I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was an interesting premise. Set in a future where you select your baby ahead of time and can choose its attributes. I think many people see that as something that may someday happen. This deals with some of the advantages and disadvantages of this, although mostly indirectly.

I generally liked the story and characters. I figured out the twist at the end, but I didn’t think it took away from the story at all.

3.5

Wow this book really surprised me. The premise is so creative! This futurist look at reproduction is interesting and super scary.

I loved that there were a few storylines going on...and believe me, when I figured out the connections I was shocked.

SO good! This book did not get the attention it deserves.

Baby X is an intense, gripping thriller that brings a chilling and thought-provoking look at the future of biotechnology. The premise is fascinating—what happens when your DNA can be stolen and used to create life without your consent? The stakes are high, and the tension never lets up. The story follows famous singer Trace Thorne, who hires Ember Ryan, a bio-security guard, to protect him from the growing threat of DNA theft. Their dynamic is one of the highlights, as Ember is fiercely competent but finds herself increasingly drawn to Trace.

The world-building is excellent, drawing on the disturbing possibilities of a future where celebrity DNA becomes a commodity. The idea of a black-market site like "The Vault" and the lengths people go to for genetic power makes for a compelling plot. The arrival of Quinn, claiming Thorne is the father of her child, adds a huge twist, and it’s what really kicks the tension into high gear.

While the pacing is fast and exciting, there are moments where the characters' decisions felt a bit predictable or their motivations unclear. Still, Baby X is a page-turner that will keep you hooked, especially if you’re a fan of speculative thrillers like Gattaca or Black Mirror. It's both an intriguing concept and an edge-of-your-seat read that explores the dangers of technology when it goes too far.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy of this book. Book was fine, really good if you like the genre! I would read more from this author. I enjoyed the sci-fi aspects of the story, it was easy to follow.

If you take one piece of advice for me, let it be this: GO INTO THIS BOOK BLIND!!

This was a very unique book. I can honestly say I haven’t read anything like it before. I don’t typically like speculative fiction, but this really kept my interest.

The book is told in multiple point of view, which I love. There are characters you will love and some you will dislike, but it will keep you guessing.

It gives black mirror vibes. It is a very twisty and thought provoking book that introduces scientific advancement in reproductive technology and DNA being stolen on the black market. And that’s all I’m going to say because I don’t want to give away too much of the plot.

I did listen to the audiobook version, which really brought the characters to life. It was very entertaining, and if you are going to read the book, I highly recommend doing it an audio form!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to read this book as an advanced listener copy.

This was a good audio but a very odd concept for a book. A little too futuristic for me. I had a hard time getting through it .

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

With a vivid imagining of the future, Gattaca meets Black Mirror in Kira Peikoff’s Baby X.

In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create eggs or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.

What I loved:
- Suspense, as this is a story that is told in two different times I enjoyed that there was suspense in the main timeline but also the suspense for the second timeline waiting for them to find out the truth
- Science, the idea of selecting the best embryo for your child is so interesting cause its not far fetched and could be the future
- Characters, I really liked the mix of characters and how its not clear who is the bad guy and not everyone are what they seem
- Voice cast, the audiobook was of the highest quality and I appreciated the different voice cast for the two timelines of the story

Overall I did enjoy this book, I got a bit frustrated with one of the timelines cause I thought the secret held by the couple was just unnecessary and didn't really make sense. If you are looking for a thriller in a not too distant future with amazing scientific ideas and just a great cast of characters I would absolutely recommend you picking up this book.

Two of my big interests are dystopian fiction and celebrity culture, so imagine my joy when I found Baby X!

The novel is set in a near future, in a world where anyone's DNA can be stolen and used to create life, and that technology is sold to the highest bidder. Sounds like a nightmare, right? The plot centers on Trace Thorne, a famous singer who’s fed up with the black market known as The Vault, where people’s DNA is stolen and exploited. In a bid to protect himself, he hires Ember Ryan, a tough-as-nails bio-security guard who’s seen it all. Ember’s job is to keep Trace’s genetic material safe, but things get complicated when she starts to fall for him. Enter Quinn, a woman who claims that Trace is the father of her baby, throwing Ember’s entire world—and her professional integrity—into turmoil.

There's a Gattaca vibe in the story, particularly in the message about the dangers of playing god with genetics. It’s a fast-paced read with plenty of twists, and Peikoff does an excellent job of building suspense while exploring some pretty heavy ethical questions about the future of reproduction. The dark, speculative elements combined with the complex characters make it more than just an average techno-thriller.

If you like your thrillers with a healthy dose of science fiction and moral quandaries, this one’s definitely worth a read. It's a perfect one to listen to on audio as well. The narrator does a fantastic job.

*Baby X* had me hooked from start to finish—it was impossible for me to put it down. The suspense kept me teetering on the edge, eager to uncover what would happen next. The narrators were spot-on, and made the book so much more enjoyable to me

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was more gripping and interesting than originally thought it would be and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this reading experience. This futuristic society was so intriguing and I really enjoyed how the tech was not super outlandish and was believable. I enjoyed all of the story lines and how they connected to each other throughout the book.

Baby X was such a binge read.
I was held on the edge of my seat needing to keep going to find out what happened. The narrators felt like the perfect choice to keep the creepy vibes going and give the whole experience. I ended up reading along as well as listening, I couldn't get this book into me fast enough!
I loved the play on ethical concerns that are around us in the world today, and the possibility of things like this becoming available in the future. The real life fears created such an intense read.

Perfect for lovers of John Marrs and Blake Crouch, and anyone who enjoys a speculative thriller with sci-fi twists.

Baby X
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Kira Peikoff

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create eggs or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.

Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks—discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes—and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip—love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.

My Thoughts: I am not a huge science fiction/fantasy fan, however, I think this premise can float across all genres. The author has an amazing Mimagination. Our celebrity Trace Thorn is tired of his DNA being a victim of theft and hires bio-security expert Ember Ryan to protect his DNA. Ember will go to the ends of the earth to protect her clients. When more than DNA security starts to erupt between Trace and Ember, they are confronted by a pregnant woman alleging Trace is the father of her unborn child. To what end will the Vault, the black market DNA ring, go to sell celebrities DNA? Will Ember be able to trace how this woman, Quinn, was able to get Trace’s DNA?

The story is narrated by multiple characters, which I love. I feel like you get a good picture with multiple points of view. The POV is round robin between Ember, Quinn, and Lily. The characters range from likable to not very likable. I like that we had hero’s that I could cheer for and villains I could yell at. The characters were well developed with depth, mysterious, secretive, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, imaginative, suspenseful, twisty, and engaging. The characters are slowly built up, then the plot is developed in twisty layers until we reach the mind-blowing conclusion. You do have to dispel believe for this one and some concepts are a little far-reaching, but still an enjoyable read that I found hard to put down.

The narrator did a nice job with voice variation and character distinction, especially coming a multi-view point story. The pitch and flow were spot on, and I had no issues listening at 2x speed. The author did a fantastic job at explaining the science terms and kept the story interesting. I listened as much as I could each time I picked it up, as I could not wait to find out what happened next. This was the first speculative fiction I have read, even though you really have to suspend your belief and some of the scenarios seem really far-fetched, I still enjoyed this story. If you love Margaret Atwood, this book will be right up your alley. I would recommend it to others.

I really enjoyed this book.

I quickly became immersed in this not-too-distant future. A super interesting concept, made eerie and sinister in how potentially realistic it is.

The future world described is so well detailed and so realistic to have followed on from our current world that I left me in the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading this. I was mind-blown and honestly had a little anxiety lol. I could totally see this happening, and that what makes it so eerie.

Stolen DNA, engineered babies, shopping for your child…The writing was absolutely engaging. I was captivated by the first page. I would say this is a medium pace thriller. I wish we had Thorne POV you only got his side when reading Ember pov.

I think it would have added a different layer to the story. The ending I did not see coming. I was blown away when everything fell into place.

Thank you so much to the publisher for my ALC in exchange for my review!

Baby X 🧬🔬🧫🥽🧪🍼
by Kira Peikoff
5/5 ⭐️

First, my heartfelt thanks to NetGalley, Kira Peikoff, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me an ALC of this title.

This book had me crying in the club at 1 in the morning 😭😭 Oh my god. I can’t even begin to put into words how much I loved this.

If you miss the days of the old Disney movies that made the future look like the coOOlest place to live, this will itch that spot for you. No scary bad AI, we’re in the 2040s/50s and life is so much more advanced. You can have android pets that never die and food printers with food cartridges. A car that drives you to and from with no driver. You can create embryos from harvested genetic material. Gene editing is able to eliminate diseases like cancer or CF, and parents “select” the best embryo of the batch. But, this creates a black market for celebrity DNA, one of the center points of the story.

Ember, Quinn, and Lily sucked me in from the first page and I couldn’t put this down. I had to know where each of their stories was going to go. And that ending? 🥹😭 Please read this!! If you’ve had it on your TBR for awhile (like I did), bump it up a few spots. What an amazing 5-star read that will stick with me forever. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review Baby X!! Available now. 💋

By the mid 21st century, it is possible to create an embryo from harvested genetic material. This has many benefits: gay couples can have children with both parents genetics, gene editing can eliminate inherited diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis, and the embryos can be analyzed so the one with the best genetics is implanted. It also leads to a black market for celebrity DNA.

This book follows three women: Ember, who protects her client's genetic material, Quinn, a professional surrogate and Lily, a young woman interning at a news magazine. The three women's story interconnect in interesting ways.

I liked that the author really considered the ramifications of this technology. While being able to engineer the perfect child may seem amazing, there is a definite dark side. The narrators each do a great job voicing the characters.

4 exceeded my expectations ⭐️s

In the not too distant future, even a stray eyelash can be mined for DNA to create an embryo. Brush up against someone at a bar, and your stolen DNA can be used to make a baby without your consent.

From the beginning, two of the three rotating storylines are clearly interwoven, while the third is developed as a loosely connected solo strand. But, wham, when they all twist together, it’s like a triple helix of superior DNA.

The trio of female narrators do an excellent job. Hooray! No sing-song delivery! No monotony of reading every sentence aloud in the exact same way! The only time I wished I was reading the book with my eyes rather than my ears was when the results of a genetic lab report went on for over a minute. But hard to complain when the rest of the 10 hour audiobook kept my ears and mind engaged.

I received the ARC audiobook from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my gifted audiobook copy of Baby X.

I am all for a well done sci-fi book and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed the multiple POVs . It did take me some time to get the three down but this could be because I listened to the audiobook as well as read my physical copy. The ending of this book was fantastic and I really appreciated how everything came together. There was a lot going on in this novel which I was here for. Romance, love, lies, family dynamics and some of the most awful and kind characters you will meet. I also enjoyed the narration cast of Jennifer Jill Araya; Imani Jade Powers; Abigail Reno. This was a great idea to place a different voice for each female main character.
.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

I enjoyed this more than I was expecting! Very much an easy to believe future setting & technology, it kept me hooked. The narrators did a good job.

This was a great book that makes you think. This could totally happen down the road. Those thoughts kind of scare as to what our life would be like in that kind of society. I have now read this book and listened to this book. The narration was excellent on the audiobook. If you like John Marrs Speculative fiction books, I think, ok I know you'll love this one. Thanks Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced Audio copy I thoroughly enjoyed it. #BabyX #NetGalley

A fun, fast-paced thriller with a very unique concept! It was just so good that I couldn't stop reading (or listening to it). It made my heart pace from time to time and the experience was on another level, thanks to the audio. It elevated my experience to a whole different level.