This is one of those authors that I always enjoy and have started looking for her new books. I listened to the audio version and the narrator added tremendously to the story. The book was interesting with tons of details and twists and turns added in. Highly recommend!

Sadly, this was not for me. It dragged in places, with flashes of the past slowly revealing what happened in Eve's troubled childhood. Who can be believed? Who can be trusted? In the end, I didn't really care. A very disappointing ending that left me feeling cheated.

Book Title: Her First Child
Author: Sheryl Browne
Publisher: Bookouture
Audio Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pub Date: November 24, 2022

This was my first Book by this Author and I absolutely enjoyed it! I will definitely be reading more of her books. Definitely a suspenseful thriller that keeps you guessing the whole time. I rate this book a 5⭐️ and recommend to those who enjoy a great pshycological thriller!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This is one of those psychological thrillers, where nearly every character are unreliable and unpredictable and never know who is telling the truth.

The story begins with Eve, who is the mother of a new born baby Kai. She has a dark secret--she hasn't seen her mother Lydia, with whom she is not getting along and the night her brother, Jacob died, Eve knew what really happened that night. So when Lydia comes back into the life, she was worried if the history might repeat itself again.

This was a mind blowing thriller, divided between the present and past, when Eve was a kid. Her only support was her friend Chloe who knew about her history and her husband Dom. But as the story dwells deeper, we see that neither of these characters are trustworthy and as a reader, you don't know which character you would believe in. The story is packed with twists and turns, the author doing a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The ending was unpredictable and a bit confusing to me in the end, which loweredmy rating slightly but nonetheless this was a gripping and unputdownable thriller that will keep you up all night--worth 4.5 stars.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Her First Child by Sheryl Browne was another exhilarating read.
This was fast paced throughout with great twists and turns that just had you sitting on the edge of the seat.
A tense and compelling read, full of family lies, deceit and secrets.
An additive book, twists and turns galore and one I couldn’t put down.
The plot is unpredictable and compelling.
It is filled with surprises at every turn.
The characters are well developed and believable.
Another brilliant book from this author.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

Page-turning, full of secrets and lies, Sheryl Browne's take on dark and unsettling topics will keep the reader guessing to the very end in her latest domestic suspense —HER FIRST CHILD.

Told from POVs from past to present:
Eve (present) and (1997, 1998, 2000, 2009)
Lydia - Eve's Mom (present) and (1997, 2000)
Chloe- Eve's friend (present)
Dom- Eve's husband (present)

Topics: Family, affairs, domestic abuse, murder, sickness, mental health, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Evie and Chloe have been best friends since childhood, and both are married with children. What secrets do they have?

Chloe is married to Steve with two children, Thomas & Rose.
Eve is married to Dom with a baby son, Kai.
She is quite protective of her son.

Eve did not have a pleasant childhood. An abusive father and a heartless mother who never stood up for her or herself.

Evie's younger brother, Jacob, was sick a lot, and once she found him not breathing and later died. Was someone making him sick? Was it an accident or intentional?

She still believes her mom, Lydia was responsible for his death.

In the present, Lydia shows up, and Eve does not want her around her son. She has not shared her traumatic childhood with her husband, Dom, so he does not know what is happening.

Then something goes wrong with Kai. Who is responsible? What secrets are they hiding? Is history being repeated?

Eve is a complex character and suspects everyone due to the traumas and dangers of her childhood and emotional abuse.

Can she trust her friend, Chloe, her husband, Dom, or her mother, Lydia? OR herself? Long-buried secrets rise to the surface, and we aren't sure what to expect and who to believe.

Eve must confront her darkest fears and family secrets that threaten not only to upend her life…but to destroy it. With many red herrings and mind-twists, as the reader, you do not know whom to trust. No likable characters here, so difficult to sympathize with them.

My first book by the author, and I look forward to reading more—for fans of author D. J. Palmer's Saving Meghan and Stacy Willingham's All the Dangerous Things.

Also includes an expert from The Affair.

A special thank you to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pub Date: Dec 8, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books

Firstly, I am thankful for the opportunity to have received a free copy of this Ebook through Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This was my first read from this author and I did find it enjoyable.

We are introduced to Eve who has rececntly had her first child, a Son. However she is terrified of what happened in her past to her baby brother and fears that history could repeat itself with her son Kai. We then have Eve's mother and her best friend, both keeping secrets from that dreaded day when Eve was just a child.

Lots of characters and several twists along the way.

I rate this Ebook 4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars and would recommend to those who enjoy their psychological thrillers!

"A perfect mother. A loving daughter. A secret that could destroy them both."

#HerFirstChild #NetGalley

Her First Child by Sheryl Browne is a twisted study of the relationship between a mother and child. Ms Browne is a go to author for me, and her latest offering does not disappoint.

Eve has returned to work as a GP following the birth of her son Kai. As much as she adores her young son, his birth triggers Eve into remembering her own troubled childhood, and the death of a child. Further adding to her memories of the childhood trauma, her mother Lydua resurfaces in her life, and Eve is forced to question their fractured relationship, and to revisit a past that has never ceased to haunt her.

This is a riveting, borderline diabolical read that will have you flying through the pages to reach a jaw dropping conclusion. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

I love Sheryl Browne's psychological thrillers, and this was no exception. Something traumatic happened in Eve's childhood. Something so terrible, she can't even confide in her husband. Her baby brother, Jacob, has health issues - sleep apnea and epilepsy. But does he? Or is their mother behind it? When baby Jacob is sick, their father is nice as pie. Caring, and concerned, not the abusive, hateful person he usually is. It made me wonder if their mother, Lydia, suffered from Munchausen.

This thriller kept me turning the virtual pages as I had to find out what the terrible event was in Eve's childhood.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A suspenseful thriller that had me trying to guess what was happening, but floored me with an explosive ending. Eve and Chloe were friends who had secrets they’ve been hiding from their past. Now adults with spouses and children they feel the have left their past behind until Eve’s mother Lydia comes back to visit. Would Lydia keep their secrets? What lengths would Eve and Chloe go to to keep the past buried? I enjoyed reading this because it was not a cookie cutter thriller and had a riveting plot.

Another great psychological thriller from Sheryl Browne I have now read all her book and they are all fantastic keeps you invested in the story and you can never predict how it will end. This one is a gripping psychological thriller fast paced and gripping

Alternating points of view. Eve has just returned to work as a GP after having her first baby she is finding it hard to trust her husband with her son and things only get worse when her mother shows up. Kai is then rushed to hospital is history repeating what happened to Eves baby brother and what did her mother do. How was Chloe involved Eves best friend who has been there through out.

This book was a constant rollercoaster of twists and turns. Definitely a great read for anyone who loves a thriller

Always love a Sheryl Browne book but this must be the most twisted of them all! There is a lot going on but the author keeps us engaged and a bit scared throughout. The past is slowly pulled back as we come to understand what is really going on and ends with an amazing turn!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

Sheryl Browne is one of my go to authors but sadly, not one of my favorites. I have to get behind at least one character and I couldn’t with any of them.

"Her First Child" is a suspenseful mysterious pageturning read. It took me a little longer than usual to read this book because it was a little confusing and hard to keep up with but in the end it was worth it for sure! If you love a good psychological thriller that doesn't give much away then this is a book for you. Looking forward to reading more by this author!

Normally I love books where I hate everyone but this time I wasn't feeling it. I just loathed all the characters. I think maybe because I can't understand ever pining for a man, especially one married to a friend.
And I am open about why my parents aren't allowed around me or my kids. I definitely would have told a spouse about it, especially since her thing was not the worst thing.
Anyway, I was confused about the ending and I guess I will wait for a discussion somewhere to get clarification.
It wasn't a bad book though. It just didn't work for me. That is fine. Not every book does.

Her First Child is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you intrigued and guessing to the end. This book has some great characters, some of which I despised but it all adds to the book. A tense suspenseful thriller that I can highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Fast paced and gripping, I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed it.

I loved this twisty story! This book had my heart humming and my mind working hard. Eve being a new mum had all those new parent anxieties and I felt my own anxiety heightening when Lydia turned up.

There were so many tense moments as you can imagine, especially with there being a baby involved. I enjoyed how the past entwined with the present and my opinions on what was happening changed with every chapter.

The Lydia chapters were most insightful and the domestic abuse theme was tackled brilliantly and with sensitivity. I felt Eve and Lydia’s fear and was saddened by the lingering effects that were so prominent throughout their lives: Eve’s nightmares and Lydia’s grief.

‘Her First Child’ is a fabulously written book, full of depth and clever misdirection. There’s plenty to talk about after reading so it would make a great book club read. There was a sense of danger at every turn. It’s psychological thriller and drama at its best. A must read for fans of this genre!

As a mother you will do anything to protect your chieven from your own mother who can't be trusted. Eve worships her son baby Kai and her loves her husband Dom. When her mother turns up unexpectedly she is far from pleased. Her best friend Chloe who she has known since being a little girl lives near her and has helped to protect her all her life. Together with thier mum they hold a big secret they want to keep that way. She would risk losing everything if the truth finally got out.
This book has so many twists to it to keep you guessing right until the end. I read it within 1 day it was so good.

Another brilliant, twisty read by Sheryl Browne with a ‘blow your mind’ ending that I did not see coming. The suspense and the intrigue just kept rolling and I really didn’t know who to believe. Sheryl is an expert at her craft, bringing the characters alive on the page, creating a story around diverse and difficult issues such as domestic abuse and Munchausen syndrome by proxy, keeping you turning just one more page until the early hours of the morning. Wow!