I really really wanted to love this book and I did up until the end. This was a rollar coaster of a ride that could have taken my breath away. Instead I felt deflated and let down. I may be in the minority with these feelings. I probably won't recommend it to anyone.

Marisa longs to reverse all the wronging she has been dealt in her life. A young artist with the need to give purpose to her life encounters a couple on the journey to parenthood. Jake and Kate are ready to start a family and are willing to look at all avenues to acquire that dream.
I absolutely loved this book, it kept me on edge and I was never sure what the next chapter was to bring. If you are looking for a thriller, family drama and suspense..Magpie is definitely a book to pick up.

Pretty good, I liked the writing style and the twist mid-book though it was kind of easy to figure out something like that would happen. Liked how it ended.

Magpie
By Elizabeth Day

This is a story about mental illness, obsession – and family dynamics. Marisa is a young woman whose mother had deserted her when she was seven, taking her baby sister and leaving her with a father who has no idea the effect this desertion will have on his daughter's life.

The early section of the book tells the story from Marisa's point of view: how she meets Jake and they move in together; how they take in Kate as a lodger; how Marisa feels threatened by what she perceives as Kate and Jake's burgeoning relationship. The story line then reverses and the three way dynamic becomes clear.

Jake's mother Annabelle is a domineering parent, who refuses to let go of her son, and will do anything to keep control over him and his relationships with women. Her lies and schemes cause untold amounts of grief for all parties concerned.

I wasn't sure where this story was going at first, but the twists and turns became more plausible as the book goes on. It was amazing – but believable – how much damage can be done in the name of love.

Deliciously suspenseful! For the most part, I thought I knew where this narrative was going . . . nope . . . and then I  was fully on board for this page-turning ride.

I really enjoyed the clever pivot midway, it captured my curiosity and the strange relationship dynamics held my attention for the duration.

This is not what I consider a hard-core psychological thriller by any means (some readers have felt misled by excessive presale hype) . . . it is still a really fun read.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of Magpie for my unbiased evaluation. 4 stars

What an intense filled noir psychological thriller. Talk about crazy twists that have you coming and going all over the place .oh bit how I love a tangled web of intrigue and obsession. A must read

Need a surrogate? You will probably want to give this book a miss. It is creepy, with lots of twists. Just when I think I figured out the plot, things changed. I realize this review is vague but the book description tells you all you need to know before getting sucked into this thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Magpie, by Elizabeth Day is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the final chapter. Marissa, a surrogate for Kate and Jake, moves in with them and they soon become a “un” happy family. The dynamics of these three individuals will have you wondering who is who in this mystery. Annabelle, the overbearing mother in law creates havoc too. There are twisty and turns and interesting characters and kept me intrigued until the very end.

Thank you Net Galley and ARC for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect and was pleased to find a taut, psychological thriller with a surprisingly satisfying ending. The pace is more moderate than fast but the author drops important reveals at just the right intervals to keep the plot moving along. I thought I had it all figured out in the first third and was delighted when my predictions were completely upended. I’m not generally a fan of the obsessive mothers theme but it absolutely works in this case. I would recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a slow burn mystery that is more cerebral than pure action.

I really enjoyed this book! It started out a bit slow but soon got a lot better. Kate and Jake are unable to have children so the decide to go through a surrogate. Things start out fine but soon turn dark. The author did a great job of creating suspense with the chapters and making you want to read more. There were many different events that happened that I did not see coming at all. I thought it was great how the author created the story line but made it so that you couldn't see the twists coming. I was completely surprised by many of the events in this book. It was a face paced read and full of suspense. I would recommend this book!

Magpie is a story about a couple who have a lodger living in their house. As the story unfolds, you learn that the narrator is unreliable, and about halfway through the book, there is a reveal that gave me a headache (in a good way) as I tried to navigate who to trust.
The first half of this book was far superior to the rest. Once I hit the plot twist, the story backtracks to explain what you've missed, and while I thought the story was interesting and I liked the characters, I couldn't really get invested anymore. I kept expecting there to be one more twist at the end (if I'm being completely honest, I was expecting the story to flip again and make the whole narrative I'd spent so much time reading twisted again). And there was a bit of a twist at the end, but it was incredibly anticlimactic compared to what I was hoping for.
The concept of this book is extremely interesting, and I think the writing was very good as well, but the plot execution is where it fell flat for me. I didn't care too much about the journey once the twist happened, because once the story circled back, we already knew kind of how the story was going to unfold, so I found myself skipping through to see what would happen after that.
I liked the characters a lot, although I didn't trust Jake all that much. I thought that Kate was way too patient and understanding about the whole thing, but she was definitely my favorite character. I had difficulty connecting with the other characters.
Overall, I thought that the writing was very good and the concept was intriguing, but the execution left a little to be desired. Elizabeth Day is clearly a good and knowledgeable writer, though, and I did for the most part enjoy the reading experience, especially when the big twist happened.

Magpie by Elizabeth Day - 3 Stars

Overall, I enjoyed the plot of this book, it was the general execution that I found unsatisfactory. It had a lot of points that I thought would hold my attention and stop me from putting it down. For the first 50%, the plot unfurled nicely - an unreliable narrator and two different points of view, leaving the reader unsure who to trust. However, once the plot reached an obvious climax, I felt as if the author fumbled for a way to resolve the last half of the novel. There were plot points that never seemed to lend themselves to the overall story (Marissa's backstory, Marissa looking/dressing like Annabelle, Marissa's one-time stutter). I found the final plot twist to be a bit of a stretch. I genuinely wanted to enjoy this book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the first half. Unfortunately, the second half felt forced and lackluster to me.

Not familiar with this author but great thriller! Took me a whole to start it but the plot kept me guessing and I loved the characters. Super twisty! Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

If you like Lifetime movies, you’ll absolutely love this book. It’s a bit predictable, though I never guessed it would end the way it did. The ending wasn’t as good as it could have been though. The whole way through the book, I thought for sure I knew how it would end and then the ending was even less of a twist than what I had imagined so it was a bit of a let down in that sense for me. Still a good, quick read!

The twist between part 1 and part 2 was everything! It was shocking and thrilling. Part 2 dragged a bit at times but overall this was a great story.

This domestic thriller starts out strong, utilizing the oft used plot formula of a happy couple who seem to have everything but have their lives upended by the arrival of a new person in their lives. Often it is a nanny or babysitter, a long lost friend or relative, but in this case it is their new tenant. We see the story from the perspective of Jake and Marissa, the happy couple who are trying to conceive a child. Less than half way through the big twist is revealed and we see everything from a different perspective.

We know that magpie symbolism will play a role from the title of the book. And a magpie flys into their house early on in the book. According to legend and superstition, magpies have a dualistic nature. They symbolize luck, love and prosperity, but on the other hand they symbolize deception and fraud. One source I read stated that they are effectively saying “don’t let appearances deceive you”.

I thought that a third twist might be coming, but when the story resolved itself I was quite disappointed. Hence the three star review. The book is very well well written with well developed characters and I do look forward to reading more books in the future by Elizabeth Day.

Thank you #NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

I am freely reviewing this book. This was my first read by this author and it was a rollercoaster of a ride! What I thought I knew I didn’t really know about Mariisa, Jake, and Kate. I can’t say what happens because it would spoil the story for you. I can tell you that I couldn’t put this book down and was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen with the baby involved! Bravo to the author for a page turner with lots of string interactions and characters. I loved it! Five stars.

It’s really hard to review this without giving away spoilers, but I don’t really see the point of the story? Once the twist happens in the middle of the story the rest serves no purpose and it was such a letdown for me. I didn’t care how it ended and almost DNF it was that bad. Not a memorable story whatsoever.

3.75 stars, rounded up. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for an ARC ahead of the US release

I really enjoyed this book! It was a quick read, taking me only about a day to read. I definitely think the first twist and the first half of the book was better, because there were little moments being subtly tied back to each other that made the first half more exciting and interesting. I think the second twist was a bit predictable, but it was still enjoyable. I did finding myself skimming through the last 2% or so, because I found it a bit repetitive and unnecessary.

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56646479-magpie" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Magpie" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1625812777l/56646479._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56646479-magpie">Magpie</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1612493.Elizabeth_Day">Elizabeth Day</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4581112159">2 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review. I have to be honest here and say I thought this book was boring. I would have quit reading but I kept thinking something interesting would happen. Nope.
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/5483119-sherry">View all my reviews</a>