What a suspense! Morgan and Nicole seem to not know each other but we soon uncover their dark secret. Nicole recently had a baby and she's hiding a dark secret from everyone but her best friend. She begins to experience post partum and hallucinations. The book reads from Nicole's perspective leading up to her death and Morgan's perspective after the death. It was a fast read for me filled with turning the page. I was determined to find out what really happened to Nicole and whether Morgan was involved. I have to say I didn't see the ending coming at all and was really happy with how it turned out!

So happy I requested this book! What would you do of a stranger handed you her baby then turned around and killed herself? Oh! Then you're accused of her murder?

Loved this book! Read it one sitting! Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow!! This book grabbed me from the very first words and held me captive to the very end.

This story is a thriller at its best—edge-of-your-seat, page-turning, and heart-pumping.. I could not put it down! What a great debut!!!

Wow!! This book grabbed me from the very first words and held me captive to the very end.

This story is a thriller at its best—edge-of-your-seat, page-turning, and heart-pumping. I devoured this book. I couldn't stop reading, it was that suspenseful. I'm extremely impressed by this debut novel and look forward to more books by Samantha in the future, hopefully soon.

From its explosive beginning until the end of the book this book will make you forget about the laundry that's toppling over in the laundry room. It'll make you forget about anything and everything. I absolutely loved this roller coaster of a book and so will you. Happy reading!

Engrossing, Heart-Pounding, Compelling, Explosive!

Samantha M. Bailey delivers a spellbinding debut that captures you from the first page and never lets you go until the satisfying conclusion.

WOMAN ON THE EDGE is assured to keep you “on the edge-of-your-seat.” A complex emotional, psychological suspense thriller from a talented new voice.

Three words: “Take my baby.” Can you imagine someone handing you their baby? You may think, does the mother need an extra pair of hands to get something out of her purse, a bottle, or what?

Set in busy Chicago at the subway platform, mother Nichole Markham approaches another woman, Morgan Kinkaid, who is a social worker.

There is no time to think. It is a jerk reaction. When someone asks you to take their baby, you try and help, right?

However, something dreadful happens. The woman jumps right in front of her after she hands her the baby. Shocked, Morgan cannot believe what is happening. She cries out for help. Why did the woman jump? Why would she hand her the baby?

Horrified, she replays this tragedy. The woman called her by name? Who is this woman? She said, “Love her for me, Morgan. Don’t let anyone hurt her.” How could this be happening? What was the woman running from?

From this point on, the author masterfully guides us through the time of before (Nichole) and present (Morgan).

We learn Morgan’s husband recently committed suicide (Ryan) after being convicted of embezzlement. She was the wife of a thief and a suicidal coward. She always wanted to be a mother. And she is a mother handing her baby to her and ending her own life?

Later Morgan notices a post-it-note with the name Amanda on it.

The author carefully unravels the life of Nicole. Nicole was a successful businesswoman and CEO of Breathe. She was also married, had a best friend, a brother, and a co-worker.

Nicole had a troubled past. An incident with a baby that was under her care when she was a nanny years earlier. Was that mother after her? Is that why she was running, or could it be her husband? What about her brother or her friend? Did Ryan have a connection with this family?

Morgan is determined to find out what drove a desperate woman to drastic measures. Her life depends on it. She cannot stop thinking about the baby. Of course, she will not be allowed to keep the baby and not understanding why its mother thought she could keep it safe.

Now Morgan is in trouble, and everyone thinks she pushed her. However, things are not as they seem in the Markham household. Who can be trusted?

There are many suspects and red herrings, and the tensions are running high. When the will is read, there is another shocker! Then, Detective, Karina Martinez, who investigated Ryan’s suicide, is now involved in this case. Morgan must keep sleuthing to clear her name and find out whoever was scaring Nichole, plus they may be coming after her and baby, Quinn.

Readers will be turning these pages, racing to determine the mysterious connection between these two women! You will think twice the next time you are on the subway platform and your morning commute.

Cleverly written, the author draws you into the complex world of both these women and gives them a sympathetic voice. What a great book with more twists than you can imagine! Very thought-provoking and would make an ideal selection for book clubs and further discussions.

Readers will be rooting for Morgan and little Quinn to the very end. From the striking front cover to the well-written plot and cast of well- developed characters, this is a 5 STAR debut and cannot wait to see what comes next!

I devoured WOMAN ON THE EDGE! I started it and could not put it down! The audio went with me in the car because I did not want to miss a thing. Fans of Mary Kubica, Christina McDonald, and Heather Gudenkauf will find a lot to like here!

Hard to believe this is a debut; however, if you read Samantha’s bio and praise, Impressive! you can see why this novel reads like an award-winning author (that she is – a gifted writer). No wonder she writes with such grace and finesse. Move this author and the book to the top of your list. Highly recommend!

Thank you, Samantha, for a satisfying read and wonderful addition to a weekend. Top Books of 2020!

PS I loved reading the acknowledgments, and that the book took over six years to write. Congrats, Samantha, a hit! You were meant to write this book. You should be proud. Much gratitude—I am honored and humbled to be included and recognized in your list of bloggers and readers.

A special thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the paperback and audiobook by Simon & Schuster Audio, The narrator, Katherine Fenton, delivered an award-winning performance!

EXCEPTIONAL AUTHORS. STANDOUT BOOKS. ELEVATOR TALK. Check out my Q&A Interview with the Author on my Blog. Go behind the scenes with the fabulous Samantha and her latest knock-out debut thriller #WomanontheEdge —Exclusives and fun facts about this new rising star in fiction!

#JDCMustReadBooks

Terrific book. Absolutely loved it. Compelling characters and story line. Kept me interested the entire time.

Woman On The Edge by Samantha M. Bailey has been all over social media but I still wanted to add to the congratulatory posts for this debut thriller that lives up to all the hype!

This book has everything I want in my thriller. Suspense, murder, likeable and despicable characters, and a didn't see that coming ending!

Nicole seems to have it all. She is the CEO of a successful company, loving husband and a brand new baby girl. So why does she leave her beautiful home go down into the subway hand her baby to a virtual stranger and jump onto the tracks in front of an on going train.

From the very first sentence the author had me hooked. Her writing flows easily throughout the story as we alternate between Nicole's point of view leading up to her drastic heartbreaking decision and that of Morgan the woman who is handed the baby that faithful day. Morgan fights the police, Nicole's family and friends, and her own demons to get to the truth of Nicole's actions and to protect the baby a stranger gave to her in the last minutes of her life.

If this plotline does not have you running to get a copy of this book please check your pulse!

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and the author Samantha M. Bailey for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster publishing for the eARC! The thoughts below are mine only.

First off, wow! This novel was gripping from the very first sentence. Clear your schedule to read this one!

The timeline alternates to the past with Nicole and the present with Morgan.

Nicole is the CEO of a successful women’s company in Chicago, never desiring a future as a mother, after a tragedy while she was a babysitter as a teenager. A surprise pregnancy finds her hopeful, but after the birth she finds herself feeling guilty and the past catching up with her.

Fast forward to the future - Morgan is suddenly handed an infant from a frantic mother, asking her to keep the baby safe before jumping in front of a train at a subway. She learns that this mother is Nicole. The next day she receives a call from Nicole’s attorney, being told she was put down as guardian of the infant. But, Morgan never knew Nicole. As she tries to figure out the pieces to the puzzle, she finds herself being followed and afraid for her life.

Don’t wait - pick this book up! You won’t be disappointed.

Morgan works as a social worker and is a widow having lost her husband, Ryan, to suicide. He had bilked many investors of their money on a scheme to which she had not knowledge and then killed himself leaving her to try to make reparation to as many people as possible. She is so ashamed of him and now lives a quiet and secluded life.

Today, Morgan is waiting for her subway when a frantic and bedraggled looking woman shoves a baby in her arms asking her to take care of her. Then she falls in front of the incoming subway.

Nicola is married and is the CEO of a very successful and wealthy wellness company called Breathe. She is now leaving for maternity leave and hopes that her company will be in good hands while she is gone. After the baby is born, she finds herself very much in love with her baby, Quinn, but her mental health suffers and she is nearing a breakdown just before she shoves Quinn in the arms of Morgan and then kills herself.

What drove her to this and what was so awful for Nicola that she could no longer live?

This is a very intense book that delves into the aftermath of childbirth that for some woman can be mentally incapacitating. But Nicola had a history that comes out bits at a time in the story and how she and Morgan’s paths end up crossing.

Intense is not a strong enough word for the constant angst in this story. I was quite exhausted when I finished reading it. We learn about Nicola, her life, and the people who are a part of her life - good or bad. I’m sure that readers will be on the edge of their seats as they read this but for me, it was a bit too much to believe at times.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Very thrilling book. I was pulled in trying to figure out what was going on. It was very interesting to see both sides of the story.

Gotta love a fast-paced thriller! Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey goes from 0-60 in the first chapter alone. A woman hands her baby to a stranger and then jumps in front of train barreling into the station. Who the heck are these women? Why did that woman jump?
The woman who finds herself hiding the baby’s eyes from the graphic scene before them, Morgan, is a mess of confusion. Bystanders, the baby and mother’s family, and the police are all suspicious of Morgan. Maybe she pushed this distressed mother, Nicole, because she wants a baby herself. Morgan stands her ground and maintains her innocence and seeks to clear her name. The reader is led into a fast-paced mystery that delves into the pain and other torrent of emotions that can sometimes be felt with dealing family, both new and old.
Bailey does an excellent job of pacing, it’s fast and the momentum is maintained by the short chapters and the back-and-forth narration between Morgan and Nicole. I read the book quickly, and easily finished it in two sittings.
It’s hard to tell who to trust, who to believe, and knowing that a baby’s safety hangs on the line keeps up the suspense. A perfect weekend read!

Woman on the Edge is the debut novel by Samantha Bailey. It is always exciting to find a new author to follow. I will definitely be reading her next book. Woman on the Edge is suspenseful and will keep you engaged until the very end.

An excellent debut novel from Samantha Bailey. It is a quick-paced psychological thriller. There is good character development. Morgan Kincaid starts out as an innocent by-stander waiting on a train. Nichole Markham enters the train station and runs up to Morgan and thrusts her baby girl into her arms - in the same instant Nichole falls or jumps or is pushed in front of the oncoming train. We learn of the lives of the two main characters as they narrate the story. Nichole tells her story from the past and you feel the vortex of despair as her life spirals out of control. Morgan tells her story in the immediate present and you understand her apprehension as she looks for answers as to why she was forced into this reality. There are some minor situations where you might have to suspend your disbelief and very small parts that seem to wrap up to smoothly but these do not interfere with the entertainment quality of the story. I found it a provocative and entertaining novel.

Let me start by saying that this book wasn’t perfect for me but I’m still going to say it’s worth a read solely based and sheer entertainment value. It’s short and reads incredibly fast and is definitely gripping. It’s also twisty and maybe if you’re newer to thrillers you’ll be surprised but I found the turns to be predictable. You also just have to kind of let things go and realize it’s a bit of a crazy story and not worry too much about plausibility, but I swear if you can just not nitpick it’s a really fun one. Was I blown away? No, but I wasn’t mad that I read it either. I’m thinking this would be a perfect vacation read honestly as it’s written in a super compulsive and breezy style that doesn’t require intense concentration. I also liked it enough that I would read another book by the author as well she definitely has potential and the premise was intriguing.

Really good debut novel! I hope to read more from Samantha M. Bailey soon. Woman on the Edge was fast paced suspense novel with lots of twists and turns. I enjoy it when I can read a novel and not quite figure out who the culprit is until the end. Thanks to NetGalley the author and her publisher for letting me read an advanced copy of Woman on the Edge

In the first chapter, a scared woman that Morgan has never seen calls her by name and tells her to take care of her baby before jumping in front of a train. What was the woman running from and why did she entrust her baby to Morgan? How did she know her name?

Chapters alternate between Morgan, in the present, and the baby’s mother, Nicole, in the past.
Nicole's situation as a new mother spotlights the reality of postpartum depression for women while Morgan's circumstance demonstrates life as a widow whose spouse fell victim to suicide.

“Was this what motherhood felt like for everyone? A constant state of fear and panic?”

The overall situation and how things end up transpiring definitely seems implausible if you really think about it, but the suspense was so absorbing that I got caught up in all of it. Things were happening to Nicole that didn’t add up, and I wanted to know the truth.
The ending was a little over the top, but I was still turning those pages as fast as I could.

This was a short and fast-paced read that mystery and suspense readers will enjoy.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance read copy. Opinions are my own.

This debut thriller had me on the edge of my seat. I really like the cover and the very first chapter sucked me in. It is very readable and both of the main characters were people I could relate to at different times in the narrative. The book begins with the pivotal moment on the subway platform when Nicole hands Baby Quinn off to Morgan. Nicole falls on the tracks immediately afterward. Did she jump or was she pushed? How did Nicole (a stranger) know Morgan's name? How did high-power exec Nicole become such a wreck after the birth of her baby? What will happen to Baby Quinn? If Quinn is her name, why does Morgan find a sticky note with "Amanda" on Quinn's carrier? There are two POVs-- Morgan's begins in the present and Nicole's in the past. As we see the two timelines advance, answers are revealed and the stakes become ever higher. This is an author to watch if you like authors like Greer Hendriks, Michele Campbell and Liv Constantine.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Woman on the Edge opens with a distraught woman on the subway who thrusts her baby into Morgan Kincaid's arms and jumps in front of a train.
When it becomes apparent that Morgan, despite her own past, was chosen deliberately by this desperate stranger, and that she had her own past to hide which may have pushed her over the edge.
The woman who jumped is Nicole Markham, CEO of a successful lifestyle brand she founded and built from nothing. She had it all until everything turned upside down after the birth of her daughter. She's filled with anxiety and can't leave the house or baby for a minute, let alone think about returning to work. Her husband is growing discontent with the changes in her personality. And skeletons in her closet she thought were long in the past are coming back to haunt her.
I could not put this book down, with all the twists I was at the edge of my seat myself, and there were enough twists to have me suspecting every one of the people in Nicole's life by the end of the novel.
I also feel Bailey handled the postpartum mental health issues well; which is important as it is something that warrants discussion,
Five stars to this fantastically fast-paced debut thriller from Samantha Bailey.

Woman on the Edge was everything I hoped it would be and more. How far would one woman go to protect the child she loves and what would drive her to do the unthinkable?

I found myself not wanting to put it down. I will admit I had SOME of it figured out about 75% of the way in but it didn't deter me from enjoying it.

Samantha did a wonderful job of describing the characters and that made it easier to follow which is something I appreciate.

I gave Woman on the Edge 4 stars and would definitely recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Samantha Bailey for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.