I received an arc from net galley in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, you meet the 2 main characters and learn how they fit together, then histories & secrets start to be revealed quite quickly and you just need to know more! I didn’t see the twist coming & lived the quick-ish ending!

I guess I am in the minority. I did not like this. I don't care for Elise or Maya. and especially Ben! I also didn't care for the writing style. it kept hinting about a BIG secret on the part of Elise and Maya, but I just don't care enough to plow through.
I am about 405 in the book and I am done.
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy, but not my cup of tea

Blimey, it's not very often you need a rest after reading a book is it? My heart was racing ten to the dozen through the final half of The Perfect Baby. I had no idea what was coming, but boy when it did what a shocker!

It's a fast paced thriller with twist upon twist, that takes us a dark and quite traumatic journey through child loss, mental health and surrogacy. Unreliable narrators, delusions and erratic thinking will take you up the garden path, then immediately send you off into another direction. Trust me when I say nothing is as it seems!

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's such a gripping read replete with erratic characters, unpredictability and a journey unlike any other.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an e-arc copy in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this book. I liked how it helps show the nuance in surrogacy and how it can be difficult for both sides. I enjoyed the different POVs throughout and enjoyed how they gave more perspective to the story. I did not fully guess the twist. I had some inkling of what might have been going on but the full twist was beyond my detective skill level. This book is great for those who enjoy fast paced thrillers!

The narrator is sure that she's ready to be a mother and take care of a baby, and has found the perfect one at the hospital. Unfortunately, the baby isn't hers to take home.

First and foremost, if you are as worried about the baby as I was, be assured that no harm comes to her. We meet Elise and Maya at a surrogacy support group. Maya is eight months pregnant and the baby she's carrying is meant to go to a lawyer couple. Elise's sister is carrying a child for her, also due in three weeks. Both have secrets about their past and are connected during the group. Maya is carrying the baby as a penance and feels conflicted with how involved and anxious the couple are (calling five or six times a day, restricting her usual activity for fear of miscarriages, etc) and Elise is hurt that her sister is distant and won't involve her at all. There are also heightened emotions within the group itself, as motherhood isn't what they expected, and going the route of surrogacy is more emotional for everyone involved.

This novel is one of emotional tensions. There are the secrets that Elise and Maya are keeping, the tangled feelings in the support group, and the growing possessiveness of the couple. The twist ending was a surprise when we see the truth for ourselves. If you can read s book regarding pregnancy and the conflicted relationships that can arise, this is the book for you.

Reading Between the Wines book review #98/130 for 2024:
BOOK TOUR!
Rating: 3🍷🍷🍷
Book: The Perfect Baby
Author: Sam Vickery
Available now!! Released on September 27, 2024!

Sipping thoughts: A mother’s worst nightmare- you labor for hours ,and then someone takes your baby from the hospital! You don’t get to hold them, feed them, or even change them. The story follows 2 women, one who is pregnant and one who wants to be. A baby gets stolen, but who took it? The twists are perfectly done. You think you know what is going on, but you really don’t. I was not expecting this ending at all!

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @ThePerfectBaby.

#ThePerfectBaby #SamVickery #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers #GeneralFictionAdult #BookTour

Wow. What a book. I wasn't sure what to expect I couldn't put it down and finished in one sitting. A definite recommendation to others.

Thank you for the opportunity to review

Netgalley thank you for allowing me a chance at reading The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery.

This book started off slow, was seemingly a book on drama within the surrogate world turning into hell hath no fury of a mother scorned!!! Hopefully the ending promises revenge on Julia's part ....

This was a fun read! It was my first surrogacy thriller and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t see the twist coming and I liked the ending. I’ll definitely be reading more from Sam Vickery!

The Perfect Baby
by Sam Vickery
Pub Date: Sep 27 2024

This excellent novel is told from the POV's of Elise and Maya, two women who met at a surrogacy support group. Maya is a surrogate for a very demanding couple, while Elise is using her sister as her surrogate. As the story develops, we learn there is much more than meets the eye. This was a twisty, fast paced, and emotional thriller which kept me hooked from the beginning until the last page with a plot twist I did not see coming! This is my first book I've read by author Sam Vickery and I plan on reading more in the future.

Synopsis: All I’ve ever wanted is to be a mother. And as I look into the beautiful, bright blue eyes of this baby tucked up in her blanket, I can’t wait to bring her home with me. Everyone doubted me, but I know I’m ready now. I’m going to give this sweet child the perfect life. I know this little baby is safe in my arms. That I deserve her. That I should do everything in my power to keep her. Even if she wasn’t mine to take...

Many thanks to #ThePerfectBaby #NetGalley and #Bookouture for providing me with an E-ARC of this fantastic 5 STAR book!

The twists in this book were really good! I knew that both main characters had secrets, but I definitely wasn’t expecting what it was!

Wowza, this was excellent! Twists and turns that I could never have seen coming. Will definitely be checking out more of Sam Vickery's work. *Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read the ARC of this.*

This twisty and well written novel is told from the POVs of Elise and Maya, two women who met at a surrogacy support group. Maya is a surrogate for a very demanding and intrusive couple, while Elise is using her sister as her surrogate. Initially, I though this would be a typical thriller that would be all about the intricacies that exist when surrogacy is at hand. Yet what I was in was a ride I couldn't have predicted in a million years!

As this masterfully crafted story develops, we learn that is much more to the plot than meets the eye. These characters were intertwined in a genius way! This was a twisty, fast paced, and emotional thriller that made my mouth drop open at various points in the book. This is my first book by this author, and I can promise it won't be my last!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The book itself was super engaging. The writing style was easy to follow and kept me interested. The reader follows the lives of Elise and Maya, both characters are trying to move forward from events of the past and are navigating a lot of emotions. Elise wants a baby; she’s grateful that her sister is carrying a baby for her. Maya is a surrogate for a doting (yet, controlling and overbearing couple). Eventually Elise begins to feel as though she will not get her baby and Maya starts pulling away from the couple she is surrogating for. I enjoyed the stories of Maya and Elise. The two MCs each have secrets from their pasts that aren’t revealed until later in the book.
Emotions, tension, drama, thrills, etc etc begin to rise and the reader is sent on a wild ride! It’s very twisty! I did suspect some twists, but I definitely didn’t see part of one coming. I felt a little frustrated about the unknown secrets of the MCs pasts, but it comes together toward the end and provided a very thrilling wrap-up of the book.

This is a very twisty tale about two ladies who meet at a surrogacy support group. Maya is pregnant with a baby for a childless couple and Elise's sister is carrying a baby for her. But is all as it seems? It also carries some questions about the ethics and pitfalls of surrogacy. In all it was gripping and I didn't see the twist at the end.

First, I want to thank Sam Vickery, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing this book so I can bring you this review.

Dang!!! Sam Vickery I have missed you and your twisted psychological thrillers!! Your latest The Perfect Baby is one that literally had my mind blown, total shock, and utterly speechless with every twisty turny climatic revelation that came to light. This one has to be put on your TBR list.

Sam would like to dedicate this book to Rob who may someday listen to this story and smile when he hears his name.

Two things I love about Sam’s books is she instantly grasps my attention quickly with her fast paced intense storylines and has me invested into the storyline. The other thing is she always picks a storyline that somehow captures my heart and pulls on my heartstrings. With this storyline she did both.

This is one story that had so many wicked twists, turns, ups and downs, and if you blinked you would totally be lost with what was going on.

Sam tackles a lot of important topics this time around that many women may be able to relate to.

This story would make a great Netflix series that I would totally binge watch!

The Perfect Baby is another fantastic story written by Sam Vickery.
A dark and gripping page-turner full of jaw-dropping secrets.
I enjoyed the book from start yo finish. The various twists and turns were good.
The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle.
The characters are so intricately crafted that you will experience a whirlwind of emotions while reading.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I was hooked from the beginning! This was my first time reading a thriller book involving surrogacy. I wasn’t sure how I’d like it since pregnancy books aren’t usually my favorite but this one was great! I enjoyed the dual narration. It was so interesting reading both sides. The pace was consistent between the two. I wasn’t sure where this was headed but I enjoyed the thrilling ride along the way. I didn’t see the twist coming and just….WOW!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this fantastic arc read!

I've never read a thriller about surrogacy before, and never really thought about that concept prior to reading this, but this definitely put those types of thrillers on the map for me.

This book is told through the POVs of two characters" Elise and Maya, who meet through a surrogacy support group. Elise is using her sister, Julia, as a Surrogate, while Maya is acting as a surrogate for another couple. Elise and Maya connect through similarities in their lives and find support through each other.

However, things are not always what they seem, as we come to find out through the absolutely MAJOR plot twist that I did not see coming at all. I was just going along with the story and then all of the sudden, BOOM, complete twist. Loved it.

My main complaint is about the ending, after the plot twist. It left off on such a cliffhanger and I'm really hoping that there is another book. It makes me sad that the book feels uncomplete because of how the story left off.

Thank you to Sam Vickery, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book. This is my honest review. 4.5 Stars rounded down

The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery is a gripping domestic thriller that dives into the complexities of surrogacy, secrets, and lies. The story follows Elise and Maya, two women who meet at a surrogacy support group. Elise, unable to have children herself, is relying on her sister to carry a baby for her, while Maya is a surrogate for a demanding couple. As their lives intertwine, both women hide dark secrets that lead to unexpected twists and a jaw-dropping ending.

The novel kept me hooked with its alternating timelines, multiple narrators, and the slow unravelling of the characters’ true motives. Though the pacing initially creates some confusion, the mystery builds into a shocking and satisfying conclusion that will leave you stunned. The themes of trust, deception, and the emotional toll of surrogacy are explored in depth, making it a thought-provoking read.

Vickery’s storytelling is full of surprises; the tension and suspense are masterfully handled with a twist in the final part of the book that completely changes the narrative. The Perfect Baby is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers with unpredictable plots.