Baby X is a sharp, high-stakes thriller that pulls you right into the moral gray zones of genetic engineering. The story feels both urgent and unsettling...what happens when the line between scientific innovation and playing God completely disappears?

Peikoff does a great job blending real scientific dilemmas with nail-biting suspense. The twists come at the perfect moments, and you’re never sure who to trust or how far some characters will go. It’s one of those books that gets under your skin because the premise feels uncomfortably plausible.

If you enjoy thrillers that make you question what you’d do in the same situation, this one will keep you up past your bedtime.

One of the most interesting near sci-fi premises I’ve read in awhile!

In this near-future world, it’s possible to steal someone’s DNA and create egg or sperm cells from any cell in their body. A black market site pops up dedicated to stealing and selling DNA from celebrity and political figures. Now someone can steal a person’s DNA and have a biological baby with them…and then blackmail them for money.

If you enjoy Blake Crouch’s books, I think you’d really enjoy Baby X! It’s a fast-paced, sci-fi thriller, yet it also does a great job describing the science in interesting and compelling ways while bringing up thoughtful philosophical and ethical questions along the way.

While at times the plot and pacing felt a little too fast, not giving me enough time to get to know the main characters, I still understood their motivations, and related to the their struggles and the decisions they had to make.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced, near sci-fi thriller, I’d highly recommend picking up Baby X! I look forward to reading this author’s next book :)

*Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital arc. All opinions are my own.

Baby X is a suspenseful, science fiction story that feels like it could happen today. A thoughtful and engaging page turner that you could read in one sitting.

A very interesting premise with a really engrossing story. Very page turning plot, and pacing was spot on. The ending felt a little over the top for my tastes, but I still recommend this to any speculative fiction/dystopia type fan.

This one was a little outside my usual genres but I am glad I gave it a shot! Baby X is a sci-fi set in the near-ish future where people are able to use DNA sequencing to select their future children, as well as purchase DNA from celebrities and create their own embryos. Told through three main characters, Quinn, a surrogate, Lily a journalist and Ember a bio-security guard whose job it is to protect a famous singer's DNA from being sold on the black market, there is a lot to unpack and a lot of room for twists and turns throughout! This book is very interesting and makes you think about a lot of ethics and problems that could come from the constantly growing and changing field of reproductive technology and gene sequencing. Definitely one I would recommend checking out! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

THIS WAS SO FUN. I immediately hopped on board when hearing about this premise and was so glad to be part of the ride. Stealing DNA is such a daring plot point and Peikoff didn't disappoint.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!
I am belated on my review, but this book was thrilling and eye-opening. It was written in a way that really immersed me into a not too distant future, with very frightening consequences involving fertility and science’s involvement.
All too realistically developed…it was hard to read at times, yet I didn’t want to put it down. I highly recommend!

Baby X is a clever, very-near-future-sci-fi story that's full of surprises. It's a very entertaining pop-science story that gives readers a lot to think about as we navigate the future of familial relationships. I would have liked a little more depth and detail, but overall I enjoyed the twisty ride and will look for more from this author in the future.

A very thrilling read! This was a quick read and interesting plot. I couldn’t put this one down. The world building did creep me a little bit, it seems almost like something that would happen to us in the future. Overall 3.5/5

This was one I liked more in theory than reality. Great concept that didn't necessarily go where I wanted, but that's clearly a me thing. Still, it wasn't the book I wanted to read.

A Great Sci-Fi Novel

This futuristic AI world with genetic selection had me hooked from the very beginning.

The story is told through the perspectives of three main women:

-Quinn is a young woman who has become a surrogate. She meets Bob, who recently became a widower after his husband passed away in an accident. When Bob proposes that she carry his baby using the embryos he created with his husband, she agrees.

-Ember has recently decided to open her own business. Her line of work involves protecting famous individuals from having their DNA stolen by "The Vault" and then sold on the black market to the highest bidder. Her first client is none other than the famous singer, Thorne.

-Lily was created the old-fashioned way; she wasn't "selected." She's starting a new internship and is determined to make an impression. She just needs to pitch the next big story to her new boss.

All these women's lives will collide masterfully.

Baby X was so engrossing that I never wanted to stop reading. The novel's futuristic aspects were well-executed, providing readers with intriguing possibilities, such as self-driving helicopters, AI doggies, or the unethical creation of lab babies using cells, hair, or saliva without consent.

I will definitely keep this author in mind for future reads.

Cliffhanger: No

4/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by Crooked Lane Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Baby X is a futuristic sci-fi novel about a look into the future and how gene sequencing of embryos and what that effect has in this society and how they “select” their future kids. Meanwhile, The Vault is selling DNA sourced illegally from “elite” people like celebrities and athletes, of which people can purchase on the black market and use to create their own embryos.

The whole concept was entirely terrifying honestly 😬😂 if you like Black Mirror, you’ll love Baby X! Once I was invested I couldn’t stop reading and read the whole thing on a single flight! It has three main storylines, following Quinn a surrogate, Lily a journalist and Ember whose job is protecting the DNA of a famous singer.

Each of the female leads were very likeable and each storyline was equally engaging. There was also a fairly big twist at the end that I didn’t see coming and loved!!

Overall definitely recommend this one. My second Kira Peikoff book and she might just be becoming an auto read for me!

Baby X is a thrilling and thought-provoking dive into a near-future world where technology has blurred the lines between biology, privacy, and personal safety. In a society where DNA can be stolen and sold to the highest bidder, celebrity singer Trace Thorne hires Ember Ryan, a bio-security guard, to protect him from the black market site known as the Vault. The plot takes a dramatic twist when a woman named Quinn claims Thorne is the father of her baby, throwing everything into chaos.

I absolutely loved this book! The concept is incredibly intriguing, and it raises thought-provoking questions about privacy, technology, and the ethical implications of genetic manipulation. The mix of suspense, romance, and high stakes kept me hooked from start to finish. Ember’s internal conflict and the growing tension between her and Thorne added emotional depth, while the fast-paced plot made it impossible to put down. Baby X is a must-read for anyone who loves a gripping thriller with a unique and timely concept.

This was great! I loved how the author wove the 3 women’s stories together. Definitely recommend picking this one up if the synopsis sounds interesting to you!

Thanks to NetGalley for the early read. I had a really good time reading this fast paced sci fi thriller. I thought the fertility and baby engineering parts fascinating and wish the novella had dived deeper into those society aspects

I expected this one to be more science fiction but it ultimately ended up being more of a thriller.

This book was so good and very timely. I bought a physical copy for my shelf. Would like to hear more from this author.

Thank you to netgalley and Kira Peikoff for this ARC of ‘Baby X’ I apologize for the late review, I have been extremely unwell this past few months.

Now onto my review, I’ll keep it short and sweet. From reading the description of this book I was hooked, I had several books on my list to read and pushed them aside for this. And wow am I impressed, Kira Peikoff has such a great imagination. Adding her other work to my short term TBR ASAP!!

While I found myself not being able to really connect with any of the three main characters, I still enjoyed the storyline. I usually have trouble following along in sci-fi novels, but this one was more simple. It raised some good conversation in regard to bioethics.

Thank you The Quick Brown Fox & Co and NetGalley for the e-ARC of the book.

This book takes places in a near-future where babies are made with advanced technologies from any human biological matter. From one side this progress helps people to have babies later in life and solves infertility problems but on the other hand it gives a possibility of bad people hunting celebrity DNAs to sell on a black market to the highest bidder.

Baby X was a great read, fast-paced, had great twists. I enjoyed the little hints that were left by the author - some details were pointing to possible answers but weren’t fully enough to figure it out.

This was such a fantastic science fiction about fertility/feminism as well as mystery regarding what connects two stories unfolding. The mystery part makes it a thrilling page-turner, and I could not put it down. Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a great read.