Magpie

For fans of The Last Mrs. Parrish comes a twisty psychological suspense novel about motherhood, obsession, and just how far some will go for the perfect family. “Great, plain and simple” (Stanley Tucci).

Marisa and Jake are a perfect couple. And Kate, their new lodger, is the perfect roommate—and not just because her rent payments will give them the income they need to start trying for the baby of their dreams.

Except—no one is truly perfect. Sure, Kate doesn’t seem to care much about personal boundaries and can occasionally seem overly familiar with Jake. But Marisa doesn’t let it concern her, knowing that soon Kate will be gone, and it will just be her, Jake, and their future baby.

Conceiving a baby is easier said than done, though, and Jake and Marisa’s perfect relationship is put to the test through months of fertility treatments and false starts. To make matters worse, Kate’s boundary-pushing turns into an all-out obsession—with Jake, with Marisa, and with their future child. Who is this woman? Why does she seem to know everything about Marisa and Jake?

In her quest to find out who Kate really is, Marisa might destroy everything she’s worked so hard to create—her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self.

Jake doesn’t know the half of what Marisa has created—and what she stands to lose.

For fans of Gone Girl and The Perfect Nanny, Magpie is a “tense” (The Guardian), “gorgeous” (Lisa Taddeo, bestselling author of Three Women), “completely, terrifyingly brilliant” (Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups) novel about mothers and children, envy and possession, and the dangers of getting everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

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336 pages

Average rating: 5.9

40 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

CHare!
Apr 30, 2025
8/10 stars
Started out sooooo sloopow, but had many twists that pepped it up!!
bookshelf.at.tiffanys
Dec 19, 2024
8/10 stars
Jake and Marisa are the definition of a perfect couple. Crazy about each other, very much in love and Marisa is finally pregnant - which has been their goal for awhile. Everything is going perfectly until they take in a new roommate, Kate. Kate threatens to ruin everything they’ve worked for, especially their perfect relationship.

This novel was such an unexpected one! It gave me vibes of The Wives by Tarryn Fisher which I really loved! There are a couple unexpected twists that you’ll never see coming! I listened to this one on audio, and I really enjoyed it. The story is chaotic and messy at times but this was a quick and easy listen!
CharleyB
Sep 21, 2023
9/10 stars
I loved this. I did not see that coming. 9/10
MumBookWorm
Jul 06, 2022
8/10 stars
This book wasn’t what I expected but I did enjoy it. Another good plot twist, satisfying ending too!

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