Publisher: Simon & Schuster / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: May 3, 2022
Source: Print ARC Paperback via BookClub Favorites / ALC via Simon & Schuster Audio
Summary:
She has almost everything. The rest she’ll take.
Single White Female meets The Perfect Nanny in this taut, psychological suspense novel about a perfect couple and their seemingly perfect roommate—that is until she threatens to destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to create.
Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple, and Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate–and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for a baby. Except no one is perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly familiar with Jake, but Marisa doesn’t let it concern her. Kate will soon be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.
Conceiving a baby is easier said than done, though, and Jake and Marisa’s perfect relationship is put to the test through months of fertility treatments and false starts. To make matters worse, Kate’s boundary-pushing turns into an all-out obsession–with Jake, with Marisa, and with their future child. Who is this woman? Why does she seem to know everything about Marisa and Jake?
In her quest to find out who Kate really is, Marisa might destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create: her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self. Jake doesn’t know the half of what Marisa has created and what she stands to lose. Magpie is a tense and twisting novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of.
My thoughts:
I had this book on my radar ever since I saw it being talked about when it was published last year in the UK. I just knew it was something I wanted to read and I’m so glad I did – it was exactly the type of psychological thriller I love!
This book kept me guessing all the way through. I loved that every time I thought I knew where things were headed, a new twist would totally turn things upside down. It takes the unreliable narrator and adds in so many other layers that you aren’t sure which way is up or who to trust.
I will say that if you are sensitive to the fertility journey, this might be a tough read for you. I myself struggled with infertility, though I am many years removed, and yet reading this I felt like I was right back there – that’s how spot on and real these scenes are. The book takes you on quite the emotional journey on that end, so just be aware if that is a trigger for you.
I loved this book. It is so cleverly plotted and things are definitely not what they seem. Not only is fertility touched upon as I mentioned above, but also mental health, which makes it such a fitting book to read this month. You just know things aren’t right, but you can’t quite put your finger on what exactly is wrong and there is this sense of impending dread coming. This, to me, is what makes it such a good psychological thriller and I had such a hard time putting this one down once I started it.
This is the first book I’ve read by Elizabeth Day but it certainly will not be the last, especially if all her other books are as engaging and gripping as this one!
Audio thoughts:
This book translated really well onto audio and Tanya Reynolds did a fantastic job with the narration. Her pacing and intonation were spot on and she was able to give each of the characters their own unique voice and personality.
