A slow start, the story picks up the pace later, resulting in a great read. Lauren, a woman in her forties uses her savings and a donor to get pregnant via IVF. Jackie who she first meets at a prenatal session at the hospital will be her midwife, suggested by Peter. I didn't know who to trust, if anyone, and was led down the garden path many times. Absorbing and compelling.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

The description of The Midwife gave me goosebumps and the book did not disappoint. It was a complete page turner with plenty of twists and turns all the way to the highly thrilling ending,

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.

I quite liked this story, the narrator was good although not much difference between the characters - however when she used two voices as part of the conversation the second character was spoken in a low drone which I found incredibly annoying! I liked the characters and the storyline was good, it takes me a while to get into but I do like the flipping back and forward in time. It was an ok audiobook.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I love reading books about pregnancy, surrogacy, midwife, etc that are psychological thrillers so I was really excited to be approved for this one. However, the book is told in two parts--mother and midwife which I normally have no problem with but in this case I felt like I was reading pages of a journal. The book just kept dragging so much that I finally just gave up. This author has become kind of a hit or miss for me and this one was definitely a miss.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as I hoped to. It started slowly and then became a bit disjointed and the I felt the storyline was hanging by a thread at times. But the ending was good and I think perhaps saved it for me enough to give it 3*. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy

This book started off very slowly after such a great description. The second half speeded up turning it into a good story.
Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC

Lauren has had quite an unhappy life. Now as she reaches her forties she decides that if she is going to have a child she needs to do it now & becomes pregnant through IVF. As the time goes on she becomes more anxious. How will she manage giving birth on her own? What if things go wrong? At her ante-natal visit her midwife Jackie is keen to reassure her. In fact she suggest she join a small group to talk over worries, however although she had hoped for quite a few mothers to be there is only one- Amber. However Jackie seems to be exactly what she needs- especially as things have been happening at her home that scare her.

This seemed to be a interesting premise, however I found the pace very slow & jumped about from person to person giving very vague hints as to how this ties together. This did eventually come together but by that time I'd began to lose interest. I never really engaged with the characters sadly.
Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

The Midwife by Victoria Jenkins starts off as quite a slow burn of a read and I will admit to feeling a tad disappointed. I like my reads to start off fast paced from the very start. However the pace at the start really does suit this story and it slowly builds up to a incredible and brilliant second half . I honestly was so engrossed in this book that I forgot everything else only what I was reading . A super story with a few OMG moments that rendered me speechless at times .

I felt the pacing was off somehow, for most of the book I felt like I was wading through treacle, then the ending hit like a sudden skid over ice. I liked the twist, but it wasn't executed well enough for me to really enjoy the book as a whole.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc ebook.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Victoria Jenkins for letting me read “The Midwife” in exchange for an honest review!

I always without any doubt get attract to titles like this. The description was so good but not much else. The book dragged along for me, a bit too much and too slow.

Lauren is in her forties and decided to have a baby by herself via IVF. Nothing wrong with that. We get to know right away that Jackie wants to be her midwife, as suggested by the mysterious Peter. But why? Why do they want revenge? Lauren is not who she says she is, but why?
Jackie starts befriending her, inviting her to group meetings and so on.
I can’t even make the synopsis interesting. I was that uninspired by the book.

Having previously read several of Jenkin's books and thoroughly enjoyed them, I couldn't wait to get stuck into this one.

The prologue suckered me in and I knew my visit to Pinewood Hospital was going to be a bumpy ride.

Told from the POV of mum to be Lauren and midwife Jackie the plot is tense, twisty and addictive.

It has a credible cast of characters, all of whom are unreliable and heavily flawed.

The Midwife is an intriguing, entertaining thriller with a shocker ending.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Midwife Victoria Jenkins
Enough twists and turns to keep your head spinning! I enjoyed this book, so many secrets, but why?
Lauren is pregnant after IVF treatment, she is going it alone, she meets midwife Jackie in the hospital, and they become friends, but is she who she says she is?
I enjoyed the intrigue, in particular as we reach the thrilling end.

I like Victoria Jenkins books and have signed up for several tours in the past. This one was good but not my favourite,however I still think people should read it. It's quite slow paced,but has good characters and plot. Lauren is pregnant following IVF and even though she's alone for this journey,she does have one ally...Jackie - her midwife. Or does she?
Both women have secrets to hide and throughout the book you're not certain who to trust. It's dramatic but not thrilling as such. Its a good read and even though it didn't hit the mark as much as Victoria's other books for me,I most certainly will read future books. Thank you Bookouture,Netgalley and Victoria Jenkins for an arc for my review.

Reading Between the Wines book review #95/135 for 2022:
Rating: 3 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Midwife
Author: Victoria Jenkins
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) | Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED on November 15, 2022!!!

Sipping thoughts: I liked the synopsis of this book but it was a slow burn which is not always a bad thing. If you decide to read this book go ahead and suspend what you think is going to happen or what you think it is about because I would guess you would be wrong. The end of the book picked up and I couldn’t read fast enough to see what was happening. All in all a pretty decent book.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheMidwife.

#TheMidwife #VictoriaJenkins #BookoutureAudio #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult

I listened to the audio version and the narrator wasn’t for me. She seemed monotone and had very little difference in character voices. I think this took a lot away from the storyline itself. The book itself was ok, there were some twists that I didn’t see coming.

This synopsis had me so excited! I love thrillers set in hospitals, and the idea of danger involving pregnant women and midwives sounded so stressful!
The book begins with a lot of scene setting and would definitely be called a slow-burn, but this is not always a bad thing with thrillers. Lay the foundations, the suspense and intrigue will be ramped up and readers will be racing through to see how things turn out!
There are several twists and clues/ red herrings for the reader to sift through, and it is cleverly constructed to its conclusion.
The characters are all interesting, and I didn't know who to trust- which is a must in a thriller for me.
I really enjoyed the latter part of the book, when the pace gets much faster and is more to my taste.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.


This book was an interesting take on the supposedly supportive role of a midwife. Lauren, a pregnant mom is on the run from something and we don’t know what. It has to do with her history and the family she grew up in.

Jackie, the midwife, has a vested interest in Lauren and her pregnancy, for some reason. How much does she know of Lauren’s history?

Keeping track of the characters is a bit complicated as some of the characters have aliases from their past lives.

Just when you think you have it figured out there are some significant plot twists. Even though the book jumps around a bit, the story is well written and entertaining.

The blurb really really attracted me and I thought this was right up my street. But it started off so slow, which I get as was setting the scene but then I struggled finishing it - was going to finish it as I wanted tom but didn't really enjoy it.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Jackie has used IVF successfully and is now pregnant. A single woman, but one determined to be a good mother once her baby is born. However, Jackie has a secret from her past and that secret just might be revealed and this could possibly threaten her unborn child’s life.

Although she is alone, she won’t be for long. In fact, a midwife named Jackie offers to work with Lauren and even offers her more than that. Jackie can join a group run by Lauren for support, but Lauren also promises to work side-by-side with Jackie. However, Jackie’s secret is not the only one in this book by Victoria Jenkins. In fact, Lauren has a secret as well. Will either or both of their secrets be something that will cause harm for this innocent child that is soon to be born?

Things did not go well for Jackie. One thing that is very disturbing is when a brick is thrown through her window. Has someone become aware of her secret? This event ratchets up the tension in this already exciting read. With more than one twist in this book, with a few red herring throws in for good measure, the story begins to come together like pieces of a puzzle being formed.

With an intriguing plot, unreliable characters, some surprising twists, this latest book by Victoria Jenkins was quite an exciting read. Thanks to a thrilling ending, readers are left with the answers they might’ve been seeking while reading this book.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/RAVST_Xyjbg

Another fantastic psychological thriller from Victoria Jenkins

Expectant mother Lauren lives a quiet and isolated life, a choice she made following an incident in her past. Pregnant with her first child, she meets midwife Jackie. Jackie is calm and caring, eager to support Lauren...but is perhaps too eager? Is there a reason that when attending Jackie's antenatal group Lauren is one of only two people there? And what does Jackie know about her past?

Victoria Jenkins is a fabulous psychological thriller writer and this book doesn't disappoint. The narrative is shared through the different perspectives of Lauren and Jackie and it is clear from the outset that they both have secrets. As the story unravelled, I was eager to find out the link between the two women and their pasts.

Thank you to Victoria Jenkins, Bookouture and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book as an ARC.