Four star thriller! Loved the twists and turns of this one. I felt the struggles of the first time mom through the story line so hard to figure out what was actually happening and kept me on my toes. Highly recommend!

Lots of surprises at the end. Throughout the book I felt like i knew where the ending was taking us, but loved how there were a couple surprises I didn’t predict! I had the pleasure of listening to the audio version. The narrator was enjoyable and easy to listen to.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

"The sleep deprivation of motherhood is a silent destroyer of any new mum’s sanity and emotions."

Or so it would seem in the twisty First Time Mother, by the reliable, always gives us the shocking ending you won't see coming, author A.J. Campbell.

Annie is a new mother. Lola won't sleep, won't stop crying. Her husband Max is trying to be sympathetic, but he already raised his spoiled 17 year old twins with his first wife; and he's trying to sell his business and can't take off work to help her.

However, when there's a kitchen fire, when Annie has no memory of conversations, and then there's a startling death in the room next to where Annie fell asleep, and she hears nothing, well maybe something else, besides a tired first time mother, is going on with Annie...maybe something sinister!

Listening to voice actress Tamsin Kennard heightened panic, confusion and fear as Annie was a visceral experience deserving of a standing ovation. There were some reveals I knew right away but that ending was nowhere in my mind for this family drama thriller.

Did I mention that there is also reconstruction going on at the house? Constant hammering, drilling, people coming in and out of the house? Yeah it's a lot for a first time mother...and then Lola is missing!

If this is your first time reading or listening to this writer, after this shocking, what just happened ending, it won't be your last time seeking out her psychological thrillers.

I received a free copy of this book/audiobook from Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

AJ Campbell delivers a masterclass in psychological suspense with First-Time Mother, a gripping and unpredictable story that keeps listeners on edge from start to finish. This audiobook is a whirlwind of twists, deception, and emotional complexity—everything a thriller enthusiast could ask for and more.

One of the standout elements is the masterful way Campbell keeps the truth just out of reach. You’re constantly second-guessing the characters, never quite sure who to trust until the final, heart-pounding revelations. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story pivots again, pulling you deeper into its web.

The pacing is excellent, especially in the final chapters, where the suspense escalates to the point that you simply have to finish. It’s a rare kind of audiobook that demands to be binged. A highly recommended listen for fans of psychological thrillers that toy with perception and play on your deepest doubts.

Happy Pub Date to this fun little psychological thriller!

One of my favorite genres, this book does a great job of drawing you in and keeping you engaged throughout the entire book. The audiobook was fantastic - narration was great, well-paced, and easy to follow.

Several twists that kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.

I really felt for this protagonist. I know all about sleep deprivation as a twin mom. But I felt like she could have asked for more help or handed that baby to one of the twins and napped.
It was a hard read.

I love this narrator though!

First Time Mother introduces us to Annie, a new mother to a four month old daughter. She is also dealing with a new marriage as well as teenage twin stepchildren. Things do not seem to be the way she had pictured they would be after her baby was born. The cover says 'my baby is missing; everyone thinks it's my fault.'. I was expecting certain things to happen based on this however many other mishaps occur that I will not mention to avoid spoilers. There are multiple plot twists to keep the reader/listener guessing.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookoutoure for this ALC!

Oh my goodness! I feel like the “newly postpartum mom, loopy with sleep deprivation, is feeling paranoid! But is she justified in feeling that way? Or is she actually just clinically insane?!” trope can be a really touchy one – readers love it or hate it, and readers either knock it out of the park or completely flounder. High risk, high rewards however. I very much enjoyed the fact that this one knocks it out of the park. Without giving anything away, I just want to say that I really do love it when authors throw you a “too simple to be true” hint but you can’t actually tell if you’ve figured out the twist or if the author is just trying to throw you off their scent. I always try to give books the benefit of the doubt, reassuring myself that it was just a distraction and the author definitely has something much more earth shattering up their sleeve than that. It’s so deeply satisfied when that actually happens.

This book did not let me down. I love good twists and this one really delivered. A very entertaining ride.

ARC Review

First off, huge thanks to the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this before its release. I’ll admit—I only skimmed the blurb, but the line “A baby is missing, everyone thinks it’s my fault” had me expecting that to be the central focus of the plot. I was wrong—but in the best way.

The story took off in a completely unexpected direction, and it absolutely did not disappoint. This was a total binge-read for me! It gave major Freida McFadden vibes, so if you’re a fan of her work, you’ll definitely want to check out First Time Mother by AJ Campbell. It kept me guessing right up until the very end.

I only was able to get through half of the book before it left my app…for some reason the archive date was before the pub date ( I’ve never seen this before ). But it was just heating up! I’m sure it has a great finale, and I will read the rest once it comes out and I will update this review then.

I really enjoyed First-Time Mother, lots of twists and turns. I could relate to Annie and her sleep deprivation as a new mother as I have been through it as well. The plot kept me hooked and I definitely did not expect the ending!!

Great narration, very engaging. The story is packed with twists and turns. The plot grabs you right from the start and doesn’t let you go. The characters are amazingly well written. Such a fun story.

This audio was fantastic! I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t put it down. Thank you.

This novel introduces us to a new mother grappling with significant memory issues, possibly due to the demands of caring for her infant daughter. Living with her husband and twin stepchildren, she feels constantly under pressure. The story opens with a gripping prologue: the protagonist awakens from a nap to the shocking discovery of a dead body. The narrative then circles back to the beginning, gradually building the events that lead to this pivotal moment. While the initial pace felt somewhat deliberate, the book became intensely captivating once the murder was revealed. As a fan of this author, I thoroughly enjoyed this story, though the cover and initial description initially led me to expect something different.

WOW!! AJ Campbell does it again! There is not a book by her that I have not enjoyed. This might be my favorite by her yet! Campbell's style of writing pulls you in and keeps you in a chokehold as the story develops.

Annie is a new mom that is experiencing blackouts and not feeling well. Those around her think she is incapable of caring for her new baby, and her husband Max says she's sleep-deprived and needs help. Strange things keep happening around the house, and her family looks upon her with pity thinking she's struggling with being a new mother. Yet Annie can't shake the feeling that something more is going on.

I think I have whiplash from all of the twists and turns in this book! I highly recommend First-Time Mother. As a mom of 5, I could definitely relate to Annie. My heart was racing while listening to this audiobook, and I couldn't wait to see what was going to happen at the end. The buildup to the ending that Campbell created throughout the book was genius, and I was SO invested! I was guessing the entire book. I didn't know if I had an unreliable narrator on my hands or if something else more sinister was going on.


CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT ENDING??!!! I NEVER would've been able to predict it! I'm still shocked at how things developed in this book, and I'm anxiously awaiting Campbell's next book. As usual, Tamsin Kennard NAILED the narration. She is definitely one of the best narrators hands down!

Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I truly enjoyed all the twists! It was a slow start but once things started unfolding I listened to hours of it non-stop until I finished it. I kept guessing on “who done it” and was completely wrong! Great suspense and mystery.

Annie is a first time Mom to her baby, Lola, and it’s way harder than she thought it would be. Between her baby’s colic, and the bad attitudes of her teenage twin stepchildren, Annie can’t catch a break. Then accidents keep happening around the house. Annie’s husband, Max, is worried that the stressors of motherhood are getting to her. When Annie’s sister offers to help, and ends up dead, Annie has no idea who is to blame- and if it could be herself.

I enjoyed the plot of the book. As a Mom of three myself, I could deeply understand the exhaustion that comes with newborns, and how sleep deprivation can make you feel crazy. Advancing the plot with that idea- that Annie doesn't know if she can trust anyone, including herself was a great idea. However, the marketing of this book was a bit off because the actual book had very little to do with Lola missing. I think a more accurate blurb on the cover is needed, although this book was enjoyable enough.

3.5 stars
This domestic thriller had several unexpected turns.
Quick plot: New blended family struggle with loss and the stress of a new baby with a lot of unexplainable events.
The FMC is so tired and confused for the whole book. Felt sorry for her but felt a bit repetitive after several chapters. Slow start and middle. The last third picked up fast and was engaging. Lots of red herrings. Overall I was intrigued to find out all the answers. Gave off possible unreliable narrator vibes. The narrator was great. Loved her voices.
Thanks NetGalley for this arc.

I really enjoyed this one! The story follows Annie, who is four months postpartum and struggling with the demands of new motherhood. She’s exhausted, overwhelmed, and trying to adjust to life with her colicky baby, Lola. Sleep is scarce, emotions are frayed, and her grip on reality is starting to slip.

Annie lives with her husband, Max, in the house he once shared with his late wife, along with his teenage twins. It’s a constant reminder that this space doesn’t fully belong to her. When Max hires a nanny, Zoe, they both hope the added support will bring some relief. But things only get more unsettling when Annie misplaces items, forgets conversations and starts to wonder whether what she’s experiencing is just exhaustion, or something far more sinister.

What really stood out to me was how authentic Annie’s experience felt. AJ Campbell captures the mental toll of early motherhood with striking accuracy. The brain fog, the guilt, the disconnection from yourself—it’s all portrayed in a way that feels deeply relatable and, at times, uncomfortably real. Campbell explores this fragile state of mind with empathy and precision, weaving it into a gripping psychological mystery.

There were plenty of twists, and most of them genuinely caught me off guard. I was constantly questioning what was real, who could be trusted, and where the story was heading. The author did a fantastic job using red herrings throughout the story and I think I ended up suspecting every single character at some point. I really enjoyed that the story was fast paced and that the suspense remained consistent throughout.

The audiobook narrator was excellent. Her performance added depth and emotion to the story, and she gave each character a distinct and believable voice.

Overall, this is a cleverly written and emotionally resonant thriller that had me hooked from start to finish. The story is packed with tension and full of unexpected turns, and I genuinely did not want to put it down. If it weren’t for adult responsibilities, I could have easily listened to the whole thing in one sitting!

Thank you to AJ Campbell, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the early access.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

This is my 1st Thriller by A.J. Campbell This was a fast pasted thriller that keep you guessing and the revel of what's going on caught me off guard which I really enjoy.

Annie cant remember to much is it new mom fog is it something else? everything is going wrong and more and more things keep piling up with no one knowing why.

Bingeable and entertaining

Thank you NetGalley for this Audio Are in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Release April 14th 2025