Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

As soon as I saw this book I knew I needed to read it and oh wow I was absolutely blown away!

This book went in a completely different direction to what I was expecting and I still loved it.
All the characters were fantastic and well written.

It was creepy, disturbing and so tense!

I didn't know what to expect with this book - and it definitely was something different. But in a good way. I really enjoyed this story. It is rather dark in parts and even I was shocked. The story follows Anna, an actress, who is trying to have a baby but not having much luck with IVF. When she does eventually fall pregnant, things are not as they seem, and things become strange. When she is told she has miscarried, she believes otherwise, and has to convince those around her that she is not delusional. The ending was not something I expected at all, and was a little weird, but I still did enjoy the story.

Body horror is an image we tend to associate with the more grotesque transformations of film but humans do ourselves see dangerous changes too and being pregnant is one of the most common. In the 21st century west its often forgotten how dangerous for parents and child this nine-month experience could be. Mortality rates until only recent times were incredibly high. In Danielle Valentine’s Delicate Condition, a mix of horror and thriller explores this through a woman experiencing.

Anna Alcott is happily married; her acting career is entering a vibrant second act with talk of Oscars and yet one key strand of her life is missing – turning forty and so far unable to conceive. Her and husband Dex have agreed to IVF and then unfolds a tale of stalking, mysterious hospital encounters and a feeling that someone is keen for Anna not to conceive. Her best friend suggests an alternate route to go down but further dangers await.

I am afraid for me this was a case of an interesting ideas but ultimately, I really found the approach to storytelling on the whole taking me out of this story too much for me to enjoy it. Valentine’s approach is for everyone t be glossily described and then random facts just dropped in on the reader. Why yes, our main character has at least three potential stalkers wishes given no thought to. The overall reaction to this and attempts to merge this with the wider and to be fair enlightening history of gynaecology and its darker side are all interesting ideas, but the story is ultimately one horror fans may be able to guess fairly quickly. I found Anna and her film star lifestyle being carefully explained the kind of glamourous tale that tends to switch me off rather than entertain me and felt a little too movie script rather than novel.

What I did enjoy was the moments of spookiness and the idea of a stalker who can even get to you in a hospital as well as the impersonal nature of medics talking to women about pregnancy did strike a chord with things I have heard from friends. But ultimately none of this really hooked me into the tale to make a lasting impression and instead I found my attention drifting regularly. Overall, I found Delicate Condition a disappointment and is not a story I can recommend.

Anna is a fascinating character and the author’s slow reveal of her personality and mindset make for thrilling reading. This is a dark book and some may find it disturbing, but there is no doubt it is riveting and a thriller in the true sense of the word.

Valentine’s writing style is hauntingly captivating, painting vivid and chilling images that will leave you breathless. To be honest, it is horrific in the most beautiful way.

This book delves deep into the complexities of gender and power, exploring the struggles and triumphs of women in a way that is both thought-provoking and empowering with a focus on dark feminist themes.

Valentine masterfully weaves together elements of horror and psychological suspense, creating a modern-day homage to the classic novel ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ by Ira Levin, that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

While ‘Delicate Condition’ is undeniably a gripping read, I couldn’t help but crave more of Valentine’s twisted storytelling. The book left me hungry for further exploration into the dark and mysterious world she created.

Overall, ‘Delicate Condition’ is a must-read for fans of horror, feminist literature, and psychological thrillers. With its horrific beauty and thought-provoking themes, it is a book that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Anna Alcott is an actor in her late thirties. Her latest film The Auteur was a huge hit, something that Anna has worked for her entire life.

She’s happily married to Dexter, however the couple cannot conceive naturally, hence they’ve been undergoing IVF treatment for quite a while.

Anna notices strange things happening around her: someone keeps messing with her Google calendar and changes the appointment hours, then she spots a woman wearing a blue baseball cap and oversized sunglasses that appears to be following her.

When Anna finally gets pregnant, a woman breaks into their house and steals their baby photo. Dexter is very sceptical when Anna mentions what’s been going on. It’s clear that he reckons she’s blowing the whole situation out of proportion.

Then, sadly Anna loses the baby at 15 weeks. The doctors tell her that her baby is gone, so the couple recuperate in their friend’s house in a secluded location.

However, Anna is sure she can feel the baby move. Yet again, her husband and the medical professionals refuse to believe her and tell her that she’s imagining things.

Anna’s pregnancy develops in a strange fashion: when the baby moves she is in so much pain, it’s almost like the growing baby inside of her is possessed by a demon. She has strange cravings for raw meat – she wants to eat the neighbourhood cat and the dead raccoon at the back of the house.

What is happening to Anna? Is she hallucinating? Is she even pregnant? Is she pregnant with a baby… or something else?

I loved this book from start to finish.

After I finished it, my reaction was “Wow. What have I just read?”.

This book explores the themes of medical professionals not believing their patients and dismissing their symptoms. Throughout the book, Anna is told to take a bath, relax, or take a low dose painkiller. Even her husband doesn’t believe her – if I was married to Dexter, I would definitely be giving him some piece of my mind!

Anna’s pregnancy is very exaggerated, but as she has nothing to compare it to, at the start she thinks her symptoms are normal. But later on, she starts to acknowledge that things aren’t right and someone is out to get her. She just needs to work out who, but that’s easier said than done.

This book is compelling and absolutely gruesome in parts. I loved how the chapters were intertwined with other women’s stories of their childbirth and pregnancy experiences. I had no idea how they linked to the main story, but it all came together in the end.

Delicate Condition made me think of my own experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, chronic pain and endometriosis – I was dismissed by medical practitioners for over a decade before I got my diagnosis. I was also told to take a bath or paracetamol for my pain.

This book is an absolute treasure. It’s a thriller that soon progresses to horror, think of it as Rosemary’s Baby meets Stephen King.

I definitely recommend it.

Thank you to Viper Books for approving my NetGalley request to read and review this title.

An incredibly hard-hitting thriller about a woman desperate to have a baby who finally gets pregnant via IVF. The story charts a terrifying, horror-inducing pregnancy and explores themes of motherhood, medical misogyny and the power of women.

This is a difficult read but one that’s sure to make any woman consider their position in society and question how they are treated. My one criticism is actually the author’s note at the end. I am a reader who is childless by circumstance, not choice, and the author’s note is very much written to mothers. This felt exclusionary and I found it quite offensive and upsetting. I may not be a mother, as much as I’d like to be, but I can empathise with mothers and the difficulties of pregnancy. I’m sure that the author did not mean for her note to make anyone feel bad, but it could have been a bit more inclusive and aware of other women’s experiences

I think this must be the strangesrt story I have ever read. A scientist cum Doctor falls in love with a female patient who has Tuberculosis and evetually dies. What follows is beyond the realms of imagination. Very appropriate conclusion to an amazing story.

This is an important book because it talk about maternity without sugarcoating or sort of fairy tale moment. Being pregnant means facing doctor who an believe you or not, is the changes in your body and how you feel the changes.
It can be dangerous, it can be risky, it can be a moment of happyness. There's so much involved and there's also fear.
This is a terrifying book. There's no classic monster but there's enough to made me bless menopause.
It kept me on the edge, hoping for the best, hating the misoginy of the doctors and loving the storygelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Fantastic book, I loved the honesty of all that goes with trying to conceive with fertility issues and then subsequent miscarriage. The rawness of the situation perfectly describes what women experience.

The back stories were interesting and then we get on to the nuttiness/horror side of it! Loved it, so dark! The dolls freaked me out, but I loved how it all came together and was explained.

Overall 4.5*

This book may not be for everyone as it deals with fertility issues as well as not being for anyone too squeamish ! That being said the author draws you in as the reader with each chapter until you almost have the "baby brain fog" as Anna, the main character, does in the story. There are lots of issues highlighted in the book and as such would probably be a good story for a discussion group. It is well written and certainly makes you think "what if..." !

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

Creepy, disturbing and incredibly weird!

Can definitely see why this was picked up by American Horror Story's creators as the subject matter is right up their street!

About a woman who is desperate to get pregnant who, by some miracle, finally falls pregnant but things are not as they seem and weird and very disturbing things start happening to her.

I did really enjoy this but we warned as there are some pretty graphic descriptions that make you squirm!

Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes something a bit different from the norm.

This was quite a good story for a novel, there should definately be more natal/maternal horror around!
And whilst I did enjoy the book it could have benefitted from a real streamline edit to make it starker, letting the central premise and horror stand out more. There was just so much noise around what was quite a simple, horrific idea that made it quite frustrating to read sometimes.

The author threw absolutely every trope at this one, plus red herrings, inconsequential characters and odd little flashback scenes to other times in history that were never followed up, which I understand were meant to give us insight into the 'coven' we were going to be introduced to at the end but just detracted from what was going on.
When we did find out what was going on it was glossed over so quickly as to make it pointless to have gone through the journey.

And Anna's constant questioning, reptitive interior monologue and weird obsessive single mindedness about her unborn baby (which there was clearly something wrong with) just made me want her to shut up and get help!

So yes I liked the idea but this was just not the best execution of it - far too noisy, messy and annoying. Rather like childbirth!

📕 “I wanted this baby so badly.
But she may be the death of me…”

🤩 This is one of those books that not only is difficult to review but also to rate. First off, there are trigger warnings listed at the beginning of the book, I highly recommend you take heed before reading.

I’m not sure if this novel was pure brilliance or masterly convoluted.

Is it unusual? Yes! Is it crazy, mad, bat shit crazy? Yes! Unsettling and disturbing? Abso-bloody-lutely! It takes unreliable narrator to another level. And yet … it tugged at my maternal heart. The prose is brilliant, creative, daring with glimmers of beauty.

I cried, I was gobsmacked, AND yet I could not stop reading … I realise that not everything has to make sense, or fit into a certain box to be good, sometime they just are! I think this is one of those.

I vacillated between I’m not sure … and I am sure … this review is indicative of how I felt while reading! 😂

Think Chucky meets Salem witch trials, meets Satan, concluding in a modern day Rosemary’s Baby.
That’s it. 4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

The audiobook narration was fantastic! 🎧 Many thanks to @dreamscape media for ALC
Thanks to @netgalley @sepenttail @viper for e-arc 💌

For fans of dark, messy, horror. Added bonus, this novel is the basis of the next season of American Horror Story 🩸

❓Do you like a QOTD or no? Why or why not?

#netgalley #delicatecondition #newrelease #audiobook #ebook #arc

This is a very dark and at times disturbing story about a woman, Anna, who is desperate to have a baby. Previous IVF treatments have been unsuccessful but after a lot of heartache and pain Anna is pregnant. However, now the problems really begin and her earlier suffering is nothing compared to what she will have to endure to become a mother. This book has been billed as a feminist update of 'Rosemary's Baby', and I can see why, but it is a subtle comparison. A very engrossing read but it may be upsetting for some readers, especially those in the process of starting a family.

When Anna finally has success with IVF, things soon start to go wrong. Someone is changing her appointments and she feels as if she has a stalker. After her doctor tells her that she has lost the baby, Anna can still feel movement and is convinced that she has been lied to. As her symptoms worsen, she becomes terrified of the baby she is carrying.

A complete rollercoaster of a story that will thoroughly terrify you.

This book literally gave me nightmares. The writing painted such a vivid picture in my mind and I could imagine every frightening moment that Anna went through. I really felt for Anna, especially when she felt like no one believed her, and found her story to be so emotional and heart-breaking.

Danielle Valentine created so much tension from the very start of the book. The cleverly crafted plot had me racing to the end to find out what was going to happen.

Delicate Condition is an incredibly dark thriller that you won't be able to put down.

Thank you NetGalley and Viper for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I wanted this baby so badly. But she may be the death of me…

This book was so brilliantly CREEPY 😱 - a disturbingly psychological horror and I absolutely loved it!! I don’t want to give too much away as I feel the less you know going in, the better.

Anna is desperate to have a baby. After gruelling IVF attempts and odd things happening, she feels someone is trying to make sure it doesn’t happen 🤔 Then she finally falls pregnant and that’s when everything becomes absolute CARNAGE! 😵‍💫😵‍💫

The descriptions are visceral and at times I was sitting there with my heart in my throat 🫣🫣 - there was one part where I thought “no, please NO!” 😅 But it was all good. Like proper eye bulge moment 👀👀

This one had me utterly gripped and at times questioning just wtaf is real and what isn’t???! 🤯

The author’s note at the end was so insightful and highlighted how often women can feel misheard or simply ignored in terms of their bodies, and how much more needs done, both medically and educationally, to understand our bodies.

Please do be mindful of the trigger warnings - miscarriage, IVF, infertility, implied animal cruelty - this book absolutely needs it.

It’s dark, it’s gripping, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s HORRIFYING - and in my opinion simply amazing and worth every one of these 5 stars 🤩🤩

‘I wanted this baby so badly. But she may be the death of me...’

My thanks to Serpent’s Tail/Viper for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Delicate Condition’ by Danielle Valentine.

This was a disturbing psychological horror that included visceral descriptions of an unusual pregnancy.

Actor Anna Alcott is desperate to have a family with her husband Dex. She is approaching forty and has been undergoing a gruelling IVF regime for some time. However, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure that never happens. It’s only little things such as appointments being moved and crucial medication spoilt but it is concerning.

Then she finally becomes pregnant and it’s not long until her real nightmare begins …I shall leave the summary there as I feel that thrillers such as this are best read ‘cold’.

While I wouldn’t class this novel as a retelling, for those familiar with Ira Levin’s classic there are clearly a few echoes of ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ in the narrative; including the chalky aftertaste to the smoothies that Anna’s husband insists she drinks and the strange women that appear to be shadowing her. Add to this the sense of growing paranoia as to who Anna can trust. All very effective to build the suspense.

I will admit that I found some of the descriptions of Anna’s pregnancy harder to read than more conventional horror. In her Author’s Note Danielle Valentine writes about her realisation as how difficult even the most average pregnancy can be.

Overall, I found ‘Delicate Condition’ more disturbing than most conventional horror novels. In that respect ‘enjoyed’ wasn’t quite the right word to describe my response. I found it very effective in terms of psychological horror and also appreciated how well Danielle Valentine handled the pacing, characterisations, and the eventual reveal. It proved a satisfying and engaging read.

On a side note I was excited to learn that ‘Delicate Condition’ will serve as the basis for Season 12 of ‘American Horror Story’.

TW

Miscarriage, infertility, IVF

This was so much more of a horror than I was expecting! It definitely gave me Rosemary’s baby vibes 😱

What started out as a story of unsuccessful IVF treatments escalated into so much more.

I really liked the snippets of the other women’s stories interspersed within that of Anna’s; strong women who all wanted a successful pregnancy and dependent on which time they lived made a huge difference to how they were perceived. They were all strong women with something not quite ‘normal ’ at the heart of each pregnancy.

Anna’s story was truly horrific but had a surprising outcome in the end: I’ll let you read it to figure it out.

Definitely one to read! I felt this was a first class, heart stopping story with a different take on dealing with pregnancy and all it entails. So good it was hard to put down, wishing and hoping that all would turn out okay for Anna. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this novel.