Ok- so hard to review without spoilers! Marisa is finally happy. She's been through multiple relationships with men that didn't last and now, at long last, she's moved in with Jake. When her business slows, finances dictate that they take in a lodger- Kate- who becomes a source of friction between them. And then, after infertility problems, Marisa is pregnant and even happier. Until Jake's mother Annabelle shows up. And even worse, when she spies Kate and Jake in an embrace. What happens next surprised me (although the title of the book should have been a clue). Not everything is what it seems and there's a big twist (and there are clues along the way that I for one missed). It's an interesting and intriguing portrait of two women and one hapless man (seriously Jake), obsession, meddling parents, and mental health. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A page turner!

Marisa has it all; the perfect partner, the perfect house, and now she is pregnant. At least she seems to have it all until Kate enters the picture and slowly ruins everything.

This fast-paced thriller had me gripped from the beginning. I was disappointed when I had to put it down. Taking readers on a roller coaster of a read, Elizabeth Day does not disappoint. Telling the story from both Kate and Marisa’s perspectives, the reader understands the motives of each woman. My only qualm with this book is that the ending seemed a little too neat and tidy, almost more unbelievable than the events leading up to in.

How do we know what is real and what is imagined?

I want to thank Netgalley, and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Elizabeth Day for an ARC of this book!**

You and me and baby makes three...

...but what happens when a fourth player just won't let go?

Marisa and Jake are the picture of bliss. They have a place of their own and now are looking to fill that last empty place in their hearts...with none other than a beautiful baby, of course. Infertility troubles strike, however, and the path is laden with landmines. As the struggles continue, Jake and Marisa decide to allow a roommate, Kate, to move in to help them financially. At first, there's nothing but harmony, but the situation shifts quickly and Marisa realizes that Kate knows a bit more than she should...about EVERYTHING....and a little too invested in the baby-to-be. Is there cause for alarm here, and is one member of this trio much more dangerous than they appear to be? Certainly, three's a crowd. But will a mother's unconditional love and sense of possessiveness be TOO powerful, TOO far-reaching...or even deadly?

Magpie is an interesting bird. (No pun intended...mostly.) First off, the blurb I read from the publisher in the printed copy of the ARC gives A LOT away about the plot, to the extent that I pretty much knew what was going on from about 20% on once I dove in and started reading. Even without this forecasting, any seasoned thriller lover will pick up on the twist almost immediately. So then the question becomes...is the book still enjoyable if you know what's going on and are waiting for the big reveal?

In the case of this book...ALMOST. It nearly was.

Day's writing is solid and enjoyable for the first 50-60% (until the big reveal), although reading so much about IVF and fertility struggles was a bit hard to get through, even without personal experience in that department. I can only imagine how hard that would be if I DID have those experiences, so trigger warning alert to those who don't want to hear about it, because the author does not hold back. By the end, I honestly don't think I could have handled hearing any more about the subject matter...things got fairly intense.

What took this from an enjoyable read and turned it into something head-scratching was this book's "second act," as it were. The book veered from thriller territory into something else entirely...and I'm not sure I understand why. One of my pet peeves when reading a thriller is a too-happy-and-clean cut ending....and after a brief sojourn with the TRUE villain (again, nothing original here, in terms of this reveal...another easily predictable plot point)...we ended up there. Not only was the ending sappy, I just found it wholly unrealistic and almost off-putting in terms of how it handled the subject matter, and at the very least, the author missed an opportunity to handle some of the serious subjects broached here with a bit more grace.

The first half of this book I would solidly give 4 stars, and the second a definite 3, so I'd give this book a 3.5, but I'm rounding down here for the reasons above...and also perhaps because the only kind of pie I think I'm going to stick to in the near future is pumpkin.

3.5 stars

This is a thrilling novel with unexpected twists and a satisfying ending. The characters and their relationships seem a bit cartoonish at times and very clichéd but the seriousness of some of the topics and the authenticity with which the author portrays them balance out the stereotypes so prominently displayed.

Twisted and exciting. Do you truly know what is real and what is imagined? Plan on reading this in one sitting as it's difficult to stop.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day 🪶

First, thank you @netgalley & @simonandschuster for the eARC. Magpie releases May 3! ⭐️

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple who are planning for a baby on the way. For financial reasons, they decide to have a lodger rent their spare room to a woman named Kate. Kate is quickly overly comfortable in their home and has no personal boundaries, especially with Jake. But Marisa chooses to ignore it because she knows Kate will be out of the house shortly and they will be back to being a perfect family with their new baby. However, Kate’s behavior turns almost obsessive, and as Marisa decides to figure out who Kate really is, it might end up destroying everything, including her family.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ ; this psychological thriller was super fast paced in the beginning and immediately had me hooked. I just had to know what was happening! 4 ★s for me because the ending was a bit slower and anticlimactic.

I am realizing that my absolute favorite books are usually fast paced thrillers! Drop recommendations below 👀

Magpie is a twisted story following a couple as they try to have a baby. It is a crazy but interesting story. The reader has to suspend belief a bit to believe that people would make these decisions. It really puts a magnifying glass on the fertility industry and what people will do to have a baby.

I did not jive well with this book at all. The characters were not very likeable at all and the storyline seemed convoluted and forced in some parts. The beginning storyline of needing a boarder was a little weird and it was predictable that the mother in law was the issue-as MIL’s often are. It felt as though Jake’s actions were too wishy washy to care about him at all. Overall, this book was just meh.

A fast and thrilling read. I enjoyed the multiple point of views of the main characters. Magpie is a solid thriller that left me guessing on how everything would play out.. well written, interesting plot, some great characters even if not all of them are likable.. I'm looking at you mother-in- law.

Marissa and Jake are a couple with idyllic life. They seemingly have it all, but are in need of help with the rent of their new home. Jake finds them the perfect housemate to live in the attic rooms. Slowly, Kate begins to assert more control in the house, making herself a little too comfortable. She doesn’t respect personal boundaries, and is much too comfortable with Jake. Marissa tries not to let it consume her, knowing after so many months of in vitro treatments that she is expecting. Soon just she, Jake and the baby will be a little family. Meanwhile, Kate’s lack of boundaries turns into obsession with Marissa, Jake, and the baby. How does she know everything about them? In order to find out who Kate really is, will Marissa destroy her perfect life?

Wow. Just…wow. I finished the book a little while ago, and I must say I read it breathlessly. The brilliant prose made me devour it, riding and twisting with the storyline to the very satisfying ending. Elizabeth Day captures so much in this work, from motherhood to standing up for oneself, from what could be to what actually is, from deception to human bonding. ”Magpie” lives up to its description as a psychological thriller. It is a smartly-written, insightful, consuming read, and I couldn’t recommend it more.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Elizabeth Day for the ability to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. A wonderful blend of suspense and believable characters. And many people identify with what one will put up with to have a child. Timely and compelling.

I very much enjoyed the first maybe 85% of this book. It was suspenseful and always left me wondering what would happen next. It built to a beautiful climax, but the final 15% of the book kind of stretched too far for my liking. There is a bit in here where I was cheering, but also felt like the dialogue played out a bit strangely. Regardless, it didn’t lessen my feelings for this book. Well written and definitely overall a solid book.

Since others have outlined the plot, I will not do so.

For whatever reason, my last several books have been thrillers with a quasi menage a trois, or quatre with mother in law, between a couple an another female. While Magpie was a quick read and had some twists, it fell a little flat. Maybe editing would tighten up the storyline. I do have sympathy for someone going through infertility issues. This was the hook that kept me wanting to know more and see how the story played out. Unfortunately, the ending was not a surprise. The author had too many obvious redirects that made it distracting. What could have been a great plot needs work.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy.

According to the nursery rhyme sorrow is sure to follow the sighting of a single Magpie. And it does for Marisa as a lone Magpie flys through the "love nest" she is looking to buy for her, Jake, and the baby they plan on having. While they get the house, financial setbacks cause Jake & Marisa to take in a a border-Kate-who is short on respecting personal boundaries, and may have an eye for Jake. Magpie starts out as another straying spouse story (although Jake and Marisa are not legally wed), but morphs into a whopper of a thriller. Your head will spin at the sharp curve Magpie takes less than halfway through. What Magpie does best is highlight the trauma of infertility on couples willing to do anything to have a baby. It also deals with mental health issues in a realistic and sympathetic way. But Magpie struggles with credibility in other areas-Jake & Marisa have only known each other a few months when they decide to move in together and get pregnant, and their relationship feels "off" in other ways. Jake is often away for work and his mother makes Joan Crawford look like mom of the year. Turns out there's a reason why Marisa and Jake's coupling feels strange- and it does have everything to do with Kate, just not in the way Marisa believes. Magpie is well written and fast paced, and these attributes more than balance out its few shortcomings.

Moderately successful, it drew me in at first with the idea of the suspense building but it just didn’t. The “twists” were not that great. The injection of the weird-ass mother was just, well, weird. After a while I really wanted all the characters and the story to just end.

Interesting take on the roommate, surrogate, happy relationship scenario. Magpie is told from a couple different points of view. We start the story hearing about when Marisa meets Jake. They fall in love quickly and plan to immediately start a family. Due to money issues they take in Kate as a lodger to help pay for their new house. Later, we hear the same story from Kare’s perspective. Let’s just say they are not anywhere near the same story. Enter Jake’s mother, Annabelle, and things are bound to get messy.

This wasn’t one of my favorite books…I think the big twist wasn’t as shocking as intended. I’m not sorry I took the time to read it. It was engaging, but not something that blew me away! Thank you to the author and #netgalley for the ARC of this book!

This felt like a thriller with a lot of unnecessary plot twists that were thrown in just to try and throw off the reader --- but the reader had everything figured out from the jump.

It's much longer than needed - and took way too long to get to the good stuff.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day is a highly recommended domestic psychological thriller.

In the first half of Magpie Marisa and Jake move in together and plan to start a family immediately. Even though Jake's mother, Annabelle, doesn't approve of Marisa, Marisa is sure they will have a happy life together. With money being tight they decide to take on a renter, Kate. It appears to be a great idea until Marisa notices that Kate seems to be pushing personal boundaries and is overly familiar with Jake. Marisa begins to feel threatened by her and is concerned about what her future plans are involving Jake and their baby. The second half of Magpie totally turns the plot upside down as it is told from Kate's point-of-view.

Suffice it to say that not much more can be said about the plot without spoiling it. I will mention that experienced readers are likely going to have some of their very early plot twist predictions come true and I'm not completely comfortable with one of the plot devices used. I can also affirm without any hesitation that predictable or not, the writing is quite good and Day does create a whole lot of tension while keeping the pace fast. The novel starts out rather slow but the switch changes things. The ending is a bit over-the-top, but will keep you glued to the pages. 3.5 rounded up
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Edelweiss, Google Books, and Amazon.

This is an odd but incredibly interesting novel about surrogacy, parenthood, and familial ties. When Jake and his partner take in a "lodger" as their surrogate, they have no idea what they are in for! At first she seems accommodating and lovely but soon they are worried that what appears on the surface is not what is underneath. Told from the perspectives of both Kate and Marissa, the book details this journey with all of the jealousy, and deception that one can often find in a marriage or relationship where honesty is not valued or at least talked about! And I couldn't stop reading...so go in when you have plenty of time as you may not want to put this one down!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Marissa is viewing a house for her and boyfriend Jake to live in when a magpie flies in through the open doors. A harbinger? Only time will tell. They move in and for financial reasons take in Kate as a lodger and she becomes a firmly affixed limpet on the hull of their relationship.
This is a such a clever book which is very well written and is perfectly paced throughout. It has some good twists that take you totally by surprise as they come out of the blue but which enable you to make sense of some observed disconnection and frissons of unease in the narrative. In places it’s creepy, tense and claustrophobic in the smothering overstepping of bounds and it becomes quite scary. This leads to a growing antipathy between the three of them which escalates. The characterization is the standout feature of the book. Marissa is a cauldron of various emotions from anger to insecurity and everything in between. She hides things and prefers to paper over the cavernous cracks in her personal life. Kate seems a controlling , manipulative cuckoo in the nest but as the storyline develops it’s clear she’s carrying a huge burden. The prize for ultimate manipulation goes to Jake’s mother, whose passive aggressive barking and biting is odious. The novel deals with some weighty issues from mental health to fertility problems to trauma of various kinds and all are dealt with sensitively by the author.
My only reservation after such a compelling, hard to put down read is the resolution which seems a bit too picture perfect. What unfolds between the three of them is messy and maybe as a consequence it needs a messy end.
Overall, this is a very polished, clever, domestic noir/psychological thriller from the talented Elizabeth Day. If you like a read with twists and a multitude of emotions you may enjoy this one!

*Thanks to NetGalley and Fourth Estate for an e-arc of this novel.*