It is best to keep the description brief for this one. So in short, Lucy wakes up after a heavy night to find a baby in her living room. She has no memory of how they got there. Will she work out what happened?

This is my first book by A.J. McDine and I found the storyline to this one really piqued my interest so I wanted to give it a go. I am so glad I did! This was such a good story, with a lot of craziness, which I always enjoy. This really started with a bang and straight away you are drawn into the mystery, desperately trying to work everything out. This was skilfully plotted, engaging and I found myself gripped, needing to keep turning the pages… it has been a while since a book has done that. I found the characters very well written, which definitely provoked strong feelings. I did guess where the plot was going but this did not detract from the overall story at all for me. I can’t wait to read more by this author and recommend to others. I’d sum this up as a fresh, highly entertaining domestic thriller. 4.5 stars rounded to 5. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.

What an exhilarating thriller! I've been captivated from the very beginning and found myself gasping at the twists and revelations. The story revolves around Lucy, who is married to Miles, but they are childless. Miles works on a rig and is often away for weeks at a time, leaving Lucy feeling profoundly unhappy and turning to alcohol to numb her sorrow.

One day, amidst one of her husband's absences, Lucy wakes up with a pounding hangover to find a baby cooing in their living room... The suspense mounts as Lucy embarks on a journey to unravel the mystery of the baby's presence, and unexpected twists keep the tension high, leaving you on the edge of your seat.

The writing is engaging and easy to follow, with a fast-paced narrative that keeps you turning pages. The characters, particularly Lucy, are well-developed, allowing readers to empathize deeply with her struggles and the challenges life throws her way.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and A J McDine for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Lucy’s husband, Miles, is away on the rigs, she likes to drink - a lot.

After a heavy session, where Lucy remembers nothing of the previous night, she finds a baby in her front room! Whose is it and why is it in her house?

This was a story full of twists and turns that kept me guessing as to the identity of the baby, and how Lucy ended up with him.

I didn’t like Miles, his character was all me, me, me! I felt for Lucy but felt at times she lacked assertiveness, where her husband was concerned.

I didn’t see the ending coming at all, and for me, it definitely was a wow!

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

When Lucy's husband is away working on an oil rig, she's known to tie one on. But, after a particularly rough night, Lucy wakes up to find a baby in her home. How did the baby get there? And whose baby is it?

Our girl Lucy could have given the girl on the train a run for her money with how messy she was. I mean... she actually considered at one point that the baby was hers and she just forgot. 😳 Just plain forgot she ever had a kid! 😂

We've all read a story about a missing child, right? But this was refreshing in that it's a story about a found child instead.

From the moment Lucy woke up and began her story to the very last twist, I was locked in. I felt for Lucy, even though she was such a mess. It was clear to the reader - when it wasn't to Lucy herself - what was going on. I rooted for her, knowing that if she put the bottle down long enough, she'd be able to pull the wool from over her eyes (is that a saying? 🤔).

Overall, a fast-paced thriller that will keep you reading way past your bedtime, trying to figure out where this baby came from.

Thank you to AJ McDine, Bookouture & Netgalley for my review copy!

What a brilliant premise! When Lucy wakes up from a drunken stupor to find a baby in her house, it's as if her dreams have come true. I was immediately pulled into the book and empathised with Lucy throughout, despite - or perhaps even because - she's a flawed character.

This is a super fast-paced book, full of twists and turns. I read The Baby in two nights.

Wow! It really is a fabulous domestic thriller, with a mix of relatable characters that you'll both love and hate, interwoven with a plot that will live in my mind for a long time. I thoroughly recommend it.

Thank you to Bookouture, A.J. McDine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

When Lucy wakes from a drunken stupor she can’t remember much but when she finds a baby in the house she is shocked as she doesn’t have a baby! Where did it come from? When her husband arrives home from work what will he say? This was such a page turner, I absolutely loved it. thank you to @ajmcdineauthor for this arc in exchange for my honest review. Out 23rd April

After an alcohol -soaked night Lucy wakes up to find a baby in her house. The problem is she doesn’t have a baby, although it is her biggest dream. Instead of going to the police she tries to unravel this mystery herself, but once she starts digging, more mysteries start floating to the surface.

From page 1 I was totally immersed in this mystery. It held me in a firm grip. What the heck is going on here?! I felt completely empathized with Lucy and her wish to have a baby for herself. She is such a kind and devoted character. I granted her this baby so much and felt all of her emotions very strong being a mum myself. This was a riveting and thrilling read and I really loved it that I could imagine everything that happened so vivid. I was so willing to give this book a five star read, but the ending felt a bit easy and too fast for me. But for sure this book is still a big recommendation as far as I’m concerned. I’m looking forward to read other books by this author!

I had a hard time getting into this book. The beginning threw me off a bit as the author jumped straight into a situation that, in my opinion, required a little explanation. After a few chapters things picked and the story drew me in. I ended up really enjoying this book, despite the premise being a little farfetched. It’s a quick read with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Definitely recommend.

3.6 rounded up to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Lucy wakes up from an alcohol induced hangover/blackout, and there's a baby in her house. Although she longs for a baby, she knows it not her baby. Did she steal the baby? Where did he come from? There are so many unanswered questions!

I enjoy a good unreliable narrator, and the author did a great job writing the plot though the eyes of Lucy. This was a book where it seemed you knew what was going to happen from the beginning, so my curiosity was piqued on how events would unfold. I was so entertained and engrossed in this story! I couldn't stop listening because I had to know what was going to happen. There were twists and turns along the way, and I was pleasantly surprised with how the events unfolded. This was a fast and addictive read that has me ignoring adulting to focus on listening!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Baby by AJ McDine is a fast paced and gripping domestic thriller that had me captivated right from the very start. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will certainly be reading more. Although I did guess quite early on how the story was going to pan out, I can assure you it most certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book as it completely absorbed me right until the final page.

The Baby
by A J McDine

⭐⭐⭐

Full of twists and turns, and little quips that make you think you've got it all figured out, but then you don't, this book was a really good thriller.

However, I found the build-up rather slow and at times, rather boring - like I just wanted them to get to the point.

There was nothing wrong with the writing style or the descriptive measures, but it just wasn't really my type of story.

Lucy wakes up with a massive hangover. She can remember most of the events of the day before. She doesn’t think much of it since it’s not the first time it’s happened, until she discovers a baby in her living room. Who’s the baby belong to? How’d it get here? Did she steal a baby and not remember it? How will her husband react? He never wanted a baby with her. She’s convinced she needs to take him to the police until miles unexpectedly comes home. He’s manipulating and controlling. She starts to release something’s not right and will stop at nothing until she figure out the truth behind all the lies.

This book is fast paced and had me hooked from the beginning. I’ll say I can’t stand miles but I believe that’s the point. It’s a modge podge of lies, manipulation, questions, and relationships.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this fantastic pre-released copy from NetGalley.

This is my second thriller by A.J. after loving “The Invite” last year, and I was looking forward to another twisty and fast paced read!

The action started immediately, with a mysterious baby showing up on Lucy’s doorstep and her having no recollection of the previous night’s events. Lucy frustrated me SO much while reading, and her lapses of memory definitely made it hard to trust her as our main narrator. I couldn’t believe she didn’t remember how / where / why she got Wren!!

Once I got going with this one I couldn’t put it down! Some of my early predictions were correct in the end, but I really enjoyed the twists and overall pacing of this book so much!

Thank you to @ajmcdineauthor and Netgalley for my e-copy to read and review.

I liked this book but did feel that it was a bit predictable. It centers on Lucy, who is married to Miles and desperately wants a baby. One day, Lucy drinks a little too much and finds a random baby in her living room! The book is all about Lucy trying to figure out where the baby came from, while appeasing her husband and her own feelings around what she should do.

This was a fast-paced read, with many interesting flashbacks to other events in Lucy's life that brought her to her current situation. While there were some things that she should have figured out long before I did, I still found it enjoyable to read about her and I felt for her when she made mistakes or was indecisive. I thought the end of the book was a little anticlimactic but I was not unhappy with the way it all worked out.

Overall, I just wish I hadn't been able to foresee all the twists coming because it was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book grabbed my interest as it seemed like a unique story. This book did not disappoint!. I was drawn into the story from the very first page and it.kept me in suspense until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What would you do if you woke up and a baby was in your house? Not only that, but you didn’t know the baby or who it belonged to. Lucy experienced this while her husband was off working on the oil rigs for four weeks at a time. Lucy is conflicted on what to do. She would get in trouble if she didn’t report this to the police soon but what if she has done something wrong? She needs time to think this through.

As this extremely quick-paced thrilling story unfolds we learn more about Lucy’s husband, Miles. At first I liked him but slowly I began to loathe him; and for good reason. Lucy is a smart cookie and begins unraveling some wicked lies while searching for the truth in her marriage.

When the book began I was confused and it seemed unrealistic that a baby just appeared in her house. As the story deepens and the particles of truth come flying into Lucy’s face, the story makes sense and the wild ride continues. I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of this situation. And boy, did we. I was beyond happy that I read this book. It’s well put together, has great character building, a great plot, and a thrill a minute. I will be reading all of her other books now. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this exciting book.

Get ready to read this one straight through once you start. I wasn't sure about this book at first. The baby trope has been done and redone. But A.J. McDine does it in a very special way. This is an addicting and fast paced book that will have you turning the pages until the very end.

Lucy wakes up from another night of drinking way too much to discover a baby tucked into a dresser drawer in the living room. She has no memory of how this baby got there, as she's been experiencing drunken black outs. Her husband, Miles, works on an oil rig and is away quite a bit and he's away when she finds the baby. Lucy has always wanted a child and is thrilled but does realize she must bring the baby to the police. However, she keeps putting it off. There's not much left to say without giving the whole story away. I flew through this book and was very impressed. It kept my full attention, which is a feat in itself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it and do recommend this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐
The Baby by A J McDine was an insane, absolutely gripping, mad, incredible psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist! Straight to my 6-star shelf! This book grabbed me from the beginning and I knew I would need to finish in one sitting as there was no way I would be able to wait for the next day!

Usually when Lucy passes out after drinking too much the only thing welcoming her in the morning is a hangover... until this morning. There is a baby in her living room! And Lucy doesn't have any memory of how this happened.
Her husband, Miles, who is working on an oil rig will be home tomorrow and he doesn't like kids... Lucy is out of mind with what to do so she constantly checks the news for missing baby but there are none! She is running out of time and ideas about what to do but she must do something.

If you are in a reading slump grab this book and you will be out of it in no time!

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture for this fantastic and incredible story!

Utterly fantastic book!
This one has me gripped from the very beginning, so much so I read it in one day, I was dying to find out who little Wren belonged to!
Phenomenal twists!
Highly recommend

This book was a great read. I was captivated and guessing the entire time. This my first A J McDine book and I am glad that I took the leap with this one. The story telling was a masterpiece, woven with suspense, mystery, and heart-pounding twists that kept me on the edge of my seat and able to finish in 1 sitting. For the most part all of the characters were well-developed, but I do wish that there was a little more given about the MMC childhood. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down, I felt that the ending left a few loose ends (this is why the 4 Star read). At any rate, “The Baby” is an addictive read that I would highly recommend to fans of the genre.