Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for an ALC of The Baby. AJ McDine is an auto buy author for me, so I always click request or buy as soon as I see her come out with something new!

This was an interesting yet tough one for me to listen to with a new baby. Lately, it’s been a trigger for me. Strap in for an emotional roller coaster - Is taking a baby always to hurt them, or can you do it to protect them?

The Baby immerses readers in the tumultuous life of Lucy, whose nights of heavy drinking culminate in the shocking discovery of an unfamiliar baby in her home. As she grapples with her fragmented memories, she faces the perplexing questions of the child's origin and how it ended up in her care. With her husband away on an oil rig, Lucy makes a bold choice to keep the baby, driven by a deep-seated longing for motherhood.

The book is a thrilling labyrinth of twists and turns that kept me breathless. The suspense escalates with each chapter as Lucy navigates a world rife with secrets and deception. The tension surrounding her husband's character adds an extra layer of complexity, making him a formidable presence in this whirlwind narrative. I was so captivated by the story that I ordered a physical copy halfway through the audiobook.

The character development is both exciting and infuriating, with each revelation peeling back layers of hidden motives. Tamsin Kennard's narration is exceptional, perfectly capturing the essence of each character and enhancing the story's suspense and depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and BookOuture Audio for providing this exhilarating experience in exchange for my honest review. This gripping tale will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page!

LOVED !!!
Right up my ally. Incredible writing I was hooked Right from chapter one and have reccomended to so many people !

I will be back for more 🤩

A great thriller with an unreliable main character. I love that in a book and this book kept me entertained until the very end. An enjoyable read.

The Baby plunges you into the bewildering life of Lucy, a woman whose nights of excessive drinking lead to a morning shrouded in mystery—a baby she’s never seen before lies in her home. As her memories blur into darkness, Lucy is left with haunting questions: Who does this child belong to? And how did it end up in her care? With her husband away on an oil rig, Lucy makes the daring decision to keep the baby while she unravels the truth, fulfilling a deep longing for a child of her own.

This book is a labyrinth of twists and turns that will leave you breathless. The suspense is palpable, the stakes ever-rising, as Lucy delves into a world of secrets and deception. Her husband's character adds a layer of tension, making him a force to be reckoned with in this whirlwind narrative. I found myself captivated and ordered a physical copy of the book halfway through listening to it.

The complexity of the characters is both thrilling and maddening, with each layer revealing more about their hidden motives. Tamsin Kennard, the narrator, does an outstanding job, perfectly capturing the essence and voice of each character. The narration brings the story to life in a way that enhances its suspense and depth.

Thanks to NetGalley & BookOuture Audio for providing this thrilling ride in exchange for my honest review

The baby is a psychological thriller that begins with a woman finding a baby in her living room and no memory of who he is and where he’s come from. She’s home alone as her husband works on an oil rig and she can’t quite remember what happened the night before.
It is twisty and fast paced but quite predictable. Enjoyable for fans of this genre.

Wow - this one was a page turner. I started and finished this in one day because I was so captured by the story and the characters. Each character had very distinct personalities that were fun to follow because you couldn't fully trust any of them. I really wasn't sure where this was going to go but was excited to see how things played out. I definitely did not see things ending the way they did and felt a nice sense of karmic justice at the end. I knew some twists were coming and had a feeling one of them was coming but didn't foresee the others. This was pretty well done and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Listening to "The Baby" by AJ McDine was a gripping yet slightly frustrating experience. The audiobook's narrator did a fantastic job bringing the suspenseful plot to life, keeping me hooked with every twist and turn. The story, centered around the disappearance of a baby and the unraveling secrets within a seemingly perfect family, was intriguing and filled with tension. McDine's skillful storytelling and the atmospheric setting really pulled me in.

However, I found some aspects of the narrative a bit predictable, and the characters occasionally felt one-dimensional. The protagonist's decisions were sometimes frustratingly illogical, which detracted from my overall enjoyment. Additionally, certain plot points felt rushed and not fully developed, leaving me with unanswered questions. Despite these issues, the engaging narration and compelling premise made "The Baby" an intriguing listen, especially for fans of domestic thrillers.

Really enjoyed this audio book. First I’ve read by this author and look forward to more. Enjoyed the characters and amazing plot!

Lucy wakes up one morning to find a baby in her house, and it's not hers. Her husband Miles is away working on an oil rig and Lucy decides to just care for the child until she can think what to do. Lucy has always wanted kids but is unable to have any. As the days get closer to Miles coming home she needs to decide what she's going to do with the baby that she's grown a connection to. Her husband comes home early and freaks out at first. Then he starts to enjoy spending time with the child. He starts acting strangely though and Lucy needs to get to the bottom of what is going on.

This book threw me for a loop. I felt bad for Lucy but also thought she must be a bit touched in the head to not report an infant showing up in her home. I also get aggravated by women in stories like this who let their husbands run their entire lives without question, until it's too late. I still absolutely enjoyed the book and the masterful unraveling of the story.

It was a great story. It was getting to the end and I was going to review that it should have ended 3-4. Chapters early but the twists just kept coming!! Great job!!

The narrator did a great job a voicing the characters. I have listened to other books by her and love her!!

The Baby by A J McDine and narrated by Tamsin Kennard was a superb and gripping psychological thriller with a jaw-dropping twist that was just excellent from start to finish.

The day I was told I’d never be able to have a child, my world came crashing down all around me! My husband Miles, says "he still loves me" but I lie awake at night, wishing we could have a family. Our little family made by me and him.

Then, one morning, I woke up and my husband’s side of the bed is cold and empty.
I hear a noise and head downstairs to see what it was.

In the middle of the rug in my living room is a wooden drawer. They are all wrapped up, they have perfect rosy cheeks and beautiful round blue eyes, a baby gazes up at me.

I shiver. It’s all I’ve ever wanted was a baby I could hold and love etc, but this baby is not mine…......

OMG!!!!

Who's does she belong to?

Did I take her last night and forgot I did it?

This book is full of brilliant twists and turns throughout that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and the end WoW Just excellent!!! Superb!

I highly recommend this audiobook..........and I really felt for Lucy as I can't have children and I will always remember the day I was told I can never have children etc and my Hubby loves me! But you feel something is missing in your marriage!!!!

Big Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ARC.

I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I would! The premise was weird and slightly alarming, and the story that followed was quite similar, haha. There were some questionable moments (like Lucy constantly gaslighting herself over thinking maybe it IS actually her baby), but if you suspend some disbelief, it's quite an enjoyable storyline.

Narration was fantastic and I was completely invested all throughout. There were twists I hadn't seen before and the ending was surprisingly satisfying. My expectations weren't super high to begin with, considering I hadn't read anything else by this author, but I will say that this audiobook exceeded them all anyway!

Shoutout to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and AJ McDine for an early digital audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Baby by A J McDine is a great story full of twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what came next. The story will not disappoint!

I was so traumatized by all the bad decisions this narrator was making and yet I COULD NOT TURN OFF THIS AUDIOBOOK! Great narration, great story, compelling listen! Recommended.

Unfortunately, I was not able to listen to this, because I didn’t download it in time. I still really want to listen to it, and I’ve heard great things. Giving it a 5(hopeful) stars.

When Lucy drinks too much she tends to blackout. On one such occasion she awakes the next morning to discover there’s a baby in her living room. She has no recollection as to where he came from. Searching the news she finds that no babies have been reported missing. So surely it won’t hurt to look after him for a short while. After all she has always longed for a child of her own.
With Miles her husband on the oil rigs surely she has enough time to put the pieces together to find out where he came from. But then Miles suddenly quits his job and is home. How does she explain the little boy away.
This book had many twists and Lucy was a complex character. But this was a thoroughly enjoyable read

OMG that was a super wild ride, and I was totally here for it! I knew it was her hubs, what a douchebag. But also who TF gets involved and married so quickly and expects it to end well!! This was my 1st book by A.J. McDine but will certainly not be my last, I am adding all of their books to my TBR!

#TheBaby
#NetGalley

3.75 Stars
Imagine waking up to a random baby in your home and you have no memory of the day before. What would you do?

Lucy likes to drink while her husband is away for work. After a day of drinking, she woke up the next day with a terrible headache and in a state of confusion. As she wandered into her living room, she was shocked to find a random baby. Lucy was completely taken aback and had no idea how the baby ended up in her possession. She had no memory of the previous night and couldn't recall anything that might have led to this situation. She was left with so many questions and no answers. With a determination to uncover the truth, Lucy began her investigation into the mysterious incident before her husband's return. She tried to retrace her steps from the day before. She kept digging and searching for any clues that might help her solve this mystery. Eventually, she uncovered some surprising and unexpected information.

Overall an entertaining story with unexpected twists and turns. The ending did feel a bit too convenient and tidy, but it was still a good mystery novel. Would recommend it to fans of domestic mystery and thrillers.

***Thank you to NetGalley, A.J. McDine, and Bookouture Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

EXCERPT: I flick the kettle on and gaze out of the window while I wait for it to boil. Even though I can see Percy stretched out in the sun by the greenhouse, I could swear I'm not alone. I get that feeling every so often. It's almost as if Grandad's spirit is sandwiched between the plasterboard and the brickwork, like insulation. Sometimes I feel his presence so keenly it's as if her is standing beside me, just out of sight.
But today it's more than that. I can hear something. A rustling noise, coming from the living room. Not rustling. More like snuffling. I stiffen, my hand gripping the worktop, my head cocked to one side. Hoping to God Percy hasn't brought in a rabbit - I can't deal with that, not today - I make my way along the hallway to the front of the house.
At the door to the living room I stop in my tracks. The bottom drawer of Grandad's old oak bureau, the one with the barley twit legs, has been tipped onto the floor. Diaries and birthday cards, envelopes and notebooks, old seed packets and pens, sticky tape and gardening twine have all been upended on the carpet in a jumble.
But this is incidental. Because it's what's lying in the upturned drawer that's holding my attention.
Tiny fists waving in the air. Chubby legs encased in a white sleepsuit. A fuzz of dark hair.
A baby.
And this makes no sense at all. Because I, Lucy Quinn, might have a husband called Miles and a cat called Percy and a cottage that once belonged to my grandad.
But the one thing I don't have, the one thing I have never had, is a baby.

ABOUT 'THE BABY': There’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours…

The day I was told I’d never be able to have a child, my world came crashing down. My husband says he still loves me but I lie awake at night, wishing we could have a family.

One morning, my husband’s side of the bed is cold and empty. I hear a noise and head downstairs.

In the middle of the rug in my living room is a wooden drawer. Swaddled inside, with perfect rosy cheeks and beautiful round blue eyes, a baby gazes up at me.

I shiver. It’s all I’ve ever wanted, but this baby is not mine…

MY THOUGHTS: I liked The Baby, but didn't love it. Lucy is a character who is hard to like or to empathise with. She is emotionally immature and mercurial. She is an alcoholic, although she would vehemently deny this. Her husband Miles is a manipulative abuser, also thoroughly unlikeable. He more than enables, he actually encourages her drinking then punishes her for it.

There's a lot of repetition as Lucy endlessly agonises over things and questions herself. Some of it is just downright dumb. Like "maybe this baby is mine and I've just forgotten I have it". The baby is sleeping in a drawer. Other than a bag of baby clothes and some formula in the same bag, there are none of the usual accoutrements that seem to come with babies. There are no nappies, no formula, no bottles, no clothes, no crib, no buggy, no toys . . . . Authors - please credit your readers with some brains.

On the plus side - the story of where the baby actually comes from is quite inventive and plausible. I have to admit to enjoying the second half of the story much more than the first, especially the ending, although I do have problems with some of the forensic details.

Narrator Tamsin Kennard was a pleasure to listen to.

⭐⭐.5

#TheBaby #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: A. J. McDine lives in Kent in the UK with her husband and fellow thriller writer A. J. Wills, their two sons and two VERY demanding cats.

She worked as a journalist and police press officer before becoming a full-time author in 2019.

Endlessly fascinated by people and their fears and foibles, she loves to discover what makes them tick.

She writes dark, domestic thrillers about ordinary people in extraordinary situations.

When she’s not writing, playing tennis or attempting to run a 5k, she can usually be found people-watching in her favourite café.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture Audio via NetGalley for providing an audio ARC of The Baby written by A.J. McDine and narrated by Tamsin Kennard. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.