I wasn’t previously familiar with A.J. McDine and we requested this advance audiobook via NetGalley because I love a good psychological thriller and this looked creepy. Who can resist a tagline like, “There’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours.”

There is indeed a baby in Lucy‘s house, but as she’s coming off of a horrible hangover, she can’t quite re-create the events that led up to this. Did she steal the baby? Does he have a loving mother out there who is missing him? She knows she should call the police but, with a heartbreaking history of trying to become a mother herself, she can’t quite bring herself to do that just yet. She keeps searching the news to see if anyone has reported the baby missing, and no one has. If the mother doesn’t even care enough to report the baby missing, does she deserve him back, anyway?

Lucy‘s husband Miles works at sea on an oil rig and when he comes home to discover this situation, what will he do? What big secrets of his own is he keeping from her, and how does a scent help trigger a memory that unravels Lucy’s life narrative as she thought she knew it? So many fascinating twists and turns here, with ultimately a highly satisfying resolution. I also appreciated the frank discussion of Lucy‘s alcoholism as she grows to understand how it developed into a coping mechanism, and her strength in acknowledging it and seeking help.

A very strong thriller that sucked me right in and did not let go until that deep-breath moment at the end. I’ll be seeking out more from the author. Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the #ARC!

4.3 ⭐️
This audiobook grabbed me from the first chapter. Could you imagine waking up to a strange baby in your home, with no clues as to why or how?

👮‍♀️ You can’t call the police, because you may have done something illegal while in a drunken stupor. Many things start to run through your mind as you sort through her limited memories and race against the clock before her husband gets home and discovers what’s going on.

🧩 The mystery of the plot plays out at a nice steady pace, and it doesn’t take much to figure out what could be going on. But just when you settle into the satisfaction of having all the answers, there’s a nice little twist.

😡 I hated the husband. He is a miserable cuss word and I’m so glad to be done reading about him, as he didn’t deserve that many pages. The MC has a nurturing side and I felt myself feeling sympathy for her character much of the time, especially with her state of confusion.

🎧 I liked that there weren’t a lot of characters in the book, and the storyline stayed very focused. The narrator was great, and I was able to easily fly through this story while tending to my plants and garden. I always appreciate a good uncomplicated audio for multi-tasking.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and AJ McDine for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

What would you do if you woke up after a night drinking to a baby in your living room? A baby that you know (or at least you think) is not yours? These are the questions Lucy asks herself and those that are at the very core of this story.

I was hooked from the very first minute of this audio and found myself imagining a million different scenarios which would lead one to find a baby in their living room. Not only does this storyline mess with your mind, Lucy's slimy husband Miles only adds fuel to the fire. I enjoyed the twists throughout the book and the fast pace really kept me engaged as I listened in one sitting. I must say I did see the final twist at the end from a mile away so I wasn't surprised, and I was honestly a little proud of myself. I also really became emotionally attached to Lucy and saw her as a strong, determined woman who grew into this strength despite her husband's gaslighting throughout the story.

One thing I really hate, and this is no hate to the author, is how often I keep reading about men characters who are psychologically abusive and think they get to make decisions for women regarding reproduction. I think maybe I am just hypersensitive given what is going on in society/the political world right now, but this seems to be a common theme in books these days??? Either way, Miles is a no from me.

Anyways, the narration by Tamsin Kennard was *chefs kiss* and overall I really enjoyed this book and will be reading more A J McDine in the future!

TW: rape, infant loss and the affiliated sadness and grief, and psychological abuse

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

While there were several plot twists in this book, this book was not for me. I disliked the characters and often wondered why they were even together. I thought the narrator did a good job reading this book.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*

Full disclosure-I chose this title because I really wanted to listen to a domestic thriller and I was out of Audible Credits. I chose it by it's title and cover.

It was surprisingly good.

The Baby is a psychological thriller told in first person by an unreliable narrator. She has woken from a bender to find a baby sleeping in a drawer in her front hallway. It is all she has ever wanted. But she has no idea where he came from. Her husband Miles works on an offshore rig 2 weeks out of the month, and she has to figure out what to do before he comes home.

She knows she needs to go to the police, but she can't bring herself to let sweet baby "Wren" go. When Miles comes home, things get weirder and more upsetting. And as she tells more of her story the audience isn't sure what is real and what she does when she's blacked out.

I love a happy ending, so I had to cheer for this one, but it was a little bit too wrapped up in a bow for my liking. Even so, I enjoyed it and will look for more by A.J. McDine.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the Audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.
release date expected 4/23/24

The Baby by A J McDine 🎧
Publication Date: April 23, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
There’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours. The main character has a bit of a drinking habit and on more than one occasion seems to black out leading to gaps in her memory. The unreliable narrator aspect lends to the mystery of this gripping domestic thriller. I found myself glued to the story, eager to find out the truth. I listened to the audiobook and Tamsin Kennard did an excellent job of bringing the pages to life. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advance reader copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this book by the front cover and it didn't disappont. It is well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I loved. I really enjoyed it. The storyline was engaging and really pulls you in, with the suspense level increasing as the story progresses.

The Baby was a miss for me. I found that the dysfunctional relationships and gaslighting of the main character unenjoyable. The female main character is an alcoholic but this is used against her in terrible ways. I will try another AJ McDine as it might have been just this story.

Thank you Net Galley, AJ Dine and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to preview this book and the opinions shared are my own.

The Baby by A J McDine is a captivating tale that seamlessly blends suspense and emotion. McDine's writing style keeps readers hooked from the very first page. With well-developed characters and unexpected twists, this book is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. McDine skillfully explores themes of motherhood, identity, and the lengths people will go to protect the ones they love. Overall, this is a gripping and thought-provoking read that will leave readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

I listened the arc of this audiobook. Thank you NetGalley and AJ McDine for this arc.

I give this book 4 stars.

First of I really liked the premise of this book. The mc wakes up one morning and there is a baby in her house. She has no idea how the baby got there.

I did like the female main character quite a bit. She definitely wasn’t perfect and had flaws. There were times I wanted to yell at her as well but overall I like how she was written and how her story unfolded.

The twists were somewhat easy to guess. I definitely had my suspicions early on but I c still enjoyed the book.

I think this is a fun thriller that is definitely worth your time. It kept me interested throughout the book and it is one I will actually remember!

The Baby by AJ McDine has turned the baby trope on it’s head! Lucys husband works offshore and so is gone from home most of the time in on one of these occasions Lucy wakes up and can’t remember what happened the night before and she certainly doesn’t remember where the baby in her living room came from. I want to say so much about this book but OMG I don’t want to ruin it for anyone this is an original amazing awesome perfect delicious thriller! They do have some slight warnings rape is mentioned, there is serious emotional abuse and gaslighting alcoholism is also featured in the book but eventually in a positive way, Not the alcohol the abstaining from it. This book is so good there’s nothing better than starting a book and all the character seem like lovely people and slowly but surely you pull away the layers and see the monsters underneath and AJ McDine done it perfectly in the book the baby I listen to the audio version and as always Tamison canard does a brilliant job The good characters are awesome especially the sister and I don’t want to name them so as not to give anything away but I love love love her. This is a great book and one I definitely and highly recommend truly awesome I want to thank bookoucher audio and net galley for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Lucy likes to drink, but when a baby is on her table one morning, she knows she needs to stop. Miles her husband is on an oil rig in Aberdeen and Lucy has wanted a baby for so long, she pretends it’s hers.

It’s a twisty physiological thriller, full of secrets and dangers of people we trust. Easy to read/listen in one sitting.

I listened to the audiobook and loved it, kept me engrossed and listened to it in one sitting. The narrator has great accents for each character and read the story well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

I had a hard time getting into this book. The beginning threw me off a bit as the author jumped straight into a situation that, in my opinion, required a little explanation. After a few chapters things picked and the story drew me in. I ended up really enjoying this book, despite the premise being a little farfetched. It’s a quick read with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Definitely recommend.

3.6 rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.
(spoilers ahead beware)

I was conflicted for a lot of this one. The premise was so very interesting, and I LOVE a good unreliable narrator, but this book loses the unreliable narrator a little under halfway through and then it just turns into a tale I feel like we've heard before, repeatedly, and none of the twists surprised me. It was also very slow, and I did skip from chapter 41 to 59, and I didn't miss anything. Which is a shame, because her unreliability was the best part of this book for me.

Firstly, I was super frustrated with our FMC. The way people clearly knew she had a drinking problem but no one ever said anything to her was so shocking. Her husband says he wanted her to miscarry because she was an alcoholic, but isn't he the one that also encourages her to drink more and enables the behavior? Which I realize could have also been another attempt for her to miscarry, but before that, he still does it. Why does no one ever sit this girl down and say something about it? I think they alcoholic representation in this book is lacking a bit. She seems way to calm, way to chill at all times. I don't know if that was the narration specifically, but the text itself doesn't feel like it ever has a sense of urgency or panic that I feel like she is lacking.

The twists- I saw them coming. From the first second someone said how much the baby resembles them and looks like he could be their child, I knew. I don't understand why that never stood out to her?? And no one is looking for this baby, he hasn't worked for months (where do you think he's been?). and STILL no one is looking for the baby but she just rolls with it. The repetition made it hard for me to miss any twists as well. She has so many times where she said "I didn't have much to drink" but then just assumed okay whatever still must have been drunk and fell down the stairs. A very frustrating FMC.

The narration was great. At first I wasn't a huge fan because of the tone of "blah" is what I'm going to call it, but I think that was from the writing itself, where she is just never freaking out about anything ever. The accent work was fantastic as well.

All things considered, I give it 3 stars. I think for the right audience this book will be well recieved, I just found it too predictable and the FMC too unlikeable.

This story is full of twists and turns that keep you hanging on. Unfortunately to me though, I had a hard time sitting through the story. Why these people even stayed in each others lives and the ridiculous decisions that were being made in the beginning just annoyed me. I've seen many people loved this book, unfortunately it just wasn't for me. Reading about toxic relationships that people stick with is an automatic blah for me in books.

Lucy wakes to find a baby boy in her living room swaddled in a dresser drawer, with no memory of the night before. Has her memory deserted her again or has her alcohol consumption blocked all memories. Her husband, Miles, is away working on an oil rig and she scrambles to gain her memory of where this babies come from before he returns. Did she kidnap the baby from a friend or did she find the baby need? And can she make the hard decision to turn herself in.

I listened to this fast paced, psychological thriller on audiobook and it did boy disappoint! The narrator was great and there were plenty of twists and turns keeping me hooked to the end!

Lucy wakes up from an alcohol induced hangover/blackout, and there's a baby in her house. Although she longs for a baby, she knows it not her baby. Did she steal the baby? Where did he come from? There are so many unanswered questions!

I enjoy a good unreliable narrator, and the author did a great job writing the plot though the eyes of Lucy. This was a book where it seemed you knew what was going to happen from the beginning, so my curiosity was piqued on how events would unfold. I was so entertained and engrossed in this story! I couldn't stop listening because I had to know what was going to happen. There were twists and turns along the way, and I was pleasantly surprised with how the events unfolded. This was a fast and addictive read that has me ignoring adulting to focus on listening!

Tamsin Kennard did a phenomenal job with the narration! She moved between male and female characters very well, and she managed accents and intonations of each character flawlessly. She made the story easy to follow.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Baby by AJ McDine is a fast paced and gripping domestic thriller that had me captivated right from the very start. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will certainly be reading more. Although I did guess quite early on how the story was going to pan out, I can assure you it most certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book as it completely absorbed me right until the final page.

Lucy is a housewife whose husband, Miles, works on an oil rig and is rarely home. Lucy struggles with alcoholism, and after a particularly heavy night of drinking, she wakes up to find an unfamiliar baby in her house. Due to an accident, Lucy is unable to have children herself. She wonders whose baby it could be and why she can't recall anything from the previous night. Despite her confusion, she hesitates to go to the police since there are no reports of a missing baby. Instead, she tries to piece together the truth before Miles returns.

While easy to figure out parts of the mystery, I found this book enjoyable.

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio, for my free copy.

🎧4.25-4.5⭐️

I had the audiobook read by Tamsin Kennard who does a good job, adding an extra layer of interest to the story.

Lucy wakes up with hazy memories of the day before to find a baby in her house. What she does next is the start of a twisty thriller.

Lucy is married to Miles who works on an off shore oil rig. Gradually the reader gets to learn more about the couple, their relationship and history. There are soon plenty of red flags waving wildly we get to learn why Lucy fails to see/ ignore them.

There’s lots going on with the plot, with plenty of twists and turns which kept me riveted. Theres characters who grow on you plus despicable characters to hate.

The theme is dark, but it’s not a gritty thriller and doesn’t register on my gore score. It may have triggers for some, but I feel it would be a spoiler to mention them.

I am on the cusp of really enjoying it and loving it. It felt that it offered something a bit different, it certainly kept me well entertained.