Delicate Condition

Product Information

Danielle Valentine's 2022 YA mystery/thriller, How to Survive Your Murder, was a very popular release and many thriller aficionados loved it, so I was really excited for her adult novel release, DELICATE CONDITION. When I first saw the cover, I thought "omg I need to read this", but when I heard it's the basis for Season 12 of American Horror Story, I definitely knew this needed to be prioritized. I usually steer away from stories involving the importance of pregnancy, but I trusted that if this book was good enough to be subject matter for one of my favorite shows, that it would be a fun time. I don’t want to say what aspect of horror this is for spoiler purposes, but it’s not a horror sub-genre that I usually go for. With this book, I absolutely loved it. This book starts as a thriller, then crescendos into horror as the book goes on. It has really cool little stories from centuries ago interspersed, of women who have also been affected by Anna’s maladies, and that just added to the suspense.

I had to jump on the Delicate Condition bandwagon when I heard it was the basis for the next season of American Horror Story, so thanks to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the complimentary listening opportunity. Hillary Huber did an excellent job of narrating this creepy novel. What a wild ride this was! I will say that some parts were a bit redundant and repetitive, and I was ready for this book to move along- or maybe because I was just so curious as to how this story would end. Either way, I really enjoyed the Author’s Note at the end of the book, which I would even recommend reading before you start reading Delicate Condition. You get an idea as to why the author wrote this book, and where her ideas came from. After it happens again, and again, she KNOWS she is still pregnant - but nobody believes her. Her doctors say it’s impossible; they’ve done ultrasounds to confirm the loss. Even Anna knows that she FELT her body release the child, but it’s still inside of her. Well, at least *something* is… DELICATE CONDITION was literally a one-session read as I stayed up late absolutely determined to reach the end, because I knew I could not sleep without knowing!

I wanted to write a story where the reader was at times being like, ‘This can’t be what’s happening to her,’ and really have you faced with the choice of ‘Do I trust her? The other people in her life don’t trust her. So, what do I believe?’” Valentine says. While watching AHS " Delicate" I am enthralled so far how the show is following the book although I'm sure it will probably take it's own horrific spin in a few more episodes! I highly recommend not missing out on this crazy, good book! This story begins with Anna Victoria Alcott, a recently famous actress who is going through the IVF process to become pregnant. Anna and her husband Dex, feel that a baby would complete their marriage and give them the family they’ve been hoping for.

When I first read the synopsis, I wanted to read this, but I also wondered if it was going to be cheesy. Saying a book is like “The Push” and “The Silent Patient” is a very bold statement to make. In this case, it’s also a very true statement! Add a little bit of “Nightbitch” and “Motherthing”, and we get this crazy, yet somehow beautiful, story… I do appreciate the trigger warnings given at the beginning of the book. PLEASE take note of them before launching into reading it. If you are trying to have a baby or currently pregnant I do not advise reading this book right now. An indictment of how women are treated during pregnancy, dismissed and ignored, their pain overlooked During this time we also find out that Anna has an online stalker (I mean she is quite famous). Then someone breaks into their NY apartment. This is all too much for Anna and Dex, so they go and stay at a friend’s private beach house. Anna needs to take care of herself and the growing baby inside of her. While at this beach house, Anna starts to crave bizarre foods/meats, she develops a horrible rash on her body, her hair starts to fall out in clumps, she hears noises in the attic and outside her window, the baby moves and gives her sharp pains throughout her body. Nobody believes Anna, and isn’t there anyone out there who can help her?This book is the basis for the newest season of American Horror Story and its clear how this book would fit perfectly into the lore of the series. I haven't watched AHS I'm years...I think Hotel was the last season I watched and I probably won't watch this season either. I had a lot of impostor syndrome where I was like, ‘Oh, maybe I’m not good enough; maybe I’m only a YA writer,’” she recalls. “I felt intimidated.” It didn’t help that she’d put more than a year and a half of her life into writing a different adult book, only to “hit a wall” and realize she needed to shelve the manuscript. The experience left her “in a dark place,” she says (which certainly wasn’t aided by the fact that she was six months pregnant at the time and experiencing a whirlwind of hormonal changes). Enter: Delicate Condition, Valentine’s heart-pounding and unputdownable 12th novel (which is soon to inspire the newest season of American Horror Story). Following Anna Alcott, an actress who’s filled with joy over her long-awaited pregnancy until she begins suspecting that someone (or some thing) may be doing everything in their power to stop her from having the baby, it’s one of the summer’s most propulsive thrillers. And while the possible supernatural force messing with Anna certainly adds some tension, the book’s biggest scares come from the (only slightly exaggerated) realities of being pregnant: both the often-uncomfortable physical changes as well as the burdensome mental toll. First of all, this book is nothing like The Silent Patient or The Push. The best, and most obvious, comparison would be Rosemary's Baby. Delicate Condition is the story of Anna, who finds that her wildest dreams are coming true all at once. Not only has she had a breakout film role that has the media buzzing about an Oscar, but she is also, finally, pregnant, after years of fertility treatments. But Anna still can't shake the feeling that something isn't right. Appointments are disappearing from her calendar, her medications are being tampered with, and she's certain she's being followed. When her doctors tell her she's had a miscarriage, Anna is devastated -- until she feels her baby move later that night. And then she starts to have disconcerting visions and strange cravings...

I also resonated with how our main character Anna felt at the end, so I will leave you with this quote(s)- “I was tired of pretending I wasn’t in pain. I was tired of being strong just because it made things easier for everyone else. I was tired of calming down.” s ɴᴀʀʀᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ɪs ᴀʟsᴏ ʙᴇᴀᴜᴛɪғᴜʟʟʏ ᴅᴏɴᴇ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴄᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ʜᴇʀ ᴠᴏɪᴄᴇ ᴀᴅᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ sᴜsᴘᴇɴsᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ. ɪ ᴅᴇғɪɴɪᴛᴇʟʏ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴅɪᴏʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴠᴇʀsɪᴏɴ, ʙᴜᴛ ʙᴇ ᴘʀᴇᴘᴀʀᴇᴅ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴍᴇ ᴄʀᴀᴢʏ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍs ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪsᴛᴇɴ ʙᴇғᴏʀᴇ ʙᴇᴅ.First, I have to say "I loved This Book"! In many ways some might think this is reminiscent of " Rosemary's Baby" and it does have those vibes at time in a much current, updated version although there are many unique twists to this wonderfully blunt and gruesome (at times) story that are completely unique to the writer "Danielle Valentine". I enjoyed everything about this novel. The storytelling and writing just flowed from one situation to another and the tension of not knowing what was really happening with Anna drove me crazy where I couldn't put the book down. This was a truly frightening story with brutal savagery and eerie, creepiness taking place from beginning to end. The feminist touch was wonderful and I believe many women will be able to relate to many of her experiences as many doctors who have downplayed any of our own troubling symptoms when we felt there was something not right with our pregnancies and symptoms and would just brush us off without giving us anything for our pain or concise answers to our questions. I, for one know well that happened to me with one of my pregnancies and also the birth of my beautiful daughter but I felt I was truly butchered (also gave stitches without any novocaine or anesthesia), Why? and His response: "These things sometimes happen so just do as I say and don't worry about it". The ending also had an exciting and unexpected twist. There was not one dull or boring part to this fantastic book. I can't wait to read more from this author! Anna and Dex desperately want to have a baby. After multiple IVF treatments, they learn that it was successful and Anna is pregnant. Simultaneously, strange things start to happen! For instance, her appointment times are changed, medications misplaced, stolen items and someone is following her. Is she going crazy and getting forgetful or is it someone else doing all this and why?? Following their move to a temporary location of safety, Anna is told she has had a miscarriage. Or is she still pregnant? We are drawn into the compelling world of Anna, a renowned actress who longs for nothing more than to have a baby. However, her fame proves to be a double-edged sword, as it attracts the unwanted attention of a relentless stalker determined to shatter Anna's dreams.

Rachel Simon is a writer with work in The New York Times , Glamour , NBC News , Marie Claire , and many other outlets. Follow her @rachel_simon . Before I start my review, I would like to begin by saying that there was nothing ‘delicate’ about this book. 😬 This was definitely different, and a little strange. But I couldn’t stop reading, because I had to know what happened next and of course how things would end.Anna Alcott is desperate to be pregnant. But as she tries to balance her increasingly public life with a grueling IVF journey, she starts to suspect that someone is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens. Crucial medicines are lost. Appointments get swapped without her knowledge. And even when she finally manages to get pregnant, not even her husband is willing to believe that someone's playing a twisted game with her. First off, thank you NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review. Oh, well I planned to reincarnate into your baby, but then you miscarried, so I did a spell to make it live again, but now if I for sure don't reincarnate into the fetus then it will definitely come out "off"'