You trust her with your family. Would you trust her with your life?
Mark and Melissa Cain are thrilled to have found Jade, a babysitter who is brilliant with their young children. Having seen her own house burn to the ground, Jade needs them as much as they need her. Moving Jade into the family home can only be a good thing, can’t it?
As Mark works long hours as a police officer and Melissa struggles with running a business, the family become ever more reliant on their babysitter, who is only too happy to help. And as Melissa begins to slip into depression, it’s Jade who is left picking up the pieces.
But Mark soon notices things aren’t quite as they seem. Things at home feel wrong, and as Mark begins to investigate their seemingly perfect sitter, what he discovers shocks him to his core. He’s met Jade before. And now he suspects he might know what she wants …
Mark is in a race against time to protect his family. But what will he find as he goes back to his family home?
Review
Jade kinda slithered her way into the Cain’s family. She wanted to be part of the family and so she found a way in. This was evident from the beginning of the story when readers are introduced to the family and to Jade. We quickly learn about her motives and then wait with bated breath to see what would happen next. Would her plans succeed? What exactly did she have in mind for this family? It was obvious that the Cains were in trouble. I kept waiting for them to find out what was really going on. At the same time, I watched with trepidation as the family fell apart clearly knowing that things could only get worse. I was especially mortified as I watched Melissa fall apart. You would have to read the book to know what I mean by this.
The story is narrated through alternating POVs between Melissa, Mark and Jade. As expected, one of the narrations was pretty dark. However, it helped in providing information about the baddie. We get some background information and insight into their dark thoughts. The other narrations reflected the effect that Jade was having on the young family. Mark’s narration bugged me just a bit. I think the fact that he was a detective and his inability to see what was happening right under his roof seemed off to me. I liked his personality though but I felt as if his portrayal was a bit unrealistic and this made me a little frustrated by this character.
This was a tense read in that readers know that there is a storm coming. The antagonist is revealed from the start so this wasn’t a case of finding out the who. It was more focused on the what. What will Jade do next? What will happen to Cain and his family? What will save the family? The Babysitter ended up being a disturbing but captivating read. Watching the events play out was chilling. I especially found myself feeling nervous for the other characters especially the kids in the family.
Although I do prefer books where the identity of the baddie remains a mystery until the end, I think the author did a great job in making this an interesting read even without big, shocking twists/reveals.
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