Thank you NetGalley and Putnam Books for a complimentary copy of this book!
Well this book definitely plays with your mind! This book is psychological suspense overload!!! Jacy and her husband Jed are on a mini vacation to visit Jed’s dad, Dr. Ash in Michigan for the Fourth of July. Jacy is also expecting their first child. When they get there, Dr. Ash is very warm and inviting. But as they stay there longer, things start to get a bit unsettling. From Dr. Ash to his housekeeper, Mrs. Brandt, and even to Jacy’s husband, thing are not as they seem. Jacy starts to have spotting from her pregnancy. Jed’s mom died giving birth to him in a literal bloodbath Jacy finds out. She starts to get panicked and she has no way to call since there’s no internet or cell service. Jacy begins to feel very trapped. Nothing is as it appears to be in this house! Will Jacy be able to escape or end up meeting the same fate as Jed’s mom? Who can she trust or rely on?

This is definitely not a novel to miss!!! Look for it May 30, 2023!!!

I could not finish enough of this book to be able to leave a comprehensive review, but I hope it finds its audience and I am grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Beware the Woman is a propulsive read that will have you flipping the pages until the very end. I loved the tension that simmered throughout the book, leading up to the ending. The story seemed to constantly be evolving and taking new shapes, which I love with any thriller, but add Abbott’s incredible writing and this story had me hooked.

I'm not a fan of this one. I just couldn't get into it. I kept reading to see when the twist would come and I had to stop.

This was my second book by this author. This is about a newly married couple who travel to Michigan to see his father. His father is a retired MD. His mother died during childbirth. The bride is 13 weeks pregnant. I had a hard time getting into this book and this was a DNF for me. The main character wasn’t developed well and the story line was hard to follow and jumped around. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

This is my first book by Abbott. It has a very interesting, suspenseful and weird feel to it.

Jayce is pregnant and heads to her father in laws cabin with her husband Jed. The book takes place over the next week and a half. While there ,Jed’s dad who is a doctor, is giving off some creepy AF vibes. I can’t really adequately explain the way abbot makes everything so weird and wild but she does and the reader is along for the ride.

I’ll leave it at that. The ending is just as wild.

Pick this up for a literary suspenseful read.

None of us get to choose our parents. And often times, we are nothing like them. But sometimes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. When Jace and her husband Jed travel to visit his father for the first time in his isolated Upper Peninsula compound in Michigan, Jace isn't sure what to expect. She knows her father-in-law is a retired doctor, a widow and extremely charming.

But it's clear early on into the visit that Dr. Ash isn't quite as charismatic as Jace first thought. And he has a housekeeper, Mrs. Brandt, who is extremely weird. After some issues with her pregnancy, Jace starts to understand the type of man her father in-law actually is. The problem is, her husband either doesn't see it, or shares his views. What other secrets is Dr. Ash keeping?

Beware the Woman is a fantastic read and a cautionary tale to always meet your inlays before you're married and pregnant. This one is out today.

2.5 stars

Wow, is this book review hard to put into words. The only way I can properly assess it is to separate it into two categories: as a reader and as a writer.

As a reader:

* I was uncomfortable within the first couple of pages. Internally, I felt icky when I first began reading, and, had I picked this book up on my own, I would have stopped right there. Since I respect the honor code of reading the advanced copy in its entirety, I pushed past my discomfort and finished the novel.

* I did not like the protagonist at all. She felt animalistic, a bit feral to me. She didn't think like an adult, but as an obsessed animal in heat throughout the majority of the book-- which was very off-putting to say the least.

* Internal monologue-- it almost became the death of my interest it was utilized so much. This became the very reason I began to despise the protagonist. She was extremely self-centered and victim-minded (always the other person at fault).

* The gory descriptions of certain material. I almost couldn't handle it and had to make a decision to give up or speed read through those moments.

* The flip-flopping of the character's mental instability. There were many times I was left in confusion and there was a moment or two that felt forced for the plot.

* The preaching. The underlying theme became an obvious message that I felt was shoved down my throat and I was turned off by that as well.

As a writer:

* I was actually impressed with her ability to carry the majority of the novel (especially in the beginning) with internal monologue. This is a difficult skill to implement effectively and you could tell she was a pro in this area.

* The visceral sensory descriptions. I'll admit, this was a love/hate for me as I felt she did it well-- so well, in fact, that it made me nauseated many a time.

* The pacing was so interesting. The chapters were broken up into multiple splintered parts, reflective of the protagonists disjointed thought patterns. This particular style encouraged you to keep turning the pages, whereas without them, the chapters would have felt unfathomably long.

To sum it up, I did not enjoy this book as a reader because the subject matter, story, and descriptions made me uncomfortable, but as a writer, I found it to be a great book to dismantle for analysis purposes, as well as to determine what works vs what doesn't in a novel.

That is the only reason I gave this book 2.5 stars-- the author knows how to write, but there was nothing about this story that I enjoyed to encourage me to recommend it, unfortunately.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Putnam Books for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved everything else Megan Abbott has published, but this book is not in the same category and I found it very slow and difficult to get through. Quite honestly, I was bored most of the time. I really hate having to say that about a book by one of my favorite writers! I see that others enjoyed it, so maybe I just didn't bring the right mindset and expectations to the reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read it,

This book took FOREVER to read ! I'm exhausted ...
I felt this book to be ridiculous & sooooo drawn out . I've read 2 other books by this author & I'm sorry but I'm just not a fan . This was my final attempt , 3 strikes I'm out .

However thank you #Netgalley for the Arc ✌️

I've long been a fan of Megan Abbott's and her latest, Beware the Woman, might be my favorite yet. Dark, wonderfully eerie, and an evocative meditation on surveillance, paranoia, as well as the thin line between fictional fear and tangible danger, this novel churns with anxiety and menace. In other words, it's absolutely wonderful.

Abbott is an unmatched master when it comes to creating tension, claustrophobic environments, and examining the darkest reaches of the female psyche. To me, she feels like the perfect combination of classic noir and contemporary thriller. This book is no exception. Stunning.

And to whomever noted the Rosemary's Baby similarities--yesss.

To me, the true mark of a successful thriller is an inability to put it down and Beware the Woman barely left my hands from start to finish.

Jacy, newly married and newly pregnant, travels to a remote lake house in Michigan to meet her husband’s father for the first time. Everything is idyllic and wonderful until, as you probably suspected from the creepy cover, it isn’t. What follows is a nerve-racking tale of terror at the hands of misogyny, a perfectly paced, tense standoff that will leave you desperate to keep reading.

The ending is… fine, as I often find in these types of stories, but damn, it's a fun ride to get there!
Read if you like: Rosemary’s Baby, female autonomy, pasties, unhelpful side characters

This one took me a while to get into BUT once I did, I was hooked. I kept wondering what in the world was going on but in a good way. Was she imagining things? Why was no one listening to her?! Why can’t she leave? Short, mysterious, with a good conclusion. I enjoyed this short read. 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book wasn't what I expected at all, but I think that's for the best. Megan Abbott is back with another heart-pounding, atmospheric, creepy book. It was a fast read - I did it in two sittings/less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down, even when I was totally uncomfortable and on edge. I just had to know what was coming next. Overall, I really enjoyed it.

Infuriating! I felt as trapped as our protagonist. Megan Abbott once again infuses a believable tale with social commentary worthy of your time. The beginning was a little slow going but once it does kick into gear, it grabs you and doesn't let go.

I really like Megan Abbot, and I did enjoy this one, but I also put the book down at the last page with a profound sense of "what the eff did I just read?"- This was just bizarre and interesting enough that I wanted to finish it, but was a tough one for engagement. The characters were all insane, the setting was creepy AF, and I just don't understand any of the relationship dynamics. And yet I kinda liked it. Weirdest review ever.

I should have dnf’d this book. I have read other Megan Abbott books and this was nothing like her previous. This was so implausible it made me laugh. The main character is so meek, I wanted to shake her at multiple points and tell her to grow up. But the one thing that drove me the craziness was how many times the phrase”she put her hands on her belly” was used. I really wished I had counted because I bet it was at least 75-100 times. It made no sense since she is thirteen and a half weeks pregnant and the baby is the size of a plum. There is no belly to put her hand on!!!!
As a pregnant woman at thirteen and a half weeks she and everyone else thought she was made of glass. This was awful.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion. 1⭐️

Thank you to #NetGalley and #PenguinGroupPutnam for the read/review of #BewareTheWoman by #MeganAbbott. This was a very interesting book filled with secrets and lies and a big darkness. It was suspenseful and kept me on edge.

Jacy and Jed have been together for 2 years. During this time, they’ve married and gotten pregnant. They drive all the way up to visit Jed’s father’s home, located in an isolated area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Jed’s father quickly becomes overprotective and controlling about Jacy’s pregnancy, but he’s a doctor and knows best, right?

This is a slow burn, and honestly, I found the beginning a bit boring, Once things started moving, I did find that it kept my attention. I guess I didn’t find the characters all that likable and relatable? And I didn’t truly understand the rationale behind everyone’s actions in the end. It just seemed too extreme for me. The ended felt abrupt and could have used another chapter or a prologue to help wrap things up.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Suspenseful, and fun! At time the commentary is a bit heavy-handed on the shame women feel and how society often punishes reproductive choice. But overall I loved the "Get Out" vibes and claustrophobic thrills of this book.