The Baby by AJ McDine is a fast paced and gripping domestic thriller that had me captivated right from the very start. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will certainly be reading more. Although I did guess quite early on how the story was going to pan out, I can assure you it most certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of this book as it completely absorbed me right until the final page.

The Baby
by A J McDine

⭐⭐⭐

Full of twists and turns, and little quips that make you think you've got it all figured out, but then you don't, this book was a really good thriller.

However, I found the build-up rather slow and at times, rather boring - like I just wanted them to get to the point.

There was nothing wrong with the writing style or the descriptive measures, but it just wasn't really my type of story.

Lucy wakes up with a massive hangover. She can remember most of the events of the day before. She doesn’t think much of it since it’s not the first time it’s happened, until she discovers a baby in her living room. Who’s the baby belong to? How’d it get here? Did she steal a baby and not remember it? How will her husband react? He never wanted a baby with her. She’s convinced she needs to take him to the police until miles unexpectedly comes home. He’s manipulating and controlling. She starts to release something’s not right and will stop at nothing until she figure out the truth behind all the lies.

This book is fast paced and had me hooked from the beginning. I’ll say I can’t stand miles but I believe that’s the point. It’s a modge podge of lies, manipulation, questions, and relationships.

Thank you to the author and publisher for this fantastic pre-released copy from NetGalley.

This is my second thriller by A.J. after loving “The Invite” last year, and I was looking forward to another twisty and fast paced read!

The action started immediately, with a mysterious baby showing up on Lucy’s doorstep and her having no recollection of the previous night’s events. Lucy frustrated me SO much while reading, and her lapses of memory definitely made it hard to trust her as our main narrator. I couldn’t believe she didn’t remember how / where / why she got Wren!!

Once I got going with this one I couldn’t put it down! Some of my early predictions were correct in the end, but I really enjoyed the twists and overall pacing of this book so much!

Thank you to @ajmcdineauthor and Netgalley for my e-copy to read and review.

I liked this book but did feel that it was a bit predictable. It centers on Lucy, who is married to Miles and desperately wants a baby. One day, Lucy drinks a little too much and finds a random baby in her living room! The book is all about Lucy trying to figure out where the baby came from, while appeasing her husband and her own feelings around what she should do.

This was a fast-paced read, with many interesting flashbacks to other events in Lucy's life that brought her to her current situation. While there were some things that she should have figured out long before I did, I still found it enjoyable to read about her and I felt for her when she made mistakes or was indecisive. I thought the end of the book was a little anticlimactic but I was not unhappy with the way it all worked out.

Overall, I just wish I hadn't been able to foresee all the twists coming because it was a fast-paced and enjoyable read. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of this book grabbed my interest as it seemed like a unique story. This book did not disappoint!. I was drawn into the story from the very first page and it.kept me in suspense until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this ARC.

What would you do if you woke up and a baby was in your house? Not only that, but you didn’t know the baby or who it belonged to. Lucy experienced this while her husband was off working on the oil rigs for four weeks at a time. Lucy is conflicted on what to do. She would get in trouble if she didn’t report this to the police soon but what if she has done something wrong? She needs time to think this through.

As this extremely quick-paced thrilling story unfolds we learn more about Lucy’s husband, Miles. At first I liked him but slowly I began to loathe him; and for good reason. Lucy is a smart cookie and begins unraveling some wicked lies while searching for the truth in her marriage.

When the book began I was confused and it seemed unrealistic that a baby just appeared in her house. As the story deepens and the particles of truth come flying into Lucy’s face, the story makes sense and the wild ride continues. I couldn’t wait to get to the bottom of this situation. And boy, did we. I was beyond happy that I read this book. It’s well put together, has great character building, a great plot, and a thrill a minute. I will be reading all of her other books now. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this exciting book.

Get ready to read this one straight through once you start. I wasn't sure about this book at first. The baby trope has been done and redone. But A.J. McDine does it in a very special way. This is an addicting and fast paced book that will have you turning the pages until the very end.

Lucy wakes up from another night of drinking way too much to discover a baby tucked into a dresser drawer in the living room. She has no memory of how this baby got there, as she's been experiencing drunken black outs. Her husband, Miles, works on an oil rig and is away quite a bit and he's away when she finds the baby. Lucy has always wanted a child and is thrilled but does realize she must bring the baby to the police. However, she keeps putting it off. There's not much left to say without giving the whole story away. I flew through this book and was very impressed. It kept my full attention, which is a feat in itself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. I greatly appreciate it and do recommend this book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐+⭐
The Baby by A J McDine was an insane, absolutely gripping, mad, incredible psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist! Straight to my 6-star shelf! This book grabbed me from the beginning and I knew I would need to finish in one sitting as there was no way I would be able to wait for the next day!

Usually when Lucy passes out after drinking too much the only thing welcoming her in the morning is a hangover... until this morning. There is a baby in her living room! And Lucy doesn't have any memory of how this happened.
Her husband, Miles, who is working on an oil rig will be home tomorrow and he doesn't like kids... Lucy is out of mind with what to do so she constantly checks the news for missing baby but there are none! She is running out of time and ideas about what to do but she must do something.

If you are in a reading slump grab this book and you will be out of it in no time!

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture for this fantastic and incredible story!

Utterly fantastic book!
This one has me gripped from the very beginning, so much so I read it in one day, I was dying to find out who little Wren belonged to!
Phenomenal twists!
Highly recommend

This book was a great read. I was captivated and guessing the entire time. This my first A J McDine book and I am glad that I took the leap with this one. The story telling was a masterpiece, woven with suspense, mystery, and heart-pounding twists that kept me on the edge of my seat and able to finish in 1 sitting. For the most part all of the characters were well-developed, but I do wish that there was a little more given about the MMC childhood. Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could not put it down, I felt that the ending left a few loose ends (this is why the 4 Star read). At any rate, “The Baby” is an addictive read that I would highly recommend to fans of the genre.

This is an intriguing domestic thriller that has your spidey senses going many different ways. It’s a fast paced read that holds your attention. There are many twists and turns with some I could see coming and but some that were a complete surprise which is always a plus. I honestly couldn’t stand Miles from the get go and wasn’t sure initially if I liked Lucy but that was short lived. This is a rollercoaster read that doesn’t let up with some really good surprises along the way. The narrator did a great job of building the storyline and keeping the listener engaged. A good read for sure.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review #TheBaby

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. It was insanely good.

Twists kept me interested in this book and made it hard to put down.

I will definitely be reading more of this author's books in the future 🩵

Absolutely devoured this book! Page turning, could not put this one down, I loved how it went from past to present and always making you guess where the baby could have come from, my mind was changed so much throughout the book and never would have guessed what happened, mouth fell wide open at the end

Absolutely loved this book!!! It had my heart pounding.. I love it when it's one of those books that grabs you and doesn't let go.. So be prepared for that.. Has some great twist you won't see coming.. I plan to start reading more form this awesome writer. Definitely give AJ McDine a chance.. I want to thank the author and publisher for giving me the honor to review a early copy of this awesome book.

A gripping and quick read! I read it in one day!
Unique storyline that keeps you intrigued and guessing!
I felt so much for our main character as we learned more about her losses and rough times, both past and present. I was invested in her story! (trying not to give too much away!)
Turns and mysteries and action...this book kept me interested and hooked until the end!

*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS IF YOU HAVE NOT YET READ OR FINISHED THIS BOOK!***

What is was about: A woman wakes up to a baby being in her home but the baby isn’t hers and she has no idea who the baby belongs to or how it got there. Last night is blurry she fears maybe she stole this child since she lost her own. Turns out it wasn’t her at all. It is really her husband’s baby that he made raping another girl then killing her.

What I liked:
- Easy to read
- I wanted/needed to know what really happened
- I love the happyish ending. The baby gets a mom who loves him and she gets the baby she has always wanted.
- I am glad that she was able to get away with his death. Although killing shouldn’t be okay I feel in this situation it was best for everyone.
- I am glad that she didn’t get the police involved right away
- I love the little twist in the end that the baby is actually his child and that he is the one that drugged and raped her

What I didn’t like:
- Although I did like it in the end and I understand why it still bothers me that she never went to the police about the baby.
- Why didn’t she get suspicious of the husband sooner? He even kept pushing her away from the police and then telling her the mom didn’t care about the baby. That wasn’t weird to her at all?
- I hated that the poor girl had to be raped by someone she thought she trusted and then later killed by him
- I hated finding out that he drugged her and pushed her down the stairs killing her baby and made her believe that she had done something wrong. All that guilt she must have felt and she didn’t even do anything wrong!

Overall Thoughts:
I enjoyed this read! I absolutely hated the husband character for everything he did and think he got what he deserved in the end.

Lucy awakens with no memory of most of the previous day and there is a baby in her house. The problem is Lucy doesn’t have a baby.

This is a top-notch psychological thriller that kept me guessing all the way through. I was engrossed from the very first chapter. The short chapters along with the author’s wonderful writing style kept the book moving quickly. I plan to read other books by this author, as well as recommend this book closer to publication day.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

Just wow! I went into this story completely blind and I am certainly glad I chose this one. This book gripped me from the very first page. A page turner for sure! I read this in two sittings. I could not put it down, I had to know what happened. This twist story had me guessing the entire time and I still wasn't right in the end! What a wild rude!! What would you do in this situation?? The ending was very satisfying 😌 I will be looking for more books by this author for sure! I highly recommend this one if you love heart pounding edge of your seat kind of stories! I would actually like to maybe see a sequel to this and see where baby Wren and Lucy end up in the future. The characters will stick with me for a while I'm sure.

Thank you to Netgalley and A.J. McDine and Bookcouture for the ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. The plot is about a couple that can't have kids, but one morning Lucy wakes up to a baby in her house!! Extremely well written book, was hooked from the get go!