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!

*4.5 STAR REVIEW*

Speaking as someone who is a huuuuge fan of anything that involves androids/artificial intelligence (cough cough Detroit: Become Human cough cough), I was immediately sucked into the plot of this book from the very first chapter. I love seeing how different creators worldbuild around the very real threat of our technology advancing to the point of hindering our lives, and this author definitely came up with a very fresh take!!

Speaking as someone who has a background in biomedical science, the concept of experimental genetics and designer babies hasn't been new to me for a long time. That being said, the early explanation of how the process works and its overarching societal effects in Ember and Thorne's world was simple but fascinating.

The plot was well paced! I felt like the switching between each character was done very tastefully, and I was rarely, if ever, confused about it. I got invested in the storyline (& eventual crossing over) of each character we were introduced to. My only critique would be that I wish the author had delved into the worldbuilding a little more enthusiastically -- there's a lot of nuance when it comes to the intersection of marginalized communities and surrogacy/genetic manipulation that would have been interesting to see discussed further.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. This book kept me enthralled with the story from beginning until end. It’s perfect for fans of John Marrs and his speculative thrillers. Baby X is set in the near future where any biological matter can create life. It follows the perspectives of Ember, Quinn, and Lily. They are all entwined somehow and it was a thrill to see the storyline progress. I am for sure going to read more of Kira Peikoff’s books in the future!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Baby X by Kira Peikoff was different. And I mean - different.
First of all this book is set up in the future. It's the year 2052 and in line to have a baby you don't need an egg and sperm - you need any genetic material with your DNA. Simple as that. And if in some cases that would make people's lives easy, it can be complicated if you are rich or famous!

In some parts, I struggled to follow who was who and what was going on but then everything went smoothly. There is definitely a lot going on and I didn't see that twist coming.

A recent college graduate Lilly is after the story about DNA and not just that.
Famous musician Thorne must hire bio-security guard Ember to keep himself safe.
Quinn, a woman Trace never met before is heavily pregnant and claims he is the dad.
Why and how this is the question.
For a while was hard to understand how Thorne, Quinn, Ember, and Lilly fit in one story but as the story slowly unfolded all the questions were answered and left the reader with an open mouth!

Thank you to The Quick Brown Fox & CO, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for this advance copy!

wow. talk about a believable futuristic read. always remember WITH ADVANCES, COME NEW THREATS. i was blown away by this one.

Science Fiction thriller about a future time when parents can select their babies based on talent, academic ability and many other characteristics ensuring everyone is a 'superior' person. The dark side of this technology is the people who want to have a child born from the cells of a famous person and only need a piece of hair or a bit of saliva to achieve this. The author does a good job of describing this future world where everyone wears smart lenses instead of using phones, all cars drive themselves and meals can be 3D printed. I think fans of author John Marrs will also enjoy this novel.

The three alternating characters are Ember, who runs a company trying to keep celebrities safe from someone poaching their DNA, Lily a recent college graduate who is interning at a magazine and is eager to write a story about DNA selection, and Quinn a young surrogate who is concerned about the baby she is carrying for a recent widower. How these characters come together was a huge surprise for me and I thought it unfolded in a fun, twisty way. I appreciated the world building in this novel and the way human emotions will remain the same despite the technology. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I was hoping my 500th NetGalley review would be for a MEMORABLE book-AND IT WAS!

Fast forward about 25 years from now, when any two people in the USA can make a baby because of a technological breakthrough called IVG-in vitro gametogenesis.

Any biological matter from a person can be used to create life-saliva, an eyelash or hair follicle or matter from a discarded tissue-but usually a cheek cell swab is combined with either sperm or an egg-the embryo grown in a test tube, and then analyzed for future traits and health concerns. On “Conception Day” prospective parents get to choose which one to implant.

Very few parents choose to conceive a baby the old fashioned way-these “unforeseen children” are such a gamble-no predicting how he or she will turn out.

BUT WITH ADVANCES, COME NEW THREATS

Celebrities like famous singer, Trace Thorne are targeted by “The Vault”-a black market site devoted to stealing DNA from “desirable” parents and selling it to the highest bidder-which often is the celebrity himself.

Buy it back or risk meeting a biological child you never conceived.

So when a new service becomes available, Thorne hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to protect his DNA. She knows all of “The Vaults” tricks, so when they are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, Ember thinks it’s impossible.

But, is it?

Lily, an “unforeseen” child and budding journalist who wants to expose the bias of “selection clinics” and make a name for herself by doing so.

The narratives of Ember, Quinn and Lily alternate in “round robin” fashion until the SURPRISING conclusion!

It took a few chapters from each to set up the story, but I REALLY enjoyed how they came together in the end!

If you enjoy SPECULATIVE fiction, or John Marrs, this book is a MUST for your TBR list!
AVAILABLE March 5, 2024.

Thank You to Crooked Lane Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!

Baby X is a thrilling journey into the realm of speculative fiction, seamlessly blending bioethics and edge-of-your-seat storytelling. Peikoff, with a background in journalism and bioethics, crafts a novel that is as intellectually stimulating as it is gripping.

The story unfolds in a near-future world where the revolutionary technology of in vitro gametogenesis (IVG) redefines a society where any misplaced tissue could foster life if it fell in the wrong hands. As a science nerd, I loved Peikoff's skillful handling of complex scientific concepts, making them accessible without bogging the reader down in details.

Peikoff's bioethics expertise shines through in the realistic portrayal of scientific advancements and their potential implications. Her talent for weaving intricate scientific themes into an engaging narrative is impressive, transforming Baby X into more than just a novel—it's a thought-provoking exploration of what the future might hold.

Baby X kept me hooked from start to finish, offering both thrills and a profound commentary on the future of science and ethics.

John Marrs and Blake Crouch fans will love this book. I am typically not a sci-fi fan , but really enjoyed this! This book makes you think about modern age conception and the complexities of what makes you, YOU!

This review was made possible via an ARC through NetGalley

Baby X by is a speculative thriller that asks the question ‘what happens when we can make babies with anyone’s DNA, even if they don’t consent or you never met them?’

Age has become just a number in a lot of ways, with people becoming parents in their seventies and eighties and AFAB individuals no longer feeling pressured to have children before forty. Quinn is a young woman who works as a surrogate mother and is hired to carry the child of a recent widower, Lily is an aspiring journalist whose mother is in her sixties and getting ready to get pregnant again, and Ember is a security guard whose job it is to guard her famous singer employer/boyfriend’s DNA from people who want to use it to have children of their own without his permission.

The novel goes into topics like consent and women having more time to have children being a positive thing while asking questions about technology and how far it can go in regard to reproduction and the knowledge of all parents involved in regards to their DNA.

The pacing felt very strong; the book was incredibly hard to put down and the switching between POVs slowly revealed information. I would have liked a little more exploration of how this topic impacts marginalized individuals, but I feel that the book made a strong point that protections for the most vulnerable need to be put in place as soon as possible when technology advances and considered early.

I would recommend this to readers looking for a novel focusing on social ramifications for how our technology could move forward with speculative pacing and a variety of characters who are affected differently by that technology. I would not recommend this to readers looking for slower pacing or to focus more on the technology aspects of the ideas.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- {BABY X - Kira Peikoff}

So glad I got the chance to read this ARC from Netgalley. It was addicting and the science and technology behind it made it frighteningly realistic! It seems totally plausible that 25 years from now people could be stealing DNA from celebrities or brilliant prodigies and using it to create “perfect” embryos in a lab somewhere, then selling them on the black market to the highest bidder. It was fast paced and well written. Totally worth it for thriller fans!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a page turner and very quick read for me. good twists and turns and def all thriller.

I find this interesting because to be able to choose your babies due to genetics is so fascinating to me. in this story you will find a guard, a surrogate and a young woman trying to understand and i very much was invested in this book.

The character and the relationships fell flat for me and seemed rushed. I would recommend the book but this book had the characters been good could have been a 5 star read.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Let’s start off with how OBSESSED I am with this idea, the plot, the mix of science fiction and thriller. There’s nothing I love more than some grounded science fiction and this hit all the right notes. Although the focus was on the aspect of “selecting” your child from embryos and picking the ideal child based on these factors, there was a lot more intermingled that I thoroughly enjoyed. The average lifespan being in the 100s, the technology just being in this city, the retinal drones, all scratched my science fiction itch. But there were definitely a few things that made this go from a possible 4-5 star to a 3 star and that starts with the actual writing. Although I was able to eventually get past it, it felt very amateurish and clunky. I wish the editor (if they had one) focused a bit more on blending the sentences to feel less choppy. If I had picked this up and read the first chapter in any other circumstance, this may have lost me. I was able to eventually tune out from it but I do expect a little higher quality especially when dealing with science fiction, I want it to be a little more intelligent. It did read more like a thriller in this aspect but I did enjoy the combination of genres. The ending and “kidnapping” started toeing the line of unbelievable to me when everything else was so grounded and I absolutely hated Lily as a character. Coming from 3 different female perspectives, it took a while to identify them separately as they all sounded exactly the same when it came to voice. They all looked very different and that was the easiest way to tell them apart until Lily became so unbearable that she was easy to pinpoint from the others. I know those are some heavy negatives but the plot and story really did balance out those enough that I still enjoyed reading this and devoured it pretty quickly. I would definitely give this authour another shot in the future and am looking forward to how they grow as a writer.