This is the closest thing to a thriller that I've enjoyed in a long time, because it actually had some substance and depth. I was on the edge of my seat and rooting for her and frustrated and scared and all of the emotions. The ending will be polarizing, but I thought it was perfect.

This was a bingeble book, I love how the whole book was our main character Annie talking to her unborn baby. It was easy to follow and Annie was so relatable. It felt very elder millennial and I was 100% here for it.

We meet Annie, 37 weeks pregnant and trying to buy a baby crib at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits Portland. She is trapped in IKEA but a nice woman helps her out and gets her out of the building. Annie has no phone or car keys anymore and no way of contacting her husband, so she does the only thing she can think of and starts walking towards the cafe her husband, Dom works at.

This is no easy task because she’s 37 weeks pregnant and this is a multiple miles long journey in sandals. Along the way she meets many people struggling to survive and make sense of this tragedy. This isn’t a small earthquake, half of the city is flattened.

As we follow Annie along her walk, she talks about what is currently happening and also flashbacks to memories.
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😃 the good
This was a fast read, I read it in a 24 hour period. I found Annie to be very real and deep as a character. It felt like a friend was telling me about her day.

🤔food for thought
This book has some heavy stuff in it due to the devastating earthquake, it details a death and mentions death of a child (not in detail). You see the darker side to humanity during an emergency.
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Overall this book reminded me a lot of the book Severance which is an all time favorite of mine.

I’m not generally a dystopian novel fan, but this one has been second guessing that. Beautifully written, fully immersive, terrifying.

IKEA, a mega quake and a very pregnant woman make for a very interesting combo! The story opens with Annie, who is 9 months pregnant, shopping at IKEA for a crib. She is exhausted, short tempered and thinks she is at the end of her rope when Portland is hit by a huge earthquake and she discovers her troubles have just begun.
Trapped under rubble she discovers kindness in a stranger she previously treated terribly. They form a bond as they make their way through a now alien world as around them Portland lies in ruins. With no phone to contact her husband and impassable roads, Annie sets out to her husband’s work to find him.
During this painful walk Emma Pattee is able to give us insight into Annie’s past. Although she moves with painful resolve with the singular goal of finding her husband, she has been living under the burden of the regret of her marriage and its potential disillusionment. She has lost respect for her husband who refuses to take responsibility and lives in the dreamland of becoming an actor.
That being said this book is about love for family. It is also about perspective. When all else is pulled away Annie realizes how important her child and her husband really are to her. We see how far she is willing to go to fight for them. Tilt also has a gentle side to it in the lovely way she talks to her unborn child. We see a kindness there and the love and fear of a young mother.
This is a wonderful book of determination and self doubt that was hard to put down. I found it hard to believe that Pattee is a debut author. Kudos to her!
I would like to thank Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I loved this book so much. After a devastating earthquake, 9 mos pregnant Annie is walking through the aftermath, trying to get home. It takes place over 1 day and the chapters alternate between present day and the past, with Annie narrating both timelines as telling a story to her baby, "Bean". I loved Annie's internal monologue, it really captured the spirit of an elder millennial. It was funny, sad, poignant. I laughed out loud and I cried.

The ending was open-ended which I typically do not like. But it worked perfect for the story.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

After a massive earthquake decimates Portland, Oregon, heavily pregnant Annie must navigate her way from the IKEA where she was crib shopping through the devastation to her home and her husband. Tension builds as Annie must walk through a city left in chaos, making this book, set over the course of one day, hard to put down.

As she walks, Annie reflects on her struggling marriage, her disappointing career and her anxiety about having a baby. Along the way she experiences humans in the throes of a natural crisis that brings out both the good and the bad: strangers offering help, looting of stores and an unlikely friendship with a young mother. If she makes it through, will she change her ways?

The author poignantly captured the rawness and desperation of the crisis and had me anxiously turning pages to see Annie’s day to the end. While I wasn’t completely satisfied with the conclusion, this gripping thriller has left me pondering what I would do in the event of a natural disaster. I especially enjoyed how the author utilized some of Annie’s thoughts and introspection to bring a lightness to such a heavy event. It made Annie’s character a little more likeable and relatable, which helped me connect to her more.

Thank you to Emma Pattee, Simon Element and NetGalley for a gifted digital copy of the book for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Simon Element and Marysue Rucci Books for the gifted copy

Tilt
Emma Pattee
Publishing Date: March 25, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This was a really impressive and very well written debut novel. I read it in under 24 hours as I simply could not look away.

This book literally had me holding my breath at points. Anxiety was high, my heart was racing, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see if Annie, her baby, her family, and those she meets along the way would be ok.

The way the author wrote Annie’s character and her experience of pregnancy and impending motherhood was so raw and honest, it was perfection. I am not generally a fan of pregnancy in books but the way Pattee didn’t shy away from the realities of how NOT glamorous it is was just so relatable.

As someone who generally likes a neatly tied up ending, this one left me hanging a bit more than I personally like. I feel like this was very intentional, but it left me feeling unbalanced in the end. This is a personal preference issue, not an issue with this book, which was truly amazing.

Thank you @simonelement @marysueruccibooks for my #gifted ARC and thank you @simonaudio for my #gifted ALC of Tilt! #ElementalReaders #SimonElement #MarysueRucciBooks

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐓𝐢𝐥𝐭
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐄𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐏𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐞
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟒, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

Tilt is a debut novel by author Emma Pattee. Set over the course of one day, it follows Annie, who is nine months pregnant and shopping for a crib at an IKEA store in Oregon when an earthquake hits. With no way to reach her husband, she has no choice but to walk to try to find her husband where he works. As Annie makes her way through the city, she makes an unlikely friend, reflects on her life and her marriage, her fears of having a baby, and watches as strangers not only help others, but also panic and do things they normally wouldn’t do. Will she ever find her husband and can she protect her baby and herself despite all of the chaos in the city?

This was such an interesting book. It was a quick read, and really unlike anything I’ve read in the past. It was very thought-provoking, and one I am definitely still thinking about, even days after finishing. The ending isn’t what I thought it would be like, but I can understand the reason for that. This is definitely one I would recommend. As the cover states, it will definitely get your heart racing!

Posted on Goodreads on February 26, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around February 26, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on March 4, 2025
**-will post on designated date

Tilt reads like a fever dream, and how I wish that were the case for Annie, as natural disaster strikes when our very pregnant mc is shopping at IKEA. The tension had me racing to the end. I really enjoyed the flashback chapters. The story was so anxiety inducing. My only problem with this book is the end. I guess I wanted more.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my ARC.

This is the kind of novel that makes you question how you would react to a natural disaster destroying your city, in this case a major earthquake in Portland, Oregon. During the course of a single day, the author follows a pregnant woman from an IKEA (when the quake hit), as she walks through the mostly destroyed city to reach her husband. In alternate chapters she retraces their relationship, broken dreams, and her fears of the future. I usually dislike stories where everything is brought to a conclusion but, in this novel, I wish there had been an attempt to answer some of the bigger story lines in the book. Another chapter would have been welcome.

The author’s strongest point was voicing the fear and anxiety of her main character. Even though some of her character’s actions were questionable, they were believable. The descriptions of the physical aftermath left me just sad and worried about the likelihood of such a disaster.

Thanks to NetGalley and Marysue Ricci Books/Simon and Schuster for the ARC to read and review.

Tilt by Emma Pattee is Annie’s journey from IKEA back to her home in the wake of a terrible earthquake. It has all the elements of an epic including the epic hero who must confront natural and human obstacles in her way. I can’t say that I liked her in the beginning of the novel, but I enjoyed reading her adventures as she faced each difficulty she encountered. In fact, I grew to love her by the end and was sorry to finish the novel. Pattee’s style is realistic enough that readers will imagine the hardships Annie faces and will take each step along with her.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC copy of this book.

Tilt is an intense, propulsive read that drops you right into the chaos of a city rocked by disaster. Annie’s journey through a crumbling Portland is gripping, filled with tension, raw emotion, and moments of unexpected kindness. The writing is sharp, the pacing relentless, and the exploration of motherhood, marriage, and survival is deeply compelling.

I absolutely loved the first 75%—it was immersive, nerve-wracking, and impossible to put down. But the last 25% didn’t quite stick the landing for me, leaving some threads feeling unresolved. Still, this is a quick, impactful read, and I’m glad I picked it up.

Tilt is out on March 25—thank you to Marysue Rucci Books for the ARC!

I zipped through this book, it is a page turner for sure!
As Annie makes her excruciating way through the rest of her day after a massive earthquake hits while she is deliberating which crib to buy in IKEA, we are carried along and feel each moment as it happens.
The book goes between the recent past of Annie’s life and pregnancy and the day of the earthquake to dramatic effect.
This is a great book and would be a good book club read as there is much to talk about, not least the ending which is sure to encourage a few opinions!

Read this book during a Portland snowstorm, which was probably the most perfect way to do it. Patte’s Portland is my own, and reading her extremely-possible (likely?) version of what might happen when the Cascadia Subduction Zone hits while wandering around with our hard-edged, dissatisfied with life, and very-pregnant protagonist was a trip. Like… the Road and Department of Speculation decided to join forces on the same streets I’ve been traversing for decades.

Excited for folks to pick this one up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and Marysue Rucci Books for my gifted copy.

“Nobody wants to be where they are, I think. So would it really matter so much if the Earth swallowed us all?”

When Jaida tells you to read a book, you read it. I trust her reviews, and there is a bird on the cover. Say less.

As always, I went in blind. I knew the barebones: 9 months pregnant, IKEA, earthquake in the PNW. I knew it wouldn’t be a smooth ride, but holy sh**.

Tilt was a female driven book about surviving a natural disaster through pure force of will that reminded me of reading Blake Crouch. My adrenaline pumped right along with Annie’s. My body empathized with her pain; her feet swollen and squeezing through the straps of her Birkenstocks as she traversed over cracked fault lines in the earth to reach home.

This book was visceral. It reflected the version of marriage, pregnancy, marriage while pregnant, and motherhood that I most closely relate to. In a sense, Annie had no idea about anything. Just a lot of fear and anxiety. A lot of racing thoughts. I can heavily relate to that.

Tilt is a small but mighty type of book, packed with a lot of insight and wisdom. It even has some glimpses of the more endearing side of humanity. More helping hands reached out to Annie than I thought would. It is easily a 5 star apocalyptic read.

The thing about most disaster stories is that the protagonist is almost always written as a heroic figure who, even in the midst of chaos, is courageous and selfless. This is not that. At least, not entirely. Our heroine is very self-absorbed. And admittedly she has her own unborn child to be concerned with, but more than anything else she seems in a state of shock. In a way it’s a refreshing take on the whole question of “What would you do in a crisis?” that is much more realistic than most disaster epics. Annie does not always do the brave or noble thing; sometimes, in fact, she’s a bit of a wreck.

Admittedly, this book is very much centered on a white heterosexual girl’s problems, and it felt a little bit weird to be immersed in it. There are probably aspects of the story that I just didn’t get because I have zero frame of reference on what that’s supposed to look like. But there are also portions of the story that are universal to women of all stripes.

Take, for instance, the scene where a man in a van stops and offers her a ride. She’s 37 weeks pregnant; it’s 90 degrees out; a devastating earthquake has just leveled the area, and she has a handful of miles at most between her and where she needs to go. And still, she hesitates. Still, she says “I think I’m just gonna walk.” And the thing is, my anxiety for this character was at its highest point when it appeared as though she might actually get in the van. Not when she decided to walk, heavily pregnant, in 90 degree heat. It’s telling, I think, that even when faced with alternatives that carry significant risk of their own, women do not feel comfortable trusting men. And it’s true that Tilt is fiction; it’s also true that this scene describes a very realistic scenario.

One of the overriding themes in Tilt is motherhood. Annie’s mother, though she died before the events in this book take place, is still very much a part of her life, and the book. Mothers and their children feature prominently and profoundly in the book in several key scenes, including one that is particularly moving. I saw something online several days ago. I don’t remember the whole thing, but the gist was this: a young girl – perhaps ten or eleven – was sitting alone on a park bench and a man started bothering her. Trying to talk to her, offering her candy. Two women sitting nearby who were no relation to the child saw this unfolding and went full-on mama bear. When asked later why (I know, silly question), one of them said, “In da clurb, we all moms.” It’s an accurate sentiment, and I was reminded of it while reading some of the scenes from this book.

The book also charts protagonist Annie’s journey towards becoming a mother, in many ways. Not in the physical sense; when the reader meets Annie she is 37 weeks pregnant. But she is also at IKEA to purchase a crib that most expectant parents would have acquired well in advance of their child’s arrival, and, as the reader comes to learn, has an entire list of incomplete tasks pending. Annie is protective of her unborn child, and carries on entire conversations with her; the entire book is virtually a monologue to Bean. But it’s also clear that she suffers from prenatal depression, and ambivalence and anxiety caused by a partner who seems uninterested in the responsibilities of adulthood.

Tilt ends on a cliffhanger of sorts. The reader is left with many questions, and the fate of several key characters is left unresolved. I’m not generally a fan of this, but in this book it seems fitting, because the book ends much as it began, with Annie and Bean. But in the end they are both very different than when the book opened, and it’s not really an ending at all.

A massive earthquake hits when Annie, who is nine months pregnant, is shopping alone at IKEA for a crib. With no way to reach her husband and a city in chaos, she realizes there is nothing to do but walk home. As she walks, she encounters strangers helping strangers, a grocery store riot, kindness, rudeness and hope. She uses the walking time to reflect on her marriage, career and anxiety of becoming a mom.

It took me quite a while to write this review of Tilt. I wasn't sure how to rate it based on the content and abrupt ending. The story did not have a lasting effect other than its incomplete ending that was unnecessarily left open-ended. I even double-checked the page count to be sure I was not missing an ending chapter. And once I finished the story, I wondered whether the author's intention came across to readers. Was there a lesson to be learned? Was it a happy ever after? Or was it simply storytelling set in the course of one day? If so, Tilt is satisfyingly okay and fits into the genre I call Reflection Fiction.

Happy Early Pub Day, Emma Pattee! Tilt will be available Tuesday, March 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Tilt is a page turner about relationships with our family members, community and environment, A life-altering earthquake strikes Portland, OR, while 9-month pregnant Annie is shopping for a crib in Ikea. As Annie struggles to find her husband and get back home, we read through a rewind of her life. She has many unrealized dreams, doubts about her relationship with her husband, fears about being a mother and sorrow over the loss of her mother. As the reader travels with Annie through a day of environmental disaster, what's important in life comes into focus.

What would you do if you were shopping at IKEA when a massive earthquake hits, you have no phone or money, and you’re nine months pregnant? That’s what Annie in TILT faces when this happens to her in Portland, Oregon. She’s crib shopping on her own, and after the earthquake settles, she’s on a mission to go find her husband. We get to learn about Annie and her husband, Dom, as she talks to the baby inside her, who she calls Bean. Annie comes across different scenarios and people on this brutal walk through wreckage and heat and exhaustion and dehydration. I had full body chills reading this one.

Tilt by Emma Pattee is a highly recommended literary survival story that takes place over the course of one day.

Annie, 35, is pregnant, 37 weeks along, and shopping for a crib at IKEA when a major earthquake hits Portland, Oregon. She is rescued from the debris by Taylor, a salesperson she had just lost her temper with, and they make their way outside the store. She sets out without her purse or phone amid the confusion and chaos to walk to her husband Dom's workplace. While walking she talks to her unborn baby, nicknamed "Bean" and reflects on her past, meeting her husband, conversations with her mother. All this while she makes her way through devastating destruction in an increasingly dangerous city.

Tilt is an impressive, well-written debut novel that covers the hopefulness, disappointments, and struggles found in self sacrifice, marriage, and impending motherhood, along with the self doubts all while the character is seeking safety and survival. The narrative switches between Annie's memories of the past and her navigation through the current catastrophe. Her internal monologue to to Bean continues throughout her trek in search of safety and her husband. The setting feels realistic and the trauma of the crisis increases with each step her swollen feet take.

Annie is depicted as a realistic character amidst an unimaginable situation. While she isn't always likable and doesn't always act in a logical manner, it is clear that she is doing the best she can through the disaster. As she shares her reflection with Bean, her bond grows strong.

I do love the cover of the book. This is a very quick read and resembles another novel where a woman is traveling through a disaster. The ending was disappointing in the lack of closure but it was also somewhat expected. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.