Magpie really took me by surprise by how much I enjoyed this read - I flew through it in one day! I related well to the fertility struggles of the character and think the author did a good job of describing in detail not only the specifics behind the science, but also the emotions that go with being a woman during this challenging time. I loved the one major twist in parts 1 and 2 between the two central female characters and how the rest of the book played out for them. I'm still deciding how I feel about the ending and the mother in law's role in the events that ensued, but overall I found this to be an enticing read. I think this book would be most interesting for woman trying to conceive while it could be a trigger for those struggling with infertility and their mental health.

Wow. This was a one-sitting read for me. I couldn’t put it down! I was truly gasping out loud at some of the twists . She did a fabulous job of crafting the story so that every time I was SURE I knew what was coming, she surprised me again! I found the ending to be a bit unrealistic and there were definitely a few eye roll moments for me but overall, this was a super entertaining, thrilling read.

I received this ARC from NetGalley (thank you!)

TW: Sexual Assault, Fertility, Mental Illness

Despite their conception troubles, Marisa and Jake are the perfect couple. As they struggle with fertility treatments, they invite a new lodger to their home. The lodger’s boundaries quickly become blurred and Marisa wants to find out more about her.

This was a great thriller. It was exactly how I like them: exciting, twisty, but also realistic and not too over the top. I wasn’t exactly sure where this story was going and it definitely went in directions I wasn’t expecting. There was an intensity the whole time due to the sensitive topic of infertility. I would go out of your way to avoid spoilers with this one!

“She was foolish to have believed in their future. Because happiness was transient. She would find this out when the lodger came.”

Magpie republishes 5/3

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was great and the characters were well developed. I will definitely be looking for more by this author!

Domestic thriller about motherhood, relationships and infertility; this book was well written and contained a number of twists and turns. The book starts out with Marisa, a children's book illustrator who meets Jake who works in finance. The couple fall in love and buy a house together and immediately start to trying to have children, despite being together only a few months. After Marisa becomes pregnant, the couple find themselves short of money and decide to rent a bedroom to a lodger who turns out to be Kate. As with most thrillers, whenever a third person enters the picture, there are always problems and issues that arise and here Marisa becomes convinced Kate is interested in Jake.

The second part of this book is from Kate's point of view and I can't say much about what happens without spoiling the plot. The author does a good job of describing the settings, even the little things like the sun shining through the blinds comes alive and sets the scenes. However, the plot doesn't hold together and so much of the twist depends on the initial relationships being believable. In addition to the trio of characters we meet Jake's parents and his mother is the typical mother in law from hell, and we meet Marisa's friend Jas. The book is tightly woven with only a few characters and the ins and outs of their relationship provides the mystery elements.

Despite the number of twists in the story, I was never fully engaged or believed the actions of the characters. It was also a bit problematic in how it dealt with mental illness and the way mentally ill people behave. Good writing but needs work on the plot. I did like the explorations on motherhood and infertility. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

was really gunning for a domestic thriller a la the push but instead this book decided to collapse on overdone thriller tropes
examples include: insane/hysterical mother with unspecified mental illness, evil mother in law, “crazy” woman w no other traits than traumatized past and being a conflict
and then ending was such a let down too - so mediocre, the twist flopped, too simple final chapters
it’s easy enough to read but just acts as a shabby excuse for a domestic thriller

This was a quick, easy read that moved at a nice pace. However, I really dislike stories about “unhinged women”, especially when the surrogate aspect is included. So, this was just an ok book for me!

I have to start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I thought I had it all figured out about a quarter of the way in, but then it changed. Once again, I thought I had it figured out and it twisted again! I liked the story line, but found the last quarter of the book pretty anticlimactic. It seemed the author needed to wind it up and tie a neat bow.

#Magpie #NetGalley Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion.

I really really enjoyed parts of this book, and I didn’t care for parts of this book. The first half of the book had me totally captivated- I couldn’t read it fast enough. But then it seemed like the author couldn’t decide who the “bad guy” should be. I felt like the two giant problems got wrapped up a little too neatly and easily. I did read the book very quickly, and I didn’t guess what the twist was going to be. I think this book is definitely worth a read!

This definitely seems to be a novel that people either really love or really didn’t like at all. I am in the latter camp.

I had a near impossible time getting into this slow paced story but kept at it until the bitter end over a period of weeks.

Not a thriller, not for me, using mental health issues as such a trope is appalling. Not a recommendation.

This book was given to me as an ARC through NetGalley. There may be spoilers.

As someone who just gave birth a month ago, this book very much resonated with me. I had also enjoyed The Party by this author so was excited to read another of their books.

Magpie is about a girl named Marisa that moves in with her much older boyfriend and they decide to have a baby.. or is it? I loved the twists in this book, it kept making you guessing whose POV was trustworthy.

I would definitely recommend this book if you love books with multiple twists and turns and unreliable narrators.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.
I really enjoyed this book. So many twists and turns. I particularly liked the scenes that were replayed from both Marissa’s and Kate’s perspectives. Halfway through I expected it to end one way and then…another twist and I was in suspense again. Definitely a different take than the usual psychological thriller with excellent character development.

a bit of a mindfuck but an interesting read nonetheless. i don’t think the commitment to the mental illness portrayed is really stuck to at any point and the mother being the “villain” was also kind of off but it was alright i suppose. more should be done in regards to them using this woman and not fully caring about her mental stability but yeah.

We start the story with Marisa and her new relationship with Jake. As time goes on a boarder moves in with them, Kate. Marisa notices that she seems to take an interest in Jake that appears mutual and she becomes incredibly jealous. The rest of the book takes a twist and yet it isn’t really a psychological thriller type book. I did enjoy the character development for Marisa and Kate and I enjoyed Jake and how he went through the story line. I did finish the book and thought that there would be more to it. It was also an easy quick read that kept me engaged. I went in expecting a thriller but it was not that for me. Again sorry for my vagueness I don’t want to give away any spoilers. 3.5 stars Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple. And Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate—and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for the baby of their dreams.

Except—no one is truly perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly-familiar with Jake. But Marisa doesn’t let it concern her, knowing that soon Kate will be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.

I really enjoyed this book. It twists back and forth and is a good read. I cannot stand Annabelle the conniving mother in law. I wanted to slap her so many times.
Keeps you involved and interested.
Jake and Kate and Marisa are all developed well and you get connected to them.
I received this as an ARC to read and provide my honest opinion.

The synopsis of this book piqued my interest, so I was very excited and thankful to read an advanced copy.

This was a quick read; I was hooked from page one. In a time when psychological thrillers are aplenty, Magpie stood out. The plot was original, I can truly say I didn’t see the twist coming.

I found the themes of jealousy and doubt to be particularly interesting. Following the twist, I found myself questioning everything, wondering what was actually happening in the story. The denouement between Annabelle and Kate had me particularly on edge. In the end, I was a bit surprised that there was not a more significant twist in the second half, I suppose I was expecting more to happen.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I have a particular love for books set in England, so this checked a lot of boxes for me.

Marissa has been single for some time and hasn't found her perfect partner--until she meets Jake. The romance is a whirlwind, and in no time they are sharing a house. Jake is working, but Marissa's salary creating customized illustrations for children's books does not help enough to pay the bills. They decide to add a lodger, Kate, to the house to help with expenses. Once Kate comes aboard the house dynamic changes in a way no one could expect and the house will never be the same again.

It's a challenge to review this thriller without giving away key parts of the plot--which are hard not to share!!. But overall I can say that I really enjoyed Magpie. I think many readers will pick up this book and expect to find a straight thriller--and there will be enough twists to keep them reading. However, I also found a book that dove a bit deeper into family dynamics and friendship. There was the thriller, but then you got a peek behind the scenes of what happens after the thriller is resolved and the characters are rebuilding afterwards. I also found Magpie to be easy-to-read and flew through the pages in no time. Overall a fun book to read. I enjoyed reading Magpie and look forward to the author's next book.

Way more substance to this one than the typical domestic thriller. I'm always game to read a book with a twist in the middle vs. the end, and this one was a fun one. The descriptions of infertility were heartbreaking and insightful, but there's some mental health rep that left me feeling a little icky... overall enjoyed and definitely plan to read more from Elizabeth Day.

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

This book had a lot of twists and turns that kept me on my toes as I was reading. It was well written and a perfect book to add to the book club with my fellow teachers. Once they have the opportunity to read this, we will have much to discuss. This book is something I can't recommend to my students, but makes a perfect book for book club as stated above.