I struggle a little bit to write this review. The premise seemed promising. And the book starts out with quite a proverbial slap across the face. For a while, the book held me and damn if I didn't get angry, frustrated, and wanted to scream on behalf of the main character.



But somehow in all of that, The Baby Group lost my interest. I don't blame the book, it could have been me. The "culprit"wasn't a surprise. The ending seemed a little flat. And there were things that seemed pretty predictable. Normally, I don't guess twists. Mostly because I don't want to and I want to be shocked. But the ones here, I kinda knew what was coming, and the author leads you there pretty easily.



While I did enjoy mostly for the fun of it. At the end it felt a little like a deflated balloon. Fun for a bit and then womp romp.



3/5 Stars

How trusting are you? Do you tend to take people at face value or do you take a bit longer to warm to new acquaintances? What about in those tired, hazy newborn days? Did you bond quickly with new mum friends over lack of sleep and baby-led weaning? This gripping new book by Caroline Corcoran, The Baby Group, had me questioning how well I know the people closest to me, what secrets they might be harbouring and even wondering what they might be capable of!

Scarlett’s maternity leave comes to an end and she heads back to work to resume her much-loved role in digital marketing. But the first day does not go to plan. As she arrives she’s hauled into the boss’s office and informed that all of her colleagues have been sent a video of her in a somewhat compromising situation. As it turns out, they’re actually not the only ones to have seen it, and Scarlett’s carefully constructed world starts to crumble. Who shared the video and what do they hope to gain from doing so? It couldn’t have been one of her close-knit group of NCT friends… could it..?

I really enjoyed this book! It’s intriguing, pacy, and full of twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. I thought the premise really worked because of how often many new parents look for support from others in the same situation, people that, in reality, they actually barely know!

The narrative is largely written from Scarlett’s point of view but with regular very short sections from the perspective of the anonymous, cold and calculating and seemingly resentful and envious culprit. Could it really be one of her closest friends? I found elements of the ending fairly guessable, perhaps because the novel contains relatively few characters, but that didn’t detract at all from my enjoyment of the book.

This is a story that had me pondering on how fragile our carefully sculpted lives can be.

The Baby Group will be published by Avon Books on the 17th September. With thanks to the publisher for gifting me a digital review copy.

With a handsome husband, a cute baby, a beautiful home and a glamorous career, Scarlett Salloway is living the dream. But her life starts unravelling when a sex tape of her taking part in a threesome is sent to all her family, friends and work colleagues. Only Cora, Emma and Asha, the three close friends she made at NCT classes haven't seen it. As Scarlett loses her grip on first her job, then her blog, then her marriage, they rally round – but are they really as supportive as they seem? With the structure of the narrative giving us an insight into the motivations of the person who is out to destroy Scarlett’s life, It’s not giving too much away to say that though she doesn’t know it, the person who betrayed Scarlett is much closer to home than she thinks!
This is such a gripping story! At one stage, Scarlett is accused by her tormentor of bringing her own troubles upon herself, but I think everyone can emphasise with her. Her devastation, her embarrassment, her fears for the future – all ring raw and true.
The parallel themes of friendship and betrayal are thoroughly explored in a fast-paced narrative, but there is another, just as interesting theme lurking below – the question of how we see ourselves and how we portray ourselves to others as we reinvent our lives. Scarlett thinks she’s left the past behind, and she thinks that she has left the woman she was behind, too – but she’s still there, deep inside her and it’s echoes of the younger Scarlett that finally give her the strength and impetus to confront the present in a dramatic denouement that strips bare the fragile fabric not just she, but her baby group friends, have built their lives around.

A tale full of twists with the most unexpected ending. Believable characters that you can really relate to and a warning tale that should resonate with the social media lifestyle that we keep; once its out there it can show it's face anytime when you least expect it! Who would do such a thing to you? Who can you trust? Are those you are closest to as honest as they appear? Couldn't stop reading this and tying to second guess who had betrayed her. Fantastic storyline and a great read.

Someone sent Scarlett's sex tape to everyone- everyone- on her contact list- except the women in her baby group. Scarlett has always portrayed herself as the perfect person; she's in the digital marketing business so knows how to sell herself on her blog. Someone, though, doesn't like her and now her life is falling apart. Cora, Emma, and Asha are the only ones she feels she can turn to- but can she? Well, most of this is narrated from Scarlett's pov as she tried to find out who has done this to her- but it's also told by the person who did it. You might guess who that is but hold on- there's a great twist. I liked Scarlett more than I expected to and rooted for her as she pawed through things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a fast paced and very entertaining read.

Scarlett has the perfect life - new baby, handsome husband, beautiful house, great career and success as a mommy blogger. Until the day a 12 year old sex tape surfaces and is shared with her family, friends and work colleagues. Who is doing this to her and why? As she tries to uncover the truth about the re-surfacing of her past, she leans on the support of a group of women she met when she was pregnant. She needs them to help her get through the craziness but begins to wonder how well she really knows them.

This is an entertaining read with a few twists. While I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by its plot, I felt the author spent too much time repeating things unnecessarily. But I’m glad I read it and was not expecting how it ended!

Ever wonder what it would be like to have your perfect, IG filtered life blown to smithereens for all to see? Well, beautiful and successful mommy blogger, Scarlett, is about to find out when a sex tape made in her former life is emailed to everyone she knows.
Finding little comfort at home, and not knowing whom she can trust, she looks to her new “baby group” mom friends for the support she desperately needs.
This was an engaging story, especially as I’ve been the new mom who had depended on my own “baby group” friends to keep me sane while home taking care of babies. Thankfully, no sex tapes have emerged.
It wasn’t tough to figure out who was sabotaging Scarlett, but the “why” and “how” was fun to discover.
Thanks to #netgalley and #avonpaperback for this ARC of #TheBabyGroup in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is my first Caroline Corcoran book and sadly it will be my last. This book was so slow paced.... but it did suck you into the story enough to want to know who did it. It will appease some thriller addicts because it does make it hard to figure out but it is too slow paced to be called a thriller in my opinion. I am sure it will appeal to thriller lovers. Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books for my honest review.

This is a thriller that you will not be able to put down, you will become addicted to each character and their story. When Scarlett's golden life begins to unravel quickly after video surfaces she is forced to figure out who is with her and who is against her. Scarlett must face her past and it's not going to be pretty.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

Scarlett's life seems perfect. She has a loving husband and a new baby daughter. She also has a successful parenting blog. One day she receives a sex tape that had been recorded when she was younger. It has been sent to everyone she knows. Everyone has seen the rape except the women who are her new mum friends: Asha, Emma and Cora.

The story has a decent pace. Tge four women met at antenatal classes and they have remained firm friends. The story is told from Scarlett and the anonymous persons perspectives. Scarlett's life seem perfect but the facade is shattered when the sex tape is sent to everyone she knows except for the baby group friends. Scarlett has to delve into her past to try and find out the answers. Is her friends as innocent as they seen.? This book is packed full of secrets and lies.to keep you guessing.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #AvonBooksUK and the author #CarolineCorcoran for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

it was ok. I understand that people have different sets of friends. Mat leave is hard. We all have a past, some harder/more fun or "different" than others but it doesn't mean that you should get treated differently because of it.

I get why the person did what the person did but not really. It was really cruel for not the right reasons. I hope it makes sense.

I know i say it a lot but i was hoping for more... more of what... not sure.

Still a decent read.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC !!!

Scarlett is a new mom and like most new moms is in a baby group with other women. She thought they were all friends until one day someone sends a sex tape to all her contacts. Every one including her family friends and job. Just not her Mom group. A bad one one from her twenties of which was a threesome with two men. Scarlett has everything a blog, a wonderful husband and she lives in an upscale neighborhood in England and can be anyone she wants to be. Scarlett must find out who did this before everything falls apart and everyone knows all her secrets.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I liked this novel. It was full of unexpected twists and turns. Very entertaining. The character development was great.

The Baby Group by Caroline Corcoran is a fast read with a great plot, and the entire time I was reading, I kept thinking “who?” and “why?” Scarlett is a new mom with a group of mom friends. She seems to have this amazing life but someone has it in for her because a tape gets circulated of her in a compromising position. You can imagine how upset Scarlett is when that happens!

Take a look:

Scarlett’s golden life suddenly unravels when someone sends a shocking video of her to everyone she knows. The only people who claim they haven’t seen it are the friends in her new mothers’ group: Fiona, Emma, and Asha.

Scarlett is forced to delve into her past to discover who is out to get her. But as her circle of trust gathers around her, she has to ask – are her friends as innocent as they seem?

I love books like this- quick reads that keep the reader fully interested in seeing what happens next! Lots of fun and highly recommended!

Scarlett, from the outside, appears to have it all, a picture perfect life. On the day she's due to return to work from maternity leave, whilst a little anxious but looking forward to her return, everything changes. It's brought to her attention that a sex tape of her has been sent to colleagues, family, friends excluding those recent friendships from the baby group... and the story begins....

What else do they know? Is this her only secret, threatening to unravel life as she knows it. The baby group takes us on a journey on who may have done this to her and why. Leaving Scarlett questioning most people, including those closer to home. Causing her to be edgy and out of character, with the potential to lose everything she has now.

More a mystery than a thriller, it was a good read but the pace wasn't as fast as I'd hoped. A few twists and turns at the end, but worth reading.

First of all, thank you Netgalley, Avon Books UK and Caroline Corcoran for this EARC in exchange for an honest review.
Scarlett's "perfect" life is destroyed when a video of her past appers on the Internet and is sent to her work colleagues, friends and relatives. The only people who have not seen it are Scarlett's new friends at the mum group she attends to and so these three other new mums are the only people she can trust now, but can she really?
This book kept me intrigued all through its pages with all the twists and turns. I changed my mind about who the guilty person (the one that sent the video) was a lot of times and i think that is what makes a good thriller in my opinion. I also loved how real the life of a woman who becomes a mum for the first time was depicted. I could totally relate to that even though my son is almost 7 now.
And finally, i liked how this book tells you that you can show a perfect life to people on social media when in fact your life is far from perfect. So never trust what you see 100 per cent.
I totally recommend this book to lovers of domestic thrillers.

Scarlett perfect mom, ideal life, that is until... a victim of modern life, a video surfaces and reeks havoc in her life. Desperate to find the source of her troubles, she finds support from the only people in her circle who claim they are above falling prey to viewing the video. As Scarlett digs under the surface of her life she is forced to contend with issues and truths she had hoped were resolved.i was hoping for a gigantic twist in the end that’s not to say the ending fell short, it’s just a bang is better than a whisper.

Scarlett learns the meaning of be careful who you trust. Her life once appeared perfect, until something from her past is leaked. She wonders who her real friends are.

Numerous twists keep the reader engaged, though I did figure some of the out in advance. Some of Scarlett's fears and insecurities will likely resonate with new mothers. Lots of suspicious people to keep the reader guessing. The pace was slower than I prefer, but this wan an okay read overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance ARC in return for an honest review.

The Babygroup was described as a gripping thriller. Scarlett’s golden life unravels when someone sends a video of her having a threesome to everyone she knows. A video Scarlett didn't know existed until she sees it.

Scarlett leaves her job and has to delve into her past to find out where the video came from and why it was released now.

For me this is the problem with the novel.

All three participants are victims here. but Scarlett appears to be in this on her own. A victim of what looked to me to be revenge porn, and from my cursory glance at English law carries a sentence of up to two years imprisonment for the person who released the video.

For me the plot failed here and if I did not feel this way about the plot, I may have enjoyed this better.

Brilliant
Definitely recommend to others
The characters and storyline were brilliant
Definitely deserves a 4 star
I couldn't put it down