The Baby Shower
The Baby Shower by S.E. Lynes has everything I love in a psych thriller.
There is a prologue that consists of a news article. Right off the bat, the author lets us know (in a clever way) that there is going to be one heck of a culmination of events in this book.
Well-done set ups like this instantly grab me.
Chapter One is a mystery narrator. Those are always good for intrigue. If you’re paying attention, you will notice that both the newspaper article and Chapter One are set in May.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to take a careful look at when each chapter is set. The author lays out the plot clearly. But if you aren’t looking at when each event takes place you could get lost.
And you don’t want to do that.
I generally am not a fan of “girl power/friends” tropes because they are often laid on too thick. In this case, however, it works perfectly.
Jane has just enough going for her, and just enough against her, that her friend circle is vital to her well-being. This is why the rest of the story is so good.
As usual, I am not going to give away plot points here. But believe me when I say the author has written a tightly woven story that had me turning pages literally into the wee hours of the morning.
That’s not hyperbole. I’m not one to gush or throw out typical platitudes. But I stayed awake until 3 am to finish this one because I was totally enthralled by the plot.
I did guess a couple of the “surprises” but (as I have mentioned before) I like to challenge myself to guess where the author is going.
However, there are several twists that I did not figure out. One of them (no spoiler) made me doubt everything that I believed up to that point. I thought maybe I had it all wrong.
That’s another thing I love in a good psych thriller. Keep ‘em guessing is a great rule of thumb.
Sometimes psych thrillers have backstory that only serves as a jumping-off point. That is not the case here. Jane’s backstory is specific and gives insight to her frame of mind while also providing an underlying current of dread (also felt by Jane) to current events.
There was a point at the end that felt like it verged on preachy about how bad women have it sometimes, but I understand why the author included it. That being said, the whole friendship thing gets turned upside down when one character gets what is coming to her.
Once again, not a spoiler. But that twist provides a cutting commentary the danger of being carried away by material things and the “reality” presented on social media.
I am a big fan of S.E. Lynes, but The Baby Shower may just be my favorite one yet.

The Baby Shower by S.E. Lynes offers up the compelling premise of a twisty psychological thriller but, for me, this one just didn't land in the same way as the author's previous works. There is something about a narrative that is fuelled by toxic female relationships that just does not resonate with me, although I did enjoy the delightful snarkiness. While I found myself to be less engaged with the story than I had hoped to be, I am clearly the outlier with this one.

I very much look forward to whatever comes next from this talented author. 3.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

🄴-🄰🅁🄲 @netgalley 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓
𝙱𝚢: @selynes
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Fiction
𝙿𝚞𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚛: @bookouture
𝚁𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚗: March 1st 2022
@𝚐𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚜 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 4.34
𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚌𝚘𝚛𝚎: 👶👶👶👶 / 5 Babies

🅂🅈🄽🄾🄿🅂🄸🅂

She bursts into my life like a storm. 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 eyes. I’m accused of things I didn’t do; 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.

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 glasses of champagne, and she beams, her bump just visible under her bright red shirt.

But that afternoon, I finally learn the unbelievable truth.

There is no baby…

🄼🅈 🅃🄷🄾🅄🄶🄷🅃🅂

WOW! First, I must state this is my 4th book by S.E. Lynes and boy am I such a fan! She has such a brilliant writing style. She brings out all the suspense and thrills in all her stories. The twists and turns in this newest one will have your head spin!

In her newest psychological thriller "𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑩𝒂𝒃𝒚 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓" we're in for an intense ride full of women drama. A little crazy never hurt anyone right?

I highly recommend this creative and brilliant new read that will have you holding your breath for the ending.

Thank you @negalley & @bookouture for gifting me this E-ARC,

The Baby Shower by S. E. Lynes was another good read. I love the way she writes her books they just have me gripped from the first few pages till the end. However, I did find this book very hard to read, especially as one of the characters reminded me of me.......... I am the one who sits there and smiles at her friends or a family member when they announce they are pregnant! but really I am screaming inside my head! Why.? I'm the one who is married etc!!!!
This did take a while to read and played with my emotions as you could understand!

But, I finished it! This book contains lots of secrets and secrets do come out...........and I do recommend all of her books.

Big thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

Jane and Frankie are happily married. Having tried for years to conceive, they have learned that it is an impossibility for them. Frankie is a trained accountant but prefers working as a plumber. Jane owns a nice cafe called A Roasted Development.

Jane and Sophie have been friends for years. Sophie is a mother and is now expecting again, but she has been very loving to Jane about her inability to have children. They, along with their friends, Hils, and Kate, go running one night a week and meet for drinks on Fridays. One Friday, Sophie brings a young woman named Lexie to their gathering. She acts like Sophie is her best friend and the two tend to ignore the others. When Jane goes to order some drinks, Lexie comes to the bar pushing through and makes a large, expensive order leaving Jane to pay for it. Taken aback, Jane just swallows the intrusion and keeps it to herself. The next day, Jane is shocked when Sophie comes to the cafe saying that Lexie felt Jane ignored her and was cold to her. Jane cannot believe what she is hearing knowing that it’s not true. Now, her friendship with Sophie has become fragile. Who is this Lexie person and why is she trying to break them apart?

This is one terrific that builds perfectly. I liked Jane, Frankie, Kath, and Hils. Sophie was shameful and weak. The heartbreak of being unable to have a child is well written here. It expresses the strength and determination to carry on with life after a diagnosis like that. The descriptions in this book are well-created by the author. The nail-biting race toward the end of the book really keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Don’t miss this one!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Gosh, where do I start with this book? There’s just so much praise that I want to give it.

I really liked Jane, the main character, and her husband Frankie. They’re such a solid and likeable couple, who’ve managed to come through a lot together and emerge stronger.

Jane has a really nice group of friends, and then along comes Lexie, introduced to the group by her friend Sophie. Lexie is one of those characters where I wished that I knew someone else who was reading the book at the same time as me, so we could go “oh my God, can you believe what she just did?” together. It’s all quite subtle, but certainly seems like bullying targeted at Jane.

The plot is told from several points of view and it’s really clever. There are so many little details that all come together and make sense at the end. There are a few short chapters sprinkled in that tie in with the prologue, and at first we don’t know who is the narrator for these. It really builds the tension.

I could not put this book down at all, and it had me reading late into the night, and dying to return to it at the end of the day. Absolutely superb, dark and suspenseful, this is definitely one of of my top books of the year so far.

📚 Book Review 📚 The Baby Shower By S E Lynes ❤️
I would genuinely give this book more than 5 stars. If you enjoyed The Housewarming.... your in for a treat!!
wow!! Save to say I loved this book. Read it in a couple of days and was awake until about 2am to finish it! ‘ Just one more chapter ‘ totally kidding myself - that was not going to happen! The story is about a friendship group. When a new girl comes into the group, things change pretty quickly !! This new girl is definitely not what she seems. Jesus christ on a bike ....get this book ..... if you like twisty, Thriller, gripping, and more!! #thriller #thebabyshower #selynes #bookreviews #bookstagram #bookstagramshaz

I liked it enough to keep reading, but it was glaringly obvious to me early in the plot how the characters were actually connected. I was curious to see how it would play out, but I wasn't in suspense and I would much prefer to be second guessing myself throughout a good suspense/thriller.

It's a quick, entertaining read but not a memorable one.

I have loved previous books by SE Lynes so was grateful to receive this advance copy.

And boy, was it sinister! It hit you with a twist and then threw another one at you - really enjoyable! Also liked the main characters

I had seen 5 star reviews for this including ones from good friends so I was excited for it. The pace was fantastic however most of the book I felt like I had read something very similar. I absolutely hated some of the characters which is definitely the aim but it ended up really making me feel annoyed.
The second half of the book I much preferred when there was less of one particular character so I did like that more. The ending was predictable but not in a disappointing way for me. Overall would recommend as the writing is great and pacey.

Jane and Sophie are best friends with a great relationship. However, Sophie soon meets Lexie and, before long, Sophie and Lexie seemingly have no room for Jane. In fact, things soon become toxic. Then there is the fact that both Sophie and Lexie are now pregnant, which is something that Jane desperately has wanted but it just has not happened, even with fertility treatments.

Reluctantly, Jane agrees to attend a lavish dual baby shower for Sophie and Lexie. This really hurts Jane but she does want to support Sophie. From the start, however, Lexie clearly does not like Jane and makes her feel uncomfortable at every turn. There is clearly a case of adult bullying with how Lexie treats Jane and this leads to eroding the relationship between Jane and Sophie. Jane can see right through Lexie - Sophie, not so much.

While at the exclusive baby shower, Jane discovers that Lexie is not pregnant. While trying to decide how to handle this shocking discovery, another plot is being sharply developed in this gripping story. This plot actually involves Jane’s husband Frank and how he actually crossed paths with Lexie. This brings on an extra layer to an already engaging read.

While there is an air of predictability in this story, it does not lessen the intensity this story so sharply delivers. Instead, the need to see how everything will work out was more than enough to make this book impossible to put down. While this book does touch on some sensitive, possibly triggering subjects, they are handled with serious consideration making this book utterly compelling read.

With surprising twists and turns, drama delivered in both past and present tense, The Baby Shower kept me riveted from beginning to end. Kudos to Ms. Lynes for delivering a multi-layered story that did not shy away from serious topics.

Excellent read. Keeps you turning the page and wanting more. I’ve read many of the author’s books before and this didn’t disappoint

This was a strong that literally made me shiver! The ultimate toxic female friendship plus an infertile plight create a fertile ground (pun intended) for some scary gaslighting! The ending will definitely leave the readers satisfied!

The first 1/2 of this book felt pretty slow to me, but oh boy does it pick up from there. We finally get to the baby shower at that point, and that’s when the storm really seems to begin. I completely understand why the first half was necessary, but I think the title made me feel like the baby shower should have occurred sooner.

I loved discovering all the different connections between the characters, and I really wasn’t expecting the end. I sort of had an idea of what was going on, but the story was wrapped up really well.

This book shows how important our friendships are and how easy they are to lose. Additionally, it touches on some pretty deep topics. I appreciated the author taking on some more difficult narratives, and I think it was done extremely well.

A quick read that kept me engaged but was also very predictable. Frankie and Jane were so believable and so realistic. Their relationship seemed so real to me. The scam involved happens frequently probably, but not to the extent Lexie went to. I can totally see this as a movie on Netflix.
I appreciate the way S. E. Lynes depicted a close friendship imploding. Again, it happens so frequently. I am afraid I will hear I will hear Lexie’s odd reasonings in my head for some time.
Many thanks to S. E. Lynes, Bookouture, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasure of reading an arc of The Baby Shower, just published on March 1st, as well as introducing me to a new author.

After reading, it appears S E Lynes may have read a handbook on “how to take your psychological thriller to the next level”. If such a thing does not exist, she should write one as this is certainly what she does in this book.

I could not put this book down. I know some reviewers refute that phrase, so let me be absolutely clear. I stayed up late. I got up early. I asked for lifts so I could read and travel. I read in the bath. I ate with a fork in one hand and a kindle in the other. For me, this was one of the most addictive and compelling psychological thrillers I have read.

It has everything you’d want from a psychological thriller, and more. There are a number of timelines and points of view, some of which seem completely unrelated and leave you puzzled until very near the end. There is a creepy, sneaky, mysterious character in the form of Lexie, and the likeable heroine in the form of Jane. But are their roles as clear cut as that?

But let’s talk about my claim that this is “next level”. This is not just a book that grips you, keeps you guessing, puts you on the edge of your seat and all the other cliche expressions used for a standard psychological thriller. Oh no! This book is full of heart as well as heat and tension. It is very thought provoking and at one point I did actually cry.

It is stacked full of important themes, some of which we all encounter to an certain extent in our every day lives. This is a book about loyalty, upbringing, guilt and lies. These themes are arguably quite common in psychological thrillers. However, S E Lynes also explores other important themes including: hard work, gender expectations, fertility and probably most significantly of all: the challenges and tribulations of adult female friendships, especially in the era of “throwaway” culture and “social media addiction” in which we all live. These themes are handled with sophistication, sensitivity and really hold up a mirror to us in order for us to assess some of our experiences and thoughts on these topics.

I could probably go on for days about how good this book is, but instead of reading this I suggest you now pop onto Amazon and download this book for 99p. I apologise for the short-term lack of sleep you will have as a result, but I’m sure you will thank me in the long run!

A definite must read for fans of Lisa Jewell, T M Logan and Gillian Flynn. Yes, I know this is what I lot of people say about SO many books in this genre, but this author and this book is genuinely comparable to them.

I have just finished the latest book by Ms Lynes - The Baby Shower, and a have a huge book hangover. My head is spinning and I feel like I have been on a huge rollercoaster! I wanted the book to go on forever, but I needed to find out what happened next - resulting in quite a few late nights, and rushing to get to work on time after reading 'just one more chapter'. Part of the story you feel like you should be reading peeping out from behind a pillow - so much is your heart racing. What an incredible book!!

Jane has had an awful childhood, with a very difficult mother who keeps moving them around. When Jane meets Frankie she finally finds the security and love she needs, and her best friend. She also has a best friend Sophie, who took Jane under her wing when she moved locally, and two other very close friends, and the four of them meet up for running, and Friday night 'drinks with the girls'. Jane's life is idyllic, except for the fact that she can't have children. Jane and Frankie have given up trying for a baby and are now concentrating their efforts on to saving up for an amazing holiday. However, when Frankie has a win on a scratch card, and buys an expensive watch, he sets off a chain of events that turn their life into a living nightmare.

This is a 'must read' book. Just wow!!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4566326378

Jane leads a quiet, simple life. She owns a small cafe, has a few close friends. Married to Frankie for years, Jane abhors drama. Until it consumes her life.
Lexie blasts on the scene - attached to Sofie, Jane's best friend. The looks, rude comments from Lexie are whispered into Sophie's, Lexie turning it all around on Jane.
After years of support, Frankie caves under the heavy of influence of alcohol. But does he?
Jane must discard her shy mouse approach and claim back her life.

What a ride! This book is dangerously addictive, and I wish I could have finished it in one sitting. Lynes knows how to get into the reader's head, and make you think that you know what's going on. She then hits you with a twist that knocks you entirely off your feet. This book is brilliant, and the pace is fast, urgent and all-consuming. I loved following Jane on her emotional and tumultuous journey, and I even managed to feel a spot of sympathy of Lexie in the end too, despite everything.

Jane and Frankie are happily married and coming to terms with the fact that they can’t conceive. They throw themselves into life; Jane’s coffee shop, Frankie’s plumbing business, and a great group of friends.

Then Lexie Lane comes into their lives and starts off by turning Jane’s best friend, Sophie, against her. It just gets worse, and more intriguing, from then on.

The author covers some fairly deep topics in a sympathetic and well-researched way, and they all contribute to the story.

I was totally gripped by this brilliant book. I’d only read one of S E Lynes’ books before this one, but I’ll definitely be reading more. Now I need to go and catch up on the sleep I missed reading this…!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.