This was an incredibly riveting psychological thriller and it had all of the makings of a suspenseful and engaging story!

When 5 adults (Jarvis, Nina, Stacey, Kim, and Rhiannon) come together to form a group called the Childcare Circle, they think they are doing themselves all a favor. Saving on the cost of childcare, while each taking one day a week when they watch everyone's kids. It sounds like the perfect setup, yes? Well, it is. . . until it suddenly isn't. As the group prepares to take a quick weekend getaway together, they are all sudden recipients of a threatening and dark letter giving them an ultimatum: Tell your deepest secrets or else. What is supposed to be a fun weekend getaway ends up being a weekend of drama, suspense, murder, and mayhem.

Hayley Smith tells the story from all 5 character's perspectives (plus a riveting plot twist told from a surprise character at the end). I loved how each transition from each characters perspective was smooth and easy to follow along. It also switches timelines often, but it really helps the story flow and play out in a logical way.

Most importantly, the plot twist upon plot twist kept me interesting until the very last page!

Thank you to Bookoture for inviting me to join the enthralling journey through the pages of The Childminder by Haley Smith.

Step into a world where a tight-knit group of parents takes turns caring for each other's children after school. However, the tranquility is shattered when a mysterious note arrives, unveiling a hidden secret. As the narrative unfolds through different perspectives, shocking revelations come to light, each with far-reaching implications.

For those who revel in stories that keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page, this book is a must-read. Brace yourself for a rollercoaster of twists and turns that will leave you guessing at every corner. Get ready for a thrilling ride filled with surprises that will keep you hooked from start to finish!

Join the suspense! #TheChildminder #Bookoture #MysteryNovel #ThrillingRead #Unputdownable #PageTurner #BookLovers #MustRead #SecretsRevealed #BookTour.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Childminder’ written by Hayley Smith in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Kim’s eight-year-old brother Dylan drowned on a beach after being buried in the sand. She’s always blamed one of the three fourteen-year-old girls he’d attached himself to who were there to compete in a dancing contest. It’s taken many years of research for Kim to identify the girls and befriend them, and now she’s going to make the one responsible pay for Dylan’s death.

‘The Childminder’ is an absorbing psychological thriller about the five members of the childcare circle, Stacey, Nina, Rhiannon, Jarvis and Kim, who each care for the five children one day a week. It tells of when Nina organises a weekend’s team-building meeting and Kim uses it as an opportunity to uncover the truth about her brother’s death. This is a well-written thriller that gradually drew me in with its fast-paced action and twisty plot, so involving that I couldn’t stop reading until I’d found out who Kim was going to seek revenge on, and how! It’s a great story that had me holding my breath until I reached the final chapter with its totally unexpected conclusion.

My second book by Hayley Smith and it didn’t disappoint, another solid 5 star read!

Nina, Stacey, Rhiannon, Kim and Jarvis have got their after school childcare working perfectly using their children’s primary schools’ weekly childcare circle. Each parent looks after the five children in the circle for one day a week after school, giving them and the other parents free childcare for the other four days. But when each member of the childcare circle receive sinister anonymous notes stating that their darkest secrets will be aired if they don’t tell each other the truth they have been hiding, things begin to unravel. Initially the notes are ignored as not one member of the childcare care circle wants to admit their truth. However, when a weekend away is planned for the October half term for the children and parents and they all arrive at the seaside house, Nina, Stacey and Rhiannon are shocked to realise that they have been to this exact area before, as teenagers, and it’s a memory that they all have been desperately trying to bury and forget. Someone wants revenge, the secrets out in the open and after the weekend away none of their lives will be the same again.

Another great read from Hayley Smith which I thoroughly enjoyed! I loved the information at the start saying which child belonged to which parent to help with confusion at the beginning (but pretty soon in I had learned whose child was whose) and I also really enjoyed the way the story was told from the different points of view of each parent. I was fooled by one of the characters at the beginning of the story and actually liked them until things became a little clearer- I am not sure what that means for my trusting dodgy people in real life – but I did understand why they did what they did. There were a few multi facets to the story which all came together very nicely near the end which was very satisfying. Although I guessed the twist, I believe this is more to do with my reading a lot of psychological thrillers than the actual story twist quality, it certsinly didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book at all.

Ultimately another great read from the talented Hayley Smith which wholeheartedly deserved a 5 star rating. I definitely recommend this for any psychological thriller fans, you won’t be disappointed. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hayley Smith and Bookouture for my advanced reading copy. Out 18th September 2024.

This is a fascinating look at four mothers and one man involved in a Childcare Circle where each takes a turn picking up the children from school and keeping them at their house until the other parents get off work. And then they all get the opportunity to stay at a beach house for the weekend and they are delighted to get away and let their kids play in the sand and water. But suddenly each gets an anonymous letter tell them they have "5 days to tell the truth." We get the backstory from each, interspersed with the present as they ruminate on why they've been thrown together and who knows each "truth." It's frightening and ominous as all the pieces come together; secrets are revealed and lives are lost. It's creepy and often dark but I loved every minute of it!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A primary school has set up a childcare circle, with five parents and five children. Each parent has a day to provide childcare for all the children after school, to free up parents on the other days. A few mothers in this circle appear to have a history with one another. Kim and her daughter Dulcie are the newcomers and the group includes a father and son. They plan a weekend away together and then each parent receives an anonymous and foreboding note about their individual secrets. Everyone is terrified, yet scheming and hiding their pasts. This is an interesting storyline and the quick pacing and good character development make it hard to put down. With thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

I was offered a review copy of Hayley Smith's The Childminder. On the cover it said: "You trust them with your child. You shouldn't." It intrigued me, so I read it.
Four mothers and one father start a childcare circle. Each parent takes care of all of the children on a certain day of the week. Quite a good idea! But there is something sinister going on, which becomes apparent when each parent receives an anonymous note demanding that they confess their darkest secret, or else... The letter arrives mere days before they are all going away for the weekend together to get to know each other better...
Although The Childminder is a thriller, I was for the most part amused by it. Yes, it's about murder, a sort of whodunnit, but mostly it's a couple of adults going through events that are so absurd and coincidental that it is in my eyes unbelievable. I just couldn't believe that such things could happen! What bad luck!
I did however enjoy reading this novel. But I don't think it was intended to be funny. I felt that it was intended rather seriously and perhaps could have been! After all, it concerns growing up in foster care, losing a brother at a young age, but also peer pressure and dealing with marital and financial problems. Combining all of those serious issues in just a couple of characters and bringing all the characters' threads together just didn't work out as planned.
Unfortunately I cannot give precise examples, as that would give away all the clues to this murder mystery. So I guess you'd have to experience this one for yourself. Maybe I was not 'thrilled' by The Childminder, I most definitely had a great time reading it!

Wow. This is the 3rd book by Hayley Smith and another 5⭐️ read. This was a bit different than her last 2 books but no less twisty. I love whodunit's and this one was 🤌. You will fly through this book. If you like Freida Mcfadden, you will devour this.
5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A great read full of intrigue and secrets which kept me involved in the storyline with well described characters..

For me personally it was a definite page turner and I can thoroughly recommend, you will not be disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC

The Childminder by debut author Hayley Smith, published by Bookouture is a thriller of its finest. Well written, with wonderfully villainous characters, twists that have the reader guessing til the very last page.
Blurb: 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. Tuesdays to Fridays, 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. 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.
And soon it becomes terribly the sender isn’t joking. Because one of our group is dead.
Is someone we know responsible? Who will be next?

This is my first Hayley Smith novel, and it certainly won't be my last. Smith has a talent for gripping storytelling, with characters whose twisted, manipulative actions create chaos in others' lives - a hallmark of a great psychological thriller.

However, I did have one issue that kept me from giving this book five stars. The suspense surrounding the poison pen letters and messages was brilliantly built up, but the eventual revelation of the culprit and their motives felt rushed. A more detailed and gradual unraveling would have better served the tension that had been so carefully crafted.

That said, this is one of the creepiest and most twisted psychological thrillers I have read. The stakes are high, not just for the parents, but for their children, who are trapped in a storm at a beachside cottage with a vengeful enemy among them.

The author also delves into the psychology of her characters, exposing their flaws and lack of accountability. By the end, some characters evolve, while others are left to deal with the mess they have made.

The final twist caught me off guard - I had to read it twice to believe it. It was a jaw-dropper, completely unexpected.

The Childminder by Hayley Smith is not your typical psychological thriller. While it has its ups and downs, one thing is certain: it will keep you guessing until the very end, even when you think you have it all figured out.

Thank you Bookouture and NetGalley for an early copy of The Childminder. I liked the plot, the characters were shady and the writing made for fast reading. It was a good read, it all came together nicely. Thank you again.

This s my third outing with this up and coming author and once again a compelling binge fest.
A child care circle which holds many secrets which are revealed dramatically over a weekend away.
The characters were so well written and seemed true to life they came to life of the page and I liked them and hated them in equal measure. The true story as it unfolded was gripping as I wanted to know the truth more than kim.
The ending however was something else and there was a tiny part if me that thought I need this loose end tied up but this was just so entertaining. Can't wait gir the next outing.
Thank you do much to netgallery and publisher and author for this highly recommended 5 star read. Such a pageturner.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for my honest review.

A decent thriller with an interesting enough storyline and lots of characters to follow. The twists and surprises were great and not predictable but I just felt like this drug on and wasn’t that exciting. I found myself more excited to finish the book than know what happens.

The Childminder by Hayley Smith gives off “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Pretty Little Liars” vibes. I loved to see how the twists and turns ended up connecting.
If free childcare and a vacation with said members of the group sounds like a sweet deal, think again! Anonymous letters threatening to reveal their darkest secrets are sent to the adults that form the childcare circle. The thought process of some of the women in the group made me want to throw my e-reader to the wall, because why?! The ending was shocking and I did not see it coming. This thriller is worth the read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That ending!! Wow! The twists and turns just kept coming in this book. Hayley Smith has a way of writing that really makes you feel like you're in the scene with the characters. I loved this one and recommend it to anyone looking for a great psychological thriller!

The Child Minder: So many secrets, so many lies! Are your children safe?
This jaw-dropping, gripping, twisty thrill ride had me at the edge of my seat the whole time!5 stars

This is the type of book which grabs the reader's attention from the very early chapters. I was hooked on the book from chapter 2 and was unable to put the book down... I have read my fair share of thrillers but this will be on my recommended list for a long time.

3.5 stars for me because I found the book too depressing. Nothing good comes out of it.

None of the characters are likeable. Kim was barely, others either not developed sufficiently and remaining like cut boards, or highly unlikeable. I couldn’t believe how much lack of accountability among these people. It was always someone else’s fault. The type of attitude and rationale, well if you didn’t drive me there, I wouldn’t have killed this person. Really, are we in a kindergarten here? Also after discovering the killer of her brother, Kim just moves on as it’s no longer important. Really? And we are supposed to be okay with that? I couldn’t stand these people. Every single one was despicable. Please give at least one likeable person or some depth to understand what led to their despicable behavior.

Omg! That ending……. Was Iinsane.. really enjoyed this book couldn’t put I down today! Lots of secrets and lie all entwined!