Heavy trigger warnings: infertility. That made this a more difficult read for me, but it was a good surface level thriller nonetheless. Your typical cast of unreliable narrators and gentle twists and turns.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 on Goodreads. MAGPIE was one of those books that you just have to enjoy for what it is, an entertaining story. If you start picking everything apart, the story unravels.

Jake and Marisa are struggling to have a baby, and if you are having infertility issues, be aware that this could be a HUGE trigger. Their desolation is absolute, and the process is described in grim detail. Their doctor mentions surrogacy, and soon they are paired with Kate. To make the process easier on everyone, the couple allows Kate to move into their house, and that's where everything just implodes.

If you're a regular reader of thrillers, the twist can be seen coming fairly easily, but it was still interesting to see how everything would play out. The last 30% or so was kind of flat with no real twists or surprises, but overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This was a good read. It's very hard to review without giving away any spoiler alerts. Talk about twist and turns. T thought the characters were great and well developed. The ride was a bit wild but enjoyable.

Woah! This book had a lot of twists and turns. For some of them, I guessed what was going on but still really enjoyed finding out what was going to happen.

This book had it all: unreliable main characters, 2 big twists and that fear of having someone you are scared of living in your house! This book is difficult to review as I don't want to give away the twists. The first half of this book is told by Marisa who moves in with her boyfriend Jake who seems like th perfect guy. They plan to have a baby as soon as possible and bring in a lodger to help with the living expenses. The second half is told by their lodger, Kate. Both women have different views of the same situation. Who is right? Trigger warning: this book does contain fertility issues and mental health issues.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

okay this one started off real strong and I absolutely was LOVING it … and then, the ending fell completely flat.

magpie is an absolutely wild ride of a domestic thriller! complete with unreliable narrators, kidnappings, characters you love to hate - IT HAS IT ALL.

except for the ending I so desperately craved.

while I absolutely loved that the main big plot twist happened at 25% of the way through and then again at 45%, the rest of the book sadly did not live up to the hype. it led up to a full climax except it was way less interesting than the rest of the book.

the characters were so well developed, and I loved bouncing back and forth between the two MC POVs, marissa and kate. they were so so wonderful to read back and forth and complicate my BRAIN on who was really telling the truth.

I would definitely recommend this one to anyone looking for an easy thriller read with unreliable narrators! definitely a win!

thank you to netgalley and simon and schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

rating: 4 stars
wine pairing: new mexico sparkling rosé

This is a tough book to review without giving out any spoilers. I liked the first part although I thought it was a little strange and then the second part was really strange as was the rest of the book. I am not a fan of reading about infertility/IVF treatments and/or mental health issues so I kind of lost interest in those parts. There were some really good parts and overall I thought it was an OK read. I felt there were some loose ends not tied up like the storyline of Marisa's mother and younger sister,

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC of this book.

Character driven, and very fast paced at the beginning. There was some suspense and a BIG twist that was revealed soon onto the book, which I loved and wasn’t expecting.. I think I preferred the middle of the book most. This held my attention for the most part but fell a little short with not as many twists as I thought there would be. The ending of this one story was satisfying, although not exactly what I expected. Overall this was a good book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I would recommend it this to other readers.

Sadly, this book didn't work for me. There was an interesting, and unexpected, twist, which I enjoyed. If you like unreliable narrators, you'll likely enjoy this. Generally, I enjoy that, but in this case, it just didn't hold my attention. I also don't feel that it should be classified as a thriller. The writing style might have been the problem, as well, and it could've benefitted from a tighter edit.

I intended to read "one or two chapters" before bed and ended up reading half the book. I finished it the next day. I HAD to know what was going to happen next. There were twists and things I didn't see coming. There were one or two things I didn't enjoy (*possible spoilers*) like the fact that Jake and Kate didn't do a background check on Marissa and how Jake's dad was able to medically care for Marissa.

I was really excited to read this, but it seemed to just drag on and on. I’m still not overly sure what the plot to this story was after reading and rereading a lot of chapters. It had so much potential. It wasn’t terrible, but I wouldn’t buy it.

4 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.


Marisa is so happy. She’s met a great guy, Jake, who has given her everything she could ever imagine. He loves her completely and makes her feel safe. Maybe he’s not the most demonstrative partner, but he’s secure. Marisa knows he won’t abandon her like the rest of her family has.

Jake wants a baby. Jake’s whole life is about his having a family. So when Marisa finds them the perfect home, the time is right. Now they can move forward with their plans. Marisa will start trying to get pregnant right away.

But then things go awry when Jake’s work isn’t as expected, and they are forced to take in a lodger. Kate is fine, as far as Marisa is concerned, but Jake seems kind of enamored of her. When Kate cooks, Jake makes a fuss over it. Kate can seem to do no wrong where Jake is concerned. And this concerns Marisa terribly.

Gotta say, this one took me by surprise. I was not at all expecting the way things went this this novel. The beginning, part one, felt really tedious and slow. Girl meets boy. Girl moves in with boy. Boy has eyes for someone else. Same old, same old. But part two picks up the pace and moves things along in a completely unexpected direction.

So for those of you who do decide to try this one, keep that in mind. Things are not what they seem in this household.

Wow! This book had so many twists and turns. I kind of guessed where it was going but still really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was pretty good. There was some things that kind of didn’t make sense to me. Overall i think this was a pretty good thriller if you are looking for something different. Highly recommend!

This book is a little tough to explain….it starts with Marissa and Jake……Marissa head over heels decides to move in with Jake very soon after meeting. She finds a house and after moving in finances become tight and they find Kate to rent a room. All is going well until Marissa become pregnant and suspects Jake and Kate are having an affair.

Then we switch to Kate’s POV about halfway and you definitely didn’t see that one coming.

I won’t go into any detail because it will give the twists away but this is definitely worth reading. It took me on a wild ride to find out who was manipulating who.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

3.5/5⭐

Jake and Marisa decided to move in together only after 3 months of dating. Marisa came from a broken family so she is thrilled to live with Jake, to finally be with someone who truly loves and supports her, and to have a family of her own. Everything is perfect until they let a stranger in their home.

--
The first part of the story did not got me hooked right away that I almost DNFed the book. I had to skip pages but when I reached the second part where they switched the POV, I find the book unputdownable. The twist was so good! I needed to pause for a minute to take it all in. It was so messy and I like messy (it's a great element for a thrill 😂).

However, I think the conflict was resolved too quickly. I continued reading cause maybe there's one more twist at the end and sure did, there's another twist but it did not gave me the same impact as the first one so I was kinda disappointed.

Nevertheless, it is still a good read. Thumbs up!

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What is the story of the MAGPIE, do you know?

Apparently magpies are historically associated with magic and fortune telling and witches rode them or turned into them, something along those lines.

In literature there is a rhyme that starts one for sorrow, two for joy and so on. The number of magpies you see constitutes your luck.

I take them them to be lucky in the right quantity and I was intrigued by the premise before reading the synopsis.

In the book MAGPIE by Elizabeth Day we are following Marissa and Jake and then we meet their lodger Kate.

Their arrangement feels rocky at best and we go along as the story unfolds and we find out just how rocky it actually is.

I enjoyed the turn in the book and I think that turn will decide your level of enjoyment for the entire book. If you’re hooked, which I was, then the turn will feel expected and gratuitous only adding to your reading pleasure.

I recommend this one to readers who like a good ride and don’t mind being surprised. If you guessed the twist then you’re a far better detective than I am cause I did not see it coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster For this advanced copy!

Out May 3, 2022

MAGPIE…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What is a mothers love? Regardless of the care or not care, the connection you feel to your own mom makes such a difference. We learn almost immediately how to love or be loved by her. We learn that most mom's would do anything to protect their children. I'm always amazed of children abused by a parent that still want that relationship with their mom. I've heard so many times, she's my mom, and I need her, right after the child was abused or treated terribly. This book has a lot to do with mother's. The desire to be loved by one. The desire to be accepted by your mates mother. Being able to accept a mother that has some faults of her own. And ultimately being a mother yourself.

Marisa and Jake are perfect for each other. Only 3 months into dating and they have moved in together. Marisa is thrilled. Never really having a family to rely on, this will be the relationship that will finally be the one where she feels loved and accepted. Shes so excited her and Jake want children right away, and this is her ultimate goal. She can't get pregnant quick enough. Jake's mom comes to visit out of the blue, and she feels off immediately. Nobody in Annabelle's eyes will ever be good enough for her Jake. This puts Marisa on edge.
What started off as a quickie romance, changes into a nightmare shortly thereafter.
I don't want to give the plot away, but this was such a good twisty novel. I don't think I ever fully read the description and I suggest not reading it. I was so surprised by the turn of events in this book. I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was happening.
Thanks to #netgalley for an Advanced copy. The opinions and review are strictly mine.

At about 25% in I’ve figured out the twist and am not really connected to these characters enough to finish it. It’s clever but already feels very drawn out. Just not for me but thank you for letting me read early.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day #twentyfirstbookof2022 #arc

CW: parental abandonment, rape, gaslighting, infertility, pregnancy loss, surrogacy, assault, mental illness, evil MIL trope.

Magpie starts off as a fast paced domestic thriller. It’s the basic set up: a happy couple, a stranger is introduced who begins to get in between them, you know, the usual story, and I knew exactly where it was going. Until it was flipped on its head, everything I knew went sideways, and I was hooked. Unfortunately, the pace slowed, and the book turned back into a story where I knew just what the ending would be. I wish the momentum had kept going. The second half dragged, and the ending was tied up too neatly. It was an interesting book, and I liked the twist, but ultimately, it’s probably not something I’ll remember down the road.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance copy. (Pub date 05/03/22).

#magpie

WOAH. I wasn’t ready for that thrill ride! I started off knowing something twisted was going to unfold but I honestly wasn’t expecting Part II to rock my world! Part I gives us Marisa’s POV and how she saw her relationship with Jake (her partner) and Kate (their lodger). I honestly thought their chemistry to be awkward and strange, which now makes complete sense!! Part II flips POV and the story comes from Kate. Her infertility journey is actually extremely sad to read but oooooo I loved how this key part tied all the characters together! I really enjoyed reading some what the “same story”, but through different eyes. Such a good read!!