Sam Vickery’s new book is a gripping, twist filled thriller that left my head spinning. The story follows Elise, whose sister Julia is acting as her seemingly reluctant surrogate, and Maya, who is carrying a baby for a controlling couple.

As the pregnancies progress, tension builds, secrets surface, and just when you think you’ve figured it out, the plot takes a turn that completely blindsides you! The pacing is done well, and while there are a few moments that stretch believability, the shocking twists and emotional rollercoaster kept me hooked until the very end.

Be warned, the cliffhanger will have you begging for a sequel!

***Contained a few MA words, and a brief MA scene

Huge thank you to @netgalley and Bookouture
for the advanced audiobook copy!

This was a good listen with a weird plot but it worked as the storyline went on there was lots of twists and turns to the storyline which made it a really interesting storyline

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.

Audiobook: I did enjoy listening to this book while I wasn’t reading the ebook. The quality of the audio was great; I appreciated the use of two narrators. Each one brought the characters to life.

Happy publication day. Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC.. Unfortunately I DNFed Oscar 20%.. I couldn’t get past the pregnancy talks, which isn’t the books fault, just a trigger for me!

Oh boy!!! This book truly blew me away after chapter 8. Initially, I thought it was going to be another run-of-the-mill surrogacy story, one of those predictable plots that tries to pass as a suspense novel. To be honest, I was starting to feel a little bored and almost put it down. But I’m so glad I stuck with it because, wow, was I wrong!

As the story unfolded, I found myself completely hooked. OMG! I couldn’t believe the twists and turns—it kept me guessing at every page. I remember posting on my Facebook, “She did what?! Oh no, not the husband! How could it be her fault?” I was utterly confused but in the best way possible because the suspense kept me eagerly turning the pages. The way the author tied everything together at the end was absolutely brilliant. It all made sense, and the resolution left me craving more. I can’t wait for part two to come out!

And let’s talk about the narrator—FREAKING BRAVO! 👏🏽 They truly brought this story to life, making it feel like I was right there in the thick of it. I could vividly imagine being in those tense meetings, running across the street, spying on people. The atmosphere was perfectly set, and the narration only enhanced the experience.

Overall, this book exceeded my expectations. It transformed from what I thought would be a predictable story into an exhilarating rollercoaster of suspense. If you’re on the fence about this one, trust me, stick with it—you won’t regret it. Now, I’m eagerly counting down the days until the next installment. This is definitely a must-read!

Thank you Net galley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy of this audiobook. Sofia Zervudachi and Katy Sobey are wonderful narrators giving the thriller vibes but I was challenged to keep track of the characters initially. The prologue sets the scene but you are left not knowing what it is really setting. Surrogacy is the overall vibe with lots of other issues thrown in.

🤱Three female POVs
🤱Dual timelines
🤱Not a creepy kid/baby story
🤱infertility, surrogacy, PTSD, revenge story
🤱Heavy aspect on PTSD and mental health illness

⚠️⚠️⚠️
Layered story about women who deal with surrogacy in different ways. How one random character's addiction can have a ripple effect and will forever change the life of four women. Maya and Elise - two MCs
Julia and Nina - supporting characters


⚠️Spoilers
This story wasn't what I expected.
The title should have been the perfect babies since Elise took both Julia's and Maya's babies to complete her revenge. One boy and girl she named Phoenix and Nova to remember her late husband and child by. This is the first thriller I've read dealing with surrogacy. The narration is good and will keep you engrossed if you don't mind a slow build up until about 70% and the twist in the end left me feeling baffled and blindsided.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the arc 🎧📕

4✨

This is the first thriller I’ve read with surrogate mothers, which was quite a change of pace and definitely gave me some things to think about. It had a nice pace and I definitely didn’t see the end coming at all, which I always appreciate.

Elise, Maya, Julia, and Nina. Four women whose lives will be forever changed by one decision.

Elise's sister Julia is carrying a baby for her through surrogacy. Despite this intimate connection, the sisters have a strained relationship. Julia is cold and distant towards Elise, making the situation even more complicated.

Maya is also carrying a baby for a couple, Nina and Will, who are controlling and demanding. Elise and Maya become friends at a surrogacy support group, and their lives are unexpectedly intertwined.

I was engrossed in this book from start to finish, with its surprising twists and excellent audio narration.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and the author for an ALC of the book.

The Perfect Baby is a thrilling story about two women who become friends while helping each other have babies. But things take a dark turn when they discover secrets and lies. The story ends suddenly, leaving readers wanting to know what happens next. It's a good book for people who like exciting stories with unexpected twists.

the perfect baby by sam vickery💛🖤

rated by me, and my boyfriend rob🫶🏼

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW

well, if we could rate this above 5, believe me we would!! actually, we make the rules here so why not?

rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

where do we begin?! this was our first time listening to an audiobook, and my first thriller of the year and wow am i glad netgalley gave me the opportunity to listen to this pre release!! i’m forever grateful!!🙌🏼

the characters were so emotionally charged we were invested from chapter one, it made us feel like flies on the wall to their lives! going through their motions and all their pain, the happiness and feeling all of their emotions in ourselves!!

the way sam has written this book is just incredible, and the narrators really just brought it to life - am i an audiobook girlie now?!👀

GUYS!! dual POV paired with a dual timeline?! you just know im a lover and now rob is too!! it honestly made it a true page turner (audiobook style) and we definitely had one too many late nights because of this book…

the twists, the turns, all had us holding our breath, waiting for the suspense to come to an end, only to be given another twist as one ended 🌪️ AND HONESTLY the plot twist in this book you just won’t see it coming!! i’ll be forever thinking of it🧠

truly an amazing book!!

i will be buying the physical copy of this book, just because🤭

Well this story wasn't what I expected. Sam Vickery has chosen a interesting topic with The Perfect Baby as it delves into a twisting tale of birth, death and surrogacy, and although I found it took a while to get into the story, and at times I wondered where it was heading, I found the final 1/3rd definitely livened up and I'm glad I kept with it. Great twist at the end.

The Perfect Baby tells the story of Elise, who joins a surrogacy support group as her sister, Julia is carrying her baby for her. Elise meets and befriends Maya, who is surrogate for a controlling couple. Maya has chosen to become a surrogate to repent for her past, whilst Elise feels that she is 'owed' a baby. Everyone has their own secrets that collide to create an explosive ending.

This book was an absolute whirlwind! It was fast-paced and full of action with one heck of a twist that I didn't see coming.

I found that the topic of surrogacy made for an interesting storyline and I was very much invested in the characters' journeys.

My thanks to NetGalley and the Publishers for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

I received this audiobook via NetGalley but opinions are my own. I struggled with about the first 75% of the book, but then a twist was revealed and I really enjoyed it. I absolutely did not see the twist coming. I found myself empathizing with but also being angry with one of the main characters. I do tend to have a bit harder time with narrators with non American accents, but that’s a me issue. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review!

I truly tried to read this one and I couldn’t. I don’t know is it me problem or the book problem but I just can’t torture myself. After a few miss with picking books, I think it’s time for me to stop requesting them for some time.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Unreliable Narrator, Kidnapping, Sympathetic Villain
POV: Multiple, 1st Person
Cliffhanger?: Kind of

The Praise: I really liked this. It kept me on the edge of my seat and though I thought I knew what the twist would be, I hadn’t solved the whole puzzle. This is definitely a book that you’ll want to read twice to see what little clues you missed. The characters were interesting and easy to sympathize with, but I won’t say more to avoid spoiling anything.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrators. They did a fantastic job conveying the characters’ emotions which kept me immersed in the story.

The Critique: None!

Final Thoughts: This was really twisty snd interesting! Definitely recommend it if you like to be caught off guard like I do!

A thriller with themes of surrogacy and loss. I’ve read many thrillers but never encountered one revolving around surrogacy. Tension builds slowly from the start and then bam! There is a fantastic plot twist that I didn’t see coming! I listened to the audiobook and I had to rewind and listen again. Many twists are predictable but my jaw hit the floor with this one.

The audiobook version had good narration and utilised different narrators for different characters though some sounded similar and it was challenging to figure out which character was talking at times until the story developed.

Overall an engaging story with a slow build to a crescendo finish. Some inaccuracies in the descriptions around substance misuse however probably would go unnoticed by most people without specific knowledge in the area however bugged me a little.

I would recommend this book as the themes are unusual and the twist alone will stay with me for a long time.

I went in blind (highly recommend).

This was my first surrogacy thriller, and it felt fresh. Despite having read many kidnapping, baby-switching, and infertility plots, this plot was unique and kept me on my toes. And that twist? Chef's kiss! Totally blindsided me!

The Players:

Elise - She is desperate for a baby and asks her sister Julia to be her surrogate. Although she agrees, she gradually becomes more distant and cold over time.

Maya is a surrogate for a wealthy and overbearing couple. She has a dark past and sees surrogacy as her redemption.

The characters meet at a group that provides support for surrogacy. Both were interesting to me, but I didn't get too attached, which left me wondering who to trust.

The twist hit hard, and I didn’t see it coming at all. I love when a book inspires you to go back and search for clues. It was brilliantly written.

The dual narration was good, the voices and pacing were similar, which caused some confusion in the beginning. Slowing it down from my usual speed was helpful. I think this would make a great dual read with both audio and a physical copy.

Ultimately, I found this domestic thriller to be a real page turner and downright exhilarating at times with a truly enjoyable twist!

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Sam Vickery for an ALC in exchange for my honest review. It was my pleasure.

It’s a yes for me! 🖤
@deannsdailydrop

Title: The Perfect Baby

Author: Sam Vickery

Length: 267 Pages

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 27th September 2024

Narrators: Sofia Zervudachi, Katy Sobey

Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Drama, Suspense

My Rating: 5/5

Summary:

The story is about 2 ladies Elise and Maya where one of them is about to deliver a baby for someone by being their surrogate while other is awaiting birth of her child where she’s appointed a surrogate. The story is about their friendship and deception where their lives are intertwined by a big Secret.

My Take:

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to read and review this book. The views provided in this blog are my own and I am not paid for this review.

Being a mother whenever a title comes about a baby I am quick to grab it coz I can relate to the feelings narrated from the perspective of a mom. This book was a Psychological thriller and trust me it doesn’t disappoint you at all. To start with, when I finished the book my impression was “Wow!! This was just so unexpected. What a fabulous book and an absolute addictive page turner. The suspense was just mind boggling and not expected at all.” A book is Fun when it is unpredictable and this is just that.

The characters are very well developed and a distinctive trait quite evident. The narration is done from three Women’s perspective and as an audio book version, it is narrated by two and they have done wonderful job making the read worthwhile. The story moves forward where each chapter is narrated from the characters perspective while i feel is a brilliant way of narration.

Book is very fast paced and a page turner as I already mentioned earlier. I could finish the book in just 2 days even after a hectic schedule. The feelings of the women are beautifully portrayed. The women can absolutely relate to it. The Secrets are revealed at a perfect moment. Not a single moment one feels that the book is dragged.

I laid my hands on a fabulous book which would remain with me for a long time. A must read for all the psychosocial thriller fans. Recommended by me

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were fantastic! The storyline got me from the beginning but oh wow, the twists in this one were crazy!! If you like Freida McFadden, you will enjoy this one! Highly recommend!!