Not My Baby

by Anya Mora

Never question a mother’s intuition.

My water isn’t supposed to break while there’s a storm raging, when my husband isn’t on the island, and as the power flickers out. Darkness covers the cabin as I cling to my belly. I never imagined it happening like this.

Trained as a midwife, I know I can deliver my daughter.

* * *

I look at her, and I see her — I’ve always known her.

She’s perfect. Sweat and tears streak down my face as I kiss her over and over again. Reaching for my bag of midwifery supplies, I wipe her nose and press her tiny body to my chest.

I fall asleep with her in my arms.

* * *

When I wake, my husband is home, the lights are back on — but the baby he’s holding — it’s not mine.

I’m not crazy.

I gave birth to a girl, and that baby in his arms is a boy.

He’s not my baby.

Please note this is a revised edition of The Midwife’s Mistake. It contains themes of baby loss that some readers may find upsetting.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, Crime

118 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2022

About the author

Anya Mora relies on her experience as a wife and mother to form her creative expression. Her novels, while leaning toward the dark, ultimately reflect light, courage, and her innate belief that love rewards the brave.

You can discover more about the author at https://anyamora.com

Reviews

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if you wake up and your precious newborn baby girl is a newborn baby boy … and no one believes you?! Mags sets out to find her baby while taking of the son at her breast. Quick read - very nice.

[Jesse On Youtube · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah, psychological thriller, in which that has been gaslight the life for the entire other available and has her psychiatric care told the evidence that she is correct is undeniable. Instead of apologizing, of course makes and there's no repercussions for his actions despite the fact that he also CHEATED ON HER while she was in the hospital having delivered their STILLBORN CHILD. If you want to read the same story that has been written 1000 times before, this for you.

Tired of stroke, running grandson without authors actually critiquing the way women are gaslight by their male partners in their relationship. It's an exhausting and flat trope and so lazily written we are astounded.

[Jesmin Nawaz · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off strong but then got annoying by the time it wrapped up. Ivan made Mags feel like she was going crazy, him (and nearly everyone else) all but threatened her that they'd have her committed. The entire time he as dealing with a one night stand saying she had his baby, a daughter, and not one did he think that there was some truth to Mags' story. Then all of a sudden he believes her, everyone believes her. Hollis, her friend, was the mastermind behind the baby swap. To top all that nonsense off, Mags barely bats an eyelash over Ivan cheating on her while she was dealing with the loss of a child. Ok then. The best part was Mags and Billie building a relationship with their kids.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

✨ "The thing about grief is, and loss is, there's not a competition for who has it worse. It sucks all the same. Sucks the life out of you. The joy is out of you as long as you let it."

A breezy and gripping read that leaps into the realm of ridiculous and far-fetched. Then again, I read fiction (thrillers especially) to escape and not for groundbreaking literature.

I enjoyed what an easy and entertaining novella this was. Themes of grief, loss and motherhood + its perils and struggles are explored pretty well despite the book's length. The writing is good too so I definitely look forward to checking out the author's other works.

I just find the climax onwards super wild, way too fast-paced and unbelievable. Not necessarily a bad thing and overall, this was a satisfying popcorn thriller that I flew through.

Thank you to Joffe Books for the Netgalley ARC.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want a quick (not a long book) that gives you escapism and doesn’t strain the brain this could be for you.

The plot starts with a trained midwife who is forced to give birth alone to her baby in the midst of a storm in a remote location. She pushes through (seemed like a very easy birth she had speaking from my own very alternative experience) and gives birth to a healthy baby girl. She’s delighted and proud of herself.

Her husband had been rushing to get to her and by the time she sees his face she’s been fast asleep after lulling her newborn to sleep. With other visitors keen to check in on her and see the baby it should be a happy time. Right?

Then she realises her baby is a boy. Everybody is shocked she states she had a girl and this isn’t her child. Due to an earlier trauma and mental health issues she is doubting reality. It’s a mother’s instinct versus everyone and everything around her. Is it truth or gaslighting? Who will believe her if it’s even true?

It chuffs along at a good pace. What let’s this down is the very rushed ending. Like the Author is tired of writing and wants to wrap it up fast. It was very short, sudden and had too many unrealistic events crammed in. If that was paved out better it would be 4 stars.

I did guess the “reveals” but it didn’t stop me enjoying it. It’s just a good one if you need a quick read that is easy to get through. I would try another book by this Author and it’s a real shame the ending was so incredibly rushed.

3 stars for the entertainment factor.

Thanks so much for reading my review! If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request. 🐱I love to read other reviews and talk about books we are reading.

If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.

You can also find me on Twitter @bookishcats (I follow back) and on Amazon U.K. where I am a Top 500 Reviewer as Booklover Catlady.

[AmBerGUR · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s entertaining enough and I enjoyed it.

[Kay Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read 'The Midwife's Mistake' and was surprisingly disappointed as I usually love Mora's books and devour them. This revised version kept all the good stuff--mystery, intrigue, suspense, red herrings, shocking twists--and, thankfully, lost all the bad. A great read that will keep you up way past your bedtime.

[Barbara Behring · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do you do if you give birth at home, alone, to a beautiful baby girl, fall asleep, then wake up to your husband holding a baby saying you had a son? This is the dilemma facing Magnolia in Not My Baby. This novella was a good, short read with a few twists. I plan on reading more from this author.

[bee 🍉 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting. If that doesn’t tell you what you need to know about this book then I don’t know what will.

I loved the constant wondering of “is she insane” or “did that actually happen” because it added such a great layer to the book and left me wanting to find out the truth of what happened that stormy night.

I do wish that the ending wasn’t so rushed but overall, I think this is a great book for those who are wanting to get into the genre. It’s not spooky or too tense which makes it a fantastic introduction.

I hope to check out more works by this author soon.

[Sharon Sparks · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you can get past the multiple typos (at least one every 2-3 pages), this book is still very predictable and dull. I am not someone who can dnf a book, but if it would have been any longer, it most likely would have been for me. The book itself is just a little over 100 pages, but is not worth the time.

[Liz McKay · Rating 1 out of 5]

Appalling. Very predictable and boring. I didn't like the style of writing at all but I've not read any of these authors books before so not sure if this ones a blip or if they are all written like this? I can't see how anyone can call it edge of your seat stuff or full of suspense as I could see what was coming a mile off! 😳

[Zali · Rating 1 out of 5]

thank god it was short

[Danielle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not my Baby by Anya Mora ⭐️

Magnolia gives birth by herself, as a storm rages everyone else has been grounded. She sees her baby girl then suddenly falls asleep only to awaken to a baby boy. Is she in a state of postpartum psychosis? Is she reliving the birth of her first daughter? Or is something more sinister at play?

The premise was a good one, I was hooked immediately as you’re thrown right into the labour on page 3 - that’s the only positive aspect of this book 😬

The dialogue was so cringeworthy, I was constantly thinking ‘who talks like this?!’

I’ve never read a book with as many stupid names as this either…Magnolia, Yardley, Hollis, Park, Scout - utter nonsense 🤦‍♀️ (apologies if anyone is named one of these names, but seriously 🤣)

There were various continuity errors which were infuriating to read.

The ‘shocking twist’ advertised on the front of the book was….underwhelming. It was so unbelievable that when it was revealed I just rolled my eyes.

If anyone enjoyed this, please let me know why 🤣🤣🤣🤣

#readingreviews #lovetoread #onestar #dislike #badread #needtoread #bookstagram #books #bibliophile #pages #reviews #bookworm

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice easy read with suspense. Yes it was improbable but there was enough suspense. What I really loved was learning about the islands. This author never disappoints and I always love spending a few hours with her, she always takes me away from everything.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sh · Rating 1 out of 5]

" So you slept with Yardley but I don't feel like that changes anything "

I'm giving 1 star just for that. Your baby was dead and your wife is so heartbroken to the point she ends up in a mental hospital, and guess what the husband does to cope with his sadness? Sleep with a woman he previously rejected before marriage just because she offered help when he was so vulnerable!?

Baby is dead, wife is going crazy in a psych ward all alone and the sad husband fucks another woman.

Despite the fact this is a psychological thriller I was so freaking annoyed at Ivan. He cheated and even dared to call his wife crazy all the time wanting to send her off to a hospital again (even though the author and the main character tried so hard to sugarcoat his behaviour)

Also the dialogues were kinda bad. Plus Magnolia name reminds me of Mongolia

[Katie Troh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining, quick read. I was bothered by some small things - like the fact that she wraps the baby in a blanket right after giving birth to keep the baby warm, but a midwife would know skin contact is best. Also it seems like Mag is able to sleep all night & do whatever she wants for hours despite breastfeeding a newborn, which is not how it works. A mention of a car being black after it was said to have been red multiple times. Mag also drank a few times which wouldn't make sense to do because newborns nurse frequently & often irregularly. These things just took me out of the story a bit. It was still enjoyable overall

[Rebecca Cecil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Mags lost a baby 2 years ago it was a stillborn. Mags lost her mind almost she was in a mental hospital. Now she is out and pregnant again, her and her husband Ivin are excited. Mags is happy and also scared. On a stormy nights Mags has to deliver her baby alone. She keeps repeating - you are strong, you can do this over and over to herself.
To find out what happens read the book.

[Shauntelle (myglamorousreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This story was a great concept and the buildup in the first 75% of the book was so intriguing. The last 25% was a slight disappointment. I would have appreciated more “story” and background surrounding “the main twist”. For a short novel, it was good overall. The concept was great. I just wish the middle was a little more developed.

[Timi Fasanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

um.. It had a really interesting concept/potential but this was just so frustrating and chaotic and had so many plot holes that didn’t make sense.

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I gave birth to a girl...so why's my husband holding a boy?"

I came across this book after reading a review for it and thought that it would be right up my alley. I love missing baby tropes, no matter the style. And given that it was just 120 pages long I thought perfect! Another one off my Netgalley shelf and towards my yearly goal which I could easily devour in a couple of hours...which I did.

So Magnolia, a midwife herself, goes into labour three weeks early in the middle of a storm. Given that she was not yet due, she had no one in attendance and, given that there was a brutal storm outside, the island on which she lived with husband Ivan was cut off from the nest of islands that make up the San Juan Islands, off the coast of Washington state. Her waters break and in the midst of contractions she calls Ivan who is at a yoga retreat on another island. But this baby is coming now.

And so the story goes...she gives birth alone, in the dark in the midst of the storm, but when she sees her newborn daughter she is elated and knows everything is going to be alright. But giving birth is a tiring business so after placing a cap she lovingly knitted on her daughter's head, she swaddles her tightly and places her in the bassinet, cleans herself up and collapses on the bed to sleep. With her hand reaching into the bassinet to lay on her daughter's chest...she will just sleep for a few minutes. Then when she wakes, it's daylight and when she reaches into the bassinet, it's empty. Then she sees Ivan cradling their child in his arms, congratulating her on a job well done and that their son is perfect. Son? No, that's not right. Magnolia knows she gave birth to a daughter. But now they have a son?

No matter how loud Magnolia cried or how much she protested, nobody believed her when she told them she gave birth to a daughter and that this child her husband has put to her breast is not her baby. It was easy to see why they questioned Magnolia's assertion, given her history. A year ago, she had a stillbirth - a daughter - and now everyone seems to think she is projecting those emotions onto her new baby, convincing herself that she had a girl when she really had a boy. Yes, it was easy to see this on the surface. But...as her husband I really think Ivan should have listened more to his wife, humoured her more even if he didn't believe her. By telling her otherwise and threatening the psychiatric facility was counterproductive.

No one believed Magnolia. And yet she is so sure...she is willing to risk everything to prove she had a baby girl and to get her daughter back.

So first and foremost, I must say my biggest gripe with this book is the names. Magnolia and Clover were bad enough, but Park and Scout? And then there were names that were more like surnames that first names...Hollis and Yardley. Next, there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the book stating that it is written using British English...and then proceeds to use words like cell phone, mom and spells labor without the U. That isn't British English. That's American English. And lastly...the editting errors. The Ford Focus couldn't even remain the same colour (with a U, thank you), switching from red to black and then it became and SUV.

That aside...this story is fast paced, taking place in the first week after Magnolia gives birth, and an incredibly quick read at just 120 pages in length. It took me a mere 3 hours to devour it and get to the bottom of the mystery. While on the one hand you are rooting for Magnolia, on the other you question if she is just an unreliable narrator, convinced she gave birth to a girl.

A thoroughly entertaining read that had me questioning in parts despite fully backing Magnolia all the way. Recommended.

I would like to thank #AnyaMora, #Netgalley and #JoffeBooks for an ARC of #NotMyBaby in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Raya Baeva · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Anya Mora book, and it did not disappoint. A quick page turner that kept me engaged over two days whilist waiting at jury service.

**There are some mild triggers in this book, such as baby loss, isolation, and mental illness.

Never having heard about the author, the title, and the synospis of the book piqued my interest, and I had to get it to find out what it was about! How Mora describes the birth scene Maggie went through was so beautifully detailed. As someone who had a baby just over a year ago, I was in awe of the care and time the author took to give credit to how emotionally difficult and exhilarating labour and first time motherhood can be followed by the difficulties of PPD.

Overall, a 4 star rating due to the nature of the book and how realistic the feelings, actions, and thought processes of the main character were portrayed. However, the ending wasn't anything extraordinary and seemed rushed a little bit, but it was an enjoyable ride.

I am looking forward to reading more from this author!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realise this was a short story (120 pages) so got through it quite quickly.

Quite suspenseful in places, wondering if Magnilia was going mad or that baby Park wasn't actually hers at all. Magnolia gave birth alone after having a stillborn the previous year. She gives birth to another girl and settles her down then falls asleep herself. When she awakes, her husband has returned and is cuddling the baby - a boy! Magnolia knows she gave birth to a girl, or so she thinks, but with her previous record of having to stay in a psych ward, everyone around her thinks she's going crazy.

A quick little read with a few twists and turns. 4⭐️

[Evie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t click with this novella, sadly. This was a great and promising premise, which I think had the potential to be a truly harrowing psychological thriller if expanded into a full novel, but the last 20% fell very flat. The tension and guessing game was concluded in the most frustratingly boring way - everybody just fesses up and admits to wrongdoing. I’m not sure what was the point. With a little bit more effort this really could have been a great book.

Sorry to say, the short story didn’t work for me.

[Laina Gruver · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

This is not my typical read these days but I must say it was quite refreshing! While I didn’t figure everything thing out, I did deduce that Park was Billie’s so… yay me! I was shocked and saddened to find out Hollis was involved.

This was a well written mystery/thriller. While it was a short read, it was a complete story and I didn’t feel like it lacked anything.

*****
POV… first person

Standalone or series… standalone

Hangover… no

Recommend… sure

Reread… maybe

[conner · Rating 5 out of 5]

i read this in one sitting and loved the twists throughout. it would be a super easy book for someone who is in a reading slump and wants something to spark your interest again. i loved the development of the story line, and i really felt like the past experiences of the main characters developed really well too - it almost felt like i had a prequel! i would definitely recommend this book!

[Ari Cross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book because I had babies not that long ago, so I’m always interested in birth/new motherhood stories. The twist was okay I guess but all of the support characters were forgettable, and then ended up being a big part of the whole thing. This was a short listen but it was only okay.

Thank you to Libro.fm for the gifted copy!

[El-Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the type of book it is I do give it a 3.5 star rating. If you want a mindless book that will take a day to read and keep you wanting to know more…then this would be that book. Easy, quick read. Great book to read on plane or if waiting somewhere for the day.

[Seb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read, but it could have been much better! It was too short. There were missed opportunities for character development, suspense, action, a denouement.

Anyway, at least I have finished another book!

[Jenn McEvoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a really quick audiobook that kept my attention but… it wasn’t my favorite.

There were so many things that annoyed me about this one. I won’t name them all because there was a lot.

The narrator was pretty awful also. In conclusion, I didn’t like this one 😹

[Ashley Scow · Rating 3 out of 5]

That would have been a solid twist if they hadn’t advertised it… I can’t go into a book knowing there’s going to be a twist without picking it apart and figuring it out long before the ending. I’d rather be surprised, but I saw that twist from a mile away.

I really disliked the husband/father… he was supportive if it was on his terms, but he was absolutely ready to lock her away if she pushed it too far.

It was still enjoyable despite the hiccups. I was definitely intrigued.