A truly chilling psychological thriller that will leave you with chills as you contemplate how well you really know yourself. Some parts were hard to read because of the gaslighting of the main character by her husband and the results that follow. Well written and hard to put down, although the reader can figure out where some parts of the story are going before the characters know themselves.

Loved the baby. This book has a palpable tension that keeps the pages turning…..simply brilliant… I had to finish this marvelous thriller in one sitting! Taut and incredibly suspenseful, every moment is perfectly crafted to keep me wanting more. An engrossing, spine-tingling read! An absolutely gripping and totally addictive thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long.

𝐈'𝐯𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭 𝐩𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮...𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐩𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐮𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Lucy and Miles are an unlikely couple. He works on an oil rig and is frequently away from home, and Lucy paradoxically longs for Miles and relishes his absence. She's caught in a cycle of overindulging in alcohol to cope with a horrible accident that caused her to lose a pregnancy and the ability to bear future children.

To her utter shock and surprise, when she wakes up one morning and goes downstairs, there, lying in a bureau drawer, is a baby. But whose baby is it? In one of her alcohol-soaked blackouts, did Lucy do something horrible? She immediately falls in love with the baby but tries to do her due diligence, searching the news for reports of a missing child. When she finds nothing, she tells herself that Fate wanted her to be a mother and has given her a gift, even though deep down she knows that isn't the case.

When Miles comes home and finds the new addition, the tension in the plot ramped up to almost unbearable levels, and I was wholly unprepared for just how dark this story would get. The unreliable narrator trope was perfectly executed in this stunning thriller that peels back the layers of an unhappy marriage to expose the rot that's festering as its core.

Thank you so much to the author for my early copy. This title will publish April 23, 2024 from Bookouture.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 23rd April! Wow, where do I even begin with this book?! This book gripped me from the very first page to the last! It was highly addictive with its many twists and turns that made it literally impossible to put down!

My favourite character was Lucy as I rooting for her throughout the book that she would get her happy ending! Overall, I absolutely loved this book and I’d highly recommend everyone to read it, as if you don’t you really are missing out! 😊

Full of intrigue and mystery, just where did the baby come from? Lots of red herrings and I really didn’t know where the author would take it! I would never have guessed it!!

Who took the baby? Whose baby is it? Will the baby have to be returned? Secrets and red herrings kept me guessing in this page turner. This novel, written by a talented author, is a quick read with realistic characters. It was like watching an episode on television. The protagonist wondered what was going on. I wondered. The mystery of a baby...kidnapped? Given away? Is her husband lying to her? So many questions… Spend an afternoon immersed in this story. Do not try to discern the ending too soon. That is not possible. Thanks Netgalley.

"The Baby" by A J McDine invites readers into a heart-pounding journey of deception, moral ambiguity, and gripping suspense. From the moment the protagonist discovers an unexpected baby in her home, the narrative unfolds with relentless tension and uncertainty. As she grapples with the shock of the situation and questions her own motives, readers are drawn into a maze of conflicting emotions and chilling revelations.

The protagonist's struggle to understand the origins of the baby, coupled with her own desire for motherhood, adds layers of complexity to the story. McDine skillfully navigates themes of identity, morality, and the lengths to which individuals will go to protect their secrets. The writing is taut and atmospheric, evoking a sense of unease and foreboding that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

One of the novel's greatest strengths lies in its ability to keep readers guessing until the very end. With each twist and turn, McDine deftly ratchets up the suspense, leading to a jaw-dropping climax that will leave readers reeling. The pacing is relentless, with short, punchy chapters that compel readers to keep turning the pages late into the night.

Overall, "The Baby" is a gripping psychological thriller that will leave readers breathless. With its compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and heart-pounding twists, this novel is sure to captivate fans of The Woman in the Window, Freida McFadden, and Lisa Jewell. Prepare to be gripped from the first page to the last in this unforgettable tale of secrets and lies.

I finished this book in one day as I just HAD TO KNOW where the baby had come from!

I was invested immediately. I'm not always a fan of the unreliable narrator trope, but I think it really worked here as all throughout the book there are nagging doubts as to whether Lucy is remembering things correctly or if it's all down to her drinking.

There were some really lovely descriptive passages and I could picture the characters and locations so vividly. There were some scenes that had me physically cringing with second-hand embarrassment for poor Lucy.

The ending was really satisfying - the clues were all there throughout the story and I was glad that the book ended the way it did. 100% recommended.

The Baby came in hot and stayed that way. The book is about a woman who quite literally wakes up and discovers a baby in her home and goes on to figure out why and how it’s there even though she’s at home alone and her husband is out of town for work. The plot twists were great. I sped through this book because every page had me feigning for more.

This is a story about lies, betrayal and deception. Lucy and Miles are married and keep no secrets from each other. Miles works away on an oil rig and Lucy drinks too much to keep her loneliness at bay. After a fall down the stairs while pregnant Lucy learns she can no longer have children. Several years later after a day and night out drinking too much, Lucy wakes up with amnesia and she finds a baby boy in her home. Where did he come from?? And did she steal him?? She immediately falls in love with the child and checks all the news sites for word of a missing baby. Then Miles suddenly returns home earlier than expected from a long shift on his rig and prevents Lucy from going to the police. If she's stolen a baby, she'll go to prison. If no-one claims to be missing a baby, they will keep him and be a happy family. There are twists along the way and one by one Lucy learns all of Miles's secrets and recalls all the things that she's previously forgotten. I found this book impossible to put down. It will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to find out what happens next. It's a fantastic story from cover to cover and I highly recommend it.

A book that grips you with a fab twist and unexpected turn? Yes please! I binged read this! Loved the writing style and story development.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this NetGalley, A J McDine and publishers.

Lucy wakes up one morning with no recollection of how she got home, or how a baby ended up in her house. It becomes apparent very early on that Lucy is an alcoholic, as there are memories from her drinking episodes that help set up the story. When Lucy's husband returns, he expects her to turn the baby over to the police; but does he....Lucy starts to discover lies her husband has told her and the gears start running, and she starts to remember events she buried in her head. This book ended up more intense than I thought. The role her husband played was not one I saw coming. Wow.