Told in dual timelines from 1970 and today, we are given the story of Melissa as a child and a grandmother. She has snatched her grandson as she believes that he is being abused and heads off into Scotland to hide but things don't always go to plan. On reading other reviews, they feel that too much is written about the baby crying BUT anyone who has had a sickly child, knows that is what they do when hungry, feeling unwell and tired! It adds a realistic element to the book as does the tiredness which Melissa feels from the constant 24/7 of looking after a child on your own. You are always wondering where the story will go next and then right at the end ....BAM. Something which I never saw coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood books for the ARC to review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Hush little Baby: Melissa feels she is doing the right thing as she snatches a crying baby from his dreadful parents. She can’t let him suffer anymore.
Melissa will shower him with love and keep him safe.
A suspenseful, cliff-hanging thriller keeping you on the edge of your seat!

This is one of those books that was a relatively quick read, I finished it and found myself sat there thinking…..Hmmm, don’t quite know how to feel.

I’ll try and explain… The main character was clearly unhinged, and not likeable or relatable.
The plot ( or the plot as I saw it whilst reading ) seemed to flit between being possible and then not being plausible in the slightest.
Every other chapter I was thinking “No, not for me. Can’t really get into it”, yet I found myself carrying on and not even attempting to stop reading it.
The twist that came, I didn’t see it coming, but felt worked perfectly in this book.
When I did finish it, I thought brilliant, now I can move onto something else, yet found myself going over the story again in my head.
This book had me contradicting and questioning myself, during and afterwards.
So….what I take from this is, it’s worth reading if just for the one time. Will I read it again? Probably not. Would I recommend this to others? Yes. But I would explain the above when doing so and leave it up to them to decide. Would I read this author again? Yes, but I’d enter with caution.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my ARC.

This book followed Melissa, a woman who kidnaps her grandson after she believes he is being neglected by her son and daughter in law. Then there is a second POV of Nancy in the 1970s, about a woman being abused by her doctor husband. I loved the 1970s POV the best. The two tie together so you know why Melissa is the way she is. The end is wild and comes out of nowhere. Shows you how people can go crazy when they lose a loved one.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this e-arc. I greatly appreciate it.

This book had a great plot with intriguing characters. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author.

The MC is very insufferable, and was very hard to connect with. I like the story plot but would need to work on more. I like the cover and the title, it caught my attention.

Thank you netgalley for the arc

A suspenseful thriller, Hush Little Baby (2024) by J A Baker has a fine tension-building feel, despite a few concerning behavioural descriptions. Melissa is a grandmother hiding in the bushes watching her grandson and concerned for his wellbeing. She decides to act, grabbing the baby in his pram and driving off, hitting an elderly man as she speeds away. The narrative then switches back to 1970 and another family suffering trauma, with some graphic descriptions that some readers may find distressing (trigger warning). Alternate chapters describe the lives of the two families, drawing the reader in, wanting to find out what happens next. This is a difficult book to review given the inappropriate and at times disturbing descriptions that may cross the line for a mystery thriller. Although fiction, the family tragedy and all too common mistreatment, make for a truly disappointing two stars read rating. With thanks to Boldwood Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I found it very repetitive, slow and most of the time boring, there was nothing to hold my attention and keep me captivated.

Flipping backwards and forward between present and past was poorly executed and the connection between Melissa as a child and an adult seemed an unnecessary addition to the story line and offered little substance to the overall story line.

Totally pulls you in from page 1! Each chapter pulls you in a little more each time! Compelling and fast paced!

I could not get into this book at all. Very little about this book felt plausible, and the main character was flat and one-dimensional. The story is very slow and has a dual timeline - the past, 1970 where we get Nancy's point of view. And the present day, when Melissa takes her grandson away. We do get some repetition throughout the book. I appreciate the ARC

When Melissa Crawford snatches a crying baby from outside a house, she knows she's done the right thing. She can't bear to see the baby suffer one more day in that house, with those people. With her, baby Gabriel will be safe and loved. She is his grandmother after all. But as Melissa is making her escape, she is involved in a terrible accident that forces her into hiding She can't believe she's been so careless - now she has to lie low and let the dust settle. Gabriel's parents won't care where he is, they'll be glad he's gone, but if she goes to prison, who will care for the baby? Who will keep him safe?

The pace is on the slow side, which could put some people off reading this book. The characters also felt a bit one-dimensional. The story has a dual timeline - the past, 1970 where we get Nancy's point of view. And the present day, when Melissa takes her grandson away. We do get some repetition throughout the book. The story is told from Nancy and Melissa's perspectives. Nancy's story is about abuse from a well-respected man in the community. Everything starts going wrong as soon as Melissa takes baby Gabriel. This is an easy book to read.

Published 23rd August 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #JABaker for my ARC of #HushLittleBaby in exchange for an honest review.

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Melissa feels that her grandson, Gabriel, is being neglected by his mum and dad. One day she steals him from the garden he is left in, and what follows is horrendous for her. All she’s trying to do is keep her grandson safe.

I felt for Melissa, she feels that she must protect her grandchild, but she has forgotten how hard it is to look after a little one again. Melissa has issues of her own and life isn’t easy for her. I could understand where she was coming from.

The story is told over two separate timelines, now and back in 1970. I spent most of this book on edge, it was so intense. I had to know what was going to happen to Melissa and Gabriel. I also had to know what happened back in 1970 to Nancy and her children, which was such an integral part of the story.

And as for the final few chapters … my jaw dropped well and truly. It really was an ending that I didn’t suspect at all.

My thanks to Boldwood and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

4 ⭐️
when melissa kidnaps her grandson she will do anything to keep him safe. this psychological thriller takes us on the journey of melissa being on the run with her grandson to protect him. overall this was a good story and i enjoyed it- i was however a little annoyed with the constant crying. but, it did have some twists i didn't see coming.

thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for accepting my request for an early copy of this psychological thriller.
This book is written in two points of view, one is of Melissa who is the Grandma of Gabriel, she has concerns that he's not being looked after and decides to kidnap him.
The other point of view is based back in 1970 as Nancy lives a seemingly lovely life with her Gp husband Roger, but no one knows what goes on behind closed doors.
I really enjoyed this book. There are connecting threads which concluded to a thriller end. I found it a great fast paced thriller. This isn't my first read of JA Baker's books so I had high expectations and it didnt fail to impress me. A good 5 star read!

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Hush Little Baby’ written by J A Baker in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Melissa takes a baby boy from outside a house where he’s been left unattended. She’s spent a lot of time watching the baby’s parents mistreat him and feels she has a duty to take away the boy she names Gabriel and care for him as they should be doing. But Melissa’s finding it difficult at her age to care for a young baby who’s constantly crying and needing attention especially as he doesn’t look well.

‘Hush Little Baby’ has two threads running through it, Melissa who takes baby Gabriel away from his parents, and Nancy who’s suffering from abuse and bullying by her husband, the well-respected Dr Roger Fitzgerald, who ensures the bruises he causes are hidden from the eyes of his adoring patients and colleagues. The beginning of the story had me interested as I tried to make a connection between Melissa and Nancy then it slowed down and I got frustrated as there was so much repetition. The final chapters concerning domestic abuse and mental health were dealt with sympathetically and I’m glad I didn’t give up on it as the final chapters brought closure and gave a greater understanding of Melissa and her earlier life. I’m happy to recommend it.

My thanks to Net Galley and Boldwood Books for this arc to review. Unfortunately this book missed the mark for me big time..I was going to.give a 2 star but the twist at the end let me give it a 3.

My first problem. Melissa kidnaps her grandson because of neglect from his parents. Is it her son or daughters child? That is not established till the very end. Secondly, I have to agree with the other reviewers. Too much description with the baby care. That could have been shortened. Third, I did not feel this was a Psychological thriller.. It seemed more of family drama.

On the positive, it was a quick read. I did like the 1970 pov in between that gave you a background as to why Melissa was the way she was. Unfortunately I can't recommend this book.

Review


Hush Little baby
By J.A Baker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please read trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review an ARC of this book.


Melissa is very unhinged from the start. I knew something was off right away but I was not expecting that ending!

I enjoyed the flash backs of Melissa childhood seeing the abuse her mother went through and how it shapped who Melissa became. You can’t help but feel bad for Melissa knowing what she went through as a child and then seeing her struggle with her grandson.

This book read very fast paced, with twists and turns that left me questioning what was going to happen next.

I look forward to reading more books by J.A Baker.

First off, thank you to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the digital arc of Hush Little Baby.

Make sure you check your trigger warnings for this one. I know not everyone can handle every situation.

This book is told in 2 povs. One is present-day with Melissa who feels her son and daughter-in-law are neglecting her grandson, Gabriel, so she decides to kidnap him. The other is from 1970 with Nancy as she goes through life living with her husband Roger.
After taking Gabriel, Melissa was involved in a terrible accident and had to lie low for a bit. It seems a lot of things go wrong for her. The dueling POV helps the reader get more context about some of what is going on in the present-day timeline.

For me, it didn't quite have the suspense most thrillers have. I was left wanting more from the story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I enjoyed the storyline and the plot of this book. However, some parts were drawn out and very repetitive. Maybe it was done on purpose to make us feel how the main character is feeling but I found myself skipping ahead a few times. I almost walked away from the book but I am glad I finished. I was hoping there would be an epilogue for that ending 🤣

Thank you to NetGallery for providing an ARC for an honest review! I am excited to read more from this author!

This book seemed pretty good right off the bat, our main character Melissa kidnaps her grandson because she believes he’s being neglected and would live a better life with her. We follow her as she’s on the run. We also get flashback chapters from 1970 following Nancy, and the abuse she endured.

I don’t know if it’s my choice of books recently, or if it’s just me but this book had so many descriptions we didn’t need. There is nothing wrong with being descriptive, but when it serves no purpose to the story then it feels irrelevant. There was also quite a bit of repetition that was totally unnecessary.

I very much enjoyed this in the beginning, it gripped my attention, it reads fast-paced. As the story progressed it kind of lost that pace and was hard to slug through at times. There was a twist at the end that I wasn’t expecting, resulting in my 3 star rating. Not sure I would consider this a thriller, but I found it enjoyable.