Thank you to Novel Suspects for the eARC of this book!
Let me just say WOW! This book had a hold over me, I could not put it down or stop thinking about it.

Clove is living her dream life. She has the perfect husband, two sweet kids, and seems to be living a life of luxury with all her healthy shopping trips, vitamins, and supplements. But this is a life that she has created to keep her past a secret.

She receives a letter from her mother in prison bringing back everything she has worked so hard to hide in the past. This letter threatens the life she has created, invokes her anxiety and she begins to unravel.

I really like how this book was written. Clove writes/talks to her mother in her mind as the current events unfold. It was as if the whole book was a letter to her mother. In addition to that, the flashbacks were done really well. They provided just enough information to provide context, but still made the twist at the end unexpected. AND OMG the TWIST?!?! so good. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.

This book reminded me of The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding, which I also loved! There were many similar themes in this psychological thriller filled with secrets. If you read that one, definitely look out for this book in the fall.

The pages of Chelsea Bieker's MADWOMAN are at once familiar and foreign in their content. Those who have endured the early days of motherhood will find themselves within Bieker's Clove, who is navigating not only what it means to be a mother but how to endure the days that feel so extraordinarily out-of-body that a person can become sure they are not of this world—or at the very least that they can no longer recognize their earthly selves. MADWOMAN shows Clove searching for a wellness practice to help her hurdle a traumatic past and usher her children toward a future free from harm. But no supplement, breathing exercise, or green juice can help Clove hurdle the inevitable—her former self catching up with her. As a result, the reader bears witness to Clove's reckoning with both the impossible perfection of parenting and what it means to come face-to-face with the violent past that shaped the woman she's become.

She's a genius. She's a genius and I'll read anything she ever writes. I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on Madwoman this fall and fall in love with Bieker's writing.

MADWOMAN
Chelsea Bieker


MADWOMAN is about the madness of motherhood.

Clove receives a letter one day at the post office that upends her life. It's a letter from an attorney representing her mom. Anything from her mother would be bad but this letter is the worst.

Moments after leaving the post office she gets into a fender bender with a woman who goes by the name of Jane. Jane will set Clove’s life even further off course but she’s too frazzled to realize how disruptive and disastrous she is.

We follow along as Clove and Jane forge a peculiar relationship that seems to be the only thing keeping Clove from becoming a MADWOMAN.

What is in the letter and what will Clove eventually do about it? All that and more in Chelsea Bieker's summer drama MADWOMAN.

There are secret truths to motherhood that we mothers whisper into the wind so that other expectant mothers don't hear and give up and end the human race as we know it. Bieker went to the place where all of those whispers go and came back with the material for this book.

Its honesty was enlightening.

The writing is sharp and a few pages in I was already a fan. There is a dryness to the wit and humor that I appreciated. The storyline was amusing and it kept my attention the entire time.

I'll be sure to check out what Bieker publishes next and you should too. But start with MADWOMAN and let me know what you think in the comments.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the advanced copy!

MADWOMAN...⭐⭐⭐⭐

"Madwoman," written by Chelsea Bieker, takes readers on a captivating literary journey. The protagonist, Clove, is intricately crafted and deeply engaging. Balancing the challenges of raising her two young children alongside her husband, Clove's life takes a topsy-turvy turn when she receives a threatening letter, promising to unveil her long-held secrets. As the weight of her childhood secrets grows, an enigmatic nanny, Jane, enters the picture, offering potential assistance. However, the lines blur as to whether Jane is truly a savior or harbors ulterior motives. With gripping plot twists that persist until the very end, this narrative leaves readers on the edge of their seats. It is important to note that this story delves into the sensitive topic of domestic violence. Despite this challenging subject matter, I believe "Madwoman" merits a resounding four-star rating due to its compelling storytelling and nuanced characters.

Thank you to Net Galley and Little, Brown and Company for the ARC to read and review.

I really liked Chelsea Bieker's debut, Godshot, so I was intrigued by Madwoman. Madwoman is the story of a motherhood. Clove has started her life over with her husband and two children, none of whom know about her past. Clove has wiped her slate clean by killing off her parents to everyone important to her. However, her life threatens to cave in when she receives a letter from her mother, who is very much not dead, and wants Clove to write a letter advocating for her release from prison, where she is serving a sentence for the murder of Clove's father.

Bieker has a way with writing difficult mother/daughter relationships. Despite sometimes being the background action, the relationship between Clove and her mother is at the heart of the novel. Bieker portrays both Clove and her mother with grace and sympathy, even as they make choices that many might disagree with.

If I had a complaint about the book, it is that Clove's relationships with the other people around her. Clove's mother exists in the narrative as flashback and letters to Clove but is the most compelling relationship in the book. I wish similar attention had been paid to Clove's relationships with her husband and children, especially in a book about motherhood.

I will read anything and everything Chelsea Bieker writes. She has a genius imagination and her characters leap off the page. I held my breath through the twists and turns of this novel until the very last page.

I just love Chelsea Bieker’s writing so so much. This highly anticipated novel does not disappoint one bit, and I can’t wait to see it in the world this fall! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Once again, Chelsea Bieker has outdone herself. Her writing is visceral, haunting, and unlike any prose out there. I will read anything she writes - she captures the struggle of womanhood unlike any female writer that I have read. Outstanding.

My thanks to NetGalley and little, Brown & Company for the ARC of Chelsea Bieker’s Mad Woman.

Content warning: intimate partner violence, murder, generational trauma

Two,things attracted me to the synopsis of this book: the premise of a woman changing her identity to escape her traumatic childhood and the setting in Portland, OR. Having grown up in Portland, I had more of a sense of connection to the area and the types of all natural, raw food, vegan, organic, prebiotic munching, health obsessives like the main character. She is like one of Gwenyth Paltrow’s GOOP devotees, intent on preserving her body in every way, except for this protagonist that drive is a manifestation of a need to control a life that felt out of control in childhood. So much about this book works beautifully… right up until the twist at the end and the resolution, which I found less satisfying.

The protagonist’s voice, though, her desire to be a perfect mother and wife (no such thing), to not repeat her mother’s life choices or allow the violence her father visited on them both, all felt quite real. So did her shopping addiction, her desire to connect with another woman seeking something different. All of it lays the groundwork for the conclusion. When she hears from her mother, imprisoned for her father’s murder, she fears her husband will learn who she really is and what her background was. She goes into a (very privileged) tail spin of exercise, health food stores, supplements, shopping, relying first on her mother in law and then on a total stranger to nanny her children. Admittedly I found it hard to empathize with a woman with so much privilege no matter her background. I raised three boys, two of whom were twins, and never had a nanny much less prebiotic fiber gummies and shopping sprees.

Yet, the book is still a page turner. I was leaning toward a five star rating until the twist and conclusion. I cannot pinpoint what sat wrong with me there, except to say that it seemed less plausible than all that had gone before. At any rate, the book is still compelling and the mystery surrounding so much of Clove’s life comes out much as traumatic memories do, incomplete, patchy, over time, and not always accurate.

oh man what a great book!!! I have not read anything else by Bieker but I was still excited to get my hands on this one based on the blurb and buzz. I immediately fell in love with what this book had to say - the way it explored trauma, love, family, domestic violence, and the myriad ways we can be haunted.. I'm not a mother so I couldn't relate to that element but felt that Bieker conveyed it so honestly and with so much heart, in a way that was just so dang gripping from start to finish.

a couple complaints would be that I, for some reason, didn't always like Clove as much as I wanted to? I found her obsession with bougie holistic stuff a lil cringey. also found that some parts of the plot felt a little unrealistic but maybe that was just me!

either way, I really enjoyed this one and definitely think it will be very well received by others once it's published! 4.5 rounded down

thanks netgalley and little, brown and company for the arc :)

An easy 5 Stars for this incredibly complicated and layered novel about the complexities of motherhood and friendships between women. The writing was absolutely stellar, with a painfully honest and raw character-driven narrative that reveals some of the deepest insecurities and fears that lurk within motherhood. I could have easily devoured this book in a day or two. The writing is flawless and captivating. But I read it very slowly, taking time in between to reflect on the characters. They are very flawed.

At times angsty, the main character, Clove, vacillates between reflecting on her own childhood horrors and her relationship with a mother who refused to leave a bad situation, and her current state as a mother herself. She’s anxious and fearful, often revealing an inner monologue that some of us mothers are afraid to utter out loud to even our closest friends, but is so relatable.

This book makes the reader feel things. True emotions such as anxiety, doubt, fear, and uncertainty. It challenges how we see ourselves as mothers and how we fit in this world.

I would read another book by this author in a heartbeat. I highly HIGHLY recommend it!

This book was brilliant. I tend to love a good "Mommy Issue" book... It was creepy and weird but also raw and real. The characters were well written and the story line was easy to follow and kept me engaged the entire time. This book was personal, very personal. I sense many readers will find this book therapeutic and validating in a strange little way.

Madwoman began as a character-driven novel. Clove had so many things going wrong for her that I didn't expect much to happen other than perhaps a flee from home and the care of her two small children. I couldn't be more wrong. When Clove receives a letter from her mother, the story moves to a suspenseful mystery and thriller novel.

CB is a fantastic writer, and though I enjoyed Clove's description of all the wellness products she indulged in, I also loved the plot twists and turns. This novel deserves a wide readership!

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book. Little, Brown, and Company will publish the novel on September 3, 2024.

If there is anyone out there who knows what abuse can do to the children then you can relate to this book, It is a great story and makes awesome sense to take the time to read it. It can really make you think of people you may know or yourself included who have seen this horrible issue. I am so glad that I got to read it. Thanks friends!

At the core of this book is living with domestic abuse and how that trauma injures your daughter. Clove is married to a loving man and has two children. She is overwhelmed. She wants her children to grow up safe and normal without any of the vestiges of her own abuse. The book flashes back to Clove’s childhood where her father beats her mother within an inch of her life but she won’t leave. Clove grows up feeling responsible for her mother. She lies to her husband and never tells him about her childhood. The book takes a couple of turns to make the story suspenseful. Clove addressed most of her thoughts to her mother, which emphasized how important that relationship is. The story is propulsive but I didn’t understand the organic grocery emphasis. I think it could have been edited down.

Many thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Cried in the middle of the night
Said “What the F?” more than once
Had stirred feelings of my own mama drama

The style of writing (narration) wasn’t what I was used to or what I would normally pick up but it worked so well for this story. The voice was so convincing that at times I was like, “Wait. Is this person/her story real?”

Do not even get me started with The Butcher - totally pictured Jeremy Allen White.

Overall, this is a story that will stick with you and make you think about your own relationships a little deeper - or even make you feel a little more grateful for the good ones.

MADWOMAN is a beautifully written, dual-timeline story of Clove, a woman who has escaped a childhood plagued by domestic violence. The past timeline was unflinching and poetic. The present-day timeline was also intriguing - exploring the unavoidable legacy of violence in Clove's life. Bieker's depiction of motherhood in the age of social media really resonated with me, as did her reflections on parental anxiety .

About 3/4 of the way through the novel, it took a turn I didn't expect - becoming more of thriller, and despite the twists and turns that I am sure many readers will love, I found myself actually yearning for less - less reveals and gotchas - and more inner revelations for the wonderfully complex main character I was rooting for.

This will be one of my top reads of the year. Newly postpartum I deeply identified with Clove and her intense feelings about being a mother…pack on the commentary about the patriarchy and you have a perfect novel. I will be thinking about it for the days and months to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book, and there were parts I really enjoyed, but it was just “okay” for me.

The main character became less likeable and relatable as the book went on, and made me struggle to connect with the story. I understand that she was going through a crisis, but the choices she made angered me.

There was a twist regarding another character that I predicted, so the excitement fell flat. I think had I not expected it, I may have rated the book higher.

Overall, everything wrapped up too nicely and I just didn’t love it. I did like the author’s writing style, but just don’t think this was the book for me!