It's very difficult to review "Magpie" without giving away any spoilers. The story starts with Marisa and Jake, a relatively new couple living together and trying for a baby. She soon becomes pregnant and they take on a lodger to ease money issues. Marisa isn't comfortable with the lodger, Kate, though. She seems too interested in her pregnancy and overly comfortable with Jake, her home and even Marisa's life.
The twist comes in. as we switch to Kate's point of view. The twist is a good one that I didn't see coming. However, it's revealed about a third of the way through the book and then.... nothing else really happens. The story builds to such a stellar crescendo to then fall flat, playing out far too slowly and caving to overly-familiar tropes. I kept feeling like something else was going to happen — that it had to happen. Instead, I was disappointed with an ending that just wrapped up too neatly.
Author Elizabeth Day's easily consumable writing style is a standout in the genre and makes for a quick — albeit disappointing — read.
Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for sharing this advance copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
2.5/5

The pacing - especially the timing of the time jumps - ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS. Day also did a fantastic job manipulating my feelings about each character through the duration. There were just a few draw backs that keep me from giving five stars - thrillers based off of mental health issues sit poorly with me and some of the dialogue felt a bit forced / awkward. Ultimately - pick this one up and give it a go!

Magpie by Elizabeth Day is an adult mystery novel covering Jake, Kate, and Marissa's story. Having a child is harder said than done. When Kate is having trouble getting pregnant, Marissa steps up to be a surrogate.
This novel was so slow, I had trouble getting through it. I found the story to be repetitive and boring.
(Arc from Netgalley)

Honestly not quite sure how I feel about this book. It is an easy fast read and had some good plot twist, however I wasn’t a fan of how it wrapped up. The description of the plot pulled me in but the whole time I was reading I was thinking “this could of went else where to make it a more believable thriller”. So I will give it a solid 3 stars and also say this was my first novel by Day and I would still give her others books a try. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Mini Synopsis: It's hard to type this up without giving it away! Jake and Marissa are expecting their first baby. All is well until their roommate, Kate starts getting a little too close for comfort. Marissa is concerned Jake is having an affair.
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Review: this plot is so unique and had such potential! Think Gone Girl level twist. But.... it didn't deliver for me. There were lots of loose ends and unlikable characters in this. Also, the whole Magpie thing? Didn't really pull through.
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Thanks @netgalley for this one! Fun, quick read!
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I struggled with this one a bit. The characters were a little bland but I appreciate the lengths the author went through regarding the research into infertility and mental health, however it made the book drag. This book just fell a tad bit flat, I can’t say much about the second half because it really spoils it. I am surprised the resolution was so tame, I was expecting something more dark and twisty.

So...part 1 was not suspenseful and was had no surprises.

I got a minor surprise once we moved two part 2, but that was it.

My main problem, aside from the predictability, was that I simply didn't believe any of it. Did. Not. Believe.

Everything that happened was ridiculous and illogical.

Definitely not for me.

*ARC via Publisher

"Magpie" by Elizabeth Day is the story of a complicated relationship between 3 people. Marisa and Jake are living together and hoping to have a baby. They rent out the attic in their house to Kate, a young professional woman, but Marisa soon begins to question Kate's intentions. Though Jake doesn't think anything is wrong, Marisa swears Kate is a little too focused on Jake. Before long, Kate starts cooking his favorite dinners. And why do Kate and Jake stop their conversations when Marisa enters the room?

In this book, however, nothing is what it seems. With a twist that rivals the one in "Gone Girl," readers will be shocked to learn the truth behind what's really going on in the house.

The story starts a little slowly, but the big twist is well worth the wait. And there's more than one secret in this plot.

4.5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I am usually good at predicting twists but this twist was completely unexpected. The characters were interesting and layered. Each had faults but were ultimately sympathetic. Overall, this was a great thriller that I so enjoyed I finished it over just two evenings.

2.5 stars, rounded up. This is hard to explain how I felt about it. It was fast-paced, much like many domestic thrillers are. I wanted to know what happened badly enough that I continued reading it. Yet, I never felt too stressed about what was happening. There was never a moment where I had any kind of genuine reaction to what was happening. Even when things came to a peak, the resolution was so...tame that I didn't know how to feel. Sure, I appreciate that our main characters were understanding of mental health but...otherwise, this wasn't really a satisfying plot to read.

I liked the pacing. The story got to the point quickly but without sacrificing detail. I had a good feel early on for the characters that have been introduced and the story is rolling along nicely.

The big twist in the middle I kind of saw coming, especially with the Gone Girl comparison. I do feel like the author showed their hand too early, though, because after that, the story just felt like it was trying and failing to stay interesting. I didn’t really care what happened because there wasn’t much actual conflict, just the threat of it hanging overhead. I’d give the first half a 4/5 and the second half a 3/5, so my total is 3.5/5. A quick, easy read!

Magpie certainly has an interesting premise and I was quite intrigued until the midway point when the book just took a turn I was not expecting. Unfortunately this one just didn't work for me as a reader. Some of the wording felt problematic and some of the cliches just felt like too much. I appreciate having the opportunity to read and share my thoughts about this book, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for my gifted copy.

This story was a strange one to say the least. Our nail character is abandoned as a young child by her mother and her father basically checks our after that. She meets a man who basically gives her stability. We then see the evil mother in law trope. Nothing hit ne as unique or engaging about this story unfortunately.

The best part about this novel is the eerie tone and pacing that definitely kept me engaged. It's well written and intriguing, however, I don't feel much happens. Nothing was truly a twist to me or was really surprising. I didn't necessarily feel let down in the end but I also was hoping for more. That all to say, I'll definitely check out Day's next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good twisty novel about a mother’s love. Marissa decides to move in with Jake and have a baby immediately. When Jake’s business dealings go awry, Kate moves in as a lodger. When it appears Jake and Kate are getting too close, Marissa takes things into her own hands. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.

This. Book. THIS. FUCKING. BOOK. I'm not sure what's in the water but lately I've been really lucky in getting amazing thrillers, and MAGPIE is one of those.

MAGPIE centers around a happy couple, Jake and Marisa, and the child that they both so desperately are hoping for. They are at the point in their relationship where it's time to move in together, and they do so, with Jake purchasing a lovely home with a studio for Marisa to work on her art. But times are tough and before long, they make the decision to get a lodger, Kate.

Jake and Marisa's relationship is thrown into peril by Kate's presence and Jake's mother. Kate seems to be everywhere, and so obsessed with Marisa and whether or not she is pregnant. And Jake's mom keeps making odd comments, with a personality fit for r/JustNoMIL.

Things go off the rails in a twist that readers may not see coming, that throws the whole novel for a loop. Giving this novel a 3/5 stars because there were times where it did feel like the author was drawing things out a bit too much. While this novel IS thriller/mystery and thus things needed to be shrouded in shadow, Jake was a little too oblivious for my liking. That being said, as someone who has spent many a time reading horror stories on r/JustNoMIL, this was a fabulous read that kept me up late into the night.

Marisa and Jake are the perfect couple…or so we think? Kate moves in and is the perfect roommate and the financial help they need to start their baby dreams.

This book takes a dive into the hardships of conceiving a child. From many miscarriages to failed rounds of IVF. Tears will be shed because this shit is heartbreaking.

They settle on surrogacy because they want more than anything to become a family.

Boundaries start to get crossed and weird things start to happen. People begin to change, not necessarily in the best way either.

Who is Jake?
Who is Marisa?
Who is Kate?

Nobody is perfect, but these three definitely seem like they have something to hide.

This thriller is a must read, if you love a twisting psychological (ish) thriller, that always deals with some real life shit.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Magpie.

The premise sounded interesting and though the first half was intriguing, the narrative suddenly took a strange turn.

First, I'm not a fan of using mental illness as a literary device, especially when it concerns how a person may or may not act when she or he is not using their medication.

A person with a mental illness or issues is not a device used to move the story forward.

Second, there's a scene when Kate is celebrating her 30th birthday and feels this gives her license to dress like a 'slut.' I don't know why a term is thrown in like this haphazardly; to show we're empowered and we're taking back these misogynistic terms for our own use?

Why not say she could dress however she likes or not mention her appearance at all?

Third, the narrative is teeming with cliches; mostly Freudian, as Jake, the husband, is a mama's boy and struggles with a domineering mother who is wary of any woman who takes her place in her son's affections.

The story takes a strange turn when it suddenly becomes a dispute between mother and son, and the earlier issue with Marisa and her mental health takes a backseat.

I get the feeling the author was purposely trying to throw readers plot twists to keep us guessing but I wasn't guessing at anything. I just wanted to get to the end.

The writing is decent, but the narrative is long, filled with repetitive filler and details that don't move the story forward, just up the word content.

I did't like or connect with Marisa, Kate and Jake and found this neither suspenseful or exciting.

Some readers might like it but this wasn't for me.

This book made me cry. I feel it. I felt the loss. I felt the worry and I felt the want because I have an emotional attachment to wanting a baby of my own and we have tried.

For fans of Gone Girl and The Perfect Nanny, a taut, psychological suspense novel about a perfect couple and their seemingly perfect roommate—that is until she threatens to destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to create.

I absolutely loved this thriller. The characters were captivating and the story kept me interested in to the last page. I would highly recommend this book.