DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Despite enjoying the character development, the tedious internal dialogue weighed down the narrative, and the content of postpartum psychosis and hallucinations was a trigger for me, making it difficult to continue reading. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

I didn’t love this novel but I did not dislike it either! Some parts were hard to follow and I did find myself easily distracted at times. In this novel you learn about the struggles of a mother who is isolated and go through her bouts of mental health.

What a boring book that had great promise and could have tackled issues so brilliantly but like most of the other reviewers of this book I could not get into it

This was a DNF for me. I tried to get into the plot, but ultimately was not for me. It was well written, but not my cup of tea.

Ouf. What a read! Has a person who has depression it was a difficult but very good read. The story was very well developed and very realistic. The writing was very good also sad but it’s okay given the subject of this novel, it also show how the adaptation to a new life could be difficult for a human being, would definitely recommend this book but not to someone who is suffering emotionally

I’ve tried a half dozen times to pick this up and put it back down. Ultimately, while the plot premise is SO good, I couldn’t get into this book.

We have a mother suffering mentally after giving birth to her children, and remained pretty distant from them throughout. It really bothered me how she referred to her children and husband by a single letter, rather than their names. I felt the mother was very selfish and I felt angry with her throughout the story, I never once felt any remorse towards her. I didn't connect with the characters, and the ending felt pointless to me. There was no real meaning in any of it. I felt that this story had a lot of promise, however, it never gripped me the way I was hoping for. This was dark, depressing, and overall just left me with more questions than answers.

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Wow! What a compelling and, at times, heartbreaking story. This is something that I as a stay at home mom really resonated with and Wilder did an amazing job putting this story and characters together.

After moving to Geneva for her husband's career, Erika adjusts to a new home, new language and new surroundings with her two young children. Her husband is never home, committing his whole self to his work -- leaving Erika to acclimate all on her own. Soon enough, Erika starts to spiral from the isolation, loneliness and demands of motherhood.

This story seemed really compelling... at first. So much so that I had a hard time putting this book down! However, as I kept reading, it just started to fall flat. I didn't understand the use of initials in place of names (especially for a fiction novel), and that alone started to wear on me. Overall, this ended up being a depressing story without any redeeming factors. Hard pass IMO.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Overlook Press for providing an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

An incredible novel about motherhood and mental health, and all of the self-doubt, impossible standards, and judgment from others and ourselves that put mothers in an impossible position where they believe they are capable of and required to provide and experience an unattainable standard of bliss. Incisive, beautifully written, and devastating.

This book was a tough, but enjoyable read. It's one of the few books I have read that actually provide awareness for mental health struggles that women, especially mothers face. The book is a bit of a spiral otherwise and I could feel myself getting lost within the story and experiencing the lengthening of the days and of the main character's experiences as she totes around her two children. I felt as though I was experiencing what she was experiencing as I continued the book. It was overall a good read, but one that didn't really give a definitive ending.

This book was well written book with honest words screaming off the pages.
I struggled to read this book, maybe I was overthinking the narrative and being my own personal demons in focus..

<b>**FULL REVIEW**</b>

The most messed up, disturbing book I’ve read in a very long time…

I can’t even begin prescribe my thoughts or feelings with this one; honestly, I almost didn’t finish it.

I struggled with the narrative, couldn’t understand why the author decided to stay so disengaged with her protagonist…it felt pieced together.

Maybe that is the point, a woman’s descent into madness and unfortunately her children taking the brunt of her psychosis.

Overall, I wasn’t a fan.

<b>**2.5 Postpartum Psychosis, Stars**</b>

Only 2 stars for me as I had a hard time getting thru this. Speaking for myself, ppd is no fun; but this story was so dark and potentially triggering for anyone who has ever doubted his or her own perceptions,’potential or reality. This is a difficult read into a Mother’s spiraling circle around the drain with her mental health.

This book was tough for me to get into. The use of initials instead of names made it hard for me to relate to the characters. The tough topic of being a stay at home to a busy working husbands day the loneliness that comes with it is one that I can relate to, but this book was not what I thought it would be.

Beautifully written and frighteningly honest, this feverish debut delivers a brave appraisal of a woman's spiral into madness

This was a very well-written book and maybe some one more mentally stable than I am would enjoy it more but I found the whole book very troubling and unnerving. This definitely was different than I was expecting it to be and I had trouble reading this as it gave me anxiety reading Erika's racing thoughts. Also the ending was very bizarre and I have no clue what happened. This was just not the book for me but it was very well-written.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really powerful, thought-provoking novel about motherhood and mental illness. I found this to be a strong debut novel with some flaws. If you like to read only books that make you feel good, this one likely won't be for you. It's not necessarily a pleasurable read, although the writing itself is very good. It's a short read as well, which does help matters a bit when the heaviness sets in.

One criticism for me was the style. I did not like that none of the dialogue was in quotation marks -- it made the story more inaccessible than it needed to be, likely just for style points. '

This book is dark and sad and sometimes tedious, but ultimately well-written. It wasn't quite for me, but for those who like the darker side of things, I would recommend it.

It was incredibly difficult to even read the book with the amount of unnecessary words and descriptions of things in between. The author chose to use letters in place of names and it made it difficult to keep track of people. The story was okay but it really needs an overhaul..