This captivating story completely engrossed me. It reminded me of "The Girl on the Train" with its thrilling plot and complex characters. The main character's struggle with alcohol addiction leads her to a peculiar situation where she finds herself with a baby. But this is no ordinary baby. It's the baby she has been yearning for, for many years. The story takes an exciting turn when her husband appears and uniquely takes on this unusual situation. The characters' interactions are so well crafted that the story takes off with many phenomenal twists, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.

I was drawn in by the vividly portrayed location, the secrets, and the twists and turns. The ending brought much-needed closure to the characters, and I felt the novel had gone full circle, arriving at the perfect ending. I would recommend this novel to my fellow mystery readers. It's a fast-paced read, ideal for a cozy night with a glass of wine.

I am grateful to Netgalley for providing me with a free and advanced copy of the novel, which allowed me to immerse myself in this brilliant story.

A gripping psychological thriller. When Lucy wakes up after a night out to find a baby in her house not knowing how it got there. Plenty of twists along the way. Well drawn characters it grips you till the end. The narrator did an excellent job. Thanks to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this review copy.

First by this author!

This book didn't disappoint! I loved loved that the MV was not this perfect person was nice change of pace! The MC loses a baby and she cannot get pregnant again due to an accident but one night she is drunk and wakes the next morning with a baby in her house. The plot was very intriguing and loved the authors writing. It kept me intrigued and wanted to find out what was going to happen.

This book was fast paced and kept you engaged.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

I whipped through this book. I wanted to listen to it all day. Thank you so much for the audiobook of this arc. When other books are going to be published by this author I will be planning to read the others… I thought the narration by Tamsin Kennard was phenomenal. Sometimes audiobooks that have narrators that have an accent I cannot tell a lick of what they are saying so I have to slow it down to a super slow speed at first. However, with Tamsin Kennard that was not the case. I will be looking up other books that are narrated by her because I loved it. I also love her accent.
A baby is crying in my house and I do not remember having a baby….where did this baby come from and why is it in a drawer? Lucy tries to remember the transformation of events of the previous night and how a baby got to be in her house. Lucy cannot find however, the reason or the solution. Yes, she had a heavy night of drinking, but where did it come from? Should she go to the police? Should I keep him because he kind of looks a little like me?
The transition of this book from trying to figure out where this baby came from to the backstory on how the baby got there had me in awe. I did not expect any of it. AJ McDine took you all the way over to the outfield and maybe out of the park. I did not see it coming and the whole time I was trying to figure out where it was going to go. I love how everything was connected. If you are looking for a good psychological thriller that will not have you finish until the very end this book is for you! I totally recommend it!
5 starts/5 stars

4.5

The author started this book thrusting you right into a situation with little explanation and I actually loved that. It grabbed me from the start and I was excited for this story to unfold.

Miles' character made me so uncomfortable with his toxic behavior and Lucy I really grew to love and was rooting for. Fantastic character development. I really did enjoy the dynamic of lucy's drinking and how it played out, it wasn't too much and was believable.

Narration was great.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and was entertained the entire time. I devoured this book and read it in less than a day. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

4/5 Stars! Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the audiobook of The Baby by A J McDine narrated by Tamsin Kennard.

The narrator did a fantastic job with narrating this novel. This is my first novel by AJ McDine, and if it's like this with his other books, I'm definitely going to become a fan! Very quick and easy read (or audio session). I did increase the speed to get through it quicker and it is very easy to follow. The characters are well described and the twisted plot got me!

Again, the narrator did a fantastic job keeping my interested and voicing all of the characters. I'm definitely a fan of hers!

Totally binge-able, great pace, stellar narrator, and I loved the ending. 3.5* rounded up to 4.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for an advanced copy of the audio to review.

#TheBaby #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the early copy of the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was fine. Tamsin Kennard's narration was fine.

First of all, I loved that we're following from a POV of a flawed person. She lost her baby and won't be able to be pregnant because of the accident that led to losing her baby. She woke up one night after being so drunk and woke up with a baby in her house.

The premise was so intriguing and the author's writing was very readable. It easily lured me into the story and to care to the main character.

However, when we're finally about to reveal who the baby really is, it switches POV which I find so unnecessary. It somehow lost the thrill but then the author redeemed herself by the end of the story.

I still give this a three-star rating because the intrigue kept me reading and I wanted to know what really transpired. I would recommend it to those who want a fast-paced relatable main character POV.

Exciting and well-described characters. The story is engaging and kept me riveted. It was written and kept me listening well into the night.

The Baby by A J McDine is a great read. I love the pace at which things are revealed to us and the story as a whole. Lucy trying to deal with a desire to be a mom, the cracks in her marriage growing bigger, and trying to not fall into an oblivion with alcohol, the story itself is quite compelling and well written.

I keep notes for every book to help keep facts straight and to write down my guesses. Unfortunately, I knew exactly how the book would unfold before it was 25% through, even the very last twist. I settled on 4 stars since I thoroughly enjoyed the journey but wish something unexpected would have happened.

Tamsin Kennard is in my top 10 list of narrators, and she continues to not disappoint! I love how she becomes the character she is voicing; she is so talented.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ALC.

Lucy wants a baby, but Miles doesn't want one. Lucy and Miles were pregnant before, but they lost it. Miles blames it on Lucy. He says she drinks too much, but he is always offering her wine
Lucy wakes up to find a baby in her living room one morning. She doesn't know who it belongs to or how it got there. Instead of calling the police in fear that she may have gotten sauced and stolen it, she names the baby and begins to take care of it as it's her own.
Miles works on the oil rigs and is never home, so how would he know anyway that she has kept this baby
But he suddenly quits his job and does come home. Funny that he's not suggesting she go to the police about the baby, but it seems his mood has changed, and he wants them to move out of the country with the child
Ehat is he hiding
Why does he suddenly want to be a father, and why would he want to keep a child that mysteriously showed up in his home and not know who it belongs too

I go into books completely blind and I was not really sure what I was getting into with The Baby, but that was such a great book! This was such an addicting listen, I binged it in one day! Lucy was the perfect character. She wakes up after another long night of drinking to find a baby in here home… but she’s the only one whose been home and it’s definitely not her baby. So where did it come from? Lucy is not sure what to do. Should she go to the police? Should she keep him? I mean, no one has reported the baby missing. The twists and the turns of the book after that are mind blowing. So many things I never saw coming, especially that ending!! Holy cow!!


Tamsin Kennard did such a fantastic job narrating the Baby. Sometimes it is difficult for me to listen to a narrator that has a different accent on 2X speed, but Tasman did an amazing job at voicing all characters that I was able to listen to her with zero issue. I will definitely be listening to more of her narrations.

Thank you A.J. McDine, Bookouture, and NetGalley for this ALC of The Baby!

Woooow!
The audio is superb 👌
I never knew what was going to happen next and the ending 🤯
I truly enjoyed this, I found myself wanting to keep listening and just binge it.
I will definitely be thinking about it for awhile.

I downloaded this audioARC from NetGalley and listened to it while doing some admin for work.

I'd say this is a 3.5 star read, rounded up to 4. 3 stars from me means that I believe the author has achieved their aims and it's a good book but that I didn't fall in love with it. 4 stars means that I love the plot or the characters and it's just narrowly missed out on being a favourite. (5 stars means it's a favourite read or listen). In this case, although I didn't *love* the characters or plot, the *pace* of this novel was so exquisite that I could not stop listening - whatever the audio version of a page-turner, this novel is it!

Trigger warnings for miscarriage, coercive control, drugging, and alcoholism. I've experienced multiple miscarriage and found this one of the better factual representations of it, but I know that I would have been triggered if any of my miscarriages were recent. (That said, I wouldn't have picked up a novel called THE BABY if I had recently miscarried). I also found the representation of the narrator's dawning realization of her husband's control to be chillingly accurate, and can imagine it could be either triggering or extremely cathartic for those who have been in similar circumstances.

In short, this is an exceptionally well-written, pacy domestic noir. As the author raises the stakes, things become more and more chaotic and you have to suspend your disbelief a little more. It's a book that will make a brilliant 9pm on a Friday or Saturday night mini-series, and I hope that ITV, Channel 4 and the other TV channels have it in their sights.

I got this audiobook ARC on NetGalley and it’s the first book I’ve read by this author but I will definitely be reading more based on this!
👶🏻 A baby appears in a woman’s house and she doesn’t know where he came from but thinks she might have had something to do with it because she keeps blacking out after drinking. Turns out it is not as clear cut as that and the end had a few twists which were really enjoyable! If you’re looking for a good, fast paced mystery I’d recommend this. It comes out the end of this month!

In “The Baby”, A.J. McDine masterfully weaves a gripping domestic thriller that explores the desperate longing of a woman for a child and the unexpected circumstances that fulfill her desire. The novel introduces us to a protagonist who has always yearned for a baby. One fateful day, she wakes up to find an infant in her living room. Despite her confusion and uncertainty about the baby’s origin, she makes a resolute decision: she will keep the child. This choice sets the stage for a suspenseful narrative that delves into the complexities of relationships and the extraordinary lengths people will go to fulfill their deepest desires.

The book raises thought-provoking questions about desire, morality, and the consequences of our actions. As readers, we are challenged to question the protagonist’s unwavering commitment to the mysterious baby, even in the face of unknown circumstances. We also find ourselves reflecting on the dynamics between the protagonist and her manipulative husband. How far can one push the boundaries of desire?
Tamsin Kennard’s narration is commendable, infusing depth into the characters and authenticity into the narrative. Her ability to guide us through the story ensures an engaging reading experience.

While the premise of “The Baby” is undeniably intriguing, it treads familiar ground—the theme of a vulnerable woman ignoring red flags in a relationship. We’ve encountered similar territory in popular novels like “The Girl on the Train” and “The Woman in the Window”, both featuring unreliable female protagonists with alcohol-related struggles. However, McDine’s treatment of this subject matter, coupled with the suspenseful plot, elevates the book to a worthwhile read. It leaves readers contemplating the limits they would push to fulfill desires and the moral implications of such choices. A memorable journey that keeps you engaged until the final page.

The Baby was good! The author did a
great job at keeping the reader entertained and wanting to keep reading. There were twists and turns all throughout. Even until the very end! I did not expect the ending! I would read another book by this author for sure!

Gripping page turner that is unbelievably… believable! With twists right until the very end! Adding “The Baby” to my list of favourite psychological thrillers! 4.25/5 rating.

The story jumps right into a wild event without building up to it, which is certainly effective to engage the reader. In the first couple chapters, things seemed almost too implausible which at times, could be distracting for me. I kept thinking to myself… WHY WON’T SHE JUST GO TO THE POLICE ALREADY..? However, as time went on, I found it more and more unbelievably… believable! There were twists and turns right up until the very end with short chapters that I am a sucker for!

Normally I am not a fan of when a FMC is unreliable because of their drinking (I read The Woman in the Window and The Girl on the Train back-to-back… I should’ve spaced out those reads), but this was written in a way that was refreshing and new. I so appreciated that. Well done A J McDine!

At the time of my review submission, there are only five other Goodreads reviews on this book. It feels pretty dang cool to be one of the first reviewers because I just KNOW this book is going to blow up, especially when booktok finds it! I can’t wait to share about it!

I listened to this audiobook at 1.75x and finished it in 4hrs 37minutes. I enjoyed the narration by Tamsin Kennard.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio, NetGalley and AJ McDine for sending me this audiobook advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Ever since Lucy suffered a miscarriage she has increased her need for alcohol. Lucy has always wanted to be a mother and she would give anything to have that chance again. However, her husband Miles has always told her that he does not want any children. Miles works away a lot so Lucy can sit at home and indulge in the alcohol all she wants when he is gone. The only problem is she also has blackouts when she drinks and can't remember things that happen so when she heads downstairs one morning and sees there is a 4 month old baby nestled in the drawer of a dresser in her living room, she panics as she has no idea who's baby this is and how it got to her house. She decides to take care of the baby for a couple of days as no one has reported a missing baby and she knows she can provide all the love this baby needs. Once Miles returns home and discovers what she has been doing, things start to get a little crazy.......I really liked this book and all the twists that went along with it....Enjoy!!!

I wasn’t previously familiar with A.J. McDine and we requested this advance audiobook via NetGalley because I love a good psychological thriller and this looked creepy. Who can resist a tagline like, “There’s a baby in your house. It isn’t yours.”

There is indeed a baby in Lucy‘s house, but as she’s coming off of a horrible hangover, she can’t quite re-create the events that led up to this. Did she steal the baby? Does he have a loving mother out there who is missing him? She knows she should call the police but, with a heartbreaking history of trying to become a mother herself, she can’t quite bring herself to do that just yet. She keeps searching the news to see if anyone has reported the baby missing, and no one has. If the mother doesn’t even care enough to report the baby missing, does she deserve him back, anyway?

Lucy‘s husband Miles works at sea on an oil rig and when he comes home to discover this situation, what will he do? What big secrets of his own is he keeping from her, and how does a scent help trigger a memory that unravels Lucy’s life narrative as she thought she knew it? So many fascinating twists and turns here, with ultimately a highly satisfying resolution. I also appreciated the frank discussion of Lucy‘s alcoholism as she grows to understand how it developed into a coping mechanism, and her strength in acknowledging it and seeking help.

A very strong thriller that sucked me right in and did not let go until that deep-breath moment at the end. I’ll be seeking out more from the author. Thanks #NetGalley and #Bookouture for the #ARC!