An excellent tale on friendship, deception and manipulation. This was one book I found difficult to put down and stayed with me for several books

I had heard a lot of good things about this book within my online book club, so was excited to read it.

The story begins after a massive accident, where we know someone is in hospital. We are often give views from this person, but the author has written in the third person throughout so we don't know who the person is. This was quite clever and I enjoyed the mystery around it.

The book tends to flick around A LOT, so if you struggle to keep track of people etc. then maybe this book isn't for you. The actual story was also quite predictable in my opinion, from early one, I knew exactly how this was going to pan out and that took away some of the enjoyment for me.

I was confused with the title of the story as well as I felt that this didn't really lend itself to what the book was about.

Overall for me, it was OK, but not pulling up any trees.

I tried to read this one a few different time. I hear so many good things about it but I couldn't read it after few chapters. The into was great but I'm not sure something felt flat. I didn't care much for the writing style it in. Unfortunately I can rate that well because I couldn't finish it

The Baby Shower by S.E. Lynes was a really good read. It was a psychological thriller but I wish the title was different because the focus of the story was not the baby shower. You do read two points of view and slowly you will realize how they connect. The story reminded me of the movie Single White Family but with a twist. Jane, the main character of the story is married to Frankie and has been trying to get pregnant for years. Her best friend Sophie has no trouble with it. One day Lexie is introduced into Jane's close group of friends. Sophie announces she is pregnant again. From there the story begins with Lexie slowly pulling Sophie away from Jane. Jane's home life is not better. She, unfortunately, misses the signs of her husband's issues. I loved this book and would definitely read another of S.E. Lynes.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read The Baby Shower by S.E. Lynes

I had seen the rave reviews so expectations were high, and the book certainly didn’t disappoint!!! Jane is happy, she has a small group of friends and a devoted husband, then Lexie enters the scene and things seem to go wrong….I was gripped from start to end!

Jane is a normal woman, with normal friends and a wonderful husband and business. The only downside to her life is the fact she can't get pregnant. Her friend Sophie introduces another lady into their friend fold... A woman called Lexie. As Lexie weaves herself into Sophies life and seems to be actively trying to push Jane out, Jane starts to feel abandoned. Then at the worst possible moment Sophie finds out she is pregnant and Lexie, being the new best friend, wants to throw her an elaborate baby shower at the ritz.
Is Jane imagining the bullying or is Sophie right? Is she just jealous of Sophies baby and her new friendship that she isn't seeing the reality of the situation? Will Jane ever figure it out? Or will she spiral to a dark place she can never return from?

I found the dynamic of the whole book brilliant! I could feel Janes pain of not having a baby of her own while having to watch her best friend get pregnant again and glow with the warmth only being pregnant can bring you. It would be devastating. I could also see Sophies side too. Imagine telling your best friend you are having a baby and know they will secretly hate you a little bit for it.

I didn't like Lexie from the first moment she appeared. I hate people like her anyway but when you join a new friend dynamic, you don't act like that so I was automatically waiting for her to do something horrific.

This book had a brilliant shocker at the end of the book and a lot of twists and turns during it. One of the main ones I did figure out pretty soon but it wasn't obvious. It was very well done but I just had a feeling early in.

I would have liked more from Lexie's point of view. It would have rounded this book out for me had this happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and we definitely be on the hunt for more from the author.

If you love a twisty dark psychological thriller with a basis in friendship, this is the book for you.
Solid 4 stars, like I said, more about Lexie would have made this a 5 star for me.

A great big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and S.E. Lynes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Good psychological thriller. I worked out early on what was going on but the pace and writing kept me gripped until the end. And I do like the smug feeling of figuring out "Whodunnit" or "Whydunnit"!

Jane and Frankie are a happily married couple, each running their own businesses and trying to have a baby. Jane is part of a running group called Runner Beans, along with her close friends; Sophie, Hils and Kath and they go out each week for 'Friday night drinks'. Life is ticking along nicely until two things happen that change Jane’s life forever. First, Sophie is pregnant for the second time yet despite the heartache this causes Jane she's happy for her friend. Secondly, Sophie introduces a new friend, Lexie Lane, to the running beans and Friday drinks. Sophie adores her new friend and is unaware of the aggressive, bullying stance she has used when alone with Jane. Every time there’s an encounter something happens to make Jane look bad in front of Sophie at the expense of Lexie. Then if the breakdown of her friendship circle wasn’t enough, Lexie announces she is pregnant too and that they all need to celebrate with a very indulgent baby shower .

The Baby Shower is the latest novel by this wonderful author whose stories and realistic characters draw you in from the first page. The book is written through the different voices of its characters and this just adds to the suspense. A wonderful read that shouldn’t be missed

I am a sucker for a thriller set in England; the scenery, the food references, the coloquolisim, oh my! This was a great story, kind of dark and intense, dealing with fertility and toxic friendships and lots of secrets. This was my first by this author and I’ll be looking for more on her backlist. Thank you Netgalley, Bookouture, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow that was a crazy anxiety inducing book! I don't think I have ever been as stressed out with a book as this one. Seriously, the MC Jane was such a weak pathetic character, it drove me crazy. I wanted to shake her so bad.

Even though I figured out the book right away, it was still enthralling. I just couldn't wait for a few characters to receive their comeuppance. I'm so happy everything panned out the way I hoped it would. Otherwise, I don't think I could handle the stress.

I will say, if infidelity is a trigger, I would say this may not be a book for you. It is pretty intense in that aspect.

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book but it didn’t live up to SE Lynes’ previous work in my humble opinion! It started off strong and I was gripped for the first 3/4 but it then became a little far fetched for my liking and the end was particularly unconvincing and, I thought, not necessary for the plot. It just seemed a very cliched ending.

The plot twist was quite easy to spot but was still an enjoyable ride and the book was well structured and paced. Generally the characters were also pretty well drawn although some of the friends were a little one dimensional.

Overall I think the author has a great writing style and can clearly plot gripping stories - but this wasn’t one of my favourites.

Just fabulous! very gripping and deliciously twisty, one of those books that makes you think ''how do writers come up with these ideas!" Very very memorable and a really excellent read. Great characters and great twist.

A very dark tale that is hard to put down. S.E. Lynes never fails to deliver a brilliant read packed full of twists and intrigue, with real heart at its core.

This author never disappoints me but there is a formula she seems to follow and I do have to prepare myself for it going into her stories. I’m drawn in quickly after a powerful start and then I need the patience for a slow and usually repetitive burn. It has always paid off thankfully.

So yeah, that happened, and it was worth it. I like Jane and Frankie. Their relationship with it’s highs and lows, felt real. They aren’t perfect and sometimes they avoid the hard communication but that’s also real I think. The strong female friend group was also wonderful. Until it wasn’t.

There are plenty of recaps so I won’t blather on. This has some decent twists. Quite a few I saw coming but that didn’t take away from my enjoyment. I’m always a bit sad at toxic female stories especially when the actions that are taken for retaliation are everything that women resist, resent, rise above. I’m blathering, sorry.

Regardless of that little rant I did enjoy this story. I like (and like to dislike) the characters, writing and twists this author spins. I will always look out for the next!

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Bookouture for a copy in exchange for a review.

Absolutely loved this one! Mean Girls meets The Hand That Rocks The Cradle. Dark and twisted but with lots of heart! Bravo Susie! 5 stars!

A completely unputdownable shocker and full of excitement!

I’ve never read anything by #SELynes before, but, I must read more! This was a fabulous thriller to start with!

This book will keep you reading, guessing and dying for more until the end!

Another fantastic book by S. E. lynes, with a shocking twist, I literally could not put this book down, it's a definitely highly recommend read.

There is always that one friend...…

Ever belong to a group of friends and you just don't mesh with another?

Jane and her husband, Frankie have been trying to have a baby, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards for them, so when she finds out that her friend, Sophie is pregnant, the news while happy, hurts a little. Then Sophie meets Lexie and invites her into their peer group and guess what!?! Lexi is pregnant too. What better way to celebrate than to have a joint baby shower!

Jane can't quite put her finger on it, but there is something about Lexie that doesn't seem right. She sounds friendly but her eyes are menacing when she looks at Jane. Then there is Frankie, he works so hard for them but lately he has not been himself.

This was a fast fun read that kept me wondering what was behind those evil eyes, what was going on with Frankie and why was Sophie so quick to disbelieve a friend she has known for a long time and believe someone she just met.

I felt a little juvenile while reading this because I kept thinking "liar, liar pants on fire!"

This book deals with friendship, marriage, pregnancy, difficulty conceiving, lies, deception, secrets, and loyalty.

S.E. Lynes does not disappoint, and this book is no exception.


Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

What a brilliant book S.E. Lynes has delivered to her growing legion of fans! I’ve loved her books since Valentina (still on my list of all time favourites!) and 10 books later, The Baby Shower still ticked every single box for me. There was a twisty and engaging storyline, characters you love to hate and a powerful depiction of female friendships…a perfect storm of a psychological thriller!

Jane has a good life-a loving husband, her own successful business and good friends. The only cloud in her sky is an inability to conceive due to early onset menopause. Her friends are really important to her especially her best friend Sophie, in whom she has confided about her fertility problem. So when Sophie introduces a new girl into their close knit group, Jane is understandably anxious and on edge. Lexi seems to infiltrate the group easily and Sophie especially is very taken by her. Jane starts to worry about losing the closeness she has with Sophie and is upset when she realises that Sophie has shared things with Lexi that were personal to their friendship. I loved how the complexity of these friendships was slowly unraveled and I think we can all relate to many of the issues raised here. Feeling like you are losing a best friend can almost affect you like a bereavement or a marital breakdown as it’s such a strong connection where we share more of ourselves than we do with pretty much anyone else in our lives! I understood Jane’s jealousy and devastation at what she saw as a betrayal of her trust and all the trust she had poured into her friendship with Sophie.

The multiple POV in the narrative kept me on edge throughout and I was completely gripped by their differing viewpoints and emotions. The baby shower organised by Lexi was the catalyst that set off a series of events from which Jane struggled to escape and I could physically feel her pain as she realised there was something very wrong. Although I had a bit of an idea where the story was heading, I did feel the shocks as much as Jane did and I loved the fact that Lynes didn’t take the easy option towards the end. There was some very difficult issues involved throughout the storyline but they were handled with the sensitivity of someone who truly understands relationships-good and bad-and how they affect women especially. I came away feeling like I had been through a break-up of some sort and couldn’t settle down to read another book as I felt like I didn’t want to let go of The Baby Shower- a sign that this book had affected me far more than I was expecting it to!

Highly recommended!

Another fantastic novel from SE Lynes! I loved this intrigue set around a baby shower, pacy and full of twists with some great characters.. Five stars!