Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

In the world of "Baby X," advances in medicine allow anyone to have a child with anyone as long as they have access to that person's DNA. This has resulted in a huge black market for celebrity DNA, which is why famous singer Thorne hires protagonist Ember as a "bio-security" guard. Then a woman shows up, claiming to be pregnant with Thorne's child, and everything quickly gets out of control.

This book had interesting themes of nature vs nurture, bioethics and eugenics, female autonomy, etc. The world building relied a little too much on telling, but it was nonetheless an interesting dystopia, almost eerily plausible. One of the major twists was on the predictable side, but there were enough other twists and turns to keep me engaged throughout. I agree with other reviewers who compared it to Black Mirror, and would add Orphan Black to that list of dystopias that deal with similar themes (though this one was lighter on the sci-fi, heavier on the thriller elements.) A decent read overall!

BABY X was a joy to read! Which is something coming from me, since I'm not usually a sci-fi reader. What intrigued me was the dystopian aspect of this book, and how sort-of realistic the whole situation seemed to be, in my opinion.
I can easily see all the 'futuristic' aspects of this novel coming true in our real world, in a not-so-distant future.
I personally liked how the author envisions technology (the extinction of cell phones was very amusing, for example) and how terrifying the scientific advances have become within this dystopian story.
I also enjoyed the characters and the plot twists. There are multiple POVs and they are all connected together. Actually, there is a dual timeline, too. But that's a surprise.
I do recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi/dystopian mystery stories.

I enjoyed this audiobook.
It was an interesting take of a speculative thriller. There are several threads and characters to keep track of, which was confusing for me at times.
There was a part towards the end that was just a long list of stats, and after a few I had to skip past them, I felt like they added nothing to the story.

In the near-future in the U.S., anyone can have a child together – all that’s needed is a bit of biological material from two people. This has led to the creation of The Vault, a black market for biomaterial that targets celebrities. Thorne, a famous singer who is tired of being scared of The Vault, hires Ember, a bio-security guard who will do anything to protect her clients. But she has secrets in her past, secrets that may come to light when a pregnant woman shows up claiming to be pregnant with Thorne’s baby.

This is an interesting sci-fi that started quite strong. I liked the exploration of the selection process for embryos, the idea of being a Selected child versus one conceived in the natural way, and the question if knowing your traits may or may not define your personality/life. It’s told from multiple POVs – a bio-security guard, a pregnant woman, and a student. All POVs were strong and offered unique insights into the world.

I’m not entirely sure why, but the fact that it’s set in the very near future lowered my enjoyment some. I prefer my sci-fi to be set further out to make it more believable, whereas this was set in about 25 years when I’ll still be alive (universe willing), which made it hard to immerse myself in the plot. Another part of what brought my rating lower was the reveal at the end. The author used a technique that I personally dislike, so I was a bit disappointed – this certainly won’t be the case for everyone, though.

I did like this book and found it to be entertaining overall. If you’re looking for a light sci-fi read, it’s certainly worth checking out. My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A speculative novel set in the near future where babies are conceived in labs and natural conception rare. I enjoyed the twists and turns though some of the science went over my head. The twist toward the end was satisfying and I liked the characters. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This book had my head spinning and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I finished. It definitely gave me John Marrs vibes.

Written in the future, when babies are chosen in a lab based on qualities parents desire, you can imagine all of the chaos this may cause.

Stolen cells, unplanned births, scandals and all....it'll leave you wanting more!

I loved the way the future was portrayed in this one. I definitely recommend giving it a shot. You won't regret it!

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane books for an advanced copy of this fantastic book!

Pub eARC
Baby X was propulsive, engaging, and so well plotted. I was hooked in this thriller from beginning to end. Right away, I liked the three narrators for the main characters because it kept it easy to keep the characters and their story arcs straight. The author knew how to perfectly end a chapter to keep me wanting to listen to this story without stopping. I was surprised by plot elements here and liked how it wrapped up in the end. Well done and I’ll definitely read this author again.

Oh, I was really excited when I found out about this book. Gattaca? Love it. As a thriller, this seemed like something I would really love, but I could not get into it. The world building felt very 'telling' and dumped on me in a way that left me emotionally disengaged. Alas, not the book for me after all, but this is almost certainly a 'me' problem and I'm sure many people would find the book's straightforward explanations of what got us to the the place in time where the plot was happening very much to their taste.

Now this was a good book. I love when authors write smart characters especially women. And both Ember and Quinn were smart and hardcore.

There are three POVs in the book and it was rather evident how two POVs were related but not third. Maybe I have a lot of books from the thriller , mystery and suspense genre as I had figured out who Lily is too early in the book. Even then it didn't make the book boring and kept me interested.

The twist at about halfway through the book was a total twister , I didn't see that one coming. That twist made the book a hot 4 star read for me directly. Later part although well written and quite intriguing, once I read the twist, it was easy to figure out what was gonna happen.

Being a doc, personally I felt few things were far fetched but that did not bother me. And I was totally invested in the story till the end.

I will definitely recommend this for all thriller lovers.

Thank you Netgalley and crooked lane books for the wonderful ARC in exchange of an honest review.

This book is such a wild ride! Set in the future where children are conceived in labs using DNA from “The Vault”, superstar Thorn will do anything to keep his DNA from being stolen and used to create a child. He hires Ember to make sure his DNA is always safe, and naturally, they fall for one another. Then we have Quinn, a surrogate hired by a man whom lost his husband in a tragic accident and just wants to be a father. Lastly we have Lily, who is an only child created “the normal way” who finds out her retirement aged parents are pregnant. This sci-fi thriller comes to a head when all 3 women’s lives crash into each other in an ending I didn’t See coming. I feel Like fans of John Marrs will love this one. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Quick Brown Fox & CO / Crooked Lane Books for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I was eager to read Baby X as it has a fascinating plot, focused both on the ability to select a baby’s traits (an extreme exploring of today’s ability to ‘choose’ a child based on chromosomal anomalies which has been a godsend to many I know having suffered through child death with a baby cursed with genetic issues that pained them in their short lives) and the idea of creating a child based on flimsy genetic material of an unknowing partner. Indeed in addition to those storylines I got an additional one focused on Lily, a young journalist who at first didn’t seem to be connected to the main events.

This book was fascinating and a great sci fi thriller with plot twists as well as a strong mystery at play. Without a doubt Thorne, the celebrity trying to protect himself from becoming an involuntary genetic donor, was the most inherently good character but the others wowed me for different reasons.

If you enjoy futuristic (but eerily recognizable) thrillers then this is a unique addition you can’t pass up!

Kira Peikoff's "Baby X" is a thrilling speculative fiction novel set in a near-future United States where advanced technology allows for the creation of eggs and sperm from any biological matter. Celebrities, like the famous singer Trace Thorne, find themselves targeted by the Vault, a black market site that steals and sells DNA. Thorne hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to protect his genetic material, but their lives spiral out of control when they encounter Quinn, a pregnant woman claiming Thorne as the father.

Peikoff weaves a gripping narrative with a blend of Gattaca and Black Mirror vibes, exploring themes of privacy, bioethics, and the ramifications of genetic manipulation. The alternating perspectives of Ember, Quinn, and journalist Lily provide depth and keep the reader engaged. While the scientific jargon can be dense at times, the plot's twists and the characters' dilemmas make for an intriguing and thought-provoking read.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn't my favorite book, even if I did read it fairly quickly. It got caught up in genres, where it wanted to be a mystery but also very sci-fi at the same time. I think its a good example of sometimes a book can't have it all.

Kira Peikoff deftly uses her own knowledge as a bioethicist to draw attention to a recent (2022-23) achievement in genetic research in this medical thriller that explores the implications of 'precision reproduction' for our future. In post-WW III 2050, people no longer have to go “jumping into bed and having sex to get pregnant”. They can choose when to get pregnant - well into their 60s if they wish - and avoid medical complications, hereditary conditions and undesirable behavioural traits (in their offspring),

In Baby X we navigate Quinn's latest surrogacy relationship with her mysterious and domineering client, Richard, Meanwhile, Ember lands her biggest client yet, all she needs to do is make sure he doesn't find out about her past, Lily is grappling with her parents surprise decision to have a child as she is leaving home, in addition to dealing with the stress of making a good impression in her new workplace. The plot development is superbly executed and the tension eases/builds nicely as expected of the thriller genre . Tackling the ethical challenges of AI on so many fronts (privacy, trust, reproductive rights,, etc) without getting bogged down was made possible with the hand-over of perspectives.

Watch out for some classic passage introducing the protagonists and scene setting, some a little whimsical: "The smog on this April morning coated the valley in an amber layer, like one of those nostalgic social media filters she grew up with" others cutting observations: ""Although she often spoke of Jesus as her savior, Quinn had to wonder how much of it was for show, a carefully curated altar built in service to her one true God: the approval of others."

I put Baby X on my TBR list in January and was trying to get a copy through my local library. I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to finally read and review an e-copy from NetGalley (thanks to all!). Absolutely worth the wait - an easy 4 stars! The cover design is fantastic - (not so) subtle use of the chromosome. Love the colours.

An amazing book! I went into it thinking it would be good but it was so much better! I was hooked from start to finish and highly recommend!

The concept of this book was super interesting (and lowkey horrifying)... imagine a world where you have to decide the traits of your child and you hvae to then live with the consequences if that comes with severe mental or physical illnesses. I was really intrigued with the overall plot, but as someone who is choosing to never had kids, I felt super disconnected from the whole thing. I really liked the more thrilling bits but once the mystery was solved the book kept going and it lost me. I did enjoy the writing and it's pretty much what kept me going through the low parts of the story.

Book 70 of 2024: Baby X by Kira Peikoff

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create egg or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip–love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.

Thank you @netgalley for this ARC! This book had an interesting premise but I found the execution to be a hot mess. I really wanted to like it but the writing. Was. SO. Bad. The syntax was all over the place, making everything seem incredibly choppy. The characters also came across as quite flat and I couldn’t bring myself to care for or be invested in any of their stories. Their motivations are very murky for the majority of the book. There was kind of a twist at the end but it wasn’t enough to make up for the chaotic plot structure. I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller as there was really no suspense. The sci-fi elements were also kind of strange and rooted more in fantasy than science. The book also had an opportunity to delve into deeper themes of medical ethics and surrogacy, but those were more surface level plot elements and I was disappointed by that. Overall this had some potential but the execution made this a miss for me.

Text I sent to my book-ish friend immediately after finishing the last page:
"I gasped three times and let out a 'WHAT' at one point. Five stars. Full recommendation."

I am sorry for the inconvenience but I don’t have the time to read this anymore and have lost interest in the concept. I believe that it would benefit your book more if I did not skim your book and write a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for the inconvenience.

I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but this book was fantastic! I loved the multiple perspectives, and how all the narratives intertwined. I thought the characters were good, and really found the premise of the book incredibly suspenseful. I cannot imagine living in a world where someone can take any of your DNA and have a baby, nor could I have predicted the twist in this book! I would highly recommend this book for a unique thriller.