First-Time Mother
A twisted mind-bending thriller. A fast-paced read…full of surprises. Could not put it down! I was flying through the book, I had to know what happened!

A tense psychological thriller that had me flying through the pages. The writing style made me think ‘just one more chapter’ as I couldn’t put this down. Plenty of twists and turns which is perfect for any thriller fan, this is the second book I have read by this author and it definitely won’t be the last.

The story was compelling, and I especially liked the way it was written. The level of detail pulled me in, and the twists were genuinely surprising. At first, the pace was a little slow, but once things picked up, I was fully invested.

What I appreciated most was how the twists didn’t feel random. When you look back, the clues were there all along, which made those moments feel earned rather than forced. That kind of thoughtful plotting always wins me over.

First-Time Mother by AJ Campbell
3 ⭐

The book follows Annie, a first-time mother. She is feeling overwhelmed, sleep deprived, and beginning to lose her sense of reality, as she is clearly struggling with post-partum mental health symptoms. She starts losing time, hearing noises, and starts to wonder what's real, as strange things start happening around the house. She also has struggles connecting with her 4 months old daughter, all things that to me scream PND.
She begins to question if someone is attempting to hurt her or if it's all in her head, as her mental state clearly deteriorates during the course of the book, and the people around her grow suspicious, and you really feel you can't trust anyone.

Although I enjoyed the tension and overall concept, I occasionally found it to be confusing. Everything seems jumbled and foggy because we're inside Annie's head, which makes sense for her character but was a little hard to read. Although it has an unreliable narrator and is unquestionably a psychological thriller the way it was marketed (making the missing baby the tagline) didn’t quite match the actual focal point of the plot.

An ok read if you’re into slow burns and don’t mind feeling a bit lost along the way.

🍼First-Time Mother
✍️AJ Campbell
Published 14 April 2025

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Is Annie just being paranoid, or is she surrounded by lies, manipulation and betrayal? Are her family against her? Is someone playing tricks on her, or is she losing her mind? Who can she trust?

…TRUST NO ONE!

This one grips you from the beginning and keeps you guessing until the final twist. Every-time you think you’ve cracked it, believe me, you haven’t!

My fave AJ Campbell yet. Thanks for the ARC copy @ajcampbellauthor @netgalley and @bookouture

First-Time Mother is a tense, emotionally layered domestic thriller. Annie, a new mother navigating life with a newborn and two teenage stepchildren, begins to unravel when strange incidents occur—and then her baby disappears. Is it exhaustion, or something more sinister?

AJ Campbell crafts a suspenseful, well-paced story with strong psychological depth. Though the blurb didn’t quite match the plot, the twists at the end kept me engaged.

I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

Annie is a first time mom with a colicky baby, two step-children, an almost never present husband, and very little sleep. It's no wonder that she forgets things. Maybe falls asleep and lights the house on fire. But no....something is wrong! It's got to be someone else trying to make her look bad...the twins., who act like she's the wicked stepmom...or maybe even her husband Max.

AJ Campbell told this story in a way that made you feel as utterly exhausted as Annie, who was at her wits' end, until her husband insisted on bringing someone in to help. But every time someone else held her baby, from the new babysitter, to her friend, and even her friend's daughter, Annie felt even more incompetent. Why was this so hard? Was it postnatal depression, or worse, was she having a breakdown? Campbell leads you along as she takes you inside Annie's mind to the twists at the end. And even if you guess part of the ending, there's still a twist you won't see coming!

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and AJ Campbell for an advance reader's copy and a compelling read.

Annie is settled in her home with her new baby, husband, and two step children but something just isn’t right. Odd things are happening, she’s losing track of time, and doesn’t feel right. Is it post partum or something else?

This is the perfect vacation read. It’s fast paced and entertaining. You’re as confused as the main character as to what is going on but there are several possibilities that it could be. Once we are in on the twist, it becomes super exciting and nerve wracking. It also is pleasing because two unexpected characters begin to work together.

“I have so many questions. And literally no answers. But I’ll get them. I will.”

First-time Mother comes out 4/14.

A fast paced and twisty thriller with Annie who having just recently had a baby is sleep deprived, forgetful and doesn’t know who to trust. Loved all the twists and turns and enjoyed this book. Thanks for my ARC.

I liked the overall plot of the story but I did feel like it was really slow paced for me. I don’t really get into it until the last 30% of the book. The twists at the end did take me by surprise though.

**Thank you to @netgalley, AJ Campbell, and @bookouture for a free ebook ARC copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

4.5 🌟

Wow. This was crazy! Annie is so relatable to first time moms, AJ accurately depicted all the hardships. I remember the sleepless MONTHS.

I made so many notes and highlights on my kindle, but none were close to what the truth was. I wasn't prepared for the twist! If you want a Thriller that keeps you on your toes look no further than AJ Campbell, this is my 4th title by her and I cant wait to see what she comes up with next :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of First-Time Mother by AJ Campbell. Well that was enjoyable. I have wanted to read several books by this author but had yet to read one. Now I know I will look for the others that peaked my interest. There were quite a few twists and turns along the way with this one. It started off a little slow for me but then quickly picked up the pace. A quick read that I would definitely recommend to others. I gave this one a 4 star rating.

While the book was good - there must have been a change in the story line. The baby never went missing and in fact the story focuses on how tired Annie is and how image is constantly sick and lost. The book is great - but had nothing to do with the description! I read the entire book waiting for her baby to disappear.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Annie is a new mom, overwhelmed by postpartum depression and exhaustion, and struggling to bond with her two teenage stepchildren. Her husband, Max, does his best to support her and get her the help she needs. But when baby Lola suddenly goes missing, Annie will stop at nothing to get her back.

First-Time Mother is a fast, fun, and entertaining read. One of those books you start just to see what it’s about—and next thing you know, you're flipping pages and finishing it in a day. I’m not a mom, but AJ Campbell really nails how draining and relentless caring for a newborn can be. Honestly, I was getting exhausted just reading about Lola crying. Like—please, Lola, take a nap!

Recommended for fans of quick, twisty domestic thrillers that you can read in one sitting.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5⭐️
There are so many well thought out, gripping twists! Great lineup of characters. You don't know who to believe or trust. Very relatable plot for anyone who's had a child or cared for one.
I feel like the ending was a little bit of a cliffhanger with the potential for a continuation if the author chooses

I absolutely loved this book! However, the line on the cover of the book is not what the book is about. "My baby is missing, everyone thinks it's my fault!" This line makes you think the book is going to be about a missing baby when it isn't.
.
Annie is a first time mom who is having a difficult time with "postpartum depression" and a colicky baby. She is always forgetting and misplacing things and most of all exhausted. She can't get any sleep. She is just not herself since the baby was born. If things aren't hard enough, she has to deal with twin teenage step children who do not like her and make her life even more difficult. A tragedy occurs in her house and she doesn't know how and why it happened. As she tries to discover who could have done such a horrible thing she begins to have suspicions about her husband, her step children, and other people in her life. Who did it and why? The ending had a great twist that I did not see coming.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the book before it was released. I could not put this book down!

FIRST TIME MOTHER BY A J CAMPBELL
5 ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ s.
Release date set for the 14th of April 2025.
Oh wow what a prologue that was.
It was Relatable at first and then it turned chilling.
It had me questioning every single character in this book. Honestly I didnt know who was doing what.
I genuinely felt so sorry for the main female character Annie..
This book kept me guessing all the way through.
I had a few thoughts that I thought I knew what was going on then BAM out of know where a twist came.
Then another double whammy.
An amazing twisty psychological thriller.
I can't wait to see what else this brilliant author writes.

Wow! AJ Campbell sure knows how to write a gripping psychological thriller! First Time Mother is about sleep-deprived, new mum Annie. Struggling with baby Lola and not getting on with her stepchildren, Annie feels like she’s going mad, with increasingly sinister things happening at home. This multi-layered book starts with a death in her home and culminates with baby Lola going missing. There are so many twists and turns, engaging and well-crafted characters, and emotional scenes, you definitely won’t be able to put this book down. An excellent read.

🎧Audio Book Review🎧

First-Time Mother
AJ Campbell

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This is my fifth read by this author and I've really loved all of them so far!
I almost want to say that this was the best yet, but I say that at the end of each one, so....!!

This book had me hooked from the start and I was so engrossed that I couldn't put it down! I read this in two sittings!

So, this really wasn't quite what I expected - the title (and blurb now that I've read it) suggest that this will be all about the baby and mother - but (without giving too much away) there was so, so much more at play here.
Don't get me wrong, this definitely plays a huge part in the storyline - but there was so much going on, so many twists and different threads running through, that I could hardly think straight! (This is a good thing!!)

I really connected with our FMC, Annie, who was struggling with exhaustion after having her first baby.
I totally remember how she feels and even though it's many, many years ago, this brought back all those feelings and memories for me.
Being so tired that you feel as though you're going mad!

When strange things start to happen and different parts of the story unfold, I didn't know who to look at and suspect.
I even had moments wondering whether Annie was going to turn out to be an unreliable narrator - but this flowed so well and came together so perfectly in the end - and it was still a huge shock when the reveals started coming.

Some great characters and a really clever and unique storyline to keep you guessing until the end!
A great read and a bonus having the audio book narrated by one of my favourite narrator's too!
Gill did a great job keeping me glued to this one throughout!

This was my first book by this author and will definitely not be the last. I was hooked from the start! Very well written. This book had so many twists which I didn't see coming at all.
I loved how the author kept us guessing throughout the book. One moment, I thought it was a certain character, then the next I thought someone else. Highly recommend reading this book if you love twisty thrillers.
Thanks, Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read this book for an honest review!