“𝘐𝘵’𝘴 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.”
“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯?”

Thank you Park Row Books, HTP Hive, HTP Books and Audio for the advanced readers copies via Netgalley. While I have Dave’s backlist on my shelves this is the first I have read by her and it won’t be my last.

We follow Maya in the past after she’s been placed on maternity leave with her firstborn and then begins to spiral, causing fallouts and everything starts to unravel. Each chapter briefly ends with a series of interviews/convos/media coverage regarding her present disappearance.

While I am not a mother I felt this one was a bit more easily identifiable as a woman overall and the guilt that we often carry due to societal and cultural pressures and expectations regarding work/career, relationships, marriage, motherhood, and the up keep of home; to have everything under control and be successful in all areas of our lives all the time. It’s not even always the guilt but also the resounding negative inner voice that constantly critiques every single aspect of who we are and our decisions.

It’s part contemporary women’s fiction, part mystery/thriller (this is more low key), and it took a little bit for it to gain some steam. However, I enjoyed it more as it went on and appreciated the honesty and growth that occurs in this story. Like I said, it’s very relatable and it would be nice to see it gain more exposure here on booksta!

Content includes profanity, mental health, drug use and addiction. I give it 3.75 out of 5 (rounded up to 4)

Thank you so much for this arc!!!

Wow I could not put this book down. Maya was such a relatable MC and her relationships with her husband, son, family, and friends were written so well.

I’m not a parent but my partner and I discuss “mental load” frequently and how it impacts our relationship. Every feeling and action Maya went through was just so real and palpable.

My only wish is that the parts when we find out about Maya’s location and then later when see her resolving things with Dev were more fleshed out. Maybe it’s the “romantic” in me but I wanted to witness more of Dev’s fear for Maya’s safety. I also wanted him to more clearly acknowledge how society treats him differently compared to Maya (ex. Her mother praising him for basic things like changing diapers, his mom blaming everything on Maya).

Also the ending???? Omg.

3.5 🌟 rounded up

Maya seemingly has it all - a loving husband, adorable baby, a fast-growing start-up company, and a loving family. But she can't handle it all alone. Behind the scenes though, she's struggling with her identity as a mother, her role as a wife, the delicate balance of being a CEO and a mom. After a chance encounter leads her closer to fellow #girlboss (god I hate that term) Liz, Maya is introduced to the little pink "guilt pill". It's meant to erase female guilt. At first the pill works wonderfully, but then things quickly spiral out of control.

Odd that this is categorized as sci-fi & thriller, it feels more like contemporary women's fiction with a little bit of speculative fiction? Either way, I thought it was pretty good. It highlighted two things I already know about myself - that I'm not cut out for motherhood or being a CEO. That shit sounds exhausting, which Saumya Dave did a great job detailing. Also, the frustration of being a woman in an industry where you're not heard felt all too relatable. I also liked the interspersed news articles, forum comments, interview transcripts, etc. It really fleshed out the plot. It did drag a little for me at spots, and things got repetitive.

Recommended for fans of women's speculative fiction and any woman who is also tired of the BS that's expected of them compared to men.

Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐️Loved this book! If there was ever a pill created that could take away the guilt and noise that always going on in your head as a mom I would definitely take it. Maya is a new mom, who hasn’t gone on maternity leave yet from her company she created. She’s stressed to the max, resentful of her husband’s lack of empathy and skill to anticipate all the babies needs on his own. When she meets another successful Boss girl, who introduces her to this magic pill, she embraces her as a friend and ally in motherhood. The book covers so many good topics, like the mental load of motherhood, how women in business are perceived once they have kids, how our attitudes on parenting are very highly affected by our parents. I really enjoyed Dave’s previous book, What a happy family, so happy this was also an enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

If you could take a pill that allowed you to do it all and no longer feel any sort of guilt, would you? This story is told in flashbacks leading up to the “event” with present timeline news articles and interviews interwoven between. We find out about Maya’s struggles with becoming a new mom and her feeling inadequate because she is unable to bond with her baby. In addition to all the postpartum stress, she feels pressure to stay involved with her company as they are moving ahead to bigger things but she needs to remain as the face to stay relevant. Throw in cultural expectations and marital strife and it’s a lot for one person to handle. The concept of this book is fascinating because what Maya is struggling with is an issue that many women have to face on a daily basis. Can women truly have it all and still feel like they are good enough?

This book is a page turner. I needed to know what happened, how it happened, and what was the end result. I have loved Saumya Dave’s previous books so I knew how good of a storyteller she is and this book is no different. I felt connected to the characters and the plot to be thoroughly engaging.

For me, the biggest pushback she kept facing were the shareholders at her company. I feel like everything else was Maya needing to come to terms with herself and figure out what she could handle and what she could let go. However, the men on the board were extremely dismissive, unsupportive, and misogynists who refused to believe that she could run her own company. I think had it not been for them, Maya would not have felt so much pressure to start taking more pills in order to feel like she needed them to survive.

I am not in the same situation that Maya was in so if I were given the opportunity to take that pill, I could not say if I would or not. I’d probably put it away for safekeeping if the need arose but I honestly cannot say if I would go down the same path as her. However, what the book does do is give good discussion about the pressures that women, especially women of color, feel and have to go through on a regular basis and how society does not do that to men. This is one of those books that you’ll be thinking about long after you finish it.

This was a good one! More action/mystery than speculative (not a complaint, just an observation!), it follows Maya, a new mom and CEO of a rising sustainable company. She's feeling overwhelmed, as you can imagine, by the pressure to "do it all". There is a lot of commentary in here about the pressures of being a woman in business, or a working mom in general. How Maya is taken less seriously than her male counterparts, how she is expected to be the "face" of the company on social media as well as the brains of the operation, how her male colleagues are eager to jump in her stead anytime she needs to miss a meeting, etc. Even Liz, her new "bestie" is a performative white woman who definitely doesn't understand the cultural, racial, or socioeconomic issues that Maya is dealing with, both from the outside world and within her own family.

Enter the "guilt pill", which Liz describes as a supplement with no side effects (sure, Jan 🙄) that will just free Maya of all those pesky societal and familial pressures. We know from the start of the book that Maya goes missing. What has happened? Has the guilt pill made her really not care about her husband and baby, and she's just taken off? Is something else at play? It certainly makes you want to keep reading to find out!

I think at some points, I had hoped for a little more sci-fi or speculative, but that is just a personal preference (and a character flaw where I need to know all the things), but it was still a very engaging story. Definitely thought provoking and reflective, and certainly relatable if you are or were ever a woman or mother in this patriarchal capitalist dystopia. And an excellent reminder of how much extra crap WOC have to deal with.

Bottom Line: An exciting and extremely relevant thriller about the guilt society foists upon mothers.

I devoured this book. Seriously, ate and left no crumbs! The emotions that it provoked and the validation it gave to sooo many aspects of motherhood was the most real and relatable representation I have seen.

This is a contemporary fiction (with a sprinkle of sci-fi) following the story of a new mother, who is also the founder/CEO of an up and coming company. The story follows her through the trials of new motherhood and the challenges MANY woman face with balancing work/family/friends/health/socials etc. It was so raw and beautifully done to capture the pure hell we all go through in some way or another.

To be totally honest, it was rather hard to read at some points because I almost had a PTSD response! As a working mother of three littles, I LOVE my kids and my husband more than life itself, but there is so much truth in this book. Those first few months/years are incredibly hard and unfortunately, most people just do not get it. The premise for this book is a reality for far too many woman. The idea of being able to take a pill to take away all your guilt and allow you to focus....very tempting (and perhaps a little closer to the truth than many would like to admit with various things on the market today!).

Overall, I was totally captivated and would not have changed a thing! Even the climax was perfect, it that it isn't all tidied up in a pretty bow- life rarely is...

May I suggest a few taglines for this book?
1. AMERICA RUNS ON DUNKIN'!!!!!
2. Boss Baby Business Bitch

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Several times throughout the book, I found myself thinking about the Netflix limited series "Apple Cider Vinegar," because just throwing around "magical cures" willy-nilly is really something that a white woman (and only a white woman) would do.

Anyways, in this story, we meet up with Maya (four weeks post-partum), who is on The Today Show talking about her company. We soon find out that she feels incredibly guilty about nearly everything. She cannot get her son to latch when feeding, she is out of the office and her fellow board members (and staffers) aren't communicating things with her, she wishes her husband would help out more but his job won't give him the parental leave that was promised, she feels bad that she feels resentful, the list just goes on and on. After her spot on The Today Show, another female CEO, Liz, reaches out to her and asks her out to coffee. Maya and Liz create a fast friendship, and Liz gives Maya some pills that she's working on that suppress guilt (especially in women). However, it's critical to note that Liz provides NO research to Maya, and there's no proof that this pill is in the process of attaining FDA approval.

From there, Maya starts taking the pill (a lot) and everything starts to change. Big things are happening within her business, her marriage, her friendships, her familial relationships- oh, and her son still won't latch and is now losing weight.

This book is so readable. I read it on the plane to Tucson, AZ, and it made time fly by, pun not intended. While the idea of the "pills" may seem fantastical, none of the stuff Maya is going through feels that way. It's all grounded in reality, which makes it so much more impactful. I felt anger at Maya for keeping secrets, I felt anger FOR her when she was getting sexist and racist microaggressions time and time again, and I felt triumph (to a degree) at the end when Dunkin' saves the day. :)

This book came out at the perfect time as it's a great travel read or beach read.

What working mom among us has not dealt with the guilt and impostor syndrome seemingly inherent in juggling career ambitions and family? Saumya Dave imagines a world where there’s a convenient little pill to take care of that problem… maybe too convenient.

I listened to 35% and it felt super repetitive - like, we get it... it's hard balancing motherhood and a career. Nothing was happening IMO.

Maya seems to have it all, but behind the scenes, she’s drowning in guilt.
What if you could just stop feeling guilty? I can relate to the feeling.

The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave is the feminist psychological drama I didn’t know I needed. It’s messy, sharp, and brutally honest about the pressures women face to be everything—the perfect mom, boss, friend, wife. When Maya takes a pill that erases guilt, things finally start to click... until they spiral again.

Highly recommend if you’ve ever whispered “I’m fine” while low-key unraveling.

Happy Publication Day!(4.15.25) Be sure to check out The Guilt Pill at your local book store

Thank you, @netgalley @saumyajdave , for the Advance Reader Copy

In some ways, this made me seen. We know all the usual discourse about women who have trouble with life because they want it all, and the main characters struggles portray it well.
And if there were a way out? Many would probably take it too. But, it felt a bit too on the nose and the side characters just existed to move the story along for the MC like the author intended. A good attempt at telling such a thematic book, but maybe not the best.

The Guilt Pill is a bold and biting look at modern motherhood, ambition, and the pressure to be everything to everyone.

Maya Patel seems to have it all—a thriving start-up, a devoted husband, a new baby, but she’s barely hanging on. When she’s introduced to an experimental pill that erases guilt, the relief is immediate, but freedom comes at a cost.

The writing is sharp, fast-paced, and deeply in tune with the emotional weight women carry. Dave captures the impossible standards placed on women and the burnout that comes from trying to meet them all. This one had me thinking about how much we internalize and how easily it can unravel. I saw pieces of myself in Maya’s constant need to be “better,” and that made the story hit even harder.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row, and NetGalley for the ARC.

I don’t usually reach for books about motherhood, but The Guilt Pill really caught my attention, and I’m so happy I gave it a go! The idea of a pill to take away guilt — especially the kind so many women carry — was such an interesting concept, and the story hit hard.

Maya’s trying to balance everything — motherhood, work, keeping up appearances — but underneath, she’s drowning. It felt incredibly real and made me think about how often women are expected to do it all without breaking.

As a dad, this book gave me a deeper understanding of the ‘Mom’ guilt, pressure, and burnout mom’s face. It’s honest, important, and something I think a lot of men would benefit from reading.

Thank you to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing

Wow. I felt seen in this book. While not a CEO, I think so many working moms can relate to the pressure that the main character feels. Dave has done a beautiful job in articulating so many of the things I felt as a new mom that had to work. I highly recommend it. I couldn’t put it down in the end. end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Saumya Dave’s The Guilt Pill is a bold and timely novel that dives deep into the emotional and psychological toll of modern womanhood. Centered on Maya Patel, a driven CEO and new mother, the story explores the impossible standards women are held to—and the desperate measures they might take to cope. When Maya is introduced to a pill that claims to erase guilt, her already fragile world begins to spiral in unexpected ways.

Dave’s writing is sharp, empathetic, and insightful, capturing the nuances of ambition, motherhood, and identity. The speculative twist adds an intriguing layer, though some plot elements wrap up a bit too neatly. Still, The Guilt Pill is a powerful, thought-provoking read that lingers after the final page.

Perfect for fans of contemporary fiction with a psychological edge.

Ever since having my first child last year, I’ve been more interested in books about motherhood and young children. This made The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave one of my most anticipated books this spring. When Maya Patel has her son, she finds herself struggling to balance parenting with her job as the founder and CEO of a successful startup, Medini. For her, the guilt is crippling. So when her new friend offers her a supplement to suppress the guilt, Maya finally gets the relief she’s been craving. She starts to feel better… but at what cost?

Why I Chose This Book:
I’m a mom now to a ten-month-old, and I’ve certainly felt a lot of the anxieties, overwhelm, and guilt that comes with being a parent. This made The Guilt Pill feel especially relevant to where I’m at now. Its comparisons to other books on my TBR (like The Push) also made me confident it was a book I would enjoy.

What I Liked:
- Examination of motherhood, myriad postpartum difficulties, and striving to effortlessly “do it all.” I just had a baby last year, so I’ve become very familiar with the spectrum of emotions and worries that go into raising a newborn. Like Maya, I developed anxieties and was hyper-fixated on certain fears, and only six weeks after my son was born, I was back at work. My experience has been very different so far, but even so, much of what Maya goes through here rang true for me. It’s hard to be your own person while devoting so much time to a baby; it’s hard to keep up with everything else (work, chores, relationships) when the baby needs so much time. The guilt is real, and I appreciated seeing this topic explored with such nuance and care here.
- Maya’s experiences as an Indian American woman from a poor background. Maya isn’t just a woman or mom; she’s also the daughter of immigrants from India who had to work constantly to provide for their family. Maya has a tougher time, especially as the founder of a company, than most people. And her working class background adds to her feelings of imposter syndrome.
- Mixed media, including police interviews, article excerpts, and social media discussions. Nearly every chapter ends with an extra tidbit, usually foreshadowing Maya’s ultimate disappearance and giving hints (or red herrings!) about the root cause. These were fun to read and just show how off the mark people can be, especially those who don’t actually know the person in question.
- Hint of mystery and thriller vibes. This isn’t really a thriller, but it’s set up around the disappearance of Maya, and most of the book leads up to that event. As the novel progresses, readers wonder what goes wrong… or rather, how it goes wrong. And there are so many rumors that come up about her disappearance: Was it her husband? Is it drugs? Was she cheating on her husband? When the event does finally happen, the thriller vibe amps up even more.
- Relationships with spouse, parents, and friends. Maya’s problems didn’t come from nothing, and her problems don’t only affect her. I liked seeing how her relationships with others weave into the narrative, showing how motherhood really isn’t (or shouldn’t be!) a solo endeavor.

What Didn’t Work for Me:
- Not enough karma for a certain someone… but the epilogue is intriguing!

Final Thoughts
The Guilt Pill is a book I would encourage all new mothers to read. Maya’s experiences won’t mirror everyone’s; my own foray into motherhood so far hasn’t been nearly as difficult. But I think we all go through similar feelings to some degree, and it helps to understand other mothers and what they’re feeling in that first year postpartum. This is novel is emotional and powerful, and I am excited to read more from Saumya Dave.

This book had an interesting concept, especially with the idea of taking a "guilt pill" to remove female guilt. As a contemporary read, it did a great job showing the pressure that women deal with balancing motherhood, career, and cultural expectations.

That said, I wanted more. I was hoping for more sci-fi elements. I was hoping for more UMPH to the story of new moms balancing societal pressures. At the halfway part, the story got kind of repetitive, and I lost my connection with the characters. The Guilt Pill might land better for readers who are new moms, or people in a similar phase of life, but it just wasn’t quite my thing.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin trade publishing for letting me read this book.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly! It opens with Maya Patel, female founder of an eco-line of toiletries she created based on desire for the products she wished her family motel business had had when she was growing up. She saw witness to lots of waste and wanted to make a mark on the world. Maya is also married, a very recent mother, a friend, and very involved with her family.

After Maya has her son, she slowly falls into this post-partum no man's land of guilt and stress for all the things she is expected to handle and finds challenging. As CEO, her company needs her, and the financials aren’t boding well. She wants to be in the office but her son is a full-time job and employees continue on making choices without her. Her husband has asked for pat leave but it doesn’t come through. Her MIL and family insert opinions about her behaviour, about how it should be easy, and she continues to feel like she’s falling short. Enter Liz, a woman promising her a medication that can remove guilt from her life. What if you could take a pill and remove all those feelings telling you you’re not being and doing enough?

Though I don’t have children, I feel any woman would find elements to relate to in this book. In Canada we have access (not always well paid, but still) to a decent amount of mat leave, but in other countries this isn’t the case. The novel sheds light on the way I’ve heard many friends feel - filling like their cup is empty at the end of the day, being pulled in all directions, having to give everything to everyone else first, etc. This book advocates for parental support in business, reframing business frameworks to support all employees but parents too, advocating for mental health, learning to remove judgment from others and oneself. An entertaining, honest, page-turning read that I highly recommend.

Massive thanks to #partner @saumyajdave @parkrowbooks @htpbooks @htp_hive for the gifted copy!!! This book is so beautiful and carries an important message!

Imagine you are the CEO of a successful start up company. You worked your tail off to there too. Your company is flourishing and you’re all over social media.

Maya Patel is the CEO of Medini, a company with beauty products that are safe for the environment. She lives with her husband, Dev and also has a new baby. Her baby boy is colic and has been causing her so much stress that she feels guilty just for going into the office.

One day, her friend Liz hands her a pill that she is working on that will remove ALL GUILT. Allowing her to be successful, a good mother and empower her without all the guilt attached. Unfortunately, there are some ugly consequences that follow.

What I loved about this story was how close to home it is for mothers. Mothers who are trying to make it in their professional lives and personal lives. She hit the nail on the head and I absolutely loved it!!!

I preferred the physical copy over the audiobook.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️