Cover Image: The Baby Shower

The Baby Shower

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Member Reviews

This was an entertaining, fast-paced read about friendships and relationships and lies, jealousy and betrayal, with a few fun twists along the way. This was my first S.E. Lynes book, but it definitely will not be my last. A big thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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There are secrets in this book. There is jealousy, but not the kind you would think. This story was quite interesting, and I could actually see it play out before my eyes. A very good story with a twist or two. I enjoyed it very much. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

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What a twisty read! I thought I had things figured out but I was way off base. Jane, the main character, is very relatable and you can feed her distrust of Lexie come through the pages. This book was very fast-paced and entertaining.
CW: pregnancy, infertility

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Jane and Sophie are best friends. They are in the mist of their lives and both are ready for the next step of having families. Sophie finds herself pregnant and Jane discovers that she is unable to have children. Enter Sophie's new friend Lexie who is pregnant also. But, there is something off about Lexie and Jane just doesn't take to her. One could chalk it up to her being jealous of the new found friendship between the girls and the fact that they both have their new pregnancies to bond over, but its more than that.
Seriously my red flag antenna's went right up about Lexie. Something just wasn't right with her. But then there was another part of me thinking that Jane was way too jealous about Lexie and also envious of her bonding with HER best friend over something that Jane will never be able to experience. Is Lexie trying to destroy Janes life or is it vice versa.

Honestly, this has a LIFETIME Movie vibes.

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Another fantastic read from this author. I've been a long time lover of S. E. Lynes and this book did not disappoint. It had me flipping the pages faster than I could breathe. Perfect way to spend three hours :)

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This was an excellent book.

It talks about some real life issues that can happen if these things happened to you.

The suspense and twists and turns will make you keep reading until the end.

This is an unputdownable thriller with toxic friendships added into the mix.

Highly recommended.

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I read this because I was looking for a fast-paced domestic thriller that would completely suck me in, and while I liked it, it didn't totally deliver on that last part, as I kept setting this book aside. But overall I was entertained by the mystery of just who Lexie Lane was and what she was up to. It gets pretty over the top by the end, as these books tend to, so good for readers who like that kind of ending.

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Psychological thriller centered around a female group of friends and the consequences when relationships breakdown, alongside issues of fertility and loss. Overall, a good read with a good pace and interesting characters.

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This is the first S.E Lynes book I’ve read but it definitely won’t be the last. I was hooked from the start I barely but it down till I had finished. Really great book. Definitely worth reading

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If you haven’t read any of SE Lynes books before – then you are in for a treat. The Baby Shower is Lynes’ latest standalone psychological thriller and is available to download now.

This is the story of friendships, rivalry, secrets and lies and centres around Jane and Frankie. Happily married and both running their own business. Jane runs her dream coffee shop and Frankie is a self-employed plumber. Everything is perfect between them with one exception, Jane can’t have children which is something that has devastated her but she has kept secret from her closest friends.

When her best friend Sophie announces she is pregnant, Jane’s world is rocked upside down, trying to be happy for her best friend whilst mourning the fact she can’t have the one thing she wants – a baby. However things are about to get even more difficult for Jane when Sophie introduces a new friend to their tight little group call Lexie and for some reason Lexie really doesn’t like Jane and goes out of her way to try to exclude Jane from their group.

The Baby Shower shines a blinding and uncomfortable light on the toxic side of friendship and following Jane’s heart-breaking journey left me with a big lump in my throat. Women can be cruel and it was difficult to see how her alledged best friends were so quick to judge her.

I will admit that I had worked out what was going on very early in the book, so unfortunately there were no surprises for me, but this didn’t really impact my overall enjoyment of the story.

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Jane is sad when her best friend Sophie finds a new friend Lexie. Jane who is unable to have children is further shaken when Sophie and Lexie announce that are both pregnant. To make matters worse Lexie is causing trouble by telling lies about a Jane.
There are lots of secrets going on behind closed doors.
This was an enjoyable read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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The Baby Shower
By S.E. Lynes
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An afternoon rainy day read sure to satisfy every lover of psychological thrillers!! Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the gifted e-ARC.

A close group of friends always happy until news comes that best friends Jane, who cannot have kids and Sophie, who becomes pregnant changes everything. A new friend Lexie joins the group who also becomes pregnant at the same time as Sophie, she’s glamorous, beautiful and so attentive to Jane. Both pregnant and getting closer everyday Jane feels increasingly stressed about the growing friendship between Sophie and Lexie.

A luxurious double baby shower is planned with champagne, afternoon tea and all things baby. Jane is the only one in the group that sees the eyes of the calculating toxic Lexie. Something is not right, there is evil in her eyes…then she sees it…there is no pregnancy.
IG: @caseygaleus

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What a scary situation to be in. This thriller had me on the edge of my seat. How sad that people will go so far to hurt others. A once started can't put down book. So happy to have been able to read this book. Thank you,

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I really enjoyed this book! It really grabs you from the beginning. It was difficult to put down because I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend this to others!

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I couldn’t stand this book. The characters were horrendous. Jane was literally the worst. Her friendships were so superficial and even though Sophie is supposed to be her best friend she treats Jane like dirt. And just throws her aside completely for a new model. It was painful to read. There is no character growth or development at all.

As for the plot, totally and entirely predictable. I saw it all coming from a mile away and that is not enjoyable for me.

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Jane's best friend Sophie brings a new friend along to their Friday night out. Lexie is glamorous but controlling. She undermines Janes and pushes her out of the friendship group. Or Is Jane just super sensitive, upset when Lexie and Sophie both reveal they are pregnant whilst Jane is struggling to cope with her diagnosis of early menopause? Meanwhile Jane's husband is acting oddly...
The Baby Shower is a psychological thriller set in the UK. I have previously reviewed Her Sister's Secret, The Housewarming, The Women, The Lies We Hide, and Can You See Her? by S.E. Lynes.
This is an uncomfortable book to read. The jarring atmosphere is created incredibly well. Lexie's campaign against Jane is unpleasant as it develops insidiously and she is abandoned and rejected by Sophie. I wanted to scream and shout at the group of friends to stand up on Jane's behalf.
The sadness and pathos of Jane's life, her alcoholic mother, her grief at the lack of children, all feel so authentic. The motion is raw and exposed across the pages. Her one shining light is her wonderful husband Frankie who is utterly devoted to her. Their love really radiates whch makes the subsequent events even more heinous.
There are twists as the book progresses and it was easy to guess the main connection but I enjoyed seeing how the author would merge the plotlines. The majority of the book is set in the recent past with a few chapters showing a dangerous present day scenario.
The Baby Shower was an uncomfortably entertaining book with high emotion and a compelling plot.

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My first book, that I have read by this author, absolutely brilliant! Highly recommended, and I will definitely read others written by this author!

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The Baby Shower grabbed you right from the beginning, even the title, what could possibly go wrong at a baby shower? I have other book by S.E Lynes, and The Baby Shower did not disappoint. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

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Jane isn’t able to have a baby. She and her husband, Frankie, have resigned themselves to this fact. They have settled into a happy life running Jane’s coffee shop and Frankie’s plumbing business. Jane has a close group of friends that meets regularly for running and for drinks. When Jane’s closest friend, Sophie, announces she is pregnant with her second child, Jane manages to be happy for her even during her own sadness. Sophie has made a new friend, Lexie, who quickly joins the group. Lexie gaslights Jane and manages to turn Sophie against her. Meanwhile, Frankie is dealing with his own issue, a woman who used his business to get close to him. She then drugs him and claims to be pregnant by him. The story is definitely a psychological thriller. I did take issue with the fact that neither Jane or Frankie was able to discuss their problems with the other yet both felt they were able to talk about everything. I will recommend this book to anyone who reads psychological thrillers.

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S.E. Lynes Is a favourite Bookouture author of mine and this is a book that definitely doesn’t disappoint. This is one of those books I will absolutely be recommending.

We are introduced to Jane and Frankie, successful and both well-settled in their careers. However, both miss what they can’t have. This is a book filled with interesting characters and a whole heap of events that keep you caught up in the pages of this one.

Lynes has it all with this one, friendship and betrayal but also gaslighting with bullying thrown in. I don’t know how Lynes does it but these are all interwoven in a plot which is completely gripping and impossible to put down.

There are a number of twists and turns thrown into this one. Lynes has made me gasp, kept me in shock and craving more.

This is a delightfully dark read and one I’ve been completely unable to put down.

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