Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback. An all too timely horror/thriller about what happens when women lose autonomy over their own bodies.

Oh dear. What to say about this novel. In a concise and respectful nutshell, not the one for me. This was a slow burn if I’ve ever read one. The last 10% was the most interesting part of the book. The other 90%, felt like there was no plot. Jacy and Jed go meet the father in law and he’s weird. He does weird stuff but it’s just them existing at his home for 240 pages. Then you get to the twist, which I hadn’t totally seen coming, but then it ends. Literally, the book ends in the midst of a scene. Like, WTH happens next!? I need at least a chapter more to tie this up. I can get behind a good cliffhanger but when I’ve read a book for so long with nothing then something happens, it needs the bow.

In reading other reviews, a lot of people really enjoyed this novel. I still encourage you to decide for yourself if you want to pick this up!

I've read three other books by Megan Abbott and really enjoyed them, but I had a very hard time here with BEWARE THE WOMAN. First, it starts off a bit slower than some of her other books -- I love her ability to immediately draw me in with traumatic or tense situations, but this one just took too long to grab me and left me feeling like I wanted to do or read something else, even after the first 200 or so pages. I decided to push through with finishing it, thinking maybe the end would be a great payoff, but unfortunately, I was just a bit underwhelmed. I don't think it's bad or poorly written, but it's a bit too slow and meandering in pace/tone for me, I think.

Suspenseful and engrossing, with well delineated characters.
Many thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Megan Abbott did it again! This was a slow burn psychological thriller about a pregnant couple named Jacy and Jed who go to stay with Jed’s father in a remote location. Strange things begin to happen that make Jacy feel like she might be going crazy, but the twists and turns along the way made this book worth the read in my opinion.

I love the cover of BEWARE THE WOMAN, which is honestly the first thing that grabbed my attention to pick this one up.

The writing and characters pulled me in, and while the beginning had a slower burn start, it definitely picked up pace and held my interest.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-slow burn
-plenty of twists
-creepy and dark

*many thanks to Putnam and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Currently at a 3.37 Goodreads’ rating????? Haters, man.

My friends gave this high marks . . . which is why I keep my friend count next to nothing. I’m assuming everyone who disliked this is still busy creaming their jeans over the new Riley Sager. And the shout-out to Todd is intentional here. While I have developed an appreciation for his ability to make a mint writing knockoffs, Megan Abbott’s newest (although probably not inspired by it at all) gave me all of the creepy Rosemary’s Baby vibulations. You know from the start that something is up with Jacy’s father-in-law . . . it just takes a long time to get there. This one is all about the ominous feeling you get while turning the pages. It is a slow roller, but one that confirms why I pick up every single new thing Megan Abbott puts out. She’s amazing.

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!

QUICK TAKE: Megan Abbott can do no wrong!! I loved this book. It's dark and claustorphobic and creepy and so well-written. I couldn't put it down.

Definitely slow and spooky and character-centric, but the writing was so marvelous, I was on the edge of my seat 90% of the time. Loved the end, just wish it didn't drag so much in the middle.

I really enjoyed "Beware The Woman." It was slow in the beginning, but the last half really picked up. It had a very interesting and unexpected ending. The characters were very authentic and as usual, the men in the book were very disappointing in their behaviors and actions. I think that readers who like mysteries would enjoy this book and I would recommend it. I did figure out the twist about half way through, but one part at the ending was surprising to me.

Megan Abbott's BEWARE THE WOMAN is a strange novel. The plot: Jacy and her new husband, Jed, go on a road trip to visit Jed's father, Dr. Ash, in Michigan At first, Jacy feels very comfortable and loves her father in law.

But Daddy Dr. Ash has a screw or three loose. Fairly early on the novel descends into REBECCA territory, and not in a good way.

The misogyny is front and center, Jed starts to behave like his father; Jacy, the damsel in distress, can't save herself. And by the end, I was ready for them all to go the way of Rebecca DeWinter.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Amazing prose and deep characters pull you in, and the story slowly but fiercely burns to an explosive ending. Excellent!

A book that grabs you and won't let you go until you have devoured it. An incredible ending you will never see coming

I'm not sure what happened with this Abbott novel, but it was a big miss for me. The story follows Jed and Jacy, newly (and quickly) married...newly (and quickly) pregnant. They take a long road trip to visit Jed's father for the Independence Day holiday. While there, Jacy has a medical emergency and begins to feel like no one wants to listen to her - it's her body, her body, her body after all. I feel like the men just gaslit her throughout the whole book. Each chapter sounded like the last, everything seemed to repeat and it was so very slow. The author also included a few too many graphic, unnecessarily crude sexual encounters. The ending took too long to get to and wasn't worth it, for me.

This is not my first Abbott novel, but not the first I haven't enjoyed. I think it might be my last.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Jacy and Jed have been married for a couple years, and now that they are expecting a baby, they’re finally going on a road trip to spend some time with Jed’s widowed father in Michigan’s isolated UP. Although the visit starts off wonderfully, with Jacy feeling all of the love and hospitality from Jed’s father, Dr. Ash, after the first few days, things start falling apart with everything being pushed back on Jacy as paranoia…but is it? I liked this book but felt like much of it was a fever dream---not sure if these things were really happening or if they were just Jacy’s imagination. Personally, I would’ve preferred a little more clarity on what was really going on, as well as what everyone’s motives were. For me, this was just okay.
Special Note: Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm going to start by saying I absolutely hated Jacy, at the beginning of this book. She was so in love but I knew there would be a twist coming and oh boy there was!
Things are not as they seem!

The last few chapters of this book will enthral you. I could not stop reading. The suspense builds up through the whole book, exploding on the pages. It's intense, twisted awesome and great. I was however expecting a bit more from the ending but I think that's just me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, GP Putnam Sons, for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Megan Abbott - 4.5 stars!

Jed and Jacy, newly married and expecting a baby, head out on their first trip to visit Jed's father, Dr Ash, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Jacy likes Dr Ash, but their house manager, Mrs Brandt, less. Soon Jacy has a healthy scare and is taken to visit a doctor friend of Jed's dad, where she feels violated by all the men talking about her in another room. Now Jacy feels trapped in the cottage and that her every move is being watched and scrutinized. All she wants to do is leave, but that doesn't appear to be an option.

I'm surprised at the reviews for this one - I felt such a creepy, horror vibe that I raced through it. The ending was a bit abrupt, but I don't have to have all endings wrapped in a pretty bow, so I was okay with that. Set in a remote location where everyone is suspect, Jacy is pregnant and feeling completely vulnerable. There's a theme running through it about motherhood, women being controlled and their feelings ignored, which just added to the sinister vibes. I was totally surprised by the twist too! Don't miss this one - another great book by Megan Abbott!

Beware the Woman by Megan Abbott is a slow-burn, psychological thriller about a pregnant woman who goes to visit her father-in-law and his mysterious caretaker in an isolated house, a few miles outside of civilization. Much of the story is spent with the main character ignoring her instincts and choosing to stay in the house, despite all of the warning signs. In spite of the slow pace for the bulk of the novel, the ending comes rather abruptly, and an epilogue may have been helpful to provide further closure for the reader. This book didn't ultimately work for me, but I would recommend it to those looking for a psychological thriller, slow-burn mystery in an isolated location. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was on the fence about reading this one due to the somewhat mixed reviews I've seen. I'm not the biggest fan of slow burns and I tend to get bored and struggle to keep going if nothing is happening. I've read most of Megan Abbott's works and wasn't sure what to expect going in. She did not disappoint. Megan crafted an incredibly horrific psychological suspense with Rosemary's baby vibes. I was absolutely enraged and horrified by the way Jacy was treated throughout the book.

I will definitely recommend this to everyone.

Loved the idea of this book, but really didn't like the ending. It was way too abrupt and I actually thought my copy was missing pages. Besides the ending, Beware the Woman was so thought provoking. It really explored gender roles and female autonomy over their medical decisions. It's a slow burn with a sense of dread that builds gradually. With the slow burn, the ending did feel off with the pacing.