James Patterson has always been a favorite author of mine, one I always go back to. I was so excited to get the review this new one. I really enjoyed the ride this book took me on.

I thought reading about Emily’s pregnancy story was eye opening. The whole partying aspect was interesting to read about, considering her life changed in an instant. A lot of the time her actions were frustrating, but overall she was a great main character for this particular story.

I always feel like I’m on a roller coaster reading from this author. When I think I know what’s going on I get smacked with a great twist. Overall I really enjoyed this story.

Really enjoyed this James Patterson book! There was enough suspense to keep me reading and the characters were interesting to follow.

I’ve had Covid for the past 6 days and let me tell you, it’s no picnic . I think I would much rather be trapped in a basement full of spiders BUT it’s given me the opportunity to read so many books I would have never been able to get to this quickly .

I’m on a mission to read all of James Patterson's backlog so bare with me as I blast your feed with ALL of his books .

The Ninth Month

From what I have read to date, I have yet to come across a James Patterson book I did not like. I especially love the collaboration books he does with other authors ( David Ellis!!) . The Ninth Month is no different, be prepared to have your mind blown. I always said "Murder House" was my favorite Patterson book but after I read The Ninth Month, this one easily slipped into first place.
Any who....

This little chatterbox is at a loss for words when it comes to this one and we all know I typically have a lot to say

It’s hard to speak when your jaw is on the floor . So until I can find my words, how about a little teaser?

A mother-to-be is being stalked but no one believes her in this intense thriller from the #1 bestselling author of The Midwife Murders.

Emily Atkinson leads a complicated life in New York City. She’s a successful marketing executive who lives in a luxury apartment and enjoys a glamorous existence until she lands in the hospital with a double diagnosis: she parties too much—and she’s pregnant. Her nurse and new best friend, Betsey, helps Emily rediscover how much she loves morning runs in the park and quiet nights at home. But as a series of women in her wealthy social circles go missing, Emily’s pregnancy becomes decidedly high-risk.

I wanted to love this book because I love James Patterson, but this one was not for me. The ending was completely rushed and there were 400 pages of searching for a person who wasn’t even actually missing.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for an honest review. First I have to say that I am a fan of James Patterson and this book did not disappoint. He did a great job of developing the characters. Emily has had a lot of problems and she is not a likable character but yet you find yourself rooting for her safe return. This was a page turned that definitely kept you on the edge of your seat. The only down side was the abrupt ending.

This is not the typical fast paced James Patterson story. It was too long and while at times suspenseful I grew bored by Emily. The last few chapters picked up the pace and the ending was very good. Not one I’d recommend to Patterson fans.

Published by Grand Central Publishing on August 23, 2022

James Patterson tells The Ninth Month in alternating sections devoted to the past and present until the two stories converge. The past unfolds over the months of a woman’s pregnancy. The present follows the woman’s friends and a couple of police officers who look for clues to the pregnant woman’s disappearance.

Emily Atkinson, an attractive woman of 32, parties hard, screws up her marketing job, and has multiple heart attacks caused by mixing drugs with booze. When she realizes she is pregnant by one of a few possible men, she wonders whether she should stop drinking and give birth, slow down her drinking and terminate the pregnancy, or postpone any decision until her brain cells are fueled by more martinis. A pregnant nurse named Betsey befriends her and tries to help her make responsible choices.

Betsey becomes concerned when Emily suddenly disappears. Betsey’s concern is heightened by two facts. First, another pregnant woman in Emily’s neighborhood, who is about the same age and worked in the same industry, was murdered. Second, Emily thought she was being followed before she disappeared. At the same time, Emily’s perceptions are clouded by alcohol. Perhaps her stalker is a product of her drunken imagination.

The story in the present centers on Betsey’s attempt to motivate two police detectives to look for Emily. The male detectives has a history with Emily, which makes him a suspect. A number of other men have a history with Emily or intersect with her life, including a drug dealer, a bartender, a television writer, and her former boss.

Plot development is deliberate, but the novel is not slow moving. The chapters set in the past grow Emily’s character. Stories about a struggle with sobriety are common and familiar, but this one is more effective than most. Emily is great at her marketing job but being fired because she’s a drunk doesn’t change her life because she comes from money and doesn’t need to work. Whether her pregnancy will motivate her to stop drinking — whether anything make her change her identity as a party girl — is more suspenseful than the threat she might face from her stalker.

The theme of a pregnant woman who contemplates an abortion before she bonds with her fetus has been done to death. Emily’s detailed characterization is wasted on the trite notion that women always turn themselves into responsible mothers if they choose not to end a pregnancy. Frankly, Emily has probably done so much damage to her fetus that giving birth is a questionable decision.

Parts of the plot come across as contrived. The stalker's reveal is not entirely surprising, although it does incorporate a moderately clever twist. The ending seems like the product of lazy writing. The Ninth Month is not terribly successful at building or sustaining suspense (Patterson didn’t bring his A-game effort in that regard), but its portrait of a woman struggling to get her life together is both engaging and convincing.

RECOMMENDED

The Ninth Month is a suspenseful, intense thriller about a pregnant woman getting stalked. It may be a bit scary for any actual pregnant women. The story is fast-paced and perfect for an adrenaline kick. Highly recommended!

The pace of this book was a little too slow for me, but it did pick up toward the conclusion. The brief chapters were a benefit. The odd idea of this book—a missing, high-risk pregnant woman and the desperate hunt for her—attracted me at first.

Most likely some pages may have been removed to make the book move along more quickly. Multiple points of view were used to tell the story in an alternate timeframe. I realized this wasn't a normal James Patterson novel, but even so, Patterson is a name you expect to be connected with really good writing, and this didn't live up to my expectations.

The conclusion appeared a little incomplete, abrupt, or open-ended. This was a nice mystery book with a surprising ending, if a little predictable (still ended abruptly).

Let me start off by saying that I am a huge James Patterson fan! I've also read a different book by Patterson and DiLallo and enjoyed it. But, this book was a mess to me! Two men writing about a pregnant woman and how she is feeling and acts is just absurd to me. I also can't stand the main character, Emily. She's a stuck up rich kid who is reckless with her life choices. The dialog between the characters feels forced to me. I just could not get into this story. Halfway through the book I realized that not a whole lot has happened. This thriller doesn't have "thrilling vibes" to me, and that's another reason why I did not like this book. And the end was not twisty enough to my liking.
#honestreview

Like most avid modern fiction readers, I'm no stranger to James Patterson! Those that call themselves "serious" readers often denounce James Patterson books as fad reading, or the same plot for every book with interchanging twists. And I can definitely see that. However, some people don't want intense world-building in their books; they want to turn their brains off and be entertained. And I think that's why Patterson books are so popular. This one did not disappoint me. I do think Emily's character was playing off a current trend of "sad girls," sarcastic Lana Del Rey types who are spoiled and believe the world is out to get them. I would have never predicted Patterson to write a character like that. I didn't anticipate the surprises that occurred in the book, which is always great. I was on the edge of my seat, and had fun reading. I'm not sure how well Patterson wrote the female pregnancy experience, but I did like the positive depictions I saw of a woman's right to choose. Frankly, I was a little shocked at some of moments where Emily seemed to not care that her poor choices could have devastating effects. The detectives in the book were not that believable (definitely came off as rookies). As a whole, though, I really enjoyed the book and it will be another successful page-turner for Patterson's catalog, I'm sure.

No.

Not good.

This was borderline ridiculous, but Patterson has a knack for keeping the reader engaged just enough that they want to stick around to see what happens.

An alcoholic, drug addict finds out she's pregnant, only to go missing 9 months later. Her BFF, who is also pregnant, takes it upon herself to find out what happened to her friend.

Her whereabouts and who is the father of her baby are some of the mysteries in this one.

Told from dual timelines (each month of pregnancy versus present day), I didn't like anyone in this book and the end caused me to revert back to 7th grade with my huge eye roll...🙄🙄🙄

Lackluster.

I'm still hopeful that one day Patterson will deliver a book that carries the same thrill as Kill The Girls and much of his earlier works.

Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

It was an okay read I typically love his books but this one was just simple as if I’ve read this story so many other times already. I give it two stars simply because I love the author. The story line was good I was expecting some kind of twist but that end was just dissapointing. It was a nice and detailed story up until the end that was very rushed.

Thanks to NetGalley for this earlier Patterson read. Rounded up from 3.5 stars.

I had no idea what to expect but a James Patterson thriller never disappoints. A quick read about two pregnant women with completely different lives become friends throughout the course of their 9 months.

When one goes missing, the other begins to track down clues the detectives seem to be missing. Some twists and a lot of second guessing, throw in a couple points of view and time jumps and you’re set for a little adventure.

Thank you NetGalley for this delicious ARC read.

I have always been a big fan of James Patterson and he did not let me down with this one.

I was kept on the edge of my seat until the end. I did not expect that ending. I'm usually pretty good about figuring it out, but I was incorrect on my guess this time.

A quick summary-It's a story of 2 unlikely friends, a surgical nurse, Betsey, and a functioning alcoholic born of wealth, Emily. They are both pregnant and some strange things start happening to Emily. She feels she is being followed. When she does come up missing, her friend Betsy is obsessed with finding her. She enlists her old detective friend and his partner to help find her friend.

Things are not always what they seem was the gist of this story. I loved it. I could not put it down. Another amazing read.

This was a very suspenseful novel. If you're preganant or know someone who is youmight noth want to read this book. Thanks for the advanced copy NetGalley. #NetGalley #NinthMonth

This book was interesting and very well-written. I would likely want to read more from this author and will recommend this to friends.

This did not feel like a James Patterson book. While it was suspenseful and had a few very good twists, it just felt soooo long and usually a James Patterson book moves at a fast clip and keeps you looking forward to the next chapter.

The Ninth Month
⭐️⭐️.5
Genre: Thriller
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 8/23/22
Author: James Patterson with Richard DiLiallo
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Pages: 496
GR: 3.81

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: Emily Atkinson leads a complicated life in New York City. She’s a successful marketing executive who lives in a luxury apartment and enjoys a glamorous existence until she lands in the hospital with a double diagnosis: she parties too much—and she’s pregnant. Her nurse and new best friend, Betsey, helps Emily rediscover how much she loves morning runs in the park and quiet nights at home. But as a series of women in her wealthy social circles go missing, Emily’s pregnancy becomes decidedly high-risk.

My Thoughts: This book moved a little on the slow side for me, it did finally speed up towards the end. The chapters were short, which was a plus. I was initially attracted to the premise of this book, which was unusual, a missing high risk pregnant woman and the frantic search to find her. Probably could have cut some pages out and it would have made for a faster paced book. The story was narrated in an alternating timeline with multiple POVs. I felt this wasn’t a typical James Patterson book, now I know it’s is another author under Patterson, but still, you expect a certain level of excellent writing when associated with Patterson and this just did not match up for me. The ending felt a bit open, abrupt, and/or not complete. This was a good mystery book, a tad predictable, with a twisty ending (still ended abruptly).

Shocked this is a James Patterson. He's good but I haven't felt the depth of character and an emotional connection to the characters previously. So well thought out. Get it and read it!