Reviews with content warning for Rape - Magpie

I picked this one up because I needed something plot-driven to keep my attention while staying at home looking after my dog while she recovered from a traumatic visit to the dentist! Magpie delivers on that front, but only if you don’t think about it too much.

Considering how well I thought Day handles topics like motherhood and infertility, I was disappointed with her treatment of mental health issues. Not so into mental health problems being used as plot twists.

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kamin8882's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"one for sorrow, two for joy, three for a girl, and four for a boy."

Marissa and Jake are the perfect couple, they only thing they are missing a baby. To earn some extra money to prepare to become a larger family, Jake and Marissa get a lodger, Kate, to move in and help with some expenses. Jake is convinced this will help cover the cost to expand their family so Marissa agrees. But once she actually becomes pregnant... things change. Marissa is more on edge and paranoid, and Jake and Kate seem to be getting more and more cozy. Marissa is convinced Kate is making moves and is obsessed with them!! Marissa decides to take matters into her own hands- even if it means risking everything she has worked so hard for. How far will she got to protect her growing family ???

WOW !! This book was too much more than the synopsis leads it on to be!!! I can't really go into with much spoilers but holy crap it gets insane !!! Marissa, Kate and even Jake's mom Annabelle all have their own experiences with motherhood, whether it be infertility, abandonment or obsession. I loved the different view points on motherhood this way. I also loved how the first half of the book was told from Marissa's POV and the second half from Kates... I was really able to understand each character more. Now with that being said, the main reason this isn't getting 5 stars is because

the main "twist" happened to early for me... I was hoping for more of a BANG ending but it just kinda resolved itself after that...

Overall, this book was great !! I loved the crazy characters, the twist was insane and the motherhood theme was great!!

"There was no sacrifice to great; no lack that she wouldn't willingly suffer. She had her baby, finally after so much suffering."

Thank you Simon & Schuster, Netgalley and Elizabeth Day for an advanced readers copy of this book !!

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lacyloveslit's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book hooked me from the beginning. The suspense and build up was fantastic and I had to keep reading to see what the heck was going on.

The story starts out from the POV of Marisa who is in a relationship with Jake and they are trying for a baby. To save some money, they decide to take in another roommate, Kate. Everything seems fine, but then Marisa starts noticing a change between Jake and Kate. Fast forward to Part II from the POV of Kate and things are... different to say the least. There was a good twist about 50% into the book and I loved it! I loved the contrasting POVs between Marisa's side of the story and Kate's side of the story. It was so interesting to hear the different sides of events.

I think the author handled the subject of infertility, surrogacy, pregnancy, and motherhood with such grace and with so much knowledge. It was handled very carefully and I appreciated that in this story.

My biggest gripe is after the middle twist, I felt like the book was much much slower. I definitely wanted to keep reading because I was waiting for something and knew it was coming but then felt a bit let down in the end. I almost felt like the middle should have been the end if that makes sense? Overall, I definitely liked this book and would recommend to anyone who likes mystery and psychological intrigue.

Thanks to #NetGalley, Simon Schuster, and the author for a digital ARC of this book to review before it's publishing date. This did not affect my review and the opinions are my own

Content Warnings

amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I thought the way

Marisa's mental health

was treated in the plot was problematic. She had

a psychotic break and was not given access to a psychiatrist and mental health services. She was packed away to the country and forced to live in Jake's parents' guest house. Feels like confinement to me.

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