Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott-although I liked the writing style, the way Jacy described Jed, their love for each other, how they met, etc., the story itself was such a slow burn and unrealistic on so many levels. I finished reading this wondering if I had missed something along the way. A bunch of men controlling a woman, meh, kind of overdone. Of course she had to escape, but Jacy had so little common sense, it was laughable. A miss for me.

A superb fast paced thriller. I absolutely loved the story and couldn’t stop reading it. It’s perfect for all readers, especially thriller lovers.

Beware the Woman is the story of Jed and Jacy. They marry and are expecting a baby when they head up to meet Jed’s father in an isolated area of Wisconsin. Jed’s father acts increasingly creepy and protective of his unborn grandchild.
I rarely don’t enjoy a book. This wasn’t for me yet it felt like it would be with all of its thriller elements. I didn’t enjoy the writing style at all and was very confused.
Maybe fans of Megan Abbott will see what I missed in this story and enjoy it!
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I will confess that this is not my favorite Megan Abbott book. But I also didn’t go in expecting a Gothic Novel.

While a departure from her usual style, some of Abbott’s usual style is still here. Many of her characters are wonderfully written terrible people. She shows you all the not-so-pretty parts and makes you supremely uncomfortable.

But…I hated Jacy with a passion. Not because of what she was going through but because she LET herself go through this. Seriously, she was a freaking doormat and I’m really not used to that with Abbott’s women. Pregnant or not. Mountain lion or not. Weather or not. I didn’t understand why she just let things happen to her. Our mysterious housekeeper bugged me as well. What’s with the puzzling statements? Just…speak??? And don’t even get me started on Jed. Jed needs to be dead.

I left this one feeling somewhat unsatisfied.

• ARC via Publisher

Another okay read. This is an excellent author but this book just didn't do it for me. Throughout the majority of this I felt my eyes glazing over. Nothing really happens until the very end and then that's it. It just ends a little too abruptly. For such a long, drawn out build up I wanted more for the ending, even just an epilogue. I can't find myself to give this anymore than three stars and honestly, that's being generous.

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC.

Shave some off the beginning and add a bit more to the end for stand-alone or a series Are there plans for a #2 for unanswered questions?

What I loved: pregnant newlyweds of 2 years meeting Dad for first time in the wilderness of Upper Michigan… Jed and Jacy’s story really starts to pick up half way through the pages with a few twists and turns leaving the reader to wonder who is on whose side. Is it all in Jacy’s head or is she trapped with her Father in Law. What secrets are buried? It finishes strong with suspenseful actions from all main characters but we’re left with unanswered questions….what happens to Jed, Jacy, their unborn child, or Rose?

Opportunities: I thought the backstory and Jed & Jacy’s meeting of Jed’s dad for the 1st time over the 4th of July holiday was much too long and labored. I would have loved more of Jed’s prior relationship with his Dad. There were some moments that didn’t seem to flow/fit especially with Jacy’s Mom. I see the necessity for her to be weaved in but found their interactions less plausible, with mom giving up too easily and then seemingly changing her mind.

Thank you to #NetGalley, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam & Megan Abbott for the ARC of Beware the Woman (May 2023).

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley and Megan Abbott for the opportunity to read and review BEWARE THE WOMAN. This novel was from the heroine’s point of view and read like it was a history or retelling of the past. The characters were real and believable. The story line was different from any other book I’ve read - it was definitely unique. There was sexuality interspersed throughout which didn’t always seem to be in line with the story. However, it was a good read and particularly at the twisted finale. I recommend this novel to people who like psychological thrillers.

Megan Abbott’s previous thrillers have been more nuanced and have had more detailed plots. This one is simple: Jacy meets Jed, but not his family, they get married quickly and pregnant soon thereafter and decide to finally go visit his dad in isolated upper Wisconsin before the baby is born. Dad is a retired doctor, welcoming at first, then creepier and controlling. Jed’s mother died in childbirth, so maybe that explains it. It’s a slow, slow build for that description, and it’s only in the last chapters that the overwhelming and atmospheric sense of dread gets some explanations. And then the story abruptly stops, before really giving us a necessary epilogue.

I was tempted a lot of times to skip ahead — I actually did a couple of times and in the first three-quarters of the book I felt that I had not missed much. Jed, the husband, needed to be fleshed out more. His father, Dr. Ash, was a better written character, especially as he became creepier and more threatening to Jacy. But I predicted the twist, so the end was not surprising and the plot, unfortunately, seems forgettable. I can’t say I disliked this novel, but I just felt “meh” about the story. 3 stars.

Oh, and the cover could be much more enticing than just a plain red pink background.

Thank you to Penguin/ GP Putnam and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Just Dr. Ash’s piercingly blue ones.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The woods of the north act as a menacing character of isolation, dark and easy to get lost in.

Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this ARC Megan Abbott is a hit or miss author for me. This one was a miss. I do not enjoy horror or supernatural and this had elements of both.

After previously reading <i>The Turnout</i>, I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This novel, however, was nowhere near as captivating as Abbott’s previous work.

<i>Beware the Woman</i> begins with newlyweds Jed and Jacy heading to a remote cabin in Michigan to spend time with Jed's father, Dr. Ash. Jacy and Jed had a hurried romance and Jacy is newly pregnant. The pair plan to relax, hike and enjoy their holiday with Jed's dad.

But Jacy starts to get creepy feelings about the summer cabin, the caretaker - Mrs. Brandt, and about Dr. Ash as well.

I felt like this novel had no action truly happen until the end. There was little drama, some family spats and an alarmed Jacy, but overall, literally NOTHING happened until the last 85% of the book. And then it ends quite abruptly. As in, I kept trying to turn the page, thinking there HAD to be more coming. But nope, that was it.

In the end I had to give this one 1.5 ⭐️.

Okay! I was so close to enjoy this slow burn, creepy, claustrophobic, psychological novel! Feminism vibes against old school- extra traditionalism and extremely chauvinism approach was intriguing concept for me! Rebecca meets Rosemary’s baby theme crashes into an irritating house in the middle of nowhere theme also worked brilliant for me, too. The problem was abrupt ending. I felt like I got the wrong copy. I think that book needs a prologue that gives us closure we need.

That’s why I lowered my stars to 3 still solid, promising stars! The tragic story, the dysfunctional family drama were well executed. I found Jacy a little naive and Jed extremely unreliable. Dr. Ash and Mrs. Brandt gave me creeps.

Let’s take a look at the plot: Jacy has awful taste in men. That’s what her mother thinks and her past experiences also verify that assumption.

When she falls too hard for Jed: creative artist designs neon signs, she finds herself married with him in a few months and without waiting any further she gets pregnant. Jed thinks it will be good to her to rest at his estranged father’s secluded cottage and hormone fueled-confused- emotionally unbalanced Jacy accepts it! Oh Jacy why you let your man make entire silly decisions for you.

Dr. Ash-Jacy’s father-in law lives at Iron Mountain, with its bus-tling seven thousand residents, but two dozen miles further, deep into a dense, mossy forest that eventually stretched into Wisconsin. The secluded house is cut out from civilization. You may guess there’s also no phone reception and Wi-Fi cause her father in law is too old school with so many unusual thoughts about women’s place in the earth which should be urgently upgraded. He still grieves for his wife he’s lost during Jed’s birth( 30 freaking years) and their mysterious, prying caretaker Mrs. Brandt taking care of entire house.

As soon as they arrive at the house, Jacy gets frustrated of her father in law’s overprotective manners about her baby as if she’s not capable to take care of him/ her and she starts seeing different face of her husband Jed she is deeply in love with. Mrs. Brandt gives her suspicious vibes and their family friend Mr. Hicks thinks she shouldn’t be here!

Could Jacy put herself and baby in danger by coming this house? What kind of the secrets this dysfunctional family is keeping away from her?

Overall: as I told I had no problem with slow burn mystery but in my opinion this book yegen needs an additional chapter to wrap things up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP PUTNAM , G. P. Putnam’s Sons for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

Megan Abbott never disappoints, and seems to get more twisted each book, which is a compliment. This book feels like a modern gothic tale with sprinklings of Rebecca and Rosemary’s Baby. Fierce and entertaining, I’d love a sequel to see what happens to Jen and Jacy, but what a ride for a weekend read.

Abbott's latest brings thee reader to the Upper Peninsula where a pregnant woman and her new husband stay with his father. She feels trapped, out of control, and uncomfortable. Much of the book is given over to her growing sense of creepinesses and the weird environment she finds herself in. Nevertheless, this novel (which perhaps should be only a novella) is not quite in the same universe as Abbott’s other work.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Beware the Woman. This is a strange novel. But I liked it. Abbott draws you in quickly and what starts as a story about a young couple expecting a baby becomes a horror show as you turn each page.
Jacy and Jed barely know each other. They are married and having a baby. They decide to visit Jed’s dad in an isolated home in the Midwest. At first everything is great but soon Jacy suspects there is a hidden agenda. The baby and she knows if she doesn’t leave her life as she knows it will change That’s if she lives to have a life.
Fast read. 4 stars

I have read and loved every book written by Megan Abbott. So when I received this ARC from NetGalley I was over the moon. This is the story about Jacy and Jed. The two meet and things move very quickly and they find themselves married in no time and expecting a baby. Both are pleased and nervous , and a few months into her pregnancy, Jed suggests a road trip to Michigan to see (and Jacy to meet) his father. Dr. Ash initially comes off as a charming, kind retired doctor. But there is a strange vibe to the whole atmosphere of Jed’s fathers out of the way home. Jacy notices changes in her husbands behavior once he is back in his childhood home and odd comings and goings of the strange housekeeper Mrs. Brandt. All is definitely not as it seems as Jacy slowly becomes aware of the true nature of Dr. Ash and his relationship with his son Jed. I absolutely devoured this novel. It had me on the edge of my seat and dreading what was to come. Beautifully written with an unforeseen, completely shocking twist. 5 solid stars from me!

Slow to start and quick to finish! I felt like nothing really went on for half the book and then at the end it all snowballs. I wish the story had a steadier pace. I didn’t expect the reveal though!

I a huge Megan Abbott fan...this one was a bit of a departure for her but still kept me hooked until the end. Quick read with a great heroine and a quirky set of characters. Definitely kept me guessing about who was on her side. Big unexpected reveal at the end!

This book was weird. I felt like a good 90% of it nothing was happening and when it finally started to pick up, the book ended. I wanted more from the ending. There are some trigger warnings about abortion and a few graphic scenes. I think the book was supposed to explore the relationship between mother and child as reflected by the mountain lion. However, I was not a fan of this at all.

Jacy and Jed were the fools that rushed in. They got married quickly and not too long after, they got pregnant. Four months into their new lives, they visit Jed’s father Dr. Ash. Dr. Ash lives in an isolated house surrounded by woods and ferocious animals.

At first Jacy is flattered by the reception she gets from Jed’s father and tries to ignore her husbands odd expressions. But things quickly get weird as Dr. Ash becomes increasingly overprotective and controlling over her. He becomes consumed with protecting his unborn grandchild no matter what the cost.

Beware the Woman is available May 30,2023.

Thank you to netgalley and penguingroup for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I’m struggling with how exactly to feel about this, so I think I’m settling at a solid 3 stars (it was a 4 star until the ending). It’s difficult to give this a genre or really know what type of audience to recommend this book to, but I would say the most similar thing that I’ve read recently would be something like Nightbitch, although this one doesn’t really get ‘weird’. It’s a slow build literary psychological story with hints of thriller and horror but it never really commits to either - as a result, it seemed like lots of build for little pay off at the end.

I did enjoy following the story of Jacy and the mystery of why her husband, father-in-law and cohorts were acting so strangely about her pregnancy. she instantly begins to feel distrust and paranoia towards them and so it’s interesting as a reader to try and figure out if there’s actually something more going on. The one thing I really enjoyed about this book was Abbott’s writing- she really took us down the rabbit hole of feelings that Jacy was experiencing. I think that’s one reason why I am underwhelmed with how the story ultimately fleshed out. I personally was hoping it would just go off into the deep end of weird/speculative, but it ultimately doesn’t. It’s also a very feminist story which I appreciate; however, I just thought a lot of the points it was trying to make were a little too on the nose.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.