This book is about Anna Alcott and her husband named Dex. They are on a journey to conceive a child through IVF. Once they start going through the IVF process, Anna notices strange things happening which makes her think someone is trying to mess with her pregnancy. No one will believe Anna including her own husband. The book journeys her pregnancy and what she believes to be a miscarriage. Towards the end of the book, things get very strange. This book was a page-turner and kept me thinking and wondering what would happen next. I enjoyed that aspect of the book but thought some things in the end were a little far-fetched. Thank you Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

First I appreciate the fact that there were trigger warnings the beginning of the book because holy cow were there some major things to handle with this. You need to be mentally prepared for this one. And idk if you really can be. It is a mix of horror, domestic drama, cult, and then of course all the physical and physiological effects surrounding pregnancy. There’s a lot to take in. And I do mean a lot. It’s worth it. But be prepared going in for the creep factor to reach 100.
Anna is an actress who’s been working for a long time and has finally had her big break. However, she’s now approaching 40 and realizes that she needs to work on having a family now if she is going to have one before it’s too late, so she and her husband start ivf. Anna’s fame has attracted a stalker, so they move out to the country and hire security so no one should be able to get to them, or so they think. But things seem ti be going “bump” in the night despite the move.
In the stress of everything, Anna has a miscarriage but several weeks later, Anna feels something moving in her stomach, but how can that be? Her stomach is still growing despite the fact that she felt her body release the baby. So what can be happening inside her now? And whatever is inside of her doesn’t feel right. She has cravings for bizarre things and it feels like it’s trying to claw its way out of her. You don’t find that in What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
I can’t go into much more without giving anything else away but there is so many layers to this that you don’t want to miss. I had so many theories and I was right about some and way off about others.
Thanks to the author for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I tried to get into this one but I have a really hard time reading about expectant mothers who get gaslit by their partners and surrounding familial members. I often get told what to do with my body by my own family and perhaps this just hits too hard an too close to home by me, but I had to put this down because it was too much for me to handle, especially in reaction to some things my parents have communicated to me lately.

Saying this book is 'The Push' meeting 'The Silent Patient' is a bit of a reach because it didn't feel like that at all to me. I feel like this book is more similar to 'Nightbitch'. Let me start by saying that this isn't typically the kind of book I would go for, and I don't think it might be for everybody, but I personally loved every second of it.

Anna and her husband, Dex, have been doing everything in their power to have a baby but nothing has been working. This book began with Anna undergoing IVF treatment in hopes to finally get her miracle baby. Anna is worried she’s running out of time since she’s pushing 40.

After all the treatments, finally, Anna gets pregnant. Sadly, this joy is cut short after she is confirmed to have miscarried and loses the baby during her first trimester. Strange enough, weeks later she is almost positive she felt some kicking in her stomach. Anna thought she was losing her mind until a woman at a grocery store felt the kicks herself. Of course, Dex isn’t buying it and neither is her doctor, both claiming it is impossible since she had an ultrasound done that confirmed the loss. Everyone thought Anna was just dealing with the stress of the miscarriage and her hormones.

Whatever is growing inside Anna, though, didn't feel right. Not only is she in a lot of pain constantly (like if something is literally trying to crawl out of her), but she also started craving very... unusual things.

I won’t say anything else, simply, this book grabbed my attention and didn’t let go of it until the end. This book had a wonderful dialogue addressing pregnancy, miscarriages, birth, and how women are treated by medical professionals. Please do check trigger warnings before reading.

Thank you so much Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and the author for this ARC. ‘Delicate Condition’ will be available for purchase August 1st!

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Oh Wow! Where to begin? This book has a lot going on. Definitely reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. It deals with fertility treatments, miscarriage, the treatment of women by doctors, fame, stalking and good old horror. Anna is an actress who desperately wants a baby and her biological clock is running out fast. Fertility treatments thus far been unsuccessful, but in what may be her last implantation attempt, she finally gets pregnant, just as she is being considered for an Academy Award. The author deals with this subject with realism and delicacy, showing what women go through with fertility treatments and trying to work their everyday lives around them. She keeps seeing strange women following her and gets weird messages on her calendar. She and her husband move to a borrowed home in the Hamptons in the middle of winter. The snowy isolation adds to the suspense that keeps ratcheting up . Anna has a miscarriage, but she can still feel the baby moving. Hallucinations and strange cravings lead her to the conclusion that there is something wrong with her baby. Chapters about women in the past who have had her same problems add to the increasing suspense. Her husband Dex seems creepy to me, not believing Anna and always on his phone or disappearing. And if one more doctor had brushed off her symptoms with "take another aspirin" I think I would have gone mad. The only sympathetic character was Kamal, the security guard. The ending was full of surprises, some I somewhat expected but others that I definitely did not. The Author's Note shared her experiences in this area and made the book that much more real. The Reading Group Guide poses questions to ponder about your reading experience. This is a book I won't soon forget. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this memorable book.

Brilliant. Incredible. Amazing. Show-stopping.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Delicate Condition was such a win for me! This new release follows Anna - a film actress whose career is finally starting to take off at the same time she is desperately working to start a family through IVF. This Rosemary's Baby inspired horror novel is thrilling, spooky, and atmospheric. All of the themes center around pregnancy, infertility, etc. so please read with care if you are sensitive to those topics.

There are so many tropes in this that I LOVED but I fear border on spoiler territory so I'll refrain from sharing, but I will say that the new season of American Horror Story is rumored to be based on this book, and I completely got those vibes.

Delicate Conditon comes out August 1st. Thank you to #netgalley and @bookmarked for the advanced copy.

Thank you Net Galley and Sourcebooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book. I like that the story started as a thriller and then genre flipped to horror. I don’t want to give anything away so I will just say: The character development was well done and the authors writing style is easy to follow. I definitely appreciate the social commentary on women being deemed “hysterical” through out history, and doctors not believing women about their pain and health concerns. It was a little to YA for my taste but I am certain others will enjoy this book!

“Delicate Condition” is Danielle Valentine’s first novel geared towards adults. This book follows actress Anna Alcott through her IVF journey. Anna has been a mostly obscure actress until her newest movie becomes a hit. Now she must deal with the increased publicity on top of her fertility struggles. When Anna finally manages to get pregnant, she comes close to having a miscarriage. She knows that something is wrong when she starts experiencing increasingly bizarre symptoms, but it seems no one around her is listening, especially not her husband Dex. It appears Anna is being cursed, but by who….or what?

I absolutely loved this book. I finished it in about two days. I loved the depth of personality the characters had. This novel also discusses how hard pregnancy can be for women throughout history, not just today. There’s a lot of gender discrimination when it comes to medical care between men and women, and this story was able to emphasize that in a creative way. Plus, the horror combined with the supernatural element made this story unique. I haven’t read anything quite like it.

I have also heard that the newest season of American Horror Story (coming this September) will be based on this book. I think this is going to be a wonderful adaptation, and I can see it being very successful based on the storyline, and the work the show has done in the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the DRC copy of this novel. “Delicate Condition” by Danielle Valentine will be published on August 1st, 2023, and the newest season of American Horror Story will air this September. I would highly recommend you snag the book before then!

This book was definitely not what I was expecting. It was not a bad read but it was strange and the reveal at the end didn't really garner much reaction from me. I think the pacing of the story threw me off and I found it hard to stay engaged in the story line. Giving this one three stars for the premise being unique.

Thanks NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Danielle Valentine for a copy of this book for my honest review.

Horror novel based around pregnancy for the win!

Famous actress Anna Alcott and her husband Dex are desperate to get pregnant. After turning to IVF, Anna is finally pregnant but strange things begin to happen all around her. Appointment times are wrong in her calendar, medicine is being misplaced and she begins to receive threatening messages. The last straw is when she wakes up in bed with a strange women whispering "Baby." She and Dex temporarily move to a friend's house in the Hamptons to hide out. Unfortunately, Anna suffers a miscarriage but days later she is convinced she is still pregnant. She can feel the baby move but no doctor will believe her. Anna starts to investigate what might be happening to her and stumbles upon a woman online who is convinced the some IVF doctors are being paid off by a satanic cult to supply babies. When she starts to have unspeakable cravings and hallucinating, Anna becomes paranoid that what she is carrying may not be human.

I was really surprised by this book. The author had me guessing until the final pages and the ending was glorious! Definitely recommend this book for people who like thrillers will a bit of horror splashed in.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for the advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who has been through fertility treatments, pregnancy and/or childbirth can attest to the fact that it’s no walk in the park. And Anna Alcott is no exception. Despite being an Oscar-nominated actress, she is struggling with the mounting stress of balancing IVF protocols and her career. Is she becoming forgetful and confused or is someone intentionally sabotaging her chances for reproductive success? When she suffers a miscarriage, she becomes increasingly desperate and her experiences become stranger and more disturbing. She becomes convinced that she is still pregnant - despite the evidence to the contrary - and that the baby inside her may be something more sinister than she had ever dreamt of.

This book was a fast-paced thrill ride from beginning to end. I enjoy an unreliable narrator and found myself questioning Anna’s sanity. No one could be trusted. I was a little confused initially with the random POV’s from women in a historical context, though at the end it came together and made more sense. I did not predict the supernatural horror elements in the latter half and while that is a genre that is hit or miss for me, I felt it played out pretty well here.

I loved the hyperbolic commentary regarding conception and carrying a child. Too often women are seen as hysterical or unbelievable. Too often we are marginalized or gaslit when we seek care, support and understanding. We are told to “just relax” or “calm down”, as though our pain is purely imagined. Having battled infertility and bearing 3 children after 3 losses, I am all too familiar with the very real horrors of motherhood. I could see mirrors of my journey within these pages, which is why I think many women will connect to it. Note: Please do not gloss over the author’s note at the end, as I found it quite moving and thought-provoking.

I do advise proceeding with caution or skipping this altogether if you are currently pregnant, undergoing fertility treatment or grieving a pregnancy loss, as the content may prove triggering for you. There were several graphic, grotesque scenes involving miscarriage, pregnancy and animal endangerment.

Rumor has it that this book is the inspiration for American Horror Story Season 12 and I am so hyped to see this played out on TV. I expect the show to be just as repulsive and riveting.

4/5 stars

Anna Alcott wants nothing more than to be a mother. The journey to become pregnant isn't easy though. She and new husband, Dex, are trying to conceive through IVF. Nearing forty Anna believes her chances are running out. She is also on the cusp of a breakthrough in her acting career.

Anna is ecstatic when it finally happens but right away there are problems. Someone has been following her and then Anna has a miscarriage. Stricken with grief Anna begins to feel things. Is she still pregnant after all?

I had no idea where the storyline was headed. There are hints throughout but red herrings and misdirection is done so well that many things become surprises. It's hard to know what's going on. Anna is an unreliable narrator for sure.

There is a mix of genres in this book, but a large part can be considered horror. Some scenes are very uncomfortable. There is a lot of detail about pregnancy, IVF, and miscarriage.

This isn't a fast paced novel. Chapters are long and a few scenes could have been shortened. Delicate Condition is well written though and it's an easy read. Overall there is a lot going on but it comes together in an interesting way. It gives you a lot to think about with some real world issues dealing with pregnancy. Prepare to suspend belief for a twisted end.

"Her body is no longer her own"; "The feminist update to Rosemary's Baby we all needed"- these two quotes grace the cover of Danielle Valentine's Delicate Condition, the inspiration for the next season of Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story. A horror story indeed.

This devious tale unfolds over the course of movie star Anna's pregnancy via IVF. Things are weird, things go bump in the night. The creep factor is high. The real horror, the pervasive horror, is the way Anna is gaslit throughout, by her gem of a husband Dex, doctors, friends who keep advising her to calm down and push through the pain, which "can't be that bad". A clever, modern medical horror story with snippets of historical pregnancy stories woven in for good measure.

We're firmly in Anna's corner as she tries to hold it together and protect herself and her unborn child. Red flags galore, we don't know who she can trust. Her pregnancy turns into a living nightmare, and she's desperate to see it through.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC. Delicate Condition will be published in August 2023.

This book blew me away. I picked it up because the blurb on the cover mentioned Rosemary's Baby, and that is one of my favorite books. This is the updated feminist version we needed. I was immediately engrossed by Anna's pregnancy journey. As a woman who has had pregnancy issues I felt completely seen. I would say this book is perfect for fans of both psychological thrillers as well as classic horror. The horror of pregnancy is pushed even farther with the element of a stalker that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Read this if you enjoyed Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage or The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry.

American Horror Story meets Twilight: Breaking Dawn with a splash of The Handmaid's Tale...aka I loved it! I had seen some wonderful reviews for this one floating around, and so I decided to give it a try. I am SO HAPPY I did. This book delivered. The writing was great, the story filled with suspense, and the pacing was just right. I loved this book and can't wait for it to hit the shelves.

This book definitely went in directions i did not expect, and even though it’s more of a slow burn I was never bored with it!

however i’m a bit worried with the marketing of this - I think comp titles being The Silent Patient and The Push are *quite* misleading and i worry this is gonna fall into the wrong hands because readers will be expecting something entirely different than what this story provides. although it is all about motherhood like The Push, Delicate Condition goes in a more surreal-tinged horror direction - I would compare this closer to something like Nightbitch. cannot wait to see the AHS adaptation of this in the fall!

This was completely engrossing and captivating. This WILL sink its teeth into you and will not let go.

This was twisty, dark and totally delivered on being a true thriller.

Anna and her husband, Dex, have been trying to have a baby, but they were struggling so the answer was: IVF. Anna is an actress best known for a role from a couple decades ago, but her most recent film appearance has her looking at being an Oscar nominee. With her recently-regained fame, she wants to remain private about her struggles with conceiving. Anna really does want this child but she has this feeling that running out of time.

Finally, Anna gets pregnant but unfortunately, she has a miscarriage and loses the baby in the first trimester. It’s a few weeks later, she feels a movement like a baby kicking.
After it happens again, and again, she knows that she is still pregnant but nobody believes her. Her doctors say it’s impossible Even Anna knows that. But…..
I absolutely loved this book. It starts as a thriller, then it turned to horror as the book goes on. This is a page-turningly suspenseful, thrilling, horrifying novel.

Horror is generally out of my reading comfort zone, but when I heard this book’s plot was serving as the basis for the upcoming 12th season of American Horror Story, I knew I had to read it. Anna and her husband Dex are on their last-chance round of IVF. But medicines keep getting left out. Appointment dates keep getting moved in her calendar. Almost like someone doesn’t want her to have this baby. Once pregnant, Anna suffers a traumatizing miscarriage (definite TW). But shortly after, her pregnancy symptoms not only return, but amplify…and then mutate. The feelings of deep uneasiness and suspense were more and more palpable with each new section as Anna’s pregnancy evolves. I found myself physically recoiling at times and suspicious of everyone, including our classic unreliable female narrator, Anna. What was behind the sinister changes to Anna and her unborn baby? As you start to cycle through the possible options - A crazed stalker? Obsessed fan? Witchcraft? Her own husband? The occult? A jilted ex-lover? Baby-sacrificing elite Satanists à la Pizzagate? You can’t help but wonder if this is all in her imagination because why does no one believe her? Can she figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?

I particularly appreciated the parallels to non-horror-story pregnancy - the often unspoken anxiety about something alien growing inside you, depleting you of nutrients (anemia is a common pregnancy side effect) and wreaking havoc on your hormones and body. We all know - or should know - women’s concerns are too-often overlooked or ignored (experienced this first-hand when my epidural failed during labor with my oldest and I was basically told I was imagining it). On top of the sacrifices pregnant women make around what food, medications, beauty products, and activities they can consume and participate in, how our bodies and minds are physically altered by pregnancy, often permanently, and how prenatal care is focused entirely on a healthy baby, often to the detriment of a healthy mom (made even more obvious by the immediate and precipitous decline in maternal doctor visits following birth), there are eerie parallels to be drawn here and Anna’s plight amplifies these real-life issues. Come for the horror story, which is chilling, but stay for the societal commentary.

Pub Date: 8/1/23
Review Date: 7/11/23
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled with this one, personally. It has a lot of merit -- I appreciated the spotlight on medical gaslighting a lot of women experience. I also felt it successfully positioned the vulnerability of pregnant women, especially if their concerns aren't taken seriously (not just by doctors, but even those close to them). Talk about timely and relevant to the zeitgeist!

However, my biggest issue is that it was unrelatable. Not that some people wouldn't relate (I think a lot of people would, actually), but in the first 25%, I felt like the main character's desires were only talked about in a surface level sort of way. It seemed as though the story relied on it being obvious why Anna would want to have a baby.

For example, some questions that might have increased my engagement with the story might be: Why does Anna want to be a mother? Why does she want to have a baby with Dex, specifically? Why is she willing to go through the grueling process of IVF to have a baby?

As someone who doesn't want kids and has never been through pregnancy, these answers are NOT obvious to me. With a little more focus on Anna's inner world, I would have at least cared about the character getting what she wants.

I also struggled with the dismissive, disbelieving way everyone treated Anna. I'm sure it's all relevant by the end, but it ultimately made me care even less for any of the characters. There were also things I felt I had to just go with, which also limited my immersion in the story. I decided to stop reading at about 30%.

[Also, there is a lot of body horror around pregnancy in this one, so take care while reading]

Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC and the opportunity to review!