3.5/5⭐

Jake and Marisa decided to move in together only after 3 months of dating. Marisa came from a broken family so she is thrilled to live with Jake, to finally be with someone who truly loves and supports her, and to have a family of her own. Everything is perfect until they let a stranger in their home.

--
The first part of the story did not got me hooked right away that I almost DNFed the book. I had to skip pages but when I reached the second part where they switched the POV, I find the book unputdownable. The twist was so good! I needed to pause for a minute to take it all in. It was so messy and I like messy (it's a great element for a thrill 😂).

However, I think the conflict was resolved too quickly. I continued reading cause maybe there's one more twist at the end and sure did, there's another twist but it did not gave me the same impact as the first one so I was kinda disappointed.

Nevertheless, it is still a good read. Thumbs up!

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What is the story of the MAGPIE, do you know?

Apparently magpies are historically associated with magic and fortune telling and witches rode them or turned into them, something along those lines.

In literature there is a rhyme that starts one for sorrow, two for joy and so on. The number of magpies you see constitutes your luck.

I take them them to be lucky in the right quantity and I was intrigued by the premise before reading the synopsis.

In the book MAGPIE by Elizabeth Day we are following Marissa and Jake and then we meet their lodger Kate.

Their arrangement feels rocky at best and we go along as the story unfolds and we find out just how rocky it actually is.

I enjoyed the turn in the book and I think that turn will decide your level of enjoyment for the entire book. If you’re hooked, which I was, then the turn will feel expected and gratuitous only adding to your reading pleasure.

I recommend this one to readers who like a good ride and don’t mind being surprised. If you guessed the twist then you’re a far better detective than I am cause I did not see it coming.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster For this advanced copy!

Out May 3, 2022

MAGPIE…⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What is a mothers love? Regardless of the care or not care, the connection you feel to your own mom makes such a difference. We learn almost immediately how to love or be loved by her. We learn that most mom's would do anything to protect their children. I'm always amazed of children abused by a parent that still want that relationship with their mom. I've heard so many times, she's my mom, and I need her, right after the child was abused or treated terribly. This book has a lot to do with mother's. The desire to be loved by one. The desire to be accepted by your mates mother. Being able to accept a mother that has some faults of her own. And ultimately being a mother yourself.

Marisa and Jake are perfect for each other. Only 3 months into dating and they have moved in together. Marisa is thrilled. Never really having a family to rely on, this will be the relationship that will finally be the one where she feels loved and accepted. Shes so excited her and Jake want children right away, and this is her ultimate goal. She can't get pregnant quick enough. Jake's mom comes to visit out of the blue, and she feels off immediately. Nobody in Annabelle's eyes will ever be good enough for her Jake. This puts Marisa on edge.
What started off as a quickie romance, changes into a nightmare shortly thereafter.
I don't want to give the plot away, but this was such a good twisty novel. I don't think I ever fully read the description and I suggest not reading it. I was so surprised by the turn of events in this book. I couldn't put it down. I had to know what was happening.
Thanks to #netgalley for an Advanced copy. The opinions and review are strictly mine.

At about 25% in I’ve figured out the twist and am not really connected to these characters enough to finish it. It’s clever but already feels very drawn out. Just not for me but thank you for letting me read early.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day #twentyfirstbookof2022 #arc

CW: parental abandonment, rape, gaslighting, infertility, pregnancy loss, surrogacy, assault, mental illness, evil MIL trope.

Magpie starts off as a fast paced domestic thriller. It’s the basic set up: a happy couple, a stranger is introduced who begins to get in between them, you know, the usual story, and I knew exactly where it was going. Until it was flipped on its head, everything I knew went sideways, and I was hooked. Unfortunately, the pace slowed, and the book turned back into a story where I knew just what the ending would be. I wish the momentum had kept going. The second half dragged, and the ending was tied up too neatly. It was an interesting book, and I liked the twist, but ultimately, it’s probably not something I’ll remember down the road.

Thank you to @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the advance copy. (Pub date 05/03/22).

#magpie

WOAH. I wasn’t ready for that thrill ride! I started off knowing something twisted was going to unfold but I honestly wasn’t expecting Part II to rock my world! Part I gives us Marisa’s POV and how she saw her relationship with Jake (her partner) and Kate (their lodger). I honestly thought their chemistry to be awkward and strange, which now makes complete sense!! Part II flips POV and the story comes from Kate. Her infertility journey is actually extremely sad to read but oooooo I loved how this key part tied all the characters together! I really enjoyed reading some what the “same story”, but through different eyes. Such a good read!!

The synopsis of this book caught my attention right away. Marisa & Jake want a family. When times get tough a lodger, Kate moves in. Dynamics begin to change between the 3 and take an unexpected turn. Jake's parents step in and help calm the situation. Then they find out that the manipulation far extends the realm of mental health....4 🌟 for Magpie by Elizabeth Day.

Thank you to NetGalley/Simon & Shuster for the free advanced review copy for an honest review!

This one is hard to write a review without spoilers. It has heavy topics like fertility snd mental health. It’s beautifully written and many plot twists so you know you will finish this quick because you won’t be able to out it down. This is my first Elizabeth Day’s book and it won’t be my last.

This domestic suspense follows couple Marissa and Jake and their lodger Kate. Marissa and Jake are looking to start a family and have undergone months of fertility treatments. Kate seems normal at first, but then Marissa notices she is pushing the personal boundaries of the living situation. Kate also seems overly familiar with Jake and, as time goes on, Marissa becomes increasingly concerned that Kate might not be who she said she is. Marissa's suspicious turn to obsession as she begins to investigate Kate and, in doing so, Marissa risks losing the life she'd just begun to build.

TW/CW: pregnancy, miscarriage, infertility, mental illness, infidelity, manipulative parents, parental abandonment, sexual assault

This book utilizes one of my favorite mystery/suspense tropes but I can't say which one because it would be a spoiler. There is a "Dear Reader" note from the editor at the beginning of the book that I felt hinted at this particular trope a little too obviously. I read an ARC, so I'm not sure if that reader note will be in the final copy or not, but I would recommend skipping it initially and read it after you've finished the book. It sort of plants the seed of what to look out for in your mind so I found myself constantly re-reading and checking if maybe this part is what the editor was hinting about. The Dear Reader note does go into Day's own background, including how she had her own struggles with fertility and miscarriage so I do think it adds some nice framing to the story overall.

Pregnancy and motherhood are big themes in the story and while I don't have a particularly strong emotional connection to either of those themes, I did think they were handled well. As the editor pointed out in the Dear Reader note, Day has personal experience with navigating these tough situations and decisions and I think that really comes through in the story. I think Day really captures the highs and lows of the trying-to-conceive rollercoaster and the strain of how that can affect every aspect of a couple's life. We see a lot of the lower-points directly on page and they are presented in a very matter-of-fact way that does not overly romanticize or dramatize the events while still keeping the emotional center of the scene. I also liked how we get some characters with outdated views and opinions about families and conception. These characters mean well, but often say the wrong thing because they've never had to struggle to conceive. These views are challenged and the main couple is a team and makes their decisions about their relationship together but we do see how these comments are hurtful.

I really loved the midpoint turn in this book. It was one of the most well executed twists I've read in a while and I think I really would have been absolutely on the floor if it wasn't for the previously mentioned Dear Reader note. I was so excited to keep reading and see what other reveals we were going to get (since we often will get at least one or two more in the second half of the story). We did get some more reveals, but I didn't feel like they came anywhere close to the same magnitude. I think the story peaked at the midpoint for me and then from there it was a slow roll to the ending. I liked the reveals we get later from a plot perspective, but they didn't ramp up the tension or stakes in the same way as the midpoint turn did. It also felt like these later reveals should have more of an emotional impact to the reader but I didn't find the characters directly involved in those reveals were developed enough for me to really empathize with them.

We move back and forth in time in this story and it didn't always work well for me. We're pretty much shoved right into the action when Marissa and Jake are moving into a house together to start their family. We get some backstory as to how they met and how their relationship developed, but we're mostly just moving forward pretty quickly with Kate moving in, Marissa getting pregnant, and tensions start growing from there. Then, we get the big midpoint turn and suddenly we're back in time jumping between Kate and Marissa. We now get to see the build up of the relationship and all those details I wanted earlier, but they feel so unimportant at this point because all I want to do is get back to the present day and see how that midpoint reveal threw everything out of balance. I did like how this going back in time allowed us to see some of the plot points from earlier from a different POV. I just wish some of these more mundane moments were shown earlier (by flashbacks or however) and then we could just move forward with the juicy details.

I would categorize this as a domestic suspense read, but I feel like the suspense part ends pretty quickly after the midpoint reveal and then it started to feel like more of a domestic fiction. I really didn't feel suspenseful or nervous about what was going to happen after about the 65% mark. It seemed like the main conflict was resolved pretty quickly and any side conflicts that did remain were much less severe, in comparison. I kept trying to inject my own suspense feeling into the book while I was reading by trying to read specific details about characters in a purposefully sinister manner. However, even when I was trying to make everyone a villain and question everyone's motives, the actual book just didn't support that reading and, overall, I think everything just moved right along without much drama at all. I did feel that in the lead up to the ending reveal that Day was trying to mirror the same ramp up of tension that we saw before the midpoint but I wasn't buying into it at that point (but maybe other readers would).

Overall, this was a fine domestic suspense read. I really enjoyed the midpoint reveal but wish we kept ramping up the tension in the second half of the story. This did have one of my favorite tropes that was executed very well but I just didn't find the follow-through to be enough for me to really love it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC

Expected publication date is May 3, 2022

Thank you to Simon & Schuster ​and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
This is one of the best books I've read in 2022. It's a difficult book to review without mentioning spoilers; however, I'll say that anyone looking for a thriller with many twists, this one is for you. Unique storyline. Unputdownable. Can't wait to read more from Elizabeth Day!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 4, 2021
I was feeling quite smug when I started the book. I was second guessing where the plot was going. Sure enough something happened and I thought 'predictable. I was right'. Then when I returned to the book and read on, it seemed not only had I been led down a hall of mirrors , Very difficult to write a review without spoilers but I will say the subject issues were introduced with the right balance of red herrings and suspense leading to a satisfactory conclusion on many levels. The characters were very believable .This story would make an excellent lifetime movie

Sometimes my reading taste calls for a good book that messes with my mind. Magpie delivered. I felt like I was on the Tilt-A-Whirl ride as I read. Up, down, side to side, and around and around went the narrative. You’re meant to think the story is one way, but then it completely gets turned around and told from a different angle. It’ toys with your mind so that you’re unsure who is telling the truth and what is the perceived reality.
I loved it. There is a true witch in the story. The men are just weak, passive characters as the women battle things out.
Don’t be a birdbrain and not read this book or you’ll have egg on your face.

2.5 stars

I've never really understood the people who say that they can see where other readers could give a book either a 5 star or 1 star review. That is, until I read this book.

Reading this book felt like watching a car crash - you can't believe what's happening but you can't look away. Magpie takes all of the tropes that people tend to bemoan in thrillers - mental illness as a plot device, characters who are too stupid to live, and obvious twists - and takes them to a whole new level. Throughout the entire first half of this book, I was actually astounded by how obvious the twists were and I viscerally cringed at one particular sentence that will haunt me for the rest of my days.

Then, we hit the second part.

I have to say that Day does pull a great twist over on the reader, but a part of me just felt like it was a little too late. This is the part that also contained mental illness as a plot device, which felt even more manipulative in this novel due to the shift in perspective that we get. However, there was something about Magpie that had me unable to put it down. The ending feels far more literary fiction than thriller/mystery, but I could so clearly see how it fit into the arc of the story. While I can't say that I loved this book overall, this will definitely be a book that stands out to me when I look back on my reading at the end of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Magpie kept me interested and engaged until the end, although some pieces of the puzzle fit together a little too cleanly for my personal taste.

Marissa is a young pregnant woman in love with her boyfriend Jake. They’ve moved in together and the only dark spot on the horizon is Jake’s overbearing mother. Can she destroy their relationship? And is it all that it seems? This is a twisty book that will keep the reader off balance throughout.

This is a very addictive read. Very fast paced domestic suspense thriller. I was hooked from the very beginning. Marisa and Jake have started dating and are moving in together even after knowing each other for three months. He is a mommy‘s boy which further complicates things with his mother’s bad attitude. Due to financial troubles they bring in Kate to stay in their house as a lodger but she seems to know her way around all too well. Things are not always as they seem. I absolutely loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

Kate and Jake have been trying to get pregnant for years, unsuccessfully. Finally, they decide to hire a surrogate, which is how they meet Marissa, a young woman who is excited to help the couple start their family. In the UK paying a surrogate is illegal, so Kate and Jake decide to let Marissa live with them for free during her pregnancy.

There is a good "twist" early on that I enjoyed, but after that there were no more thrills for me. There was no mystery. It just became a tale of pregnancy and surrogacy, and a bit of r/justnoMIL.

Thank you netgalley and Simon & Schuster for giving me an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was great until the very end which fell flat for me. I really loved the buildup and the storyline and the twist in the middle I didn’t see coming. I just didn’t love how it wrapped up. 3.5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a quick & fast paced read that really jumps right into the bulk of story right away. I also felt like the author did an amazing job with character development & everything regarding fertility treatments was well researched & extremely believable.

I almost DNF’d this by the 30% mark because I felt like I had the entire story pegged but it became a lot more interesting at 50% & by then I was pleasantly surprised & fully invested.

I do kind of wish it got me there faster though because at first this read like a very predictable storyline & had it not been for my NetGalley feedback rating I promise I would have stopped reading by that 30% mark. I also didn’t enjoy how the author repeats a couple of descriptive phrases multiple times.

All in all I did enjoy it & I’m glad I kept reading because I enjoyed how the story ended.

This was not for me. Marisa and Jake have only known each other for 3 months, but decide to move
in together and make babies, even though her friend counsels her to slow down.
They don't know each other well, but they are in love. His mom drops by one day, treats her rudely, but Marisa tries to earn her respect anyway. She doesn't tell Jake about it for days, embarrassed that she made a poor impression. Her own mother abandoned her and her day when she was a child.
Get the idea? Then they have to take in a boarder as his business isn't doing well, a strange boarder.
That's when I said enough for me. The page long paragraph s were putting me to sleep.
Thank you net galley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest opinion.