The Baby Shower by S. E. Lynes
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

She doesn’t know I’m there, watching her in the mirror. She slides her hand under her blouse. And then I see something impossible. She isn’t pregnant…

She bursts into my life like a storm, and nothing is the same again. She seems so perfect, with her lilting laugh and her beautiful face. One by one, I watch as my friends fall under her spell.

Only I seem to suspect something. Only I see that her smiles don’t reach her cold, furious eyes. And when I’m accused of things I didn’t do, when my home is vandalized, I know she’s behind it. But she only lets her mask slip when no one is looking, so if I say anything, I’ll look crazy.

So when the baby shower comes around I’m there, sitting on a velvet sofa in a posh hotel room, surrounded by balloons. We share gifts, we pour small glasses of champagne, and she beams, her bump just visible under her bright red shirt.

But that afternoon, I finally learn the unbelievable truth.

There is no baby…

This was a quick and very entertaining read.

Jane Preston-Reece is happily married to Frankie Reece and owns A Roasted Development, coffee bar. I enjoy the loving marriage and closeness that the two share. Life for Jane seems to be ideal, except the fact that she hasn’t been able to conceive.

Jane has only shared this personal detail with one of her closest friends in her Runner Beans circle, Sophie.

When Sophie introduces Lexie Lane to the group their friendship takes a downward spiral. The story is fast paced, and I can’t necessarily say predictable. It’s clear the villain is Lexie Lane but what does she have against Jane? Or is Jane just jealous of Sophie and her newfound friendship? Or could Jane have underlying jealousy that Sophie is pregnant again?

I didn’t like Sophie. She was so naïve and gullible to let a stranger come between the closeness that she had with Jane. Sophie did not handle things in an adult manner. And I can very well understand Jane if she didn’t want that type of friend in her life. Jane is a likable and relatable character. I like how the author brought out the value of friendship. Who can we trust with our secrets if not our closest friend?

Frankie is also dealing with his own issues. Owner of Frank Reece Plumbing, Frankie sees his friends’ material wealth so when he wins three thousand pounds on a scratch card, he decides to purchase a Breitling Superocean Automatic 44 watch. A watch that makes him feel like a man of class, he feels invincible. While readers may think the start of Frankie’s trouble is because of a watch, readers find out it’s so much more.

The book has so many twists, all of which left me satisfied. But this book was so much more than a suspenseful read. I appreciate the author for bringing to light several issues that people shy away from. Jane dealt with early menopause. The book shows its impact on her and her relationships. I was hoping Jane would share her story with the other ladies, to be of help and a spokesperson for others that may be dealing with the same issue. But that would have taken away Lexie’s power to be the villain that she was. The author touched on sexual assault that happen to men. In addition to pointing out that not addressing childhood trauma which, in this case lead to lack of self-confidence and coveting material things that don’t matter, and that don’t belong to you eventually hurting others. And finally giving social media followers a false perspective of reality when in fact the person posting is sad and broken.

Well written and well plotted out – for those that enjoy a good suspense you may want to go ahead and add this to your reading list.