Baby X by Kira Peikoff is a gripping speculative thriller that delves into the intriguing world of genetic manipulation and its ethical implications. The novel explores the controversial practice of designing babies by selecting desirable genetic traits, raising profound questions about the future of reproduction. I found myself engrossed in the story, captivated by its well-developed characters and the compelling mystery that unfolds. Peikoff skillfully weaves a narrative that forces you to ponder the ethical dilemmas surrounding genetic engineering in a not-so-distant future. The prospect of a black market for stolen DNA adds an extra layer of intrigue to the plot. Just when I thought I had the story figured out, the unexpected twist kept me on the edge of my seat. This book is a thought-provoking and thoroughly enjoyable read that challenges readers to contemplate the potential consequences of scientific advancements in reproductive technology. Highly recommended!

Kira Peikoff is full of creative ideas about what IVF could be like in the future. Some of it even seems possible. Her book Baby X held my interest for the most part, but then I started to wish the writing style was more polished. Much of the dialogue is too full of today’s slang, which will sound outdated in just a few years, and doesn’t make sense for a novel set far in the future.

I didn’t predict the twist at end and thought that part was very well written. I’m bumping my rating up a star because the conclusion was so surprising and satisfying.

Additionally, the author lives near me in central New Jersey, and I enjoyed reading her references to local places such as the Watchung Reservation.

All in all, an enjoyable book for sci-fi fans.
Thank you Netgalley for the digital ARC for review consideration. I’m giving it 3.5 stars and I always round up.

Baby X by Kira Peikoff is a twisty sci-fi thriller exploring DNA, consent, and how children come into the world. I really loved the ideas about the future and I liked how the 3 characters we followed were connected but we didn’t always know how. That being said, I caught onto it pretty quickly but it still an enjoyable and interesting read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC!

This book was definitely very different than what I usually read, but I enjoyed it when putting all the pieces together near the end to understand the links between the characters.

I also got a lot of Brave New World vibes from this book too. I mean selecting the traits of your child through a whole Selection event seemed a bit out there, but not as far off from current society in the direction it's heading. I know the intentions were good initially by trying to reduce disease and genetic abnormalities, but getting DNA off the black market to have your kids get celebrity traits, oh wow. The most fascinating part scientifically for me was that they could create eggs with any DNA sample, so your spit wouldn't even be safe from stealing.

I liked the different views this book brought together dye to the character selection. You get to see it from the surrogates eyes, celebrity protector, and someone trying to learn more about their parents. Of course the thriller ending ramped up the overall hook to keep me glued to the book.

This was a creative book that really made you step back and think how easy it would be for society to get to a place where we are controlling who is born.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

This story is outside my comfort zone but the futuristic, scifi thriller kept me turning the pages. It's a fast-paced read with Blake Crouch-like elements that entertained me throughout, and left me wanted to discuss the moral and ethical questions it poses. Would make a great book club pick!

3.5 rounded up

Thanks to Crooked Lane and NetGalley for the copy to review.

"Baby X" by Kira Peikoff is a thriller that delves into the dark and controversial world of reproductive medicine in the near-future United States. The novel follows Ember Ryan, a bio-security guard hired to protect celebrities from genetic theft, as she navigates a dangerous world where DNA can be manipulated and used to create "designer babies."
The premise of the novel is intriguing and thought-provoking, exploring ethical dilemmas and the potential consequences of advanced technology on human reproduction. The author's depiction of a society where genetic material is commodified and stolen for profit is both chilling and prescient, adding a layer of suspense and tension to the story.
The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of three characters - Ember, Quinn, and Lily - each with their motivations and secrets. Ember's character, with her determination and expertise in bio-security, is a strong protagonist who drives the plot forward. However, the other characters, particularly Lily, may come across as less fleshed out and relatable, affecting the overall depth of the story.
While the first half of the novel builds intrigue and sets up a compelling premise, the plot twist may be predictable for some readers, leading to a descent into melodrama in the latter half. The pacing of the story may feel slow at times, and the writing style, while functional, lacks a certain depth and complexity that could elevate the narrative.
Overall, "Baby X" offers a thrilling concept and explores significant themes related to bioethics and reproductive technology. While some aspects of the novel, such as the intriguing premise and the character of Ember, shine through, some elements may fall flat, such as the predictable plot twists and the underdeveloped supporting characters. Despite its flaws, the novel can provide an entertaining and thought-provoking read.

Author and bioethicist Kira Peikoff has followed up her medical thriller Mother Knows Best (reviewed here) with another thriller about how advances in genetic research will change parenthood. In Baby X, Peikoff swings for the fences, setting her book decades into the future and creating a world in which gene manipulation has taken over society. Although confusing at times, Peikoff succeeds at creating a believable future populated with characters that readers can identify with.

In Peikoff’s brave new world, genetic manipulation has advanced to a point where any cell can be used to make sperm or eggs, and celebrities need to guard themselves from people who would steal their used tissues or even the air they breathe to create their gametes and make babies with them. And babies are no longer created the natural way; their parents have embryos made in the lab, then select the genetically best one for implantation. Three point-of-view characters grapple with the implications: Ember, who works as a “bio-guard,” shielding her celebrity clients’ DNA; Quinn, a surrogate mother, and Lily, a young adult embarrassed that she was “unforeseen” and wondering how she can get ahead at work while competing with “selected” colleagues.

Baby X is a little hard to get into at first. While the opening scene is a bombshell, Peikoff then backtracks about a year, and the protagonists are introduced separately. Peikoff does so much worldbuilding in the beginning, explaining about current reproductive processes, the DNA stealing being used for baby-making, and all the other technological advances that have happened since 2023, that it’s easy to get lost in the details. A few chapters in, though, the characters become clearer and the book starts to hum. Ember falls in love with a client, but she has a stalker ex-boyfriend and a big secret about her past. Quinn starts to wonder if the widowed father who hired her to carry his embryo is lying to her. And Lily, embarrassed by her mother’s late-in-life pregnancy, delves deeper into her parents’ past. Peikoff adroitly juggles these characters while stressing the questions that make their dilemmas timeless: How to keep things private when everything is so public? How to compete when you feel you’re not good enough? How can we trust the people around us? Who has the right to make reproductive decisions for other people?

While Peikoff goes heavy on the science, she includes the twists that readers of the thriller genre expect. Her ending is a masterpiece that ties all of her plot threads together. And while some of her details seem completely farfetched, there was one detail about the future that I hope comes to pass: Peikoff predicts that the United States will expand Medicare into a national healthcare system. I don’t want a world where every baby is made in a test tube, but Medicare for all is a future I’d endorse. It's too bad that, thanks to an Alabama court, we are closer to a future where IVF is illegal than one where health care is paid for by taxes.

Thanks to Meryl Moss Media for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so so good! It was giving John marrs vibes. It’s set in the future, and told in both past and present storylines. Then the storylines come together flawlessly! I absolutely loved the plot, and the future technology is wild!!

Baby X is a new speculative fiction thriller by an author I have quite enjoyed previously, as she explores the more controversial aspects of reproductive medicine in a near-future setting, as in 2019’s Mother Knows Best. Unfortunately this one veered too much into domestic suspense territory for my liking, using many of the tropes and plot devices of that genre.

In 2055, American babies are no longer conceived naturally - instead couples use the latest technology to select an embryo with the most desirable traits - good health, intelligence, a winning personality, which is then implanted. Eggs and sperm can be created out of any genetic material, which has led to a thriving black market in stolen celebrity DNA for the purpose of creating “special” babies. Ember Ryan is a BioGuard - she protects wealthy clients from involuntary parenthood by cleaning up after them, but when she falls in love with a rock star who’s a popular target, the threat posed by a young woman claiming to be carrying his child becomes very personal indeed.

This is told from the POV of three women - cool confident Ember, naive young surrogate Quinn, and bratty wannabe-journalist Lily. It was the latter’s chapters that spoiled this for me - I could not stand her as a character and didn’t agree with her selfish actions at all, which made her hard to read about.

The first half was intriguing, but the twist was completely obvious, and then it all descends into melodrama with a villain whose actions make no sense whatsoever. It’s still an entertaining read if you don’t mind two-dimensional characters and too much exposition - the author has a degree in bioethics and likes to show off her research into the medical technology, much of which seems disturbingly possible. Most of my GoodReads friends have rated this highly so I recommend reading a range of reviews before being deterred by my ambivalent 3-stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Baby X is available now.

This story is told in third person and follows three characters: Ember who works as a DNA bodyguard or bioguard, Quinn who approaches Ember’s client famous singer Trace Thorne with the information that he is the father of the child she is carrying and Lily, an intern reporter looking for a story to secure a job after her internship and interested in writing about the biases of embryo selection clinics.

The story takes place in the near future where just a small amount of biological matter can be used to create new life regardless of gender. Embryos are created in labs with full DNA workups before being chosen for implantation supposedly to prevent disease and chronic medical conditions, but the evaluations include information about percentages of possible talents or gifts as well. The clinics screen the parents accepted into their programs as well as the embryos.

The reality of this future world was both fascinating and horrifying. While there were clear medical benefits to the way children are brought into the world, there are also implications of the designer baby issue as well as choices and risks taken with this new technology. As much as we advance, the more some issues stay the same (money, politics, religion).

I was on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out how these three stories were connected. While I figured most of it out well before the end, there were some fun twists, one of which I didn’t see coming. Recommended to both SciFi thriller lovers and non-SciFi thriller lovers as the world feels not too far in the future and plausible.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for a copy provided for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Baby X in exchange for an honest review.

Leaning into the not too far of future this one speculates about DNA harvesting and a time where babies are “made” and “selected” by genetic markers.

There is a black market DNA component to this, some mystery, and three perspectives that eventually come together. There were times I had a hard time keeping the three perspectives straight since they were kinda similar sounding names, actions and predicaments, but overall this was a worthwhile read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Kira Peikoff - 5 stars!

In the near-future, technology exists that can create egg or sperm from any person's cells, creating embryos that are then analyzed for health or personality issues. Then the parents select the embryo they wish to implant. But of course, technology can always be manipulated. Enter The Vault, a company that steals DNA from celebrities, then asks for ransom money. Popular singer Trace Thorne has been targeted before, so hires Ember Ryan, a bio-security guard, to make sure it doesn't happen again. She's good at what she does, so when they are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who says that Thorne is the father, everyone is thrown.

This is the way I like my sci-fi - set not too far in the future so things seem very possible, realistic, and frightening. We already have the technology to produce "designer babies," so this isn't too much of a stretch. But beyond the scary premise, this is such a good story! Told in the POVs of Ember, Quinn and Lily, a journalist, each with their own past secrets they are holding onto, when all the storylines come together, you will be blown away! If you like Blake Crouch, you will love this book - highly recommended!

I was really excited to dive into this story. Near-future sci-fi that deals with potentially timely reproductive and privacy issues? Sign me up! With this premise, what could possibly go wrong?

Baby X didn’t in fact go wrong, but it didn’t completely go right either. I was hoping for it to delve into relevant ethical and moral questions. In reality, it ended up reading more as a standard thriller that was adorned in a whole host of sci-fi concepts that never went beyond surface level. I think Peikoff tried to tackle the issues in too many directions rather than picking one to explore in depth.

It was still a very entertaining read, just not quite what I was hoping for.

Thank you Kira Peikoff, The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley and for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow, that was a wild ride! I wasn't sure where we were headed at first but I am glad that I stuck with it! The tech in this book is terrifying and I really hope we never quite get to that place!! I did not see that last twist coming and I love it!

This was my 1st book by Kira Peikoff but will not be my last! I am adding all of her books to my TBR!

#BabyX
#NetGalley

Sometimes I just don’t vibe with a book. I can see this book has appealed to a number of readers and has made its way onto a number of “best of” and “must-read” lists. I was looking forward to reading it until I was about 30% of the way through and found myself underwhelmed.

The pacing was slow. The writing was average. The story wasn’t forging a new path or tackling standard paths with new approaches. The characters were interesting but I didn’t find myself getting invested. The science involved and its implications isn’t shocking and is old news in literature.

It was just below average for me. It’s not something I would recommend to people and it’s going to be easy to forget.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Owing to the fact this review has a three star or lower rating it will not be appearing on my social media. Thank you.

File Under: Psychological Thriller/Speculative Fiction/Suspense Thriller

Giving 2.5 stars rounded up because the concept was great and the book was ultimately a quick if shallow diversion that kept me reading to the end, but the writing was workman-like at best, the characterizations paper-thin, AND I figured out almost every single plot twist immediately as soon as the first clue was introduced--so overall not really as satisfying a read as I'd hoped for.

I don't read a lot of sci-fi or speculative fiction but did enjoy this book.

Baby X takes place in a world where your DNA can be easily stolen and used to create embryos without your knowledge.

In such a world, celebrity DNA becomes a hot commodity and must be closely guarded.

Overall, a fun read with a good amount of futuristic world building, a plot that was sort of thriller-adjacent, and an interesting twist at the end that I wasn't expecting.

Intruiging story but a bit too predictable for me. Nothing was surprising about the thriller or twist here, every single bit was expected from the beginning. But outside of that the story did feel fresh and was written in a way that made it an easy read. Tough to find those these days. Interesting perspective of the future.
I read this in one afternoon.

Clever and topical. Ember, who is paid to protect the DNA of Trace, Quinn, who claims to be pregnant with his child,, and Lily, a young journalist tell this tale set in the 2050s. Celebrity DNA is highly coveted to make babies and Trace doesn't want his used. Ember thinks she's got him covered, Rachel, well, no spoilers about Rachel and Lily. This would have benefited from a bit more worldbuilding but it's very entertaining. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

REVIEW
I think the cover of the book is quite striking with its bright blue X mixed with the orange background, it will certainly stand out on a book store shelf.

This book is set in a future world where there have been technological and biological advances we can only imagine. Cell phones, drivers’ licenses and printed magazines are all things of the past, smart lenses then have replaced tablets & newspapers, college courses are now “holo courses” (done by holograph), no need to attend in person. There are resveratrol injections & cellular reboots to make you look younger, people are living longer.

Even the way people have families has changed, people no longer jump into bed and have sex to get pregnant, it is considered a much more civilised process. For a woman, a cheek swab is taken at a fertility clinic, if you're straight your male partner (bf or husband) gives his sperm, and the process begins, however if he is infertile his cheek swab is taken instead and the process begins. A two women couple would each give cheek swabs
For a two males couple usually one would give a cheek swab & the other a sperm sample.
Once the samples are collected a lab tech then will chemically coax the cheek cells into either sperm or egg in a petri dish. This process is called IVG “In Vitro Gametogenesis”
This new process of procreation basically means any two people on earth could create a baby together. The embryos are grown in test tubes, they then undergo a genetic analysis at day 5. Each embryo is assigned a spreadsheet of scores that show the probability of a wide range of grains and diseases. After that the two prospective parents go through “Selection” which is where they select the embryo that will be implanted. Sometimes this is an easy choice ie, there’s only one healthy embryo, other times there’s a larger amount of healthy embryos and then the different scores, characteristics and predispositions and the parent’s preference such as male or female. This new selection process is considered healthier and is considered a much better option than the “normal old way”. This new way is cheaper than having to pay for the higher, treatment costs of inherited diseases or disabilities. There are only a small number of people, a few rural & religious groups insist on the 'natural way'. In fact, the “natural way” and trusting mother nature is considered quite archaic and a bad thing.
All of this sounds really good, and yes, I can see the positives but unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people about who steal DNA, be it hair, saliva or mucus then take this along with their own DNA sample to create a baby. This is referred to as Non-Consensual Reproduction. One such company is the Vault, who store samples, acquire celebrity samples and sell them to the highest bidder. This practice results in babies being born from stolen cells. The Vault didn’t start out this way but that’s how it has ended up being a dark sinister power that needs to be stopped.

The main characters in the book show us, the reader the different sides of the process and the different people who use the service and how it affects them.

There’s Ember trying to help celebrity Trace Thorne clean up every bit of his DNA whenever he is out and about or doing a concert. Thorne has already discovered the Vault have been trying to sell his DNA so bringing Ember on his tours is damage control/limitation. When the pair grow close and begin their own romance everything seems to point to a happily ever after for them. Then Quinn enters their lives, she’s a surrogate for a man called Robert Roy, but there’s something not right about him and she thinks he may have used stolen cells to create the baby she is carrying. Quinn thinks those cells belonged to Thorne, as Robert Roy seems to be morbidly obsessed by him. In fact, Quinn and Robert met at one of Thorne’s concerts. It turns out Ember is hiding a dark past, one with a partner that led to domestic violence. She was lucky to escape and just wants to forget it all and move on. Though the past has a habit of catching up to you when you least expect it! Then the darkness and Lily’s part in it have to be faced and dealt with once and for all.

The other central characters are Lily and her parents. Lily is almost ashamed as she was not created in the new scientific way, she was created accidentally the old-fashioned way. When Lily’s mum and dad decide to have another child using the new technique Lily is upset and to be honest jealous that any prospective child will be favoured over herself. When Lily was young her mother was in prison for ten long years, so she feels angry that she missed those years with her mother. Lily blurts out the fact her mother has a criminal record at a clinic appointment which then ruins her parent’s chances at that clinic. Lily then wants to use her mother’s story of being denied a baby because she has a criminal record for a journalistic piece, she is doing for a magazine she has a chance of working at, if she can impress them more than the other candidate Radia. For some reason not known to Lily her parents refuse to talk about the past and are more interested in the fact they have found a different clinic to help them have a new child. Lily resents this and continues digging into a past her parents want to forget, and just as she gives up the dark secret, she thinks her parents were keeping from her is revealed.

I loved the characters of Ember, and Thorne. Lily I had mixed feeling about and I thoroughly enjoyed hating Robert Roy/Mason!

The futuristic world building is well thought out and flows well, from the suitcase where you press a button and the zipper automatically zips up itself! The criminal act of DDD, Driving, Digitally, Distracted! I also really enjoyed reading about the intricacies of the choices people had to make on embryo selection day, it wasn’t just a choice of male or female, the prospective parents could choose for “A list traits” such as brilliance, athleticism, extroversion and beauty, and “B list traits” such as a sunny disposition, creativity, empathy and patience.

There were some amusing descriptions in the book too, such as “people were like onions, the more layers you peeled back, the more they stunk”!

My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were, Wow! Amazing read! Loved it, really well thought out futuristic world with believable characters that you become really attached to. On one hand you may think the content of the book far-fetched or extreme science fiction but when you really look at today's world and the way things are developing, it is quite a believable prospect!

Summing up Kira Peikoff has delivered another amazing futuristic, yet believable world. I loved it! It is certainly a thought provoking read!