Another very good read courtesy of S.E Lynes who I always find so consistently good. A riveting read that gripped me very early on and teased me throughout with the well paced plot. Characters that virtually had me screaming at the pages and even though I just about had it figured out proved to be another excellent read from this author.

A novel about female friends, their relationships, rivalry, deception and lots more.

The lead character is Jane who longs for a baby with her husband Frankie. They share a very happy life but the one thing she wants to put the icing on the cake is a child. Time is running out for the couple as they try to have the baby they dearly want. Jane has a group of friends she enjoys socialising with, but her very best pal is Sophie. When Sophie announces she is pregnant Jane expresses her happiness for her but cannot help feeling sad for her own problems. The four friends enjoy evenings out and everyone gets on well until another friend of Sophie, Lexie joins the group. Lexie is not shy and is certainly not going to be kept in the shadows. Before long Lexie is a very big part of the group and appears to be trying to upset the tight friendship between Jane and Sophie. Lexie appears to be a great friend to the others while upsetting Jane where ever possible and pushing herself between Jane and Sophie.

The problem is only Jane sees the evil side of Lexie and when Jane speaks of it she appears to be paranoid and emotional. The situation escalates further and Sophie and Jane are getting pushed further apart, culminating in a tense climax.
Great characters and a cleverly written plot make this a real page turner.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a good thriller. Good plot twists. It touches on a subject that is not talked about. I enjoyed the plot of this story.

I really enjoyed this book. I always love complex friendships in a thriller, and this was toxic and deliciously addictive. I felt for Jane so much, and was intrigued to find out why Lexie was the way she was. It got very dark. Some twists weren't too unpredictable but others were a great surprise. 5/5 read for sure. Couldn't stop until I'd finished it.

My definition of a trashy thriller means that there’s a bit of implausibility, some of the characters might be vapid, and it’s the kind of book that you read not because it’s mindful or brilliant, but just because it’s just fun. This is for the most part what I’d call a trashy thriller, and it was definitely fun to read!

The synopsis is vague for a reason … the entire book is full of spoilers, twists and turns. We know our protagonist sees that someone is faking a pregnancy, but when the book gets going, you soon realize it’s not that simple. There is more than one pregnant woman in this story - who is the faker, and why is she faking?

That sounds simple, but there’s so much more that can’t really be shared. There are bits of thoughts from a woman who is in the hospital, and when reading those bits interspersed throughout the book, you’re left to wonder who it is. There are a few other plot points added in as well, like infidelity and how precarious adult friendships can be. As the author mentions in the notes, this story shows how friendships can break your heart just as easily as a romantic relationship can.

I’m still not sure what I think about the ending. Overall, I liked it and didn’t see it coming, but it still felt a bit predictable (even though I didn’t predict it). It was nice and tidy, so I think it’s not really to be analyzed - this is, after all, mostly a trashy thriller. All I wanted was to be entertained, and I wasn’t disappointed there. Four stars for this very enjoyable story.

(Thank you to Bookouture, S.E. Lynes, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

This book was brilliant! Even though I figured out the plot twist pretty early on, it didn’t make reading it any less amazing. The ending was so satisfying in more than 1 way! The only complaint I have is I’m American so I didn’t understand all of the slang but that’s my problem, not the books. Great read, definitely a new fan of S.E. Lynes!

#Thebabyshower by S.E. Lynes is a brilliant and intriguing psychological thriller that will have you flipping the pages to find out what happens in the end. This is good vs evil at its best

Thank you #Netgallery and the Publisher for this Arc in exchange for a review.

Female friendships are hard so thats what made this book so relatable. Group dynamics change the night Sophie invites Lexie to join them for drinks. Sophie is soon Lexie's best friend. Jane tries to tell Sophie what Lexie is really like but she won't believe her. Now Lexi and Sophie are pregnant at the same time so they are like two peas in a pod. Jane has no idea why Lexie is being so mean to her.

She’s done it again! Another fast paced novel that keeps you in suspense. Based around female friendships and how our pasts can shape our future in ways we least expect.

What happens when you have a tight friendship group but then one of these friends invites another person into your crowd and she doesn’t like you?

From the first page this pulled me in. I found it to be fast paced and a really good storyline. I enjoyed the way the story panned out, with a few twists thrown in. One I did guess correctly, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book. Another good read from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

While I partly guessed the ending, it doesn’t take from the story which had me gripped while I was reading and thinking about while at work etc. I got this to review and would like to thank the publishers and Netgalley for the early copy.

Jane and Frankie Preston are a happily married couple. Jane has built up a fledgling business as a café owner and Frankie is a handyman specialising in plumbing and renovation work. They have everything they want, except for a family. Jane has undergone many procedures but has finally been told she is going through a premature menopause so time has run out. Her best friend Sophie is pregnant and Jane is thrilled for her. They are part of a friendship group of four sharing similar leisure activities. Their other two friends are Kath and Hils.
Then one night when the girls are out together Sophie introduces her new friend Lexie. She is an influencer, younger than the other three but flamboyant and full of herself. She is kind to everyone except Jane, even though Jane tries her best to welcome Lexie and include her. Jane can sense that Lexie hates her by the mean looks Lexie saves for her only. Lexie is furious and even complains to Sophie that Jane has been rude to her. As time goes by, Lexie confides in Sophie that Jane is often nasty to her. Sophie is taken in and feels sorry for Lexie so she speaks to Jane who is devastated that her best friend believes all of these malicious untruths. Sophie and Lexie become closer and closer until Lexie breaks the news that she is pregnant. She takes it upon herself to arrange a baby shower at the most prestigious hotel in the city. Jane puts her feelings aside and bravely accepts her invitation, as do Kath and Hils.
The day of the baby shower arrives and Jane steals herself for more shenanigans. By the time she leaves the hotel she has accidentally witnessed a shocking act of betrayal. She keeps the secret to herself to begin with but after thinking about it she tells Sophie her secret, quite innocently believing she is doing the right thing. But Sophie does not believe Jane and is disgusted with her. She drops Jane and their friendship is gone forever. What can Jane do?
There are two main threads to this psychological thriller and also two narrators, Jane and Frankie. Their stories are compelling and shocking. The storytelling is engaging, the characters are eclectic and true to life, the storyboard is carefully managed, full of thrills and spills, shocks, blind alleyways and twists and turns. My favourite character is Frankie, a wonderful and loving husband. What happened to him was outrageous, as you will find out. Lexie is vile, telling lie upon lie, being deceptive and saving her crazy, warning eyes only for Jane. She is a really evil character full of spite, cruelty and venom. She is the cuckoo in the nest, the snake in the grass waiting to strike and full of loathing. She is a person you love to hate. I found the novel intriguing and, after a slow start, stunning and electrifying. It is unique and unlike any other story I have read. There were many themes within Jane and Frankie’s stories: friendship, love, loyalty, lies, guilt, revenge and more.
I received a complimentary copy of this novel from publisher Bookouture through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. I enjoyed reading this novel and absolutely loved the ending. Not only did it round off the merged and historic stories beautifully but it was tense, unexpected, dynamic and punchy. This is my 4.5* review.

Absolutely gripped to the last page!

I eagerly await a new novel from SE Lynes and, when I read the blurb for The Baby Shower, my impatience was doubled. Despite planning to read it slowly over a few days, I was so gripped from the first chapter that I practically inhaled it over two.

For a start, Jane is such a relatable character. Trying to be a good friend, working hard to keep her business afloat and dealing with a secret heartbreak. This secret sadness lends her a vulnerability which only makes it more powerful when she comes up against a woman whose behaviour is so opposite to her own that she doesn’t know where to turn.

The art of Lynes’ writing is the subtlety with which this woman’s behaviour is revealed whilst still keeping the plot moving at a page-turning pace. So many times, I wanted to tell Jane what to do and what to say, but with the ever present question of whether I would do that in the same situation or would I, like Jane, never fully believe what was really going on.

Friendship is so important in all our lives, and this novel explores the flip side of this. We all know what to say to our children when they have to deal with bullying from people supposed to be their friends. But what would we do if it happened to us?

Gripping, thought-provoking and beautifully written. You need to read this book!

THE BABY SHOWER has so many twists, turns and one helluva hook. What would you do if you went to a baby shower and found out the mother-to-be wasn’t actually pregnant? I read this one just to find out the answer to that question. Plus, S.E. Lynes always delivers a tense, thought-provoking read. This one is so, so good!

Jane didn't have the best childhood and she'd hoped that she could do a better job with her plumber husband Frankie, but alas nature had decided otherwise.
Jane who owns a small coffee shop is content with her life and a small group of friends.
Life is good for the couple until new faces begin to destroy friendships and relationships.
Secrets begin to destroy what the couple have built up together and need to find out answers.
Whilst the main two characters are warm and humble, as a reader you only want good things to happen to them. Why were the evil spirits out to destroy them?
Will they find out the truth before its too late as well as their true friends?
A great read that has you hooked from start to finish.

The Baby Shower is an interesting enough book to pass a couple of afternoons. The characters are easily distinguished one from another and the prose flows easily. The plot, however, is fairly lightweight with the villain of the piece obvious from the beginning and the 'big reveal' a bit of a damp squib leading to a neatly tied-off ending. A quick, fairly enjoyable read but not one that will stick in the memory.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I liked this but I didn't love it. I really like the author's writing style and have enjoyed other books by her immensely, but I think the plot was a little thin with this one.

One thing I loved about the book was how well-drawn the characters were - you could really picture all the main players and they came across as real and the dialogue was natural. I really enjoyed seeing how awful Lexie could get, the scene in the pub with the drinks order genuinely made me laugh out loud.

The only reason I'm not rating the book higher is because there weren't any surprises. I think it was pretty obvious from the beginning how everything was going to play out and whilst it was a fun journey getting there, I do like to be shocked and unfortunately there was none of that.

Slight spoiler territory here, but it infuriates me that in every book I have read where the main character has fertility problems, they always end up with a miracle baby at the end. I get the temptation to give your characters a happy ending but this happens so rarely and I feel like this constant trope minimises genuine infertility struggles.

I finished this book late at night yesterday, and i thought would leave my review until today to try and put my thoughts into words.

S E Lynes is one of my favourite authors and I have loved every book she has written (I still think about 'Mother' often as it blew my mind), but this book about a tight knit group of female friends, which is turned on its axis, when a new member joins the group, made my stomach turn! It cut way too close to the bone of reality.

What do you do when you are sure that someone has it in for you, but only you can see it? When if you raise how you feel, you are accused of being paranoid or mentally unstable. Unfortunately this is what happens to the main character Jane. I found myself at points feeling sick as I recognised a lot of toxic, bullying behaviours, I too have been on the receiving end of in my adult years, although not to this extent!

It also raises a really valid point. We all go through break ups of romantic relationships and heartbreak, but it seems to be less understood about how painful it is when a precious platonic friendship ends.

As usual, I can't recommend this book enough. I read it over two days and just could not put it down.

I think this is a book that will certainly leave people feeling like I did, but also makes you 'check' on your own behaviour too.

Dark and deceitful, I devoured The Baby Shower in record time. There’s a new addition to Jane’s friendship group, Lexie, introduced to them by Sophie. She seems perfect, the right hair, make up and clothes, yet straightaway Jane can tell something isn’t right. To the group Lexie seems perfect but when no one is looking she lets her mask slip and Jane has to stand on the sidelines as she watches her friends one by one fall under Lexie’s spell. This book had me hooked from the beginning and I can highly recommend it. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

You won’t be able to put this down for sure. The book intrigues and keeps you hooked. A great storyline and character. A book to pick this year.

This book follows Jane's life - her husband and her group of friends. The dynamics suddenly change one day when a new friend Lexie is introduced to the group. The story itself was well developed but it took me some time to get into the story.

The themes expressed are very pertinent and I would be thinking about them today.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley. This doesn't impact my opinion in any way.