Absolutely addictive! I could not stop listening to this, the suspense, the pace, the twist, the tension, everything had me hooked! Looking into this authors other books now!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to listen and review!
4 stars from me!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

This book gave me serious anxiety and if words on a page about people who aren't even real can do that, then I class that as a successful story.

Loved the jeopardy. The main character was so naive which usually annoys me but I felt so sorry for her. I loved the hate the baddies and the story was quite an original twist on the baby snatcher type hallmark tale.

Can't wait to read some more from McDine.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for a pre-published copy of this book/audiobook.
This book has you on your toes at the top of a spiral staircase. Your hands become white knuckled holding the railings until you trip and fall and have an unexpected ending.

I became invested into this story and enjoyed all the twists and turns this book had to offer. The narration was amazing and I enjoyed the storyline given by AJ. I would read more of his books in a heartbeat.

At first you are lead to believe Lucy is "bloody mad" and has stollen a baby, but Wow halfway through, the call Tess makes! As a reader I was already suspicious of Miles for drugging Lucy. The story carries on and you find out all the big secrets that Miles has been hiding.

This was a captivating read. As a mother, I was so invested in this one. It's not hard to figure out who the villain is early on but it's impossible to predict all the twists and turns, because it will not be how you figured. HEA is subjective. Wild ride!

4⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller
Setting ~ UK
Publication date ~ April 23, 2024
Page Count ~ 318 (65 chapters)
Audio length ~8 hours 5 minutes
Narrator ~ Tamsin Kennard
POV ~ single 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ manipulation, gaslighting, miscarriage, r@pe

Lucy often tips back the drink when she's on her own weeks on end while husband, Miles, is working on an oil rig. But this time she must've completely blacked out because somehow there's a baby just chilling in a drawer in the living room.

You can't help but be invested in finding out how this sweet boy got there and who he belongs to. As the story progressed I did figure it out, along with every other twist, but I still enjoyed listening to this unreliable narrator figure it out on her own. Boy was she unreliable though with her drinking as a coping mechanism, yet she's relatable and I felt bad for her.

Overall, this was a solid, fast paced read with a completely satisfying ending. My first experience with this author was a great one, so I'll for sure read her work again.

Narration notes:
Tamsin does a wonderful job, as usual.

Excellent narrator - flawless switching between characters.
This is an excellent whirlwind spin of a book - highly recommended

The Baby - written by A J McDine and narrated by Tamsin Kennard is stunning. Utterly stunning,

Tamsin Kennards narration is outstanding, from the lightest nuances to the darkest, through accents and personalities, her performance is off the charts. Brilliant

Lucy Quinn wakes up, she has blacked out again and she's not sure how. She's had a drinking problem for a long while but doesn't remember how much she had. The last thing she remembered was talking to an old friend in a hotel bar and now she is back at home, feeling rough as old rags and with a strange feeling that she is not alone.

Lucy is not alone. As she is trying to function, she hears a noise in her living room and when she ventures in there, there is a baby, snuggled in a fleece in the bottom drawer of the dresser and a black changing bag is hung on the chair. However, Lucy cannot have children.

Where did the baby come from? What happened? What will her husband Miles say?

The thing is, when Miles returns from the rig, he doesn't want Lucy to report the baby's whereabouts to the police. Miles wants to keep the baby and insists on calling him Max, not Ren as Lucy has called him since he arrived. Then a phone call from Lucy's friend Jess sets into motion a series of discoveries that changes Lucy's world exponentially.

As Lucy learns more and more and questions her sanity, a flashback spurred on by the smell of sage andonion stuffing blows her world apart and sets her mind to taking action, leading to a twist that blew my mind

A J McDine writes conversationally, in an engaging way, building the suspense and pace, weaving a web of deceit and lies, building a picture of discovery and reaction. Lucy is relatable, Miles is at once unlikable and a dark character and the sisters Shona and Rae have an endearing back story. Very well constructed and utterly compelling, a new favourite thriller author for my list

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, the author AJ McDine and narrator Tamsin Kennard for this outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

What do you mean this author has written loads of books? Where’ve I been? Plenty for the TBR list!

Wow! I was completely hooked. Which considering I’m struggling with concentration right now is really something. Fast paced, gripping, original and absolutely stunning work. A complete page turner.

Absolutely loved the narration aswell.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

This was a fast paced, entertaining popcorn thriller

Lucy wakes up from an alcoholic blackout and finds a baby in her house. She has no memory of the day before and no idea who the baby is!

Her husband is due back from working away, so Lucy quickly begins to investigate. Through her research, she begins to realize a lot about herself, and her marriage

The book is just over 300 pages, 8-hour audiobook and I sped through it so quickly! It was so gripping and I loved Lucy immediately. I loved how deeply and easily we got to know each character, and really appreciated how every word was there for a reason - no flowery descriptions or pointless pages like a lot of suspense books

Tamsin Kennard is a great narrator and new to me, though not a stranger to popcorn thrillers. Her accents are spot on and she definitely added to my enjoyment of the book

I’m usually triggered by gaslighting and there’s a lot in this book, but the pace was so fast, I had faith and kept going. There are a bunch of reveals and twists - some I thought obvious, but one was shocking!

I feel like I struck the popcorn thriller jackpot with both author and narrator and will be going through their backlog asap

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

It took me a while to reconcile the actions of Lucy at the beginning of the story, but the more I listened the more I found myself drawn into this book. The tale's depiction of alcoholism and controlling behaviour is excellent in highlighting a correlation between the two dependencies, and how they manifest in reality, making this a suitably unsettling but ultimately gripping book.

This audio book really gripped me as it unwound. It was very well narrated and well written. The author knows the audience and I spared the day to finish it as it was so good.
Full of twists and how the relationships work. Although it was apparent the who but not the how and the why and listening to it unravel was a complete joy.

Wow... This book is full of craziness. It is so good, and well written. It's a must read if you like mystery books. Can you imagine waking up and finding a baby in your house that isn't yours?! You can't remember the night before or where the baby came from? I listened to the audio book and the narration was great!

What. A. Treat!

Wow, did I gobble this up. It was just delightful, the voice worked so well!

If you’re familiar with thrillers at all, or if you’ve read Girl in the Train, it’s very obvious from the beginning who the baby is and who the bad guy is. Doesn’t matter, the story is so engaging and the protagonist such a great hang that I didn’t want to put this down despite knowing the twists to come.

AJ McDine is a new instaread for me!

📚 Series or Standalone: standalone
📚 Genre: thriller
📚 Target Age Group: adult
📚 Cliffhanger: no

✨ Will I Reread: YES
✨ Recommended For: fans of Freida McFadden, Daniel Hurst, Girl on the Train, Gone Girl, unreliable narrators

💕 Characters: 5/5
💕 Writing: 5/5
💕 Plot: 5/5
💕 Pacing: 5/5
💕 Unputdownability: 5/5
💕 Enjoyment: 5/5
💕 Book Cover: 5/5

Thanks, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A good twisty book. Not really sure what will happen next.

Also somehow a happy ending for a thriller/mystery book.