Wow, this was my first novel by Megan Abbott, and it certainly won't be my last. I really enjoyed this story about a pregnant woman and her husband journeying and found it to be a spooky, fun ride. This book laid on the menacing atmosphere to a tee, and I found it nail-biting to read. As someone who has never been pregnant, I appreciated the detailed descriptions of what the protagonist was going through. Highly recommended for horror thriller readers out there, and I look forward to more from this author! Thanks so much for my advanced copy!

This book hooked me from the very beginning and didn't let me go until it was over!

Normally, books centering around pregnancy or pregnant women aren't my cup of tea because I have zero desire of ever becoming a mother myself, but overall it didn't really bother me in this one. The plot was pretty fast-paced and bingeable. I read this in one sitting! I just had to know what was actually going on and if what we thought to be true was actually true. I have to be honest and say that everyone made it onto my suspect list at some point throughout my reading experience.

There are a couple of graphic descriptions in this book that made me go a little weak in the knees, but AGAIN I will never have to worry about these things because I will NEVER be pregnant. But I loved that Jacy was very strong-willed and never troped into being this "feeble-minded pregnant woman" even if the men never quite agreed...

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Putnam for providing this advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review - Beware the Woman is out now for purchase!

Megan Abbott writes some pretty crazy thrillers - I’ve read a few others (maybe 2 or 3?) and this one is my favorite so far. One thing that’s wonderful is the premise of all her thrillers are so unique, and I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like this. It also wasn’t too overly long, and it wrapped up in the perfect amount of time - the amount of stress I had reading this was less than ideal. :) I’m actually pretty surprised at some of the lower Goodreads ratings on this one.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC!

Story follows Jacy and her husband on a trip to visit his childhood home and his father for a babymoon until Jacy has a complication and things take an unnerving turn when the men decide she must stay there.

Unfortunately this was my least favorite read of Megan Abbott. I will give her credit for continuing to come up with completely different story lines between her books but this one was not for me. It was a bit too atmospheric and gothic for my liking. I felt the story dragged on and I couldn't stand the meek, mild, annoying Jacy.

"...supposed this was a big part of what marriage was, discovering your spouse over and over again, being surprised all the time." well, duh, that's what usually happens when you marry so quickly, as jacy does, after only four months. oh jacy. beware.

i adore @melizaabbott. her writing is sublime. like a warm blanket oozing with some liquid you can't quite place. moving when it's not supposed to. icky. but in the best possible way. it's visceral. strange people. strange looks. the hair on the back of your neck always on alert. situations begin nicely enough and then turn, i don't know, sinister?

so jacy and jed drive to michigan to visit/stay with jed's dad. the visit begins nicely enough and then turns...sinister. pregnancy makes jacy feel...not quite herself and jed and his dad use it, soon enough, to keep her there, keep her under their collective thumbs. speaking of under, jed seems under his dad's spell, and something weird is going on between Dad and Mrs. Brandt, the "caretaker".

i felt like i was jacy, coming out of my skin, unable to figure out what's going on and why. reading with my hands covering my eyes, b/c it was, no lie, quite stressful!

4 stars for #bewarethewoman - but for (one of) the slightly hokey twists at the end. aw, heck, gonna go with 5 stars, for the feminist bent, so timely in this day of losing roe. plus i'm a sucker for gothics. HIGHLY recommend, one of the best i've read this year.

p.s. thanks to #netgalley for the arc.

Newlyweds Jed and Jacy set off on their first road trip to visit Jed’s dad in the woods of Iron Mountain, a remote area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. There’s no cell reception or internet access, but Jacy thinks it’ll be nice to unplug and focus on getting to know her father-in-law, who seems quite charming… initially. When pregnant Jacy experiences a health scare, suddenly everyone in her orbit wants to act like they’re her keeper, leading to frustration and anxiety: surely, they just want what’s best for her and the baby?
Beautifully written with an unforeseen, completely shocking twist. I enthusiastically recommend this phenomenal Megan Abbott read!


A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange of my honest review.

I thought this was one of the silliest books I have read in a long time. The story keeps repeating itself over and over until one surprise at the end that does does not make up for the monotony of the book.

If Gaslight, Rebecca and Get Out were film edited together, you might create something like Megan Abbott’s BEWARE THE WOMAN. Abbott, known for drilling deep into women’s interior lives, gives us Jacy, the three-month pregnant wife of Jed. The creepiness starts immediately with the couple heading to Michigan’s upper peninsula and Jed’s father’s home. On the long drive, interior voices urge Jacy to turn around. Even Jed wants to nix the trip—or was that a dream? Lulled in and out of sleep from the long drive, Jacy dreams of a scary childhood character called The Murderer. Before we’re even at Dr. Ash’s big house with its little cabin in the woods, no cell service or Wifi, a mysterious housekeeper, and a threatening mountain lion, we’re already screaming at them to go home.

But this thriller is yet to prime us for the real threat. Dr. Ash, a retired country doctor, seems quite fond of Jacy. Mrs. Brandt, the housekeeper, feeds Jacy an odd type of tea and Cornish pasties, the kind miners used to eat. The crust of the pie, Mrs. Brandt tells her, was crimped into a handle so it could be thrown away after the pasty was eaten. That would keep the miners from poisoning themselves from the arsenic on their hands.

Jacy is at first charmed. But after she experiences a scare with the pregnancy, she finds herself trapped there. Why won’t they let her go? The fear increases when the hard-wired phone goes out. Guns are pulled from their hiding places. Hunts take place for the mountain lion. Jed regresses, becoming a boy again under his father’s thumb, and takes off to town to drink with old friends, leaving Jacy in the care of his father. Jacy is alone except for calls with her mother when the landline works. When Jacy overhears secret conversations between Dr. Ash and someone else, she thinks at first they are talking about the mountain lion when they refer to “a very secretive animal.” But as she puts the pieces together, she realizes they are talking about her. Something is terribly wrong, and she has no one to help her.

As Jacy repeatedly tries to leave, the story drags a bit as we wait to find out why she’s being held against her will. What secrets do Dr. Ash, his professional buddy Dr. Hicks, Mrs. Brandt, and another character Hicks keep and why? And where is Jed in all of this? One of the best characters--and we only meet her in conversations over the phone—is Jacy’s mother. Jacy can even hear her mom’s strong advice in her head, and her mom doesn’t hold back.

Abbott has created a creepy gothic-thriller-horror story. Her stellar writing gives us lines like “a toothpaste-white Chevy,” and she paints a brilliant setting of an old Welsh mine. But at times, the overuse of gothic cliches seem more laughable than adding to the fear: the “Bucket of Blood” Irish bar, Bridalveil Falls, and a woman in a long white gown. In this case, less would have been more.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam, NetGalley and the author for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beware The Woman
By Megan Abbott
Review and Rating 4⭐️

Beware The Woman is my favorite summer read so far! An absolute slow burn masterpiece throughout, Megan Abbott really brings the creep factor in this one.
This story centers on Jacy, newly married to Jed, and with a baby on the way, she finally feels like she has everything she ever wanted. Jacy and Jed travel by car to visit Jed’s father, Dr. Ash, in the Upper Peninsula, Michigan. Jacy feels very welcomed by Jed’s dad and loves finding out about Jed as a child and his family.
She is not quite as welcomed by Mrs. Brandt, the property caretaker. A mountain lion roams the property putting them all on edge. And when Jacy suffers a pregnancy complication, she begins to feel trapped in the cottage, her every move watched and listened to. Are her fears valid or is she paranoid or worse not taking proper precautions to protect her unborn child?
I don’t like to give away spoilers but this story had me filled with anxiety and dread all the way through, I felt like I was the one trapped in the cabin in the woods instead of Jacy!
My only complaints are I was frustrated at times because I felt she should have gotten away from there much sooner. It is also open ended without tying up some of the loose ends. Still, I loved it and think it would make a great book to add to your summer reading list! 4⭐️

I want to thank Penguin Group Putnam and #NetGalley for an eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

A slow burn of creepiness as the main character grapples with pregnancy complications and an over zealous father in law when it comes to her care. Memorable characters and a suspense that builds slowly but sure a strong entry in the summer mystery thriller genre.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Expected more. It was heavily Gothic than a thriller. While it was an ok read, my expectations was higher.

#NETGALLEY
#BEWARETHEWOMAN
#MEGANABBOTT

“Beware the Woman” is a 2023 favorite for me!

This is a very dark feminist thriller that is (unfortunately) the perfect commentary on the world in which we live.

Pregnant Jacy and her husband, Jed, take a road trip to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit Jed’s father, a retired physician. Jacy suffers a health scare and that’s when things really get creepy — it’s like she’s trapped in the cabin.

My husband introduced me to Megan Abbott a few years ago when I was just getting into Bookstagram. We exchanged books for Christmas and he picked “Give Me Your Hand” for me. I have such a deep admiration and appreciation for Megan’s writing and her ability to be so subtly create an overwhelming sense of dread and unease.

Pregnant newlywed Jacy and her husband Jed, married shortly after a whirlwind romance, travel to Jed's father's Michigan estate for a visit. While there, Jacy starts to feel that all is not as it seems when Jed's father slowly changes from a loving, kind father-in-law to a demanding, frightening, angry man who makes Jacy feel like a prisoner in his home.
Jed starts to change as well, and secrets start to come to the surface regarding Jed's childhood, his relationship with his father, and the sudden, mysterious death of Jed's mother, who supposedly passed away tragically while giving birth to Jed.
Can Jacy trust anyone in this home? Her new husband, who she now realizes she barely knows? The slightly menacing and secretive and very watchful housekeeper/longtime family friend Mrs. Brandt? And most of all, will she, and her unborn baby, be able to get out of this house alive?

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Newly pregnant Jacy and her husband Jed travel to Michigan's Upper Pennisula to visit his father, Doctor Ash, and the mysterious house manager Mrs. Brandt. Almost immediately, Jacy suffers from a complication in her pregnancy, and from there her trip becomes one of feeling trapped, suffocated, and like her body and pregnancy is not hers to control any longer.

Unfortunately this book was just not for me.

Positives:
Short chapters
Fluid writing
Mysterious enough to make me keep reading, and I finished it quickly
I enjoyed reading about the setting of the Upper Pennisula
The ending did somewhat wrap up some of the mystery and character motivations

Negatives:
The book was too dark for me surrounding women's bodies, pregnancies, and choices
There was obviously symbolism with the mountain lion and Jed's hat mentioned repeatedly, but I missed the connection

Megan Abbott is a must-read for me. She’s a master of the slow-burn and always lands the ending on a powerful and resonant note. Beware the Woman is no exception. Highly recommend.

Beware the Women was a nail-biting and suspenseful novel. It had me on the edge of my seat anticipating what would happen next. Jacy, a young and newly married pregnant woman, finds herself trapped in a remote cottage with her husband and father-in-law. It doesn't take long for her to realize that things are not right. We follow Jacy as she tries to find a way out. I liked the storyline even though it made me uneasy, and I really wanted her to get out. I enjoyed how the book ended. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC! I would really recommend this book if you like thrilling page turners!

4.25 stars

Ever since I picked up "Dare Me" off a random table in B&N in 2013 due to the cover I've been working my way through Megan Abbott's catalog hoping for another book that hit me as hard as that. "Beware the Woman" came damn close.

The story follows Jacy, pregnant with her first child, as she & her new husband, Jed, visit his father in a remote cabin in Northern Michigan. Jacy is the daughter of a single mom, & Jed is the son of a single father. Their relationships with their parents have heavily influenced how they view the other gender. There is a lot of reflection on the versions of ourselves we revert to when around our families, for better or worse, & how they can impact our other relationships in life. Jacy realizes there's a lot she doesn't know about Jed, & the more time she spends with his charming but reserved father, the more uneasy she becomes about his influence on her marriage. Things escalate when Jacy has a medical scare, & the men's reactions have her feeling more trapped than cherished in their isolated location. Their conviction in their opinions leads her to question herself & her perception of reality.

I binged this in less than 24 hours & am tempted to skip around my TBR to go directly to another Abbott book to keep the vibes going. I have a hard time explaining why I love her writing so much, but she has a talent for writing women & complex relationship dynamics & showing the threatening edge behind pretty things. In this story, the setting does a lot of that work & is a great backdrop for the mercurial relationships between the characters: the summer heat can be comforting as well as oppressive, the nature soothing but also harsh. If you enjoy reads that are heavy on atmosphere & vibes, this might be for you. But I will caution you to check trigger warnings, particularly if you have any sensitivities around pregnancy. This book actually ended up scaring me a lot more than some of my recent horror reads, because at the end of the day, what's more horrifying than humanity?

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, & the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This wasn't my favorite Abbott or thriller of the summer, but nonetheless I finished this in only two days. It was a real page turner with satisfying twists and turns. I wanted a bit more depth, but recommend whole heartedly as a summer read.

I devoured this book in two sittings - I was both gripped with fear and enchanted by the language. Abbott is so good at conjuring a pervasive feeling of dread, while also making some spot-on observations about marriage and relationships.