of book, I forger who the minor and sometimes even the main characters are! The attitudes and prejudices of the 3 better off childcare women are all too believable.

I also enjoyed reading through and gradually working out what was happening so that I got some of the twists before they were revealed. I also liked how the book shows that one slightly wrong act, can have much more serious, unexpected consequences. It all gets a little melodramatic and unlikely towards the end but these thrillers are like that. The actual ending is satisfactory and there is a sting in the tail too..

It is a real page turner and although it's not the sort of book I would read again, it is an above average example of this sort of domestic noir and I enjoyed it, so I will say 3.5 up to 4.

Each Monday after school, I look after my daughter Coralie and four other kids from her class. We go to the park when it's sunny, snuggle on the sofa reading books when it rains. Tuesday to Friday, the other parents take them. It's perfect, a circle of free childcare, of fun and friendship for our children. But this morning, we all received an anonymous note. And now I'm terrified. I know your darkest secrets, it says. None of you are what you seem. How could you have trusted each other with your children? You have five days to tell the truth. Or there will be consequences. My blood runs ice-cold. I've hidden my darkest secret for years and can never reveal it. All the other parents must have secrets too....

There are a lot of characters in this book. A childcare group of parents take care of each other's children one day a week. They are planning a weekend away when they all receive a letter telling them they know all about their secrets. But who is behind the letter writing?

Filled with secrets, lies, and twists, this story starts slowly. There isn't much more I can tell you as I might spoil, it for you. The characters are well-developed. It also has a great ending.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #HaleySmith for my ARC of #TheChildminder in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Childminder by Hayley Smith. This was a decent enough read but it did not draw me in enough. The storyline was interesting but I found the book to drag on a little and got bored with reading it. The ending was a complete surprise to me though! Not predictable for me. Not the best thriller but definitely not the worst either. Just "Meh" for me. I gave it a 3 star rating.

A great book that had me hooked, I loved the short chapters it makes the books so much more interesting, and the ending was just amazing.

A thriller following a group of parents who form a childcare circle, each looking after all their children one night per week. It’s an interesting plot and it seems that everyone has their secrets which certainly fuels the tension. Whilst I did enjoy this book, I did find the middle section seemed to drag on slightly. There were some interesting twists and turns which led me to rate this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

I'm really struggling with what to say about this book.
I was really invested in the plot and the characters and wanted to keep reading... however i don't know why as it was such a rubbish plot, and the characters were so dislikable.

The plot certainly isn't original. And the twists and turns were very 'convenient' but it was still a fun read nevertheless.

It's not the best thriller I have read, but it's definitely not the worst!

Now, looking at the reviews on Goodreads so far, I clearly have an unpopular opinion on this book. And I’d be lying if I said it’s a bad book, because it’s not – it’s just that this style of… I call it Cartoonish Netflix Drama… isn’t one I’m too keen on. And I hate being negative, so let’s start with the good bits.

Yes, it was bonkers. No, no characters were recognisable as actual human beings. BUT, after a relatively tedious first third, I could not stop reading ‘just one more chapter…’. I devoured it in only a few days! And the ending – I didn’t see that coming. And I love to be surprised.

But, saying that, well, here goes. I’ve said before, I know thriller books are not meant to be like real life, but I do like them to have at least one toe dipped in reality, or I get overly hung up on the things that make no sense and would never happen. Like the way people speak to each other when they’re not trying to also remind a reader of a character’s name who hasn’t been mentioned in a while.

The five main characters were SO unlikeable and had no redeemable traits. They were just universally rubbish people with no layers to them. The only interesting character was Kim but then some of the things she did made no sense (hard to explain without spoiling, but she sort of went from Fatal Attraction style obsession to ‘ehhh forget about that’ in the blink of an eye.)

The story jumped around so wildly from person to person to time period to this then that and I felt like I had whiplash! Suddenly shocks were being thrown out from all directions in the hope of something sticking.

There was so much that made no sense - why were the kids left at a ‘play centre’ with none of the adults - they were like 6-8 years old! And a primary school would never organise groups of parents to form childminding circles after school! And why was it called The Childminder? It wasn’t actually about a childminder! Just 5 parents looking after each others’ kids - this does not a childminder make.

And the ending – surprising though it was, it just made me feel a bit sad.

It’s certainly a page-turner, just not a big hit with me.

"The Childminder" by Hayley Smith was a fast paced psychological thriller that kept you guessing. This book made you want to keep reading to find out what happened.
A group of people came together to form a child minding circle. This allowed them to have childcare for free. In order to do this they really needed to know who was watching their children. Nina, Rhiannon, and Stacey grew up together and Jarvis and Kim were new to the area. They all made up the circle. Each of them had a deep dark secret, so did they really know each other. As the secrets come out into the light will they continue to trust each other?
Highly recommend this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Childminder by Hayley Smith is a revenge-driven thriller full of surprises, completely unexpected turns and a shocking ending!
This story was masterfully woven in a way you would not guess it! It always feels yummy!
This book will present daily challenges and clever solutions around childcare! We've all been there, we all feel the struggle! But how safe is it to trust your kid to someone who you don't know?

One dad and four mothers created a Childcare Circle. The system is simple, each parent has a dedicated day of the week when they will pick from the school their own child plus four other children and will spend a couple of hours with them. Different families, and different social statuses but everyone benefits. One morning they all received an anonymous note stating "I know your darkest secrets". No one is who they pretend they are. Now they are scared! At the same time, they still are ready to go to the side weekend break...

We have a chance to unwrap this story layer by layer and all the dots land on the i's! Stories twist together in a way we would never expect.

I have loved Hayley Smith's writing since I read her first book The Perfect Girlfriend and her second book Such a Loving Coupleand this one didn't disappoint.
In some way, I believe I feel connected to the stories as they are located in Derbyshire or around Derbyshire so when places are mentioned, I can picture where this is happening!

I am so grateful to NetGalley and Bookouture for this copy!