This was a well-written paychological thriller, but it was definitely a slower read. I tend to prefer thrillers that are faster paced, so unfortunately, this book just wasn’t for me.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to fully figure out what direction this book was headed. I think it’s because I was under the assumption that the main female character was an unreliable narrator so I wasn’t sure if I wanted to believe everything from her point of view. As the story progressed, things became much more clear to me and I enjoyed never knowing what direction it was headed! If you like psychological thrillers that are well written, I’d recommend checking this one out!

“Oh she wants to conquer the world completely
But first she'll conquer me discreetly
The female of the species is more deadly than the male

Oh she deals in witchcraft
And one kiss and I'm zapped

Oh how can heaven hold a place for me
When a girl like you has cast a spell on me…

…The female of the species is more deadly than the male…”

This classic rock song by the English band Space was something I hummed off and on while reading Beware the Woman, which I’ve come to think of as the love child of Rosemary’s Baby and Charlotte Perkins-Gilman’s legacy from generations of female authors reading The Yellow Wallpaper and saying, “Oh heck no”.

This isn’t just feminist psychological thriller at its finest, though. It’s also a deep satirical commentary on the waning power of the aging white male in his isolated mountain stronghold, a member of the boy’s club, where women aren’t welcome and should be home with the children and minding the house. In this book, boys will be boys until they get married to a good girl and have kids; and all girls are just tempting little Eves walking around just asking for it. These rural mountain communities are places out of time in a way, yet they are filled with men and boys who think they have every right to know everything about a woman’s body and to make decisions about it for them.

Right from the start, our protagonist Jacy tells us she’s always had a bad picker. I’ve known women who have bad pickers. I myself have an inadequate picker, but not exactly bad. Somehow, between a fit of whimsy and that glow of brilliant new love, Jacy ignores her knowledge of having a bad picker and decides choosing to marry her boyfriend Jed after a short courtship is the best choice she’s ever made. She decides there’s nothing wrong with Jed. He’s perfect.

See, I don’t care if this major point of foreshadowing may seem a bit too obvious. I don’t care at all. Why? Because this book hooked me as soon as I opened it. I was trying to decide which ARC to read next and I opened this one and all of a sudden I was more than ten pages in and couldn’t put it down. You should have seen me absolutely devouring this book: I snapped at anyone and everyone who pulled me away from it. I just wanted to keep reading. If I could’ve cooked my mom’s lunch while reading it, I would’ve. The first few pages hook you hard, and the first ten percent just reel you in nice and steady. Once Jacy and Jed have reached Jed’s father’s house, the frenetic energy from the very beginning slows to a steady thrum so it can pick up what feels like a sense of awkwardness at first, then anxiety, then foreboding, then dread, and then it becomes outright paranoia and panic before it becomes outright desperation as the book head into the 80% mark. From there, it’s a wild, frenetic ride that’s everything I had hoped it would be.

I felt so satisfied by this book. The ending, pacing, plot development, character development, and sublime way Megan Abbott weaves those deep and dark themes into the narrative made Beware the Woman into one of the most satisfying thrillers I’ve read so far this year.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All opinions, thoughts, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Read/Domestic Thriller/Literary Fiction/Psychological Fiction/Suspense Thriller

Beware the Woman is a slow burn, slow build-up thriller involving soon-to-be mother, Jacy and her husband, Jed. The pair are visiting his father, only addressed as Doctor Ash, at his home in the isolated woods of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the 4th of July. Though, as the holiday weekend progresses, Doctor Ash doesn't appear to be the alluring and caring father-in-law that Jacy had first met.

This was an incredibly slow read for me, and my first by Megan Abbott. I was immediately drawn to it as a Michigander who has spent their fair share of time in the woods. But the pacing was just off for me. I didn't feel like I really got sucked in until about the last half of the book when more and more of Jacy's world started to fall apart. I didn't really care for any of the characters, Jed had his redeeming moments but would be sucked back under his father's spell, Mrs. Brandt seemed to be the saving grace, but even something seemed off with her too.

Then there was the weird Captain Murderer that seemed to be Jacy's boogeyman growing up that resurfaced after reading a book mysteriously placed in her room. It was brought up twice and I'm probably terrible, but I never really understood why. Why was it necessary? Again, I probably missed the metaphor that he had, but it didn't do too much for me.

I went back and forth between 2 and 3 stars, because once Jacy caught on to Doctor Ash and his desire for a grandson and essentially imprisoning her until she popped, I did enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for an ARC copy of this novel!

Thank you Megan Abbott, Penguin Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons, and NetGalley for this #gifted arc in exchange for my honest review.

I'm going to be completely honest, I'm not sure this book was for me. This book definitely has a slow build in the suspense. However, I think it was well written and the pacing was a deliberate choice. It allows the reader to really question the story. Is the narrator unreliable? Or is it the reader's perception? It was just a tad too slow for my preference.

This book definitely had me feeling anxious for our female main character, Jacy. The chauvinistic ideologies of most of the male characters paired with Jacy's feminist views helps elicit an emotional response from readers. Personally, I thought the men were trash and was anxious about what would happen to Jacy by the end of the book. I truly did not see that twist at the end. All in all, it was interesting read that will keep readers guessing, it's just not one I fully enjoyed personally.

Rating: 3 stars

“Everyone marries a stranger…” Megan Abbott gives us a twisty, atmospheric, psychological thriller that makes you wonder, how much do you truly know your spouse…or their family?

I will start off by saying I went into this one blind - I had no idea what the premise was, and it was completely the opposite, but I preferred it this way as I really had no idea what to expect. What I did not expect was a feminism meets old school mentality clash which got my heart racing at times more than the suspense! 😠 That is, until about halfway through. The beginning is more building suspense and establishing a series of unreliable characters and uncomfortable situations. Not knowing who to trust or what to believe, this really kept me on my toes especially as things picked up at the end!

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review! Will be posted to my IG @manis.and.manuscripts this pub week!

Jacy and Jed have a quick courtship and now are 2 years married w a baby on the way.  Life is good but a bit unsettling. Her mother’s words come back to haunt her throughout the book………you never really know someone.  There are still subjects that are not approached about her husband’s past and family. A trip to the isolated mountain home of her father-in-law provides insights to events she never knew about.
   Her father-in-law, a physician and charmer in the past, takes on a different persona. His relationship with his son, her pregnancy, secrecy, the remoteness and isolation lead to events that rival the of a prisoner in a very fancy castle.
   A spooky thriller full of characters that at first blush will send you down a path you’re convinced will provide a certain outcome. HA!

Beware the Woman is honestly one of the creepiest novels I have ever read, and that is a compliment! Newlyweds Jacy and Jed Nash are taking their first road trip to meet Jed’s father, Dr. Nash. He lives in the UP of Michigan in a rickety home in the isolated woods with no cell coverage (note to self, never do this). He explains that he hung up his stethoscope after Jed’s mother died in childbirth. Jacy is pregnant too, and Dr. Nash begins focusing on her in a creepy way, appearing to care about Jacy’s pregnancy even though it becomes increasingly clear that he has a problem with women. Jed is if no help as he regresses in his father’s presence.

The epigraph of the novel says it all — “Beware of the man who wants to protect you; he will protect you from everything but himself.” This is particularly apt in a world where women’s reproductive rights are increasingly under attack from paternalistic politicians. The atmosphere of the novel is unrelentingly claustrophobic as we wait for the next shoe to drop. Who can be trusted and will Jacy ever get away? An absolute triumph. 5.0 out of 5,0 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book.

✨Book Review - Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS

Pub Date: YESTERDAY

REVIEW: I’m kind of shook by this book. It was intense, dark, twisted, and chilling. It’s a bit of a slow burn but I liked it, I stayed up late last night just to finish because I needed to know what was going happen. It’s written in a choppy way that many times I had to stop and question if I missed something, but then it started to add to the suspense and mindfuckery. I got angry so many times because the very real threat we women are experiencing today about our bodies and what men believe to be the right decision concerning our health, especially when it comes to pregnancy was very prevalent. I’m getting worked up again thinking about it. So, yes, I loved it.

SYNOPSIS: Newly married and freshly pregnant, Jacy and her husband Jed head on a road trip to visit Jed’s father, Doctor Ash in Michigan. What starts as a nice family trip, turns sinister and alarming. Is Jacy being paranoid or experiencing cabin fever? The woods might be dangerous but could those inside be worse?

Thank you to NetGalley & putnambooks for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I did not love this book. I feel like another missed opportunity with plot. I did not love the characters. I really am sad about not liking this book.

I really enjoyed the storyline of this book but wished it would have been faster paced and a bit more exciting. I was a little disappointed in this book. I had way higher expectations.

Great thriller by Megan Abbott. If you like stories that will keep you guessing, this is the one for you. At times it did somewhat drag in some areas but picked right back up with drama and intrigue.

Megan Abbott has outdone herself with her latest book and her venture into adult horror territory. Now don't go thinking ghosts, monsters, or knife wielding madmen, oh no, this horror is much more realistic making it even more terrifying.

Jacy, a recent newlywed and just going into her second trimester of pregnancy, goes with her husband Jed to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in upstate Michigan. To call this place off the beaten path would be an understatement. No wifi and no cell signal seems almost quaint and peaceful at first until it no longer does anymore.

Dr. Ash is charming, charismatic, and he welcomes Jacy with open arms, gleaming smile, and twinkling eyes. She can't believe her luck at having married Jed and now having Dr. Ash as her father-in-law.

After Jacy experiences a medical scare things begin to change.

"The finest woman has some filthiness in her. She can't help it. Eve's curse."

The sense of menace in the air is thick as sludge. The claustrophobia is palpable. The disorienting nature had my head spinning, wondering, what in the actual fuck is going on?!?!? 😵

I realize this book isn't going to be for everyone. It's weird as hell and won't appeal to the masses, I don't believe so anyways, but this was damn near perfect for me. If I had to compare this reading experience with another book then I'm Thinking of Ending Things is the first one that comes to mind minus all the philosophical back and forth. It's the feeling, the vibe, and all the what the fuckery Abbott so gladly puts her reader through that makes them similar. This one starts out on the slow side but, be warned, you had better buckle up before she puts the pedal to the metal.

The ending was fantastic even if it does leave the reader hanging a bit. An epilogue may have been nice but that is really my only complaint and not a big enough one that I'm willing to even deduct a star for it.

This book had me seething with my heart racing and my blood pumping. Now that's my kind of cardio! Beware the woman, indeed! ALL. THE. STARS.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group - Putnam for my complimentary copy.

Jacy's road trip to rural Michigan takes a turn and all of a sudden, it's no longer idyllic any more and is clearly nighmarish that she feels more trapped than ever in her life. Like the author's previous book, it takes time to build up and is more of a slow-burn. The writing ensures there is a suspicion constantly without giving any details. The issue with this one is it would not work for those who enjoy fast=paced thrillers.

This novel is so Gothic. No, I haven't seen it billed as such, but the foreboding--from page one!-- is SO heavy that I continually found it difficult to emotionally catch my breath, and I have whiplash from continually checking behind me. Every conspiracy-theory nerve I have has jangled from word one. The difference here from Wuthering Heights or Dracula or the paperback romantic Suspense novels of which I was so enamored decades ago is in the first place, the feminism and the refusing-to-surrender protagonist (female) and also, one surely cannot hope for a happy ending in this--not hot, but cold--mess.

This one just didn’t do it for me, I enjoy a slow burn, but it just never took off and hooked me. Many thanks for the advanced digital copy to the author, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam.

Beware The Woman, by Megan Abbott

Short Take: It takes a while to get going, but the ride is worth it.

(*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*)

Hello my beloved Nerdlings, and welcome to my favorite season! The days are full of sun and the nights are full of fireflies and even though it’s been a coupla decades, I still get that giddy “last day of school” feeling of endless possibility.

Which means, of course, that I’m going to read a bunch of books, but I’ll be doing it outside for a change.

In Beware The Woman, Jacy is a newlywed who is pregnant - a condition that makes all women both powerful and vulnerable. She and her husband Jed are taking a road trip to a rural part of Michigan to visit Jed’s father, Dr. Ash.

Dr. Ash is lovely, warm and welcoming, and it’s all quite idyllic. But everything changes when there’s an emergency with Jacy’s pregnancy. Suddenly, Dr. Ash’s attention seems suffocating, Jed is by turns overly controlling and negligent, and strange things seem to be happening in the dark and endless woods.

Duckies, this book took me a while to get into. Ms. Abbott’s writing style walks a very fine line - it’s hard to do “lush and sensual and poetic” without occasionally veering into “melodramatic and overwrought purple prose.” I think that overall, she mostly sticks to the former, but the first two-thirds of this one felt just a shade too draggy and overwritten.

But hoo boy, when it picks up, hold on to your hineys, because it is a four-wheeler through the woods at eighty miles an hour without a helmet. Although the setup kind of screams “Lifetime Movie” and it’s way too easy to figure out [spoiler] there’s definitely a couple of twists that made me screech “Wait, WHAT??” out loud, in such a way that the cat opened one eye and almost looked concerned.

So if you want something fun and twisty (and to maybe learn a thing or two about neon signs - trust me, it’s cooler than you think) grab this book, your beverage of choice, and your shades, and I’ll see you all in the pool.

The Nerd’s Rating: FOUR HAPPY NEURONS (and my car keys, I’m going to have them surgically attached to my wrist now.)

This was my first Megan Abbott and while we got off to a slow start I ended up really enjoying this one! Beware the Woman was a great thriller to kick off the summer.

Jacy’s mom always seemed to fall for the wrong man and it seems she passed that on to Jacy - until she meets Jed. Their relationship develops quickly and soon they’re married with a child on the way. The pair plan a trip to stay with Jed’s father and at first Jacy is all to happy to get to know the man who raised her wonderful husband. But soon she realizes she may not really know the man she married and her and her unborn baby may actually be in danger.

While the beginning of the story was slow burn, the author did a great job of making you feel unsettled and suspicious the whole way though. I found myself really paying attention to what the characters were saying, especially Dr Ash, and throughout the whole novel I wasn’t sure who I could trust. By the end I wasn’t even sure if Jacy was a reliable character.

I was also incredibly mad throughout most of this book. For Jacy and any woman who finds herself in the situation where doctors won’t listen to them when it comes to their bodies/health. Given the way the world is right now it was definitely a timely read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for a review copy.

I didn't really enjoy this book, but I didn't hate it either. It partly read like a fever dream, partly suspense/thriller, and partly a feminist perspective. I kept waiting for something to be revealed, some big thing. And I guess that it did get revealed, but I was still underwhelmed by it.

Because it was so underwhelming, I wouldn't recommend this book.

In Megan Abbott's latest spine-chilling thriller, BEWARE THE WOMAN, a newly married woman, pregnant, meets her husband's family, which takes a terrifying turn in a sinister game of cat-and-mouse.

"Beware of the man who wants to protect you; he will protect you from everything but himself."—Erica Jong

Jacy is married with a baby on the way. Jed, her husband, decides they will take a road trip to meet his eccentric father, Doctor Ash.

Off they go to Michigan's Iron Mountain, deep into the forest. At first, Jacy is excited about meeting her father-in-law in this secluded cabin in the woods.

Then soon, things take a menacing, sinister turn—no cell phone reception or WiFi. Doctor Ash is acting strange and very protective of the baby. Then there is the house manager, Mrs. Brandt, who is loyal to the family, enigmatic, and creepy. Jed is aso acting wierd.

Dr. Ash is creepy, old school, and controlling, and he appears to be grieving for his lost wife (who died during Jed's birth) 30 years ago. Mrs. Brandt gives Jacy suspicious vibes, as well as their family friend, Mr. Hicks.

Jacy has a health scare and learns about Jed's mother. Their family history is dark and complex. Jacy wants to leave, but they are holding her prisoner.

She is trapped, and her husband is acting strange. She is in danger, as is the baby she is carrying. The experience turns into a terrifying nightmare.

The novel is told over nine days, a slow burn, locked-room creepy mystery, claustrophobic, with feminism, Rosemary's Baby/Get Out vibes, gaslighting, and chauvinism old school. One highly dysfunctional family!

Haunting, unsettling, and disturbing— Abbott sets the mood with a dark foreboding, creepy cabin in the middle of nowhere in the forest and scary characters. When you are pregnant, you are vulnerable, and emotions are running high. You want to maintain control, and here she has no support.

This book is a cross between psychological and horror, and the ending is open-ended— for fans of Joyce Carol Oats and Jennifer McMahon.

@PutnamBooks #partner Thanks for the free/gifted book, @Putnam Books #PutnamInfluencers

Blog Review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins |#JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars rounded to 4
Pub Date: May 30, 2023
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