This Page-Turning Novel Examines Female Guilt and New Motherhood with a Thrilling Speculative Twist

Liz appears. A white female CEO who is older, more famous, more successful, laid back, #girlbossed, and everything in between. She appears out of nowhere in Maya’s DMs and becomes an important friend and mentor in her life. She also offers Maya an incredible solution. An experimental drug that erases women’s guilt. Suddenly, Maya’s work and family life are going well. She finally feels like she can balance everything without letting anyone down.

But the pills aren’t FDA-approved, and she’s been experiencing strange side effects. And she’s making some very uncharacteristic decisions that put her at odds with the people who have always loved and believed in her. Are the pills safe? Is Liz a safe person? These questions kept me turning the pages until the novel’s thrilling conclusion.

This book actually feels more like a suspense/thriller novel than science fiction. But I loved the depth of Maya’s character, the reflective elements, and the exploration of both female guilt and female ambition. Although I have had a very different postpartum and motherhood experience than Maya (thankfully), I still found parts of this book very relatable.