I received this audiobook via NetGalley but opinions are my own. I struggled with about the first 75% of the book, but then a twist was revealed and I really enjoyed it. I absolutely did not see the twist coming. I found myself empathizing with but also being angry with one of the main characters. I do tend to have a bit harder time with narrators with non American accents, but that’s a me issue. Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen and review!

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Writing: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Narrator(s): ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tropes, etc: Unreliable Narrator, Kidnapping, Sympathetic Villain
POV: Multiple, 1st Person
Cliffhanger?: Kind of

The Praise: I really liked this. It kept me on the edge of my seat and though I thought I knew what the twist would be, I hadn’t solved the whole puzzle. This is definitely a book that you’ll want to read twice to see what little clues you missed. The characters were interesting and easy to sympathize with, but I won’t say more to avoid spoiling anything.
I listened to the audiobook and I really enjoyed the narrators. They did a fantastic job conveying the characters’ emotions which kept me immersed in the story.

The Critique: None!

Final Thoughts: This was really twisty snd interesting! Definitely recommend it if you like to be caught off guard like I do!

A thriller with themes of surrogacy and loss. I’ve read many thrillers but never encountered one revolving around surrogacy. Tension builds slowly from the start and then bam! There is a fantastic plot twist that I didn’t see coming! I listened to the audiobook and I had to rewind and listen again. Many twists are predictable but my jaw hit the floor with this one.

The audiobook version had good narration and utilised different narrators for different characters though some sounded similar and it was challenging to figure out which character was talking at times until the story developed.

Overall an engaging story with a slow build to a crescendo finish. Some inaccuracies in the descriptions around substance misuse however probably would go unnoticed by most people without specific knowledge in the area however bugged me a little.

I would recommend this book as the themes are unusual and the twist alone will stay with me for a long time.

I went in blind (highly recommend).

This was my first surrogacy thriller, and it felt fresh. Despite having read many kidnapping, baby-switching, and infertility plots, this plot was unique and kept me on my toes. And that twist? Chef's kiss! Totally blindsided me!

The Players:

Elise - She is desperate for a baby and asks her sister Julia to be her surrogate. Although she agrees, she gradually becomes more distant and cold over time.

Maya is a surrogate for a wealthy and overbearing couple. She has a dark past and sees surrogacy as her redemption.

The characters meet at a group that provides support for surrogacy. Both were interesting to me, but I didn't get too attached, which left me wondering who to trust.

The twist hit hard, and I didn’t see it coming at all. I love when a book inspires you to go back and search for clues. It was brilliantly written.

The dual narration was good, the voices and pacing were similar, which caused some confusion in the beginning. Slowing it down from my usual speed was helpful. I think this would make a great dual read with both audio and a physical copy.

Ultimately, I found this domestic thriller to be a real page turner and downright exhilarating at times with a truly enjoyable twist!

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio and Sam Vickery for an ALC in exchange for my honest review. It was my pleasure.

It’s a yes for me! 🖤
@deannsdailydrop

Title: The Perfect Baby

Author: Sam Vickery

Length: 267 Pages

Publisher: Bookoutre

Publication Date: 27th September 2024

Narrators: Sofia Zervudachi, Katy Sobey

Genre: Fiction, Psychological Thriller, Drama, Suspense

My Rating: 5/5

Summary:

The story is about 2 ladies Elise and Maya where one of them is about to deliver a baby for someone by being their surrogate while other is awaiting birth of her child where she’s appointed a surrogate. The story is about their friendship and deception where their lives are intertwined by a big Secret.

My Take:

I thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to read and review this book. The views provided in this blog are my own and I am not paid for this review.

Being a mother whenever a title comes about a baby I am quick to grab it coz I can relate to the feelings narrated from the perspective of a mom. This book was a Psychological thriller and trust me it doesn’t disappoint you at all. To start with, when I finished the book my impression was “Wow!! This was just so unexpected. What a fabulous book and an absolute addictive page turner. The suspense was just mind boggling and not expected at all.” A book is Fun when it is unpredictable and this is just that.

The characters are very well developed and a distinctive trait quite evident. The narration is done from three Women’s perspective and as an audio book version, it is narrated by two and they have done wonderful job making the read worthwhile. The story moves forward where each chapter is narrated from the characters perspective while i feel is a brilliant way of narration.

Book is very fast paced and a page turner as I already mentioned earlier. I could finish the book in just 2 days even after a hectic schedule. The feelings of the women are beautifully portrayed. The women can absolutely relate to it. The Secrets are revealed at a perfect moment. Not a single moment one feels that the book is dragged.

I laid my hands on a fabulous book which would remain with me for a long time. A must read for all the psychosocial thriller fans. Recommended by me

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were fantastic! The storyline got me from the beginning but oh wow, the twists in this one were crazy!! If you like Freida McFadden, you will enjoy this one! Highly recommend!!

4.5/5
My first book by this Author. This was my first book I’ve read that’s dealt with surrogacy. The book was very fast paced and I didn’t want to stop listening until it was done.
The plot twist truly baffled me. I had to listen to it twice. This book reminded me of a Lisa Jewell or Freida McFadden book. Highly recommend

Thank you to Bookouture Audio/NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook early! I thought I had an idea where the story was going I was wrong! I've listened to other books with the main storyline being about surrogacy but this one was nothing like those. This had twist after twist all the way up to the very end!

4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨ 2 povs
✨ secrets
✨ family drama
✨ a mothers love




✨ the narration in this 2 povs is amazing. I love how they make the story come a live especially for something that is very fragile topic.
✨ a story of a woman who’s gonna be a surrogate and a woman who’s has a deep secret.

✨first chapters was slow. I think it’s good starting point if you want to know the ladies better.
The ending was not expected. But atleast it’s an eye opening for someone who’s actually want to do a surrogacy with someone.


Definitely a highly recommend read. Even better through audio.


✨ Thankyou @bookouture for the opportunity to read this book for a honest review:)





✨ 🫶🏼 shaye.reads

I loved the narration on this one! As for the story, it was weird. I really felt for the pregnant women. It was pretty messy. What a disaster for them. The ending was strange.

So I will be the first to admit I did NOT see that coming. This book follows two MC and a multitude of others in a pregnant/surrogate situation. The story holds all of the secrets until the end and left me, the reader, wondering how I missed the plot twist! Overall, great audiobook!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this ALC!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

Incredible book! I got a deep dive into surrogacy with it also being a mystery/thriller ?!! The characters were fascinating, loved them. The writing was so incredible like I have to read it again from my new perspective cause omg. The plot was so well done and I was not at all expecting the twist! I am definitely buying a physical copy to share with everyone. Definitely recommend !

I'll be publishing my review on Goodreads and StoryGraph 1st October and on Tik tok most likely will add to a monthly wrap up post with review the beginning of November.

Thank you to Bookouture for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, I’d rate this book 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Let me start by saying that the narration by Sofia Zervudachi and Katie Soeby was fantastic. Their performances were top-notch, and I had no issues with how the story was delivered.

In terms of suspense, the book delivered well for the most part. The beginning was a little slow, which made it hard to get into at first. However, by the time I reached the 50% mark, I was fully invested. So if you find the start dragging, stick with it—it does pick up and is definitely worth the read!

By the time I hit the 70% point I simply couldn’t put it down. The twist at the end was completely unexpected and made me enjoy the book more than I initially thought I would.

One aspect I particularly enjoyed was the shifting perspectives between the three main characters. While it was a bit much to follow at first, it paid off in the end. You get a richer story with three unique interpretations and almost three different endings, depending on the character’s point of view.

I’d definitely recommend this book, and I’m looking forward to reading more from Sam Vickery in the future!

The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery, Let start by saying the narration by Sofia Zervudachi and Katie Soeby, was really good I had no issue with the awesome narration. When the book starts and Elise and Maya meet at the surrogate support group I was really into the book for one because I know next to nothing about surrogacy and two, they were happy to be friends but also fear the other will recognize the other they both have secrets Mira is pregnant and has a very manipulating controlling couple who’s going to adopt her baby the names are Nina and Will. Elise, sister Julia is being her surrogate and refuses to share any updates about the baby with her Mira also learns that there is a man causing Elise pain which leads Mira to believe he too is controlling and abusive to her new friend. Then both Mira and Julia go into labor on the same day and who should happen to be with Myra, at that moment but Elise soon tragedy strikes three mothers are left devastated and the truth comes out but it’s far too late for any truth to help them. I want to stop here and say I’ve read in peoples reviews that they really like the ending in my question to that is what ending? I can only imagine the author is going to have a book two, because OMG that was definitely a cliffhanger if there is a second book I will definitely read it but I do want to say a lot of the chapters with their introspection to me was just a waste of book space not to mention I thought would Mira did in the way she did it was so cold hearted. I do recommend this book for those like me who love a good thriller and don’t mind a cliffhanger. #NetGalley, #BookoucherAudio, #SamVickery, #ThePerfectBaby, #SofiaZervudachi, #KateSoebey,

I absolutely enjoyed this book! The audio was just perfect, and I found myself hooked from start to finish. The plot twist was so unexpected that I gasped out loud! This audiobook is incredibly engaging and I finished listening to it all in one day. I would totally recommend and are excited to check out more works from this writer! A heartfelt thank you to @netgalley and Bookouture Audio for allowing me the privilege of being an ARC reader for this audiobook!

This. Is. Bonkers!!

It took a little while to get into it, but once you are, it becomes a roller coaster of who’s doing what, to who!! No doubt child rearing is difficult… Some women can’t have kids and so they turn to IVF or surrogacy.

There’s no doubt that both parties going into this type of a contract need support. So many little details need to be agreed-upon. What happens when things start to go off the rails? Which one of you is in the right? Who’s the mother?

**I understand this is triggering to some. If child, loss or infertility is an issue, this book is not for you.**

But Wow! I thank NetGalley for this Read Now audio releasing next week. What. A. Ride!

Well. The only thing I can say is what a twist!!!

This story focuses on Maya and Elsie who meet at a surrogacy support group. But is this their first time their paths have crossed and how will their story develop?

This story was definitely a slow burn. It was an easy listen but it did take me a little to get in to. I think the reason being is there was a lot of hints at things that had happened without explaining it. Of course in the end you find out the full story but I did find that a little frustrating. However, around 3/4s of the way in there is the biggest twist that I hadn’t seen coming in any way and it honestly saved the story for me. I devoured the rest of the book in 1 sitting because I just had to know what happened. The ending was also left on a bit of a cliffhanger and leaves room for interpretation but also for further development in another book.

The narrator was also really good at reading the story. There was no fake sounding accents or a query over who it was that was being narrated at the time. By the end the emotion conveyed was very well done and made you believe these were real emotions being felt.

Overall this was an excellent story. A solid 4 stars for me and a great introduction to the author as this was the first of the books I had tried.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and bookotoure audio for the opportunity to listen and provide my views in advance of release.

Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this advanced reader's copy of The Perfect Baby by Sam Vickery

What a bunch of messed up people.

Elise meets Mia at a support group for surrogacy. Mia is carrying a baby for Nina and Will. Elise tells everyone that her sister Julia is carrying a baby for her but didn’t want to be in the spotlight so she won’t attend meetings.

Mia realizes that she knows Elise from her past but Elise has no idea who Mia is and she doesn’t offer any information just wants to be friends.

Then came the shocking twist I new saw coming. It was a crazy ride.

Title: The Perfect Baby
Author: Sam Vickery
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Sofia Zervudashi and Katy Sobey
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Audiobook Release Date: September 27, 2024
My Rating: 3.8 rounded up
Pages 267


Story is told then and now from the POV of Elise and Maya who meet at a surrogacy support group
Maya is a surrogate for Nina and Will who are super excited about the baby.

Elise’s sister Julia reluctantly agrees to be her surrogate; however Julia seems to be avoiding Elise.

The blub got my attention – story starts out slow and as someone who has a low tolerance for unnecessary foul language I feared I made a mistake. The more I read the more I found not only the profanity annoying but the characters were so unlikeable.

However!
This is one of those stories where I am GLAD I hung in to the end.
I love psychological thrillers and expect twists and a big reveal.
Yikes I was totally clueless with what was going on in this one!!!

I want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this early audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 27, 2024.

I only gave three stars only because when the story line picked up, it became more interesting. The first half of the book was extremely difficult to get through and I felt obligated to keep reading due to my copy being an ARC. There were so many characters it became difficult to keep up with who was who, and which character was the one narrating. When the story finally started to get interesting, it did have a McFadden feel which I enjoyed.