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The New Sitter

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The last time she babysat, something terrible happened. This time, things will be different…

I try not to think about what I’ve done very often. Sometimes I get flashbacks, but I push them away. Better to just try and move past it.

That’s why I jump at the opportunity to babysit for Adam Gibson, the handsome heir to a substantial family fortune. It’s a second chance, a new beginning.

But just days into my new position, I receive a text. A text that reveals my past isn’t quite as buried as I’d hoped. If I don’t pay up, the world will know my secret.

I can’t lose this job. In fact, I’d do just about anything not to.

The blackmailer might think they know me. They don’t.

They don’t know how far I’ll go to keep the truth from coming out…

Fans of Freida McFadden, Kiersten Modglin, and Daniel Hurst will love this unbelievably twisty thriller that will have you glued to the pages far past bedtime.

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 30, 2025

668 people are currently reading
2088 people want to read

About the author

Jack Dane

13 books318 followers

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5 stars
484 (32%)
4 stars
541 (36%)
3 stars
356 (23%)
2 stars
95 (6%)
1 star
17 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
Profile Image for Caitlin Bunting.
242 reviews12 followers
June 13, 2025
My first read from this author and wow this one really was fantastic. I loved how quick and easy this book was to follow and how gripping it was. I really would like to read more from this authors backlist.
Profile Image for Diane Elizabeth Taylor.
291 reviews14 followers
May 16, 2025
Wow! Faith thinks all her dreams have come true when she's offered a position looking after two young girls in an affluent area.
Her joy is short lived. What really happened to the previous sitter?
This was a fast paced book that grabbed me immediately. It's easily read in one sitting, but you won't want to put it down!
Jack Dane ramps up the tension with every chapter, giving us glimpses into Jane's past. Is it catching up with her? What sinister forces are at play here?
Just as the drama builds to a crescendo, bang!
I gasped as everything became clear. What an ending!
I have loved every book by this author, and although shorter than usual, 'The New Sitter' doesn't disappoint.
5 solid ✨ from me.
My thanks to the author for the ARC. This is my honest, gladly given review.
Profile Image for Melody Jones.
38 reviews1 follower
June 18, 2025
Awesome Thriller!!!

I love Jack Dane’s books. This book has great twists, and kept me on the edge of my seat. That is what makes a spectacular thriller read, in my opinion!
Profile Image for Lauren Swan.
120 reviews3 followers
May 21, 2025
This was a story about a girl with a past who becomes a baby sitter for 2 girls. Quite soon she starts receiving messages threatening to uncover her questionable past to her new employer.

This is such a twisty book, near the end it was twist after twist and I found it to be an enjoyable quick read with the thriller element. This is the third book by this author I’ve read this year and I do think he’s massively underrated. If you like Freida McFadden or Daniel Hurst style thrillers you will enjoy this authors books too!
Profile Image for Ashley Cestra.
1,346 reviews31 followers
June 26, 2025
This came concluded too far out of left field for me. It was unrealistic and I ended up having more questions than answers…
Profile Image for Firdaws.
10 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2025
The ending was almost too perfect. A twist would’ve made it more memorable. Overall a great read. The author’s writing style is very similar to Freida McFadden.
5 reviews
August 7, 2025
Very good book! Keeps you guessing the whole book. Think I’ve found another author I like.
Profile Image for Samantha Keene.
67 reviews
October 7, 2025
It was good but I knew pretty quickly who was responsible.. entertaining read but predictable.
442 reviews
June 1, 2025
WOW…So good! No spoilers given here. This is a twisted mystery that has you on the edge of your seat from the start. Full of suspense. Has characters that you grow to love. Surprises you never see coming. One that will keep you up nights it’s so hard to put down. Really well written and satisfying to read. It’s hard to see this story’s end. An author who delivers once more. If you love mysteries you won’t want to miss this one!!
Profile Image for Rajiv.
982 reviews72 followers
September 27, 2025
Engaging, fast-paced read

When I first picked up The New Sitter by Jack Dane, I expected it to be a fairly straightforward thriller. In fact, even halfway through, I was convinced I had figured out exactly where the story was going and who the obvious culprit would be. But to my surprise, the second half completely overturned my expectations. The plot took several sharp twists, especially leading into the climax, and that unpredictability made me enjoy the book far more than I initially thought I would.

The story follows Faith, a young woman who lands a babysitting job caring for two children, April and Olive, under Adam’s supervision. At first, everything seems ideal: good pay, an escape from her shady ex-boss Grady, and a sense of stability. But soon, Faith finds herself the target of mysterious blackmail tied to her past. The tension builds steadily, and what begins as a seemingly simple job spirals into a dark and dangerous situation.

For me, the turning point was when Faith realizes she is being followed in public. From that moment, the suspense kicks into high gear, and the pacing becomes relentless. Dane does an excellent job of pulling the rug out from under the reader just when you feel secure in your assumptions.

One of the book’s strengths is its brevity—it’s a quick, tightly written thriller that you can easily finish in a single sitting. While the first half felt a bit predictable, the payoff in the latter chapters more than made up for it.

Overall, The New Sitter is an engaging, fast-paced read with enough twists to keep you hooked until the end. I look forward to exploring more of Jack Dane’s work.
Profile Image for Kristin.
1,013 reviews82 followers
June 4, 2025
Faith is stuck in a job that she hates and wants nothing more than to find a way to get out of it. But she has a secret in her past that if it gets out, it could ruin her life. Then she meets Adam Gibson and he could possibly change her life with a new job offer. For just babysitting his girls, she could possible be able to save money, get a new apartment and have a better life – after all, it pays better then her waitressing job. Not long after she begins her trial run with the Gibson girls, she receives text messages blackmailing her. She is to pay or her secret would be revealed. On top of that, she’s noticed someone following her. Who is behind the texts/blackmail?

Personally, for me, this was a good book, but some of Dane’s other books are a lot better. This one didn’t have the build up that I was looking for throughout the entire book. I didn’t feel suspense throughout the entire book. That being said, there were many good aspects of the book as well.

We find out early on that Faith has a secret, so we are left wondering what that secret is. Once we get to the last quarter of the book, there is a lot of action and suspense. Then there’s the twists!! Oh the twists! There are at least three of them that I wouldn’t have seen coming from a mile away.

Jack Dane is a very talented author, so I do suggest you check out his books! This is easy to read in one setting, and is a great popcorn thriller.
Profile Image for Ashley.
36 reviews3 followers
August 13, 2025
3.75 ☆

Faith is working at a less than stellar diner just to make ends meet. That is until fate brought Adam & his two daughters Olive & April unexpectedly enter her life. But does anything in life truly only happen because of fate? Read this & find out!

I really like the author's style of writing, it's fast paced & the perfect book to consume within a day (if you have the time). I love when a book starts with snippets of the ending, for me it makes me want to dive in to see how we got there & to figure out the "who done it". I unfortunately didn't find the story totally realistic, which isn't what everyone looks for in a thriller like I do, so don't discredit it because it might be just want you're looking for! I'd recommend this book if you're a fan of James Caine or Frieda McFadden, I feel like they have similar vibes!
Profile Image for Maja.
252 reviews8 followers
June 4, 2025
Another Jack Dane book I did really enjoy! I am not okay with the cover though. I do love teddy bears, and what has been done to this one is.... just not right!

Anyway, I surely could not have said no to a story where creepy things do happen to a babysitter. In this case, her name is Faith. She got a position to look after two girls, however, she feels like something does not seem to be right with her new employer...

this was just the right pace again, with a lot of twists and turns, keeping me clued to the story until the last page of the book has been turned!
15 reviews
June 6, 2025
I am currently discovering what genres I personally like to read and Thrillers are definitely one of my favorites! With that said.... I just had fun with this book. I think some parts of it were too long but THE TWISTS!!! THE TWISTS!!! I did not see coming for the mist part! I enjoyed it and it kept me entertained thanks to the shorter chapters and the flow of how he writes. I would love to get an audiobook from this author! (Since I have 2 babies, my hands are full but I would definitely like to read more books from this Author!
Profile Image for DKall.
454 reviews11 followers
June 11, 2025
This book is a very quick read and honestly reminds me a lot of Freida McFadden books in that sense. It’s a fast paced storyline and finding out what the story is that causes our main character’s problems is interesting, although it’s pretty easy to guess. Unfortunately I guessed the twist in this immediately. I think it’s just really telegraphed in this story. It was still interesting and entertaining and I think most of that is due to the shorter length of the book. All in all the book was fine, it wasn’t anything insanely wild but it was solid
Profile Image for Angela.
190 reviews9 followers
July 20, 2025
Holy Crap

Love Jack Dane's books and The New Sitter was no exception. Faith runs in to a cute little family, Adam, and kids Olive, and April at the diner she works at. Adam offers her a job babysitting, a trial period of $500 a day.
Faith takes it, even though something terrible has happened in the past while she was babysitting. Suddenly, she starts getting blackmailed.
Then there are about 5 (or more) utterly shocking twists. The blackmailer is revealed and the book ending is very unexpected.
I love books that keep me on my toes and Jack Dane never fails.
490 reviews1 follower
May 24, 2025
This book was a good read. It had a couple of moments in it where the reader is very surprised at a reveal. However, the final reveal is the biggest shock. But at that point the story goes downhill. It seems so improbable that something like that would happen, it stops the tale. However, once the reader settles in with the idea, the story picks up a little. Outside of those points I thought it was very good.
Profile Image for Sabrina Bailey.
36 reviews1 follower
June 2, 2025
Just when you think you figured it out....

You haven't. This book took turns I never saw . As soon as I thought I knew "who" it was, I was wrong. Edge of the seat reading and unable to put down. Finished this in less than a day. Follow Faith as she tries to rebuild her life, believes she has finally found everything she could want or need, then realize she is in for far more than she ever expected.
117 reviews
November 24, 2025
WOW, Jack Dane has mad skills! Every book I have read by him is full of suspense from the beginning. This book is about a girl in a deadend job that accepts a sitter position with ridiculous pay. Soon she is confronted with a blackmailer who knows her past and threatens to reveal her if she does not pay $10K.
The story keeps you guessing who it is but I was shocked when they were revealed.
Great story and highly recommend this book and all books by this author.
Profile Image for Jackie.
499 reviews9 followers
May 23, 2025
I did not see that coming! This book had me questioning everything and everyone. It starts out crazy and just keeps getting crazier. Just when you think you have it figured out there is a curve ball. A real psychological thriller that will keep you guessing till the very end.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Susan Blissett.
254 reviews
May 31, 2025
A shocking first sentence and start to the story make you wonder who the main character, Faith, truly is and I was keen to find out more about her and what she has done to the previous family she babysat for. Her new babysitting job seems too good to be true, but is it or has she fallen on her feet with a nice family and good wage? She then starts getting threatening text messages as well as being stalked. Why is this and what do they want? Unfortunately, for me, I found the story a little drawn out initially and the twists at the end just too unrealistic to feel true. Also, I felt I had questions about some of the characters and their motives who were also mentioned in the story.
Thank you to the author, Jack Dane, for an ARC of this book.
305 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2025
A little far fetched but entertaining. Spoiler alert.

Great plot twist.


* Spoiler Alert * I think it would have been better if the girl had been more like Natalia Grace. 14 still seems a little young to be an accomplished blackmailer and murderer. But I didn't see the plot twist coming and it made me gasp. Well done!
Profile Image for Julie Juhl.
1,624 reviews12 followers
June 6, 2025
The New Sitter by Jack Dane is a great fast paced thriller. The New Sitter has a great storyline that is well written with lots of twists and turns. I read this is in one sitting. This is the first book I have read from the author and look forward to reading more of his work.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
1 review
June 27, 2025
Captivating book!

The writing kept me totally engaged in the story and I found it hard to put down. There were twists I didn’t see coming and I practically held my breath as I was finishing the book. This was the first book I read by Jack Dane and I look forward to reading more by him!
Profile Image for Anna .
166 reviews7 followers
July 13, 2025
This was a great read! I guessed the twist early on, but there were still plenty of surprises that kept me hooked until the end. The story had that addictive, fast-paced feel you get from Freida McFadden, mixed with the darker, more atmospheric vibe of Lisa Jewell. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with unexpected turns, this one’s worth picking up.
Profile Image for Melanie Lopata.
Author 88 books13 followers
September 3, 2025
Very good story. However, the author should hire a professional editor for his books. A few examples:
1. There were many inconsistencies. Minor, but as an editor myself, I caught them.
2. Incorrect capitalization of words (Mom, Mayor, Chief of Police).
3. Incorrect paragraph breaks, especially with dialogue.

Otherwise, it was a good story. Didn’t see that one coming!
Profile Image for Erin Ellison.
186 reviews
October 7, 2025
3.5 so I'll go ahead and round up. this was a faster paced quick read which I really loved. It def had my attention right away with the prologue. I personally found it to be predictable (nothing wrong with that) but since I did have it figured out there wasn't that gasp moment for me. it was still fun to read how everything unfolded though! I enjoyed the twists and turns throughout
Profile Image for Rogère Buivan.
105 reviews11 followers
May 27, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Woooow that book was so amazing but damn so much 😳!

It is definitely addictive as his other books !!

The twists were unbelievable and keep you on edge till the end !

Jack Dane never disappoints!
7 reviews
June 1, 2025
What an ending!!

My only complaint is the book was too short! Wow, what an ending. Never would have guessed that!! Great story and a fabulous twist at end. Definitely reading more of his books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews

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