The Woman in the Cabin by Becca Day was a first for me from this author. But this book was so delicious, I’ll be looking for more from her!
Every day, in a remote cabin hidden deep in the woods in the Scottish Highlands, Mary wakes up before dawn to make breakfast from scratch. She tends the garden and feeds the animals. Every night, Mary makes sure she has dinner on the table for when her husband Cal gets home from work.
Mary is the perfect wife, and like any good wife, she knows her job is to keep her husband happy.
But lately, as she notices her first wrinkles appear, she can sense Cal change. A scowl at dinner not being ready on time, a too-tight grip as he leads her to the bedroom, tells her he’s noticed too. And old memories are coming back too, of her life before the cabin…
Then she finds a stack of letters hidden under the floorboards detailing a life eerily similar to her own. They’re addressed to her: ‘To the next woman.’
My Thoughts
I absolutely loved this book. From the very first chapter, it pulled me in and refused to let go. It’s one of those stories where you’re constantly questioning what’s real and what’s actually happening, and I found myself making guesses the entire time.
The situation Mary is trapped in is heartbreaking and unsettling. The way she’s expected to live just to keep her husband happy is disturbing, and it becomes clear that there’s so much more going on than it first appears. Every new reveal made me want to keep reading “just one more chapter,” and before I knew it, I was flying through the book.
The twists kept coming, but they never felt forced. Instead, everything slowly came together in a way that made perfect sense. I especially loved how the ending wrapped things up. After everything the characters endured, it was incredibly satisfying and gave the story the emotional payoff I was hoping for.
The writing was fantastic, the pacing was fast, and the suspense never let up. If you enjoy psychological thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, I highly recommend The Woman in the Cabin. It was a five-star read for me, and I couldn’t wait to finish it… in the best possible way.