What do you think?
Rate this book
Carrying
Not yet published
Expected 6 Oct 26She’s serving.
She’s eating.
She’s . . . Carrying.
In this electrifying horror debut that’s equal parts funny and harrowing, a stealth trans woman desperate to maintain her picture-picture life discovers that she’s seemingly—impossibly—pregnant.
Everything Martha’s wanted, she’s made for herself.
Meet perfect wife, perfect stepmother, perfect woman. She’s got an adoring husband who wants more kids with her, a loving stepdaughter who looks up to her, and a body to die for. She’s an absolute Salon-quality blowouts at home? Done. Perfectly plated meals on the table every day? Effortless. Meticulously faked miscarriages so her husband won’t suspect the truth? Just hand over the Oscar now.
Martha is trans, so stealth even her family has no idea. She carved the woman she is out of the marble of a boy, and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect what she’s built. When a mysterious chronic illness and its debilitating symptoms threaten to upend her existence, she starts experimental treatments and gives in to her new, unsettling cravings. She’s even more shocked to discover that she’s undeniably, impossibly pregnant.
With her body changing rapidly outside of her control and her choices dwindling, Martha struggles to maintain the life she’s fought so hard to live while preparing for the motherhood she never thought she’d have.
She’s eating.
She’s . . . Carrying.
In this electrifying horror debut that’s equal parts funny and harrowing, a stealth trans woman desperate to maintain her picture-picture life discovers that she’s seemingly—impossibly—pregnant.
Everything Martha’s wanted, she’s made for herself.
Meet perfect wife, perfect stepmother, perfect woman. She’s got an adoring husband who wants more kids with her, a loving stepdaughter who looks up to her, and a body to die for. She’s an absolute Salon-quality blowouts at home? Done. Perfectly plated meals on the table every day? Effortless. Meticulously faked miscarriages so her husband won’t suspect the truth? Just hand over the Oscar now.
Martha is trans, so stealth even her family has no idea. She carved the woman she is out of the marble of a boy, and she’ll do whatever it takes to protect what she’s built. When a mysterious chronic illness and its debilitating symptoms threaten to upend her existence, she starts experimental treatments and gives in to her new, unsettling cravings. She’s even more shocked to discover that she’s undeniably, impossibly pregnant.
With her body changing rapidly outside of her control and her choices dwindling, Martha struggles to maintain the life she’s fought so hard to live while preparing for the motherhood she never thought she’d have.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication October 6, 2026
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
April 14, 2026
“You’re too cunt to die” is my favorite quote from a book
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
wow wow wow! i'm just now realizing this is a debut?! Samantha Josephs i've got my eye on you. if you're a fan of "weird girl" horror or lit fic this is for you. Carrying is by far the most original, completely unhinged book i've read recently, & to say it's a lot is an understatement. at no point did Carrying have any chill—it goes from crazy to crazier by the end.
she did what i needed her to do when i picked her up. i laughed, i cringed, i read some parts of this peeking through my fingers while saying "oh no pls don't do thaaaat!" i really enjoyed how the author was able to mix body horror, nasty pregnancy horror (the more pregnancy horror i read, the more i don't want kids) & social commentary together while still finding a way to make it comedic.
i PROMISE i am not typically one of those girls that's like "i HaTe AlL MeN blehh", i dislike us all equally, but why is it always a man that has the audacity to tell a woman how to live her life & what to do with our bodies??? i'm talking to you LEON. ooooHHHHH i despised this man & how dare Samantha make me take his side later on in the book!? Leon was so caught up in having a soccer team family that he had ZERO sympathy for Martha & her wellbeing. it felt like every time he was on pg he just walked around dry humping Martha's leg begging "give me a baby, give me a baby, give me a baby!" SIR CAN MY GIRL RECUPERATE?! she is suffering from a mysterious illness can you leave her alone, now is not the time?! i hate to say it, but his reaction to her “treatments” was valid. ugh, what else was he supposed to do?? how else does one react to something like that?
where the story lost me was maybe the last 20% of the book. it goes completely off the rails & not in a good way in my opinion. the ending is just too ridiculous that i could not take it seriously at all. it went from 100-1,000,000 real fast... STOP IT.
another thing that kind of got under my skin was the half explanations...we find out HOW Martha was able to get pregnant but we don't find out how she got sick or like a firm confirmation of what exactly it is? it seems like she got pregnant & sick at the same time, so i thought it was connected but then we find out they're not? HOW WHEN WHERE & WHY does Bruce find these so called cures...GASOLINE HELLLOOOOO? is the explanation in the room with us? how were these treatments not affecting the baby while in the womb like at all?! i don't always need everything spelled out for me but i do think these are important questions? for these reasons i've settled on a 3.25 rounded down for gr.
it's still a fun wildly entertaining read & i definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds even a little bit interesting — there's a certain part in this that gave Frankenstein vibes, but make it freaky iykyk. i honestly can't wait to see what else Samantha Josephs cooks up for us in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
she did what i needed her to do when i picked her up. i laughed, i cringed, i read some parts of this peeking through my fingers while saying "oh no pls don't do thaaaat!" i really enjoyed how the author was able to mix body horror, nasty pregnancy horror (the more pregnancy horror i read, the more i don't want kids) & social commentary together while still finding a way to make it comedic.
i PROMISE i am not typically one of those girls that's like "i HaTe AlL MeN blehh", i dislike us all equally, but why is it always a man that has the audacity to tell a woman how to live her life & what to do with our bodies??? i'm talking to you LEON. ooooHHHHH i despised this man & how dare Samantha make me take his side later on in the book!? Leon was so caught up in having a soccer team family that he had ZERO sympathy for Martha & her wellbeing. it felt like every time he was on pg he just walked around dry humping Martha's leg begging "give me a baby, give me a baby, give me a baby!" SIR CAN MY GIRL RECUPERATE?! she is suffering from a mysterious illness can you leave her alone, now is not the time?! i hate to say it, but his reaction to her “treatments” was valid. ugh, what else was he supposed to do?? how else does one react to something like that?
where the story lost me was maybe the last 20% of the book. it goes completely off the rails & not in a good way in my opinion. the ending is just too ridiculous that i could not take it seriously at all. it went from 100-1,000,000 real fast... STOP IT.
another thing that kind of got under my skin was the half explanations...we find out HOW Martha was able to get pregnant but we don't find out how she got sick or like a firm confirmation of what exactly it is? it seems like she got pregnant & sick at the same time, so i thought it was connected but then we find out they're not? HOW WHEN WHERE & WHY does Bruce find these so called cures...GASOLINE HELLLOOOOO? is the explanation in the room with us? how were these treatments not affecting the baby while in the womb like at all?! i don't always need everything spelled out for me but i do think these are important questions? for these reasons i've settled on a 3.25 rounded down for gr.
it's still a fun wildly entertaining read & i definitely recommend to anyone who thinks it sounds even a little bit interesting — there's a certain part in this that gave Frankenstein vibes, but make it freaky iykyk. i honestly can't wait to see what else Samantha Josephs cooks up for us in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review
May 22, 2026
5 ⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!!
In the words of Martha, the main character of this lovely trans body horror, she is mega cunt. She is super cunt. She is so cunt, that she is pregnant. She is a pregnant trans woman, and she will do ANYTHING it takes to have this baby. Oh… and she has a craving for spoiled meat.
Trans body horror will always have a special place in my heart, because being in the wrong body is pretty fucking horrific. Even though Martha has her faults, like roping her doctor best friend in on her schemes, and being a bit judgmental, I think we can all relate to her anxieties over having full control of her life. We see the good & bad sides of her, and that makes me like this story even more. Dealing with body dysmorphia and missing out on motherhood can make anyone feel bitchy and insane, while also feeling ooey gooey inside about finally having a mini you.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!!
In the words of Martha, the main character of this lovely trans body horror, she is mega cunt. She is super cunt. She is so cunt, that she is pregnant. She is a pregnant trans woman, and she will do ANYTHING it takes to have this baby. Oh… and she has a craving for spoiled meat.
Trans body horror will always have a special place in my heart, because being in the wrong body is pretty fucking horrific. Even though Martha has her faults, like roping her doctor best friend in on her schemes, and being a bit judgmental, I think we can all relate to her anxieties over having full control of her life. We see the good & bad sides of her, and that makes me like this story even more. Dealing with body dysmorphia and missing out on motherhood can make anyone feel bitchy and insane, while also feeling ooey gooey inside about finally having a mini you.
September 3, 2026
Too cunt to die 💅🏼
March 30, 2026
Carrying centers the unclockable (to cissies) and inimitable Martha as her stealthily maintained heterosexual marriage is threatened by the unexpected proliferation of her life's dream: she is carrying a child. After her neovagina turns medical miracle pussy, blossoming into full blown reproductive system (ovary: check, cervix: cunt, i mean check, uterus: present), her trusted gay best friend-cum-gynecologist wants to make a fortune from her unexpected fruit, meanwhile her husband just wants to keep her, and their unborn child, alive. As Martha grapples with the possibility of maternal mortality, she seeks treatment (fed to her by her TikTok algorithm) for strange cravings in the night that unexpectedly offer her a glimpse of T4T butt-chugging ecstasy she left behind in the pursuit of perma-passing. DIY vaginal discharge recipes and phrases like "newborn-baby cunt" counterbalance the horrors Martha undergoes--and eventually engineers like a madwoman, enacting her transsexual (re-)birth right to hysteria. This novel reads like a John Waters movie. It horrified me to no end but left me splitting with laughter. Samantha Josephs is a talent to watch.
Read
September 11, 2026I loved this book. I think the cover and the premise seem like it is a silly read but actually there is a far deeper subtext to this novel. I am thinking about reading it again because I can’t stop thinking about it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Samantha is an old friend from college, so I was super grateful to get an arc of her book from netgalley. This book is completely outside my wheelhouse — I read very little general fiction and satire so I'm not particularly familiar with the genre. With that said, this was absolutely batshit in a way that worked really well for me. From the get-go it's clear that this story is gross and outrageous and at times very uncomfortable. I think most people will know whether this works for them from the first few pages. This is a story focused on what it means to survive as a trans woman at any — and I do mean any — cost.
This book is grotesque in its reflection on womanhood and pregnancy and bodily autonomy, but at its core there's also a deep affection for womanhood and motherhood, despite what they cost Martha to maintain. The setting of LA, and Martha's life as a housewife within it, defines the shape this story takes and some specifics of the social pressures, but the impossible standards Martha faces (and reinforces herself) are very familiar. There's an obvious dissonance between how Martha talks about her own body and value and the bodies and perceived value of the adult women around her, and how she wants her 11 year-old step-daughter to view herself. I found this really compelling in its inconsistency and how realistic this is to many women's relationships with their mothers. There are so many forms of motherhood in this book — pregnancy and biological motherhood, step-motherhood, old and new found family — and so much respect for all of them and for the ugly costs they can bring.
This story centers on Martha seeking very controversial treatments after developing a debilitating chronic illness. These treatments are, frankly, disgusting. I kept wanting her to stop, to talk to her doctors, to do anything but continue these treatments. This reading experience was so interesting because as the reader, I did not trust Martha or her medical decisions, but the narrative did. Martha's experiences lie at the uncomfortable intersection between the real dangers of pseudo-scientific home "medicine" and the reality of people who are dismissed by the medical system and whose life-saving treatments are often labeled as disturbing or "perverted" by outsiders.
There's so much more I could say, I find myself wanting to discuss and analyze this book for hours. But beyond how interesting I think Carrying's ideas are, I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience, even in its most uncomfortable moments. I didn't always like Martha as a person, but I did sympathize with her and I was invested in her story. At least as someone with minimal experience in the genre, this was an incredibly unique reading experience. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate this story.
This book is grotesque in its reflection on womanhood and pregnancy and bodily autonomy, but at its core there's also a deep affection for womanhood and motherhood, despite what they cost Martha to maintain. The setting of LA, and Martha's life as a housewife within it, defines the shape this story takes and some specifics of the social pressures, but the impossible standards Martha faces (and reinforces herself) are very familiar. There's an obvious dissonance between how Martha talks about her own body and value and the bodies and perceived value of the adult women around her, and how she wants her 11 year-old step-daughter to view herself. I found this really compelling in its inconsistency and how realistic this is to many women's relationships with their mothers. There are so many forms of motherhood in this book — pregnancy and biological motherhood, step-motherhood, old and new found family — and so much respect for all of them and for the ugly costs they can bring.
This story centers on Martha seeking very controversial treatments after developing a debilitating chronic illness. These treatments are, frankly, disgusting. I kept wanting her to stop, to talk to her doctors, to do anything but continue these treatments. This reading experience was so interesting because as the reader, I did not trust Martha or her medical decisions, but the narrative did. Martha's experiences lie at the uncomfortable intersection between the real dangers of pseudo-scientific home "medicine" and the reality of people who are dismissed by the medical system and whose life-saving treatments are often labeled as disturbing or "perverted" by outsiders.
There's so much more I could say, I find myself wanting to discuss and analyze this book for hours. But beyond how interesting I think Carrying's ideas are, I genuinely enjoyed the reading experience, even in its most uncomfortable moments. I didn't always like Martha as a person, but I did sympathize with her and I was invested in her story. At least as someone with minimal experience in the genre, this was an incredibly unique reading experience. The more I think about it, the more I appreciate this story.
June 8, 2026
Highly recommend if you love a wild book to go into this one completely blind.
Okay but seriously what in the world! I could never ever have guessed where this book was going! It just kept getting more and more wild and I was completely here for it. Serriously engrossing. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next, devouring it the way Martha is devouring rancid meat.
Full disclosure, I didn't read anything about this book when I requested it. All I had seen was someone saying it was bananas and that was alI needed. So imagine my surprise after the first scene to realize the reason why she had set up such a dramatic display was because she is a Trans women. My jaw was on the floor. Things just kept escalating from there.
I've seen the majority of critism of this book being about the lack of explanations about the illness and treatments but that didn't really bother me as I kind of took it as a metaphor for being trans. I can imagine that many Trans people are questioned about their treatments and told what they are doing to their body is unnatural/sick/going to kill them. That said the ending did go a little of the rails and I wasn't 100% sold on it. Many male characters ended up being jerks but I wasn't really happy with how things ended up with them. One character in particular I was really interested throughout the book to see his reaction once he is told something only to not really be given a satisfactory answer.
I will definitely be checking out the authors next book. Thank you to Netgalley & Putnam for providing me this free arc in exchange for my honest review.
Okay but seriously what in the world! I could never ever have guessed where this book was going! It just kept getting more and more wild and I was completely here for it. Serriously engrossing. I just had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next, devouring it the way Martha is devouring rancid meat.
Full disclosure, I didn't read anything about this book when I requested it. All I had seen was someone saying it was bananas and that was alI needed. So imagine my surprise after the first scene to realize the reason why she had set up such a dramatic display was because she is a Trans women. My jaw was on the floor. Things just kept escalating from there.
I've seen the majority of critism of this book being about the lack of explanations about the illness and treatments but that didn't really bother me as I kind of took it as a metaphor for being trans. I can imagine that many Trans people are questioned about their treatments and told what they are doing to their body is unnatural/sick/going to kill them. That said the ending did go a little of the rails and I wasn't 100% sold on it. Many male characters ended up being jerks but I wasn't really happy with how things ended up with them. One character in particular I was really interested throughout the book to see his reaction once he is told something only to not really be given a satisfactory answer.
I will definitely be checking out the authors next book. Thank you to Netgalley & Putnam for providing me this free arc in exchange for my honest review.
April 19, 2026
I fear I will never shut up about this book. It is the pinnacle of girlhood — you’re laughing, crying, screaming, throwing up, and throwing your book across the room. Everyone I’ve convinced to read it (and I’ve convinced A LOT of people) has come back to me with a different takeaway, and they all loved it just as much as I do.
This story is truly something special, and Samantha should be so proud of what she’s created.
This story is truly something special, and Samantha should be so proud of what she’s created.
August 23, 2026
4.5⭐️ this was fucking insane. I am so obsessed!! Samantha Jospehs you are a genius, what an insane debut. Literally sitting here like wtf did I just read in the best way possible !!
July 10, 2026
received via netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
this book was so campy and so cunty. martha is the picture-perfect suburban housewife. she maintains a beautiful home, cooks scrumptious dinners, and takes care of her stepdaughter, enid. martha also prides herself on passing for a cisgender woman when in actuality she is transexual. however, everything is threatened when she inexplicably becomes pregnant and begins experiencing increasingly strange symptoms of a mysterious illness.
i LOVED this book. it had parts that had me laughing out loud, cringing, and nearly crying. there were points in this book where i had no idea how i was supposed to react! it just got more and more intense, wilder and wilder. fair warning though, if you aren't a fan of open endings, then this mayyyy not be the one for you! not everything is perfectly explained and tied up with a bow, but i could live with that. genuinely, i cannot wait to read more from this author and to see this book on everyone's bookshelves and in bookstores and ugh. i loved this book.
this book was so campy and so cunty. martha is the picture-perfect suburban housewife. she maintains a beautiful home, cooks scrumptious dinners, and takes care of her stepdaughter, enid. martha also prides herself on passing for a cisgender woman when in actuality she is transexual. however, everything is threatened when she inexplicably becomes pregnant and begins experiencing increasingly strange symptoms of a mysterious illness.
i LOVED this book. it had parts that had me laughing out loud, cringing, and nearly crying. there were points in this book where i had no idea how i was supposed to react! it just got more and more intense, wilder and wilder. fair warning though, if you aren't a fan of open endings, then this mayyyy not be the one for you! not everything is perfectly explained and tied up with a bow, but i could live with that. genuinely, i cannot wait to read more from this author and to see this book on everyone's bookshelves and in bookstores and ugh. i loved this book.
June 16, 2026
Thank you to the publishers for this ARC, and to my friend Sara for recommending this book. This story worked for me in many ways: it’s queer, it’s gross, it’s kind of hot, and it’s all kinds of messed up. I loved it. The author's blending of LGBTQ slang within regular dialogue or prose was very powerful as the reader follows Martha in her straddling of two worlds. Martha is another character in my list of unsavory women in literature that I can’t look away from. She’s fought hard for her place in the world and she will do everything to keep it. I would’ve appreciated a little more exploration of just what was going on medically but I think the story is still strong without a detailed explanation. I did feel pity for Roger and how she discarded him, but I understand her desire to create a family fully on her own terms. Overall, loved this exploration of motherhood and womanhood from a great author.
There were some minor copy editing issues that should be addressed such as missing words or punctuation.
There were some minor copy editing issues that should be addressed such as missing words or punctuation.
June 8, 2026
Suspend your disbelief and buckle TF up.
A trans woman finds herself pregnant during a period of bizarre bodily transformation and somehow that’s not even in the top ten list of weirdest events in this book.
If you love outlandish body horror, this is 100% the book for you. I could not put this down, audibly gasped and cringed and had to close my eyes and look away (hard to do while reading). I wish this wasn’t a debut because I need more asap.
⛽️ 🍑 🦷 👶 🥩
A trans woman finds herself pregnant during a period of bizarre bodily transformation and somehow that’s not even in the top ten list of weirdest events in this book.
If you love outlandish body horror, this is 100% the book for you. I could not put this down, audibly gasped and cringed and had to close my eyes and look away (hard to do while reading). I wish this wasn’t a debut because I need more asap.
⛽️ 🍑 🦷 👶 🥩
September 4, 2026
MARTHA YOU HELLUVA WOMAN YOU!
This story had me in a chokehold for many reasons – the premise, the characters, the dialogue, the build-up, it all was TOP NOTCH and kept me engaged the entire time.
We follow Martha, a trans woman living her best life married to a widow helping to raise his young teenage daughter. Martha is the epitome of a trad wife and worked to great lengths to achieve her dream of the perfect life, but all hell breaks loose when she starts exhibiting weird symptoms which can only be cured by eating things that normal people couldn’t even imagine.
To make matters worse, her husband has no clue that she’s a trans woman, and her ruse at disguising miscarriages has been coming to an end as he’s now getting impatient for a child from her. What she thinks is utterly impossible turns out to be a medical miracle when she finds out she in fact IS carrying a child.
I personally loved the themes of this story especially that of the struggles trans women face, motherhood/ability or not to bear children, martial struggles of identity and gender roles, domestic tension and expectations, childhood trauma for LGBTQIAP+ persons, and chosen vs. biological family ties.
Whatever Samantha Josephs’ writes next, I’m reading.
Thanks to Putnam & NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and my review is left voluntarily.
This story had me in a chokehold for many reasons – the premise, the characters, the dialogue, the build-up, it all was TOP NOTCH and kept me engaged the entire time.
We follow Martha, a trans woman living her best life married to a widow helping to raise his young teenage daughter. Martha is the epitome of a trad wife and worked to great lengths to achieve her dream of the perfect life, but all hell breaks loose when she starts exhibiting weird symptoms which can only be cured by eating things that normal people couldn’t even imagine.
To make matters worse, her husband has no clue that she’s a trans woman, and her ruse at disguising miscarriages has been coming to an end as he’s now getting impatient for a child from her. What she thinks is utterly impossible turns out to be a medical miracle when she finds out she in fact IS carrying a child.
I personally loved the themes of this story especially that of the struggles trans women face, motherhood/ability or not to bear children, martial struggles of identity and gender roles, domestic tension and expectations, childhood trauma for LGBTQIAP+ persons, and chosen vs. biological family ties.
Whatever Samantha Josephs’ writes next, I’m reading.
Thanks to Putnam & NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own and my review is left voluntarily.
June 8, 2026
i will eagerly read anything this author puts out after reading this wild ride
June 20, 2026
A crazy ride! The premise was so intriguing and I was hooked the whole way through. Think body horror/domestic thrillerish? Really fresh and well done.
August 18, 2026
absolutely fucking wild in the best possible way
July 13, 2026
Thank you Putnam for the galley!
What a fun ride! I could not out Carrying down. The tension is 10/10 and it has a great balance of camp, laugh out loud, and thought provoking themes that left me sitting and mulling my over this book after I finished.
What a fun ride! I could not out Carrying down. The tension is 10/10 and it has a great balance of camp, laugh out loud, and thought provoking themes that left me sitting and mulling my over this book after I finished.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book had the best hook I’ve seen in a while. Within the first five pages, Martha had perfectly staged her own miscarriage, from the carefully carved beef liver fetus to the precise placement of her blood-speckled panties and her (tastefully) smudged mascara, every detail artfully crafted for her husband to discover. The only doubt that passed through her mind as she set up a tragedy was whether she had to sacrifice such a lovely dress to sell it. What a picture it painted of our main character.
Martha was a 5-star character to me. But I will admit, she was a little hard to get on board with. She was not a nice person; she was cut-throat (actually kind of my favorite trait in female characters), judgmental, and conniving.
Her perfectionism extended to her femininity and womanhood – she created the perfect wife, perfect mother, and perfect youthful beauty in herself, but to a misogynistic society’s standards. She turned her internalized misogyny not only on herself but on other women. It was hard to be in her head when she was, for example, “with barely concealed contempt,” deciding what work another woman needed done – “retinoid-heavy skincare routine, a Brazilian blowout, a Fraxel laser treatment, a deep plane facelift, and full-body contouring liposuction” (ch. 5, I have the eARC so no page numbers to cite). I knew she knew that sort of thing wasn't a healthy attitude to have, but she sure did keep it up. And don’t think she wasn’t hitting her fellow trans women with that too.
She was also the poster child for respectability politics. She had everything done up, got on estrogen, got breast implants, vaginoplasty, plastic surgery, then ruthlessly cut herself free from the queer community. (“The bricks were living as bricks. [Martha] was living as a woman.”) (ch. 28) Minding the home while her husband worked and her step-daughter was at school, she slid effortlessly into the trad wife lifestyle and did away with anything and anyone from her old life.
So, not the most likeable of traits there. But, ultimately, Martha was a woman stuck in survival mode. No matter how well she dissected femininity and beauty or how perfectly she fit into the white cisheteronormative idea of a traditional woman, she never once felt truly safe. With the shit this transmisogynistic world put her through, you can’t say she was wrong for that even when it leads her to bizarre and morally dubious places. Honestly, I could talk about Martha all day, but I’ll call it here.
The depiction of chronic illness through Martha’s strange decay, only cured by rotting meat and gasoline enemas, was unfortunately all too relatable. Martha was better off than I’ve ever been, with the money to see all the good doctors, no fears around employment, not even a real sense that the ball was being dropped on housework since the family had a maid, but that wasn’t doing anything about the soul-crushing feeling of chronic illness. The things she loved became impossible. Nothing changed. Nothing improved, day after day. She was left lonely, bored, and feeling useless. When she got a cure, nobody was even willing to hear her out about her or take her seriously at all. As a sick, pregnant woman, Martha’s body barely belonged to her, and she, as a person, was erased in favor of the unborn baby and the sensibilities of men. I don’t know what I would have done in Leon’s position, but turning their home into a prison, complete with a warden, made him despicable in my eyes.
All these ideas around bodily autonomy, womanhood, transmisogyny, motherhood, and pregnancy were woven through the story and the characters well. The horror came from both sides: the actual body horror and the social commentary. My only real issue with the story was the exploration of the supernatural elements. They were just there, unexplained, and I wish they’d gotten a little more to them.
Martha was a 5-star character to me. But I will admit, she was a little hard to get on board with. She was not a nice person; she was cut-throat (actually kind of my favorite trait in female characters), judgmental, and conniving.
Her perfectionism extended to her femininity and womanhood – she created the perfect wife, perfect mother, and perfect youthful beauty in herself, but to a misogynistic society’s standards. She turned her internalized misogyny not only on herself but on other women. It was hard to be in her head when she was, for example, “with barely concealed contempt,” deciding what work another woman needed done – “retinoid-heavy skincare routine, a Brazilian blowout, a Fraxel laser treatment, a deep plane facelift, and full-body contouring liposuction” (ch. 5, I have the eARC so no page numbers to cite). I knew she knew that sort of thing wasn't a healthy attitude to have, but she sure did keep it up. And don’t think she wasn’t hitting her fellow trans women with that too.
She was also the poster child for respectability politics. She had everything done up, got on estrogen, got breast implants, vaginoplasty, plastic surgery, then ruthlessly cut herself free from the queer community. (“The bricks were living as bricks. [Martha] was living as a woman.”) (ch. 28) Minding the home while her husband worked and her step-daughter was at school, she slid effortlessly into the trad wife lifestyle and did away with anything and anyone from her old life.
So, not the most likeable of traits there. But, ultimately, Martha was a woman stuck in survival mode. No matter how well she dissected femininity and beauty or how perfectly she fit into the white cisheteronormative idea of a traditional woman, she never once felt truly safe. With the shit this transmisogynistic world put her through, you can’t say she was wrong for that even when it leads her to bizarre and morally dubious places. Honestly, I could talk about Martha all day, but I’ll call it here.
The depiction of chronic illness through Martha’s strange decay, only cured by rotting meat and gasoline enemas, was unfortunately all too relatable. Martha was better off than I’ve ever been, with the money to see all the good doctors, no fears around employment, not even a real sense that the ball was being dropped on housework since the family had a maid, but that wasn’t doing anything about the soul-crushing feeling of chronic illness. The things she loved became impossible. Nothing changed. Nothing improved, day after day. She was left lonely, bored, and feeling useless. When she got a cure, nobody was even willing to hear her out about her or take her seriously at all. As a sick, pregnant woman, Martha’s body barely belonged to her, and she, as a person, was erased in favor of the unborn baby and the sensibilities of men. I don’t know what I would have done in Leon’s position, but turning their home into a prison, complete with a warden, made him despicable in my eyes.
All these ideas around bodily autonomy, womanhood, transmisogyny, motherhood, and pregnancy were woven through the story and the characters well. The horror came from both sides: the actual body horror and the social commentary. My only real issue with the story was the exploration of the supernatural elements. They were just there, unexplained, and I wish they’d gotten a little more to them.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
There is a Talmudic principle, "The heart knows its own bitterness", taken from a line in Proverbs. The idea is that a sick Jew is allowed to eat on Yom Kippur, the holiest fast day of the year, even if a doctor thinks she is medically cleared to fast. Because as "the heart knows its own bitterness", a sick person knows their illness and pain better than any doctor. (This doesn't go the other way, because people might experience delirium or pressure to fast when it is not safe--if a doctor believes a patient is too sick to fast and the patient insists she is fine, Jewish law sides with the doctor.) In fact, it is even permitted to feed a Jew with a life-threatening illness impure food banned under Jewish law on Yom Kippur or any other day to save her life. Progressive rabbis have used this principle, among others, to advocate for the rights of LGBTQ Jews, as our own hearts know our own bitterness better than any rabbi throwing Vayikra at us.
The heart of this phenomenal book absolutely knows its own bitterness. Martha is a over-privileged white woman whose husband is probably some sort of war profiteer (she doesn't even know if he is or not!), so I have no business rooting for her to keep her life intact. But Martha is a stealth trans woman, a real striver, one that I can recognize. The book's opening was perfect, setting her character immediately. Martha's finely tuned awareness of the importance of ritual in every single aspect of faking her miscarriage, was so sublimely cunt. Her flawless code-switching when among Family members really sealed it for me: Martha works at being a perfect American housewife as hard as my immigrant mother did, and I adore her for it. I'm not biracial but that white woman IS Mother.
I even love her hypocrisy.
The erotic sensibility was actually queer as well. I look for queer sex in books to shock, amuse, and titillate me--in that order. Like Voltaire never said, I'm fine with queer sex in books disgusting me as long as it's funny, because I'll defend to the death their right to do it.
I loved every second of this book. Thank you Samantha Josephs for writing it. The bitterness of MY heart has been that "unhinged woman" books are fucking boring now, and the new tradwife books are unreadable. Thank you for giving me the repulsive feast I so dearly needed after reading A Good Person and hating it.
The heart of this phenomenal book absolutely knows its own bitterness. Martha is a over-privileged white woman whose husband is probably some sort of war profiteer (she doesn't even know if he is or not!), so I have no business rooting for her to keep her life intact. But Martha is a stealth trans woman, a real striver, one that I can recognize. The book's opening was perfect, setting her character immediately. Martha's finely tuned awareness of the importance of ritual in every single aspect of faking her miscarriage, was so sublimely cunt. Her flawless code-switching when among Family members really sealed it for me: Martha works at being a perfect American housewife as hard as my immigrant mother did, and I adore her for it. I'm not biracial but that white woman IS Mother.
I even love her hypocrisy.
The erotic sensibility was actually queer as well. I look for queer sex in books to shock, amuse, and titillate me--in that order. Like Voltaire never said, I'm fine with queer sex in books disgusting me as long as it's funny, because I'll defend to the death their right to do it.
I loved every second of this book. Thank you Samantha Josephs for writing it. The bitterness of MY heart has been that "unhinged woman" books are fucking boring now, and the new tradwife books are unreadable. Thank you for giving me the repulsive feast I so dearly needed after reading A Good Person and hating it.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Martha is absolutely Mother!
In this book we follow Martha who is a stealth trans woman who has it all: an adoring husband (I know, we'll get there ok), an adorable stepdaughter, and the jealousy of every other mom in the neighborhood. What more could a girl want? The thing is her husband really wants another kid and that's kind of a problem because Martha can't...really...do that. Except for it turns out apparently she can because Martha falls impossibly pregnant. Insanity ensues from there.
I do find pregnancy horror to be especially horrifying for me personally. Listen, the treatments Martha does to cure her mystery illness may have raised my eyebrows, it was definitely weird. But did it disgust me? Turn my stomach? Make me squeamish? Not really. Martha's illness aligning with pregnancy symptoms such as losing teeth & hair and her feet & hands ballooning painfully had me writhing in horror and reading on my phone between my fingers.
I wanted this book to be to my personal taste of horror comedy and campy, but I fear this book lost me in the last 30%. The pacing got absolutely bonkers and the climax was a little silly. Both forgivable sins. You know what's not forgivable? You get NO answers for Martha's illness! When she gets sick and meets other people who suffer from her illness (most of whom appear to be trans and queer) and I thought there might be a reason for that, but then something else is mentioned that throws a wrench in my theory. That's fine, I don't NEED to be right, I have fun speculating while reading so no worries. I thought there might be a correlation between her pregnancy and her illness. Not that we discover. How did Bruce figure out the ah, creative use of gasoline as a cure? No idea. Honestly you, dear reader of this review, have the same amount of knowledge about the hows and the whys of Martha's mystery illness as I do and I read the book.
Also I HATE when a book makes me defend a man. Especially a man as shitty as Leon,. That man did not care about Martha and just treated her as an incubator for his baby eeeyyuuuuccckkkk! But I fear that if I came home and found my spouse doing the treatments Martha was doing, I would lose my shit too.
I found a lot of the spoken and unspoken social commentary of this book really interesting, particularly how it seemed the way society treated Bruce, a trans man vs Martha, a trans woman. And their lived experiences with sexism. Bruce kind of irritated me but I wish we had gotten to know more about him over say, Roger. Who, without getting into spoilers, I don't think Martha treated very kindly in the end. Like girl he was literally just worried about you and your health & safety as his oldest friend! (Although Roger has his shitty moments too.) And of course the commentary regarding motherhood and pregnancy I found to be interesting as well. And since we're talking about mothers & motherhood, I would adopt Enid in a second. She seemed so sweet!
I will absolutely commend this book for being the most unpredictable book I have read in quite a while. I thought I knew where the plot was going at every turn and it turns out I had literally no idea what was going to happen next and I do love a book that can surprise me! I will be very interested in seeing what Samantha Josephs comes out with next, this is an author we're all going to want to keep our eyes on!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance DRC and provide a review, all opinions are my own.
In this book we follow Martha who is a stealth trans woman who has it all: an adoring husband (I know, we'll get there ok), an adorable stepdaughter, and the jealousy of every other mom in the neighborhood. What more could a girl want? The thing is her husband really wants another kid and that's kind of a problem because Martha can't...really...do that. Except for it turns out apparently she can because Martha falls impossibly pregnant. Insanity ensues from there.
I do find pregnancy horror to be especially horrifying for me personally. Listen, the treatments Martha does to cure her mystery illness may have raised my eyebrows, it was definitely weird. But did it disgust me? Turn my stomach? Make me squeamish? Not really. Martha's illness aligning with pregnancy symptoms such as losing teeth & hair and her feet & hands ballooning painfully had me writhing in horror and reading on my phone between my fingers.
I wanted this book to be to my personal taste of horror comedy and campy, but I fear this book lost me in the last 30%. The pacing got absolutely bonkers and the climax was a little silly. Both forgivable sins. You know what's not forgivable? You get NO answers for Martha's illness! When she gets sick and meets other people who suffer from her illness (most of whom appear to be trans and queer) and I thought there might be a reason for that, but then something else is mentioned that throws a wrench in my theory. That's fine, I don't NEED to be right, I have fun speculating while reading so no worries. I thought there might be a correlation between her pregnancy and her illness. Not that we discover. How did Bruce figure out the ah, creative use of gasoline as a cure? No idea. Honestly you, dear reader of this review, have the same amount of knowledge about the hows and the whys of Martha's mystery illness as I do and I read the book.
Also I HATE when a book makes me defend a man. Especially a man as shitty as Leon,. That man did not care about Martha and just treated her as an incubator for his baby eeeyyuuuuccckkkk! But I fear that if I came home and found my spouse doing the treatments Martha was doing, I would lose my shit too.
I found a lot of the spoken and unspoken social commentary of this book really interesting, particularly how it seemed the way society treated Bruce, a trans man vs Martha, a trans woman. And their lived experiences with sexism. Bruce kind of irritated me but I wish we had gotten to know more about him over say, Roger. Who, without getting into spoilers, I don't think Martha treated very kindly in the end. Like girl he was literally just worried about you and your health & safety as his oldest friend! (Although Roger has his shitty moments too.) And of course the commentary regarding motherhood and pregnancy I found to be interesting as well. And since we're talking about mothers & motherhood, I would adopt Enid in a second. She seemed so sweet!
I will absolutely commend this book for being the most unpredictable book I have read in quite a while. I thought I knew where the plot was going at every turn and it turns out I had literally no idea what was going to happen next and I do love a book that can surprise me! I will be very interested in seeing what Samantha Josephs comes out with next, this is an author we're all going to want to keep our eyes on!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance DRC and provide a review, all opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
3.5 stars rounded up because Goodreads is apparently allergic to half-star ratings. Tragic.
First of all: what the actual fuck did I just read?
I was lucky enough to get a pre-release proof copy of this at work, and let me tell you, I have not made this many facial expressions while reading a book in a long time. My boyfriend kept asking me if I was okay because I was apparently sitting there staring at the pages with my jaw dropped and my eyes wide like I'd just witnessed a crime.
And honestly? I had.
This book took me on a ride. I felt shock. I felt disgust. I felt intrigue. I felt confusion. Basically, everything except normal human emotions like happiness or sadness. No. I was simply sitting there thinking, what the fuck, repeatedly.
If someone had taken pictures of me while reading this book, I genuinely think they could be used as reaction images.
I knew this book was going to be shocking. A trans woman getting pregnant is quite literally the premise that was advertised to me.
And yet... I couldn't stop reading.
Because despite everything, I was intrigued. I needed to know what this crazy woman was going to get up to next. And yes, I think she's insane. I understand that the treatments were technically working, but girl.
Classic unreliable narrator behaviour, and I genuinely commend Samantha Josephs for somehow making me feel sympathy for this absolutely unhinged woman.
This book was awful in the best possible way.
It was cunt.
Honestly, that's the best word I have to describe it.
Disturbing. Grotesque. Strange. Completely fucking bizarre. But also compelling enough that I will absolutely be shoving this book into the hands of anyone willing to listen once it releases.
And if this is Samantha Josephs' debut? Baby, I will absolutely be waiting to see what insane shit she comes up with next.
First of all: what the actual fuck did I just read?
I was lucky enough to get a pre-release proof copy of this at work, and let me tell you, I have not made this many facial expressions while reading a book in a long time. My boyfriend kept asking me if I was okay because I was apparently sitting there staring at the pages with my jaw dropped and my eyes wide like I'd just witnessed a crime.
And honestly? I had.
This book took me on a ride. I felt shock. I felt disgust. I felt intrigue. I felt confusion. Basically, everything except normal human emotions like happiness or sadness. No. I was simply sitting there thinking, what the fuck, repeatedly.
If someone had taken pictures of me while reading this book, I genuinely think they could be used as reaction images.
I knew this book was going to be shocking. A trans woman getting pregnant is quite literally the premise that was advertised to me.
And yet... I couldn't stop reading.
Because despite everything, I was intrigued. I needed to know what this crazy woman was going to get up to next. And yes, I think she's insane. I understand that the treatments were technically working, but girl.
Classic unreliable narrator behaviour, and I genuinely commend Samantha Josephs for somehow making me feel sympathy for this absolutely unhinged woman.
This book was awful in the best possible way.
It was cunt.
Honestly, that's the best word I have to describe it.
Disturbing. Grotesque. Strange. Completely fucking bizarre. But also compelling enough that I will absolutely be shoving this book into the hands of anyone willing to listen once it releases.
And if this is Samantha Josephs' debut? Baby, I will absolutely be waiting to see what insane shit she comes up with next.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Carrying follows Martha who is a trans woman lying to her husband. She has done everything to be the perfect woman and it’s all worked out for her. She is the housewife she’s always meant to be with the perfect husband and perfect stepdaughter. The problem is Martha never told her husband she is transgender, she has managed to ‘pass’ as a woman and not mentioning she is trans was the only way to meet a nice, respectable man. With Martha being a trans woman, she cannot get pregnant but her body unexpectedly starts to change and she naturally ends up pregnant. She is a medical marvel but her body is no longer working as it should and she ends up trying experimental treatments like eating raw, mouldy meat. Her perfect life is crumbling around her and she has no idea how to fix it.
To start with the positives, this book is written well and it is easy to read. The writing flows well and I do want to support trans authors. This book is unique in the way it portrays a trans woman and in the way it presents gore/horror. I really liked how Martha is not portrayed as the perfect trans woman. Sometimes when books involve minorities, there is a feeling that they must be portrayed as perfect and not shown as bad. Martha is objectively not a good person and I enjoyed the complex portrayal of her. That said, this wasn’t a perfect book for me because I really struggled with all the lies. I completely understood why Martha lied about being transgender (and it’s a key point of the book) but I just struggled to connect with the immorality of it. The horror elements come into play around 50% in and it was gruesome. I’ve never read anything like what Martha does in this and it was gross in the best ways. I will be recommending this book as I do think we need to be reading more books by trans authors and reading more about trans people. This has some strong horror elements and generally an interesting plot on a trans woman becoming pregnant naturally despite not having a uterus. I’m giving this book 3.5 stars rounded down to a 3.
Carrying follows Martha who is a trans woman lying to her husband. She has done everything to be the perfect woman and it’s all worked out for her. She is the housewife she’s always meant to be with the perfect husband and perfect stepdaughter. The problem is Martha never told her husband she is transgender, she has managed to ‘pass’ as a woman and not mentioning she is trans was the only way to meet a nice, respectable man. With Martha being a trans woman, she cannot get pregnant but her body unexpectedly starts to change and she naturally ends up pregnant. She is a medical marvel but her body is no longer working as it should and she ends up trying experimental treatments like eating raw, mouldy meat. Her perfect life is crumbling around her and she has no idea how to fix it.
To start with the positives, this book is written well and it is easy to read. The writing flows well and I do want to support trans authors. This book is unique in the way it portrays a trans woman and in the way it presents gore/horror. I really liked how Martha is not portrayed as the perfect trans woman. Sometimes when books involve minorities, there is a feeling that they must be portrayed as perfect and not shown as bad. Martha is objectively not a good person and I enjoyed the complex portrayal of her. That said, this wasn’t a perfect book for me because I really struggled with all the lies. I completely understood why Martha lied about being transgender (and it’s a key point of the book) but I just struggled to connect with the immorality of it. The horror elements come into play around 50% in and it was gruesome. I’ve never read anything like what Martha does in this and it was gross in the best ways. I will be recommending this book as I do think we need to be reading more books by trans authors and reading more about trans people. This has some strong horror elements and generally an interesting plot on a trans woman becoming pregnant naturally despite not having a uterus. I’m giving this book 3.5 stars rounded down to a 3.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5/5✨
Vibes: 🤮🦷🤰👑🍖🔪🩺💅🏻
WOW! What a debut from Samantha Josephs.
This book follows Martha, a (nearly) unclockable trans woman living in LA with her hot, loving husband and sweet step-daughter. To everyone else looking in, Martha has it all. She keeps a perfect home, cooks amazing meals for her family every night, and her body is tea.
Her husband wants another baby more than anything, but since he doesn’t know she’s trans, she has spent years maintaining a facade that is becoming hard to keep up. She develops a mysterious illness that leads to bizarre cravings she must hide from her family. She fears it might all fall apart until one day, her pregnancy test is positive. Like, ACTUALLY positive. Martha realizes that the only way to keep herself and her baby healthy during this pregnancy is to pursue these odd cures for her illness, and she will stop at nothing to protect her baby.
I loved this concept. Martha uniquely traverses the experience of womanhood as a young trans woman, a stealth trans woman, and a trans woman who is miraculously pregnant. Initially, she desires to be a Stepford wife, but as she suffers from her illness and eventual pregnancy, her bodily autonomy is stripped away and she has to rethink all of her priorities. I think the author nailed this perspective and how it is to live as both a trans and cis woman. As Martha gets deeper into this crazy journey, the standards she holds herself to are destroyed, which was liberating to watch.
I wanted to understand her illness more, which is my only critique for this book. The minor characters she meets through her illness stand out and I would love to know more about them.
The last 20-30% goes off the rails in a very ‘The Substance’ type of way (which I love), but I know that is not for everyone. This book is funny, campy, and downright grotesque.
Thank you the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Vibes: 🤮🦷🤰👑🍖🔪🩺💅🏻
WOW! What a debut from Samantha Josephs.
This book follows Martha, a (nearly) unclockable trans woman living in LA with her hot, loving husband and sweet step-daughter. To everyone else looking in, Martha has it all. She keeps a perfect home, cooks amazing meals for her family every night, and her body is tea.
Her husband wants another baby more than anything, but since he doesn’t know she’s trans, she has spent years maintaining a facade that is becoming hard to keep up. She develops a mysterious illness that leads to bizarre cravings she must hide from her family. She fears it might all fall apart until one day, her pregnancy test is positive. Like, ACTUALLY positive. Martha realizes that the only way to keep herself and her baby healthy during this pregnancy is to pursue these odd cures for her illness, and she will stop at nothing to protect her baby.
I loved this concept. Martha uniquely traverses the experience of womanhood as a young trans woman, a stealth trans woman, and a trans woman who is miraculously pregnant. Initially, she desires to be a Stepford wife, but as she suffers from her illness and eventual pregnancy, her bodily autonomy is stripped away and she has to rethink all of her priorities. I think the author nailed this perspective and how it is to live as both a trans and cis woman. As Martha gets deeper into this crazy journey, the standards she holds herself to are destroyed, which was liberating to watch.
I wanted to understand her illness more, which is my only critique for this book. The minor characters she meets through her illness stand out and I would love to know more about them.
The last 20-30% goes off the rails in a very ‘The Substance’ type of way (which I love), but I know that is not for everyone. This book is funny, campy, and downright grotesque.
Thank you the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to the author for the ARC opportunity.
This was a good read, an easy 4/5. Josephs does a wonderful job at capturing the messy, mean, heartbreaking mishmash of motherhood, transness, and womanhood in a way that feels incredibly authentic. Reading about Martha's life felt like watching a car crash you can't look away from.
The book was witty and snappy - Josephs' writing style is definitely a treat to read. Martha's relationship with everyone around her - Roger, Leon, the other mothers, and her stepdaughter - all gave us this picture of a complex, interesting, human character.
I especially enjoyed the depiction of Martha's paranoia about hypothetical women like the "Fit Young Slut." Martha's insecurities and her cattiness towards other women and their bodies and lives, comparing them to hers, feels appropriately bitter and jealous. There is something unapologetic and raw about the way Josephs' writes being trans, that I connect to a lot; not to mention the depiction of her internalised misogyny.
That being said, I think that the book dragged on in a lot of places, clearly in an effort to flesh out Martha's cast, but it fell flat and became repetitive easily. Additionally, Martha's suspicious debilitating chronic illness, for a lot of the book, felt somewhat out of place. It's a part where I think the book seriously dragged on, and Josephs' transition from the illness to the pregnancy also felt very disconnected.
The other result of this book dragging on is that by the end, I do think some of it read as "gross for the sake of being gross."
None of it was enough to deter me though, this is possibly the only book marketed as "weird girl lit" that I genuinely enjoyed, because it's far more genuine in its exploration of a fucked-up character that doesn't try too hard.
This was a good read, an easy 4/5. Josephs does a wonderful job at capturing the messy, mean, heartbreaking mishmash of motherhood, transness, and womanhood in a way that feels incredibly authentic. Reading about Martha's life felt like watching a car crash you can't look away from.
The book was witty and snappy - Josephs' writing style is definitely a treat to read. Martha's relationship with everyone around her - Roger, Leon, the other mothers, and her stepdaughter - all gave us this picture of a complex, interesting, human character.
I especially enjoyed the depiction of Martha's paranoia about hypothetical women like the "Fit Young Slut." Martha's insecurities and her cattiness towards other women and their bodies and lives, comparing them to hers, feels appropriately bitter and jealous. There is something unapologetic and raw about the way Josephs' writes being trans, that I connect to a lot; not to mention the depiction of her internalised misogyny.
That being said, I think that the book dragged on in a lot of places, clearly in an effort to flesh out Martha's cast, but it fell flat and became repetitive easily. Additionally, Martha's suspicious debilitating chronic illness, for a lot of the book, felt somewhat out of place. It's a part where I think the book seriously dragged on, and Josephs' transition from the illness to the pregnancy also felt very disconnected.
The other result of this book dragging on is that by the end, I do think some of it read as "gross for the sake of being gross."
None of it was enough to deter me though, this is possibly the only book marketed as "weird girl lit" that I genuinely enjoyed, because it's far more genuine in its exploration of a fucked-up character that doesn't try too hard.
September 12, 2026
Carrying is a body horror novel about a stealth trans woman who becomes pregnant and finds herself with a mysterious illness that requires experimental treatments. Martha has it all: the house, the husband, a lovely stepdaughter. Nobody in her life now–except one old friend–knows she is trans. She finds herself faking pregnancy, trying to appease her husband's desire for another child, when suddenly she starts feeling unwell, and then discovers she is actually pregnant. As her baby develops, her strange illness leads her to even stranger treatment, and she has to build lie upon lie to get her dream of motherhood.
This book is a take on trans body horror that I've never seen before. I love how it goes down the route of a lot of recent body horror films like The Substance and Love Lies Bleeding in not feeling the need to actually explain the ins and outs of the weird physical stuff going on, but instead is more focused on its characters and what it is saying about the body. Whilst there's some disgusting body horror, there's also some emotional moments, particularly as Martha finds herself getting something she never thought she would, but everything still not going smoothly. It is also purposefully ridiculous, never quite asking you to take it seriously or believe that someone like Martha doing these things would actually exist.
I love how this book subverts some of the expectations you might have about trans body horror and find new ways to play with those ideas, whilst also creating some quite tender moments about a woman finding different forms of motherhood and trying to survive them.
This book is a take on trans body horror that I've never seen before. I love how it goes down the route of a lot of recent body horror films like The Substance and Love Lies Bleeding in not feeling the need to actually explain the ins and outs of the weird physical stuff going on, but instead is more focused on its characters and what it is saying about the body. Whilst there's some disgusting body horror, there's also some emotional moments, particularly as Martha finds herself getting something she never thought she would, but everything still not going smoothly. It is also purposefully ridiculous, never quite asking you to take it seriously or believe that someone like Martha doing these things would actually exist.
I love how this book subverts some of the expectations you might have about trans body horror and find new ways to play with those ideas, whilst also creating some quite tender moments about a woman finding different forms of motherhood and trying to survive them.
August 24, 2026
“I am so cunt.”
Holy shit, this book was so fun and weird and gross. Campy literary horror about secrets and what we’re willing to do to keep them, even when those secrets are killing us.
Martha starts to lose control of her perfectly constructed life when her health takes a turn, and she’ll do just about anything to feel “normal” again. She finds relief through an unorthodox treatment in a strange place with strange people, and she’s determined to keep all of it from her perfect, “normal” husband.
This is a serious contender for book of the year for me. I preordered a copy before I even finished it. Martha was not only such a fun character, but I connected with her and understood her on a deeper level. There’s a motivation behind so much of what she does that I understood deeply: living under a cloud of fear and anxiety that just keeps compounding.
This book made me feel A LOT of things, but it was also genuinely laugh-out-loud funny in parts and has a found family aspect that I always love. Once I got past about 30%, I was completely locked in until I finished it.
This won’t be for everyone, there are definitely some potentially triggering themes, BUT I could not recommend it more if you’re looking for something weird, heartfelt, queer af, original, and just a little fucked up.
I can’t believe this is a debut. I’m officially a Samantha Josephs fangirl now. Go in blind and have fun with it.
Also, I REALLY want a book about Bruce 😏
I love queer art so much. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC!
Holy shit, this book was so fun and weird and gross. Campy literary horror about secrets and what we’re willing to do to keep them, even when those secrets are killing us.
Martha starts to lose control of her perfectly constructed life when her health takes a turn, and she’ll do just about anything to feel “normal” again. She finds relief through an unorthodox treatment in a strange place with strange people, and she’s determined to keep all of it from her perfect, “normal” husband.
This is a serious contender for book of the year for me. I preordered a copy before I even finished it. Martha was not only such a fun character, but I connected with her and understood her on a deeper level. There’s a motivation behind so much of what she does that I understood deeply: living under a cloud of fear and anxiety that just keeps compounding.
This book made me feel A LOT of things, but it was also genuinely laugh-out-loud funny in parts and has a found family aspect that I always love. Once I got past about 30%, I was completely locked in until I finished it.
This won’t be for everyone, there are definitely some potentially triggering themes, BUT I could not recommend it more if you’re looking for something weird, heartfelt, queer af, original, and just a little fucked up.
I can’t believe this is a debut. I’m officially a Samantha Josephs fangirl now. Go in blind and have fun with it.
Also, I REALLY want a book about Bruce 😏
I love queer art so much. 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈
Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for the ARC!
September 3, 2026
WHERE TO BEGIN! I enjoyed this immensely.
Carrying follows Martha, a trans woman and housewife - she’s hiding her trans identity from her husband when she starts to get weird symptoms, then bizarre new cravings for spoiled meat. Inexplicably she falls pregnant, and things take a TURN at home. This escalates fabulousy towards an ending that is both wildly satisfying and FUN.
It’s camp, gross, funny, compelling and touching. So sharp and deliciously mean in places, Martha is a main character I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I highlighted the words “freaky and brilliant” in this as it summarised my feelings EXACTLY about this story.
Comparisons with The Substance are spot on and will inevitably be made more. This looks at bodily autonomy, mixed in with body horror, combined with actual pregnancy horror (if you deep it what is more horrific than babies literally stealing the calcium from your teeth!!)
This is PACEY and I devoured it. I looked forwards to tube journeys so I could delight in it for a little longer. There is SENSATIONAL dialogue and well drawn characters - shoutout to Roger, Martha’s best friend and doctor. There is a brilliant line towards the end that I won’t spoil but made me grin.
If you’re a horror enjoyer or frequent the ‘weird girl lit’ corners of the bookshelf like me, this one’s for you!!!! Also the only time I’ve seen the music of Slayyyter in an acknowledgments page.
Thank you to NetGalley and the legends at 4th Estate for my copy to review 🫶
Carrying follows Martha, a trans woman and housewife - she’s hiding her trans identity from her husband when she starts to get weird symptoms, then bizarre new cravings for spoiled meat. Inexplicably she falls pregnant, and things take a TURN at home. This escalates fabulousy towards an ending that is both wildly satisfying and FUN.
It’s camp, gross, funny, compelling and touching. So sharp and deliciously mean in places, Martha is a main character I’ll be thinking about for a long time. I highlighted the words “freaky and brilliant” in this as it summarised my feelings EXACTLY about this story.
Comparisons with The Substance are spot on and will inevitably be made more. This looks at bodily autonomy, mixed in with body horror, combined with actual pregnancy horror (if you deep it what is more horrific than babies literally stealing the calcium from your teeth!!)
This is PACEY and I devoured it. I looked forwards to tube journeys so I could delight in it for a little longer. There is SENSATIONAL dialogue and well drawn characters - shoutout to Roger, Martha’s best friend and doctor. There is a brilliant line towards the end that I won’t spoil but made me grin.
If you’re a horror enjoyer or frequent the ‘weird girl lit’ corners of the bookshelf like me, this one’s for you!!!! Also the only time I’ve seen the music of Slayyyter in an acknowledgments page.
Thank you to NetGalley and the legends at 4th Estate for my copy to review 🫶
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5 stars
Martha is a trans woman and the picture-perfect Los Angeles housewife, though she is concealing her identity even from her own husband. When she is struck down by a mysterious illness, she begins a series of bizarre experimental treatments that awaken strange new appetites in her and even leave her seemingly – impossibly – pregnant.
One of the weirdest, most compulsive reads I have picked up in a while, and I loved every second of it. It is completely unhinged, and I mean that in the best way possible. I simply couldn't look away, couldn't stop reading, couldn't put it down. It was such an easy read, and it flowed so well, I genuinely can't believe it's only a debut, and I will definitely keep my eye on Samantha Josephs moving forward.
It is such an interesting story, in the sense that not for a second did I know where it was going. Martha is such an interesting character and, honestly, I couldn't help but love her, even if she was driving me up a wall most of the time. Everyone else... I didn't really care for, in all honesty. The main issue, to me, is that it feels a little up in the air, in the sense that there are some things that are just... not explained. Also, at some points it took such ridiculous turns it lost me a little, but once I wrapped my head around it, it was easy enough to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride, so it was a really good time overall.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
Martha is a trans woman and the picture-perfect Los Angeles housewife, though she is concealing her identity even from her own husband. When she is struck down by a mysterious illness, she begins a series of bizarre experimental treatments that awaken strange new appetites in her and even leave her seemingly – impossibly – pregnant.
One of the weirdest, most compulsive reads I have picked up in a while, and I loved every second of it. It is completely unhinged, and I mean that in the best way possible. I simply couldn't look away, couldn't stop reading, couldn't put it down. It was such an easy read, and it flowed so well, I genuinely can't believe it's only a debut, and I will definitely keep my eye on Samantha Josephs moving forward.
It is such an interesting story, in the sense that not for a second did I know where it was going. Martha is such an interesting character and, honestly, I couldn't help but love her, even if she was driving me up a wall most of the time. Everyone else... I didn't really care for, in all honesty. The main issue, to me, is that it feels a little up in the air, in the sense that there are some things that are just... not explained. Also, at some points it took such ridiculous turns it lost me a little, but once I wrapped my head around it, it was easy enough to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy the ride, so it was a really good time overall.
Many thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins & NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.
April 16, 2026
𝙍𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙍𝘾 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮
I find myself sincerely humbled thinking that I fell into the target audience of this book.
From the opening two chapters, I was hooked. However, at the 50% mark, the book became disgustingly shock-value “horror” and it never recovered. At times it felt like the author was trying to write a romance novel or some twisted erotica hidden in a horror novel.
I think the concept of not having decades of research on long-term effects of HRT was an exceptional plot, it was the execution that fell flat. I thought from Phase 1 of the Treatment that this book was heading down a cannibalism path. Tell me how we ended up with gasoline…
There will be certain crowds this book resonates with, there is (what I believe to be) humor and flamboyancy, but the final product was not cohesive as being comedic horror, shock-value horror nor even kink-focused erotica.
This has nothing to do with the main character being a transwoman, the communication between other trans characters in the book was honestly quite tasteful and profound. I would love another horror novel focused on HRT growing ovaries and a uterus in long-term recipients. My negative review has (nearly) everything to do with gasoline… iykyk
(seriously what did i just read??? the 50% mark was a completely different book riddled with disgusting “horror”)
Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Josephs, and Putnam Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I find myself sincerely humbled thinking that I fell into the target audience of this book.
From the opening two chapters, I was hooked. However, at the 50% mark, the book became disgustingly shock-value “horror” and it never recovered. At times it felt like the author was trying to write a romance novel or some twisted erotica hidden in a horror novel.
I think the concept of not having decades of research on long-term effects of HRT was an exceptional plot, it was the execution that fell flat. I thought from Phase 1 of the Treatment that this book was heading down a cannibalism path. Tell me how we ended up with gasoline…
There will be certain crowds this book resonates with, there is (what I believe to be) humor and flamboyancy, but the final product was not cohesive as being comedic horror, shock-value horror nor even kink-focused erotica.
This has nothing to do with the main character being a transwoman, the communication between other trans characters in the book was honestly quite tasteful and profound. I would love another horror novel focused on HRT growing ovaries and a uterus in long-term recipients. My negative review has (nearly) everything to do with gasoline… iykyk
(seriously what did i just read??? the 50% mark was a completely different book riddled with disgusting “horror”)
Thank you to NetGalley, Samantha Josephs, and Putnam Publishing for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews