I enjoyed this book, despite struggling with which character I was supposed to associate with. There was also one element of the story (no spoilers) towards the end that was unbelievable. But if you can suspend belief momentarily, it doesn’t spoil an otherwise enjoyable holiday read. The story has a good pace and carries you along, wanting to know what happens next. There was one part where I felt like I needed to read through my fingers because I knew what would happen and didn’t want it to. This is well written and carries you along.

Thanks to @NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#TheBabysitter #NetGalley I love Phoebe Morgan's style of writing. It is fast paced and edgy with lots of action. I particularly like the police interviews written as a transcript which speeds things up and makes you feel part of the action. A well written story with a twist that I didn't get until it happened. The only thing that stops me giving a full five stars is that I couldn't really warm to any of the characters. A great read nevertheless.

I do love an expected turn with an unexpected twist!

This is a real solid "who done it" novel, absolutely full to the rafters with twists and turns at every corner that will have you wanting to speed through it (after the first half) but at the same time slow down and get your Detective's cap on.

You'll find yourself accusing a different character constantly which made it all the more readable.

Although none of the characters were overly likeable they were really well written and all seemed to have this undertone of mystery to them.

Although I'd guessed the "who done it part" the build up was fantastic and the wrapping up of the What's and Why's was brilliantly held back until the very end.

The first half is quite slow but the second half definitely gains speed and has you gripped.

A brilliant binge worthy read!

Solid 4*

Thanks to netgalley and HQ for the ARC.

This was a good, solid whodunnit. A baby is missing, the babysitter is dead and the married man she was seeing has been arrested - but did he actually do it and if so, how does the baby fit into it all?

This is told in the viewpoints of the babysitter Caroline, Siobhan the wife and the investigating detective DC Wildy. The narrative also alternates between the present-day investigation, complete with excerpts of the police interviews (which I loved), and the days leading up to the murder. I really enjoyed Phoebe Morgan's writing style which was short and snappy, descriptive and clear, full of drama but to the point.

With a small pool of suspects (or characters) it was fairly easy to guess the murderer, the motive and backstories, particularly as all were fairly predictable and unremarkable. That's not a criticism though as I prefer that to plots that are so ridiculously obscure that they are totally unbelievable. Also while it was guessable it was only so just slightly ahead of the reveal so still kept my attention and whilst the murderer was guessable, what had happened to the baby wasn't at all.

So, like I said at the start this was a good, solid psychological thriller - not mind-blowing but very enjoyable all the same and definitely worth a read.

Full review to come on blog tour.
I adored The Babysitter, Phoebe's ability to write a book that the reader can fully fall into is such a flawless talent - I'd call it a super power! This domestic thriller is one that had me gripped to every single page - an array of characters, some of whom you pity and others are just a complete mystery to you. The storyline skips too and frow, from past to present, which I adored - this helped to unravel the storyline while provided a larger insight of the events surrounding the death of Caroline. Flawless, brilliant and taut read that will leave you shook!

When Caroline is found dead, draped over a cot its a mystery to everyone. Its not just about who killer her, but also where is the baby?

Caro’ was babysitting for a friend, something she’d only done once before. Was she capable? Why her? Was she targeted for the baby? was the baby an innocent bystander? is there more to it?

Siobhan is with her family at her sisters house in France. Her husbands a big deal – but also a love rat. Their marriage isnt going well, and hes been cheating again. SHe doesnt want her daughter or sister to find out about that thought. So when he’s arrested for Carolines murder she has to keep the family together.

Did he kill Caroline? Did Siobhan? what secrets are people hiding? There are soo many questions that float around. (I’ll admit, I was almost right int he outcover183145-mediumcome of this. But almost isnt good enough!)

The characters are easy to follow and track, which is great in this sort of book, the feel quickly familiar making the focus the story and not who they really are.

This book quickly goes from a I’ll try it because I liked her last book to compulsive reading in the first few chapters.

My first Phoebe Morgan book; I enjoyed it and was able to rattle through it in a couple of days as it was an easy read. None of the characters were particularly likeable or endearing and I was not particularly surprised when the "baddie" was revealed although the how/why question was nicely held back until the end.

I didn't feel that it was particularly insightful but as an easy read with an element of psychological thriller to it, I think it succeeded well.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher HQ for the ARC

Caroline is found stabbed to death in her flat. The one-year-old Eve, Caroline's friend's daughter who she was babysitting, is gone.
Meanwhile, Siobhan and Callum's holiday is cut short when Callum is ordered back into the UK, suspected of murdering his ex-mistress, Caroline.
He is a cheater, but is he a murderer too?

I've read The Doll House by Phoebe Morgan before, and I really enjoyed it. I also have The Girl Next Door on my tbs shelf, so I was excited to be approved for this ARC.
The story, following multiple perspectives; the main ones being Siobhan's and Caroline's, is interspersed with police interviews.
It was a good, entertaining read and I enjoyed it. The plot was engaging and kept me interested, but unfortunately, I found it lacked the wow factor that makes me race through a book with bated breath.
On the plus side, the ending was unexpected, and I definitely didn't see it coming.
Overall, it was a good domestic thriller and you should definitely give it a go.

The Babysitter is an excellent thriller that keeps you guessing. Though it is everything you'd expect a psychological suspense novel to be, with emotionally charged, pacy chapters, it is also full of depth and insight into the lives of the characters, with important observations about women and betrayal.

I've adored Phoebe Morgan's previous books, so was excited to read this. This follows Siobhan, who is on holiday at her sister's villa in the stunning coast of France with her husband, Callum, and her teenage daughter, Emma. However two days into the holiday and the French police arrive to arrest Callum for the murder of Caroline...
Flashback to Caroline's story, who is a young freelance illustrator, and having an affair with Callum for 18 months. They've had a terrible, traumatic break-up yet she can't move on from Callum. She gets roped into babysitting her friend Jenny's baby, Eve, until one fateful night she is found stabbed leaning over the cot and Eve is missing...
The narrative is told from the POV of Siobhan, Caroline, and DS Wildy, which makes for short, snappy chapters that end on cliffhangers and keep you wanting to reading more. My only gripe is that I did find the writing at times was very on-the-nose and lacked subtext and nuance, also despite the quick, pacy chapters I felt that nothing much happened until the last act, so for some readers they might find the first half slow, as I did, although the story does pick up in the second half. The last act was well-plotted, with plenty of twists and reveals. This is a binge-worthy, beach read, to be devoured in one sitting, a fun escapist read. 4/5

Caroline is found dead in her flat and baby she's been looking after its missing. Loved the premise of the book and it kept me guessing. However I must say I have guessed pretty much who s behind it all very early on so my suspicion had only been confirmed. It was good and definitely a page turner but it didn't exactly 'excite' me like some thrillers do, hence the 3stars

Another great psychological thriller from an author I haven’t read before.
Twists and turns in a well written, fast-paced story, although it did take a little while for it to get rolling.
The story works well and leaves you guessing

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and girlie books therefore am extremely pleased and grateful to them for opening up my mind to something totally different.

I enjoyed this very much. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a great book l often guess who the “baddie” is very early on but this kept me guessing right till the end although never convinced (and l won’t put any names to avoid spoilers) it was the prime suspect l was pleased it didn’t conform with any preconceived ideas really sad to have finished this book and will now seek out others by the author

Phoebe Morgan has written yet another superb thriller!

The pace and tension in The Babysitter was like an elastic band being stretched tighter and tighter, and then PING, the author sends the reader flying through the second half of the novel. My heart was racing and I was tearing through the pages, desperate for answers.

The Babysitter had me accusing a different character on every page, but boy was I wrong!

Absolutely fantastic!!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced read

This was an interesting domestic thriller but unfortunately I've read so many thrillers like this before, it just wasn't anything special.

In this book, you find out a woman called Caroline has been found dead, her body draped over the cot of the baby she was supposed to be looking after. The baby has now gone missing. You also follow the perspective of a family, who are in holiday in France which suddenly gets brought to a close when the husband is arrested, but how are these two people connected?

There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this book, it just felt very average and done before.

The writing was okay and the plot was okay, but nothing special.

I think people who haven't read many thrillers, would really enjoy this one.

But unfortunately I saw the ending coming a mile off!

I do think the ending was dragged out a bit longer than it needed to be.

But honestly, apart from that, there isn't much to say about this book. An average domestic thriller, which may be fun to read during summer as it's set during a heatwave.

TW: abortion, child abduction and murder

What a book! A fast moving philosophical thriller that keeps your imagination going, who did it? how? why? The twists and turns keep you guessing as the plot unfolds and the characters and relationships develop. The flow of the book switches from before the crime to the present time creating tension, keeping you hooked. At times I thought I guessed the ending, convinced even, the little clues building then all is revealed. I thoroughly recommend you read, especially if you haven’t read any of Phoebe Morgan’s other books and like me you enjoy discovering new authors.
I was fortunate to obtain a pre release copy, I would have happily paid the full release price. It’ll keep you entertained for many hours possibly in one or two sessions.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53004002-the-babysitter

This is a good, solid psychological thriller. The plot was interesting and I liked that it was written from different viewpoints and that we got to see part of the police investigation as well. I guessed some of the outcome but I couldn't for the life of me work out where baby Eve fitted in.

For some reason the book was just missing the 'wow' factor for me. I was never excited to pick it up and I found myself constantly checking what percentage I was on throughout, which I don't bother doing when a book really excites me. The writing was very good and there were a nice couple of twists in the story, so it must have just been a bit of a personal disconnect.

I would still recommend that others give this book a try because it is definitely a good, well-written book. This is the first Phoebe Morgan book I have read and I would be interested in giving her others a go.

Poor Caroline, I have to admit my heart went out to her, of all the characters in the book, she was the one I empathised with. But who killed her and where the heck is baby Eve? This is a suspenseful read as we learn more about all the characters. I wasn't a big fan of the interview format for the police elements - for me, that held me at a distance whereas I wanted to be in the room with the suspects, watching them! That apart, it's a fantastic read with a very satisfying ending.

I find myself torn over what rating to give The Babysitter.

On one hand, it certainly kept me reading. I stayed up late to finish it. Yet that was mainly because I had to know what happened to the baby, on the tiny chance that she was still alive. The rest of the plot – or at least, who the guilty parties were – I'd predicted right from the start so in that sense it was a bit of a slog to get through.

The characters are all pretty awful people. I liked Alex, the policeman investigating the case, and Caroline, the murder victim. But Callum is a horrible person and Siobhan is a drip. I found I didn't really care what happened to them. So, as I said, if it hadn't been for the mystery of baby Eve I might not have bothered to finish the book.

I also found it rather carelessly written. Everyone sounds the same. For instance, two completely unrelated characters remark that someone should have had a sibling 'to knock their edges off', and there are several more examples like this. It felt like the book was written quickly with no attention to polishing it.

Overall, it was a reasonable enough way to pass the time but I think there are better books in the genre out there.