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.

The first part of the book, I just hated all the characters. The abusive husband and the simpering, door-mat wife. But this book keeps you guessing. You think you have it figured out, and then--NOPE. Lots of twists and turns. Still, none of the characters are lovable, really, but it all works out in the end. Superb book on the suspense/thriller front.

3.5 stars
I liked this one and consider it a pretty reliable psychological/domestic thriller, but it dragged out a little for me (especially in the beginning). Things definitely picked up a bit more around the 30% mark and concluded with a strong finish. I was wondering how some of the story would be explained in the end and I think the author did a pretty good job of tying up those loose ends.

Narrator- thoroughly enjoyed the narrator and found her voice to be pleasant and interesting.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Bookouture Audio for this Arc in exchange for an honest review. I appreciate it!

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.
One of my favorite narrators, Tamsin Kennard, does an exceptional job as always.
Thank you, AJ McDine, Bookouture, Bookouture Audio, & netgalley for my audiobook! All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3.85⭐️

Pick this up if you like: Suspenseful thrillers, moral dilemmas, and unexpected twists.

"The Baby" opens with a gripping scene that sets the stage for a tense and captivating narrative. From the moment the protagonist discovers the baby in her living room, the story grabs hold and doesn't let go.

As the plot unfolds, the tension builds, fueled by the protagonist's internal struggle and the uncertainty surrounding the baby's origins. The author skillfully keeps readers guessing, with twists and turns that add layers of complexity to the story.

While the novel maintains a fast-paced and engaging pace throughout, there were moments where the protagonist's refusal to acknowledge the obvious answer felt frustrating. A slightly earlier realization could have injected more momentum into the storyline and prevented a slight lag in the middle.

Overall, "The Baby" is a compelling popcorn thriller that delivers on suspense and intrigue. With its gripping opening and unexpected twists, it's sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very end.

Usually after a night of drinking you wake up with a killer headache and maybe some regrets. Lucy wakes up with all of these along with a precious mysterious baby. How did the baby get there and who does it belong to? My heart went out to Lucy. Her life was shrouded by a veil of sadness and blame. “Grief doesn't cause blackouts, neat vodka does,” Lucy said her relationship with alcohol was complicated much like this intriguing plot with twists and turns throughout. Just when I thought I had it all figured out a shocking twist would occur and the story would go in an unexpected direction. This thriller is original, entertaining, and intense. The narrator expertly brought the characters to life adding a layer of emotion and suspense. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for my audiobook.

How far would you go to get your perfect family.............

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it had everthing - the masaganistic, narcasist husband and the downt-tordeen wife eventually standing up for what she belives.

Trigger warning - Baby loss......

I thought this book was great - with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested right the way through listening to it, kept me wanting more. i would highly reccommend this book to anyone

Bravo!

I breezed through this fast paced, entertaining, twisty audiobook which was wonderfully narrated by Tamsin Kennard. Have you ever gone out and had so much alcohol to drink that when you wake up in the morning you have no idea how you got home or why there is a baby that is not yours in your living room?!? Crazy Fun!

My ranking ★★★★ (4 stars)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While some of the twists and turns were predictable, the overall story and its concept were compelling. I found myself able to identify the villain early on, but the notion of waking up to discover a baby in your home was incredibly captivating. The protagonist's actions, both taken and neglected, were at times frustrating, yet they added depth to the narrative. Overall, the author excelled in crafting well-developed characters that enhanced the storytelling experience.

4/5 ✨

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and A J McDine for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I listened to this book via audiobook, narrated by Tamsin Kennard. I can say their narration really brought this book to life and I loved their Scottish accent.

The twists and turns of this story had me hooked from the beginning. I mean who doesn't want to know where the baby came from? I sure did and I am so glad I did because... whew, I did not see the ending coming.

If you want a book that will make you question everyone in the book and what people may or may not remember under stress and what they will do to find out, stop reading this review and read/listen!

I love a good twisty British thriller and this did not disappoint! McDine gave me such fully fleshed out characters, I was completely immersed. I devoured this in one go and was taken for such a ride! From ex-pats to oil rigs to babies in drawers! I was concerned that the contents would feel outlandish but McDine makes it all so very real and so very human that I couldn't help but believe it was happening. A true testament to how immersive this novel was. The audio narrators did a fantastic job of bringing this book to life as well. And every single twist was subtle but shocking and had my jaw on the floor!

This is the story of Lucy who finds a baby in her house after she wakes up from a drunken blackout. Instead of immediately calling the police, she buys diapers and formula for the baby while she tries to figure out how he came to be in her house. Did she steal him while she was drunk? This part of the storyline is a little far-fetched, but I guess that’s a fiction story. The twists weren’t super unexpected, but the book still held my interest and I was invested in the main character and wanted to see how it played out. The narrator did a great job and overall I enjoyed this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy.

🎧Audiobook ARC🎧

The Baby - @ajmcdineauthor

Thank you to @netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have an early advanced copy of this audiobook.

This is my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it. I was hooked right from the get go and it has some of my all time favourite elements in a thriller.

The story follows Lucy who we aren't one hundred percent sure if she's a reliable narrator as she blanks out due to alcohol consumption. So this really adds to the tension. But when she wakes up one morning to find a baby in her house she has no recollection of how it got there. Did she kidnap this baby? Where did it come from?

Her husband Miles works off shore on the rig in Scotland and so he isn't home to ask what's going on. But when he does come home and announces he has left his job the story really picks up and they find themselves raising a child.

My hometown is Aberdeen and so it was really good for me to have my hometown mentioned in a book and I liked all the nods to Scotland. They weren't just stereotypes either which I appreciated.

The narrator of this book was really good and she had such a calming voice that she was joy to listen to. I'd definately want to check out more from this author as I was gripped right til the end.

#gripping #thrilling #thebaby #netgalley #listeningtothestory #audiobook #advancedreadercopy
#advancedlistenerscopyreview #jamiesinstagram #bookstagramgirl

The Baby is a quite a ride full of questions, uncertainty, gaslighting, poor decisions…and twists. Discovering the multi-faceted parts of Lucy’s past and present was intriguing. This was a fast-paced psychological thriller that was a page-turner to the end. The narrator enhanced the story, mastering all the characters’ voices. Don’t skip this on audio!
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for this ARC.

This book kept me super interested all the way through and I am very excited to recommend it my thriller loving girlies! I did guess part of the plot twist about half way through and there were many twisty aspects that I did not see coming. I am so glad I read this book, and I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys a mystery thriller. It was a fun read!

“The baby” by AJ McDine was an excellent book.
Lucy wanted a baby especially after losing her baby. Lucy wakes up one morning having a baby in her home. Upon investigation she finds her husband Miles has been keeping secrets.
While the story is makes it easy to guess what is going to happen this had me wanting to know what happens to the baby.

Oh my gosh! This has been one of my fav thrillers I have read this year!
The plot twists and the way it is written is intense and gripping. It was hard to put this book down, a must read!!!!
I have to tell everyone about it!

Lucy, a middle aged childless woman who has a tendency to drink a little bit too much wakes up one morning to a noise from downstairs, but who could it be? Her husband is away for work and not due home for several more days. She goes downstairs to find a 4 month old baby sleeping in a drawer in her living room that she knows nothing about. Did she steal this baby from his mother? Did someone give him to her? She has no memory of the previous night.

The Baby was a griping story and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. The twists and turns were plentiful and the narrator was very enjoyable to listen to. Overall the story kept me very engaged and I would definitely read another book by this author.

Thank you to the publisher Bookoutureaudio, Netgalley and the author for an audio ARC in exchange for my feedback.

Thank you @netgalley for the audiobook of The Baby by AJ McDine.

The narration for this book was well done. This was a twisty thriller with some surprising turns that all fit together at the end. My biggest criticism was that the whole premise of the book was based on that the MC blacks out so she thought she stole a baby. I did like that the story was unpredictable

A childless married woman wakes up with a baby in her possession after a history of blocking out. When no one claims a missing baby, she then freaks out and instead of going to authorities, pretends that the baby is her own. This was an odd, twisted read with unexpected turns around every corner. The MC was not reliable at all, even to herself. She often questioned what she had done in the past because she had blacked out too many times. A fast-paced read that kept me invested because I had to find out where the baby came from. The ending was satisfying and worth reading. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator portrayed a character that was unreliable and somewhat unlikable.