Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of The Baby by AJ McDine. It is my first book by this author and I will be sure to look for more. This book was very entertaining and easy to read. It was a fast read and it had a couple of twists. For those who enjoy a good domestic thriller, this one is worthwhile. The one thing that negatively impacted me was the amount of repetition. Readers don't need quite so much of it. I gave it 4 stars because I did enjoy it.

Oh how I loved this book! I love missing baby tropes so this was amazing to me! The FMC was very unpredictable which added to the suspense factor because you really weren’t sure what she did. Her struggle and want for motherhood was very relatable. I loved her as a character because I found her sympathetic and the plot was well put together and very fast paced! Thriller lovers will love this book!

Really enjoyed this book .had plenty of twists and every time I thought I had figured it out there was another one . Enjoyed it from start to finish and kept me hooked . Highly recommend

This is the first book I've read by McDine and I can see I've definitely been missing out. The Baby is brilliant thriller/domestic drama that I really enjoyed.

It's told across dual timeline and is narrated by Lucy, Miles wife. Lucy is quite a heavy drinker, it's her emotional crutch and masks the fact that she will never be a mother.

The plot is highly addictive and McDine takes us on a fast paced, twisty ride, full of suspense as we begin our search for the baby's mother.

With alcohol-induced amnesia often ending up with confusing memories for Lucy, her most recent experience rocks her at her core. When she awakes after being passed out after another night of drinking and discovers a baby in her living room, she tries to reach the furthest part of her brain to try and remember whose baby it is and how the baby go there. With her husband Miles away while working on an oil rig, Lucy panics when she thinks of him coming back home to discover the presence of a baby.

Here’s the thing. Miles always said that he did not want them to have children. But, with no news alerts popping up about a missing baby, Lucy fantasizes about keeping it. As this is a psychological thriller, the tension in this book kept me riveted to my Kindle screen. The twist was a jaw-dropper that really surprised me. One thing I will say, Miles reaction was a surprise, both to Lucy and to me as well. I love how this book was written and how compelling it was to read. Kudos to Ms. Mcdine. I will be back for more.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I had a lot of fun with this book. More than anything, this book is, in substance, a fun ride, which is the nicest thing to find in a thriller book. I so much enjoyed the mystery of this story, and it provided a great twist on something that had maybe been done in different ways before. There was a wonderful undercurrent of menace running through this, and it did carry really well.

Lucy falls quietly into a 'potentially unreliable' narrator bucket, with a lot to say but also a very muddled up view of life. She finds a baby in her house one day - but the catch is, she's never had a baby. In picking him up, she finds things changed forever. While it's tough to review this one without spoilers, it can be a little predictable at some points, but sneaks in with some twists that you don't quite expect throughout.

This is a good one to curl up with on a rainy day and get right into the mystery with a good cuppa. It's a wild ride, and definitely keeps you gripped through the story.

This is quite the psychological thriller with some crazy twists!
Lucy is a sympathetic character I felt for her. Wanting so badly the baby that ended up in her home, she encountered betrayal & secrets in determining where he came from. She found a lot more happening in her life than she ever realized right up until the treachery on the last page.

Thank you, AJ McDine, Bookouture & netgalley for my copy! All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed reading The Baby by A.J McDine it was a brilliant read and different from the many other thrillers I have read in the past.

Lucy wakes up after a night of heavy drinking and discovers a baby in here living room. Lucy has no idea how the baby got there, she has no memory of the night before and comes to the conclusion she must have stolen him.

Although Lucy knows she should go straight to the police with the baby, she has always wanted a baby of her own so decides to leave it for a bit, and besides even if she went to the police she has no idea what she would tell them.

Over the next few days Lucy starts to bond with baby ‘wren’ whilst also trying to work out in her mind exactly how Wren came to be living with her, but all that happens is Lucy draws a blank.

When Miles comes home after working away he is furious to discover a baby in his home, he challenges his wife and storms off, demanding Lucy does the right thing and takes him to the police station. Just as Lucy is heading out Miles comes home after having a change of heart and convinces Lucy they can all be a happy family of three.

Whilst Lucy and Miles are bonding with Wren Lucy is still determined to work out in her mind exactly how she has come to be in this position. Upon her quest for answers Lucy discovers a few home truth about Miles. Before Wren came into their lives Lucy was a heavy drinker, but since having a baby in her care Lucy stopped and now her head is clearer than ever she comes to see how controlling Miles is of her.

As more secrets about Miles, Lucy discovers just how manipulative he has been and still is. When Lucy is contacted by Shona a woman from Edinburgh who Lucy has never met before, claiming she knows things about Miles, Lucy decides to pay Shona a visit to see exactly what she knows. Soon the truth comes out and things turn out to be much more deadly and darker than Lucy could have imagined.

I was hooked on the baby right from the start, it was a fast paced, exciting read with plenty going on to keep the reader interested. I can honestly say I loved every word I read and would certainly recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for this review.

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💬 Wow! I got sucked into this story from the very beginning. It is one addictive page turner filled with twists and turns all the way to the end

The book is incredibly well written, the story flows and it's so easy to get into. I finished it in one sitting as it is literally so hard to put down.

My chores had to wait because I kept postponing telling myself I'll read just one more chapter.
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I did guess where the plot was going but this didn't stop it me one bit. I just had to find out all details
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This is my first AJ McDine book and I can't wait to read more
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If you are a thriller fan than this one is for you
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If you are a Freida McFadden reader like myself, this is a book you for sure want on your bookshelf! The author had me hooked from the first chapter! It's fast paced and you will not be able to put it down since you must know what happens next.

I was very curious as to where the baby came from in the beginning, and that's what started the need to keep reading. There were some twists that I saw coming. I think the author did that on purpose so the reader would think that they had everything figured out. Little do the readers know that they in fact did not have the book figured out as the twists just kept coming.

I am rating this book 4 stars, only because I wish the book was longer and that we had more time with the characters and more twists and turns!

Wow what a book! I just could not put this one down. Read it in one breathless sitting. Totally gripping and transporting, packed with twists you don't see coming. Loved, loved, loved.

Choosing to read an A.J. McDine, a fairly new author to me, was quite a gamble, one that paid off well.

Lucy, a thirty-something housewife is an alcoholic, who wakes up most days with a raging hangover. This day is no different either, except for the infant in her living room. Did she steal the baby, give birth to it or did someone deliberately leave him with Lucy - she has no recollection. Desperately longing to be a mother and having lost all hope of ever being one, Lucy battles with the ramifications of keeping the baby for herself or handing it over to the police. And then there's the teeny inconvenience of explaining the presence of the child to her husband, Miles, who is due home in a few days from his off-shore job.

The main character in a drunken haze/ unreliable narrator literary device is one of my least favourite. Little wonder then that it took me quite some time to warm up to this plot and its main character. The first 40% of the book moves at a sluggish pace, much like the protagonist Lucy, as she tries to piece together her hazy memory of the night before. Her inner monolgue is often interjected with key memories from the distant past that have shaped her life so far.

The second half of the novel picks up in pace and intensity, with the introduction of more characters. The plot becomes predictable, but continues to be engaging once Lucy is successful in picking apart and putting together her fragmented memories. She stops being the victim and begins to take back control of her life that had been manipulated out of track a decade ago. The only part about the plot that doesn't make sense to me is Miles - his character doesn't have enough background information to explain why he is the way he is.

Overall, a slowburn thriller that transitions to intense and delivers a very satisfactory end. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a fast-paced domestic thriller!! From Lucy's blackouts to her husband's lies, I was trying to piece everything together. and answer the main question jumping around in my head: whose baby is this??
I loved Lucy because she was such an unreliable narrator. Unreliable narrators are my favorite since they keep me guessing!! AJ McDine's writing is so addictive!

Looking forward to what the author writes next!

4.25 ⭐️

This one took me by surprise! This was my first book by A.J. McDine. I had assumed the book would be more of a creepy/horror book judging by the cover (I guess I have been reading too many books with sinister children/babies - haha), but it ended up being a good domestic thriller/mystery!

Lucy wakes up one morning, goes downstairs in her home, and discovers a baby in her living room! Lucy cannot remember yesterday's events. Everything goes blank after she had drinks with a classmate at a local pub the day before. Lucy has a drinking problem and for years, she has over-drank, making a fool of herself, and sometimes blacking out and losing periods of time. How did the baby get in her house? Did Lucy steal the baby, as she so desperately dreams of being a mother? Does she phone the police? Her husband, who is away for work, will freak if he comes home to a baby (he has been adamant about them not having a family).

The book continues as Lucy tries to remember that night and how the baby ended up in her possession. Lucy begins to develop an attachment to the sweet newborn and tries to convince herself that the baby is better off with her. Things progress. Lucy begins to remember a little more and more. Things get dark and violent. I don't want to say anything further and spoil it.

** My opinions **

I was very interested in finding out where the baby came from and the secret was kept close to the end of the book. There were some twists that I did see coming, but it was still fun reading how things unraveled. I felt like everything was wrapped up well by the ending. I did wish more for Rae, but as explained, there wasn't much more that could be done. Overall, really enjoyed this one! I haven't read a thriller in a while and it was a pleasant surprise and ride! I will be checking out the author's other books now!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for access to the ARC. I greatly appreciate the opportunity!

Thrown straight into the action
This is a rollercoasrer of a read. Totally binge worthy full of twists and turns. Hooked on every word. The ending bkew my mind and i can so see a sequel.
Thank you netgallery and publisher and author.

A digital copy of this book was provided to me by the author through NetGalley. The opinions are my own and freely given.

Lucy awakens after what must be a night of blackout drinking to discover a baby in a drawer downstairs. It isn't her baby and she has recollection of how it got in her house. Instead of phoning the police immediately, she starts combing news reports for a missing or abducted child, because she must have stolen him.

Lucy's husband, Miles, works on an oil rig, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off. He drives to Aberdeen to catch a helicopter to take him to the boat. She has to figure out what to do with the baby, because Miles never children. To me, Miles seems overbearing but to Lucy he is a concerned, caring husband.

Part of this story takes place in Lucy's granddad's cottage near Chilham on Kent Downs and another part in Cairngorms in Scotland.

Lucy is contacted by Shona, the sister of Rea who is missing and was a work colleague of Miles. Lucy meets Shona and together they start to search for Rea. Shona has raised Lucy's suspicions of Miles.

This was an easy read and kept me guessing where the baby came from. Miles was on my radar from the beginning, I just couldn't figure out if I could trust him or not - until everything came together.

I didn't want to put this down. The Baby is my new favorite book by this author. They just keep getting better and better.

I was instantly gripped by The Baby. It’s full of tension and wtf moments. I did guess the main twists, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment at all. The chapters are well-written short and snappy. Admittedly the ending wasn’t quite what I hoped for, as it felt a little too far-fetched, for me. But, again it's so well written and paced that didn’t stop me coming away looking up the author’s backlist and recommending this book to my thriller-loving reviewer friends.

I absolutely loved this brilliant fast paced, twisty psychological thriller.
So well written the story just flows off the pages & was easy to get into.
This is definitely one that’s hard to put down once you start as it really holds you as it’s so addictive.
A compelling intriguing read with so many twists & secrets spilling out.
Lucy who the story revolves around, as yet again woken up in a drunken stupor.
She has no memory of where she’s been or how she got home.
This loss of memory is happening all too often after she has spent the night drinking.
It started the day the doctors told her she would never have a child.
She manages to contain the drinking a little when her husband Miles is home from the oil rig.
She drinks to forget the heartbreak of never having a child & the fact she is not happy with her life or her husband Miles either..
This morning feels different though she was woken by a noise downstairs & she knows it’s not Miles as he is on the oil rig.
Was that a babies cries she heard or is her imagination playing tricks on her.
Going downstairs to investigate she can’t believe what she is seeing.
In the middle of the living room is the most gorgeous baby lying in one of her wooden drawers.
Her jaw drops as her first thoughts are what have I done now.
Thoroughly enjoyed this excellent read it was a definite page turner for me.

The Baby by A J McDine is such a twisted and engaging thriller!
Well written, fast flowing, just a joy to read! I'd say it's perfect for a lazy afternoon if it wasn’t for the perfect amount of tension keeping your core muscles engaged?

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

All Lucy wants is a baby, but when her husband Miles tells her it’s something he never wants, can Lucy be truly happy?

Miles works away a lot, and to help keep herself sane, Lucy turns to drink, she often blacks out and looses hours of her memory. But when one morning she wakes up to find a baby in a drawer, could she really have taken a baby without knowing?

How can she explain to Miles that she thinks she’s stolen a baby? What is he going to think to the news?

Absolutely gripping, page turning thriller that keeps you guessing. Lucy is such a likeable character that you just want to love, and Miles, he’s definitely a character that gets your back up. Highly recommended, the twist is amazing!