thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Sam Vickery for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

i have never read a thriller about surrogacy before but after this one i am going to be on the hunt for more!
i really enjoyed the 2 POVs of the main characters and their opposite positions of surrogacy shown. Elise is expecting a baby through surrogacy from her cold & distant sister Julia, and Maya is a surrogate for a couple who are a little controlling at times. i really could not tell who the kidnapper was going to be throughout the story but i was at the edge of my seat after the 70% mark!! the twists were twisty!!

this audiobook was very well done i love dual narration so you can always tell who’s POV we are in. they really brought the story to life and keep your attention. i def recommend the audiobook!!

4.5 rounded up.

If you’re into unhinged protagonist (in the most fun-to-read way) this is for you!

Premise: they say to take your destiny into your own hands. All she ever wanted was to be a mother, but things didn’t work out for her - so she gives fate a nudge, kidnapping a baby from the hospital. Now she’s determined to do whatever it takes to keep her (not actually her!) baby.

The story unfolds mostly before the above-mentioned kidnapping, so tension is high throughout. Some of the twists are pretty obvious if you’ve ever read a domestic thriller before, but the voice and style are so bingeable I didn’t care at all. As a huge fan of popcorn thrillers, I devoured this!

I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Sofia Zervudachi and Katy Sobey. They both did such a great job, adding extra dimension to the characters, bringing emotion through in their read, and all around enriching an already super-engaging story. I highly recommend the audiobook version!

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

Rating: 4.5 stars
The Perfect Baby is an emotionally gripping thriller that takes readers on a twisty and unpredictable ride. Without giving away any spoilers, this book keeps you on your toes from start to finish. It’s centered around the tension and emotions of family relationships, with characters whose motivations are as complex as the secrets they guard. The storyline touches on themes of motherhood, desire, and deception, making it a multifaceted exploration of human psychology, as much as it is a gripping thriller.

As a reader who can usually predict the twists of a thriller by the middle, I have to admit The Perfect Baby truly surprised me. Sam Vickery masterfully weaves in layers of suspense and intrigue, keeping you hooked and emotionally invested throughout. Vickery doesn’t just craft a compelling plot, but also makes you care deeply about the characters, sparking a genuine concern for their fates.

The audiobook narration by Sofia Zervudachi and Katy Sobey was outstanding. They breathed life into the characters and heightened the emotional intensity of the story. There was a moment during the audiobook where I found myself tearing up, and I credit that fully to the skillful narration. Zervudachi and Sobey’s performances made the characters feel vivid, raw, and deeply human, making it impossible to remain detached.

I highly recommend The Perfect Baby to anyone who enjoys a thriller that will not only keep you guessing but also pull at your heartstrings. If you’re looking for a twisty plot with unexpected turns and strong emotional connections, this is the book for you.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture, and Sam Vickery for the opportunity to listen and review The Perfect Baby. I thoroughly enjoyed listening.

I REALLY enjoyed this one, and listened to the whole thing in 24 hours.
The narrator did a cracking job.
The subject matter of surrogacy is a great talking point, and I liked how it gave a many sided argument to it. Some of which I'd never considered.
Whilst I thought myself quite clever to guess one big plot line, I did not see all the twists and turns coming, and that's probably why I listened to it so quickly.

It's the sign of a good book when you're left wanting more , and I definitely was.

The Perfect Baby was a Netgalley audio offering and I was desperate to find a new book so, without reading any of the description, I requested this one. Why? Because I'm "that" shallow person who only needs to be drawn in by cover and title to start a book.

I am addicted to domestic thrillers and all the ways normal family life goes awry, frequently ending in muuuurrrderrr. My two auto draws to read are 1) use of the word Perfect. Aw, I love that in a title. The Perfect Couple, The Perfect Neighbors, The Perfect Family - I am in. So, here I come perfect baby.
2) The next is font and color. Take a look at domestic thrillers and they tend to use that yellow/gold beautiful font, frequently with a blue background. Chef's kiss.

I started this audio and.......ugh.......hated it. It features surrogate mothers and infertility and I hate both those topics. With a passion. That, coupled with the narrators voice, and I really regretted my life choices. Alas, I'd made a promise to read and review so I carried on.

Oh my gosh was I glad for my stick-to-itiveness. After the first few chapters I was fully invested. The narrators accent and pitch grew on me, and I was slowly drawn into a story featuring women I liked. Despite my own infertility challenges, or perhaps because of them, the story was compelling. And, then, BAM, Sam Vickery threw out a plot twist I never saw coming and made everything PERFECT.

I'm now off to investigate Vickery's previous works.

I was not expecting that! The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery as an absolutely shocking domestic thriller. I've read several thrillers centered around surrogacy and pregnancy and most of them have been easy to predict and boring. This book started off that way for me. And I was still enjoying it but I had been hoping for something more. Then boom, a plot twist I didn't see coming at all that completely changed the story. It has been such a long time since a plot twist caught me so off guard. The audiobook narration done by Sofia Zervudachi and Katy Sobey was wonderful. This is a must read if you're looking for a domestic thriller with a killer twist.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.