I wouldn't necessarily categorize this as a thriller, but it was still a fun ride. I loved the overall concept of this plot, and I think the characters the author created really made this story come to life. The narration was fantastic, and probably made it all the more fun to read.

What an interested read! The idea that all mothers have guilt. Whether it is guilty for no working and staying home and raising your kids, for working and not being home, for spending time with others and not your husband etc. What if you could get rid of your guilt with a simple pill? Maya Patel is a business woman, who owns her own company, is married and has a newborn at home. This felt a little like the movie, Limitless, with Bradley Cooper. The pill with Maya takes, not only doesn’t make her feel guilty with any decisions that are made, but also makes her more confident. From the beginning, I was saying “Don’t take it! It can’t be good for you!” The timeline went back and forth between present day of her disappearance and how she got there in the past, with most of the story set in the past. I loved the exploration of guilt, and is it always bad or can it be there to be good? It also touches on mom influencers on social media and how what you see isn’t actually what is true. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook, I was engaged and excited to pick it up each time.

Saumya Dave's The Guilt Pill audiobook offers a thought-provoking and sharply observed exploration of the societal pressures and internal burdens placed on women, particularly mothers. The narration effectively captures Maya Patel's initial struggles as she juggles the demands of a startup, marriage, motherhood, and friendships, all while battling a pervasive sense of guilt.

The introduction of the experimental "guilt pill" presents a fascinating and unsettling premise. The audiobook format allows the listener to experience Maya's initial relief and subsequent transformation as she sheds her self-blame and embraces an unapologetic version of herself. However, Dave skillfully unveils the dangerous consequences of this seemingly miraculous solution.

As Maya delves deeper into the guilt-free existence, her newfound ruthlessness begins to threaten the very foundations of her life – her marriage, her friendships, and the company she painstakingly built. The audiobook effectively portrays the escalating tension and the moral questions raised by the pill: Can true empowerment come at the cost of empathy and responsibility?

The Guilt Pill is more than just a thriller; it's a feminist commentary on the impossible standards women are often held to. Dave tackles complex themes of motherhood, ambition, race, and the societal expectations that fuel female guilt. This electric and taut audiobook will leave listeners contemplating the true meaning of "having it all" and the potential pitfalls of seeking a quick fix for deeply ingrained societal issues.

4.5 / 5 stars

Maya Patel is a new mom, a business owner, and an online darling — so when she goes missing, the media frenzy is immediate. Told in a dual timeline that alternates between news coverage and social media reactions to her disappearance and the events leading up to it, The Guilt Pill follows a woman unraveling under the weight of motherhood, ambition, and impossible expectations. The guilt Maya feels — for not being a better mom, a more present wife, a more effective CEO — is suffocating. So when a #girlboss mentor introduces her to an experimental pill that erases guilt, Maya jumps at the chance to feel more assertive, confident, and in control. But as she becomes bolder and more unapologetic, the Maya her friends and family once knew begins to slip away — until one day, she vanishes without a trace.

This is primarily a contemporary novel about motherhood and mental health, with just a seasoning of speculative fiction. Maya’s choices — especially her reliance on the pill — aren’t always "right," but they’re always understandable. As a working mom of young kids, I felt so seen by this book. Maya's experience captures that very specific new-mother mental spiral in a way that felt raw and real — especially the expectation that moms should do it all without ever asking for help. Her descent into dependence on the guilt pill was both frustrating and heartbreakingly relatable. There were arguments in the book between Maya and her husband that I swear I had with my own spouse during the postpartum period.

The audiobook narration by Sharmila Devar is steady and clear, and the story’s structure — especially the inclusion of news reports and media segments — helped maintain tension and intrigue. The denouement spells things out a bit more than necessary, and the pacing lags in spots, but overall I found this smart, compelling, and hard to put down.

Fans of thrillers will appreciate the psychological layers of this “missing woman” mystery, but I’d especially recommend this to working moms who lean toward contemporary or literary fiction — particularly those interested in motherhood, mental health, and the quiet pressures women carry. If you're a working mom who likes your fiction grounded in emotional truth with a light speculative edge, The Guilt Pill will absolutely resonate.

📚Pub Week Review🎧

Massive thanks to #partner @saumyajdave @parkrowbooks @htpbooks @htp_hive for the gifted copy!!! This book is so beautiful and carries an important message. I alternated between the physical copy and the ALC by Harlequin Audio.

The Guilt Pill by @saumyajdave
Publisher- @parkrowbooks
Audiobook narrator- Sharmila Devar
Pub Date - 4/15/25

Imagine you are the CEO of a successful start up company. You worked your tail off to there too. Your company is flourishing and you’re all over social media.

Maya Patel is the CEO of Medini, a company with beauty products that are safe for the environment. She lives with her husband, Dev and also has a new baby. Her baby boy is colic and has been causing her so much stress that she feels guilty just for going into the office.

One day, her friend Liz hands her a pill that she is working on that will remove ALL GUILT. Allowing her to be successful, a good mother and empower her without all the guilt attached. Unfortunately, there are some ugly consequences that follow.

What I loved about this story was how close to home it is for mothers. Mothers who are trying to make it in their professional lives and personal lives. She hit the nail on the head and I absolutely loved it!!!

I will say that the narrator’s voice was a little irritating. I wouldn’t have imagined Maya’s voice like that. I preferred the physical copy to the audiobook.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

⭐️⭐️Review⭐️⭐️
📖 Title: The Guilt Pill
🧍‍♀️Author: Saumya Dave

About?
A new Mother named Mya - with a powerful career trying to do both jobs well. Not just well, she is a perfectionist. She meets her absolute idol and a friendship forms. Her idol decides she wants to mentor Mya and offers her a “supplement” to help her with her guilt. At first this “guilt pill” is the answer to Mya’s dreams. But soon she needs more and more to have the same guilt free feelings and becomes addicted.
Makes you feel?
If you are a wife and mom, this book will feel like the inside of your thoughts! It’s so hard to do a job well, and also feel like a good mom. And the time management between those two is a constant battle. I know I’m guilty of feeling constantly pulled in both directions. If I’m at work as I feel I should be home with my son, and when I’m with my son, I feel like I should be working!

“The Guilt Pill is a feminist exploration of motherhood, race, ambition, and how the world treats women who dare to go after everything they want.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

QOTD: if you could take a pill that took away all of your guilt, would you?

AOTD: yes I absolutely think I would!

Thank you so much to @Netgalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave.

I really appreciate what the author was trying to do with this book. It's excruciating feeling the guilt of motherhood, combined with all that life throws at you, and wondering if you'll ever be enough. I totally get it.

Having said that, this book didn't totally land for me. First of all, while I don't like the culture that has piled so much guilt on women for trying to "have it all" I also don't think guilt is a terrible thing. Maybe guilt is the wrong word, but just awareness of our capacity and when it's time to set boundaries. Either way, I struggled to relate or feel strongly about either the story or the characters, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc/alc.

I was excited to read this book because it sounded like an incredible thriller and women's fiction novel. I am not sure which one I was expecting it to be though genre wise. With that being said, the reality of it seemed to lean more towards women's fiction in my opinion. I would also say that there was a good deal of sci-fi in the story as well. It did take me a while to get through this book as I picked it up, read about 40-50% and put it back down only to pick up later. I slightly considered dnfing this book, but I am glad I did not. It was a story with an interesting and clever premise and iI would be open to reading more by Saumya in the future. I also really enjoyed the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a great job bringing these characters to life!

I really, really enjoyed this latest from Saumya Dave that sees Maya Patel, a South Asian CEO and new mom struggling to balance everything and feeling guilty about never doing enough in either role. When her new 'friend' Liz offers her experimental pills that will erase all feelings of guilt, Maya reluctantly succumbs and eventually becomes addicted. And like all things that seem too good to be true, the pills too turn out to have dangerous consequences. Relatable, clever and full of all the stress of new motherhood mom-guilt, this domestic suspense thriller was great on audio and entertaining from start to finish. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced listener copy! This was a fun read. This book is heavily centered on mom culture, but don't let that stop you from reading it! The Guilt Pill also has nuanced discussions on corporate culture, especially working in a leadership role as a woman of color. It also touched on how marriages can change after becoming new parents, as well as how your own upbringing can shape your expectations of motherhood.

The audiobook took my reading experience up a notch! It is narrated by Sharmila Devar, and she does an excellent job of portraying the cast of characters and keeping me engaged in the story. There are also snippets of social media posts, police interviews, and news articles in between the chapters that were fun to listen to. I think this is one of those books that are better read via audio!

This book is listed in the science fiction/thriller genres, and I definitely wouldn't describe it as that lol. I would describe this as a women's fiction book with elements of speculative fiction. The "thrilling" portion isn't as fleshed out or creepy as it could be for me to consider it a true thriller.

Read if you enjoy:
-Commentary on mom and girlboss culture
-South Asian representation
-Dual timelines

Really liked this book! My first book of hers, but can’t wait to read more! I can really relate to the guilt between motherhood and working! Hope there’s a sequel!

Review: The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave
Rating: ★★★☆☆

I loved the idea of this book. The Guilt Pill follows Maya Mehta, a CEO and new mom grappling with postpartum depression, anxiety, and the relentless pressure of trying to “do it all.” When a mysterious new pill promises to take away feelings of guilt, Maya is intrigued, and tempted. What follows is a sharp, emotional exploration of motherhood, ambition, mental health, and the dangerous appeal of a quick fix.

As someone who has personally struggled with postpartum depression and anxiety, I felt so seen by the premise. The book touches on so many truths: the impossible expectations placed on working moms, the imbalance between mothers and fathers, and the way our own inner critic can become our worst enemy. Honestly? I’d take a guilt pill in a heartbeat. 😂

But of course, things don’t exactly go smoothly. As Maya learns, the only way out is through l; there’s no shortcut when it comes to healing. (Shocker, I know.)

While I loved the concept and appreciated the representation of mental health struggles, the execution didn’t fully hit for me, which is why this landed as a three-star read. Still, I’m grateful to have read it and to NetGalley for the ARC!

What an interesting look at mom guilt at its finest. Strong character development. A slow burn plot. Interesting, but just not quite enough to keep my attention.

Thank you HTP, Park Row, The Hive, and Harper Audio for the gifted digital and audio copies.

The Guilt Pill
Saumya Dave
Publishing Date: April 15, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)

🎧 Narrator: Sharmila Devar 🎧

This book grabbed my attention immediately when I saw that the FMC was a new mom struggling with all the guilt that comes along with motherhood. RELATABLE.

In short, “The Guilt Pill is a feminist exploration of motherhood, race, ambition, and how the world treats women who dare to go after everything they want.”

Being a mom is hard. Being a woman is hard. Being a POC is hard. Being a business woman is hard. Being all of the above can feel impossible. The pressure and expectations, the hurdles to be jumped, the judgement, the double standards, the loss of identity, the self- blame and guilt, etc.

This book has SO MUCH representation of important and often under represented topics:

💊 Mental Health
💊 Marriage Therapy
💊 Individual Therapy
💊 Drug addition and Rehabilitation.
💊 Motherhood
💊 Childbirth
💊 Breastfeeding and Pumping
💊 Postpartum Depression
💊 Childhood trauma
💊 Parental forgiveness
💊 Parentified/adultified children
💊 Racism and Sexism

The way this books shines a light on what it’s like to be a mother and try to navigate friendships, marriage, a career, and self identity while not losing yourself to the guilt that is inherently there once you have a child was truly remarkable. The way the author portrayed the complexity and reality of life while weaving in so many topics (above) was impressive and realistic.

There was a bit of a psychological thriller aspect thrown in there, that honestly I don’t even think was necessary, because the rest of the story was poignant enough all on its own. Regardless, this book is a must read for all women, but especially mothers. You will feel seen and heard, which is something we don’t often receive.

🎧 Sharmila Devar was excellent in her narration. I loved how she was able to further immerse me into the cultural aspects of this story through her accents. You can’t go wrong reading this one with your eyes or your ears.

This story was very well written and did a great job covering some very hard topics.

It was just a miss for me.

#ad many thanks for my advance copy @htp_hive #partner
& @netgalley for the ALC

What if you could take a single pill and leave all the negative emotions that guilt produce in your rearview? No more guilt for anything. How would it change your life?

The Guilt Pill by Saumya Dave is a fascinating look into the life of a new mother and business CEO, who is drowning in societal stereotypes and gender roles, when she’s offered the perfect solution in the form of a pill. The only downside? It only lasts a few hours.

I devoured this one. It’s also thought-provoking in that it had me going down the rabbit hole of how society really hates babies. Just think about it: you’ll never sleep again, you’ll never have time to yourself, forget about having a life now. How many other pieces of “wisdom” have you heard that carry the same tune?

The book tackled these topics in an engaging and intriguing way. I loved the overall message of this one. The nonstop action and compelling narrative makes this impossible to put down. The audio was also perfect. The narrators truly brought this story to life.

I enjoyed exploring how someone who is usually bogged down by the feelings of guilt would act if all of a sudden those feelings were gone. In the end, guilt is a product of so much more and is just a part of us. It’s what makes us do and say the things we do. And without it, well we aren’t the same person anymore.

At the heart, this is a mystery as the FMC disappears we are thrown back in time to see how everything unfolded and how we got to where we are at the present time. The story alternates between the past and the present.

Fun and engaging. Loved it.

Book Rating: 4/5

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book…it was unique, engaging, and had a lot of depth. As a mother, I deeply related to the main character’s struggles with mom guilt. The book did an excellent job capturing the postpartum experience, especially the overwhelming challenge of balancing family, personal needs, and a career. That aspect was definitely my favorite.

I also loved the exploration of social media and its power to shape narratives. The way it was portrayed, both how followers spread rumors and how publishers fed into them, felt very realistic. I found myself frustrated with everyone involved, including the main characters, who weren’t always as transparent as they could have been. This made for an interesting and compelling read.

My biggest critique is that the experimental pill and sci-fi elements felt underdeveloped. I was expecting a stronger thriller aspect, but it leaned more toward contemporary fiction with light sci-fi elements rather than a full-fledged sci-fi thriller. While this didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment, I did find myself wishing for a bit more depth in that area.

Despite that, the book kept me engaged, and I was eager to see how it all unfolded. If you enjoy contemporary fiction with thought-provoking themes and a touch of sci-fi, this is definitely worth the read!

This book brought up a lot of emotions for me as a new mom and definitely showcased the mom guilt that new moms often feel. Maya takes some supplements from her friend that are supposed to be guilt pills and she slowly starts to depend on them more and more. Her husband and best friend find out about the pills and she promises that she isn't taking them anymore. He lies start to threaten everything that she has worked so hard for, including her company that she is the CEO of, and then she disappears. I really enjoyed the audiobook version of this story and I found that it did bring light to issues that moms often deal with.

3.5/5 stars

After becoming addicted to experimental “supplements” (drugs) she was told were safe, CEO and new mother Maya Patel goes missing. These drugs were meant to temporarily erase any guilt that is woven into a female’s existence in order for them to succeed in ways guilt-free men are typically afforded. While this works for Maya at first, the “supplements” offered to her by a fellow business woman threaten everything Maya has built regarding her family, friendships, and career.

This book was an interesting concept, because honestly, who wouldn’t benefit from feeling a little less guilt? While the stakes increased as the story went on, they culminated in a way that felt all too brief and unsatisfying. For the amount of build up that occurred throughout the first 75% of the book, the climax really lasted only a few pages. Additionally, while the exploration of feminism, motherhood, and success were notable, I do wish that the inclusion of race in the climax was a little more purposeful and expanded upon as it is a very important topic to discuss.

I did read this via audiobook, and the single narration was fine. I do think at times the narrator slipped between voices when dialogue was quick and some character voices were difficult to distinguish between each other, but this did not impact my overall rating of the book itself.

Thank you Harlequin Audio and NetGalley for the advance copy of this audiobook!

Maya is a new mom and struggling to balance the demands of parenting with those of her company, all while putting up a glossy facade on social media.

When a fellow female founder, Liz reaches out, a friendship begins to bloom. Maya finds herself networking through Liz, venting to her, and eventually choosing to take the anti guilt pills Liz and her company are developing.

They’re powerful! With them Maya can fully engage in parenting or work depending on which she chooses to focus. But as the stresses mount and she continues to up her dose, side effects begin making themselves known.

Slightly spoilery beyond this point.

As a working mom in a leadership role I deeply related to Maya and her struggles. I okay with the end, but I still found it so frustrating that there wasn’t a bigger ah ha moment for her husband, her MIL, shoot even her company or followers that they could do better. It’s so dang frustrating to hear/read a man say ‘just tell me what to do’ when he has eyes. Obviously, this one strikes a little close to home so that’s surely coloring my vibes about this one.