*** Four and a half shiny stars

Shockingly-twisty, tense and engrossing, this character-driven thriller veers between two equally-fascinating and fractured worlds.

Marisa Grover, twenty-eight-years old, caramel-blonde and an illustrator of children’s fairy tales, is a damaged woman. Abandoned at a young age by her mother, Marissa ‘s short life thus far has her feeling left-behind, profoundly insecure and deeply alone - transitioning from a childhood in which she was “too quiet to be noticed” to adulthood and a permanently unsafe footing, in which she is keenly aware of “the fragility of everything, and the ease with which it could all be taken away from her.”

Kate Samuel, thirty-six years old, is a PR rep for a film company. Petite, bony and stylish, Kate is sharp, intelligent, in love, and desperately ready to take the next step in her life. A step which is not only unexpectedly and frustratingly out-of-reach, but just may be the only thing in Kate’s world that truly matters.

The lives of the two women, each of whom tells her story as a third-person narrative voice in this gripping and unusual psychological thriller, are about to intersect dramatically - a union that will coalesce around the life of our third main protagonist - Jake Sturridge, the thirty-nine-year-old progeny of a wealthy and doting upper-crust couple (and whose solidity and under-stated charm is clearly appreciated by both of our female leads).

Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here), this is a book in which nothing, absolutely nothing, is quite as it seems. Wanting, needing, hurting, fearing - it will come as no surprise that over-burdened minds, struggling with traumas impossible to see past or through, will find themselves playing tricks. Tricks that twist-and-turn and take this plot in directions this reader, for one, did not (at all) see coming.

Skillfully-told and cleverly-plotted, with characters exhibiting the full gamut of morally-questionable and/or outrageous behavior (with motivations the reader may or may not find justifiable), this is a complex and immersive story - interesting and compelling and hard to step away from - all the way up to its neat and unexpectedly-tidy ending.

A great big thank you to @Simon&SchusterCA, @Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

This book was not what I was expecting. I went into this book expecting a hardcore domestic thriller and that is not what I received. While there definitely were “thrillerish” things to this book, I don’t think that I would ever classify it within that specific genre. But, that’s just my thoughts!

The way that we read part one makes for all of the impact that we get when we jump into part two! I have to say that I didn’t quite expect the plot twist that came alongside the part switch and was pleasantly surprised that not all was as it seemed!

Overall, if you need a quick read that flows well and leads to a good story, this could be the book for you!

Thank you @netgalley // @simonschusterca for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review! All of the thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

[TW: mental health, physical violence, conception struggles]

The Magpie is about couple Marissa and Jake. They take on a border, Kate, to help lesson the financial load when they are trying for a baby. When Kate becomes seemingly obsessed, Marissa stands to lose everything.

Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. Even after the twist, it just fell flat for me. I never felt like there was any suspense, and I wasn’t a fan of how the plot relied so heavily on someone’s mental illness. I didn’t sympathize with any of the characters and it felt like I was holding out to the end to see if something was even going to happen. It just felt like no new exploration of this type of thriller.

I did think the writing flowed and was easy to read, so I would pick up something else by this author to see if it was just this specific book that wasn’t for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I read a chapter and a half and then lost interest. It's way too much of a slow burn. I also didn't care for any of the characters. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an e-ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. I will admit that there was a theme that I dislike, and seems to be quite prevalent in books lately, that seemed to be emerging at the beginning of the novel. It was slightly off putting just for my own tastes and mood and almost made me want to stop reading. But I'm glad I didn't! I was quite intrigued by the story and kept reading, and I was pleasantly surprised by the way the story kept going and ultimately concluded.

This is a spoiler free zone and I think it's best to go into this one not quite knowing what to expect. It had an unreliable narrator, sinister characters and a pretty juicy little plot twist that really kept my interest. This is definitely one to pick up!

Content warnings: mental health, infidelity, trouble conceiving a child, surrogacy.

What. A. Ride.
Magpie is a psychological thriller following a couple that has been trying for a baby for years and finally have an opportunity to get what they've wished for so badly. But, it seems to come with some complications. With some very sensitive subject matter, some of which is also quite descriptive, the story is given depth and as the reader, you can't help but feel all the emotions.

Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, a twist would be thrown in and I would need to gather my thoughts for a few minutes. I would never see it coming.

It was just what I needed to get out of a bit of a reading rut. Elizabeth has a way of writing so that there isn't much, if anything, given away before she's ready to introduce it. I look forward to reading more from Elizabteth in the future.

Thank you, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster CA for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Magpie was published May 3 2022 in Canada and the US, I recommend you grab a copy!

Marisa and Jake have the perfect relationship and are soon expecting a baby. In order to make ends meet they take in a lodger, Kate. At first Kate seems like the ideal roommate but soon it is clear she has ulterior motives. This was a fun one with a killer twist. The ending sagged a bit. Thx to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Shuster for egalley to review. This is a psychological thriller with some interesting twists. Without revealing too much, a young couple face some challenges in their lives and meet someone who they believe can help them through. They think things are on the right track when they suddenly realize it’s not what they thought! With the help of their parents, they come up with a solution that they feel comfortable with but that too takes a bad turn. This was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️, the beginning really grabs you, however, the ending isn’t quite as thrilling.

Magpie is from a genre that I don't always go for. A psychological thriller, it is delivers on its promise and provides the reader with at least one, but more likely several, gasp-worthy twists. Adding to its allure is the very real and very relatable toiling in topics of mental health, fertility and familial relations. I gave it four stars because it's a very well done execution on a creative storyline. I look forward to reading more from Elizabeth Day.

This is how I like my thrillers: domestic, mostly realistic, and ultimately twisty. I liked the confusion between the two parts of the book with who was telling the truth and what the full story was. I thought the story got a little muddled around 80%, but I can see now after finishing just what and who it was all about. This is a quiet sort of thriller about a very real sort of narcissism. So well executed and written. I’ll definitely pick up more by Elizabeth Day.

3.75 stars. More domestic suspense than thriller, this novel looks at motherhood, infertility, and mental illness. It is well-written and generally well-paced but the ending was just okay for me. More of a whisper than a bang. I enjoyed reading it overall.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and Netgalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed parts of this book however there were some parts in the beginning that left me wanting more. I'm not sure if it was the main character that I had a hard time connecting to or the fact that I found the story to drag a bit in the beginning but whatever the case was this book had a hard time keeping me interested. I do think that it was just the time jumps however because other parts of the story I couldn't get enough of. This was a very weird
book that I did find all over the place at times. It is all about our main couple Marisa and Jake. Mariasa had a really rough childhood and her husband Jake is the polar opposite to her, however when things get rough the couple decide to take in a border, Kate. After that I found the story to fall short. This is one of those books where I just suddenly lost interest and found it hard to connect to the story or the characters. Not my favourite read but I'm still glad that I got the chance to check it out because the parts that I did like were fantastic.

Well Squeeze Me & Call Me A Rubber Ducky! 😳😯😳🤯

Holy Mother Of Pearl! WHAT THE FLUFF?! Exxxxcuuusseee me!?! What twisted mind of cluster fluff did I just read?! And that ending! Holy geez almighty! People, people what the honky chonk! 😳 I mean.. not even half way through the crazy is all amped up and took me by surprise!
Marisa & Jake move into a new home that Marisa feels is perfect for them. They welcome in a new lodger & roommate, Kate, after experiencing some financial troubles, which seems to be working out perfectly so far. Marisa & Jake want to start trying for a baby. But as time goes on, Marisa notices boundaries and friendliness are not part of Kate's repertoire once she befalls pregnancy and as the months go on, the stress, hormones mixed with Kate's now turned obsession on Jake is getting to her. As Marisa becomes more suspicious she wonders just how does Kate know so much about them. And is she a real threat to Marisa and all she's done to get to where she is with her life, having a baby & getting Jake?
Woooow! May sure turned out a fine psychological thriller right here. I'm absolutely gobsmacked. I mean I had an inkling but boy does she throw unrelenting twists into the mix! Fast paced, quick for thrills & endless craziness! I devoured this like a last brownie & savoured it!

Thank you to NetGalley & Simon & Schuster for this DARC.
Release Date: September 2, 2022

I give this 4.5 / 5 Bouquets! 💐

I had really high hopes for Magpie and they were all met - a rarity for me when it comes to thrillers!

With enough twists and turns to keep me guessing and multiple unreliable narrators, Elizabeth day really nailed it with this one.

It's hard to go into depth without spoiling so I'll keep it short here with a definite recommendation :)