Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott follows newly married Jacy and her husband Jed to the upper peninsula of Michigan where they have decided to spend a few days "off the grid" before the birth of their first child. Everything about this book feels like a warning, I could feel the suspense and anxiety building right from the get-go. We open on Jacy being roused out of her sleep by her husband telling her they need to turn around to go back home and not go to visit his father. Jacy continually narrates that she has a history of trusting terrible men. You feel the tension all through the house where Jed's mother died, feel that something is wrong, but just what it is... Abbott does an excellent job of building this remote world around Jacy, as an outsider to the U.P., to the close-knit family and community. While I agree with other reviewers that not a lot happens in the novel, our characters change so much through the course of a few short days and events. Not my favorite Abbott book, but a very solid offering and something very different from other domestic suspense novels you might be tempted to reach for. I really enjoyed the suspense and overall feeling of the book, the way the tension built around the wildlife, the pregnancy, and the relationships. If you like books that pull at the threads of the plot until they are high-wire taunt and then spring you free with a satisfying ending, grab Beware the Woman. Big thank you to Penguin Group Putnam, Megan Abbott, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

Lots of creepy atmosphere, and the last 25% of the book got more interesting. The the first 75% of the book, went on and on with nothing much happening but suspense and creepy vibes, that never amounted to much until the last part of the book. i would hesitate to pick up another by this author. Writing, and characters were good, but the story was mostly boring. I really wanted to like this book, and I kept going, expecting it to get more exciting, but it never really did. Disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the copy of Beware The Woman by Megan Abbott. This is a very suspenseful domestic thriller that gave me horror movie vibes because the writing was so compelling. Mrs. Brandt was my favorite character and reminded me of Mrs. Danvers. Jacy started out as a good MC but it got tedious being inside her brain and it took her so long to be protective of her baby and herself. We never really got to know or understand Jed and it would have added something extra to have known more about him.
This book is a sloooow starter, so you have to be patient while the relationships and characters unfold. The last part of the book moved fast, and that reveal was a shock! Other than the reveal, I’m still not sure the ending made sense or was plausible. The way the book ended was so sudden I really wished for a short epilogue so it wouldn’t have felt like the author just quit - even knowing the baby and Jacy ended up healthy would have made it worth it to have cared about her. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because the creepy factor was great!

This story is molasses slow. It's not slow where I can push through it. It's slow, and I had to put down the book and return to it after reading a different book. It could be the style of writing also. The story is slow to develop because the author chose to describe the five senses in everything! How do the leaves look and feel, the characters can taste the air, kind of description. To me, that is mind-numbing and boring that does not add to the setting or storyline. It doesn't help the character's development either. On top of all this, the characters were not lively. Again I think it's the style of writing. The ending was abrupted and incomplete. This was not one of Megan Abbott best.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for letting me read this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I received an ARC of this book from Penguin Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. Lately I have mixed feelings about many of my NetGalley books and really struggle with how to rate/ review! This book is definitely a slooooooooow burn. I am not usually a fan of slow; I may have given up on this one if not for NetGalley. However, I am glad I finished it, so take note if you feel the same way while reading.

Megan Abbott is a very talented writer. Her work is what I imagine people write at literary retreats or in an MFA program. It is elevated and poetic with many metaphors (sometimes taking them to the extreme with superfluous details). The book certainly builds atmosphere. You can feel Jacy's growing unease with the isolated location, creepy overheard conversations, weird comments from Mrs. Brandt (who I think was my favorite character). And you are not really sure what she has to fear - is it paranoia? A regional or age difference in customs and opinion? A true danger? This aspect was unique and a positive for me.

As many other reviewers have said, I was disappointed in the abruptness of the ending. I enjoyed the actual occurrences of the ending, especially the major twist (which I did not see coming). But the reader (at least this reader) is left wanting more details and to know what happens next.

Also as other reviewers have said, it is hard to classify this book. I think I would call it gothic domestic suspense.

I am a firm believer that you can't go wrong with Megan Abbott. I have only read a few books by her (so far!), but her writing and storytelling ability is just top notch. She sets a specific tone from the very beginning, and she never lets up.

Beware the Woman is a domestic thriller, and it still manages to be unique in a recent sea of domestic thrillers. The writing is pretty perfect, and I liked the ending (I read other reviews that found it lacking). Jacy was dynamic and relatable. Abbott expects the reader to fill in the blanks at times, which I absolutely LOVE, and she makes it so that her characters seem real.

Why only 4 stars? While the writing is great, the plot (woman goes to her new husband's old home and finds out secrets) felt a little bit trite.

Jacy’s whirlwind romance with neon sculptor Jed resulted in a lightening fast wedding and pregnancy. They travel to a remote cabin in the upper peninsula of Michigan to spend quality time with Jed’s dad, Doctor Ash. Things quickly turn strange with a mountain lion prowling the perimeter, lack of internet, sketchy phone service, and an always lurking caretaker. When Jacy has a health scare, she learns that leaving isn’t an option.

The story unfurls like a modern gothic tale where Jacy must decide who her friends and foes are and how to keep herself and her unborn child safe. The characters all act oddly and harbor secrets from Jacy and each other. Meanwhile Jacy must weigh the threat of the people versus the threat of the mountain lion.

Each chapter, which represents a day of the trip, increases the tension as does the disturbing little touches around the food and the book which Jacy finds on her bedside table. “Bedtime Tales of Suspense” is full of cautionary tales including “Captain Murderer,” a story that feels familiar to her.

As always, Abbott creates a wonderfully wicked world.

Jacy and Jed’s “insta-love” is addressed by the passion they feel for each other. Her “terminally bad” taste in men is established early, casting doubt on Jed’s character and her perception of the health of their relationship.

The only thing keeping me from giving the book five stars was a bit of repetition and the super abrupt ending.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to G. P. Putnam’s Sons, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I started out absolutely thinking this was going into some weird in-law sexual thing but, it settled into creepy but, less horrifying.

Think Rosemary's Baby meets rural middle of the nowhere house with a dysfunctional family. It was a slow burn but, the end was also rushed. In general, not my favorite Abbott I have read.

I love Megan Abbott's writing and I have enjoyed several books by her, but this one was a hard one for me - and I really do think it was ME that was the problem. I read so many reviews raving about the book, and there was a lot that I agreed with (the overall theme of the book, for example), but I just could not connect with the characters or the story - and for the life of me I cannot figure out why. I feel like maybe trying this at a different time in my life.

An idyllic trip to visit Jed’s father transforms into a story out of Jacy’s nightmares. Pregnant and still madly in love with her husband, Jacy is excited to spend time with her father in law. And at first he seems amazing - the doting doctor and proud father. But after a health scare his true colors soon surface. This is a very unique story with great twists and surprises!

Picking this book was absolutely my own fault and not the authors. I somehow missed that it was a thriller which is not my speed these days. I'm sure this is great for others, but it wasn't right for me!

I love Megan Abbott. There has not been a book she has written that has disappointed me. As someone who grew up in a rural Michigan area, the attitudes and mindsets of the men in this story are not surprising. This story will have you wanting to rescue Jacy and cheer for her all at the same time!

Eerie and suspenseful, this new novel by Megan Abbott is sure to in her new fans! Recommended. #BewareTheWoman #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

I loved this book. Read it in 2 days! Loved the creepy elements. Loved the writing. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed this book, but it was a bit too much of a slow burn for me.
Jed and Jacy rush into marriage and quickly afterwards, she gets pregnant. This book takes them to a house in the middle of nowhere to visit Jed's father, who is also a doctor. Without giving too much away, things turn south and people become incredibly controlling. It has a very claustrophobic feel to me, but did leave me wanting a little more. Overall a good read.

This book didn't feel so much like a mystery as a creepy suspense novel. It definitely kept me anxious and on edge through out and I did not see the last twist at the end coming. Megan Abbott's style of writing for me has been tense and anxiety inducing but in a good way. I don't want to give too much of the story away better to go in not knowing what to expect. I want to thank NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book made me very anxious. Between the gaslighting, the men being in control of everything and the references to women being dirty as well as there main character's previous abortion being the reason she started having issues in her current pregnancy, i was overwhelmed and underwhelmed.

I have loved many of Megan abbot's previous books, but this one felt forced and like nothing really happened.

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

Abbott certainly knows how to create an atmosphere in her writing. From the beginning of this book, there is a strong sense of foreboding which only increases as the story progresses through each creepy plot development. I like how the haze of Jacy's pregnancy made me question whether she was a reliable narrator, and that it was a challenge for a while to decipher which characters she could trust. Reading this requires much patience, as the plot takes a while to really get going, and the ending is more abrupt than I would like. It was a mostly fun ride that explores some interesting and enraging topics through its subject matter.

Megan Abbott is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Rather than give me mystery, thriller vibes, this book felt creepy. It just felt creepy and gave me the ick. Until the end. The end. Wow. What a shocker that I did not see coming. The best part of the book!