Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an ARC of this novel.

If you would have told me last year that I would enjoy books with a sci-fi spin, I would have thought you were nuts. This was my third sci-fi thriller for the year and I loved every bit of it. The twist at the end was just the straight up best- I’m a little disappointed I didn’t catch onto it sooner, but it made the ending even that much better. Highly recommend reading this, even if you think you don’t like sci-fi! 5⭐️s from me.

RATING: 2/5 STARS

The premise of this book sounded amazing, which is why I requested it, but I didn't mesh with the writing style so it was difficult to engage myself in the story.

A good sci-fi take with shifting POV, which made the story more interesting. There is a definitely a Brave New World homage here. As is typical with these stories, the natural born children are the ones looked down upon. A nice, quick read.

The synopsis of Baby X had me hooked immediately. A world where biological matter can be used to create babies with everyone and the challenges that poses for famous people who are now risking seeing children of themselves being born without their consent? Sign me up!

But, after reading this: don't sign me up.

Let's start with the positives. Baby X is written very accessibly and despite some intense sci-fi world building, the story is not hard to get into. The plot is like a rollercoaster, easy to get through and makes you want to keep reading. The author is good at building suspense and keeping you engaged.

Sadly, besides the core idea of 'everyone being able to have babies with famous people' the book doesn't add anything new to the sci-fi genre. The worldbuilding felt a bit predictable and wasn't really something I hadn't read before. And when it does ask big questions about privacy, agency and reproductive rights, it tends to answer them in the same paragraph, not allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.

The characters all ended up feeling a bit flat to me. Baby X weaves three different POV's together, but the three characters it focuses on don't feel very different from each other in tone of voice. No one's motivations are very clear and it's quite hard to connect with the characters because you don't really get to know them. The conversations between them also feel quite unnatural and very exposition heavy, moving the plot along without spending much time with the characters' own thoughts and feelings. This also results in the main love story in the book not feeling very believable and when we get a random sex scene in the middle of the book it feels like it comes out of nowhere and there's no chemistry to be found.

No thriller is complete without a good twist, but sadly this book doesn't really nail that either. I'm a big believer in the fact that you should be able to guess a twist yourself if you pay attention and it shouldn't come as a complete shock, but this one was obvious from the start leaving no room for speculation.

An interesting premise, I just wish the execution was a bit better.

2,5*

5 ⭐️

Society takes scientific advancements aimed at helping people and turns it into a perverse means of discrimination and unbalanced power dynamics. Aka the premise for most sci-fi/thrillers but I loved this storyline in particular!!!

In the late 21st century, science has made strides within human reproduction. Sex is no longer the number 1 means of procreation. In fact, it’s considered archaic and selfish. Instead, 2 humans (they can even be the same gender) simply offer DNA and shortly after begin a selection process to determine the embryo they’d like to implant. Think like an ethically gray IVF process bordering on eugenics. You can choose your embryo based on the genetic markers for personality, athleticism, mental health, intelligence, etc. All in the name of making sure your baby can stay clear of avoidable genetic diseases. *sidebar: I know I’m supposed to suspend belief but I feel like there’s no way the US let’s this happen on a federal AND state level before 2050 considering the fights we’re having for women’s rights decades after Roe v. Wade!!*

We follow multiple POVs to understand this new society from every angle. Kids that are born without the selection process and wondering how they measure up against their potentially biologically superior agemates. Older Women getting a second opportunity at motherhood. Surrogacy. And the black market called The Vault that steals celebrity DNA for embryos for the highest bidder and the security teams hired to keep them safe. Typically, I dislike multiple POV because there are always characters more intriguing than the others and I find myself getting irritated I can’t skip the other chapters lol. However I genuinely liked each storyline presented!

I was gripped from the beginning and pleasantly surprised they were able to wrap up the story so well towards the end! Plus, what’s a good sci-fi novel without a solid plot twist? 😉

Baby X is out X 2024

Thank you to the author, publishing company, and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

For fans of: The Silent Patient and John Marrs

Book Title: Baby X
Author: Kia Piekoff
Publisher: Quick Brown Fox/Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Mystery. SciFi
Pub Date: March 5, 2024
My Rating: 3.5 rounded up
Pages: 336

I am okay with Sci-Fi stories and especially liked that it was set in Laguna Beach. I live in SoCal not all that far from Laguna Beach this got my attention!

This is Science Fiction thriller set in and around 2050 where parents can select their babies based on talent, academic ability etc. Technology is so advanced that anyone wanting to have a child born from the cells of a famous person and only need a small amount of DNA.

Celebrities are a big target. “The Vault”- is a black market site devoted to stealing DNA and selling it to the highest bidder.
Rock Star Trace Thorne has been the targeted several times. So hires a bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.

The story centers on three women – Quinn, Ember and Lily.
• Quinn Corrigan claims that Thorne is the father of her baby.
• Ember Ryan- is a bio-security expert.
• Lily Thompson is a young journalist who wants to expose the “stealing selection clinics”.

There is no doubt that this is intriguing. I did like the ending.
My only disappointment is that since this is an early eGalley there isn’t the author’s note or Acknowledgements. I was so hoping for the inside scope on the motivation in writing this story.

Thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 5, 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books for an ARC copy of Baby X.

I'm going to be honest, when I originally read the description of this book, I quickly filed it in the "nah" pile, but then I came back to it later after seeing a bunch of good reviews. Let me tell you, I am SO glad I have it a chance. I loved the way the characters stories were woven together so carefully and THAT TWIST...I had to re-read one page like 3 times because I thought my brain would explode. It kept me hooked all the way up to the great ending.

Fans of John Marrs "The One" should hurry to add this to their TBR.

5 STARS! 😍

This was a great futuristic novel! It held my attention and kept me wanting more. I enjoyed the storyline as it was something different for me but like I said, kept me wanting more.

This book was so different and SO good. The plot was brilliant and Peikoff did a great job pulling it off. This was well written, with very well-developed characters.

This was a futuristic, sci-fi style novel where DNA is at the heart of the book. In BABY X babies can be created from a simple DNA sample and it leads to people trying to steal the DNA of celebrities to create babies.

This book is a thriller with a lot of twists and a lot of obsession! I can’t wait to read more of this authors work! This was so well done!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

First, thanks to the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, and Netgalley for early access to this book.

This is a super compelling thriller narrated by three interconnected women telling a story that, while set in a futuristic world where children are genetically chosen via a Selection process, is more about the choices one has to make and who/what gets to tell you who you are.

At first, I had some trouble getting into it, but by about 1/4 of the way through, I was hooked and flew through the rest! Peikoff does a great job of worldbuilding and attempting to ground her futuristic world into our own, with references to recent and current events. The characters did not feel like typical sci-fi characters but instead felt very very real.

I did guess the final twist, but only because I realized that the third narrator had not intertwined with the other two, and her world just seemed a bit more advanced than the other two. It had a great lead-up and payoff, even with me guessing it, which is a sign of a good thriller!

Thank you Netgalley & Crooked Lane books for an eARC of Baby X by Kira Peikoff! I'm so glad I pushed this one up on my TBR as this is no doubt one of my favorite reads of 2023. If you're a fan of John Marrs' speculative thrillers set in the future - Then you are absolutely in for a treat with this book.

The plot is brilliant and everything ties together effortlessly at the end. I typically find myself having unanswered questions at the end of a speculative thriller novel, and I didn't once I finished this one - but I DO want more.

What's it about?
Future United States has advanced technology that can create egg or sperm from any person's cells. Because of this, celebrities face the potential of having and meeting children they never conceived - or knew about.

This book follows a few characters - One being a famous singer, Trace Thorne, who is being targeted by a black market site devoted to stealing celebrity DNA. He hires Ember Ryan as his bio-security guard to ensure nobody gets their hands on his hair, saliva, etc. The relationship gets complicated as she begins to fall for him just as a pregnant woman, Quinn, claims that Thorne is the father of her baby.

This is not your typical "thriller" by any means but I encourage you to put this one on your TBR for its release in March. Highly recommend and can't wait to see what this author comes up with next.

This is not my usual genre, but I saw so many recommendations that I figured it was worth a try!

Baby X is set in the near-future, in a time where babies can be grown from a simple DNA sample. The downside to this is that there are groups of people who try to steal DNA from celebrities to create babies. The book follows several characters and their different stories, all culminating in a wonderfully dramatic ending where you realise how they all slot together.

I usually avoid future based books, but I'm SO pleased I gave this one a go. The characters were well written and interesting; I genuinely found myself caring what happened to them. The story is such an interesting one and it gave me many moments where I wondered if this is something that could actually happen.

A very clever and thought provoking read and one I would highly recommend.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

Imagine a world where the burden of disease and biological failures is a thing of the past. A world where you can select the most desirable characteristics and traits for your child based on an easily obtained analysis of their DNA. This analysis can help you select a child who may be more predisposed to language arts, STEM, or various personality traits.

But with this ease, comes the threat of manipulation and theft. Celebrities' DNA can easily be obtained, and an underground network is out to steal and sell it to the highest bidders.

This was an incredibly satisfying read. And while I found some parts of the story somewhat predictable, it was very imaginative, creative, and impossible to put down.

I recommend this book if you enjoy:
Speculative fiction, thrillers, reading a book in one sitting, loudly gasping mid-read.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to review this!
I love a good futuristic story, particularly when that future has some subtle sci-fi nuance that makes it not as perfect as it may seems. In a US where parents can 'select' the perfect baby based on genetics and high-profile DNA rules the black market, this story delves into three women (Quinn, Ember, and Lily) and their tangled lives as they deal with the repercussions of choice and fate. Quinn is a surrogate wondering if she made a colossal mistake, Ember is a brilliant scientist attempting to atone for her past, and Lily is an up-and-coming non-selected reporter, trying to connect with her mother.
I thought this did such a great job of giving each of these women a very unique voice. They all have such different connections to this futuristic society, and I thought the author did a really good job of making them layered, rounded characters. I really connected well with Ember: her motivations took a bit to be explored but her small romance plot and path to redemption were really interesting. The book jumps through time here and there and the pacing really helped to connect you to all the characters. I also thought the world building was well done: it never once felt info-dumpy but instead very immersive.
I should have seen the 'twist' at the last third of the book coming, but I was so engrossed I completely missed it. Really well done!

Baby X is a breath of fresh air thriller that will have you guessing until the last few pages. Told from various perspectives, this story takes us into a not so distant future where DNA is collected, turned into sperm or an egg, and sold to the highest bidder. Celebrities are especially vulnerable.

Trace Thorne is one such celebrity. He’s tired of paying ransom for his DNA being sold on The Vault, a popular black market website. He hires specialist Ember Ryan to help him keep all of his discarded DNA (straws, handkerchiefs, napkins, etc) away from prying hands. When he and Ember fall in love and a woman shows up stating she is pregnant with his child things get wild.

So many thrillers are formulaic lately and the sci fi twists and turns here are so, so interesting! It’s unlike anything I’ve read before and I’m excited to read more from this author.

Baby X takes place in a future where, thanks to scientific advancements, any two people regardless of gender can have a baby. Embryos are created with the smallest trace of DNA, analyzed and presented to the parents in the form of a Selection where future children are chosen based on their DNA's resilience to illness as well as their aptitude in various fields. But a black market entity known as The Vault has been stealing and selling the DNA of high profile people such as celebrities for the purposes of creating biological children without the victim's consent.

This was such a high stakes sci-fi thriller! I was insanely fascinated with the detailed future that the author created. This book would be perfect for fans of thrillers, sci-fi, and John Marrs with the fast paced chapters that rotate between POVs. And the ending?! Mind blown.

This is the perfect read for a sci-fi/futuristic/Blake Crouch fan! This was a really fun, unique joy ride of a book and it kept me hooked. I need more from this author!!!

THIS is how it's done!

This book is about 3 women in a future America where children are "Selected" as embryos based on their attributes. Now, genetic information can be used to create your perfect child, creating a market for stolen DNA.

This was a really unique read, and I had no idea it would come together as it did.
Thank you to The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

4 let’s make a baby stars

Things are slightly different in this speculative fiction tale, especially conception—no more messy encounters. Just a cheek swab will do it! Of course, someone had to capitalize on this by stealing DNA from famous, desirable partners. The Vault is making a fortune by selling to the highest bidders out there.

Trace is a famous singer who has been targeted. Enter Ember; she safeguards his utensils, glasses, tissues, and anything that could be stolen, especially after concerts or public outings. As things heat up between them romantically, Ember closely guards her secrets.

On top of differences with conception, couples can now choose the most desirable traits for their children. Diseases are being eradicated, and traits and personalities are now easy to select.

We also get snippets from Quinn, a woman who has acted as a surrogate for several fam
ilies. And Lily factors into the mix too.

This one was unique with a great pace and kept me engaged! Some twists at the end got me!

This story was fascinating. It provided many thought provoking questions regarding how far is too far with conceiving children. The characters were interesting and there were several jaw dropping plot twists. I really enjoyed this one!