Thanks to @NetGalley and @4thestatebooks for the e-ARC of @elizabday's upcoming novel 'Magpie' to be published in two weeks on 2nd September. As an avid reader of Elizabeth's Sunday column in You magazine (which my mum keeps for me each week) and a listener of her podcast 'How to Fail', I was thrilled to be sent the book and was itching to start it.

'Magpie' was everything I love in a book - somewhat damaged and flawed protagonists and tension cranking up in each chapter. We have damaged artist Marisa who finds love with Jake and all moves very swiftly when she moves in to his house. I loved the description of Jake as "belong(ing) to that cadre of Englishmen who have never had to worry about learning the rules because they are the ones who make them." Struggling with unexplained infertility (which is written with searing honesty), the pair are mentally and physically exhausted.

Day writes so skilfully and just when I thought that I had this book sussed, the twist makes an unexpected appearance. In fact, there's twist after twist and I was in that skittish situation where you consider re-reading the first part to see if you've missed any unequivocal evidence. The ambiguity is such that I was completely blindsided by the subsequent action.

I loved the ornithological title; the folklore of the magpie being linked with possession and the fact that we have the episode of a magpie flying through bi-fold doors which in itself is not only completely unwelcome but can also be seen as a bad omen.

This is an exhilarating novel and definitely a page-turner. I couldn't help but imagine this on the screen (much the same as I do with all books I love) and imagined Joanne Froggatt playing Marisa. The ever so memorable mother-in-law Annabelle has to be played by Zoë Wanamaker. All other casting ideas available on request! Jesting aside, this is one to pre-order if you, like me, enjoy a totally engrossing literary thriller.

Wow Elizabeth Day what a fantastic book. Totally gripped me from the first page. The twists and just kept coming.
Love how sensitive your treated the issues of unexplained fertility problems.
Have read some of your other books but will definitely be looking out for more by you

Not at all what I was expecting (that's what you get when you don't read the blurb and just pick books by author!) but I was very pleasantly surprised! This twisting romantic drama was suspenseful throughout and although I didn't feel like the main story line was too relatable for me, as the story unfolded the individual characters fleshed out and there were one or two in particular that I felt like I'd definitely met IRL. I could tell that Elizabeth Day had put a lot of her own views and experiences of trying for a baby, fertility treatment, and miscarriage in the book, this made all the conversations and exchanges all the more convincing and left me feeling really sorry for the characters.

Marisa and Jake have the perfect life and a beautiful home but one thing is missing, a baby to fill the house with joy and laughter.
After several years of trying for a baby even with IVF Marisa still can't conceive so they decide to go down the route of surrogacy and they meet Kate at a surrogacy evening.
Everything is perfect and they invite Kate to live with them and before they know it Kate is pregnant with their long awaited baby.
But things aren't always what they seem and soon everything unravels.
This book has more twists and turns than a rollercoaster!

I found it hard to engage with the characters in this book, and it is a bit of a slow plod. This particular theme has been done before, I have read a similar story fairly recently.
The topics of infertility and IVF are exhaustively described, I found myself skim reading those parts, as they slowed the narrative right down.
I have to question whether someone with a fragile state of health mentally, as in bipolar disorder, would be a suitable candidate to be a surrogate mother.
Too many questions and not enough answers meant I could not really get into this book.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

The opening of the book is somewhat prosaic – Marisa (who has come from a somewhat troubled background) meets Jake (handsome, well-built) and she quickly realizes that he is the one. After a very brief relationship they move in together and then rather swiftly set out on their life plan; find the perfect house, prepare it and then start their family and prepare to live happily ever after. If only! First blot on the landscape is Jake’s mother, the elegant Annabelle who dotes on her son and of course Marisa is not good enough for him. Jake has 3 sisters who have moved far away from their mother such is her toxicity. Jake then declares to Marisa that they need to get a lodger to help with expenses and enter Kate who Marisa finds over-familiar and a bit odd. So there we have it; Marisa finds Annabelle difficult and now Kate and at this point I expected the plot to be much of the same. But no! Here comes a very clever plot twist which kept me compelled to try and reach the end of the book to see what happened.

I shall say no more about this psychological thriller which deals with difficult subjects like mental illness, infertility, domineering Mother in Laws not only competently but compelling. Brilliant characterisation, plot development and structure. A great read. Any negatives - well maybe the ending (slightly) but sometimes, just sometimes, things do work out well. Go on, read it and see I will be amazed if you are disappointed.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This book is such a page turner. I loved it! I don’t want to say too much but I would definitely recommend it. It’s well-written and deals sympathetically with serious themes like infertility and mental health. The plot didn’t go where I expected it to and I enjoyed the element of surprise. It hooked me from the first page. The title is apt and the magpie image adds to the feeling of suspense. A great read!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Loved the narration of the first few months from the perspective of both Marisa & Kate. Great creepy read!

I realised when I picked up Magpie that, for all I follow Elizabeth Day’s work on her podcast and her non-fiction books, I hadn’t actually read any of her fiction. Well, if this is anything to go by, I’ve been missing out. A tense almost-thriller about a couple taking in a lodger that is so ambiguous you start not only doubting who is good and who is truly bad, but also just who is pulling the strings and why. Read it!

An extremely engaging read that sensitively and smartly tackles subjects such as infertility and mental health issues. Great characters and written with a dual narrative that always adds depth to a story.

I was really engrossed by this novel whilst we were being shown Marisa's point of view, but when it switched to Kate's I felt totally confused. I generally find it intriguing when different perspectives are given and you're wondering whose version of events can be relied on, but here they were so disparate that all I wanted to do was go back to the beginning and see what I'd missed in order for it to make sense.

Jake's character contributed to the confusion. Was he strong? Was he inadequate? He was portrayed as so many things that I just couldn't grasp him at all.

The book covers many themes -mental health, infertility, distrust in relationships, all well portrayed on their own, but somehow I felt it didn't all come together.

A thoroughly enjoyable and relatable read.

The book is well written and the magpie aspect makes it stand out. The main character is well developed and I cared about the journey and kept wanting to turn the page.

Dark, twisty and un-nerving, this novel set me on edge until the last few chapters. Well written with a typical double viewpoint take on the same event, the raw emotion of infertility and mental health came across very authentically and sensitively.
Only let down for me was the ending...too neat and light, I would have enjoyed a sinister shadow lurking in the distance!

Magpie is a true masterpiece of mystery and almost impossible to review without giving spoilers. It’s an amazing read, worth every one of 5 stars, and will make you want to go back and read sections so you can see what was really happening.

Marisa is an artist who personalizes and illustrates children’s books. When she meets Jake, he is almost too good to be true. Attentive and caring, he encourages Marisa to move in with him. Soon, however, he tells her that he needs help with payments and suggests they rent to a lodger. Enter Kate. Very comfortable with Jake, she is eager to befriend Marisa. Then Marisa discovers she is pregnant with the child she and Jake have been hoping to have and things start to change.

I could not put this book down. Elizabeth Day blends twists, toxic relationships, fertility issues, mental health and more into a compulsively readable domestic thriller. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, 4th Estate and Elizabeth Day for this ARC.

This is a book where I thought I knew where things were going, until the author throws in a huge twist which put everything I had believed in doubt. To be able to surprise me like that is quite something in a book, so a huge well done to the author for that.

A brilliantly written psychological story which I recommend to those who are fans of the genre.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy.

Magpie is a great read. Without giving anything away, there is a great twist in this psychological thriller making it a really entertaining read.

There are two faces to a coin and a story can be told from one or more angles. If you like being lead up the garden path and then enjoy experiencing groundhog day, this novel is for you. The technique used in this story is not new and I have commented on it before. It presents a viewpoint as fact which then gives the opportunity to write an equal amount unpicking it. The only saving grace is the character Annabelle, Jake's mother. Is there one in every family? The author got her spot on.

Um… I’m in the minority here but I wasn’t really sure what the point of the book was. And, it’s a hard one to review without giving spoilers but I’ll do my best.

The story starts with Marisa and Jake. They haven’t known each other long but have moved in together and are trying for a baby. Marisa was abandoned by her mother when she was 7 years old and her father pretty much switched off after that. Jake represents stability and solidity and she likes that. But money is a teeny bit tight so they take in a lodger, Kate. Marisa is not comfortable with Kate who seems overly familiar, overly interested in her eventual pregnancy and seems to treat the house as her own.

Then the story switches to Kate’s POV and things are quite different. This, folks, is the twist!

What the book does well is convey the misery of infertility for women who really, really want a child. There are also some mental health issues covered which I thought was done quite sensitively.

What I didn’t like was the evil mother-in-law trope being invoked again. This time it is Jake’s mother, Annabelle, and she really is portrayed as an evil, harradin. But I’ve just recently read books with evil MILs and I’m kind of over it right now. I thought the ending was a bit optimistic but, who knows, it could happen.

It was well written and a quick read and I don’t really know what else to say about this book. Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC which I have reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I raced through Magpie by Elizabeth Day in one afternoon!

It felt surprisingly versatile considering that I only really know Elizabeth Day as the author and host of How To Fail: Magpie is a tense psychological thriller with twists you don’t see coming. (No, seriously - I felt so smug at first thinking I had it all figured out, but I was very wrong! I think there’s something very clever in making you think you’ve picked up on clues only to surprise you later).

I know from Elizabeth’s podcast that she has had a lot of difficult experience with fertility, conception, and related issues, and this definitely informs the story - it’s hard to say any more without leaving spoilers, but there is definitely something admirable in both managing to construct a convincing thriller *and* grapple with some quite serious ethical dilemmas.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for something easy and engaging!

This is the story of Marisa, Kate and Jake.
A hugely intelligent thriller from Elizabeth Day, with a massive and unexpected plot twist in the middle. Dealing with issues such as infertility, surrogacy and mental health, this is a deeply involving and thought-provoking book.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even the ending which others have been critical of.
To give plot details would spoil this so you'll just have to read it!