Wow! This book was so good. Really enjoyed it. Will be trying this author again. Will recommend to others 5***

If I'm honest this book had me confused, the dual narrative going backward and forward in time, before and after an event we aren't yet aware of, wasnt as smooth as I had hoped. It made me not have any empathy with the characters which I found unusual.

The plot as a whole was good. I did however, work out the twist quite early- maybe thats because all I read is this genre though! I did like the whole idea of the twist and could tell why Draper had the events she did leading up to it.

As much as there were some negatives and positives, I did enjoy reading Magpie.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

The book was slow to start with and keeps shifting in POV and in time. After 1/3rd of the way it picks up speed and the final twist was unexpected. The events in the after section of the wife are unclear. Maybe I should read it a second time.

This story is about a family breaking down and the son Joe going missing. The book flicks back and forth between the before and after Joe going missing and is more of a suspense novel with a slow build up.
I loved the twist at the ending and didn't suspect it to be what it was, nor did I suspect Evangeline to be who she was either.
This book was very slow going but I'm so glad I stuck with it as the ending was worth it.

Claire and Duncan’s marriage has become toxic and she plans to leave him and move out of their lovely home with their troubled teenage son Joe.
Chapters moved randomly between Claire and Duncan’s voices, and before and after the split. I liked this, it enhances the feeling of Claire’s confusion and fears and tantalises the readers as the backstory gradually falls into place.
But the narrative is too slow. The rural Derbyshire setting is thoroughly described. But the repetition is distracting and the atmosphere loses its effect.
The first third or so of the book promised much and while the folk tales of the sunken village are important and relevant, the loss of some of the sequences would not have been missed.

I enjoyed this book, there was a lot going on and I felt like the author did a great job of keeping you in the moment. Very unique story

Thanks net galley for sending me an early edition of this dark and broody book.
Duncan and Claire have a very cold marriage , they have one son who they find difficult but Duncan finds it hard to love him.
Claire decides its time to leave Duncan, as he yet again is having another affair this time to Duncan’s best friends daughter.
Then joe disappears and it’s left up to Claire to find him.
She then begins to find things that have long been forgotten in their local woods and reservoir.
I enjoyed this book and will look out for more books by this talented author.

Clare, Duncan and Joe coexist uneasily as the long marriage of the former two unravels acrimoniously. Joe disappears further into his own world of metal detecting, which becomes a burden and alarming, rather than a hobby.
At times I found this quite pedestrian, as I’m not a fan of novels about affairs and domestic arguments. I certainly didn’t warm to Duncan.....until he showed his fierce and passionate hatred of cruelty to animals and the lengths he went to as a vet to save them.
I would have given it 3 stars and seen it as a satisfactory, if rather gloomy story of a marriage buckling under past secrets and current regrets. But then came the twist and what a twist it is, making some of the meandering passages and unlikely actions/ situations of the characters much clearer and much more heartbreaking.
I shall look for Cuckoo by the same author now as I greatly enjoyed her style of writing. I also enjoyed learning about ‘puppetrider’ coins!

I knew I might not be the target audience for this book but wanted to give it a go anyway. I may try again in future but for now it’s a DNF. This is not a reflection on the book. Check out other reviews than mine for more informed opinions.

Magpie is a very atmospheric ,compelling story .Clair and Duncan and their teenage son Joe live in a fabulous converted barn overlooking a reservoir.It sounds idyllic but Clair hates the house and is only waiting until Joe is 18 before she leaves Duncan who is unfaithful and uncaring towards her .He is a Vet and seems more interested in animals than humans .The description of the village and the surrounding countryside was excellent I really felt I was there with Claire when she was exploring .The story is told in before and after format which only at the end did I realise the significance of this .Joe goes missing just as Claire has decided to secretly leave Duncan and take Joe with her .,she is frantic the Police aren't interested as he is 18 now and has disappeared before .The story twists and turns going backward and forward in time until the ending which is the biggest surprise of all .I loved it . Many thanks to the Publisher the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I can’t make my mind up about this book. Parts of it are really good. There are well written parts that gave an insight into the characters lives. Then there are confusing parts which are too long and rambling. Most of the book makes sense by the end. I feel though that the book still seems very disjointed.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

3 for neutral. I’ve tried a few times to get into this book, but have not been able to. I’m a very moody reader and will update later if finally able I read and enjoy. As I didn’t see anything I disliked, just didn’t grab me.

I'm left divided by my own opinions on Magpie. There were parts of the book that were brilliant and some that I just felt were a little too long.
The characters of Duncan the vet and patriarch, Claire, very intelligent wife and yet under Duncan's control she couldn't even take care of herself let alone Joe the son who has troubles enough of his own.
Overall I feel it's an average read.

I really wouldn’t put this as a thriller, more like a suspense.

It’s a slow burner for sure. I had to take a few breaks and read something else in between as I tended to get a bit frustrated with the chapters back and forth.

Forward, then six weeks back, forward, then six weeks back and different POVS.
It was very hard work.

The story was good......in the end, not fantastic, but OK.
I just got twisted in knots using too much brain power.

The ending was good though.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Avon books for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed this book, although it was slow and hard to get into. I love that the ending was a complete surprise. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This really wasn't very good...

I've not read Sophie's other book even though I've heard good things, I don't think I'll be picking it up soon after reading magpie.

I really didn't like the plot of this book. It felt very weak. I also didn't like the before and after format. It was hard to follow and got very confusing.

I really didn't like many of the characters, apart from Joe. I especially didn't like Duncan.

I thought the writing was okay, but the story just seemed to drag and lacked any exciting plot twists or turns.

There was also a good opportunity to have a discussion about aspergers in this book, which would have been nice especially for a thriller but it was completely overlooked.

This book really wasn't for me unfortunately and I don't recommend

TW: domestic abuse, animal abuse and abortion

This was a good read which kept me guessing to the end. I had figured some of the story out but enough of it was still a mystery to keep me wanting to consume the book to the end. I have read Sophie Drapers previous book which I also enjoyed but I definitely preferred this one. The two main characters were a little hard to like, but by the end you feel really quite sad for them. I look forward to Sophie’s next book.

I found the book to be confusing at first and difficult to get into. The “before” and “after” interested me but I think it needed some clarification in the beginning to alert you the fact that the story was written around what happened.

I was really excited to be presented with an opportunity to read and review this book. I have heard a lot of brilliant things about this author and the blurb and cover equally intrigued me. However, this did not meet all my expectations and I wonder if I had too high hopes for the story?

This is a dual-narrative that follows the perspectives of both Duncan and Claire. We are presented with chapters titled ‘Before’ and ‘After’; it is not until we are fully into the story does it become clear what this actually means. For the most part, readers are witnessing the breakdown of Claire and Duncan’s marriage. There is distrust, arguments and their poor son, Joe, often gets caught in the cross-fire. The writer cleverly manipulates the reader into feeling sorry for both Joe and Claire, although it is not until the final chapters do we really understand the full extent of the story.

For the most part, there is a lot of focus on setting. Draper’s vivid descriptions of the reservoir, its surroundings, and the use of pathetic fallacy, created a spooky and isolated feeling. I was glad to be wrapped up warm and inside as a result! However, I feel that this stagnated the plot and made it a rather slow-paced story. Claire seems to be running around a lot, trying to find her son, and is paranoid that she is turning mad. Duncan, who shows little care towards his family, is taking out his anger and frustrations on everyone around him. Then we have Joe, whose only escapism is metal detecting and researching his discoveries.

The title of the novel is really clever. At first, I thought it referenced Joe’s metal detecting and finding a precious coin. However, not only does Claire see magpies during the story, but also the concept of protecting special things plays a massive part. Being attracted to all that glistens – both literally and metaphorically – reflects the recurring theme of the novel.

Overall, I found the plot rather slow and a little uninteresting in places. Indeed, I felt like I had seen this all before with a broken marriage, distrustful wife and cheating husband. I would liked to have seen more detail on Joe and the people he has started to mix with as a result of his findings. I think this would have diluted the jealousy that is rife in the plot and could have provided another perspective to the narrative. It was only until I reached the final few chapters did I really find myself engrossed in the story. I could not predict the ending and found my hands would not release the book until I had finished it! This, I believe, is the type of writing I was expecting from Draper.

In conclusion, I feel this was an average thriller. For the majority of the story, it does not stand out from other books yet, the closing was dramatic and interesting. I would still wish to read Draper’s other stories and believe that her flair for creativity and unexpectedness is something that showcases her talents as a writer.

With thanks to Netgalley and Avon books for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really couldn’t get into this book and almost gave up half way through. I couldn’t get interested in the characters and I found it very slow and not the best storyline. Not one of my favourites, sorry