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.

An okay read for me- I find myself annoyed with the way the story progressed and felt the story lacked the excitement of a real thriller. It felt more drama than thriller to me. Not a horrible read but not my favorite either.

I really enjoyed this book I would say it was more a drama than thriller but I still really enjoyed it. It had some very complex characters. It was very well written and told from the perspective of two different people in two different time periods which helped keep me gripped throughout. I think the very sensitive subject was very well handled. I will definitely be recommending this great book thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

I'm a bit on the fence. I wanted to like it but it was a bit too character driven rather than ha ING much suspense or tension. Its well written and the scene is set with perfect clarity but it just dragged a bit for me. It's set over dual timeliness and they're both written really well and never blur or cause confusion about what period is being described. I can't fault the writing but it just wasn't my style. I've no doubt people who enjoy character driven stories would be wholly invested and get a lot out of it though

The overall story was okay, but I wish there was more to this. I kind of got bored with the constant baby crying and feeding. I did have some heartstrings pull, but I believe this had potential to be so much better than what it was.

My first JA Baker novel and definitely not my last. This book hooked me early on and just refused to let go. Great cast of characters that kept me totally invested in the story. Such great big emotions and really tender topics. All round great read.
Thank you NetGalley, JA Baker and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

Thank you NetGalley and Boldwood Books for letting me get a copy of the book.

Hush Little Baby follows two timelines and two different point of views. The present follows Melissa who feels like her grandson Gabriel is being neglected by his parents her son Robin and daughter -in-law Adele and also flashes back to the year 1970 to the point of view of Nancy. Follow Melissa as she runs with Gabriel and seems to hit bad luck at every turn. He becomes very ill and she battles with doing the right thing of taking him to a hospital or keeping them hidden.

She feels like she is doing the right thing and taking Gabriel away from a neglectful situation. The dual timelines added an interesting layer to the story, providing deeper context and background that influenced Melissa's actions in the present. Melissa's character is undoubtedly troubled and complex, which added to the tension, but the pacing made it difficult to stay fully engaged. I found myself wishing for more shocking twists and turns to keep the momentum going. It took me a few days to get through the book. The twist itself was very sad and made me feel sorry for her still didn’t make doing what she did right.


Overall, while 'Hush Little Baby' had an intriguing premise and complex characters, it didn't quite deliver the suspense I was hoping for. If you're a fan of dual timelines and character-driven stories, you might still find it worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Melissa snatches her grandson away from his neglecting parents. On the run their journey takes them to rural Scottish highlands. When the baby becomes ill and circumstances change, they make the long journey back to Whitby.

This is told present day from Melissa’s pov. A grandmother just trying her best to look after her grandson and keep him safe and well. We also flashback to 1970 and Nancy, Melissa’s mum. Victim of her husband and plotting to get away from him.

This story had a lot of potential and I did really enjoy it to begin. I did find it really frustrating though-a sick baby, a caring grandmother, I really wanted Melissa to do the right thing and seek medical help. The ending was not unexpected, not predictable but not completely out the blue. I did find the whole book quite long winded and unnecessary at times. The last part of the book was also quite long for me and I had to push to finish it. In saying that, now that I’m finished and I’m reflecting I did enjoy the book.

great thriller/drama!!! super fast paced and very well executed. i found myself having a hard time putting this book down. really great book!

I have read several books by J.A. Baker, so I was excited when NetGalley gave me the opportunity to read her newest novel.

The book is written from the perspective of two different people in two different time periods. It wasn’t until the end of chapter 9 that the connection between the two characters became clear. In 1970, Nancy endures abuse and beatings from her controlling husband who is loved and respected by the community. In present day, Melissa kidnaps a baby from in front of the baby’s house because she feels as though the baby isn’t being taken care of properly. Once she has taken the baby, Melissa experiences one unbelievable event after another.

I found the writing to be extremely detailed and repetitive, especially when describing the thoughts going through Melissa’s head. I actually skipped over some paragraphs here and there because I could only read about her being the best person to take care of Gabriel and keep him safe all while it seemed like all he did was cry and eat. I did, however, enjoy some of the vocabulary that the author utilized as I found myself using the dictionary feature more than a handful of times. (This is something I appreciate!)

The ending was completely unexpected and not at all how I thought the book would end.

This wasn't bad. Though that ending wasn't what I was expecting 🤯. It's definitely an unreliable narrator. I was half expecting everything else in the book to be a lie once it was revealed that both her son and grandson weren't alive anymore.

I enjoyed the "flashback" 1970s chapters. It made sense why Melissa was the way she was. The abuse she and her mother suffered from her father. I'm so glad the father got what was coming to him. I hated everything he put then through.

Review posted on goodreads and pending on Amazon.

This book was just ok. Predictable and unlikeable protagonist. It was well written but lacked enough twists. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it

Loved this book! Kept me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. Five stars, hands down. I felt so bad for the main character in the end.

It's becoming all too common to see thrillers described with things like "shocking ending" or "jaw dropping twist" or something similar. Rarely am I shocked and I haven't had to pick my jaw up off the floor of late. But...the ending of this one really came as a surprise to me. This woman is so broken and delusional that you can't help but feel sorry for her. She goes way too far and you know deep down that something isn't right and there is more to this story, but I still did not see the ending coming. It was a really good storyline. The writing was a bit repetitive and there is a lot of crying baby, which is annoying and nerve jangling even just in hearing it described. I think this one is worth picking up if you want something that's a little different.

Omg this book was a wild read! I love thrillers and this one did not disappoint! Words can’t describe how much I loved this book. The plot literally had me on the edge of my seat!