#The baby #Netgalley

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and Bookouture for approving my request to read this book.

Well what can I say? This story had me absolutely hooked from the very first page, it reeled me in good and proper and gripped me til the very last page, I simply had to know the answers and devoured this book at a rate of knots!

Lucy awakes one morning to find a baby in her house but just who's baby is it and where did he come from? The story follows Lucy's quest for answers to this very question after being continually gaslighted my her husband Miles.

I loved the characters in this book with the exception of Miles, he's a hideous man with no redeeming features but that just shows how well this story and characters are written.

I would thoroughly recommend this book particularly if you like dark, psychological thrillers, 5 stars from me!

The Baby by new to me author A.J. McDine is a thriller of its finest. The story had me right from the start, kept me in suspense til the last page, had me guessing til the end.
Lucy finds a surprise in her living room with no clue where it cam e fron or how it got there.
She has to adapt, successfully more or less and gets roped in the adventure of her life.
A nailbiting, gripping thriller, a fantastic read that I recommend.
Blurb:
The harsh light streams into the living room. On the worn rug sits an out-of-place wooden drawer and swaddled inside, with rosy cheeks and large round eyes, a baby looks up at me. A shiver runs through me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…Rocking the small bundle in my arms, I’m reminded of a time when I’d pictured tiny booties in every version of my future. The day I was told I’d never have a baby, the ground fell from beneath me. Could this be my one chance to become a mother?As the sun sets, the baby begins to stir. His peaceful sleep disturbed by the sound of keys rattling against the front door. Frozen in panic, and with my heart pounding in my chest, I don’t have time to think before my husband, Miles, appears in the doorway. His face contorts in shock glimpsing the child cradled against my chest.I hear his questions, but I can’t answer them. The truth is, I really don’t know what happened.

This book was really great
It was full of surprises
It was a book about an emotion and I
Didn’t know what had happened

This is one of those books where you look at your planning for the day and decide which tasks can wait until the following day because you just don't want to put it down. The story has you in it's grip and won't let you go until you have read every single word and you finally are allowed to find out what was going on.

This book is a very good example of not really knowing the persons living closed to you. Or maybe this is not entirely correct. Maybe deep down you do know something is not right, but you are blinded by Cupids arrow...

On the one hand I felt very sorry for Lucy, but ont the other hand she made it easier too? 

I always love it when the baddies get what they deserve. It"s a pity they make so many people suffer before they are found out. 

I will be on the look out for more of this author's books, because she had me totally hooked.  5 stars

Thank you

Twisted, Diabolical and kept me turning forward page by page as fast as I could. What a wild ride! Just WOW! I love this Author's books and this is no exception. This might be my new fave.

Oh my god! What a book! Let me tell you I picked this up in the morning and after reading that first chapter I was hooked and that was my days plans ruiened, I spent the rest of my day reading this whole book it was my main priority. I swear the amount of twists is insane! Each and every one of them you won't see coming and they will shock you to your core. Absolutely fantastic characters. Very emotional and frightening parts. This will definitely go straight to number 1 in the bestsellers charts.

Lucy wakes up one morning to sounds of crying. She goes downstairs and discovers a baby swaddled up in an old wooden drawer. Where has this baby come from? She is convinced that she has stolen the baby but has hardly any memory of the night before.

The novel follows Lucy as she tries to cope with her newfound responsibility. She is torn between reporting it to the police and her need to find out the truth about the baby's origins. She’s worried what she’s going to tell her husband, Miles, as he’s due back from working away on the rigs. She starts investigating the mystery surrounding the baby, and begins to uncover secrets and lies.

The Baby is a gripping psychological thriller with a captivating storyline that AJ McDine does an excellent job of creating a sense of suspense and unease, and left me constantly guessing what will happen next. I loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and AJ McDine for an early copy of this fantastic book.

The Baby by A J McDine to be published April 23, 2024

Secrets, lies, master manipulation, and piecing a puzzle together will have you racing through the pages of this book to find out what happens next!

Lucy wakes up and finds a baby in her house with no memory of how the baby has arrived. While this could be something she might have happen with drinking habits, the reader is taken on a roller coaster ride to figure out how this baby has shown up at the house. The husband, Miles, arrives home with the same questions - who is this baby and why is it in our house? Things are not always what they seem, and people can be extremely deceiving, especially to those who feel they are closest to those people. Go from moments of pushing for things to happen in the best interest of the baby, to wanting things to work in the favor of the woman who mysteriously has this baby, possibly replacing one she lost, to feeling heart pounding fear as truths and lies unfold to make the perfect psychological thriller.

I was allowed to read an ARC copy of this book, and WOW am I so glad that I was given that opportunity. My top hurdles to clear for me to give psychological thrillers five stars are that the book is un-put-downable, not every character is detestable, and the twist or plot is not figured out before the first 50% of the story, and this hit every mark for me. I cannot wait to get my hands on other A J McDine books.

Potential trigger warnings are rape, infant loss and the affiliated sadness and grief, and psychological abuse.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the chance to read and give an honest review of this book. NOW WATCH FOR THE PUBLISH DATE OF 04/23/2024!!

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book I didn’t know how it was going to be. Well it was excellent the writing style was awesome and the characters were so well developed. I could not put it down I needed to know how it was going to end.

Imagine waking up one morning after a bender the night before to find a baby in your living room what would you do? This is what happens to Lucy she can’t remember the night before and she has always longed for a baby so what happens next?

This was a unique thriller which has me gripped there was twists and turns secrets and lies. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone fantastic.

A truly chilling psychological thriller that will leave you with chills as you contemplate how well you really know yourself. Some parts were hard to read because of the gaslighting of the main character by her husband and the results that follow. Well written and hard to put down, although the reader can figure out where some parts of the story are going before the characters know themselves.

Loved the baby. This book has a palpable tension that keeps the pages turning…..simply brilliant… I had to finish this marvelous thriller in one sitting! Taut and incredibly suspenseful, every moment is perfectly crafted to keep me wanting more. An engrossing, spine-tingling read! An absolutely gripping and totally addictive thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long.

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮...𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Lucy and Miles are an unlikely couple. He works on an oil rig and is frequently away from home, and Lucy paradoxically longs for Miles and relishes his absence. She's caught in a cycle of overindulging in alcohol to cope with a horrible accident that caused her to lose a pregnancy and the ability to bear future children.

To her utter shock and surprise, when she wakes up one morning and goes downstairs, there, lying in a bureau drawer, is a baby. But whose baby is it? In one of her alcohol-soaked blackouts, did Lucy do something horrible? She immediately falls in love with the baby but tries to do her due diligence, searching the news for reports of a missing child. When she finds nothing, she tells herself that Fate wanted her to be a mother and has given her a gift, even though deep down she knows that isn't the case.

When Miles comes home and finds the new addition, the tension in the plot ramped up to almost unbearable levels, and I was wholly unprepared for just how dark this story would get. The unreliable narrator trope was perfectly executed in this stunning thriller that peels back the layers of an unhappy marriage to expose the rot that's festering as its core.

Thank you so much to the author for my early copy. This title will publish April 23, 2024 from Bookouture.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 23rd April! Wow, where do I even begin with this book?! This book gripped me from the very first page to the last! It was highly addictive with its many twists and turns that made it literally impossible to put down!

My favourite character was Lucy as I rooting for her throughout the book that she would get her happy ending! Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I’d highly recommend everyone to read it, as if you don’t you really are missing out! 😊

Full of intrigue and mystery, just where did the baby come from? Lots of red herrings and I really didn’t know where the author would take it! I would never have guessed it!!

Who took the baby? Whose baby is it? Will the baby have to be returned? Secrets and red herrings kept me guessing in this page turner. This novel, written by a talented author, is a quick read with realistic characters. It was like watching an episode on television. The protagonist wondered what was going on. I wondered. The mystery of a baby...kidnapped? Given away? Is her husband lying to her? So many questions… Spend an afternoon immersed in this story. Do not try to discern the ending too soon. That is not possible. Thanks Netgalley.

"The Baby" by A J McDine invites readers into a heart-pounding journey of deception, moral ambiguity, and gripping suspense. From the moment the protagonist discovers an unexpected baby in her home, the narrative unfolds with relentless tension and uncertainty. As she grapples with the shock of the situation and questions her own motives, readers are drawn into a maze of conflicting emotions and chilling revelations.

The protagonist's struggle to understand the origins of the baby, coupled with her own desire for motherhood, adds layers of complexity to the story. McDine skillfully navigates themes of identity, morality, and the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their secrets. The writing is taut and atmospheric, evoking a sense of unease and foreboding that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its ability to keep readers guessing until the very end. With each twist and turn, McDine deftly ratchets up the suspense, leading to a jaw-dropping climax that will leave readers reeling. The pacing is relentless, with short, punchy chapters that compel readers to keep turning the pages late into the night.

Overall, "The Baby" is a gripping psychological thriller that will leave readers breathless. With its compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and heart-pounding twists, this novel is sure to captivate fans of The Woman in the Window, Freida McFadden, and Lisa Jewell. Prepare to be gripped from the first page to the last in this unforgettable tale of secrets and lies.

I finished this book in one day as I just HAD TO KNOW where the baby had come from!

I was invested immediately. I'm not always a fan of the unreliable narrator trope, but I think it really worked here as all throughout the book there are nagging doubts as to whether Lucy is remembering things correctly or if it's all down to her drinking.

There were some really lovely descriptive passages and I could picture the characters and locations so vividly. There were some scenes that had me physically cringing with second-hand embarrassment for poor Lucy.

The ending was really satisfying - the clues were all there throughout the story and I was glad that the book ended the way it did. 100% recommended.

The Baby came in hot and stayed that way. The book is about a woman who quite literally wakes up and discovers a baby in her home and goes on to figure out why and how it’s there even though she’s at home alone and her husband is out of town for work. The plot twists were great. I sped through this book because every page had me feigning for more.

This is a story about lies, betrayal and deception. Lucy and Miles are married and keep no secrets from each other. Miles works away on an oil rig and Lucy drinks too much to keep her loneliness at bay. After a fall down the stairs while pregnant Lucy learns she can no longer have children. Several years later after a day and night out drinking too much, Lucy wakes up with amnesia and she finds a baby boy in her home. Where did he come from?? And did she steal him?? She immediately falls in love with the child and checks all the news sites for word of a missing baby. Then Miles suddenly returns home earlier than expected from a long shift on his rig and prevents Lucy from going to the police. If she's stolen a baby, she'll go to prison. If no-one claims to be missing a baby, they will keep him and be a happy family. There are twists along the way and one by one Lucy learns all of Miles's secrets and recalls all the things that she's previously forgotten. I found this book impossible to put down. It will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. It's a fantastic story from cover to cover and I highly recommend it.

A book that grips you with a fab twist and unexpected turn? Yes please! I binged read this! Loved the writing style and story development.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this NetGalley, A J McDine and publishers.