Magpie by Elizabeth Day

Marisa has finally found her match. In Jake, she has found everything she ever wanted in a relationship.  When he asks her to move in with him and start a family, she couldn’t be more thrilled. To make ends meet temporarily, they also rent out a room to a lodger, Kate. While Kate creeps Marisa out a bit, she tells herself that once the baby comes, Kate will go away and they will be a normal happy family.  Unfortunately, things aren’t always as they seem.  

Day takes some really tough themes here (mental health, infertility, pregnancy loss, parental abandonment, emotional abuse) and packs them into one heck of a thriller. I’ll admit that I did see part of the twist coming, but not exactly. The big picture still took me by surprise. The characters were really well done. I also liked how Day was able to wrap up the story while still respecting boundaries. Excellently done. 

This book is a great quick and fun read for a rainy spring day!  It comes out in the US on 5/3/22 and I recommend grabbing a copy at your favorite bookstore.

Thanks to Elizabeth Day and Simon and Schuster for this ARC in return for my honest review. Get your copy here!