Wow....absolutely intriguing. Definitely a page turner that keeps you wanting more. The story draws you in quickly and has you guessing to figure out what twist will come next and wondering how these people are connected.

WOW great debut novel by Samantha M. Bailey. Woman on the Edge grabs you right from the beginning and never lets up!

Though I was right on my assumption the rollercoaster ride was full of deep plunges, twists and turns, tunnels into darkness, butterflies in your stomach, and then the final ending leaving you breathless. I read very few mystery, thrillers but love when I pick a good one, yes this was a good one.!

Woman on the Edge is about two women, Nicole and Morgan and told in alternating chapters. Nicole goes from confident CEO of her own company to becoming a nervous mother on the verge of collapse. Morgan is a social worker who works at a woman’s shelter. She feels very alone after her husband is caught embezzling moneyL You will feel sorry for both Morgan and Nicole, their pain will become your pain, you will want to save them both. It is also about two babies Amanda and Quinn. The story keeps moving, it is fast paced and will evoke feelings of fear, pain, love, sorrow and keep you turning the pages way into the night. An absolutely entertaining read from beginning to end. Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Can’t wait for Samantha’s next book!

Woman on the Edge was loaded with wild plot twists and turns. Told in two perspectives, and in before and after format, this book is near impossible to put down. Both main characters - Morgan and Nicole - are unique in both their situations and their characteristics. One woman has lost it all and dreams of being a mother, the other has it all and feels her best option is to give up being a mother. Obviously there is a lot more than that, but you'll have to read the book for those details.

This book was incredibly fast paced and leaves the reader with a lot of questions. Not to mention, the supporting characters aid the book in moving forward. Honestly, there is a lot going on at almost all times. Between failing marriages, paranoia, trying to figure out who to trust... it is a lot to take in. A lot of information is being thrown at the reader. Bits of it did feel pretty rushed. I would have loved if things were a little more drawn out to give the reader a bit more of a apprehensive feeling. Also, while I did enjoy the characters some of the actions did not make the most sense to me.

All in all, I did enjoy reading this book even though there are quite a few major things that I would change. If I were to break the rating down, I think I would go with just under 3.5 stars.

This was a great debut for Samantha M Bailey and I look forward to reading her next book!

This debut psychological thriller started off with a huge bang and kept me captivated throughout. Total binge worthy and page turner. It's fast-paced, a bit twisted and unbelievable at points, but entertaining to say the least.

Woman on the Edge is told in two POVs. From Nicole and Morgan. Two women. Two strangers. One subway. One child. A slew of questions. Told in past and present from Nicole and Morgan, we get to see the build up of what led the woman to be on the edge and who is chasing the woman who witnessed the travesty. I don't know how much more I can say without ruining the story, so I'll leave it at that.
The story was compelling and left me wanting more. I didn't really connect or care for any of the major characters until the end, but they all played off one another well to create a plot that moved along quickly and coherently. With the mystery of the connection between Morgan and Nicole being pieced together from the past and present POVs, the story intrigued me and had me questioning everything and everyone.
The ending had the perfect twist, but was perhaps too "clean" for a domestic thriller. I might have guessed where it was going early on, but it still played with our emotions and was a powerful work of suspense.
For a debut and the way the story was crafted and put together, I would say this is totally worth a recommendation. 3.75 stars

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for a copy of Woman on the Edge in exchange for an honest review. 

I'll admit it: I do not have an impartial view of this subject matter. As someone who has a mental illness (bipolar II) and who has dealt with postpartum depression, I can not judge Nicole. Nor can I say that this is an unlikely or melodramatic scenario.

Some reviewers say Nicole should realize that her mental state is disintegrating. Or that she lacks common sense. Or that others around her wouldn't overlook her disturbed mental state. These sound unduly harsh to me. 

A mentally ill person might not realize how bad her mental state is. It's difficult to judge from the inside out, especially when one's mind is lying and not fully grasping reality. If people close to the mentally ill person don't take positive action (rather than walking away, as Nicole's acquaintances/friends/family do), then the ill person may have no resources to reach out for help: no energy, no ideas, nothing.

And yes, people WILL walk by an obviously hurting person. Even people you know. Believe me, that hurts. Plus, it minimizes the pain, as if others think the person should simply "get over it" and "deal with it." As if the person--exhausted, edgy, isolated--knows how to handle it.

(How many times have you passed someone who looks disheveled, distraught, and desperate? Maybe you knew them. Maybe not. But you were too busy to help? Too afraid? Too uncertain? Sadly, I admit that I've done this.)

Anyway, here's my point: 

Nicole's increasingly distraught and isolated state resonated with me. It felt real. Raw. It mattered to me in ways that novel conflicts rarely do, no matter how well-crafted they are. 

It broke my heart seeing how delusional and mentally broken Nicole becomes. Knowing that her death is coming makes it all the worse. I kept wanting to beg her to live, plead with her for her baby's sake, and snatch her away from the edge where she teeters, mentally, emotionally, and physically. If I could've reached through the words on the page and grabbed her, I would've. 

I couldn't. But the author made me want to do that. Despite any unsympathetic, self-sabotaging choices Nicole makes, despite any seeming dumb mistakes, despite anything else, Nicole Markham had my sympathy. 

Morgan had my sympathy, too. (This is another woman who is often makes dumb choices; ignoring one's attorney's advice to leave investigations to the police is a bad idea, but most fictional protagonists do a horrible job following a lawyer's orders!)

Ryan, her late husband, killed himself. A financial broker, he had embezzled clients' funds to invest in a corrupt hedge fund. When that went badly and everyone--including family--who had trusted him lost everything, he died, leaving Morgan to be a suspect in his scheme. She didn't know what he was doing. Almost no one believes her. As a result, she's been found guilty in the court of public opinion, though not in court.

She judges herself harshly, too. But the emotions she feels echo what I've heard from suicide survivors: Why did they do it? Why didn't I see? Could I have stopped it? Honestly, she seems to be suffering from PTSD and needs therapy ASAP. She's also longing for a child but unable to have one. At points, her grief seems to overwhelm her personality. 

Even her attorney doesn't fully trust her. Morgan is as alone as Nicole. The author does a great job painting a picture of a woman who is lonely, even when standing on a crowded platform, waiting for a train.

There are issues with the story, of course.

Certain twists are obvious to anyone who reads many suspense/thriller novels.

I also never understood the motivations of certain supporting characters. Without giving spoilers, I can't say much. But I felt like the antagonistic characters' motivations weren't fleshed out enough. I didn't feel that I had enough information to see the full picture of what had been happening outside of Nicole's and Morgan's points of view. As a result, the ending felt rushed. 

There are other aspects that seem unbelievable. The detective who investigates both Nicole's death and Ryan's suicide seems intent on blaming Morgan for both the death and the embezzlement. Yet even supposing Morgan was complicit with her late husband and helped steal other people's investments and squander it in an corrupt hedge fund, there's a huge difference between fraud and murder. It does not logically follow that a thief would become a killer.

As well, there is a lot of backstory introduced early in the book. While it is important, it felt like too much, too soon for me. 

Yet despite the flaws, Woman on the Edge haunts me.

This is a story about grief and regrets, and what makes one person able to move past those traumas and another person succumb to them. I am willing to overlook many writing flaws because of my emotional connection with these characters. It was a powerful, poignant experience for me to journey alongside these two women. It will haunt me for a long time. 

(This review will appear on my blog on March 9, 2020.)

You know the sign of an absolutely fantastic book? The fact that you are unable to put it down and finish it in less than 24 hours! Really sad this one ended as quickly as it began, but guys ... this book was SO GOOD! I will be feeling withdrawl for a while 😭

@sbaileybooks's #WomanOnTheEdge had my heart racing and my anxiety through the roof THE ENTIRE BOOK. Told between alternate character views, this was fast paced, but packed the heavy punch I desire so much in thriller novels. And, this wasnt very "predictable" - though once the pieces locked into place, EVERYTHING MADE SENSE!

Bailey has an incredible knack for writing characters that you can 100% relate with. I felt so deeply for new mom, Nicole, and her struggles with postpartum depression and the stress of being a new mother (while trying to run from an accident that happened in her past) to Morgan, who has her own emotional baggage after the loss of her husband and longing desire to become a mother.

Isn't it crazy when you feel like you connect so much with people who dont actually exist? All I can say is BRAVO! And ... this is her first debut novel! I have no idea how the world is surviving without more Samantha novels in it. I will be on the edge of my seat waiting for your next one 😘

Who is adding this to their #TBR? In my opinion, it's going to to be one of the best books of 2020!

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#bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookstack #booknerd #booklover #booksofinstagram #booksofig #igreads #instabooks #booksbooksbooks #booksof2020 #bookworm #bookish #bookaddict #bookobsessed #goodreads #booksarelife #booksaremagic #bibliophile

Wow! Just wow! This is an amazing thriller. Kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out who was after them. The twist at the end was epic and I didn't see it coming but it made perfect sense. The back and forth POV was executed wonderfully. Before with Nicole and present day with Morgan. I really enjoyed this and look forward to reading more from Samantha in the future!

Wow what a great book. It was full of suspense and interesting plot and characters. It left me hanging up until the end. Two characters stories are told the women on the edge and what led up to her being on the edge. The other characters story was the aftermath of what happened and figuring out why it happened and proving her innocence. She had to figure out who to trust can’t wait to read another book by this author.

One of the best opening scenes I've read in a long time. Looking forward to getting this best-selling Canadian import into the hands of my thriller readers at the library. Thanks so much for the early look.

This book was pretty good, not great, it told the story of two women who interact in a dramatic way and mysterious way. the story, had some twists and turns and false clues and was interesting enough. I would really rate it maybe slightly under a four. It explores the issues of who do we really know and is there anyone we can trust

Morgan is dealing with her past that has made her future what it is and it isn't too bright. While standing on the subway platform a woman shoves her baby into her arms and tells her to take care of her, while saying her name, and then jumps to her death. When the police show, and realize who she is, there are more questions than answers. There is no proof that Morgan didn't push this rich CEO Nicole to her death. Things mount up that don't seem in her favor and we have to ask ourselves how truthful is she really being? Nicoles POV from the past is put throughout the book as well, so we try to piece together the story of what is really going on. Quite a few twists and turns and the ending I had figured out but not until about three fourths of way through. For a debut novel this is well worth a read and I will check out any future novels by this author.

The story starts off with a bang, and doesn’t fizzle out along the way. That’s a plus! Woman on the Edge is fast paced and an easy read with relatable characters. The character motives is what drives this story and woman on the edge doesn’t have just one meaning as it might be depicted on the cover. The story will make the reader second-guess some things along the way, but the actual twist was easy to figure out. The story was still enjoyable all the same. The ending could have been tied up a little better, but the then all endings don’t come easy in real life, so . . .

I really loved Woman on the Edge. It was a quick read - very fast-paced and a lot of fun. I love how there were multiple meanings of a "woman on the edge" and the parallel between the two main female characters really worked. I think a lot of women will be able to relate to both main characters. Though I figured out the "twist" early on, it didn't detract from my enjoyment. I loved learning about character motives. I wish the ending wasn't quite as neat, but other than that, I have no critiques.

I don't always stay up until two o'clock in the morning to finish a book, but Woman on the Edge was so suspenseful and I just had to know what would happen.

The story kept me guessing the entire time. Even when I thought I knew the answer, I still was thrown off course. There were some surprises tossed into the mix, as well. Nicole and Morgan were both sympathetic characters, going through their own struggles. I felt really bad for both of them and was hoping Morgan could at least come out on top. I was frustrated by how everyone kept second-guessing her motives and actions.

This was a compelling novel the entire way through. It had me on the edge...of my seat! I can't stop thinking about it and recommending it. I definitely want more from Samantha M. Bailey!

Movie casting ideas:
Nicole: Odette Annable
Morgan: Katherine Waterston
Greg: Eric Johnson
Tessa: Skyler Day
Ben: Zachary Levi
Detective Martinez: Rosario Dawson
Jessica: Thandie Newton

Woman on the Edge by author Samantha M. Bailey is an emotional and thrilling domestic thriller that does not disappoint! Starts with a bang and ends with a bang!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

i finished Woman On The Edge last week and it was everything i needed 🙌🏼 thank you @netgalley for sending this my way, i wish i picked it up sooner 💙

rating: 4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

this book starts with a BANG💥 a successful, beautiful woman named nicole hands a stranger her newborn baby just before she jumps in front of a train 😱 right before she jumped, nicole said morgan’s name and that she knew about her biggest desire—to become a mother—even though the two women never met before. how?!?!

determined to figure out who this woman was and how they’re connected, morgan begins searching for any details she can find. the only problem: video footage makes it seem like morgan pushes nicole, and the police don’t believe her story about not knowing the victim for one second.

realizing she has to act alone to not only prove her innocence and save the baby that was given to her, morgan frantically searches for all the clues as to who nicole—the CEO of a powerful, successful yoga and athleisure company in chicago—really was and what went wrong in her perfect life to drive her to suicide.

was she just a new mother suffering from paranoia and depression? or were her and her child’s lives truly in danger because of something that happened to nicole over 20 years ago? the closer morgan gets to solving clues, the more her life is put in danger, too.

this book had SO many good twists and turns. i thought i knew the plot twists before they happened, but then i was wrong—and pleasantly surprised about it! the author wrote this so perfectly to keep you engaged to figure it out, and it was so fun to read a book set in my favorite city, chicago ❤️

all my thriller lovers: put this book higher on your to-read list! you won’t be disappointed 🤓

I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review. I did not enjoy this book. Unlikeable characters, silly premise and idiotic decisions made by everyone makes this story a big miss for me.

Well, this a a great book - my heart was pounding all the way through. A distraught woman thrusts her baby girl into a stranger arms and jumps to her death from a Chicago train platform. And that’s the first couple of pages. Morgan, the woman holding the unknown child has been through a terrible time with the suicide of her husband Ryan who it seems swindled family and friends out of a fortune. Nicole, the distraught mother, is owner of an immensely successful business, living in a mansion with her stockbroker husband, Greg. Why is this happening? The story goes back and forth with Nicole’s story up to the platform moment. The other POV is from Morgan, who, against her attorneys advice (police think Morgan might have pushed Nicole) investigates what was going on in Nicole’s life to have this outcome. Twists, turns, red herrings, lies, jealousy and remorse add up to a gripping and chilly thriller that I would recommend to all psychological/domestic thriller lovers.

This was very fast paced with SO much action. You heart will be racing throughout the pages. Well done Ms. Bailey!
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you #samanthambailey #netgalley and #simonandschuster for the complimentary ARC.

This book needs to be enjoyed on a Saturday night with some wine, ice cream, and leggings. It is the written version of all the best Lifetime movies the weekend has to offer - I mean even one of the mail character's names is Morgan Kincaid. That screams fun, cheesy, twisty mystery.

There are two unreliable narrators that switch every chapter- the chapters are short and give you just enough info to force you to read "just one more" chapter. The author Samantha M Bailey is ax expert at dropping little Easter Egg clues throughout the book which kept me guessing.

I enjoyed the book but felt it was a little predictable- I figured out "who did it" around the 50% mark and there were times when I literally yelled out loud at Morgan. "Morgan, you would't have to memorize the license plate if you EVER HAD YOUR CELL PHONE!". Small inconsistencies that jumped out at me and the fact that I figured out the plot early gave this book three stars. The fact that I didn't stop reading it after I picked it up bumps it to 3.5 and I'll give it 4 because it was a fun, fast read.