It's actually 3.5 stars, almost 4 but not quite. It took me a year to read this book because I really had a hard time wanting to finish it. I almost pulled-the-bookmark more than once & I don't know why I decided that I had to finish it, but I'm glad I did. Reviewing this book will be difficult because there are quite a few twists and turns that I refuse to ruin for anyone. In the beginning, you meet Marisa and Jake and honestly, I didn't much care for or about either of them. She was too much one of those "lose yourself in your relationship and abandon your friends" type of women and I hate that. He was almost too good to be true which is also annoying. Then Kate moves in to help them out with rent and it's clear she's there to shake things up. I think you're supposed to not like her because of that, but I found myself liking her more. It's about this time that I stopped reading for a very long time. It seemed very predictable and quite frankly, I didn't care if she came between them and broke up their relationship...maybe they'd be better off. It just wasn't an interesting storyline to me. I picked it back up because I decided this year to finish the books I was in the middle of, even if that meant deciding to DNF. I was going to give it a little more and if it was clearly going the way I was sure it was then I'd just stop. I WAS DEAD WRONG! I never saw the next thing coming and I was a little shocked and more than a little impressed. It was a jaw dropper for sure, and when you get through that and continue on this book is like "BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!" like an obnoxious infomercial and it's still not done with the twists. I mean nothing can top that first one, but it still keeps you guessing. I only wish there was a way that the author could have hinted that no matter what you think at the beginning, you must keep going. I mean, now that I know her style, I know that and will absolutely read more of hers and give them all the benefit of the doubt, but if it's your first read of hers, you just don't know. This is me telling you to trust the process and keep going, even if you think you hate it.

Loved the twist of this book and the characters in this book. I wanted to keep reading and figure out what was real!

The Magpie by Elizabeth Day is a literal nightmare about motherhood and obsession. Just how far would you go for the perfect family?

Marisa and Jake look like the perfect couple. The only thing they are missing is a baby of their own. Failed attempt after failed attempt at fertility treatments leave them disheartened and broke.

Kate, their seemingly perfect roommate will help to provide them with the financial boost they need to keep trying to complete their family. But there is something really off about Kate. She knows too much, she lacks personal boundaries, and she is obsessed with Marisa, Jake, and their unborn child.

The big twist in this book is insane! I don't dare share anything else about the story because I don't want to risk spoiling it for anyone else.

Overall, "Magpie" is well written and is a fast-paced read. I LOVED that it is told from multiple POVs that I feel added depth to the story. It is my opinion that this book could be triggering for readers who have suffered with or currently suffer from issues with infertility. Day doesn't hold back, and the parts about infertility can be a bit hard to read, so please be mindful before starting this novel.

I’m not even sure where to start here. This book is bananas. Marissa and Jake appear to have the perfect relationship. They choose to bring in a flat mate to help with expenses while they try having a baby. Automatically Marissa suspects that Jake is having an affair with Kate.

I loved how the storyline flips to the POV of Kate, which is fantastic that you get that story line. The beginning is a bit slow and I did have the moment of maybe I should bale on this book. I’m glad I didn’t.

Thank you #NetGalley for the advance copy.

Set in the realm of perfect relationships and twisted obsessions, the story follows Marisa and Jake, an ideal couple, as they welcome Kate, the seemingly perfect roommate, into their lives. However, beneath the surface of their harmonious existence lies a web of deception and manipulation that threatens to destroy everything they hold dear.

Elizabeth Day crafts a psychological suspense novel that promises intrigue and tension but, in my opinion, falls short of its potential. I felt that the character development lacks depth overall. Specifically Marisa, whose oblivion to red flags became frustrating over time and made it challenging for me to empathize with her. Additionally, the pacing of the novel feels uneven. The first half builds a sense of anticipation and intrigue, but the second half becomes predictable and rushed.

First off I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for allowing me an ARC version of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I just don't know about this one. It was a little slow. Then something happened and I thought "Whoa. That wasn't on my radar." towards the end of the first half of the book. Then the last half was like a different book. I don't want to give any spoilers but it was strange. I don't regret reading it, but it definitely wasn't one of my favs.

Jake and Marisa are expecting their first baby. They just moved into a new home and suddenly decide to rent a room in their house to bring in some extra money. Kate, the renter, oversteps there at the house and gets a little too cozy with Jake. That starts to bringing aggravation and jealousy and Marisa's moods are getting darker and deeper as the time goes by. She begins following Kate and soon Marisa's actions will lead to the most explosive and unexpected confrontation. Their lives will unravel but not in the way any of them could have anticipated. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the advance ecopy.

I've seen enough true crime and reddit to know where it was going. I was a tad disappointed midway thru, a lot could've been done with this. It was a meh for me.

“But nothing stayed perfect forever, did it?”

I almost DNFd this about 40% of the way through. I don’t want to read about infidelity and that’s where this book was heading. But a note from the editor at the beginning of the book had me continuing to read and I’m so glad I did.

This isn’t a fast paced thriller, but definitely a psychological one that kept me turning the pages to find out what was happening.

If you are in the throes of new motherhood, infertility, or surrogacy, this probably won’t be the book for you, though.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you like:
Unreliable narrators
Surrogacy stories
Twisted psychological thrillers

Thank you Simon and Schuster for a digital ARC through NetGalley.

Magpie is the story of a couple wishing to have a baby and the young woman who becomes their roommate. The couple does experience infertility and IVF treatments commence. What happens next is hard to explain without spoiling the entire plot. I felt the book did start off strong I was left wanting more suspense, more psychological drama which the book blurb promised. The viewpoint does switch and unexpected twists occur but Magpie ended up being just an average domestic thriller to me.

Great writing. Subject matter wasn't my favorite. I would be interested in reading more by this author in the future.

An intense and wild read! This touches on motherhood, growing a family, and a bingeable book! There were some plot holes but overall enjoyable.

I don’t know if it’s because I watch a lot of Lifetime movies or read a lot of books but, I guessed the twist in this book only three chapters in. It didn’t stop me from reading it though. I definitely was curious to see where this was going. Despite knowing the twist, I will say I enjoyed this book. It was pretty unique and twisted. I felt frustrated at times at some of the behavior of the characters but that’s what made it more enjoyable. If you like crazy lifetime movies, this book is right up your alley.

This one just wasn't for me. I tried to get into the story and the writing but didn't make it past the first 25% of the story.

Marisa is an artist who creates bespoke children’s books with original artwork. She spends her days thinking about children, how they think, what they would like, how to make them the star of her storybooks. So when she meets Jake and they hit it off and he says that he wants to try for a child right away, Marisa is excited about that.

Jake finds a house for them, and Marisa moves in. There is a good room with lots of light for her to paint in, so she can keep working on her books while they try for a baby. Things moved quickly with Jake, but Marisa feels ready to be with Jake and to start a family. Everything seems pretty perfect. Until Kate.

Jake told Marisa that they were struggling financially. Marisa did okay living on the proceeds of her children’s books when it was just her, living in an apartment. But now they have a house, and she’s trying to have a child. Money is tight. So Jake finds a lodger who will pay them rent, to help out. And just like that, Kate moves in.

When Jake first talked about a lodger, Marisa assumed it would be someone quiet, who would spend time in their own space, but Kate doesn’t see things the same way. She leaves her running shoes by the front door. She plays her music too loud. And she makes macaroni and cheese from scratch, even though it’s Jake’s favorite dish and Marisa’s favorite thing to make for him. Kate even follows Marisa to a yoga class.

Marisa is off-balance by Kate’s actions, and then she starts to notice how Kate is around Jake. Kate is so confident. It makes Marisa feel insecure, staying home all day, wearing clothes she can paint in. Marisa wants to find a way to take her power back, but will she be strong enough to do it?

And when Kate finally gets to tell things from her perspective, how will the narrative change for them all?

Magpie is a domestic thriller from Elizabeth Day that keeps the reader guessing until the end. While the process of trying to have a baby can make a woman a little crazy, Day takes that to the extreme with the story of Marisa, Kate, and Jake.

I listened to this one on audio, and I thought that narrator Tonya Reynolds did an amazing job with a difficult story. She brought these women to life and told both their stories with compassion and intelligence, and she did well with the slower parts of the story, which is part of why I did struggle some listening to this book.

I wanted to love this book, but it was difficult. It’s told first through Marissa’s eyes and then through Kate’s, which is interesting. But Marissa’s story goes on for so long that it gets a little tedious, right before the rug is pulled out from under you and the whole story changes. A similar thing happens with Kate, so it takes a while to really understand what is going on in the story and who is telling the truth.

Eventually it does all come together, and the beauty of motherhood helps erase a lot of the pain they went through to get there. And I do think it’s worth it to stick with this novel until the end. But it’s not the easiest journey to make. If you love a domestic thriller with big twists, you might be okay with the sometimes slow pacing. The audio book helped me a lot with that. But once you start hitting those big reveals, the slower pacing is forgivable and the book starts for real.

Egalleys for Magpie were provided by Simon & Schuster through NetGalley, with many thanks, but I bought the audio book myself through Audible.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

One of the best, twistiest books I have read in a while. Very good story!

This story! I don’t reread because I find it boring when there are so many unread books on my kindle and bookshelf, but this story is one I’ll be rereading.

It’s full of twists and turns and I was completely surprised by the outcome!

Magpie by Elizabeth Day was a good read! The twist was one I never saw coming after reading many thrillers/suspense. As a reader, you never knew who you could trust as a reliable narrator until almost near the end. I was guessing what direction the story was going to go most of the time, which is always a good thing because most thriller/suspense are very predictable. I was glad I got to read this!

The twists and turns never stopped with this one. Some may have been a tad bit unbelievable but as I’ve said before, it is fiction. A compelling joy ride! Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for review

This book was a lot different than I expected. It has a lot of twists and turns but not the over the top, unrealistic ones you tend to see in thrillers currently. I really enjoyed the characters and how the story was told. The way the story was written gives you the opportunity to root for different characters at different points in the story. There are some trigger warnings for trying to conceive that I would recommend reviewing via StoryGraph but I overall enjoyed this one!