Woman on the Edge

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for a copy of Woman on the Edge in exchange for an honest review.

I’ll admit it: I do not have an impartial view of this subject matter. As someone who has a mental illness (bipolar II) and who has dealt with postpartum depression, I can not judge Nicole. Nor can I say that this is an unlikely or melodramatic scenario.

Some reviewers say Nicole should realize that her mental state is disintegrating. Or that she lacks common sense. Or that others around her wouldn’t overlook her disturbed mental state. These sound unduly harsh to me.

A mentally ill person might not realize how bad her mental state is. It’s difficult to judge from the inside out, especially when one’s mind is lying and not fully grasping reality. If people close to the mentally ill person don’t take positive action (rather than walking away, as Nicole’s acquaintances/friends/family do), then the ill person may have no resources to reach out for help: no energy, no ideas, nothing.

And yes, people WILL walk by an obviously hurting person. Even people you know. Believe me, that hurts. Plus, it minimizes the pain, as if others think the person should simply “get over it” and “deal with it.” As if the person–exhausted, edgy, isolated–knows how to handle it.

(How many times have you passed someone who looks disheveled, distraught, and desperate? Maybe you knew them. Maybe not. But you were too busy to help? Too afraid? Too uncertain? Sadly, I admit that I’ve done this.)

Anyway, here’s my point:

Nicole’s increasingly distraught and isolated state resonated with me. It felt real. Raw. It mattered to me in ways that novel conflicts rarely do, no matter how well-crafted they are.

It broke my heart seeing how delusional and mentally broken Nicole becomes. Knowing that her death is coming makes it all the worse. I kept wanting to beg her to live, plead with her for her baby’s sake, and snatch her away from the edge where she teeters, mentally, emotionally, and physically. If I could’ve reached through the words on the page and grabbed her, I would’ve.

I couldn’t. But the author made me want to do that. Despite any unsympathetic, self-sabotaging choices Nicole makes, despite any seeming dumb mistakes, despite anything else, Nicole Markham had my sympathy.

Morgan had my sympathy, too. (This is another woman who is often makes dumb choices; ignoring one’s attorney’s advice to leave investigations to the police is a bad idea, but most fictional protagonists do a horrible job following a lawyer’s orders!)

Ryan, her late husband, killed himself. A financial broker, he had embezzled clients’ funds to invest in a corrupt hedge fund. When that went badly and everyone–including family–who had trusted him lost everything, he died, leaving Morgan to be a suspect in his scheme. She didn’t know what he was doing. Almost no one believes her. As a result, she’s been found guilty in the court of public opinion, though not in court.

She judges herself harshly, too. But the emotions she feels echo what I’ve heard from suicide survivors: Why did they do it? Why didn’t I see? Could I have stopped it? Honestly, she seems to be suffering from PTSD and needs therapy ASAP. She’s also longing for a child but unable to have one. At points, her grief seems to overwhelm her personality.

Even her attorney doesn’t fully trust her. Morgan is as alone as Nicole. The author does a great job painting a picture of a woman who is lonely, even when standing on a crowded platform, waiting for a train.

There are issues with the story, of course.

Certain twists are obvious to anyone who reads many suspense/thriller novels.

I also never understood the motivations of certain supporting characters. Without giving spoilers, I can’t say much. But I felt like the antagonistic characters’ motivations weren’t fleshed out enough. I didn’t feel that I had enough information to see the full picture of what had been happening outside of Nicole’s and Morgan’s points of view. As a result, the ending felt rushed.

There are other aspects that seem unbelievable. The detective who investigates both Nicole’s death and Ryan’s suicide seems intent on blaming Morgan for both the death and the embezzlement. Yet even supposing Morgan was complicit with her late husband and helped steal other people’s investments and squander it in an corrupt hedge fund, there’s a huge difference between fraud and murder. It does not logically follow that a thief would become a killer.

As well, there is a lot of backstory introduced early in the book. While it is important, it felt like too much, too soon for me.

Yet despite the flaws, Woman on the Edge haunts me.

This is a story about grief and regrets, and what makes one person able to move past those traumas and another person succumb to them. I am willing to overlook many writing flaws because of my emotional connection with these characters. It was a powerful, poignant experience for me to journey alongside these two women. It will haunt me for a long time.

Firstly, I have to say that I have a deep respect for anyone who puts pen to paper, embarking on the thankless task of writing a novel. I admire those who have the stamina and bravery to put something original out there – exposed and vulnerable to critics who cannot possibly understand how difficult it is to be truly original and expressive when so many wonderful things have already been written. I love reading, and appreciate that my own passion could not be fulfilled if others did not take this leap of faith to produce works for my consumption. Unfortunately, occasionally there are times however when I wish a writer had been told by a professional or friend that their output is a mess before releasing it out into the world.
Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey is a debut novel that badly needed such a voice of reason. Although the premise is captivating and the novel starts out on a promising note, it quickly devolves into a tangle of unsympathetic characters engaged in improbable scenarios in which they make stupendously imbecilic decisions. Morgan Kincaid, a social worker on her way to work one day encounters a desperate woman with a baby in her arms. This stranger somehow knows her name and tosses the baby in her arms to her right before falling backwards onto the train tracks. It turns out that the mother is Nicole Markham, founder and CEO of a famous athleisure company who has been brought to this insane state due to a combination of past trauma, paranoia due to PPD and an insidious plot against her. Despite being in a crowded place, no one witnesses to the event can corroborate Morgan’s version of the tragedy. Morgan has her own storied past which involves a husband who committed suicide after being investigated for embezzlement. For some reason, the same irrationally vindictive detective that believed that Morgan was involved in those financial crimes also is on this case as well, and now suspects her of pushing Nicole to her death. The novel consists of alternating chapters describing Nicole’s unnecessary dissolution and Morgan’s harebrained attempts to clear her name by playing amateur detective while ignoring her lawyer’s advice. These are both women apparently bereft of friends, intuition, social skills-or even a shred of common sense. Any potential empathy or credibility is lost as the reader becomes increasing confused by how the plot unfolds; frustrated by the implausibility of the motives of the ancillary characters; and infuriated by the way Morgan and Nicole are repeated victims of their own bad choices. It is difficult to see all the women portrayed in the novel possessed with so few redeeming qualities, and the baby is the only female character left worth rooting for. What is truly unfortunate is that Woman on the Edge, with a bit more care and editing, might have been an interesting look into the insecurity of motherhood and the devastating effects of postpartum psychosis. Then, it might have had the potential to be mystery worth sinking into instead of one that must simply be endured.
Thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A psychological roller-coaster ride of a thriller that goes from 0-100mph in the first chapter, grabs hold, and propels you with climbs and jerks of twists and turns with no let-up until the end when you are left breathless with the explosive climax. Morgan Kincaid is on a train platform on her way home from work when a woman, whom she has never met, thrusts her baby at her with instructions to keep her safe before jumping onto the tracks. Morgan is suspect of taking the baby and pushing the woman, whom she learns is the CEO of a company, Nicole Markham. She is determined to prove her innocence and protect the baby. The story unfolds in alternating chapters of story/viewpoints with the author building the story by going back in time (after the initial chapter) and revealing events past and present (of both Morgan and Nicole) leading to the day on the train platform before rushing forward to the shocking conclusion and end. The author did an excellent job in describing the fear and paranoia felt by Nicole as well as building the story slowly yet with breakneck speed at the same time. This was a book I just didn’t want to put down. I loved it and will definitely be looking for more from this author. I thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an advance copy of this book and am leaving this review voluntarily and honestly.

Woman on the Edge starts out with a bang and the twists and turns keep on coming !

Was Nicole murdered or was she pushed onto the tracks as she hands her baby to Morgan just as she falls.

Morgan’s life has changed irrevocably , who is this stranger? Why dont the police believe Morgan

Full of twists and turns that keep the light on and the pages turning.

Don’t miss Woman on The Edge; can’t wait for Samantha Bailey’s next book.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Morgan and Nicole are from two different worlds. Morgan is a widow. Her husband committed suicide just a year prior. She has no children. And because of her dead husband’s crimes, she has no friends or family. She’s completely alone because even her mother believes that she knew what her husband was doing.

Nicole has what seems to be a good life. She built her company from the ground up. She has a loving husband, and she’s just given birth to their first child. A secret from Nicole’s past starts haunting her and she isn’t sure if her paranoia is from postpartem depression or if someone is truly stalking and threatening her.

Morgan and Nicole had never met until Nicole shows up on the train platform. She walks up to Morgan, saying her name she hands her the baby and asks her to keep her safe, to love her, and then falls to her death in front of the train pulling in to the station.

Morgan becomes a suspect in Nicole’s death. What is their connection? Not even she knows. As secrets are revealed and danger abounds, will the reason for Nicole’s death be revealed?

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. It was nonstop anxiety because I couldn’t find out what happened fast enough. This was one of the most intense books I have read for a while. The character development was outstanding. I felt as if I was right there in the story with them. I was yelling at characters, scared for them, and cried because of and with them. Bravo Ms. Bailey!

Whoa. Compelling and riveting from page one–with a twisty turny story that will keep you turning pages like mad. What would you do if a woman handed you a baby–and then jumped under the moving subway train? SO haunting..and so original. Do not miss this!

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey is a twisted tale of mental health issues. Depression, post-partum depression, suicide, paranoia, and panic disorder make this book a suspenseful story of who you can trust and second-guessing everyone and everything you think you know. I enjoyed this book very much and did not want to put it down. A real page-turner. I would highly recommend it.

A beautifully written book. Just goes to show how people can manipulate others into doing and saying terrible things. I think had I been in a better place myself I would of read this book quite quickly..

Morgan Kincaid’s life has already been set in a tailspin from her deceased husband’s dealings and all she wants is for her life to be normal again. But while waiting on the platform for the train, a frantic woman she’s never met before shoves her small infant in Morgan’s arms and asks her to take care of her baby. Then, in an instant, Morgan’s life changes forever when the woman falls in front of the moving train. Soon, Morgan finds herself a suspect in the woman’s death as strange details come to light. Desperate to clear her name, she begins to unravel the woman’s last days before she died to prove her innocence. But unraveling the web of deceit and lies is more difficult that Morgan could have ever imagined.

Woman on the Edge is a tightly-woven, edge-of-the-seat psychological thriller that you will not be able to put down. The twists and turns in this story will keep you guessing until the very end. A brilliantly written debut novel by the talented Samantha M. Bailey, this novel is a must-read for all thriller fans.

Page-turning, up-all-night, and expertly tracked. Woman on the Edge is a twisty tale where paranoia, double takes, reversals, and deceit bend to the awe-inspiring power of a mother’s love. Not to miss!