Joining a mother and baby group seems like a smart and normal move, when you're a first time mum in a new area. But somehow this book twists something so seemingly innocent and makes you suddenly suspicious of everyone! Are people genuine or dangerous? Are people friendly or dangerous?? This book is full of twists, tension and gaslighting and I was 100% hooked from beginning to end!

Owww, this book gave me the serious willies. I think of pregnant women and their spouses, or dads to be as happy people. A joyful time of life! Definitely not in this story. Creepy and dark, it is a page turner!

The Baby Group tells the story of a pregnant woman and her boyfriend starting over in a new area. Hoping for advice and support, she joins a mother and baby group, but soon wonders whether she’s making genuine friends or dangerous enemies. Twisty, tense, and gloriously gaslighty, this suspenseful read kept me gripped from start to finish. A chilling reminder that behind the smiles of friendship, sinister intent can lurk. I love a book that makes me suspicious of absolutely everyone!

Wow! Let me just get my breath back after finishing this. What a whirlwind the last third or so of this book is! It will hook you in and not let you go until the very end, but even then it’s not going to let you go, you are going to want more.

Darcy and partner Alex live in busy London, but decide to make the change to the quiet Cornish coast when they find out they are expecting a baby. With no friends or family close by, joining the local baby group seems the perfect answer! Soon Darcy is surrounded by people in a similar position to her, but is everyone who they appear to be, are they all the great friends they seem to have become?

This one really does stretch the imagination, but in a good way. In the first part of the book we get to know the characters and start to see different things happening, start to make suspicions and maybe not trust characters we did initially. Then the story really kicks up a gear, until it ends, spilling its secrets and making you question what you thought you knew.

I really like how the author twisted everything together, laying things down that you might not notice until later in the book. The pace is fast, the characters are well developed but not always likeable! However you may find your opinion of people changes throughout.

I honestly can’t believe this is the authors debut novel. It’s clever, it’s well written and it really does keep you guessing. I can’t wait to read whatever comes next from this author.

All in all a must read, but be sure to clear your diary as it’s incredibly hard to put down!

The Baby Group is an easy, fast-paced thriller that follows Darcy and her husband Alex as they move to the coast during their first pregnancy. Darcy is increasingly annoyed with Alex as he has to work longer hours. She has no friends or support group, so she finally agrees (with her mother-in-law) to join a baby group. Everything goes downhill from there. While at first, Darcy is excited with her new connections, she soon realizes that quite a few of the soon-to-be-moms are hiding dark secrets.

The Baby Group was not a book for me! The entire plot, but especially the end, is utterly unbelievable/unrealistic. Additionally, the ending leaves more questions than answers, particularly in regard to Alex and his feelings on the entire situation. None of the characters are likable. Quite a few scenes are awkward and unnecessary (the truth-or-dare scene). I really didn't care what happened to Darcy or her family or any of the other members of the Baby Group. None of the plotlines flowed in this book; everything felt disconnected. This just wasn't a book for me.

This book was so gripping so many twists and turns and it kept me hooked the whole time definitely recommend for a fast paced thriller

I've been in somewhat of a reading slump lately that I was struggling to get out of.

I started this on a whim and I'm so glad that I did - I could not put it down!

I'm not sure if I liked the main character Darcy, found her to be a bit of a pity party, however I really enjoyed the different characters, the twists and turns throughout the story and the bombshell at the end which I had figured out before the story ended but it was still a great twist nonetheless.

A big thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I highly recommend if you're looking for a twisty and fast paced thriller.

Everyone will be talking about this book. This thriller was impossible to put down, one of those books that has you questioning the narrator’s reliability and questioning who you’re rooting for. Best thriller of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jade Lee Wright, and Joffe Books for the eARC. This gripping psychological thriller was full of unexpected twists and turns—I never saw them coming!

This is the first book I have read that I kept changing my opinion on. To start with I found it very slow, then it really sped up and I couldnt wait until the next page, then it became the most unbelievable story line - I often have a problem with books that are a stretch of the imagination but for some reason it worked in this book. I loved it. I think the author wove a really good story and I would definitely recommend.

This one gave me whiplash. Starts off slow but picks up in the middle and impossible to put down during the last quarter. Easy read with good backstories and mounting creepiness. I will read from this author again

Darcy and Alex have left the chaos of London behind, hoping to rebuild their relationship in a quiet sea side town after Alex's infidelity. With a baby on the way and nothing familiar, Darcy is desperate for some connection. When she finds The Baby Group, a local circle of expectant moms, she is thrilled. At first, the group is a much needed lifeline. The women are warm, welcoming, and supportive. But as the friendships deepen, Darcy senses something is off, especially with Lucy, a fellow mom to be who seems to know far more about Darcy's life than she should. Paranoia creeps in and secrets start to come to light. When some unsettling incidents start to pile up, Darcy is beginning to question who she can really trust.

The Baby Group is an eerie and unnerving debut that hooks you early with an explosive beginning, and then drags you backwards through the emotional turmoil to figure out how the hell it all went wrong. What begins as a common "baby on the way" and "a fresh start" trope turns into a simmering psychological thriller that cleverly plays with your sense of trust and safety. Darcy as our main character is relatable and vulnerable. Her anxiety and self-doubt, while sometimes frustrating, is always believable. Wright does an excellent job layering unease and creating an unsettling atmosphere. With a slow burn start, the character development and foundation is laid. But as the pieces start to fall into place, the pace ramps up to a jaw-dropping twist. Overall, if you like your thrillers to creep up on you like Michael Myers and leave you feeling paranoid of everyone around you, add The Baby Group to your TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley, Jade Lee Wright, and Joffe Books for this ARC! Publication date was July 31st 2025.

What lingers is the emotional erosion. How doubt creeps into the corners of love, how even joy can be smudged by fear.

The Baby Group by Jade Lee Wright is a gripping, slow-burn psychological thriller that pulls readers in with a deceptively ordinary beginning before unraveling into a dark, twisted tale full of suspense and secrets. What starts as a seemingly normal story about motherhood and community quickly morphs into something far more sinister—and that transformation is executed brilliantly.

Wright excels at building tension, layering each chapter with subtle hints that not everything is as it seems. The unease grows steadily, keeping the reader guessing and fully invested in the unfolding mystery. The twists come at just the right moments, making the story both unpredictable and thoroughly engaging.

With strong pacing, compelling characters, and a sense of creeping dread that intensifies with each turn of the page, The Baby Group is a standout thriller that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. Jade Lee Wright delivers a clever, chilling read perfect for fans of domestic suspense with a dark edge.

This book got to me—slowly at first, then all at once like it knew exactly when to twist the knife. It’s the kind of story that creeps up on you. At first, I wasn’t even sure where it was going—everything felt ordinary in that eerie, too-quiet way. But then the cracks started showing. And once they did, it never let up.

Darcy. God, Darcy. I felt for her in such a deep way. She’s messy, anxious, unsure, trying her best to be okay while life keeps throwing trauma after trauma at her. She’s pregnant, alone, constantly second-guessing herself, and haunted by things she doesn’t even fully understand yet. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug her. Or scream with her. Or both. Her pain felt so real, and her strength wasn’t the loud, heroic kind—it was quiet, desperate, stubborn. The kind of strength women have when there’s no one else coming to save them.

The tension in this book lives in the everyday moments—the arguments, the silences, the glances you can't quite interpret. Then suddenly, it barrels into something so much darker, so much more terrifying, and you’re left breathless. There’s a scene—you’ll know it when you get there—where everything explodes. I read it in one go, mouth open, heart racing. It’s madness. It’s brilliant.

And then the epilogue hits. And it hurts. I don’t know if I loved it or hated it. Maybe both. I keep thinking about it, rewinding and reimagining how I want things to end. But that’s what makes it so good—it lingers. It leaves you unsettled in the best way.

This book made me feel heavy and angry and hopeful and afraid. It reminded me of Gone Girl and Verity—but felt more raw somehow. Less polished, more real. More personal.

It’s dark. It’s messy. It’s uncomfortable. And I couldn’t stop reading.

I liked the plot and the characters and it started off good, but the pace was too slow and I lost interest half way. Had to skim read the rest quickly as whilst I was still intrigued at what would happen to Darcy’s baby, I was also not that bothered.

Darcy isn’t the most likeable character, she moves to the area with her partner Alex and joins an antenatal group hoping to make friends. Her and Alex had some infidelity problems before they moved and so they still have their issues now. Darcy is very insecure as a result and has night terrors due to an accident many years before, an accident she doesn’t talk about.
She was just too insecure and worried and fretted constantly about what the others thought of her and she was a bore.

The plot does take an alarming twist and I didn’t see it coming, but then I had stopped reading every word by then. The second half was more plot packed and dramatic.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Wow, imagine moving to a new town pregnant and joining a class about pregnancy. But after meeting new friends, weird things happen. This is filled with intrigue, lies, revenge and a couple jaw dropping twists!!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this src

Darcy and Alex have moved from London to a remote village in Cornwall. Expecting their first baby, they join an ante-natal class to make friends. A diverse group, but the stand out is Lucy - never accompanied by her husband, with a need to be in constant control. The story follows Darcy making discoveries - just who is Lucy?

I struggled with this book, I didn't like any of the main characters - they all had their irritating traits. I found the story extremely hard to believe, and it was very frustrating at times. However, it was easy to read, it was fast paced, and I liked the descriptions of the locations.

After moving to Rock, mum to be Darcy joins an antenatal group in order to make friends.

The book follows the months leading up to the birth of Darcy and Alex’s first child, the prologue sets up the tension for what will happen and I spent the rest of the book on edge waiting!

The group dynamic shows what female friendship can be, supportive and caring but also competitive and judgemental.

I adored this book and really felt for Darcy as she got closer to giving birth. The group she joined for support and friendship actually making her lonelier and more paranoid.
The author does a good job of making you question if it’s all in Darcy’s head or if there is something going on.

Loved the ending!

A tense gripping read from start to end.

This author does an excellent job of creating a setting that adds to the tension of the story.
The twist in the plot was amazing and made the entire book a great read.
I liked how it kept my interest and stayed at a very good pace throughout.
The suspense increased and I was fully invested and didn’t want it to end.
The author did such a great job with the characters keeping them engaging and entertaining through it all.