This book is not for everyone, as it is a bit gory at times. Pay attention to the trigger warnings at the beginning. It definitely has the "Rosemary's Baby" vibes to it. I found it to be a creepy, engaging read, and and the numerous twists and turns kept met turning the pages. Numerous issues are addressed, including infertility, medical gaslighting, miscarriage, and stalking. Be sure to check out the Author's Note, and there's a guide for a book group, as well. If you're a fan of shows such as American Horror Story, this is a book you'd likely enjoy.

Anna, an actress approaching middle age who has finally secured the role that's put her on the map, is desperate to have a baby with her husband Dex. She has undergone several painful rounds of IVF to achieve this dream and finally becomes pregnant. For what should be a joyous time, however, the pregnancy is immediately fraught. Everything feels "off", Anna is experiencing must more pain and discomfort than is normal, and there are strange and unsettling occurrences happening around her. It seems that externally, someone--perhaps a stalker?-- does not want her to have this baby, and internally, the baby seems...well, rather monstrous. In this twisty, creepy thriller, nothing is quite as it seems for either Anna or those of us following along ...is someone threatening Anna and her unborn child? Or trying to warn her of the danger posed by what she carries inside her? CW: lots of pregnancy body horror and scenes of miscarriage.

“Anna Alcott is desperate to be pregnant. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And even when she finally manages to get pregnant, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone's playing a twisted game with her.

When the increasingly cryptic threats drive her out of her Brooklyn brownstone and into hiding in the cold, gray ghost town that is the Hamptons in the depths of winter, Anna is almost at the end of her rope.

Then her doctor tells her she's had a miscarriage—except Anna's convinced she's still pregnant, despite everything the grave-faced men around her claim. Could it be that her mind is playing tricks on her? Or is something more sinister at play? As her symptoms become ever more horrifying and the sense of danger ever more present, Anna can't help but wonder what exactly she's carrying inside of her...and why no one will listen when she says something is horribly, painfully wrong.”

This book was dark, uncomfortable and quite simply amazing. I would definitely say check the triggers before you read this one. The characters in this book were so well written and you felt like you knew each one. Annas world is continually turned upside down and you can’t help but feel for her. Dex is a doting husband until his secret comes out, then I could’ve cared less about him 😂 I loved the other women’s stories that were woven into the novel. This book brought attention to men not listening to women, especially when it comes to their own body, and how woman are often described as “hysterical”. The witchy, cult vibes were interesting and I think brought home the point about how desperate people can become. Overall, I loved this book and if you can handle the triggers I definitely recommend reading it

review ✨

I looooved this book! Dubbed the feminist update Rosemary’s Baby is very accurate. This is being adapted for the upcoming American Horror Story season with Kim Kardashian, Cara Delevingne, and of course Emma Roberts and I can’t wait to see it come to screen

This is fast-paced and intense; the writing is SPOOKY and I couldn’t read the page fast enough to see how the storyline would pan out. And I loved how it ended!! It took a completely different turn than I was expecting that I still can’t stop thinking about. Shoutout @mkgloll for the rec to this creeeepy read!

The entire plot to this horror is centered around pregnancy and IVF, and it has some graphic images and anxiety-inducing at times—I would recommend skipping if you are currently pregnant or TTC

Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for a copy of this in exchange for my honest thoughts!!

📖 320 pages
🕰 out now! Published 8/1
✨ my rating; 4.25🌟

I don’t even know where to start to describe this book!! I absolutely love Danielle Valentine’s writing style and the concept for this story was so on point and well executed! I loved the representation of infertility, the honesty about our messed up healthcare system and the way they treat women and the lengths we go to as mothers to protect our babies at all costs! Definitely recommend this book!

This was quite a page turner! For the life of me, I could not guess what was happening to Anna during her trial with infertility, through a miscarriage, and the surprising revelation that comes next. Without spoiling anything, I can’t say much more, but it was definitely one that will stick with me! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Where do I start? This book had my attention right away! I had no idea who was behind any of the creepy, cult things surrounding Anna. I question modern medicine more than ever now. The wow factor and twists were well written and quite shocking. And the ending was the nice bow that wrapped up the whole book. It didn’t leave me wondering why this happened or that.

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine is of Anna's journey through infertility, IVF, pregnancy, marital stress, labor, with added threat of cyberstalking. The mix of domestic drama, thriller and horror plus the multiple POVs and timelines made the story confusing and overwhelming. Found it difficult to empathise with the characters. A modern Feminist story that is rooted in the failures of earlier times. A hard book to read.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC of Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine. I am rating this book 5 out of 5 stars. While it is certainly a Suspense/Thriller, it is most definitely a Horror novel. Delicate Condition follows actress Anna Alcott through her grueling journey of pregnancy, longing for a child, and desire to be a mother. However, her pregnancy is nothing as it first appears and begins to resemble something reminiscent of Rosemary’s Baby.

I thoroughly enjoyed Delicate Condition! I found it to be very well-written and a page-turner. I could have read it in one sitting if I had the opportunity. I especially enjoyed the suspenseful and atmospheric setting Danielle Valentine created in her writing, along with the character relationships and development that are woven throughout the book. As the best horror books often do, it had me having to put the book down at certain parts just to process the experiences and mental imagery taking place, which further illustrates the quality and ability of the writer.

I appreciated the content warnings at the beginning of this book and would recommend being attentive to them before jumping into this one. I will also point out that the book description mentions a comparison between “The Push” and “The Silent Patient”, which I’m still struggling to find the connection to. Nevertheless, I highly recommend this one, especially if you're looking for a page-turning, haunting, spooky, and unnerving reading experience!

Thanks to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for early access to this title for review. Absolutely insane read. Not a single likable character and I had a good time throughout. I wasn’t going to watch the AHS adaptation but now I will definitely be tuning in.

"All mothers have one thing in common: pain."

A feminist retelling of Rosemary's Baby, Delicate Condition will have you screaming into that unending void of thousands of other ignored voices declaring their pain is real to masses of indifferent ears.

I really liked this one and can't wait to see what American Horror Story does with it in season 12. It was intense and I caught myself rolling my eyes and grunting audibly in frustration as our main character struggled to find someone who would believe her when she said something didn't feel right with her pregnancy and the events that were occurring around her.

I would recommend this one to anyone but if you liked Rosemary's Baby or any similar books/movies then I would definitely suggest checking this one out.

**I don't really like to do trigger warnings because -this is horror we're talking about- but will say if you have any kind of pregnancy trauma, be sure to do a little research on this one before diving in, some parts were pretty intense**

Thanks Netgalley & Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this one.

This started much like a predictable thriller where you sensed someone might be messing around with Anna. I wasn't sure what was reality, dreams/nightmares or hallucinations. And who do I trust?! Didn’t seem like anyone was a reliable source! I even started questioning Anna’s mental health at one point along with my own sanity lol. There is a lot of gaslighting, lies, and deceit. But then, the twists and turns took me on an unexpected, thrilling ride I really enjoyed. I definitely didn’t see that ending coming!!!!! Highly recommend! (I would certainly check trigger warnings especially if you’re pregnant or have dealt with infertility or miscarriage.)

Delicate Condition is ultimately about a woman who will do anything to become a mother, even if it means pushing through her own horrific limits.  This book was pitched to me as a feminist Rosemary's Baby, and also as the inspiration for the next season of American Horror Story, so I was very much intrigued. I appreciated the interludes of history/body horror angle on something that is so often just described as a precious gift. Having a baby you desperately wanted is a miracle in this book, but it's not the easy-peasy revelation fiction often depicts childbirth and pregnancy as.
That's all I'm going to say as I definitely think the less you know before you read this one, the better!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC!

Creepy and weird while being validating about a very real thing that happens when you’re pregnant - you worry and feel blamed when something isn’t perfect. I liked that it was creepy and realistic in that sense at the same time.

I was So excited to have been chosen for an advanced copy of this book!

It starts off very intriguing with creepy things happening to our main character, Anna, right off the bat. As a celebrity in the lime light she’s found herself being stalked by someone hiding behind a user handle who seemingly wishes nothing but the worst for Anna. While it kept a solid pace for a huge chunk of the book, for me, around the 75% mark the story got a little too weird, it bordered on cheesy. I didn’t find it scary but the suspense is there! Overall this fell just a little flat for me but I am really looking forward to watching the tv adaptation.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.

If you read this because it's being compared as The Push meets The Silent Patient (like I did), then you will be disappointed. Those were both 5-star books for me and Delicate Condition is not like either of those titles. (Publishers - please STOP comparing books to The Silent Patient!!)
If you read this because it's the basis for the next American Horror Story, then you'll probably like it.

It's a slow burn story about Anna, who is finally pregnant after undergoing IVF treatments. She unfortunately experiences a miscarriage, but is convinced she is still pregnant. The story just gets weird from there. She has hallucinations, weird cravings, and doesn't trust anyone. The story gets very repetitive.

The writing was good, and I can see how some people will like this, but I wasn't one of them.

WOW! I really wasn’t sure what to expect when picking up Delicate Condition, but I knew I wanted to read anything being reviewed as the “feminist update to Rosemary’s Baby”. If you don’t already know, Rosemary’s Baby is one of my all-time favorite classic horror stories. I love how well it holds up over time and the subtle chill that I got the entire time reading it. Delicate Condition takes that and ups the level of paranoia to a high I wasn’t expecting.

Our narrator, Anna, is vulnerable, emotional, and incredibly real. The reader can feel her slipping into a state of questioning not only herself, but everything and everyone around her. Valentine writes her as an unreliable narrator, but the reader knows that Anna’s not altogether wrong that something is happening to her. I loved the care that Valentine took with Anna and her struggles. I could tell that she had truly done her research not only into IVF, but the medical treatment of pregnant women as a whole. This is such a compelling and extremely personal topic to cover, and Valentine’s effort was certainly not lost on me as a reader. Her author’s note at the end is a definite must read.

If all of that isn’t enough to convince you to pick this one up, then perhaps the pacing and suspense will lure you in. There are quite a few twists throughout the story that will leave you on the edge of your seat and flipping pages. Just wait until you get to the end because…GASP! It was so good!

Fun Fact: Delicate Condition is the source material for the upcoming new season of American Horror Story! Now is the perfect time to snag your copy and read it before the series starts airing!

A huge thank you to Sourcebooks for my gifted copy!

This one really didn’t hit the spot for me. It seemed like it tried really hard to mix a bunch of genres, but in this case, it didn’t work well. The writing was good, and the story was creepy and atmospheric at first, which kept my attention, but then it got a bit repetitive.

There were so many characters in the story, yet it seemed that Anna's character was the only one that had depth and complexity.

The ending was rather anticlimactic, and it didn't really fit the overall narrative of the story.

I was hoping for a truly spine-chilling blend of thriller and horror, with some mind-blowing plot twists, but it didn't live up to my expectations.

Thank you, NetGalley, the publisher Sourcebooks, and author Danielle Valentine for the ARC copy! I received a free copy of this book, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I heard that the next season of American Horror Story will be based on this book. And, as someone whose never watched a single episode of AHS, I had to read it right away! (Also, that book cover)
We follow Anna as she learns that she is pregnant after a round of IVF. Anna quickly begins having some weird and unexplainable experiences. As her experiences intensify, her paranoia grows and she begins suspecting everyone around her should not be trusted.
This story had some creepy elements and Anna's mental state was a bit unsettling at times. With that said, it wasn't scary (in fact, I thought it could go darker); and I think that a lot of readers - not just horror readers - would enjoy this one. It was strange and weird in all the right ways that kept me fully engaged.
Now I need to look into AHS so that I'm ready for next season.

Thank you to @netgalley @bookmarked and @dreamscape_media for the gifted copy of this book.

When I heard someone say that this book is going to be what the next season of American Horror Story is based off of, I knew I had to read it! I cannot wait to see how this is adapted to TV because if it is even half as good as the book was, it is going to be my favorite season yet.

I went in to this very blind, and I’m glad I did. The twists and turns were unexpected and I definitely didn’t see the ending coming.

There are trigger warnings for miscarriage and infertility, so make sure to look those up if that’s something that affects you.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.