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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
Jane is a normal woman, with normal friends and a wonderful husband and business. The only downside to her life is the fact she can't get pregnant. Her friend Sophie introduces another lady into their friend fold... A woman called Lexie. As Lexie weaves herself into Sophies life and seems to be actively trying to push Jane out, Jane starts to feel abandoned. Then at the worst possible moment Sophie finds out she is pregnant and Lexie, being the new best friend, wants to throw her an elaborate baby shower at the ritz.
Is Jane imagining the bullying or is Sophie right? Is she just jealous of Sophies baby and her new friendship that she isn't seeing the reality of the situation? Will Jane ever figure it out? Or will she spiral to a dark place she can never return from?
I found the dynamic of the whole book brilliant! I could feel Janes pain of not having a baby of her own while having to watch her best friend get pregnant again and glow with the warmth only being pregnant can bring you. It would be devastating. I could also see Sophies side too. Imagine telling your best friend you are having a baby and know they will secretly hate you a little bit for it.
I didn't like Lexie from the first moment she appeared. I hate people like her anyway but when you join a new friend dynamic, you don't act like that so I was automatically waiting for her to do something horrific.
This book had a brilliant shocker at the end of the book and a lot of twists and turns during it. One of the main ones I did figure out pretty soon but it wasn't obvious. It was very well done but I just had a feeling early in.
I would have liked more from Lexie's point of view. It would have rounded this book out for me had this happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and we definitely be on the hunt for more from the author.
If you love a twisty dark psychological thriller with a basis in friendship, this is the book for you.
Solid 4 stars, like I said, more about Lexie would have made this a 5 star for me.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and S.E. Lynes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Merged review:
Jane is a normal woman, with normal friends and a wonderful husband and business. The only downside to her life is the fact she can't get pregnant. Her friend Sophie introduces another lady into their friend fold... A woman called Lexie. As Lexie weaves herself into Sophies life and seems to be actively trying to push Jane out, Jane starts to feel abandoned. Then at the worst possible moment Sophie finds out she is pregnant and Lexie, being the new best friend, wants to throw her an elaborate baby shower at the ritz.
Is Jane imagining the bullying or is Sophie right? Is she just jealous of Sophies baby and her new friendship that she isn't seeing the reality of the situation? Will Jane ever figure it out? Or will she spiral to a dark place she can never return from?
I found the dynamic of the whole book brilliant! I could feel Janes pain of not having a baby of her own while having to watch her best friend get pregnant again and glow with the warmth only being pregnant can bring you. It would be devastating. I could also see Sophies side too. Imagine telling your best friend you are having a baby and know they will secretly hate you a little bit for it.
I didn't like Lexie from the first moment she appeared. I hate people like her anyway but when you join a new friend dynamic, you don't act like that so I was automatically waiting for her to do something horrific.
This book had a brilliant shocker at the end of the book and a lot of twists and turns during it. One of the main ones I did figure out pretty soon but it wasn't obvious. It was very well done but I just had a feeling early in.
I would have liked more from Lexie's point of view. It would have rounded this book out for me had this happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and we definitely be on the hunt for more from the author.
If you love a twisty dark psychological thriller with a basis in friendship, this is the book for you.
Solid 4 stars, like I said, more about Lexie would have made this a 5 star for me.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and S.E. Lynes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Is Jane imagining the bullying or is Sophie right? Is she just jealous of Sophies baby and her new friendship that she isn't seeing the reality of the situation? Will Jane ever figure it out? Or will she spiral to a dark place she can never return from?
I found the dynamic of the whole book brilliant! I could feel Janes pain of not having a baby of her own while having to watch her best friend get pregnant again and glow with the warmth only being pregnant can bring you. It would be devastating. I could also see Sophies side too. Imagine telling your best friend you are having a baby and know they will secretly hate you a little bit for it.
I didn't like Lexie from the first moment she appeared. I hate people like her anyway but when you join a new friend dynamic, you don't act like that so I was automatically waiting for her to do something horrific.
This book had a brilliant shocker at the end of the book and a lot of twists and turns during it. One of the main ones I did figure out pretty soon but it wasn't obvious. It was very well done but I just had a feeling early in.
I would have liked more from Lexie's point of view. It would have rounded this book out for me had this happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and we definitely be on the hunt for more from the author.
If you love a twisty dark psychological thriller with a basis in friendship, this is the book for you.
Solid 4 stars, like I said, more about Lexie would have made this a 5 star for me.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and S.E. Lynes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Merged review:
Jane is a normal woman, with normal friends and a wonderful husband and business. The only downside to her life is the fact she can't get pregnant. Her friend Sophie introduces another lady into their friend fold... A woman called Lexie. As Lexie weaves herself into Sophies life and seems to be actively trying to push Jane out, Jane starts to feel abandoned. Then at the worst possible moment Sophie finds out she is pregnant and Lexie, being the new best friend, wants to throw her an elaborate baby shower at the ritz.
Is Jane imagining the bullying or is Sophie right? Is she just jealous of Sophies baby and her new friendship that she isn't seeing the reality of the situation? Will Jane ever figure it out? Or will she spiral to a dark place she can never return from?
I found the dynamic of the whole book brilliant! I could feel Janes pain of not having a baby of her own while having to watch her best friend get pregnant again and glow with the warmth only being pregnant can bring you. It would be devastating. I could also see Sophies side too. Imagine telling your best friend you are having a baby and know they will secretly hate you a little bit for it.
I didn't like Lexie from the first moment she appeared. I hate people like her anyway but when you join a new friend dynamic, you don't act like that so I was automatically waiting for her to do something horrific.
This book had a brilliant shocker at the end of the book and a lot of twists and turns during it. One of the main ones I did figure out pretty soon but it wasn't obvious. It was very well done but I just had a feeling early in.
I would have liked more from Lexie's point of view. It would have rounded this book out for me had this happened. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole book and we definitely be on the hunt for more from the author.
If you love a twisty dark psychological thriller with a basis in friendship, this is the book for you.
Solid 4 stars, like I said, more about Lexie would have made this a 5 star for me.
A great big thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and S.E. Lynes for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Annoying narration (audiobook). Story too focussed on angst about having children, too girly and neurotic
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A tale of betrayal, lies and revenge, including a couple of hard-hitting realities that need to be recognised and spoken about.
I quickly became invested in the characters, putting myself in Jane's shoes with some of her friendship issues (although under less extreme circumstances) and questioning Lexie's motives from early on. I loved the friendship and humour shown by Hils and Kath.
I enjoyed picking up on little clues dropped throughout, allowing me to piece together some parts of the story - although some revelations remained a surprise until they hit.
This was my first book by Susie Lynes but it definitely won't be the last.
I quickly became invested in the characters, putting myself in Jane's shoes with some of her friendship issues (although under less extreme circumstances) and questioning Lexie's motives from early on. I loved the friendship and humour shown by Hils and Kath.
I enjoyed picking up on little clues dropped throughout, allowing me to piece together some parts of the story - although some revelations remained a surprise until they hit.
This was my first book by Susie Lynes but it definitely won't be the last.
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Took me a while to get really into this book but enjoyed it when I did a few twists I didn’t see coming.
This novel exactly fits the bill if you are looking for an entertaining thriller. This story would make a perfect Netflix movie.
The story revolves around Jane and her friendships. The dynamics of her friends are at a risk when a new friend joins her group. How are friendships measured? How much do we know a person even if we call them as our friend? Are friendships really measured on the give and take of gifts? Are we always in search of that picture perfect life to post on social media? The author dwells into these subjects and feelings for Jane, Frankie and Gareth comes naturally.
Who, why and how are not too hard to really predict but even after knowing that this book is hard to put down.
The book dives into really tough subjects like fertility, rape, PTSD and toxic friendships so a caution.
The story revolves around Jane and her friendships. The dynamics of her friends are at a risk when a new friend joins her group. How are friendships measured? How much do we know a person even if we call them as our friend? Are friendships really measured on the give and take of gifts? Are we always in search of that picture perfect life to post on social media? The author dwells into these subjects and feelings for Jane, Frankie and Gareth comes naturally.
Who, why and how are not too hard to really predict but even after knowing that this book is hard to put down.
The book dives into really tough subjects like fertility, rape, PTSD and toxic friendships so a caution.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Car accident
mysterious
fast-paced
Wow! What a wild thrill ride! The Baby Shower follows a member of a tight knit group of middle aged women. They are close and spend time together every week. Then one member makes a new friend who seems intent on taking Jane’s place in the group. The new friend’s duplicity comes to light at the baby shower, but her plans for Jane aren’t over yet. I thought this was an exciting and interesting book. Some things seemed slightly unrealistic but for the most part, I could believe that everything in the novel could happen. I liked the characters and found myself continuing to read in order to find out why someone was in the hospital!
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book made me wonder why such a predictable thriller was so unputdownable. It was so frustrating yet entertaining at the same time. I LOATHED Lexie and Sophie with my whole heart (while having war flashbacks about my own toxic friendship experience), and I felt like any book that could evoke such strong emotion in my heart deserved at least four stars. I appreciated how the author tried to include more sensitive topics like male rape, infertility, and social media fraud . I sympathized with the main couple so much. I wasn't a fan of the writing style because I found it to be a little cringy and too dramatic at times, but I would definitely check out this author's other works in the future. On a side note, I found the ending a little rushed and too happily-ever-after to the point it was unrealistic...? The pregnancy was slightly unnecessary, and I kind of wish the other members of the friend group reacted more strongly after the big revelation.