In a crowded market, this psychological thriller stands out. Great set up, superb twist and genuine tension. Deserves to be widely read and enjoyed.

This was a book that I found myself intrigued by the synopsis so was interested to read the advanced readers copy I received.

The new novel from the best-selling author ‘The Party’ (not that have read this title) is described as a ‘thrilling,stylish and psychologically astute story of jealousy, motherhood and power.’

We are introduced to Marisa who has been seeing Jake for a few months, but when he asks her to move in with him and to start trying for a baby, she believes that he is the one. When they take in a lodger, Kate, their relationship is put to the test when Kate seems to show an interest in Jake, along with the baby Marisa is carrying.

It is hard to review this book without giving away what happens and that would spoil anyone picking this up to read so I won’t go into it further. However, I hate to say it but once the twist has been revealed about halfway through the book, well, nothing really happens and it all feels a bit flat and not heading in any particular direction. Even the ending was a little subdued and uninteresting, unfortunately I found myself not really caring how the book ended or what happened but rather just wanting to have finished it. Not one that I would recommend I’m afraid, quite a forgetful book.

I read the first third of 'Magpie' feeling vaguely disappointed - I found the narrator, Marissa, annoying and I thought I had guessed the twist and felt unimpressed by it. However 'Magpie' is a novel where things are not as they seem and the twist, when it inevitably came, was not the one I'd expected.

The story starts with Marissa, a young woman hoping to leave behind an unhappy childhood by starting a family of her own with her ideal man. True, she hasn't known Jake for long and he's a bit older than her, and his mother is a nightmare, but it's still everything she thinks she wants. The young couple take in a lodger, Kate, who quickly causes problems. She seems inappropriately 'at home' and lacking in boundaries. Marissa begins to feel increasingly anxious that Kate is not just someone needing to rent a spare room, but that she might have a more sinister agenda.

The novel is much more compelling once it gets going and the story unfolds. It is certainly cleverer and better than I'd thought it would be initially. The sections about infertility and IVF are really powerfully written and it's these that stand out as the strongest sections of the book. It's fairly gripping and has enough tension to keep it interesting through to the end. The characters could be more engaging - they weren't unsympathetic, but they still felt a bit 'flat'. I cared somewhat about what happened to them, but I wasn't edge-of-my-seat as if they were people I knew in real life.

Ultimately this is a decent domestic thriller which will be enjoyed by readers who like the genre. I wouldn't necessarily suggest readers who only dip in to the genre to spend time on it. If you loved 'The Girl on the Train' or 'Gone Girl', this is in a similar vein and you're likely to enjoy it.

What a book! Magpie follows the story of Marissa who has had a difficult childhood but recently found domestic bliss with new boyfriend Jake. Their relationship moves at a fast pace and they are soon living together and trying for a baby. The arrival of lodger Kate throws a spanner in the works. Packed with twists and turns, nothing is as it seems and as the plot develops, there are uncomfortable moments as the issues of mental health and infertility are tacked head on. I was hoping that the relationship with Marissa and her absent mother and sister would be developed further but this didn’t distract from the overall enjoyment of this book. With revelations that I was not expecting, this is a super page turner and I eagerly await the author’s next offering. Many thanks to Netgalley for the chance to read in exchange for my honest review.

Great story with so many twists, thoroughly enjoyable and leaving you questioning everyone for a very long time...

Thanks to NetGalley and 4th Estate for the complimentary advance review copy of this book.

I've read a couple of Elizabeth's non-fiction books, after discovering her from her "How To Fail" podcast; but this wasn't what I was expecting! It's a psychological thriller, with some unexpected twists (and some that may be a little more expected). Hard to go too in depth without giving anything away, but would recommend (particularly if you're a fan of Elizabeth's work, or similar books from that genre).

I LOVED this book, practically inhaled it in one sitting. Elizabeth Day has a gift for creating dark, complex, flawed characters that feel incredibly human and real and it was the shifting relationship between Marissa, Jake & Kate that kept me reading. The twist was brilliant and shocking. I did find the final third a touch predictable but enjoyed it nevertheless. Highly recommended.

I have been a fan of Elizabeth Day’s podcasts and newspaper columns for a while, so when the chance came up to review one of her novels, I was immediately onboard. This novel revolves around a young couple who are adjusting to having their life ruled by their fervent wish to conceive, and by the reluctant admittance of another adult into their home. Marisa and Jake are the outwardly happy albeit financially struggling couple, and Kate is the enigmatic woman they take in as a lodger to help them out of their financial tight spot. But will Jake turn out to be the man that Marisa thought she knew so well? And what secrets might Kate be keeping? Along the journey of Marisa’s discoveries, this novel also deals with a range of hard-hitting issues such as mental health, fertility issues and childhood trauma in a sensitive way that understands us to grasp the protagonists’ complexities in much more detail. A wonderful read – warmly recommended! I would like to thank the publishers 4th Estate as well as NetGalley for the free ARC that I was provided with in return for this honest and unbiased review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this one. Very fast paced, had me turning pages as I tore through it – I had to see how it would end. The characters were well rounded and the narrative felt believable. Gave me chills. Solid five

I loved 'The Party' and was really excited to be reading Elizabeth Day's newest book. There is a couple of things about 'Magpie' which did not sit right with me and hence it was not the read I was hoping for. I felt uneasy that the surrogate was mentally unwell. It seems unlikely that anyone would get their surrogacy approved by the hospital ethics committee when the surrogate is bipolar. It had a retro soap opera feel in making the 'baddy' mentally unstable, there is redemption but it was uncomfortable.

I expected some later connection with the scene setting at the beginning of the book. I thought that there would be some connection between Marissa's mother and sister, but no, so I did not understand why that part of her life was detailed, parcelled up and completely ignored.

Putting aside my wokery it is a fast and entertaining read, but I would recommend her other work before this book.

4+

‘One for sorrow, two for joy ..’

Marissa is viewing a house for her and boyfriend Jake to live in when a magpie flies in through the open doors. A harbinger? Only time will tell. They move in and for financial reasons take in Kate as a lodger and she becomes a firmly affixed limpet on the hull of their relationship.

This is a such a clever book which is very well written and is perfectly paced throughout. It has some good twists that take you totally by surprise as they come out of the blue but which enable you to make sense of some observed disconnection and frissons of unease in the narrative. In places it’s creepy, tense and claustrophobic in the smothering overstepping of bounds and it becomes quite scary. This leads to a growing antipathy between the three of them which escalates. The characterisation is the standout feature of the book and I’d go so far as to say it’s outstanding. Marissa is a cauldron of various emotions from anger to insecurity and everything in between. She hides things and prefers to paper over the cavernous cracks in her personal life. Kate seems a controlling , manipulative cuckoo in the nest but as the storyline develops it’s clear she’s carrying a huge burden. The prize for ultimate manipulation goes to Jake’s mother, whose passive aggressive barking and biting is fist clenchingly odious. The novel deals with some weighty issues from mental health to fertility problems to trauma of various kinds and all are dealt with sensitively by the author.

My only reservation after such a compelling, hard to put down read is the resolution which seems a bit too picture perfect. What unfolds between the three of them is messy and maybe as a consequence it needs a messy end.

Overall, this is a very polished, clever, domestic noir/psychological thriller from the talented Elizabeth Day. If you like a read with twists and a multitude of emotions you may enjoy this one!

With thanks for NetGalley and 4th Estate for the arc in return for an honest review.

Disclaimer - I LOVE Elizabeth Day. I have read all the novels she has written - and I have been longing for a new novel since The Party 4 years ago. I was not disappointed - although I am furious with myself for gobbling this one up and not savouring as I might have a long wait to the next!
As others have said there are twists through this book that would be major spoilers so I can only say so much. A young couple are desperate to have a baby - but is their new lodger all that she seems?
Utterly compelling from start to finish - I read this in pretty much 24 hours, despite my promises to myself not to rush it! Very commercial, very readable - tacking mental illness, motherhood, infertility, relationships, dysfunctional families and more. I know so much of this somes from the authors own experiences, and I truly commend her for putting this to paper in fiction, as it is really powerful.
Great stuff!

I loved this book!! I read it in one afternoon as I just couldn’t put it down. I did find that I guessed a couple of the twists, but it certainly didn’t take away from how gripping the book was. Is definitely recommend!

I really enjoyed this. It had all the twists and turns of a psychological thriller entwined with real issues around motherhood, family and mental health. It was clever, but not gimmicky, and the characters were believable and well established. A really great read.

Loved this novel and finding it very hard to write a review without giving away the plot! There is a twist halfway through that I didn't see coming!!
It's essentially about fertility, relationship, possession and families.
The story is told through the eye of three main characters who all share a house together and one of them is pregnant.
That's all I'm going to say about this page turner

WOW! I haven't been hooked on a story this quickly in such a long time. I started reading it on a Sunday night and had to literally drag myself to bed. I just wanted to keep reading! I was hooked before I even got to the plot twist. This story felt incredibly like a make-sure-the-door-is-locked thriller at parts, but it's actually just a very good page-turner. I really enjoyed the fertility journey, especially the comparison and the jealously between women. It's not something that's always expressed. The reason that I gave this story 4 stars was because everything seemed to just... go so well at the end. Considering the journey, I thought it was a little too happily ever after, and perhaps I was expecting a final shock of some kind. However, I really loved this book! I have already recommended it to several people. Thank you for the chance to review this - Goodreads, amazon and blog post coming soon!

With moments of brilliant writing Elizabeth Day allows her four main characters to spotlight human frailties and, emotions, but especially love and motherhood. Perhaps the book could be shorter but by the dramatic end it doesn't matter in the slightest. Prepare to be moved.

A clever and original plot, especially the twist partway thru. The long passages about Infertility and IVF are either not necessary or in the wrong part of the novel. The plot was moving along nicely then suddenly slows to a crawl.
The ending is a bit unlikely but it seems these days an ending must be happy.
The title is based on the appearance of a magpie a various point but all along I thought Cuckoo was more appropriate.

A thriller that shows the dangerous side a yearning for motherhood can take. The protagonist are all complex and the story of a couple and their out of control tenant had me enthralled!

Set mostly in London, this is a novel about a woman in her twenties with a traumatic past who quickly falls in love and moves in with her new boyfriend. There’s a sense of foreboding in the opening chapters so it’s no surprise when things turn sour, though what this first twist was came as a surprise. The only criticism I’d have is that I didn't find the characters particularly compelling and, while some very serious issues are raised, these feel a little skimmed over in favour of plot. Nonetheless a very well-written and gripping novel.