A Gripping and Empowering Horror Experience

I couldn't resist requesting "Delicate Condition" on Netgalley after hearing it would be a central theme for American Horror Story - my fascination with all things gore drew me in. The added reference to it being compared to The Silent Patient sealed the deal. To my genuine surprise, I was selected, and what followed was an intense two-day read that could easily be devoured in one sitting. This book evoked such raw and visceral feelings, simultaneously frightening and compelling with its beautiful prose. Anna's grief and paranoia became my own, making me feel as though I was descending into madness alongside her. The book also exposed the infuriating history of downplaying women's physical and mental health as mere hysteria, a fact highlighted even more in the author's poignant note at the end. Skipping it would be a mistake; it will truly touch your heart.

One aspect I loved was the withholding of real explanations until the end. The different female perspectives interspersed with Anna's lightly touched on the plot, leaving me constantly wondering and piecing things together. I almost passed on this book, but learning that it inspired AHS season 12 changed my mind, and I'm so grateful for that discovery. This book is unputdownable, and I highly recommend it to all readers.

I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the author, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and NetGalley for providing me with digital access in exchange for this honest review. ( )

Chilling account of what COULD happen when you are pregnant.
Anna Alcott and her husband are trying to have a baby and are trying IVF. But, Anna seems to miss appointments, and mess up meds. Her husband questions her, and she wonders if she is losing it. She begins hallucinating, believing she hears noises, or feels things, but nothing is there. She is an accomplished actress, so this is out of the ordinary. Then, when she becomes pregnant, she believes the child is trying to harm her.
The answer is more sinister-something is going on, with her husband, her friends, and the baby. Are pregnancies really as simple as people want us to think, or are they much more precarious? A bit of magical realism and sorcery in this one. ( )

Delicate Condition by Danielle Valentine

Anna is unable to get pregnant, goes through IVF and finds she finally pregnant. She is not sure what to expect. Then unusual incidents occur that leave her confused. Missing medications, missed doctor visits and alarming threats. Feeling her life and baby are in danger she leave for the coast.

Arriving in the Hamptons during the cold winter she experiences a miscarriage. Anna is certain she is still pregnant. Her Husband and doctor do not believe her, things begin to spiral out of control, she doesn't know what is real. Is her life and that of her unborn baby in danger or is it her pregnancy getting the best of her?

The story moves at a fast pace with in depth details of (her) IVF and pregnancy. Compelling, intense, suspense filled (story) building up to a slow burn. I was engrossed from the first page until the shocking end. Overall I found Delicate Condition enjoyable and feel those who like psychological thrillers will enjoy this as well. A good read. ( )

Horror thriller dealing with a nightmare pregnancy.

After many attempts to conceive, IVF finally works for Anna Alcott and her husband, Dex. Almost immediately, things start going haywire. Anna is either completely mad, or she and her unborn child are in danger.

This was a crazy and overly long book that I can’t believe I actually finished. I was ready to chuck it in fairly early as there was way too much going on inside of Anna’s head. Very repetitive with all the symptoms and having to ask myself if this was another hallucination or if Anna’s perceptions were off the charts. I am not a horror fan and I found the narrative slightly ridiculous. I didn’t care about Anna, her pregnancy, or the underlying theme of how difficult pregnancy is and how awful men and doctors are. My experience as a mother and a nurse completely contradicts the premise within the pages that women are supposed to suffer during pregnancy and childbirth. Not only that, but it is insulting to those wonderful OB docs, nurse practitioners, and others who support pregnant women. If you don’t have someone like that, go look elsewhere. You are master of your own pregnancy journey.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-book ARC to read and review. I can’t recommend it. ( )

Oh Wow! Where to begin? This book has a lot going on.Definitely reminiscent of Rosemary's Baby. It deals with fertility treatments, miscarriage, the treatment of women by doctors, fame, stalking and good old horror. Anna is an actress who desperately wants a baby and her biological clock is running out fast. Fertility treatments thus far been unsuccessful, but in what may be her last implantation attempt, she finally gets pregnant, just as she is being considered for an Academy Award. The author deals with this subject with realism and delicacy, showing what women go through with fertility treatments and trying to work their everyday lives around them. She keeps seeing strange women following her and gets weird messages on her calendar. She and her husband move to a borrowed home in the Hamptons in the middle of winter. The snowy isolation adds to the suspense that keeps ratcheting up . Anna has a miscarriage, but she can still feel the baby moving. Hallucinations and strange cravings lead her to the conclusion that there is something wrong with her baby. Chapters about women in the past who have had her same problems add to the increasing suspense. Her husband Dex seems creepy to me, not believing Anna and always on his phone or disappearing. And if one more doctor had brushed off her symptoms with "take another aspirin" I think I would have gone mad. The only sympathetic character was Kamal, the security guard. The ending was full of surprises, some I somewhat expected but others that I definitely did not. The Author's Note shared her experiences in this area and made the book that much more real. The Reading Group Guide poses questions to ponder about your reading experience. This is a book I won't soon forget. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an early copy of this memorable book. ( )