Baby X had some really great ideas and was mostly a great sci-fi thriller. My one complaint would be how it ended. The twist fell flat for me and took away a lot of the momentum from the rest of the story. If everything involving that could be taken out, this would have been a 5 star read.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

3.5 stars, rounded up!

Baby X is totally original. In the not-so-distant future, anyone’s genetic material can be collected and manipulated to become reproductive material- great in theory, but not great for celebrities, whose material is stolen and sold on the black market. The story itself is intriguing and I really enjoyed the tech advances the author came up with for this age.

Where this book came up short for me was in the POVs. For the first 50-60% of the book it was very difficult to tell the 3 female narrators apart; their voices are all so similar and don’t have much that set them apart from each other.

Overall I really enjoyed this story!

Just LOVED this look at a highly believable high-tech future set in the 2050’s that kept me quickly turning pages with awe.

In this imagined future IVF allows for picking parent’s choice among analyzed 5-day old embryos, with “natural” born children at a distinct disadvantage. Parents can choose between the relative strengths of the embryos. Screening for disease vulnerabilities in fertilized eggs has eradicated most inherited diseases. Test tube babies are the norm, and procreative sex a thing of the past. New technology enables any human cell to be transformed into a sperm or egg. An elusive secret cell hacker group, calling themselves the Vault, steals celebrity DNA to either blackmail the celebrity or sell the DNA to the highest bidder who wants to have a celebrity’s child. Smart contact lens have replaced cell phones, which have become viewed as quaint and antiquated.

Thorne, a guitar playing teen-throb celebrity, has been threatened in the prior year by the Vault who claimed to have his DNA until he paid them a ransom for it back. He hires Ember, who has self-fashioned herself as a bio-security guard, to follow him on his world-wide concert tour to protect him from more stolen DNA. Quinn, a surrogate for hire, believes she is carrying Thorne’s DNA for a widowed gay man who’s a fan and is about to confront Thorne with this fact. Lily, a recent college grad working for one of the few remaining print magazines needs to find a high-tech story impressive enough for their Editor in Chief, and finds potential in her parent’s decision to have another baby in their 80’s, so called “golden age parenting.”

The plot keeps things moving quickly and absorbingly along, but the real star here is the glimpse into a future that seems all too probable.


Thanks to The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review.

If you love Black Mirror and Blake Crouch, you’ll definitely love this one! I loved the fact that this storyline felt like it could very much be our future reality, while also not being so bogged down with scientific jargon like some realistic sci-fi tends to do. I loved the twists and turns that this took and definitely didn’t see the final twist coming. I will definitely check out more by this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I believe that this book can best be described as part thriller/ part speculative fiction. The author creates a world where any two people in the world can make a baby, using a process called IVG. An eyelash, hair follicle or bit of saliva can be taken from an individual to create an embryo and then later implanted into a human. Furthermore, the couple goes through a selection process where they get to handpick their embryo based on the likelihood of different health conditions. Very few people chose to have a child the old-fashioned way and its even taboo to do so, calling these individuals "unforeseen."

Taking the matter of IVG even further, The Vault is created which auctions off the DNA of the rich and famous. In many cases, these select elite have their DNA stolen from them in order to create children against their will. This world also has capabilities for android dogs, foods modified to eliminate foodborne illnesses as well as contact lenses that can monitor the actions and location of other human beings. The book follows the stories of three women, Ember, Quinn and Lily. Little by little, the story unravels and reveals a little more about these characters with time. They are all interconnected and the story comes full-circle by the end.

Living in a time with further developments in Science, Technology and AI, this book helped me ponder some deeper questions. I started to wonder at what point does advancement go too far? What's the line or limits when it comes to advancement? How does this affect society on a moral level? Is it within our ethical framework to rate or select other individuals before they are born? Is it acceptable for the government to view our embryos as its own property instead of ownership belonging to the individual/parent?

All in all, I found this book to be incredibly enjoyable and I would happily recommend it to all my bookish friends and family. 4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed this SCI-FI (not speculative fiction, imo) book. This is the first book from Peikoff in over a decade. In fact, I thought she was a debut author, but upon further research realized that she has many books surrounding the themes of genetics, DNA, and how that could affect reproduction and making babies. This latest edition leans on the idea of how our understanding of DNA could evolve into the future.

This book follows three main female characters - a bio-guard, someone who can follow celebrities, etc to ensure that their DNA can't be stolen by the black market; a young woman named Lily who is struggling with her identity as a natural occuring pregnancy instead of being a Selected embryo, and a third POV of a surrogate mother who thinks she may be carrying an illegal, celebrity embryo. Honestly, I can barely remember the names of these women because they all were VERY similar. While reading, I often had to remind myself who was who. The voices were practically indistinguishable.

Overall, the premise was really cool - DNA being manipulated to be able to create an egg from ANY cell. Meaning that same sex couples could both contribute DNA to their child. Several embryos are created and analyzed for potential personality traits, medical conditions, and possible skills (musical acumen, physical strength, etc). Potential parents then Select which embryo to implant. Of course this brings up a lot of ethical questions and there is push back. Additionally, celebrities and other desirables (Nobel Prize winners, etc) find their DNA at risk from a DNA terrorist group called The Vault who steals and sells desirable DNA on the internet for people to buy. They can then use it to create illegal offspring.

When I think of speculative fiction, I think of a near-future where one part of the story is bit advanced based on our current technology. John Marrs comes to mind. His book The One (also about speculative uses of DNA) has only that singular tech advanced. Everything else in the story feels contemporary. Peikoff, although listed a spec fic, sets her story in a world where there are MANY tech advances. People use contact lenses to surf the web making cell phone obsolete, for example. There are other crazy advances as well which, in my opinion, puts this more into the sci-fi category.

This is also set as a thriller. And while there was the threat of The Vault, the multiple POVs and switching between them kept the tension to a minimum. It would get a little exciting and then immediately switch to another POV that really slowed it down. I especially didn't really think Lily's POV was that necessary, especially since her connection to the other women was projected from almost the beginning (not the twist, imo, that the author intended).

Overall, I did enjoy reading this story. I thought the idea of people stealing others' DNA is not actually that far-fetched and could have crazy consequences. I wish the author had executed this with a bit more finesse and explored more of the ramifications or potential fall-out from this advancement. I also found the dialogue a bit stilted and juvenile. Two people were supposed to be in their 40s, but it read more like teenagers. And the twist was not twisty, at least not for this avid reader of twisty books.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kira Peikoff, and the publisher for allowing me to review an Advanced copy of this book.

This was a good mix of thriller/speculative sci-fi set in the not so distant future where DNA can be sold on the black market and couples can choose their perfect embryo. It was an interesting premise and was a fast read. Ember operates a bio-security firm and is hired to protect superstar singer Quinn from getting his DNA stolen but a woman shows up claiming to be carrying his baby. Que some over the top happenings that made this almost more soap opera than sci-fi. This may be a good one for fans of Black Mirror or Andy Weir.

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.

I enjoyed this Sci-Fi story of the near distant future. In the future, families are able to select which embryo they want based on their DNA components. Not only can they know ahead of time if the child will be gifted with certain skills, but they can also know if that embryo is at risk for any health problems. This creates almost an elite class of children being born with much more gifted talents and far less illnesses. This story combines 3 different women, Ember, Quinn, and Lily and their experience with this new technology. Ember is a protector of the rich and famous from having their DNA stolen by "The Vault" who is making millions off selling famous DNA on the black market. Quinn is a newly pregnant surrogate trying to determine what rights she has in her position. Lastly, Lily is a reporter who wants to use her mother's past to help break into the journalism game. All the stories intertwine into a thrilling sci-fi work on medical progress and if it's always for the best. Good novel that kept me guessing until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley and The Quick Brown Fox and CO for granting me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Interesting concept but it just didn’t spark for me. I had a hard time keeping up with the so called futuristic setting. It was choppy going from one POV to the next. Not bad but could’ve been easily better. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

“Your genes, your bloodline, it’s all pretty much irrelevant, unless you inherit a serious illness. But aside from that, it’s not the big stuff. It doesn’t control what you do or think or care about, or how you treat others or how you fully love. All that’s up to you.”

In the highly imaginative Baby X, author Kira Peikoff paints a world in the not so distant future where procreation has taken on a life of its own, no pun intended.

Set in the United States, technology has allowed individuals to sit in the driver’s seat of their own reproduction. Due to numerous screeners, expectant parents can now literally create designer offspring, choosing from a catalog of potential personality traits and the possible elimination of undesirable genetic predispositions.

But just like any other advancements, they don’t come without a price. With this, the trend to steal and sell desired individuals DNA on the black market without their consent gains traction. Suddenly, anyone with some cash and a lack of a conscience can bid on the all too easily attainable DNA.

The plot itself focuses on a few central characters, all with differing perspectives in the DNA game. There’s Ember, a genetic bodyguard with insider information to give her an edge, Thorne, the famous rockstar Ember has been paid to protect, and Quinn, a young pregnant woman with a desire to know the truth.

Baby X is a speculative story that packs a punch. With just the right mix of far fetched fiction and futuristic prophecy, this is one thriller that both enthralls the reader and gives birth to a terrifying alternate reality.

Years into the future, and making babies is no longer the same. Babies are now all grown in a lab, and embryos can be made from anyones dna. Two men can have a child, two women, or you can make a baby with a celebrity if you have the money to purchase their dna from The Vault. Thorne is furious that his dna is for sale and hires Ember to protect him. When woman shows up saying she is carrying his child…everything goes sideways.

This book was so unique. Also, kind of scary to think about being able to choose an embryo based on pretty much every aspect of how that child will turn out. With the recent ruling in Alabama, something like this feels very far away, but still crazy! I did figure out one of the twists pretty early, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the entire book. This was a great read and such a unique story that I fully enjoyed!

'Baby X' explores the concept and dilemmas of having the seemingly utopian technology people dream of to prevent suffering in the world until it falls under the decays of typical human greed or corruption. We follow a couple of perspectives and narratives throughout the book. Trace Thorne is one of the victims of said technology — being a famous musician in this day and age means getting your DNA stolen and sold on the black market, making it able for people to create eggs or sperm cells our of it. He hires Biosecurity Ember Ryan to prevent this from happening, but Ember seems to be running away from something. Lily on the other hand has a major fellowship opportunity for her journalistic pursuits, and discovers a part of her family's past that she's afraid to uncover. And Quinn, who works as a surrogate mother, finds out the more pernicious parts of her job in regard to reproductive rights.

I think this book does a very good job at highlighting the issues we may already face today, albeit on a less grand scale in terms of privacy, AI technology, and the ethics of gene editing. Using pretty straightforward prose, the narrative engages you and is able to sustain that sense of suspense. The switching of perspectives, for the most part doesn't feel redundant nor clashes with the tone or register. I do, however feel that Lily's arc stagnates at some point when one of her projects falls through. Her story doesn't quite connect with the others; it almost feels disjointed. But overall, I enjoyed it and it's an apt sci-fi thriller that doesn't try to do too much like other books of the subgenre.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley, The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books for an advanced reading copy of Baby X in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book drew me in, as a fan of thrillers and sci-fi, but I can’t say it was much of either.

Baby X takes place a decade or so in the future, but the technology and science occurring seems so far-fetched that it’s hard to grasp or take seriously. (The whole process for Selection, ugh.) Concepts are explained using a plethora of scientific jargon, but many of them either lack coherence or seem overly advanced for a timeframe of just ten to twenty years.

There are three rotating main characters, all female, and they are often times flat and indistinguishable from each other. Their attitudes and features may be described as different, but all of their dialogue and tone sound the same. To that extent, the dialogue relies heavily on exposition, leaving conversations between characters to plod the novel along, instead of an actual plot. The dialogue feels very juvenile and awkward, and borders on cheesy. No one has conversations like this, or if they do, they’re teenagers.

There are a lot of ethical questions and societal issues throughout the book (body autonomy, consent, ageism, etc.) and it’s a shame the author doesn’t delve deeper into them. They’re glossed over and it becomes some sort of romance/revenge story that happens to take place in the future. The plot holes are gaping, and so much of the book doesn’t add up properly once you start to dissect things.

It was easy enough to read, and had some fun (albeit, predictable twists), but overall, I felt there was a lack of execution on what could have been a really powerful and engaging read. 2.5 stars.

I’m not usually a science fiction reader, but this book caught my eye and I had to read it. Set in the future, with all the crazy things technology could provide, it seemed very possible that this story could be our future. The story itself was engaging and Lily, Quinn and Ember each tell their parts of the tale with the connections finally coming together in the end. I enjoyed the story and its twists and turns, but hate the thought that we would ever become a society where we have so little privacy and offspring are “Selected” for their traits or where our DNA can be collected by strangers and used to create a baby. This was well written and I definitely recommend.

The premise of this book was promising, but so many POVs was honestly just so hard for me to work through while reading.

The past and present collide in the future as people are able to choose the child they want to have. Genetic testers and screens can provide parents with a full genetic background before implantation to insure a child is a healthy, higher achiever. But what if you felt the possible child between yourself and your partner wouldn't produce that? Stolen DNA from star athletes, senators, and musicians leads to people with gifts, riches, and success to guard their DNA through hiring bioguards - those who will make sure none of your DNA is left behind at a restaurant, concert, or meeting. And that's how Trace Thorne and Ember meet; Thorne - a world famous musician - hires Ember to be his bioguard. They didn't plan to fall in love but their love is deep, full of trust. Ember does everything she can to protect Thorne and his DNA. But then Quinn approaches them in a cafe and delivers the worse possible news - Quinn is pregnant with Thorne's baby. Ember failed him. And worst yet, Ember has a very dark secret about her life before Thorne.

This was an interesting and unique read, unlike most of the books I've read. It was engaging and delivered such a wonderful twist that I didn't see coming!

This 4 star read is one I would certainly recommend for anyone who enjoys sci-fi mixed with mystery. I'm greatly looking forward to looking at other books published by Kira Peikoff!

Near future, body and reproductive modification, and the perils it can contain.

I loved this look at a mildly dystopian world that doesn’t feel too dissimilar to our own. There’s so many twists and turns I found I couldn’t put it down! I enjoyed all the POVs and thought they all added an interesting perspective on the subject. A lot of discussion on reproductive rights, the rights of the child and how that all intertwines.

Now, I will say that I guessed the twist ending about halfway through, but it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book. This is a super fun thriller that stays fast paced throughout!

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

This thriller is set in the not-too-far future, where children are "selected" as embryos and genetic material of celebrities is available on the Dark Web. The story is told in alternating POVs between three young women: one a pregnant surrogate, one a bio-security expert and one a journalist trying to launch her career. In the course of the book, we find out bit by bit how the lives of these three intersect and collide - the first half moves almost a bit too slowly, although the author does a good job of setting the scene with a slowly growing sense of unease. In the second half, there are several feints and twists that are unexpected - overall a gripping read that raises some very prescient ethical questions as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Quick Brown Fox and Company for this copy of "Baby X."

This future technothriller is set in 2050+ where any biological matter can be used to create life.

Thorne is a music star who hires Ember to be his bio-security guard, preventing anyone from stealing his DNA for the illegal market.

This was an exciting page-turner that incorporated many relevant ethical questions about reproductive autonomy and genetic manipulation.