nualasiobhan333's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
5.0
i was really into this book! very suspenseful. it makes me wonder if there are any horror or thriller books or movies that don’t involve a woman getting gaslit.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
2.0
The tension in this was good, kind of Rosemary's Baby-esque, but honestly overall it was kind of goofy. I've read a few books recently where the antagonist is a man who is secretly super villain-level misogynistic but they somehow hide their absolutely off the damn chain anti-woman views until a Final Confrontation where they hulk out on the woman-hating. Yes, misogyny is pervasive, violent, insidious, and awful, and women are killed because of it - but in this book it was near-absurd in the end. I like Megan Abbott but this one didn't hit with me.
sparanj2's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
books_by_the_bottle's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to PRHAudio for the ALC and GP Putnam for the ARC!
Newlywed Jacy finally has everything she ever wanted - a teaching job she loves, a wonderful new husband and a baby on the way. While she is initially apprehensive to meet her father-in-law, she finds herself charmed by the dazzling Dr. Ash in his rural Michigan home. The housekeeper, Mrs. Brandt, is standoffish but hospitable and Jacy feels at home. But when she suffers a health scare, everything changes. Suddenly, everyone treats her like she is a fragile bird, constantly making her rest. As the days pass, Jacy begins to suspect her husband and father-in-law are trying to trap her in the house. Is she paranoid or is there a sliver of truth to what her mind is telling her is happening here?
This was a fun book to switch between audio and physical - Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators and she did a beautiful job bringing Jacy and her creepy surroundings to life. Though a slow-burn mystery, the story picked up the pace towards the end. It reminded me of a southern noir in the way it bordered on the edge of reality before pulling back just in time to be real. The ending was a bit open to interpretation, which isn’t always my favorite, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one! I will definitely read more by this author.
“Beware the Woman” releases on May 30th! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
Newlywed Jacy finally has everything she ever wanted - a teaching job she loves, a wonderful new husband and a baby on the way. While she is initially apprehensive to meet her father-in-law, she finds herself charmed by the dazzling Dr. Ash in his rural Michigan home. The housekeeper, Mrs. Brandt, is standoffish but hospitable and Jacy feels at home. But when she suffers a health scare, everything changes. Suddenly, everyone treats her like she is a fragile bird, constantly making her rest. As the days pass, Jacy begins to suspect her husband and father-in-law are trying to trap her in the house. Is she paranoid or is there a sliver of truth to what her mind is telling her is happening here?
This was a fun book to switch between audio and physical - Brittany Pressley is one of my favorite narrators and she did a beautiful job bringing Jacy and her creepy surroundings to life. Though a slow-burn mystery, the story picked up the pace towards the end. It reminded me of a southern noir in the way it bordered on the edge of reality before pulling back just in time to be real. The ending was a bit open to interpretation, which isn’t always my favorite, but otherwise I really enjoyed this one! I will definitely read more by this author.
“Beware the Woman” releases on May 30th! This review will be shared to my instagram blog (@books_by_the_bottle) shortly :)
effingamanda's review against another edition
2.0
Not the worst book but there isn’t anything super interesting about a manipulative, selfish, evil white man. They’re everywhere.
autumn_franks_03's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fawns's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sofya's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
julielb's review against another edition
4.0
I would give this 4.5 stars but since we don't have half stars available, I've rounded down to 4.
In this story, a husband and wife, Jacy and Jed, who recently found out that they are pregnant, drive to secluded area of Michigan to stay in Jed's father's house for a visit over 4th of July weekend. The couple have been married two years and Jacy wonders how well she knows Jed, pondering her mom's words that she married a stranger.
At first, Jacy is entranced with Dr. Ash, Jed's retired dr father. He seems charismatic and wants to do all he can to make pregnant Jacy comfortable. However, things soon start to get a bit creepy as Jacy begins to feel she is being held slightly captive, not able to leave to go back home after she is diagnosed with a displaced placenta (can't remember technical term) and wants to go back to her own dr. Jed starts to withdraw from her, bouncing from getting drunk at night with his friends to being apologetic and solicitous.
Dr. Ash and Jed both seem to be conspiring against her to keep her there. And Jacy knows there is some strange connection going on with what happened to Jed's mom, who died giving birth to Jed.
This book started out light and fluffy and soon became claustrophobic. I really liked it, was drawn in and felt some of the strange thoughts by Jacy were reasonably attributed to pregnancy, the isolation, the strange stories she's been reading, and trying to navigate the cloistering behaviors of Dr. Ash and Jed.
I really liked this book right up until the end, and I was disappointed in how it ended. Did others feel the same way?
In this story, a husband and wife, Jacy and Jed, who recently found out that they are pregnant, drive to secluded area of Michigan to stay in Jed's father's house for a visit over 4th of July weekend. The couple have been married two years and Jacy wonders how well she knows Jed, pondering her mom's words that she married a stranger.
At first, Jacy is entranced with Dr. Ash, Jed's retired dr father. He seems charismatic and wants to do all he can to make pregnant Jacy comfortable. However, things soon start to get a bit creepy as Jacy begins to feel she is being held slightly captive, not able to leave to go back home after she is diagnosed with a displaced placenta (can't remember technical term) and wants to go back to her own dr. Jed starts to withdraw from her, bouncing from getting drunk at night with his friends to being apologetic and solicitous.
Dr. Ash and Jed both seem to be conspiring against her to keep her there. And Jacy knows there is some strange connection going on with what happened to Jed's mom, who died giving birth to Jed.
This book started out light and fluffy and soon became claustrophobic. I really liked it, was drawn in and felt some of the strange thoughts by Jacy were reasonably attributed to pregnancy, the isolation, the strange stories she's been reading, and trying to navigate the cloistering behaviors of Dr. Ash and Jed.
I really liked this book right up until the end, and I was disappointed in how it ended. Did others feel the same way?
thebookishmama's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t even know how to review this if I’m honest. I don’t have much I like about this book except maybe the setting? But otherwise it felt like a whole lot of nothing happening beyond interactions between multiple infuriating characters. By the end I couldn’t believe so many pages had been read but hardly anything had happened. While there was a twist I didn’t suspect even a little, it just didn’t save it enough for me.
Thank you to the publisher for gifted copy.
Thank you to the publisher for gifted copy.