I was so honored to receive this arc for a review! I kept seeing this around goodreads and decided to give it a try. Phenomenal writing, great plot!

Mary lives in an isolated cabin in the Scottish Highlands with her husband, Cal, She never leaves the place and nor does he ever want her to leave the house. Mary tries to be the perfect wife; who keeps the house clean and orderly, prepare warm meals and welcomes him home with a smile.

Mary follows his rules to a top notch. But it quickly becomes clear that something is off. Yes that’s true because Mary discovers she wasn't the first wife, and she may not be the last.

I loved this and was glued to the book right up to the end. The book is written primarily from Mary's perspective, At first, I thought Mary was so naive and stupid for putting herself in this situation. But as the plot unfolded, I came to know of her courage and determination.

The book has some topics like manipulation, gaslighting, controlling and toxic relationships, emotional and physical abuse, and mother-child relationships. Overall, I was impressed with the story.

Thank you Netgalley for my copy.

This was great, although I think I may never sleep again thinking about things like this and how they actually do happen and now I'm wondering how many people are actually out there in this situation without any help/ hope!?

Anyway, this was a well written book. I loved hating the he baddy and I was practically chewing off my own fingers with every escape attempt/ plan/ thought. To be honest, this book made me a quivering mess of anxiety less than half way through but I had to finish it.

Looking forward to reading more from Day.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. I liked the pacing, it kept me hooked and it was a fast read. I don’t want to give anything away so won’t say too much. I’ve read some didn’t like the ending, but I did. I’ll definitely be reading more from this author!

Another unputdownable thriller by Becca Day! This book follows Mary, who lives with her husband in a secluded cabin in Scotland… sounds idyllic, except that she can’t leave…. and who is she, really?

I absolutely devoured this book! I loved the setting of an isolated cabin by a loch, and the tone was really set well by the author. Each chapter left me anxious to know what was going to happen next. I did find parts of the book slightly repetitive due to the nature of the book, and the ending was a slight let down, but overall, I loved this novel! If you like locked room thrillers, this is for you.

4/5 stars ⭐️

Many thanks to Netgalley and Embla Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this arc!!

I really enjoyed this book. More than I thought I would. I liked the characters! Great writing style and I liked the storyline. This book kept me guessing. I finished it in one sitting.

Mary and her husband, Cal, live in the wilderness of the Scottish Highlands. She lives a quaint, self sufficient, life as a traditional 1950s style housewife. But if it really is so idyllic, why does Mary want to leave so much?

I’ve enjoyed Becca’s previous work and was looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I picked it up, I put it down, it just didn’t have me gripped and took over 2 weeks to read (which is a super long time for me).

Mary is annoyingly stupid, naive and weak for the most part and I found the story quite repetitive.

Having said that, Cal really stirred up some emotions for me. I’m not sure I’ve ever hated a character that much! There are some suspenseful scenes and some good little twists along the way as well.

3.5, generously rounded up to 4. It wouldn’t put me off reading another of Becca’s book in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Embla Books for my advanced copy.

I loved this thriller, I was hooked from the first 25 pages. It had a twist I didn't expect and I was left gooped and gagged. I will definitely be checking out more by this author.

Mary is a character you'd want to root for. The book explores themes of manipulation, gaslighting, control, and abuse. The plot was rich and suspenseful.

This book was super intense and although I thought I knew where some things were going, it stressed me out the whole time just the same. I stayed up way too late finishing this one!

Mary is a traditional wife of Cal, living in the middle of nowhere in the Scottish highlands. At first she seems to enjoy the quiet countryside, her gardening, and housework, but then little bits of her past start surfacing. When Mary ends up pregnant, things start to change and she knows she needs to get out.

Fast paced and intense. I would recommend!

The Woman in the Cabin
by Becca Day
Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
A new author for me. Just to be clear, it might have been helpful to list triggers that will occur.
This psychological thriller is a gripping, fast-paced read that captivated me from start to finish. The characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, and the storytelling is great. I found it impossible to put down. The book masterfully explores themes of manipulation, gaslighting, control, and abuse, offering a darkly twisted narrative with expertly crafted twists and turns.

I'm new to Becca Day but I am definitely a convert. "The Woman in the Cabin" definitely is a tense read and a page-turner. If you can set aside a few hours, you won't regret reading this in one sitting. Nothing like bingeing on someone else's misfortune, in this case "Mary" who lives with her husband Cal in a very isolated cabin in the middle of the Scottish Highlands. Turns out she wasn't his first "wife" to be kept there, and maybe not the last too. Tense, very tense.

This was a fantastic psychological thriller which I could not put down. It drew me in from the first page until the very last there was many twists and turns which I did not see coming. It was definitely a fast paced thriller with a such well developed and interesting characters. I loved the writing style and can’t wait to recommend this to everyone. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy.

Cal has a secluded cabin in Scotland where he and his 'wife' live. However, his wife is a kidnapped victim he renamed Mary who has been trapped at the cabin for years. Mary lives on eggshells trying to not rock the boat and keep Cal's mood at an even keel while secretly plotting escape plans. The plot twists when Cal brings another woman, 'Mary Two,' into their orbit.

I wanted to like this book, but the characters fell flat for me and parts of the plot were a bit too far fetched. I found myself quickly skimming through a couple of sections just to finish. Had I connected with the characters (especially Mary One) better, I would have enjoyed the book more.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A new author for me and a great novel. A fast paced psychological thriller that had me hooked from the start. It features manipulation, control and abuse wrapped up with some twists and turns along the way to completely captivate you. Thank you to NetGalley, Embla Books and the author for the chance to review.

I started reading this and am convinced the plot is very similar to another book but can’t remember which one, which made me think I’ve read this before, but I can’t have!
Loved reading it though, thanks for the advance copy.

I ate this book up so fast! A very creepy, fast-paced thriller and I always wanted to know what was coming next. I enjoyed that I didn’t always know what was going on and when you think you figure it out it turns on its head and then back again. It was such a fun read! There were some things more toward the beginning that I felt like were hard to follow, didn’t make sense, or didn’t add up - points that were made and then forgotten. And I wished we spent more time around the letters from Gemma, especially since they were mentioned in the synopsis. There was also a twist later in the book that I wish we had spent more time in.
But honestly even with those little things, they were so little and didn’t affect my reading experience. Also, the setting was brilliant and easy to see in my mind which I loved. This book was thrilling and creepy and fast-paced and so good! I didn’t want to put it down!
Thank you to Embla Books and NetGalley for the arc!

Set dedicated time aside for reading this book because once you begin, it’s hard to stop until the very end. Fast paced, intense drama that keeps you on the edge wondering what will become of Mary, the woman in the cabin. Is she really the perfect 1950’s wife rushing to greet her husband with her fresh make up and a meal waiting when we he returns from work to their cabin set deep in the Scottish Highlands? Or, is something more sinister at play? is he actually her loving husband, and … is her name really Mary?

This book is a mix of horrific, suspenseful and thrilling and delves into numerous topics that may be triggering for some readers. Pick a disturbing content theme and you will bump or crash into many of them within these pages, and then some. The balance of the tension with the tiny bursts of hope are so well timed that the reader is kept enthralled by some very skilled and clever writing. With so many twisty turns and dark themes it is a gripping story that left me wanting more to read more of Becca Day’s writing. Thanks to Netgalley and Embla Books for letting me read an advanced copy in exchange for a review. Due out in Australia on 23rd October 2024.

"Mary," and her husband Cal live in a remote cabin in the Scottish Highlands. Mary plays the role of the perfect wife, she cooks and cleans, greets her husband every day perfectly dressed with a big smile and dinner on the table. But Marys perfect wife act isn't by choice, her husband is controlling and manipulating her, keeping her in an isolated cabin living in fear that if she makes a mistake, she will be punished. Then Mary finds letters 'to the next woman' and realises she isn't the first wife and won't be the last, so she makes a plan to finally escape.

The creepy vibes I got from even just the first few pages had me rooting for Mary to get far away from the cabin, and as the story unfolded, I was hooked, wanting to see what happens to her. Brilliantly written book that explores some dark themes but definitely one to add to your TBR.

Thanks to netgalley, emblabooks and Becca Dayfor this ARC.

4.5⭐️ This psychological thriller is a gripping, fast-paced read that captivated me from start to finish. The characters are well developed, the plot is compelling, and the storytelling is great. I found it impossible to put down. The book masterfully explores themes of manipulation, gaslighting, control, and abuse, offering a darkly twisted narrative with expertly crafted twists and turns.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed reading it and didn’t want to put it down. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!