Another winner from Megan Abbott. She reminds the reader that perhaps we don’t know who we marry as well as we think.

Jacey and Jed have a whirlwind romance and are quickly married and pregnant. They go to a remote cabin to visit Jed's father. But a health scare for Jacey leads to some creepy Rosemary's baby vibes.

I love Megan Abbott. She writes seriously creepy books, and I was invested in this story.

I will recommend this book to customers because I thought it was well written but the plot was not for me. I struggled to get through it. I can see where it will be appealing to certain customers in specific though and I did think the writing was very well done and the plot was cohesive and well thought out.

It took me a very long time to read this book, because I was pregnant when I got approved for it and had a newborn when it was published. So I was not in the correct headspace to read anything about babies or mothers for quite a while!

But I finally sat myself down with this, and I'm glad I did. It's a slow burn of a read, but a really fascinating premise that is unfortunately very timely in this age where men want control over women's bodies and autonomy, especially while they are pregnant. It is difficult to read, but also a well written book, so I highly recommend it to anyone who can handle the subject matter.

I felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire plot- intense! As a mom I had a bit more of a difficult time reading the plot- but enjoyed this nonetheless! Thanks for the advanced copy!

Ugh, I really wanted to like this! It had the creepy, atmospheric vibes that I usually enjoy, but the slow burn never fully reached that satisfying inferno. I do like many of her other books, but this one didn't fit the bill.

initial thoughts: a really slow burn story, but a very quick read. you knew things were off pretty quickly after Jacy & Jed arrived at his father’s house, and I loved the transition from creepy to suffocating. what I really didn’t love however was the super abrupt ending.

didn’t see the big reveal coming at the end, but would have liked maybe one more chapter or an epilogue to shore things up.

This one just wasn’t for me. I think it was supposed to be a creepy thriller, but I thought it was just a retelling of a story we have all heard a million times. Jacy is a young newlywed, completely in love with her husband and expecting a new baby. She is excited about taking a trip with her husband to see his father, but when she gets there, things take a dark twist, and the kind loving father in law may not be so kind after all. There were times I thought it might get a little creepy or suspenseful, but it never quite got there for me.

A slow, slow burn that pays off nicely. Great atmosphere and tight prose that keeps you reading until the end.

This was such an interesting story! I really enjoyed the unique plot and the characters. I look forward to the author’s next work!

🤰👨‍⚕️Book Review:
Title: Beware the Woman
Author: Megan Abbott
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

I was so excited to receive this ARC because I have always loved this authors work! I immediately started this book, but unfortunately, I didn't love it. It wasn't terrible by no means, but it wasn't her best! Maybe my ADHD brain wasn't letting me focus as well as I could have been, but it was all over the place. Very strange.

Jacey and her husband Jed are spending time with his family for the weekend. Newly married and into her second trimester of pregnancy, Jacey is looking forward to getting to know her father-in-law, Dr. Ash. Soon into her stay, she realizes that something is very off with this situation. Now, Dr.Ash is extremely hospitable, but it starts to become almost uncomfortable. She begins to feel trapped and under constant surveillance, especially after she experiences some bleeding. The thing is, Jed seems to be going right along with Dr. Ash's over the top control. The obsession with her soon to be newborn pushes her to seek refuge from outside the home, which involves her in even more sinister dealings surroundings this family. Strange, very strange.

Published: May 30th, 2023

Thank you, @netgalley and @putnambooks, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Abbott's latest brings the reader to the Upper Peninsula where a pregnant woman and her new husband stay with his father. She feels trapped, out of control, and uncomfortable. Much of the book is given over to her growing sense of creepinesses and the weird environment she finds herself in. Nevertheless, this novel (which perhaps should be only a novella) is not quite in the same universe as Abbott’s other work.

I really thought that this author could not do thrillers well until I finish this book. The atmosphere and the character development were done so well. I thought tI really thought that this author could not do thriller as well until I finish this book. The atmosphere and the character development were done so well. I thought that the creativity behind this novel was amazing

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read/review a copy of Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW a total slow build up to one heck of a ride. I absolutely was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was going to happen next. I really enjoyed this book and the ending absolutely shook me to my core. Loved it.

I ended up listening to the audiobook version of Beware the Woman and I listened to it in almost one entire sitting. It kept me distracted while I completed a bunch of chores I wasn’t looking forward to, and honestly kept me going. I felt for the main character and how she felt helpless during everything due to her condition.

As expected from Megan Abbott, this one goes hard and creeps up on readers with exactly how horrifying it's going to get. It's timely with its story of men feeling ownership of women's bodies, and truly frightening with its plausibility.

The Most Anticipated Mystery and Thriller Books of 2023

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

Imagine the twist that occurred when I was compiling this list—I didn’t even realize that Megan Abbott has a new book coming out! She’s been an auto-read author for me since Dare Me, though her last several protagonists have aged up, with varying domestic dramas to accompany her tight prose.

To wit, this thriller has big Rebecca vibes, with newlyweds Jacy and Jed venturing out to a cozy cottage in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit her long-widowed father-in-law Dr. Ash and (here’s the Daphne du Maurier connection) his icy housekeeper Mrs. Brandt. Complicating matters is Jacy’s pregnancy, as a health scare has everyone fluttering about her in a way that makes her feel less protected so much as smothered. And as cabin fever takes hold, Jacy begins to question the history of the family she’s married into. There’s always a fantastic last-minute twist that recontextualizes the entire Abbott novel, and I can’t begin to fathom what it will be this time.

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me. The writing style felt strange, almost as if I was reading very random incomplete thoughts with no order. I also tried to listen on audio but could not get through it enough to even get a sense of the plot.

An intense but rather predictable psychological thriller. I liked the descriptions of the pregnant main character and her sense that something is not right that she just doesn't want to believe. I felt that the ending was pretty predictable and certain things were not wrapped up. Not my favorite from Megan Abbott, but still an entertaining read.

Review of Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott

I listened to this one thanks to @prhaudio as well as reading the digital copy on NetGalley. Overall, I did enjoy this book. I liked the spooky isolated setting along with the family secret trope. However, while it started strong, it did fall flat at times during the book and left me overall with an underwhelmed feeling. I still won’t give up on this author and continue to read her new work consistently. I adored some of her earlier works and this one while it wasn’t a favorite was still a good book in my opinion.

Synopsis:

Honey, I just want you to have everything you ever wanted. That’s what Jacy’s mom always told her. And Jacy felt like she finally did. Newly married and with a baby on the way, Jacy and her new husband, Jed, embark on their first road trip together to visit his father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan’s far-flung Upper Peninsula. The moment they arrive at the cottage snug within the lush woods, Jacy feels bathed in love by the warm and hospitable Dr. Ash, if less so by his house manager, the enigmatic Mrs. Brandt.

But their Edenic first days take a turn when Jacy has a health scare. Swiftly, vacation activities are scrapped, and all eyes are on Jacy’s condition. Suddenly, whispers about Jed’s long-dead mother and complicated family history seem to eerily impinge upon the present, and Jacy begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move surveilled, her body under the looking glass. But are her fears founded or is it paranoia, or cabin fever, or—as is suggested to her—a stubborn refusal to take necessary precautions? The dense woods surrounding the cottage are full of dangers, but are the greater ones inside?