Member Reviews

All her life Anna has wanted two things: to be a successful actress and to be a mother. After years of trying to conceive, surrendering her body to invasive tests and hormone injections, Anna is delighted when she finds out that she's pregnant. The timing could have been better - she's just finally achieved the critical acclaim in her career that she's longed for - but for Anna and her husband, Dex, this baby is a dream come true. However, Anna quickly begins to get a sense that someone doesn't want her to be pregnant: important medication is left out of the fridge, her online calendar is being tampered with and she's sure that she's being followed. She'll do anything to protect her baby - but will that be enough?

Danielle Valentine's first novel for adults is a creepy, twisty story which grabbed me from the first unsettling page and kept me guessing until the final chapter. Packed with ominous, cinematic imagery, I would not be at all surprised to see it reimagined for Netflix.

Comparisons can undoubtedly be made to 'Rosemary's Baby', but Valentine takes inspiration from the seminal horror and adds layers, with the effect that Delicate Condition is just as much a commentary on pregnancy and motherhood, and an unflinching inditement of maternal health care in America, as it is anything else.

Anna's story is a poignant allegory for a universal experience for mothers: in the opening chapter, she notes that, 'The truth is there's no such thing as an uncomplicated pregnancy. We all give something up in exchange for our babies.' While for Anna this manifests in a terrifying series of events, for other women this might mean bankrupting themselves to pay for fertility treatments, relinquishing their independence and identity, compromising their career goals or sacrificing their friendships, relationship or pre-pregnancy body. Motherhood is a beautiful, wonderful experience, but Delicate Condition captures the other side of it accurately; from little details such as Anna being annoyed that a doctor addresses her husband instead of her to the sadly common story of women being denied ownership of their own bodies and experiences, being talked over, disbelieved and dismissed. As the author writes at the end of the book, 'Anna’s experience with pregnancy is intended to be hyperbolic, but all of her symptoms have their roots in real things that happen to women’s bodies during their pregnancies: odd cravings and unusual fetal movements, not to mention the very real, very strange feeling of knowing there’s something you can’t entirely control or understand growing inside of you.' Valentine also confronts some of the other ways the American healthcare system is failing women, with reference to transphobia and an exploration of the Black maternal health crisis and its horrific historic roots.

Valentine's plot is ambitious with many narrative strands - including a plethora of intriguing vignettes about other women living in other times and places - and this is effective to a degree. I was totally engrossed in the story, wanting to know how all these disparate threads were going to coalesce to a satisfying, powerful ending, but ultimately I felt that the ending failed to pack this punch, with subplots too neatly wrapped up or explained away. The subplot about Anna's celebrity was the least interesting facet of the story for me and, while it was a useful vehicle for certain elements of the main narrative, I found it distracting and annoying how it diverted the focus from more compelling goings-on.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and, if not for the ending, it would've been a five star read for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent's Tail/Viper/Profile Books for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book in exchanged for an honest review.

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Loved it!! Didn't want to put it down.
It was dark and gripping.

Anna is a famous actress, her and husband Dex have been having IVF but hadn't worked in the past. They have another go, strange things start happening .Then Anna finds out she is pregnant and things get stranger and darker, she doesn't know who she can trust, is someone trying to harm her and/or her baby?

Would definitely recommend this book. Thanks netgally for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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A horror thriller. Not really my genre, unfortunately so I found this book heavy going. Take heed of the triggers (pregnancy loss etc) because this book could trigger your emotions. The pace is slow and it gradually reels you into a horrific situation. I had to push myself to keep going.
Thanks to Net galley for the ARC

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Wow, this was DARK, and not exactly what I was expecting! I think I had been anticipating a psychological thriller, but the twists and turns are way beyond that.

Certainly this was a fascinating read with lots of layers. I did find myself frustrated with the protagonist in parts, questioning why she wasn't talking to people, asking for help or interrogating aspects of her experience. But the story itself does raise important questions about women's health care experiences, particularly around pregnancy and childbirth, many of which are negated, brushed off or ignored which chimes with Anna's experiences in that way.

In short, this is a fascinating book which I will recommend, although not to any pregnant friends as there are some very well-written yet visceral passages which could be difficult to read if you're in that place.

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4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2023/08/22/delicate-condition-by-danielle-valentine/
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Took Me Completely By Surprise

Delicate Condition is a psychological thriller with a surprise twist.

I will say two things before I start this review. Some of the material in the story could definitely prove ‘triggering’ for readers so take note of the author’s warning at the start. Also, I wouldn’t particularly recommend this book to readers who are pregnant, simply because the material here is dark and a bit scary and, lets face it, pregnancy can be a frightening time as it is without throwing further fuel on the fire.

So, the story itself revolves around a couple who are trying to have a baby. Anna and Dex are going through the IVF process having struggled to conceive and Anna fearing that her opportunities are slowly dwindling. Anna is an actor who is receiving acclaim following an indie film she starred in which was very successful. The downside to her sudden rise is she seems to have picked up a couple of nasty trolls along the way who seem to take pleasure in insulting and ridiculing her. On top of this, along with the stress of trying to get pregnant, coping with her own overnight success story and worrying about potential stalkers she’s becoming oddly forgetful, missing appointments, putting the wrong times in her schedule, forgetting to put expensive medication into the fridge, etc. Dex seems to be running low on patience and Anna has started to believe that maybe someone is actively messing with her private life and doing the best they can to stop her becoming pregnant. Of course, no one really wants to believe this idea but eventually the couple are forced to move to an unknown location following a strange incident when it finally becomes clear that maybe Anna isn’t imagining everything.

What I really liked about this. Well, I would mention firstly that this has a slightly slow start, but, once things get moving it really does become a very absorbing read. There seems to be a constant string of ‘things’ occuring that for the most part everyone around Anna seems to think are imaginary. And, the author gives us plenty of red herrings along the way to make the reader suspect just about everyone and everything. I will say that moving to a remote, beachfront setting and staying in a huge house is not my idea of fun and that is an element that really plays nicely into the story.

I liked Anna and totally sympathised with her sense of frustration. She was talked over, ignored and generally patronised by virtually everyone around her and it was incredibly aggravating. I didn’t particularly like Dex, he’s one of those characters who is so condescending, I could picture him rolling his eyes and undermining Anna. On top of that their relationship became decidedly bumpy when they were forced into spending so much time together in their enforced retreat.

About midway, there is a terrible event. I’m not going to give it away here but it was shocking and what then follows is when and where the story begins to take a different slant and supernatural elements start to creep in. Creaky floorboards, sleepwalking, unusual cravings and vivid hallucinations all leading to a dramatic finale that was absolutely gripping and took a turn I never saw coming.

Overall, this made for a compelling read. The conclusion took me in a surprising direction and the author threw in a bunch of suspects and clues that misled me completely.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

My rating 4.5 of 5 stars.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!

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📕 “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

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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.

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