I read this book very quickly, mainly because I didn't want to put it down until I knew the truth, I was hooked.

I'm a big fan of this author's work so I was thrilled to receive an early copy. Talk about a wild story!! I can't imagine being Lucy and waking up to find a baby I don't know in my house. This is a gripping story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I can easily recommend buying a copy.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for my gifted copy!

"The Baby" is a book about a couple who can't have kids but one morning Lucy wakes up and there is a baby in her sitting room...
Without giving too much away this book is about deceit, revenge, longing, manipulation and acceptance.
It's written very well and kept me turning pages long into the night. It is a little predictable halfway through I knew what was going to happen, but the ending still floored me. A must read!

You talk about not been able to put a book down this book is it. Addicting, surprising, edge of your seat thriller that I absolutely loved. High recommend. 5 star read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This is a quick read with nice short chapters. I hate when a book has thirty minute chapters so I appreciated the fast pace of this book.

I feel like once her husband comes home a bit of the story was predictable but there were s surprising twists and turns that kept me interested. I finished the book in a day because I had to know what was next.

Definitely looking forward to more from this author.

This was such a fast read! I could not put it down. Lucy’s story was devastating but also very eye opening as she started piecing things together about her husband, Miles, and how he was willing to do anything to get what he wanted. I would definitely read more from this author. It had me on the edge of my seat and I loved it!

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lucy Quinn. 32 years old, is desperate to have a baby but her husband Miles doesn't want to start a family. Is Lucy an unreliable narrator because she drinks a lot? We get to learn a lot about the couple when they go to dinner at their friend's home. Lucy is envious that they have 4 sons and she can't have 1 child. "But I'd always assumed that if you went through life being fair & kind, life would be fair & kind to you. Not a bloody chance.'

Fun fact for @pelotonmomsbookclub & PELOTON users. I pictured Lucy like British instructor LeeAnne Hainby since the book takes place in the U.K. But no, Miles is certainly not Ben, her real life fiance & fellow spin instructor.

I expected this to be more of a light rim.com type of book. But half way through, I was very excited and surprised by big twists. But no spoilers!

I will mention there are some trigger warnings.

Wow this is a real twisted thriller about a young woman whose husband works on the oil rigs. One day she wakes up with the hang over from hell to find a baby in her living room. Problem is she doesn’t have a baby and no one seems to be missing a baby but for some reason she can’t remember anything about how the baby came to be there. As her husband arrives home on leave this get even more confusing and why can’t she remember everything that has happened to her. I could not put this down.

I received an ARC review copy from NetGalley, and this is my unbiased review.

If something doesn't feel right with your partner, trust your instincts. This is the lesson I take from our main character, Lucy. A baby appears in her house, not on her doorstep, but in her living room. Instead of going to the police like most would, she keeps the baby, browsing through missing persons reports to decide her next steps. Then, her husband, who she claimed never wanted children, quits his job, comes home, and tells her he wants to keep the baby. The book is filled with twists and turns. It's well-written, with remarkable character development. The weaving of secrets, lies, and masterful manipulation is excellently executed. The ending was satisfying. I highly recommend this novel. 5 stars.

What an amazing book, The Baby is full of suspense, I was hooked from the beginning, I knew I was going to love this book and I sure did!

How would you react if you had memory loss and woke up to find a baby in your living room? That is the plot of this book and it is a page turner. Don't start this at night unless you plan on losing sleep. I highly recommend.

#The baby #Netgalley

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and Bookouture for approving my request to read this book.

Well what can I say? This story had me absolutely hooked from the very first page, it reeled me in good and proper and gripped me til the very last page, I simply had to know the answers and devoured this book at a rate of knots!

Lucy awakes one morning to find a baby in her house but just who's baby is it and where did he come from? The story follows Lucy's quest for answers to this very question after being continually gaslighted my her husband Miles.

I loved the characters in this book with the exception of Miles, he's a hideous man with no redeeming features but that just shows how well this story and characters are written.

I would thoroughly recommend this book particularly if you like dark, psychological thrillers, 5 stars from me!

The Baby by new to me author A.J. McDine is a thriller of its finest. The story had me right from the start, kept me in suspense til the last page, had me guessing til the end.
Lucy finds a surprise in her living room with no clue where it cam e fron or how it got there.
She has to adapt, successfully more or less and gets roped in the adventure of her life.
A nailbiting, gripping thriller, a fantastic read that I recommend.
Blurb:
The harsh light streams into the living room. On the worn rug sits an out-of-place wooden drawer and swaddled inside, with rosy cheeks and large round eyes, a baby looks up at me. A shiver runs through me. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…Rocking the small bundle in my arms, I’m reminded of a time when I’d pictured tiny booties in every version of my future. The day I was told I’d never have a baby, the ground fell from beneath me. Could this be my one chance to become a mother?As the sun sets, the baby begins to stir. His peaceful sleep disturbed by the sound of keys rattling against the front door. Frozen in panic, and with my heart pounding in my chest, I don’t have time to think before my husband, Miles, appears in the doorway. His face contorts in shock glimpsing the child cradled against my chest.I hear his questions, but I can’t answer them. The truth is, I really don’t know what happened.

This book was really great
It was full of surprises
It was a book about an emotion and I
Didn’t know what had happened

This is one of those books where you look at your planning for the day and decide which tasks can wait until the following day because you just don't want to put it down. The story has you in it's grip and won't let you go until you have read every single word and you finally are allowed to find out what was going on.

This book is a very good example of not really knowing the persons living closed to you. Or maybe this is not entirely correct. Maybe deep down you do know something is not right, but you are blinded by Cupids arrow...

On the one hand I felt very sorry for Lucy, but ont the other hand she made it easier too? 

I always love it when the baddies get what they deserve. It"s a pity they make so many people suffer before they are found out. 

I will be on the look out for more of this author's books, because she had me totally hooked.  5 stars

Thank you

Twisted, Diabolical and kept me turning forward page by page as fast as I could. What a wild ride! Just WOW! I love this Author's books and this is no exception. This might be my new fave.

Oh my god! What a book! Let me tell you I picked this up in the morning and after reading that first chapter I was hooked and that was my days plans ruiened, I spent the rest of my day reading this whole book it was my main priority. I swear the amount of twists is insane! Each and every one of them you won't see coming and they will shock you to your core. Absolutely fantastic characters. Very emotional and frightening parts. This will definitely go straight to number 1 in the bestsellers charts.

Lucy wakes up one morning to sounds of crying. She goes downstairs and discovers a baby swaddled up in an old wooden drawer. Where has this baby come from? She is convinced that she has stolen the baby but has hardly any memory of the night before.

The novel follows Lucy as she tries to cope with her newfound responsibility. She is torn between reporting it to the police and her need to find out the truth about the baby's origins. She’s worried what she’s going to tell her husband, Miles, as he’s due back from working away on the rigs. She starts investigating the mystery surrounding the baby, and begins to uncover secrets and lies.

The Baby is a gripping psychological thriller with a captivating storyline that AJ McDine does an excellent job of creating a sense of suspense and unease, and left me constantly guessing what will happen next. I loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and AJ McDine for an early copy of this fantastic book.

The Baby by A J McDine to be published April 23, 2024

Secrets, lies, master manipulation, and piecing a puzzle together will have you racing through the pages of this book to find out what happens next!

Lucy wakes up and finds a baby in her house with no memory of how the baby has arrived. While this could be something she might have happen with drinking habits, the reader is taken on a roller coaster ride to figure out how this baby has shown up at the house. The husband, Miles, arrives home with the same questions - who is this baby and why is it in our house? Things are not always what they seem, and people can be extremely deceiving, especially to those who feel they are closest to those people. Go from moments of pushing for things to happen in the best interest of the baby, to wanting things to work in the favor of the woman who mysteriously has this baby, possibly replacing one she lost, to feeling heart pounding fear as truths and lies unfold to make the perfect psychological thriller.

I was allowed to read an ARC copy of this book, and WOW am I so glad that I was given that opportunity. My top hurdles to clear for me to give psychological thrillers five stars are that the book is un-put-downable, not every character is detestable, and the twist or plot is not figured out before the first 50% of the story, and this hit every mark for me. I cannot wait to get my hands on other A J McDine books.

Potential trigger warnings are rape, infant loss and the affiliated sadness and grief, and psychological abuse.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the chance to read and give an honest review of this book. NOW WATCH FOR THE PUBLISH DATE OF 04/23/2024!!

I was so intrigued by the premise of this book I didn’t know how it was going to be. Well it was excellent the writing style was awesome and the characters were so well developed. I could not put it down I needed to know how it was going to end.

Imagine waking up one morning after a bender the night before to find a baby in your living room what would you do? This is what happens to Lucy she can’t remember the night before and she has always longed for a baby so what happens next?

This was a unique thriller which has me gripped there was twists and turns secrets and lies. I will definitely be recommending this to everyone fantastic.