I started this book a while ago and couldn't get into it. However I tried again later when I felt like an easy-read suspense/thriller. It did improve and was as good as many books in this genre, but there seem to be so many similar novels along these lines, and it was too easy to guess the twists.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance digital copy.

So, I really liked our main character and loved her husband.

The book is mildly interesting - the problem is that there's no suspense. I mean, you know the *who* of everything right away. It's in a hit-you-over-the-head kind of way. You also figure out what the *who* is doing pretty quickly.

The only mystery is the *why*...and our why is kind of prosaic.

The book is okay. It did keep me reading, if only to see if I was right. And I was. Every. Single. Time.

Another favourite domestic thriller from S.E. Lynes that captures your attention from the beginning, revolving around female friendships and the drama it can cause. Although some things were predictable about half way through, others were not right until the very end. Love it when I am kept guessing! This was a quick and easy read with great characters that I would recommend to all who enjoy a good domestic drama. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to give an unbiased review.

Another thrilling and gripping read from this amazing writer. As always once you start a book from this brilliant writer you get engrossed. The character Lexie Sophie Natasha and Jane are well written and the plot is fast moving. not to be missed!!

Wow what a book
Another great read from S E Lynes
You will not want to put this book down
This is definitely a book you should read
Thanks NetGalley

Summary:
She doesn’t know I’m there, watching her in the mirror. She slides her hand under her blouse. And then I see something impossible. She isn’t pregnant…



She bursts into my life like a storm, and nothing is the same again. She seems so perfect, with her lilting laugh and her beautiful face. One by one, I watch as my friends fall under her spell.



Only I seem to suspect something. Only I see that her smiles don’t reach her cold, furious eyes. And when I’m accused of things I didn’t do, when my home is vandalized, I know she’s behind it. But she only lets her mask slip when no one is looking, so if I say anything, I’ll look crazy.



So when the baby shower comes around I’m there, sitting on a velvet sofa in a posh hotel room, surrounded by balloons. We share gifts, we pour small glasses of champagne, and she beams, her bump just visible under her bright red shirt.

Review: Overall this was a fast paced thriller with predictable twists. I would recommend to those looking for a quick read.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I love a good domestic thriller and this one lived up to my high expectations!
I really do enjoy this author's books so when I seen this one I knew I'd be in for a treat and had to request it immediately.

This has everything that you want in a domestic thriller, it entices you in from the very first page and is a slow burner to being with and then becomes fast paced so much so you don't want to put the book down.

I was on the edge of my seat throughout, I highly recommend if like me you're a fan of this authors books.

The Baby shower is a Thriller/Mystery book by author S. E. Lynes. It follows the protagonists' Jane and Frankie. What made me interested in this book was the synopsis. It is very ominous and builds the right atmosphere for this book.

The premise of the book starts when Jane's husband Frankie buys an expensive watch that makes him feel invincible. Frankie has a plumbing business and Jane works at the successful café she owns in Wimbham. Jane has a small but good circle of friends, that is until Sophie introduces Lexie to the group. The watch, the baby shower for Sophie, and other unsettling events lead to everything catastrophically spiralling down and down into depths Jane never thought she and Frankie would sink into.

It is a movie-esque plot that is filled with toxic relationships. Overall, the book was quite entertaining and an enjoyable read!

3.5 / 5 ⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book!.

This was a quick and easy read. The story is character driven. While it was so easy to read, the plot was predictable. I still really enjoyed it but you can figure out what all happens less than halfway through the book.

The characters were interesting and the MC’s fertility journey was so sad.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend if you just want a quick and easy read!

Thank you for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I started this book a while ago and it didn’t grab me, so I moved on to others. I just finished it and I will say it did get better a little over half way through. I did guess the big reveal, which I think was pretty obvious, but I do read a lot of thrillers so I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting the twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping, twisty tale about female friendships, influencer culture, and how far some people will go to ruin another person's life... and why. I loved the characters and the twists and turns. Great book!

The Baby Shower is a fast paced thriller that is very entertaining and had me hooked instantly. “How much we want to say sometimes. How little makes it out of our mouths.” Never underestimate the power of revenge and the hold it can have over someone’s soul. Betrayal, jealousy and paranoia become a deadly combination as loyalty is tested and lives appear to be shattered forever. What a tangled web we weave. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy.

Well well. This had my juices running and my mind all over the place.
I really got into this one so much I didn’t want to sleep I just wanted more.
It’s been a while since I read a book by this author. Why?
Yes why, I hear you ask.

I don’t know! So many books I guess. I’ve never been disappointed so I really need to catch up.

The (let us say) “villain” in this book had me jumping off my seat so many times. And as regards one of the characters I thought she needed a wake up call. The “new girl” on the horizon and the “old” one has to take a back seat…..or so I thought, then suddenly, yes suddenly I was gasping the night of THE BABY SHOWER. …heck, what!

Really really good!

I need a copy for my physical shelf as this is a high profile book that I loved.

I loved how fast-paced this read was! Read it in one sitting because I had to find out what happened. Lynes never disappoints, highly recommend!

Another brilliant book from this author. Jane and Frankie are a happily married couple. Jane is hard working and is running her own coffee shop, is popular with her customers and has a bunch of friends Sophie, Hils and Kath who have formed a running group. Frankie has his own plumbing business and works all hours to make this a success. They have everything but they don’t have any children as iVF didn’t work much to Jane’s disappointment. The book opens with people in the hospital including Jane, after a hit and run accident and we gradually learn what happened before this. Jane and her friends all meet for drinks on a Friday evening but when Sophie, Jane’s best friend, introduces Lexie, a new friend she has made Jane doesn’t realise that her happy life is about to be torn apart. Lexie appears to have plenty of money, is always immaculately dressed and is an Instagram influencer but she doesn’t like Jane and doesn’t hide it. When Sophie announces she is pregnant, Jane is happy for her but quite envious. Lexie then announces she is pregnant and arranges an elaborate baby shower for them where Jane is made to feel an outsider, but why? Jane doesn’t seem to notice that Frankie is having his own problems after working for a new female customer and having a glass of wine wakes to find himself in her bed but remembers nothing. This is a good psychological thriller exploring friendships and the flip side of it, lies, guilt and revenge that will keep you hooked until the end. A brilliant read.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Omg wow this book is amazing it's full of twists and turns it will keep you up all night I really enjoyed this book

I have never read anything from SE Lynes before this instant. So this book allowed me to get a peek into her work and know what to expect from many of the other thrillers that the author has written and I was impressed by what I read.

Jane Preston has a good life. She has a loving husband, a group of great friends and a cozy coffee shop in a London suburb. Enter Lexie. Lexie is determined to undermine Jane and punish her for seemingly no reason. Driving a wedge between Jane and her friends, Lexie seems have turned Jane into an outcast in the friend circle that she has spent years building. All the mindless manipulation is starting to get to Jane. If only it had ended there. But it didn't! In the interest of not giving away any spoilers, all I wanna say is that Jane is not the only one being manipulated in the story.

Jane's character is quite well developed. But what I liked even more was how her relationships with other supporting characters were developed. You can see how much each character means to her and since the story is almost completely from Jane's POV, it clearly helps in connecting with her thought process. You can see that she is a people-pleaser and there are times during the plot, when someone like me, who basically could not care less about what people think of me, would want to bang their head against wall or just shake Jane in the hopes of putting some sense into her.

When I read the title, I thought this story might have more to do with motherhood, and while it does have some elements of motherhood in it, its primary focus is on toxic platonic relationships. What I also liked was the author's focus on how there are a lot of stories of romantic breakups, but not as many stories of platonic breakups, even though they suck just as much or perhaps even more. How many of us have had flimsy friendships throughout our lives? How many stories have we read that focus primarily on the pain of losing a friend or the pain of being cut off from their lives with no explanation whatsoever? Not many. I think, this fact alone, makes the plot beckoning to a reader.

Now why the 5 starts, you might ask? What makes this worthy of 5 stars? The pace and the drama. Because of multiple ongoing manipulation schemes, it's hard to put the book down for someone who likes the drama. As I read about different characters being sucked into exploitation, I wanted to scream my head off. We tend to think that adults cannot be bullied. But this book will make you think twice before you make such an assertion.

The story is enticing and will keep you hooked at all times. A highly recommended story. Thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for the ARC.

#TheBabyShower #NetGalley

I thought this was a great book. A bit of a slow-burner psychological thriller, nevertheless, very intriguing. I did guess the ending and I had a rough idea of what was going to happen and how it was going to pan out but I still did enjoy the lead up to climax.

I loved S.E. Lynes style of writing and how she told the story was brilliant. Very good book!

Thank you to Netgalley and SE Lynes for allowing me this ARC.

The Baby Shower was a fun quick read. Ya r had a good twist and the writing flowed well. I would recommend this one.