I have to be honest, I'm not really sure where to start with this one. It's a lot of things, all at once: Original. Cultish. Odd at times. Gripping.

Okay so let's try and start at the beginning...

Anna Alcott is desperate to have a baby. But her career as an actor has just taken off massively, and her gruelling IVF treatment regime is suffering as a result.

Then finally, the moment that she and her husband have waited for for years. She's pregnant! Both are ecstatic, and Anna knows that she should maybe try to take a bit of a break from her career, but that is now almost impossible as the rising star that she is.

Then the unthinkable happens and Anna knows that she must take a break despite what her agency tells her. She has lost the baby to miscarriage. Devastated, Anna wonders exactly what she needs to go through to finally become a Mother.

Until she feels the baby move.

Hopeful Anna begins to take better care of herself, and tries to convince her husband and doctor that the baby is still inside her. In turn they begin to show concern for her mental health. Anna is terrified that they will try to take the baby away, so moves to a remote location where no one can hurt her.

At least it should be safe...

This is where I can't really say too much more, as I'll start giving things away. This novel may not to be everyone's taste, but it is an emotional rollercoaster of a ride and tackles some difficult subjects really well.

I'm intrigued by this author's work and look forward to seeing what might be next.

This book isn't what it seems.

A woman is desperate to have a baby and goes through the ordeal of IVF to get pregnant. But strange things keeps happening, such as missed appointments and spoiled medication, as if the forces were out to prevent there being a baby at all.

I don't know much about the IVF process, but I know that it isn't easy. In this story the details are rather harrowing even before the paranoia sets in, so I pity anyone involved with this. Plus there are lots of unsettling myths and superstitions about pregnancy and childbirth just to add salt to the wounds.

​In this book the woman is an actor, so someone famous who may be recognised by people who are strangers to herself. The paranoia sets in early with folk watching her or being outside her window or even inside her home. Are these people watching because of her celebrity or because they want to do her harm? There are elements of horror, terror and the occult in this intense psychological thriller. Written from the perspective of the potential mother, she unsure about everything, including her own body and mind. There are some very odd things going on.

This is a mostly fast paced tale, albeit a little inconsistent and repetitive at times, and a bit strange. However, this unusual aspect prevents a predictable assumption of where the story is heading. Recommended for those who enjoy a Rosemary's Baby style of book, but not if you are in the family way.

This book was totally not what I was expecting. A woman Anna Alcott is an actress just about to make in big with an Oscar nomination. However, the one thing she really wants is a baby and to have a family with her husband Dex.
She begins a journey of IVF with a highly recommended doctor. From the start she feels people are watching her and she has a stalker. Someone is trying to conspire against her. Anna feels she's loosing her mind. The IVF cycle is successful but its still not plain sailing. Then in a bathroom she feels herself loosing her baby. The doctor tell her she's lost the child. Even an ultrasound shows the baby is gone.

However, Anna can still feel her child. Is she really going mad as her husband starts to believe?
Read this with an open mind and you will love it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to see an ARC

Delicate Condition is a standalone horror/thriller from author, Danielle Valentine. This author was new to me but what initially drew me in was the hype surrounding this book as the inspiration for the new season of American Horror Story. I’ve been a huge fan of this series and while early trailers seem like it may not be tightly based on this book, overall, the book was great fun to read and didn’t disappoint.

Delicate Condition walks the line between horror and psychological suspense with a narrative that is captivatingly dark and tackles some compelling themes. The story deals with some heavy concepts including infertility, miscarriage and medical misogyny which may not be for everyone. I’ve seen this book’s themes compared to Rosemary’s Baby, the 1967 novel by Ira Levin which was also adapted into a movie in 1968.

I found myself fully engaged by the twists and turns which kept me guessing and left me not wanting to put this one down. It's a book that effortlessly draws you in and doesn't let go until the final page. The thrilling suspense that is weaved throughout combined with complex characters makes this book one that will linger in your mind long after you put the book down. An unsettling tale that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.

Delicate Condition is a must-read and I’m eager to explore more of this author’s works. An unsettling tale that will leave a lasting impact on the reader.

This one took a bit to get into for me, and although it had been compared to The Silent Patient, I couldn’t really see the comparison. I could, of course, see the comparison to Rosemary’s Baby.
This gets more and more horror-filled as it goes on, and was a bit too gruesome for me in parts.
After reading I discovered it’s the inspiration for the next American Horror Story season, so I’m interested in how it’s adapted.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for this ARC.
What a fantastic read, not what I was expecting at all (in a good way!). There is a modern day story and flashbacks to the 1800s onwards, firmly set within the horror/thriller genre. I have read 2 books by this author now and would be really looking forward to another one!

Wow! Delicate Condition is a gripping rollercoaster of a read! This horror-thriller explores how women’s concerns about their health can be ignored or dismissed by medical staff and the people around them. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. A 5 star book!

I had never read or watched Rosemary’s Baby so I went into this with no expectations. I heard it was basis for the latest AHS season and thought let’s get it reading! It was a good read and can’t wait to see see the adaption!

Anna Victoria Alcott has final made it as a film star, around the same time as she is on another round of IVF, desperate to get pregnant. But someone keeps messing with her, and then a strange woman crawls into bed with her, followed by her finding dolls of herself strewn in unlikely places... Someone wants to stop her pregnancy, and her own husband and her doctors won't believe her.

Told through Anna's perspective, strange things begin to happen over the course of the book--things that cannot be explained by mere science. Between her dark cravings and her vivid hallucinates, Anna can't trust anyone, not even herself.

What an absolute trip of a book. I did not expect this to go off the rails quite as much as it did, but I was 100% here for it. It sort of reminded me of The Writing Retreat because of that--it takes its premise and then drives hard into it, genre convention be damned. I went in expecting a straight-up thriller, and found a hefty dose of horror! It makes sense, given the other Valentine book I've read was a slasher time-loop novel that also had a lot of fun with its premise.

The writing wasn't great at times (though, I read an ARC and there might have been changes made to the final copy, I'm not sure), but it was a pretty smooth, quick read. I also enjoyed the mysterious flashbacks to women from the 1800s onwards, who also experience horrifying things. Valentine clearly cares a lot about how messed up gynaecology is, and I appreciate it.

Unfortunately, this was kept from being a full four stars because the ending was incredible anti-climactic and not very effective. Not that I expected the ending (how could anyone?!), but that was sort of the problem. It didn't feel like a culmination of the horrors, more a detour in what was otherwise an incredible engrossing and buck wild story. I did like the solution to one part of the story, <spoiler>namely that the stalker portion was actually separate from the horror incidents, that was very satisfying</spoiler>, but the very ending was just a bit meh.

Still, safe to say that between this & How to Survive Your murder, Valentine is becoming an instabuy author for me!

Anna Alcott is an esteemed actress. She is tipped to be up for an Oscar but what she really wants is a baby. Going through IVF is hard going & even before a pregnancy begins she seems to be suffering from 'Baby Brain' - medicines being left out, appointments missed because she got the wrong time. When she does finally conceive she is overjoyed but from the start she struggles. She is convinced she is being stalked & so along with her husband Dex they go to stay in a deserted home of a friend in the Hamptons. But the struggles go on. This pregnancy is unlike anything she ever expected.

I think this book proved to me that I am no longer a fan of the horror genre. I found this quite a slog to finish (but still needed to know what happened!) Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

All her life Anna has wanted two things: to be a successful actress and to be a mother. After years of trying to conceive, surrendering her body to invasive tests and hormone injections, Anna is delighted when she finds out that she's pregnant. The timing could have been better - she's just finally achieved the critical acclaim in her career that she's longed for - but for Anna and her husband, Dex, this baby is a dream come true. However, Anna quickly begins to get a sense that someone doesn't want her to be pregnant: important medication is left out of the fridge, her online calendar is being tampered with and she's sure that she's being followed. She'll do anything to protect her baby - but will that be enough?

Danielle Valentine's first novel for adults is a creepy, twisty story which grabbed me from the first unsettling page and kept me guessing until the final chapter. Packed with ominous, cinematic imagery, I would not be at all surprised to see it reimagined for Netflix.

Comparisons can undoubtedly be made to 'Rosemary's Baby', but Valentine takes inspiration from the seminal horror and adds layers, with the effect that Delicate Condition is just as much a commentary on pregnancy and motherhood, and an unflinching inditement of maternal health care in America, as it is anything else.

Anna's story is a poignant allegory for a universal experience for mothers: in the opening chapter, she notes that, 'The truth is there's no such thing as an uncomplicated pregnancy. We all give something up in exchange for our babies.' While for Anna this manifests in a terrifying series of events, for other women this might mean bankrupting themselves to pay for fertility treatments, relinquishing their independence and identity, compromising their career goals or sacrificing their friendships, relationship or pre-pregnancy body. Motherhood is a beautiful, wonderful experience, but Delicate Condition captures the other side of it accurately; from little details such as Anna being annoyed that a doctor addresses her husband instead of her to the sadly common story of women being denied ownership of their own bodies and experiences, being talked over, disbelieved and dismissed. As the author writes at the end of the book, 'Anna’s experience with pregnancy is intended to be hyperbolic, but all of her symptoms have their roots in real things that happen to women’s bodies during their pregnancies: odd cravings and unusual fetal movements, not to mention the very real, very strange feeling of knowing there’s something you can’t entirely control or understand growing inside of you.' Valentine also confronts some of the other ways the American healthcare system is failing women, with reference to transphobia and an exploration of the Black maternal health crisis and its horrific historic roots.

Valentine's plot is ambitious with many narrative strands - including a plethora of intriguing vignettes about other women living in other times and places - and this is effective to a degree. I was totally engrossed in the story, wanting to know how all these disparate threads were going to coalesce to a satisfying, powerful ending, but ultimately I felt that the ending failed to pack this punch, with subplots too neatly wrapped up or explained away. The subplot about Anna's celebrity was the least interesting facet of the story for me and, while it was a useful vehicle for certain elements of the main narrative, I found it distracting and annoying how it diverted the focus from more compelling goings-on.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and, if not for the ending, it would've been a five star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchanged for an honest review.

Loved it!! Didn't want to put it down.
It was dark and gripping.

Anna is a famous actress, her and husband Dex have been having IVF but hadn't worked in the past. They have another go, strange things start happening .Then Anna finds out she is pregnant and things get stranger and darker, she doesn't know who she can trust, is someone trying to harm her and/or her baby?

Would definitely recommend this book. Thanks netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A horror thriller. Not really my genre, unfortunately so I found this book heavy going. Take heed of the triggers (pregnancy loss etc) because this book could trigger your emotions. The pace is slow and it gradually reels you into a horrific situation. I had to push myself to keep going.
Thanks to Net galley for the ARC

Wow, this was DARK, and not exactly what I was expecting! I think I had been anticipating a psychological thriller, but the twists and turns are way beyond that.

Certainly this was a fascinating read with lots of layers. I did find myself frustrated with the protagonist in parts, questioning why she wasn't talking to people, asking for help or interrogating aspects of her experience. But the story itself does raise important questions about women's health care experiences, particularly around pregnancy and childbirth, many of which are negated, brushed off or ignored which chimes with Anna's experiences in that way.

In short, this is a fascinating book which I will recommend, although not to any pregnant friends as there are some very well-written yet visceral passages which could be difficult to read if you're in that place.

4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2023/08/22/delicate-condition-by-danielle-valentine/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Took Me Completely By Surprise

Delicate Condition is a psychological thriller with a surprise twist.

I will say two things before I start this review. Some of the material in the story could definitely prove ‘triggering’ for readers so take note of the author’s warning at the start. Also, I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book to readers who are pregnant, simply because the material here is dark and a bit scary and, lets face it, pregnancy can be a frightening time as it is without throwing further fuel on the fire.

So, the story itself revolves around a couple who are trying to have a baby. Anna and Dex are going through the IVF process having struggled to conceive and Anna fearing that her opportunities are slowly dwindling. Anna is an actor who is receiving acclaim following an indie film she starred in which was very successful. The downside to her sudden rise is she seems to have picked up a couple of nasty trolls along the way who seem to take pleasure in insulting and ridiculing her. On top of this, along with the stress of trying to get pregnant, coping with her own overnight success story and worrying about potential stalkers she’s becoming oddly forgetful, missing appointments, putting the wrong times in her schedule, forgetting to put expensive medication into the fridge, etc. Dex seems to be running low on patience and Anna has started to believe that maybe someone is actively messing with her private life and doing the best they can to stop her becoming pregnant. Of course, no one really wants to believe this idea but eventually the couple are forced to move to an unknown location following a strange incident when it finally becomes clear that maybe Anna isn’t imagining everything.

What I really liked about this. Well, I would mention firstly that this has a slightly slow start, but, once things get moving it really does become a very absorbing read. There seems to be a constant string of ‘things’ occuring that for the most part everyone around Anna seems to think are imaginary. And, the author gives us plenty of red herrings along the way to make the reader suspect just about everyone and everything. I will say that moving to a remote, beachfront setting and staying in a huge house is not my idea of fun and that is an element that really plays nicely into the story.

I liked Anna and totally sympathised with her sense of frustration. She was talked over, ignored and generally patronised by virtually everyone around her and it was incredibly aggravating. I didn’t particularly like Dex, he’s one of those characters who is so condescending, I could picture him rolling his eyes and undermining Anna. On top of that their relationship became decidedly bumpy when they were forced into spending so much time together in their enforced retreat.

About midway, there is a terrible event. I’m not going to give it away here but it was shocking and what then follows is when and where the story begins to take a different slant and supernatural elements start to creep in. Creaky floorboards, sleepwalking, unusual cravings and vivid hallucinations all leading to a dramatic finale that was absolutely gripping and took a turn I never saw coming.

Overall, this made for a compelling read. The conclusion took me in a surprising direction and the author threw in a bunch of suspects and clues that misled me completely.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4.5 of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

As soon as I saw this book I knew I needed to read it and oh wow I was absolutely blown away!

This book went in a completely different direction to what I was expecting and I still loved it.
All the characters were fantastic and well written.

It was creepy, disturbing and so tense!

I didn't know what to expect with this book - and it definitely was something different. But in a good way. I really enjoyed this story. It is rather dark in parts and even I was shocked. The story follows Anna, an actress, who is trying to have a baby but not having much luck with IVF. When she does eventually fall pregnant, things are not as they seem, and things become strange. When she is told she has miscarried, she believes otherwise, and has to convince those around her that she is not delusional. The ending was not something I expected at all, and was a little weird, but I still did enjoy the story.

Body horror is an image we tend to associate with the more grotesque transformations of film but humans do ourselves see dangerous changes too and being pregnant is one of the most common. In the 21st century west its often forgotten how dangerous for parents and child this nine-month experience could be. Mortality rates until only recent times were incredibly high. In Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition, a mix of horror and thriller explores this through a woman experiencing.

Anna Alcott is happily married; her acting career is entering a vibrant second act with talk of Oscars and yet one key strand of her life is missing – turning forty and so far unable to conceive. Her and husband Dex have agreed to IVF and then unfolds a tale of stalking, mysterious hospital encounters and a feeling that someone is keen for Anna not to conceive. Her best friend suggests an alternate route to go down but further dangers await.

I am afraid for me this was a case of an interesting ideas but ultimately, I really found the approach to storytelling on the whole taking me out of this story too much for me to enjoy it. Valentine’s approach is for everyone t be glossily described and then random facts just dropped in on the reader. Why yes, our main character has at least three potential stalkers wishes given no thought to. The overall reaction to this and attempts to merge this with the wider and to be fair enlightening history of gynaecology and its darker side are all interesting ideas, but the story is ultimately one horror fans may be able to guess fairly quickly. I found Anna and her film star lifestyle being carefully explained the kind of glamourous tale that tends to switch me off rather than entertain me and felt a little too movie script rather than novel.

What I did enjoy was the moments of spookiness and the idea of a stalker who can even get to you in a hospital as well as the impersonal nature of medics talking to women about pregnancy did strike a chord with things I have heard from friends. But ultimately none of this really hooked me into the tale to make a lasting impression and instead I found my attention drifting regularly. Overall, I found Delicate Condition a disappointment and is not a story I can recommend.

Anna is a fascinating character and the author’s slow reveal of her personality and mindset make for thrilling reading. This is a dark book and some may find it disturbing, but there is no doubt it is riveting and a thriller in the true sense of the word.

Valentine’s writing style is hauntingly captivating, painting vivid and chilling images that will leave you breathless. To be honest, it is horrific in the most beautiful way.

This book delves deep into the complexities of gender and power, exploring the struggles and triumphs of women in a way that is both thought-provoking and empowering with a focus on dark feminist themes.

Valentine masterfully weaves together elements of horror and psychological suspense, creating a modern-day homage to the classic novel ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ by Ira Levin, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

While ‘Delicate Condition’ is undeniably a gripping read, I couldn’t help but crave more of Valentine’s twisted storytelling. The book left me hungry for further exploration into the dark and mysterious world she created.

Overall, ‘Delicate Condition’ is a must-read for fans of horror, feminist literature, and psychological thrillers. With its horrific beauty and thought-provoking themes, it is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.