Anna and Dex only want a baby. After going through years of IVF, they finally get a positive test. Anna is over the moon thrilled. She begins noticing strange things around her and someone lurking in the shadows. She's an actress who's got some traction lately, it can't have anything to do with the child growing inside her. Until one day she feels extreme pain, she is miscarrying. The emotional and physical pain are too much for Anna. She hides away from the world and loses herself. Then, she feels something stir inside her. Could it be? Could the doctors be wrong? Is her baby still alive? When Anna starts hallucinating, she's no longer sure who to trust and what in this world is safe. Will she make it out alive?
This book takes on several pregnancy stigmas as well as dealing heavily with miscarriage. Be warned. It was a wild ride. I read through it in less than a day. Fantastic novel. A great read for people who love psychological suspense. Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I enjoyed this chic and girl power-y update to the whole “devil baby” trope. This story was soooo immersive I flew through it in no time! It was twisty in so many different ways, it really made for an invigorating read. I was so invested that I haaaad to keep reading to find out what exactly was happening.

My only complaints are that it felt a little repetitive at times (and this made the story feel longer than it needed to be), and that the action points in final act were too unbelievable for me. It seemed like the author tried almost too hard to neatly fit all the happenings in this story together at the end, with the resulting explanations feeling inorganic and forced. However, those common horror issues didn’t stop me from enjoying the story as a whole.

I was provided with an ARC of this story in exchange for my honest review

Book Review: "Delicate Condition


"Delicate Condition presents a promising premise. The story follows Anna Alcott, a woman determined to conceive a child, who becomes convinced that a mysterious and malevolent force is actively working against her. While the novel delivers a gripping premise, it falls short of fully capitalizing on its potential.

One of the strengths of "Delicate Condition " lies in its portrayal of Anna's desperate desire to become pregnant. The author effectively captures the emotional rollercoaster of her grueling IVF journey, allowing readers to empathize with her struggles. The sense of frustration and vulnerability that Anna experiences as she contends with her increasingly public life while suspecting foul play adds a layer of tension to the narrative.

The author adeptly weaves a sense of paranoia and suspense throughout the story, keeping readers guessing about the identity of the mysterious figure undermining Anna's pregnancy attempts.
However, "Delicate Conditions " falls short in its execution. The pacing is is very slow throughout the beginning and the middle .. While some readers may appreciate the slower pace, it detracts from the overall tension and impact of the story.

Additionally, the characterization in the novel feels somewhat underdeveloped. Anna is the most well-rounded character, with her fears and desires clearly conveyed. However, the supporting characters lack depth and fail to evoke strong emotions. Their reactions to Anna's claims of sabotage often come across as dismissive or flat, making it difficult to fully invest in their perspectives.

Despite these shortcomings, "Unseen Shadows" remains a moderately engaging read. Fans of psychological thrillers may appreciate the underlying themes of paranoia and the exploration of a woman's journey through fertility struggles. While the execution may not reach its full potential, the novel still manages to deliver moments of suspense and intrigue.
Thank you to SourceBooks Landmark and NetGalley for allowing me to read this part in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a compulsive read. I was hooked right from the start until the very end. If you are looking for an addictive domestic thriller with a twisty ending that actually works. This is the book for you. Rumored to be the basis for the American Horror Story season 12, titled "Delicate" I am impatiently waiting to see what they do with this story because this was a cinematic reading experience and I really feel that this will come across well on screen.

Anna Alcott and her husband Dex are expecting their first child after a difficult IVF journey. Anna should be basking in joy happily preparing for her babies arrival, but unfortunately her experience is anything but. She is convinced that she is being stalked by a mysterious women, she is receiving disturbing messages, and she's almost certain someone has hacked into her account and is messing around with her personal e-calendar. The worst part is that no one seems to believe her, including her husband.

I feel that is all readers really need to know going into this story, it really does take off rather quickly and goes into some bizarre directions that were completely unexpected. There is some horror elements present in the story, but this definitely leans more towards psychological thriller. A large portion of the novel takes place at a family friends beach home during a winter storm and this setting created a very isolating and claustrophobic atmosphere that ramped up the tension. All in all a really great reading experience that may have pulled me out of my thriller reading slump.

While I enjoyed this very much it was not a perfect read. I found the characters to be really two dimensional, very generic and as much as i wanted to connect with Anna, i just didn't. In fact she was kind of unlikeable. Thats pretty much how I felt about all the characters, I just didn't vibe with any of them. I am a character driven reader and typically this would be a huge let down for me, but I feel like the plot of this story and the directions it went really saved the book for me.

There were some ideas in here that I wish were further explored, because they were so intriguing. Please check for trigger warnings before going into this as there are some upsetting themes explored that can be highly triggering. Overall a great reading experience, and a thriller that I would highly recommend.

Thank you so much to #netgalley and #sourcebooks for an arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received a DIGITAL Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't really have any huge opinions on this book, it was fine. If you're looking at this book and see the tag "mystery thriller" and are intrigued based off of that then look elsewhere because this is mostly leaning into thriller/horror. Some of the imagery in this book were horrifying and some of it was disgusting. There are also definitely major creepy elements in it.

It will make for an interesting season of American Horror Story, which I'll definitely be watching. (Hoping they don't make Kim Kardashian be Anna)

!!!Trigger warning!!! Body horror!

Extremely raw, on some places I needed to close my eyes and take a breath.
Anna takes us to her IVF journey, we take a glimpse of her hopes and dreams to see them crashing to pieces.
Add a little bit of stalker theme and you have a delicious read.

The modern revival of Rosemary’s Baby that we all needed. So this is also a book you will enjoy if you have read The Push by Ashley Audrain. Women’s pain and mental health has always been put in the background and this book is great at shedding light and as someone who is constantly being dismissed by doctors both male and female, it was good to see they being addressed. This one had some twists that were predictable, but I was still engaged and had to read to to the end. Make sure to read the Author’s Note. Also I was reading up and saw that this story is going to be the premise of the newest season of American Horror Story.

Anna Alcott, an actress in her late thirties, would do anything to have a child. Her journey with IVF has been difficult, causing mounting frustration and anxiety that she and her husband won't be able to conceive. On top of this, her fame increases as Oscar buzz surrounds her latest movie, forcing her into the public eye and garnering negative attention on various social media platforms. Her husband and her doctors are quick to blame stress as the cause of her forgetfulness when she misses appointments or loses medications. Still, Anna, who begins to receive cryptic notes on her phone, is convinced someone is trying to sabotage her; when she finally becomes pregnant, a break-in at her home occurs and forces her to go into hiding. As her symptoms worsen and the messages she receives grow more threatening, Anna wonders: is her baby even human?

Filled with suspense, mystery, and the particular body horror that comes with pregnancy, Delicate Condition didn't necessarily hook me right away. Still, I was fully invested once I got a bit more into it. The frustration of not being heard by doctors is all too real; I have never been pregnant, nor do I plan on it (especially after reading this, sheesh), but I've been dismissed by doctors before. There was a lot to like about this book, and it keeps you reading, even if it is a little predictable. There's also a CW at the beginning, and I appreciate that! Overall, 3.5 honey and anise cookies out of 5. Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the review copies!

Also, just found out this will be the basis for the new season of AHS, but I won't hold that against the book.

Delicate Condition is an intriguing story about an actress desperate to have a child after several years of infertility, but things begin to really go awry once she becomes pregnant. It is part horror, part mystery and we're not sure if the narrator is reliable. Though I found the premise intriguing, I found the book to be a bit slow and drawn out. I appreciated the commentary about how medical professionals and even those close to us can gaslight women, especially when they're pregnant. So often we're told our experiences are normal and our pain is overlooked.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

I am utterly blown away by the intense feelings I experienced from reading this book! It was frighteningly compelling yet raw and visceral. It gave me the creeps but was so beautifully written. I was completely transfixed! All of Anna's grief and paranoia I felt like it was my own. I felt like I was going insane. It angers me how the physical and mental health of a woman was always downplayed and still is at times. We were just considered "hysterical". The author's note at the end was an added explanation and personal confession detailing this more. It broke my heart. Don't skip it!

I really enjoyed how the author gave no real explanation until the end. There were a few different female POVs intermingled with Anna's throughout the story that touched lightly on the plot, but nothing substantial. It only led me to wonder more and try to piece everything together. Not going to lie! I was going to pass on this until I read somewhere that it was the basis of AHS season 12. So glad that I saw that and gave this book a shot! I highly recommend! You will not be able to put this one down!

Thank you to the author, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and NetGalley for allowing me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Honestly, I loved it! It’s probably my favorite book of the year so far. Now, I know this book won’t be for everyone. It is horror, it’s gross, it gets a bit wacky and there are a lot of trigger warnings. Miscarriage, infertility, IVF, pregnancy body horror etc. But, the writing just spoke to me in a big way! I was bawling my eyes out at parts and nodding my head in agreement throughout. The bigger commentary going on about women’s pain being minimized, especially during pregnancy, women not being taken seriously or listened too and instead being called hysterical or maybe even a witch back in the day. There is a big Rosemary’s Baby feel throughout the book and so much suspense. A bit of an unreliable narrator too. The authors note at the end is worth getting the book just for that. It was brilliant! As someone who had unexplained infertility and now perimenopause, I have had my fair share of doctors not taking me seriously and minimizing my symptoms and I got so much out of this book and felt seen! If you’re able to read this please do! It will be out August and I’m giving it 5 stars.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

As a mother this was hard to read. Valentine does a great job illustrating what it can be like to be pregnant and questioning everything happening to your body, while the people around you don't quite get it - all in a truly bananas horror setting. I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed, but overall I couldn't turn the pages fast enough.

This book was truly exceptional! The author perfectly captures the intense fear and discomfort that women often experience within their own bodies. Even when everyone tells you that everything is fine, you know deep down that something is not right. Valentine's writing is a powerful portrayal of feminist horror. She creates relatable characters and highlights the true horror of pregnancy. I highly recommend this book to my friends and anyone seeking a gripping read.

When I first read the synopsis, I wanted to read this, but I also wondered if it was going to be cheesy. Saying a book is like “The Push” and “The Silent Patient” is a very bold statement to make. In this case, it’s also a very true statement! Add a little bit of “Nightbitch” and “Motherthing”, and we get this crazy, yet somehow beautiful, story…

Anna and her husband, Dex, have been trying to have a baby, but so far, it hasn’t happened for them. Anna is an actress best known for a role from a couple decades ago, but her most recent film appearance has her looking at being an Oscar nominee. With her recently-regained fame, she wants to remain private about her struggles with conceiving.

We start the book with Anna undergoing IVF treatment, in the hopes of having a baby - and keeping her husband. His first marriage was ended because his wife didn’t want children, but Anna really does want this child and is worried that, coming up on 40, she’s quickly running out of time.

Finally, an implantation catches. Anna is pregnant, and ecstatic. Unfortunately, she has a miscarriage and loses the baby in the first trimester. It’s a few weeks later, in a bourbon-fueled state, that she feels something. This is her first pregnancy to make it far enough to feel movement, but she’s pretty sure that she’s feeling kicking.

After it happens again, and again, she KNOWS she is still pregnant - but nobody believes her. Her doctors say it’s impossible; they’ve done ultrasounds to confirm the loss. Even Anna knows that she FELT her body release the child, but it’s still inside of her. Well, at least *something* is…

Whatever is growing inside of her doesn’t feel…right. Anna has a lot of pain, but also weird cravings (and I’m not talking pickles and peanut butter). She’s feeling things she’s never read about in any pregnancy book (is it supposed to feel like something wants to claw their way out of you?) but time after time, her doctors and husband dismiss her. If she’s not feeling and seeing what she thinks she is, then she must be losing her mind.

I don’t want to say what aspect of horror this is for spoiler purposes, but it’s not a horror sub-genre that I usually go for. With this book, I absolutely loved it. This book starts as a thriller, then crescendos into horror as the book goes on. It has really cool little stories from centuries ago interspersed, of women who have also been affected by Anna’s maladies, and that just added to the suspense.

This was a four star book all the way, then the beginning of the ending made that a 4.5. Then the actual ending has me rounding up to five. This is page-turningly suspenseful, thrilling, horrifying and at times, darkly comedic. This book also has very thoughtful dialogue about miscarriages, pregnancy, childbirth, and the way women have been, and still are, treated by the medical profession. The author expounds on this more in the epilogue, and it adds an extra touching note. I highly recommend this one to anyone who enjoys the genres…especially mothers who might be a little feral.

(Thank you to SOURCEBOOK Landmark, Danielle Valentine, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on August 1, 2023.)

*spoilers imminent*

likes
-pregnancy body horror is insane. definitely had me clutching my stomach at certain points.
-the raccoon dead body bit was so gross, it had me physically gagging. written well.
-very satisfying ending. i really liked how everything came together.


mixed/neutral
-very visceral depictions of miscarriage. a big trigger warning.


dislikes
-felt a bit of a lull in the beginning/middle of the book. then the end happened so quickly. i felt like a lot of explaining was just crammed into the last part of the book.

Disclaimer: I was provided an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Delicate Condition was one of those stories, that just seemed to flip the pages with no help from me.
Anna is finally getting the recognition as an actor that she has always dreamed of attaining. But life is not fair, and while her career is skyrocketing, her personal life is a mess. She and her husband Dex are struggling to conceive. Well, actually, Anna is suffering and Dex, well, he seems to feel like he is too. But he doesn’t have to go through all the painful changes Anna goes through trying to conceive. When things go right, he is thrilled, and when they go wrong, well now, you will just have to read Delicate Condition to know whether he is actually a supportive partner.
Did I know what the heck was going on for most of this book? Nope and that just kept me reading one more chapter. I made a decision at a young age to never try and have children and after reading this book, I realize once again that I made the right choice(though my reasons were very different).
Even though there was something about Anna that didn’t make her one of my favorite characters, I was still all in trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Did I get close? In one respect, but definitely not in the other. The ending was cray cray!

I’m not even sure how to write a review on this book. It was definitely different. There were parts that were super creepy. I couldn’t stop reading it though. I had to know what was going on. At times I thought I was losing my mind along with the character. I was wondering what was true and what wasn’t. This book might be triggering to some so check the trigger warnings if you need to. It was definitely a crazy read. There were parts I didn’t see coming. I do recommend if you like thrillers.

DELICATE CONDITION was literally a one-session read as I stayed up late absolutely determined to reach the end, because I knew I could not sleep without knowing!
What a compelling and engrossing story; it practically read itself. If I had read a print copy, I surely would have paper burns from the speed of turning Pages!

In addition to being a chronicle of a woman's progress through infertility, IVF, pregnancy, marital stress, cyberstalking [as victim, not perpetrator], labor, incredible events, tremendous suffering, and character evolution, it also riffs on the historical background of establishment medicine's approach to (and disregard) of female patients [some of the historical background will turn your stomach and infuriate].

Early on I suddenly flashbacked to my various reads of ROSEMARY'S BABY and to the prevalent 80's Paperback Horror trend of stories of pregnancy, childbirth, birth trauma. Yet this story is very modern and very Feminist while remaining rooted in the failures of earlier times.

Delicate Condition | Danielle Valentine
🍼🍼🍼🍼 / 5

Anna Victoria Alcott is not alright.

An indie actress, skyrocketing to success, is trying to conceive a baby with her husband via IVF. As if that weren’t enough, she soon finds herself questioning everyone around her. In a story that I’d consider an updated take on Rosemary’s Baby with a snappy YA-ish voice, Anna struggles against a medical system that gaslights pregnant patients, as well as a malevolent force, or was it forceS?, following her around. Nothing and no one is as they seem.

I enjoyed this book, though the first 50 or so pages were not the smoothest start. I also didn’t super love the YA-esque voice the author uses throughout, especially since our protagonist is supposed to be nearing 40, but some readers may enjoy reading this book as a way to “graduate” from YA horror to more ~mature~ writing.

This book is for anyone who enjoys potentially unreliable narrators, descents into frenzied action, and creepy baseball caps.

Be sure to read the content warnings up front before diving in.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Publiahing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!