Thank you NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the advanced copy of Beware the Woman. This book has a pretty good creep factor and kept me interested. The story took a little while to get going, but there was a lot of action in the end. Jacy and her husband Jed decide to go visit his father, before they have their baby and can't travel. They took the long road trip to a cottage in the lush wood, far away from everything. Jed and his dad were treating Jacy with love and warmth, but it didn't last long. Soon she was feeling trapped and couldn't leave the house.
3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This story follows Jacy and her husband Jed as they travel to the secluded upper peninsula of Michigan to visit Jed's father. Jacy and Jed had a quick, passionate courtship before getting married and this will be the first time Jacy will be meeting Jed's father, Dr. Ash. Jacy is also pregnant so the couple thought it was best to make the trip before the baby. Upon arriving at the residence, we are introduced to Dr. Ash as well as Mrs. Brandt, the caretaker, who has been with the family long before Jed was born. At first Jacy feels welcomed and is enjoying herself but soon has a pregnancy complication and things begin to change. Jed doesn't seem himself and Dr. Ash and Mrs. Brandt are treating her differently. Or are they? The majority of the book is building suspense as we question what Jacy thinks is happening. The real action in the book doesn't take place until the final day of their visit. I enjoyed the book but I thought there needed to be more action in the middle of the book. I felt a bit bored at times.

This was thoroughly terrifying and deeply thought provoking. A large part of the story feels like a locked room thriller, and Abbott raised the tension masterfully at every turn. On top of being thrilling and scary, it provides a much needed commentary on the #metoo movement.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG Meg is a great author I have read all her books ever time she has one come out and she never disappoints! She has become one of my top 5 must have authors in my TBR pile!

This was a slow burn atmospheric thriller that gave me Deliverance meets Rosemary’s Baby vibes.

There was an underlying layer of dread throughout the whole story, very fitting for a Megan Abbott, a la The Fever and The Turnout.

I enjoyed it but felt like it was left a little too open at the end.

What an intriguing story!! With so many shady characters interacting with the heroine, you need a score card to help track who is actually a villain or who may be trying to help. Set against am isolated backdrop of a summer cabin deep in the woods is a story that reflects the current trend against women an reproductive rights. A newly pregnant bride and husband visit her husband;s father in what seems like an idyllic trip that soon turns ominous. While there are some moments of predictability, overall I was engaged and interested in the outcome which did not disappoint.

What a wild ride of a book. I couldn't see the ending not even when I was right up in it. Masterpiece!
Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Rosemary's Baby meets #MeToo as a pregnant wife and her doting husband come for a Fourth of July getaway at her father-in-law's remote woods cabin. At first showered in love and care from the two men, she comes to feel more and more like the broodmare for their cherished next generation, especially when a health scare gets them acting increasingly high handed "for your own good." Megan Abbott expertly layers the dread almost line by line in her signature noir prose, as her heroine's rage rises and the men's grip clamps down. I raced to the finish on this one, yet didn't want it to be over.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Kindle ARC in exchange for an honest review. I've read several of Megan Abbott's books and have enjoyed them for the most part. Beware the Woman had me pretty hooked until the last few chapters, in which I felt the story took a very unrealistic turn. Jed and Jacy are a young married couple. Jacy is pregnant with their first child. They have very little family - Jacy is close to her mom and Jed has a relationship with his retired-doctor father but not very close. They go to see Jed's father for a visit, which becomes increasingly bizarre and dangerous. Beware the Woman was interesting but not as strong as some of Megan Abbott's other books.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Jed and his pregnant wife Jacy go to visit Jed’s father, Dr. Ash, at his remote cabin in the woods. At first, Jacy is charmed by the woodsy setting and her hospitable father-in-law. But things quickly take a turn when Jacy experiences a health scare and she suddenly starts to view everything differently. Dr. Ash seems more controlling, Jed seems more distant, and the cabin feels more remote than ever. Is something more sinister going on below the surface? Are Jacy and her unborn baby in danger?

I felt that the book dragged a little between Jacy’s first visit to Dr. Craig and his visit at the house. But, other than that, the book moved at a pretty quick pace which made this a short read for me.

I liked the atmospheric intensity. You feel an overwhelming sense of foreboding the whole time you’re reading, and the culmination at the end did not disappoint. This is my first book by Abbott so I’m not sure if her writing style was the same in her other books, but I liked the short paragraphs within each chapter. It made it easy to keep reading just a little more, and more, and more. I flew through this one in 2 days.

Thank you to #NetGalley for letting me read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Newlyweds Jed and Jacy go to visit Jed’s father, Doctor Ash, at his remote midwestern camera and get more than the pre-baby getaway they anticipated. Megan Abbott is a true master of details, able to say a lot in little anecdotes that might seem tangential. This book is both masterfully crafted and easy to get through, as you rush to read what comes next. This is a great thriller, as well as an incisive commentary on pregnancy and the ownership men feel over women’s bodies. This is maybe my new favorite Megan Abbott book…though I say that every time.

I was hesitant to read this because the reviews were not great, but after I read a few chapters, was curious enough to keep reading. Jacy and her husband Jed are going to meet Jed's father in his remote cabin and stay with him for a while. Jacy is pregnant and her father-in-law is a doctor. This book is a slow, creepy build. The more you get into it, the more frustrating it is because you feel how trapped Jacy is and how awful these other people are. I read a review that said this could've been a novella, and I really think that is true. The ending was super abrupt and left a lot of unanswered questions.

My favorite Megan Abbott ever!! The vibe of this story was so unsettling and eerie. I was constantly on edge waiting to see when the other shoe would drop and what would happen next. Even though I sometimes just wanted to shake Jacy by the shoulders and scream at her to run away, she was such a compelling character. This book was full of really interesting characters--I never felt like I fully understood anyone's motives. The twist at the end was so shocking; I had to go back and re-read. Loved this one and can't wait for everyone else to be able to pick it up too.

Abbott masterfully crafts a slow-building tale of a newly-married and pregnant woman's discovery of her husband's family secrets. Halfway through the book, I still did not know where the story was heading, but I was invested in the main character and the presumption of forthcoming dread. While the ending didn't quite match that expectation, it did feel inevitable and honest. Overall, I am again impressed with how Abbott continues to shake up the thriller formula.

Wow! This was a crazy story. I absolutely could not put it down. Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for allowing me to read and review.

Whoa! What a crazy story! Crazy but definitely worth reading! This book had suspense, intrigue, and so many crazy twists and turns! The storyline was really very interesting! It had me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book! It was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

"Beware the Woman" was such a good psychological thriller. Most of the time I debated between believing the same things the main character was experiencing or thinking I was being paranoid and blaming it all on each of the other characters. I enjoy slow burns and this story delivered. I thought I had a hunch of where this story was leaning towards but was pleasantly surprised to be caught off guard with the finale. Great book!

What I’ve learned from reading two of Megan Abbott’s books in a short period of time is that no one creates dark, eerie atmospheres quite like she does. I felt like I spent the entire time reading both books—Beware the Woman the latter of the two—holding my breath as a dark sense of foreboding crawled up my spine, waiting for whatever chilling event would finally bring the book to its climax.

In Beware the Woman, Jacy and Jed are newlyweds who take a trip to visit Jed’s dad at his remote cabin in the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Jacy is pregnant and at first, Jed’s dad, Doctor Ash, seems to dote on her in anticipation of welcoming his first grandchild. On the other hand, the house manager Mrs. Brandt seems indifferent, if not cold, toward Jacy. However, things are not quite as they seem, and gradually Jacy’s perceptions of Dr. Ash and Mrs. Brandt begin to shift and she increasingly begins to wonder if she is in danger. Jed repeatedly dismisses her concerns and Jacy begins to see him in a new light as well, unsure if she really knows the man she married. The tension finally breaks and answers become clear in a dramatic ending with plenty of unexpected elements.

Unfortunately, this book was missing something for me that my other Abbott read—The Turnout—seemed to have. The pacing here was slower for the majority of the book, which didn’t keep me nearly as hooked as I was throughout The Turnout. When the turning point finally came, it felt too late as events rushed forward to get to the ending. I also felt like there was meant to be a larger imagery or metaphor with the mountain lion as a mother figure in parallel to Jacy’s pregnancy, but it felt only partially developed and got lost in the rushed ending. Ultimately, I enjoyed the ride and am still likely to read more of Megan Abbott’s work in the future, but this one just wasn’t my favorite.

Beware the Woman will be available on May 30, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a review!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A husband and wife living a true whirlwind love story. Going to visit the grooms dad in a secluded cabin in the woods for the first time. Wife is pregnant - unexpected but welcomed by both. Then. Weird things start to happen. Why is this house so securely protected if it’s in the middle of no where? Can it all really be just for mountain lions? Page turner for real. Highly recommend. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Megan Abbott is an acquired taste, in the best possible way. She does creepy and disturbing so well and this one is not different. The plot, intriguing the layout of day, to dusk, to night gave it a slow burn quality. Oh, how I wish there was more to the ending however! It felt a bit abrupt and left me unsatisfied. So close!

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC!