I've seen enough true crime and reddit to know where it was going. I was a tad disappointed midway thru, a lot could've been done with this. It was a meh for me.

“But nothing stayed perfect forever, did it?”

I almost DNFd this about 40% of the way through. I don’t want to read about infidelity and that’s where this book was heading. But a note from the editor at the beginning of the book had me continuing to read and I’m so glad I did.

This isn’t a fast paced thriller, but definitely a psychological one that kept me turning the pages to find out what was happening.

If you are in the throes of new motherhood, infertility, or surrogacy, this probably won’t be the book for you, though.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Unreliable narrators
Surrogacy stories
Twisted psychological thrillers

Thank you Simon and Schuster for a digital ARC through NetGalley.

Magpie is the story of a couple wishing to have a baby and the young woman who becomes their roommate. The couple does experience infertility and IVF treatments commence. What happens next is hard to explain without spoiling the entire plot. I felt the book did start off strong I was left wanting more suspense, more psychological drama which the book blurb promised. The viewpoint does switch and unexpected twists occur but Magpie ended up being just an average domestic thriller to me.

Great writing. Subject matter wasn't my favorite. I would be interested in reading more by this author in the future.

An intense and wild read! This touches on motherhood, growing a family, and a bingeable book! There were some plot holes but overall enjoyable.

I don’t know if it’s because I watch a lot of Lifetime movies or read a lot of books but, I guessed the twist in this book only three chapters in. It didn’t stop me from reading it though. I definitely was curious to see where this was going. Despite knowing the twist, I will say I enjoyed this book. It was pretty unique and twisted. I felt frustrated at times at some of the behavior of the characters but that’s what made it more enjoyable. If you like crazy lifetime movies, this book is right up your alley.

This one just wasn't for me. I tried to get into the story and the writing but didn't make it past the first 25% of the story.

Marisa is an artist who creates bespoke children’s books with original artwork. She spends her days thinking about children, how they think, what they would like, how to make them the star of her storybooks. So when she meets Jake and they hit it off and he says that he wants to try for a child right away, Marisa is excited about that.

Jake finds a house for them, and Marisa moves in. There is a good room with lots of light for her to paint in, so she can keep working on her books while they try for a baby. Things moved quickly with Jake, but Marisa feels ready to be with Jake and to start a family. Everything seems pretty perfect. Until Kate.

Jake told Marisa that they were struggling financially. Marisa did okay living on the proceeds of her children’s books when it was just her, living in an apartment. But now they have a house, and she’s trying to have a child. Money is tight. So Jake finds a lodger who will pay them rent, to help out. And just like that, Kate moves in.

When Jake first talked about a lodger, Marisa assumed it would be someone quiet, who would spend time in their own space, but Kate doesn’t see things the same way. She leaves her running shoes by the front door. She plays her music too loud. And she makes macaroni and cheese from scratch, even though it’s Jake’s favorite dish and Marisa’s favorite thing to make for him. Kate even follows Marisa to a yoga class.

Marisa is off-balance by Kate’s actions, and then she starts to notice how Kate is around Jake. Kate is so confident. It makes Marisa feel insecure, staying home all day, wearing clothes she can paint in. Marisa wants to find a way to take her power back, but will she be strong enough to do it?

And when Kate finally gets to tell things from her perspective, how will the narrative change for them all?

Magpie is a domestic thriller from Elizabeth Day that keeps the reader guessing until the end. While the process of trying to have a baby can make a woman a little crazy, Day takes that to the extreme with the story of Marisa, Kate, and Jake.

I listened to this one on audio, and I thought that narrator Tonya Reynolds did an amazing job with a difficult story. She brought these women to life and told both their stories with compassion and intelligence, and she did well with the slower parts of the story, which is part of why I did struggle some listening to this book.

I wanted to love this book, but it was difficult. It’s told first through Marissa’s eyes and then through Kate’s, which is interesting. But Marissa’s story goes on for so long that it gets a little tedious, right before the rug is pulled out from under you and the whole story changes. A similar thing happens with Kate, so it takes a while to really understand what is going on in the story and who is telling the truth.

Eventually it does all come together, and the beauty of motherhood helps erase a lot of the pain they went through to get there. And I do think it’s worth it to stick with this novel until the end. But it’s not the easiest journey to make. If you love a domestic thriller with big twists, you might be okay with the sometimes slow pacing. The audio book helped me a lot with that. But once you start hitting those big reveals, the slower pacing is forgivable and the book starts for real.

Egalleys for Magpie were provided by Simon & Schuster through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book myself through Audible.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

One of the best, twistiest books I have read in a while. Very good story!

This story! I don’t reread because I find it boring when there are so many unread books on my kindle and bookshelf, but this story is one I’ll be rereading.

It’s full of twists and turns and I was completely surprised by the outcome!

Magpie by Elizabeth Day was a good read! The twist was one I never saw coming after reading many thrillers/suspense. As a reader, you never knew who you could trust as a reliable narrator until almost near the end. I was guessing what direction the story was going to go most of the time, which is always a good thing because most thriller/suspense are very predictable. I was glad I got to read this!

The twists and turns never stopped with this one. Some may have been a tad bit unbelievable but as I’ve said before, it is fiction. A compelling joy ride! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

This book was a lot different than I expected. It has a lot of twists and turns but not the over the top, unrealistic ones you tend to see in thrillers currently. I really enjoyed the characters and how the story was told. The way the story was written gives you the opportunity to root for different characters at different points in the story. There are some trigger warnings for trying to conceive that I would recommend reviewing via StoryGraph but I overall enjoyed this one!

Although I did enjoy this book and Day's writing is solid and completely engrossing, sadly I think the description gave away most of the plot. I do recognize that it is hard to write a blurb for a thriller and to keep it entertaining and still a mystery but when I read the book I realized I already knew most of what was going to happen.
That being said, it was a good thriller and I feel with a little less detail, it would have been a furious page turner to find out who done it. I will read more by this author.

This is a competent domestic thriller that had me hooked for a good portion of the story, but, in my opinion, ultimately fell flat with its concepts and characters toward the end.

It's hard to speak about the story properly without spoiling some very important things, so I'll keep it brief and somewhat vague:

Magpie follows the budding relationship between Marisa and Jake, who after just moving in together, have decided to try for a baby -- something both of them have wanted for a long time. When money suddenly becomes tight when a deal falls through at Jake's firm, they agree to take a lodger in to help make ends meet -- enter Kate.

Kate is a 30s-something career woman who Marisa immediately feels threatened by. She's too comfortable in the house and too familiar with Jake -- often spending time with him in Marisa's absence. When Marisa finally gets pregnant, Kate becomes weirdly concerned and involved with the pregnancy leading Marisa to question: Who is Kate, and what does she want with Marisa's family?

First off, Elizabeth Day's writing is great -- the descriptions were vivid and the dialogue flowed naturally. This made it really easy to get sucked into the narrative super early in. The first half unfolds much like your average domestic thriller with Marisa talking about her tragic familial past and becoming increasingly obsessed with figuring out who Kate is -- spying on her and even reading her text exchanges. If you're an astute reader, or someone accustomed to the thriller genre, you will probably be able to guess that there is something not quite right about the situation, which telegraphs the twist that comes about around the halfway mark.

After the twist in the middle, the tension in the story sort of flatlines and it becomes more of a drama than a thriller, focusing on the pregnancy and the relationship between Jake and his overbearing mother. It's not like this part of the book is bad, per se, it just didn't live up to the twistiness and suspense of the first half. I also didn't really love any of the characters enough to fully enjoy this slower portion of the book. It laid its cards out too early with characters that were a bit too one-dimensional to keep me 100% invested all the way through.

Despite that, I think the book has a lot to say about mental health struggles, sexual assault, abandonment, motherhood, and relationships. So I would still recommend it to anyone looking for a well-written book covering these topics with light elements of thriller and suspense.

I am interested to see whatever Elizabeth Day writes next!

This is an unsettling, creepy story that was very unusual and interesting! It is the kind of story you can't wait for friends to read so you can discuss.

Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

A very intriguing premise with a roller coaster story. I didn't care for the portrayal of Marisa's Bipolar Disorder. Being in the field of psychology, there were a lot of inaccuracies with the portrayal of the disorder and medication management. It just wasn't realistic and took away from the story for me.

The writing of Annabelle however was perfect. The evil mother-in-law trope works because it can really be true. My sister had a similar experience with her ex's mom and that's what caused them to break up. She was manipulative and pried into their lives, just like Jake's mom. Not to the extent with the surrogate, but it was a good twist making her the 'big bad' at the end.

This was an "okay" read for me. 3/5 stars.

This is a book that poses as a thriller (& has a BIG twist in this first half) but is really about the emotional experience of infertility. So a giant trigger warning if that’s going to be hard for you.
For me, this is the most clear, emotionally resonant portrayal of a couple that’s trying to conceive (from the TTC forums to the stupid things people say). There is a creeping sense of dread that kept me reading. Some of the thriller bits didn’t work as well, but the premise (infertility and mental health leads to …some unbelievable actions) is a great set up.

Sucked me right in but I didn't love the twist. Seemed a bit too casual about a serious illness. I wanted a bit more compassion from the characters. That said, I'd be open to another novel by this author.

3.5 rounded up!

Marisa and Jake have it all… except for a baby. In order to get more money for fertility treatments, they agree to have Kate live with them. However, when Kate seems to become obsessed with Jake and too much to handle, Marisa will do whatever it takes to create and protect her perfect family.

This was a very eerie read for me to start while pregnant with my own child. I expected a straightforward thriller but was met with something much more complex and intense. I felt like the heart of the story got lost along the way, and sometimes I wasn't sure what I was exactly reading or where things were going. It did do a good job in highlighting the impacts of infertility on a relationship, though, and I appreciated how it explored that issue. The ending seemed too sappy, though, and I didn't like a second-act villain coming into to "solve" the thriller aspect of this.

Fast-paced and enjoyable read, but left me wanting something else!