Surprisingly great thriller!

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I was actually very surprised by how much I enjoyed this thriller! The novel opens in River Glen, Oregon with Jamie Whelan while she is a sophomore in high school. Wanting nothing more than to attend a senior party instead of go to her babysitting gig, Jamie convinces her older sister Emma to take over her babysitting job instead. However, during that night, Emma is victim to a vicious attack that leaves her impaired for the rest of her life.

Almost 20 years later, Jamie and her daughter Harley move back to River Glen to take care of Emma after their mother passes away. However, as soon as Jamie returns, the Babysitter Stalker starts up again, and women in the neighborhood are being attacked.

This was the first novel I’ve read by Nancy Bush, and I am impressed! The plot was thoughtfully laid out, easily mixing and comparing the babysitter attacks of the past with those of the present. I also found the characters very developed and relatable. For example, Harley, the angsty teen that is trying to navigate high school and her mother’s over burdening presence, versus Cooper, a former classmate of Emma’s turned cop that wants to find justice for Emma.

I did find that the novel was a little long. The ARC copy I read was 460 pages long, and overall I thought it could have been about 50-60 pages shorter with nothing lost from the plot. I think because the novel dragged a little in the middle, the ending and finding out who the attacker is was not as jaw dropping. Also, once you find out the attacker’s identity, I thought the novel wrapped up very quickly from there, 5-6 pages quick, which felt rushed. But overall a solid thriller that kept me guessing until the end!