I have to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had it all figured out about a quarter of the way in, but then it changed. Once again, I thought I had it figured out and it twisted again! I liked the story line, but found the last quarter of the book pretty anticlimactic. It seemed the author needed to wind it up and tie a neat bow.

#Magpie #NetGalley Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.

I really really enjoyed parts of this book, and I didn’t care for parts of this book. The first half of the book had me totally captivated- I couldn’t read it fast enough. But then it seemed like the author couldn’t decide who the “bad guy” should be. I felt like the two giant problems got wrapped up a little too neatly and easily. I did read the book very quickly, and I didn’t guess what the twist was going to be. I think this book is definitely worth a read!

This definitely seems to be a novel that people either really love or really didn’t like at all. I am in the latter camp.

I had a near impossible time getting into this slow paced story but kept at it until the bitter end over a period of weeks.

Not a thriller, not for me, using mental health issues as such a trope is appalling. Not a recommendation.

This book was given to me as an ARC through NetGalley. There may be spoilers.

As someone who just gave birth a month ago, this book very much resonated with me. I had also enjoyed The Party by this author so was excited to read another of their books.

Magpie is about a girl named Marisa that moves in with her much older boyfriend and they decide to have a baby.. or is it? I loved the twists in this book, it kept making you guessing whose POV was trustworthy.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love books with multiple twists and turns and unreliable narrators.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed this book. So many twists and turns. I particularly liked the scenes that were replayed from both Marissa’s and Kate’s perspectives. Halfway through I expected it to end one way and then…another twist and I was in suspense again. Definitely a different take than the usual psychological thriller with excellent character development.

a bit of a mindfuck but an interesting read nonetheless. i don’t think the commitment to the mental illness portrayed is really stuck to at any point and the mother being the “villain” was also kind of off but it was alright i suppose. more should be done in regards to them using this woman and not fully caring about her mental stability but yeah.

We start the story with Marisa and her new relationship with Jake. As time goes on a boarder moves in with them, Kate. Marisa notices that she seems to take an interest in Jake that appears mutual and she becomes incredibly jealous. The rest of the book takes a twist and yet it isn’t really a psychological thriller type book. I did enjoy the character development for Marisa and Kate and I enjoyed Jake and how he went through the story line. I did finish the book and thought that there would be more to it. It was also an easy quick read that kept me engaged. I went in expecting a thriller but it was not that for me. Again sorry for my vagueness I don’t want to give away any spoilers. 3.5 stars Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple. And Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate—and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for the baby of their dreams.

Except—no one is truly perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly-familiar with Jake. But Marisa doesn’t let it concern her, knowing that soon Kate will be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.

I really enjoyed this book. It twists back and forth and is a good read. I cannot stand Annabelle the conniving mother in law. I wanted to slap her so many times.
Keeps you involved and interested.
Jake and Kate and Marisa are all developed well and you get connected to them.
I received this as an ARC to read and provide my honest opinion.

The synopsis of this book piqued my interest, so I was very excited and thankful to read an advanced copy.

This was a quick read; I was hooked from page one. In a time when psychological thrillers are aplenty, Magpie stood out. The plot was original, I can truly say I didn’t see the twist coming.

I found the themes of jealousy and doubt to be particularly interesting. Following the twist, I found myself questioning everything, wondering what was actually happening in the story. The denouement between Annabelle and Kate had me particularly on edge. In the end, I was a bit surprised that there was not a more significant twist in the second half, I suppose I was expecting more to happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have a particular love for books set in England, so this checked a lot of boxes for me.

Marissa has been single for some time and hasn't found her perfect partner--until she meets Jake. The romance is a whirlwind, and in no time they are sharing a house. Jake is working, but Marissa's salary creating customized illustrations for children's books does not help enough to pay the bills. They decide to add a lodger, Kate, to the house to help with expenses. Once Kate comes aboard the house dynamic changes in a way no one could expect and the house will never be the same again.

It's a challenge to review this thriller without giving away key parts of the plot--which are hard not to share!!. But overall I can say that I really enjoyed Magpie. I think many readers will pick up this book and expect to find a straight thriller--and there will be enough twists to keep them reading. However, I also found a book that dove a bit deeper into family dynamics and friendship. There was the thriller, but then you got a peek behind the scenes of what happens after the thriller is resolved and the characters are rebuilding afterwards. I also found Magpie to be easy-to-read and flew through the pages in no time. Overall a fun book to read. I enjoyed reading Magpie and look forward to the author's next book.

Way more substance to this one than the typical domestic thriller. I'm always game to read a book with a twist in the middle vs. the end, and this one was a fun one. The descriptions of infertility were heartbreaking and insightful, but there's some mental health rep that left me feeling a little icky... overall enjoyed and definitely plan to read more from Elizabeth Day.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

This book had a lot of twists and turns that kept me on my toes as I was reading. It was well written and a perfect book to add to the book club with my fellow teachers. Once they have the opportunity to read this, we will have much to discuss. This book is something I can't recommend to my students, but makes a perfect book for book club as stated above.

It is hard to tell much about this book without giving away plot lines because the author deftly reveals one secret early that turns the trajectory of the story very quickly. That one surprised me and I felt vested in the book and ready to go. After that, it fell flat and the ending was incredibly underwhelming. I think the word that describes my reading experience with this book best is unsatisfying. It’s billed as a thriller, but it’s really not.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC.

SYNOPSIS: A psychological suspense novel about a perfect couple and their seemingly perfect roommate - that is until she threatens to destroy everything they worked so hard to create.

🪶REVIEW: Before I lead into my review I’d like to say that I normally don’t include content warnings, but if you’re someone who struggles with infertility, I would not recommend this book. I also can’t reveal too much in my review without spoilers. That being said..

I would definitely classify this novel as a domestic suspense, and you know I’m all about the domestics! It started out dark, which I was here 👏 for 👏 . The book caught my attention from the beginning, and then..

There was a TWIST shortly before the midway point that BLEW my mind! I mean it came outta nowhere and just got me! This is why I’m a fan of domestic suspense!!

You’ve got an unreliable narrator, you have gaslighting, you’ve got unlikeable characters (you’re going to HATE the husband’s mother the most), we are tackling difficult issues in marriage, and what I liked a lot was - what does it mean to be a mother? What makes a mother? The author does this in a super dark, suspenseful way throughout (almost) the entire book, so this is why I was hooked.

Where my rating fell off a bit was the end. It’s like we threw out the darkness and replaced it with too much sunshine, forgetting the entire vibe of the book. It was all wrapped up in this pretty bow and I definitely wanted something a bit more sinister.

Overall, I think this book is going to lead to excellent discussions and is going to be a good one to read if you’re a fan of the genre.

🪶VERDICT: 3.75 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

Thank you so much to @simonandschuster and @netgalley for an ARC of this one! It hits shelves 5/3/22!

This book was shocking.

Magpie starts out with us reading from Marisa's perspective, describing her and Jake's journey of meeting, falling in love, and getting pregnant. Halfway through Part 1, Marisa and Jake invite lodger Kate into their home to help ease their financial burdens.

Part 1 continues describing the rapid progression of Marisa and Jake's relationship and the suspicion Marisa develops towards Kate, who encroaches into all areas of their lives. We also get flashbacks to Marisa's childhood, with her relationship with her mother and sister bringing me chills.

While I enjoyed the discussion of motherhood and relationships throughout the first half of the book, the transition to Part 2 blew me away. I continuously found myself second guessing how I thought the plot would end. I had such a good time reflecting back to Part 1 with each new development of Part 2. All of the characters felt unreliable to me at at least one point, so it was nearly impossible to predict what would come next.

I do think Elizabeth Day stretched the book out longer than necessary and found myself losing interest during the last 20%. I was a bit disappointed with how the relationship between Jake, Marisa, and Kate ended, but the wild ride getting to that point made up for it.

Overall, I enjoyed the many twists and surprises this book had to offer and found myself shocked over and over again.

I really liked how this started. The first half is one version of the story and then it leads into another version. It really kept me guessing and wanting to read on to see what would happen. I felt that the ending was a little flat and contrived.

Wow! Lots of twists and drama. i never expected the outcome. But I totally enjoyed the read. Story starts with Marisa and her new beau Jake. They move in together and take on a lodger. And then……. A must read.

I have to say that for the first half of this book, I was intrigued. Then, honestly, it just turned into one big mess. We start reading about Marissa and Jake, in a new relationship, deciding to move in together, who want to start trying for a baby. Money starts running tight, and lodger Kate enters, which Marissa is not too happy about. Suspicions arise, and I honestly cannot go into any further details without ruining the plot for those who have not read it. I felt like I was immersed in one story, and then boom, all of a sudden, I am re-reading the same story all over again with major role reversals. And, of course, we have the manipulative, rich, snobby, controlling mother who babies her one and only son, and tries to manipulate and control his life plot coming into play. I really regret even spending 1 day reading this, and it took me a week to finish because I was just busy doing other things. The only positive thing I have to say about this book, is that it does cover the struggles of infertility pretty well, but gives a bad light to some who may suffer from mental illness. I just feel this was a complete waste of my time. I will not complain about the author's writing style, because I actually enjoyed it. I just don't think this story was well executed at all. 2 stars.

“Magpie” is my second Elizabeth Day novel amd I was excited to get an ARC of it. The story opens with new couple, Jake and Marisa, moving into their new house in London. They take in a lodger, Kate. to help with finances and so begins a tense love triangle.
I adored Day’s first book, “The Party.” She uses a multi narrator technique in that story too and it works much better.
I felt like the twist was introduced too soon in the story and the plot devolved into melodrama.
Overall, Day is a good writer and I do enjoy her characters.