Although this was an interesting read it is one that is causing me issues with knowing how to leave an honest review without giving away too much!
I did find it interesting following Anna's journey with her IVF and pregnancy as I have never experienced this myself due to deciding to accept my infertile state and to instead enjoy other people's children. I have to admit that from seeing friends go through this experience and from what I read in this book, I am very surprised that any woman would go through being pregnant more than once and yet many seem to!
The themes written about in this book are at times very dark and you really should take the trigger warning seriously but I did find Anna a little naive at many points especially when one thing seemed blindingly obvious by a certain other characters actions and yet she seemed to be shocked by the revelation when it happened. Baby brain or did she become an ostrich perhaps?
This was an interesting psychological horror/thriller which would be great for book groups as there are many subjects raised, especially the lack of research into female medical conditions, which would make for interesting and lively discussions.

With a chilling mystery, heart-pounding horror, and a powerful exploration of fertility and pregnancy, Delicate Condition is a brilliantly captivating story that leaves both your heart aching and your stomach churning. It's no wonder that it's the influence for American Horror Story Season 12, and there's nothing you can say than that to get me more excited for a book!

The book begins with some trigger warnings, and I think it's important to highlight that the book does focus on fertility issues and includes descriptions of miscarriage. But the book also brilliantly gives a platform for women to talk about the pain they experience in pregnancy and labour from all experiences.

I absolutely loved how Valentine used this as a backdrop to a horror thriller, cleverly blurring the lines of demonic hallucinations and heightened reality. The fact that she merely mentioned the fact that women aren't often believed when they discuss their pain during pregnancy/labour had me applauding. I had fairly easy-going pregnancies and labours, but I always like to mention that my midwife refused to give me more than a paracetamol during my second labour as she was adamant that I wasn't in labour. I mean, I'm pretty sure that labour is slightly more painful than a headache, but who am I to comment?!

And as I say, my own story is a positive one, so I found so much power in the experiences that Valentine details here, emphasising the need for us to share, understand, and be made prepared for the shared common side effects and negative experiences that women need more support with at this time. Because while flaky dry skin, hair falling out, and unreasonable cravings are normal pregnancy symptoms, it's easy to see how they could be mistaken for being possessed by the devil!

There is a lot that's being said behind the curtain, but most of all, Delicate Condition is a gripping mystery with many creepy and gruesome scenes that had me absolutely gripped. I had no idea how the story would play out, but I'm so glad that Valentine didn't take the easy way out with her explanations.

It turns out that there were many threads being weaved together here. At first, I didn't think the revelations answered all of my questions, but then things are explained further, and I ended up fully satisfied.

Delicate Condition most definitely left my skin crawling and my mind blown, with its masterful mix of genres and Valentine's risk-taking boldness leaving me massively impressed.

I have enjoyed other books by this author and this one is, as usual, very well-written. Unfortunately, for me, it was trying to cover too many times for any particular one to be allowed space for development – the trials of IVF, stalking, hallucinations, witchcraft, the strangely cold relationship between Anna and Dex. And then the nasty things started, some of which left me feeling squeamish. In the end, I didn’t finish it, which was a huge disappointment to me.
I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I read this right to the end and did enjoy it, but at the same time found it frustrating and slightly unbelievable in places, in how the main character reacted and behaved. However, it did keep me interested to the end and it was an enjoyable read.

A Delicate Condition hooked me pretty quickly and I got through half the book in one sitting. I won’t say too much because going in blind gives a much better reading experience but do check the TW. This is my first by this author and I liked her writing, the characters, and the story really intrigued me. I don’t really get creeped out but this book gave me some goose bumps along the way. I really felt the frustration, the paranoia and psychological turmoil of our main character so anytime a book can evoke emotions in me, it’s always a good thing. If you love a suspenseful thriller with elements of horror, this is a great pick.

This is as much psychological thriller as horror. In fact a lot of the actual horror comes literally from the body horror aspect of human pregnancy with the dial turned up. I would recommend that if you are trying to have a baby, you give this one a miss for now. It pulls no punches on the psychological effects of being infertile, IVF and miscarriage. It also speaks to the way women can be infantilised or even erased from discussions about their own health. While it makes good points about how modern medicine is based on men and ignores that women have different needs, I found the way that was approached a bit whiny rather than indignant.



Basically, the MC - an actress - desperately wants to have a baby and after three rounds of IVF and multiple miscarriages, finally finds herself pregnant. Which is when things start to go wrong. There is a hint of Rosemary's Baby but ignore the 'feminist retelling' angle because it's not really. It follows the usual staples - body horror, baby being something not right, cults/ witchcraft, inability to trust own memories etc. And generally it hits those tropes well. However, it does sag in places, the constant 'must protect my baby' even against all common sense is very wearing (admittedly I will never be the target audience for a pregnancy storyline) and it can get repetitive. Whay pulls it up is its depiction of female friendship, it's unflinching look at how women get dehumanised during pregnancy and how hard it is to find balance. The ending actually managed to surprise me too. I'm not sure the ending actually fit, mind, but I liked it and thus it pulled the book up from 3 stars to 4. It's an interesting take on age old questions and it was a very easy read, even if it was frustrating in places.

I really loved Delicate Condition. I look forward to the next AHS series which is based on this book. I hope they do it justice. This is the perfect blend of horror thriller and mystery. I was gripped from the first few lines and didn’t want to put the book down until I reached the end. The book is told from Anna’s POV, so you get inside her head when this disturbing things are happening to her. It made me angry how often her fears are dismissed because she’s a woman. The people around her far too often tell her to get some rest and have a cup of tea rather than listening to her as if she’s being hysterical. Why are women, even intelligent women dismissed so easily? They seem reluctant to believe her even when there are physical manifestations of her fear such as the creepy dolls left around the property. There are so many twists and turns I was never such what was really going on. I also locked the sucker-punch ending.

There have been quite a few mentions of Rosemary's Baby in reference to 'Delicate Condition', but while the title rang a vague bell somewhere, I had never read/watched it so that wasn't helpful to me at all. I don't know that it would have made much of a difference, although I suspect it might have prepared me better for the icky and the creepy. I don't mind telling you, many a time did the word "ewww" slip from my lips. This was most definitely not the thriller I was expecting.

At its heart though, this is a story about pregnancy. Never having been pregnant, I can't possibly relate. But judging by the friends around me who went through it, some more than once (ohmygod why?!), it isn't always roses and sunshine as so many seem to think it is. For one of them, it was the longest nine months of her life, and she hated every minute of it.

For Anna, it's supposed to be the best time of her life. The gruelling IVF regime she's been enduring is finally paying off. But from the moment she sees her tiny baby on an ultrasound, everything seems to be going wrong. Appointment times seem to move, and important medication is left unrefrigerated. Anna thinks someone might even be following her. Is Anna reliable though? Are the hormones getting to her? Is she losing her mind? Why won't anyone believe her? And why does her doctor think aspirin is a miracle cure?

Anna's symptoms go from bad to worse, yet there is seemingly nobody she can turn to for help. Her husband is busy, her best friend is very poorly, and the doctors apparently have better things to do. I couldn't at all figure out what was going on with Anna. The things she was going through were so vividly described that they felt incredibly real, and her fear was almost palpable. I couldn't at all decide if she was a reliable narrator or not, yet I was eying everyone around her with suspicion, almost convinced that someone meant her harm but I couldn't figure out who. Or why, for that matter.

Things veered off in a direction I didn't see coming at all. I quite liked it though. Women should always be there for other women. Those who have gone before know what's what. Their knowledge is invaluable at every turn, and maybe if more women told their stories of nightmare pregnancies it might result in better care and help. As is mentioned in the book, how is it there are so many remedies to fix a man's problem, yet to this day, nobody can figure out why a woman has to suffer through a miscarriage.

'Delicate Condition' is incredibly compelling, dark and powerful. It is addictive in that "oh come on tell me what the heck is going on" kind of way, and massively creepy. Honestly, if this had been a film, I might have had to watch through my fingers during quite a lot of it. (/wuss). But it also shows remarkable insight into pregnancies, the emotional impact of having to deal with miscarriages and infertility. And how somehow the world keeps turning and everyone just expects you to keep playing your part.

Excellent thriller with a side of horror. And if you're able, take a minute to read the author's notes too.

Anna Alcott and her husband, Dex are trying for a baby through IVF. With Anna getting older, the fear is that time is running out.

When Anna finally gets the good news that she’s pregnant, she starts to suffer from terrible hallucinations, bizarre cravings and a list of strange goings-on.

This is a difficult book to review as I don’t want to give away anything!

I found the story started slow but did gather pace. Some parts were quite nasty and even made me feel a bit squeamish.

There is a warning for triggers with this book and I would recommend taking note of these before you read this book.

Overall, I would say that I did enjoy this story. It was different to my usual sort of reads and I was certainly intrigued.

My thanks to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read and review this book.

As a huge fan of The Silent Patient, I was excited to read "Delicate Condition" by Danielle Valentine, but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The Silent Patient had its own unique appeal, saying this book is like the Silent Patient is such a BOLD statement and trying to compare the two is like mixing oil and water – they are completely different.

One of the drawbacks for me is the lack of warmth and compassion in the relationship between Dex and Anna. Their connection feels forced and distant, leaving me struggling to find any emotional attachment to their journey. While later revelations attempt to justify Dex's sneakiness, it wasn't enough to repair the disconnect I felt between them.

Furthermore, the novel leaves readers with more questions than answers. The abundance of intertwined characters and ambiguous themes, such as witchcraft, stalking due to Anna being a celebrity, women's experiences of IVF, pain and psychosis during pregnancy, left me utterly perplexed. The bizarre hallucinations involving a tooth and an animal in the pool only added to the confusion, leaving me scratching my head in bewilderment - psychosis was never even mentioned in the book so I have no idea what the tooth, animal etc were about.

The book's overall weirdness left me feeling utterly confused, with no clear understanding of its central focus or purpose. I couldn't decide if it was about IVF and pregnancy, mental health, witchcraft or something else entirely. This lack of coherence detracted significantly from my reading experience.

Upon reaching the end, the author's explanation for writing about pregnancy and the dismissal of women's pain resonated with me. However, I couldn't recall Anna having substantial conversations with a doctor about her pain, making her labour experience feel unrealistic and far-fetched.

In conclusion, Delicate Condition was a confusing and disappointing read for me. The disjointed narrative and lack of emotional depth between the characters left me feeling unsatisfied and yearning for a more cohesive storyline. While the author's intent and themes were commendable, the execution left much to be desired. Unfortunately, I'm left with more questions than answers, and the confusion surrounding this book lingers like a stubborn fog.

A haunting, beautifully written book that drew me in from page one and left me wanting more, absolutely brilliant

Well, that was a wild ride. This book is crazy but in the best way possible.
In this we follow Anna, who is desperately trying to became pregnant. Right from the start she is an unreliable narrator, however I was fully on her side the whole way through.
From the first page I was immediately hooked and invested in the plot. I really liked the writing style and you combine that with the plot, it made the whole thing flow so brilliantly, I raced through this is two sittings. I couldn't put it down.
The way the author wrote the medical misogyny scenes, was scarily true and will hit home for many (myself included) so beware of that going in.
I must say by the halfway point I had a bad feeling that this would became so over the top and ridiculous it would spoil my enjoyment. Thankfully, whilst things do get a little bit unbelievable nearer the end, I did still enjoy it.
I see this gets a lot of comparisons to Rosemary's Baby and The Push. I 100% agree with that, so if you enjoyed those, give this a shot.
This is a powerful, emotional, feminist tale that I highly recommend.

TW: miscarriage, medical misogyny

A weird mixture of a thriller with a supernatural twist. You are never quite sure where the story is going so the suspense is amazing. Lots of triggers so make sure you are in the right frame of mind when you read it, but, wow!

Delicate Condition was not at all what I expected from reading the description. It was all a little too dark and graphic for me and I am not a big fan of the supernatural elements. If supernatural is your go to genre I am sure you will enjoy the book, it just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Trigger warnings: pregnancy, IVF, miscarriage, abortion, medical trauma. Just don't read it if any of these issues will affect you - it gets graphic.

Delicate Condition is about Anna Alcott, an actor who is desperately trying to conceive via IVF, but whose fame has left her open to stalking and hate from online trolls. She becomes increasingly paranoid that her haters are trying to keep her from conceiving, and when she does become pregnant, everything goes downhill from there.

I enjoyed Delicate Condition and was compelled to keep reading to find out what was really happening to Anna. the novel felt like a thriller at the beginning, but is definitely supernatural body horror by the end - there are some fun, creepy elements as Anna loses control of herself during her pregnancy. By the time the story wrapped up, though, some of the supernatural stuff started to feel silly, rather than scary or meaningful. Overall, a good read, if you're prepared to go with the flow.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review #DelicateCondition.

This is definitely not an easy read if you've had fertility issues or a miscarriage and it certainly brought back some very difficult times when we were embarking on our own ivf journey.
The story captures some of the difficulties experienced throughout pre conception and pregnancy very well however and it was easy to identify with the main character Anna as she so desperately wants a baby.
The story quickly turns into more of a psychological thriller as Anna feels she is being watched and that someone has been inside her house and is threatening her pregnancy. As events spiral.and Anna experiences some extreme symptoms and cravings she becomes a slightly unreliable narrator. It was very hard to know whether the events were actually happening or were in her head. There were some clever twists and a very unpredictable ending with some supernatural undertones!
I found this a page turning, engrossing and original (if not disturbing) story. It is a clever mix of thriller, horror and mystery. Beware of the trigger warnings before reading though!!

This book comes with trigger warnings so isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea but I enjoyed reading it, even though the subject matter was largely about a difficult conception and pregnancy, IVF and some witchcraft. What struck me most was the injustice of the medical profession not being able to be more informative or supportive to couples trying to conceive and grow a baby. Something women have been doing since the dawn of the human race but yet we probably understand more about outer space than we do the inner workings of the female body. This is a book that will make you think.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I read the blurb for this and had to request it. Then I found out it is possibly the baseline story to AHS season 12 so was even more excited to read it.

Anna Alcott is managing a new found fame as a leading actress while going through IVF for the baby she has always longed for. Finally pregnant after moved appointments, the feeling she's being followed and a break in where her scan picture is stolen it's like someone doesn't want to her to be pregnant.

When the doctors tell her she has miscarried she is devastated but back home the baby starts moving, yet no one will believe she is still pregnant. Not knowing who to trust Anna moves away with husband Dex to a remote holiday home to protect her unborn daughter. But as her symptoms become more and more strange and extreme she begins to wonder exactly what is growing inside her and will they both survive.

I read this in two sittings and would highly recommend.

Anna is desperate for a baby and is currently going through IVF treatment to hopefully become a mum one day. She's also just been catapulted into the public eye due to the success of a film she acted in, juggling her parenthood journey with work commitments. What Anna doesn't realise is how weird a pregnancy can actually get!

I definitely got creepy vibes from Delicate Condition, I'd put it firmly in horror. In the beginning I thought is was a little Rosemary's Baby crossed with American Horror Stories (there are 2 episodes that this story nodded it's hat to). But as we went into the story further I realised the true horror was with the treatment of Anna and how she is dismissed and gaslit at every turn. I got so angry at her treatment and it made me feel heard as I had a horrible pregnancy / birth experience.

There were a few red herrings within the action that sent me off in some bizarre directions and when the climax came it wasn't disappointing. Thanks for a fab read!

No spoilers from me for this page turner! Ana and Dee have been struggling with infertility and finally, finally, she's pregnant thanks to IVF. Oh, and her movie is doing unexpectedly well. And then,,,,,a miscarriage shakes her. But she feels something, something like a living child inside her, which no one else believes in. She's being stalked, there are weird things happening and....I'm not going any further, This does indeed have Rosemary's Baby vibes but Valentine has created an entirely new horror. She's got great storytelling skills. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, Great read.