This is an intensely gripping and complex story of the lengths one woman will go in her desperate efforts to have a child. To be a mother.

The story begins with Tori whose day takes a turn when a woman asks her ti watch her baby while she takes a quick dip. What follows next is complete chaos
Black masterfully weaves an atmospheric tale of what can happen with a split second decision. It was definitely plot driven and the character building with some unlikable personalities is what kept me hooked.

I really enjoyed the fast paced chapters and there were some great twists I didn't see coming.
If you enjoy books filled with unexpected plot twists, lies deception and selfish motivations, grab this one when it releases.!


You won't regret it.

Haven’t been able to get into a book in a while. This book changed that. It literally has me hooked from the beginning. Wow what a fantastic read. The plot was amazing. So many twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. You literally could not make this up. It’s an absolute winner. It’s so well written. The plot has been well thought out and executed to perfection. This is the 2nd book I’ve now read from this author and definitely won’t be the last

I absolutely love it..... Had me hooked from the 1st chapter.. Lucky I was off work cause I ended up staying up all night to read it.. I had to know how it ended and it was totally worth it. I promise you won't regret reading this book..

"The Baby I Stole" is a book about a woman who desperately wants a baby to complete her family so an opportunity presents itself where she can have one.
This book is a jaw dropping, page turning, bed of your seat kind of book. It's written in a lot detail without giving too much away that it keeps you turning pages very quickly to find out what happens next. An exceptional read with an even better ending!

I really enjoyed this arc received through netgalley and the publishers.

I raced through it needing to find out if Tori gets found out, and although her character wasn't likeable you felt sorry for her at times.

4 stars

Tori and Daniel are desperate to become parents. They have a beautiful home, they are financially stable, and have a loving marriage. Unfortunately, Tori’s health prevents her from having children, naturally, so they make a plan to adopt. But...one day Tori finds herself in a situation where she’s holding another woman’s baby one minute and stealing him the next.

How far will you go to become a mother? Apparently Tori will stop at nothing. I get it, maternal instincts are strong and babies are pretty dang amazing.

Tori, is a little unhinged but frankly all of the characters have flaws and aren't really loveable.

McGarvey leaves enough breadcrumbs giving readers an idea of how the story will unfold. While I was able to figure it out, there were parts I didn't see coming. The ending was okay-felt a little rushed to end on a "happy" note.

This book was entertaining, kept me invested, and is great for readers who like drama, lies, and soap operas.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

#ARCreview #TheBabyIStole #suspense #McGarveyBlack #bookreview #happyreading

Never doubt the lengths a woman would go to in order to become a mother and protect her child!
We start the story off with Tori enjoying a day at the beach, which very quickly takes a turn when a stranger asks Tori to watch her baby while she goes for a swim but never returns. What follows next is lies, deceit, revenge and pure chaos.

If I had to describe Tori in one word, it would be delusional. The lengths Tori goes to and ways she justifies her actions to herself and others is downright delusional but that is what makes the storyline so great. The character building and personality traits of the characters is what curated a story that kept me hooked.

I usually pride myself on being able to predict what will happen in a book, I got one thing right but the other twists I did not see coming! I enjoyed the fast pace nature of this book, it was easy to devour chapter after chapter, although I do wish in certain sections there was some more detail in order to fully create the setting.

Now that I have discovered McGarvey, I’m excited for more and have already added some other titles to my tbr!

Thank you to McGarvey Black, Joffe Books and Netgalley for the arc.

I usually can guess about how a book will end, but this one had a complete surprise that really astounded me. A lady gives her baby to a stranger to watch while she swims. Then the lady drowns and disappears. The woman who is watching her baby takes it as a chance to have the baby she always wanted. She's on a long list for adoption so she's thrilled at the chance to be a mother. She calls her husband and tells him they moved up in the adoption list and they now have a baby.
She even hires a nanny to watch him while she works. Later in the book all is explained with jaw dropping suprise. I've not read anything by this author before but I will look for her books in the future.

The blurb was exciting but the book hooked me way more than I thought it would. The twists and turns kept me reading!

I really enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to finish to find out how it ends.
Plenty of twists and turns, and kept me interested throughout.
I will definitely be looking for other books from this author..

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe Books for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I've got to start this review with a wow!! This has been the best book I've read for a long time.

The moment it was downloaded, I started reading the first few pages. I'm not a person that has trouble putting a book down, in fact I'm easily distracted away, but not in this case! My kindle accompanied me everywhere. (It usually sits on my bedside table) I'm not an avid reader, so usually it's a chapter or two at a time, but this wasn't an option here. Each chapter ended in such a way, it was literally impossible to stop there.

The ingredients to this book ticked everything on my wish list. The premise was intriguing, the first pages were absorbing. The flow ran easily, with no flipping between characters and very little past and present. The plot was gripping, exciting and twisty.

In this genre of book, you know that all is never as it seems, and I had an idea of an underlying plan, but would never have imagined all the intricacies that were delicately woven in throughout the plot.

On finishing this book, I think there's plenty left to mull over about all aspects of human nature.

Omg this book was so good I could not put it down with its many twists and turns it had me on a rollercoaster of a ride and Wow what an ending it was really wasn’t expecting it. This was definitely a fast paced thriller with a character you want to hate but can’t help likening her. I can’t wait to recommend this fantastic book. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

Immediately, the book opens with the scene of how the main character, Tori, steals a baby. And as it was unfolding, I thought, something about this doesn't seem right. I can't see this actually happening...Who leaves a baby with someone they just met...Who steals a baby? and How to do they expect to get away with it?

But the story was interesting and I was intrigued that it kept me reading, so much so, that I finished it in one day. I didn't like Tori, she comes off very entitled as she's handed literally everything from her parents and she keeps attempting to validate her reasoning for stealing this baby. It seemed odd to me that we're expected to believe that no one would be looking for this baby, especially when Tori herself starts looking for his mother. I didn't particularly care for her husband either. Their marriage was filled with lies and deceit, both are self absorbed and only looking out for themselves. Daniel even more so than his wife.

As the story continues and we learned more, it just kept getting worse. More lies, more drama and it made me not classify it a psychological thriller, but more of a family drama. Some of the twists were easy to be guessed, but some of them were more of a surprise and they kept coming until the very last page.

I liked the story for a while. The idea was great, but then I think it went too far off the deep end and became a mess of family revenge.I thought the ending fell a bit flat. But I also didn't see it coming, so at least that part wasn't predictable.

This book has parts of it that remind me of other books I've read, including, The Drowning Woman, Sometimes I Lie and The Last One Left. Some of them I liked, others I didn't.

A good, tense, twisty story. Every time I thought Id figured it out a new curveball was thrown at me. Only took a couple of days to read as it was quite addictive.

This is a very powerful and emotive novel, written well and really makes you think. I did enjoy it and felt many emotions. A good read I would recommend.

The Baby I Stole
Written by McGarvey Black

About / Book Blurb:

My husband and I are desperate for a baby. So I stole one.

All my adult life, I’ve longed for a baby. We tried IVF. We tried everything. Now we’re waiting to adopt. We have a beautiful home and all the love in the world to give a child. But we’re told it will take years.

Then one day, at Rocky Point Beach, one thing leads to another. I make a split-second decision — and I come home with a baby. His name is Liam. He has tiny red bow lips and the chubbiest cheeks. He’s gorgeous. I call him Jonah.

Now what happens when my husband gets home?

What people are saying:

AN EXHILARATING BLEND OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE, NAIL-BITING TENSION AND THE BIGGEST TWIST YOU’LL READ THIS YEAR.

Perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, T.M. Logan, Anya Mora, T.J. Brearton, Patricia MacDonald and Shari Lapena.

My Review:
I found this book really easy to get into. From the very beginning this was an easy read, with a strong writers voice, - which really drew me in, - and had a good, consistent pace, throughout. The plot itself was well thought out, was believable, and there were a few twists along the way that I didn’t see coming, which was great! I sped through this book, literally as it was so hard to put down! - I just wanted to carry on reading more! The ending was satisfying, however, I personally felt that it ended a little bit abruptly; as in, in comparison to both its pace throughout, and the plot’s build-up, as it had progressed. I guess I’d describe its ending as a little short and sweet, which I ‘think’ I felt that there could’ve been just a bit more, - but I’m not sure whether this is just my view, as the book kept me wanting to read more, so did I feel this about the ending, just because I wanted there to be more?! - I’d be really interested to know what others think about this, so please do let me know by leaving a comment here on my blog!
Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 9 out of 10. If a gripping Psychological Thriller is your thing, then THIS is an absolute MUST-read!

This book is available to purchase & download from 20th February 2024!

Thank you, NetGalley, Joffe Books and McGarvey Black for this ARC.

I could not put this book down and finished it in one day. Good thing it was my day off and it was my lazy day. I did figure out the plot twists early on but the story still kept my interest. I don't want to give anything away but it was kind of obvious what was going to happen from the start and throughout the story, but the book was so interesting that I could not stop reading. I had to find out how the story was going to play out. Tori, main character, also kept my interest. She was definitely someone who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and had a sense of entitlement. She knew she was breaking the law by taking someone's baby, but she was able to justify it in her mind. I got the impression that her parents always gave her what she wanted in life and that she really never had to earn anything on her own. Her parents just seemed to enable her behavior. She tells them that she "adopted" a baby out of the blue and they just go out shopping. I understand grandparents being excited because I went crazy with mine but it also didn't make sense. Her father had lawyers involved with her prenup but he never asked to have lawyers review the adoption paperwork? Granted, she didn't have any but I would have expected her father to hound her for them. Also her marriage to Daniel is a joke, I'll just leave it at that. I would have given this book 5 stars but only gave it 4 because the ending was kind of disappointing. It was like a big build up for a "what?!" moment. I wanted more especially after the last chapter, it kind of left some unanswered questions, at least it did for me. I will say that I will look for other books from this author. I enjoyed the writing style and how the story seemed to flow. I wouldn't say that this is a psych thriller, so I'm interested to see how if her other books have more of the psych thriller vibe than this one did.

McCarver black has written another powerful suspense novel that is fast paced and has some twists and turns.
Tori and her husband have been trying to get pregnant or adopt a child for a long time. When a women at the beach asks tori to watch her baby while she swims a tragedy occurs. The women disappears in the water and tori takes baby Liam telling Daniel that the adoption agency gave her the baby.
Next tori hires unassuming eden as a nanny and strange things begin happening. Tori is sent threatening texts and feels stalked. She can't figure out if she is sleep deprived or if someone is gaslighting her.
Lots of suspense keeps you reading and a great ending

Twists and tuns abound on this roller coaster ride of a story.
Tori goes to the beach near her parents getaway beach house to soak up some sun
when she befriends a young woman with a small baby. Tori who cannot have a baby of
her own and has a spot on an adoption list happily enjoys playing with the baby, Liam. When the woman goes into the water and askes Tori to watch the baby she happily does. The story takes off as the mother
appears to disappear in the rough water and the beach patrol and police begin looking for her body in the surf.
In a total moment of insane clarity, Tori picks up the baby,and leaves the beach with him. She
takes him home. calls him Jonah and tells her husband that the adoption agency called and
suddenly had a baby become available. While it is absolutely chilling to follow, it is also a
little incredulous to think that a baby could be so easily accepted into a family with so little follow up done.
A live in nanny hired to take care of the baby adds mystery and her own intrigue to the story - with a new
twist in almost every new chapter.
Very good read with creepy but well-defined characters and a plot that really goes up and down the
tracks of the chill coaster.
Really good gut really hard to accept at times.

When I first saw this book I was like eh another stolen baby book?! But I was like ok ill see how it goes! Boy oh boy was I wrong! Fantastic book! Its nothing like I've ever read! This book had everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, mystery, gas lighting, kidnapping, great plot twist and some really crazy twists and turns! The storyline was so very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and Joffe books for sharing this book with me! Another great pick by Joffe books!