This book was just the right amount of creepy and mysterious. Lauren Tranter has just given birth to identical twin boys and she's not getting any rest. Her husband is a dolt who gives her no help and it's clear Lauren is exhausted before she even leaves the hospital. While still in the hospital Lauren claims a woman tried to take her sons. The story is part fantasy, part real and the reader is left wondering how much is in Lauren's head and how much is actually happening. This is a fast, engrossing story that I enjoyed. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I received an ARC of Little Darlings from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely one of my favorite reads of the year. This book is filled with folklore and is reminiscent of something straight out of Grimm’s fairytales. While it was a little slow to start it quickly picks up and turns into a page turning having you need to know what happens. It is creepy and unsettling and so amazing all wrapped into one package. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who grew up as a fan of folklore.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is not a book about the miracle of childbirth but the hell of it. This book is super creepy from the get go, a fantastic debut novel. It's a modern day fairy tale, and not one that starts with once upon a time and ends with a happily ever after. It's like the original Grimm's fairy tales that were often horrific and creepy in tone and made your skin crawl. The ending is really great and lets you the reader ultimately decide what you believe. This book is being marketed as mystery but could easily fit in to phycological horror category. This was by first book as a new reviewer for netgalley and man was it a great one, thanks to netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for letting me read this early release of Little Darlings by Melanie Golding for an honest review.

The plot: Lauren Tranter has just had a rough birth of two twins Riley and Morgan. She has the regular fears of new mother, how is she going to take care of two kids and how can she protect them? She also has the fear of not being able to tell her two identical twins apart. and she then she has one thought that changes everything what if some one tried to take them? I the maturity ward she starts hearing a woman in the next curtain over singing a hideous old song about taking twin babies and drowning them in the river, then the woman tries to take her babies Lauren take the babies and lock the bathroom door and call emergency. Detective Jo Harper takes an interest in the case that everyone else writes off as post partum depression, since she has her own issue with a newborn being taken. Lauren is so convinced about woman that Harper investigates she find interesting evidence that no one else seems to care like odd shadows and an odd voice on a recording. Cut to one month later and Harper gets a call that Lauren's twins have been taken there found by a woman that has ties to the husband but when the twins are returned Lauren freaks out saying those are not her twins.

What I Liked: The blending of the mystery and fairy tale elements. The descriptions are what really make this book work, especially the would be kidnapper in the hospital, and the changed babies. The main characters Harper and Lauren are very well rounded and fully realized characters that you come to understand even the crazy parts. The mystery was really good and kept you on the edge until the end. And I was for the most part satisfied with the ending there's one angle I wish was explored more, but the ending is not totally concrete and lets you the reader ultimately decide which I thought really worked and will be perfect for book club discussions.

What I Disliked: Towards the ending there's a piece of evidence that's found that relates to the lore, which is a huge tease because harper and her department doesn't have the resources to investigate that evidence, which could've lead to closure. As a reader investigated I felt cheated out of this tease, and might have worked better if not included. There was minor dragging on the pacing after the finale. But a really solid debut.

Recommendations: This book will be released on April 30 2019 and I highly recommend it and think you should add it to your TBR shelves. The author just announced it is going to be developed into movie, if you want to be first to read it before the movie comes out. If you love psychological thrillers this is a can't miss it. I rated this book a very satisfied 5 out of 5 stars and will definitely look for this author in the future and will check out the movie when it is released.

Lauren Tranter has just had two identical twin boys. A difficult birth, a harrowing experience in the hospital, a creepy stalker, and an unreliable spouse make for every new mother's fears realized. Are her children changelings? Is she losing her mind? Or is her husband involved in a much darker plot?

I couldn't put this book down, because Melanie Golding makes Lauren's fears so real that I was genuinely afraid for her - it gave me that same desperate feeling as Rosemary's Baby. The labour was difficult for me to read because I experienced something similar, and when Lauren first struggles with motherhood, I felt like I found a kindred spirit. And I loved how resilient and strong she was throughout - even when I felt she was the antagonist, I rooted for her!

Creepy, fast-paced, and oh, so satisfying!


Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I thought the premise of the book sounded interesting, a retelling of an old changeling folklore into a modern story about a woman who believes her children have been switched. I thought it was an ok story. Some of it seemed to predictable while reading it though. I thought too much was given away throughout the story that gave away what was going to happen. I didn’t get the creepy vibes and wasn’t on the edge of my seat while reading. The execution of some of the elements that are supposed to cast doubt on the mother fell flat for me. I feel like the ending was supposed to be ambiguous (was she crazy or wasn’t she etc etc) but by the time I got there I didn’t have any strong feelings one way or the other.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Melanie Golding for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

And other thanks to all those that have already read Little Darlings and recommended it to me. I am SO grateful, it is a really great, scary and thrilling read!

I'm not going to provide an overview - because Goodreads can do that… I am just going straight into how irrational this book genuinely made me. The husband, Patrick, and dad of two little darlings, is such a jerk that this book actually made me angry at Tom (my boyfriend) for about an hour, even though he is NOTHING like Patrick… Patrick just made me so angry and I needed some space afterwards ha ha…

This book prays on your worst fears of becoming or being a parent - what would you do if someone kidnapped your kids, and what would you do if when you found them they were… different.

Oh my heart, this books is sad, I was questioning EVERYTHING… is it all just in the Lauren's mind (the mother)?!! The issues with mental health here just truly broke my heart.. It felt real, I felt involved and I was way way wayy too invested.

I loved the little fairy tail snippets of the beginning of some of the chapters.

The only reason I would say 4.5 stars and not 5 stars is because when I get so deep and invested in a book there are times where the tiniest slightest thing can throw me off… and I wasn’t disappointed by the end… I just wanted it to kind of end my way, you know? I guess the story extract at the end didn’t feel as relevant as it really could have, but maybe that's just me..

Okay, I am totally irrational, but you should DEFINITELY pick this up!

This is a good book; the writing is great and keeps the reader engaged. You connect with the characters and feel for the protagonist. It’s a different kind of thriller and was a nice change of pace for me. Very well written and has a dark creepy feel. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story kept me thoroughly entertained, although—to point out the main character’s madness?—the narrative felt a bit repetitive, over-explained, and slow-burning. A scene or two were absolutely creepy and I even feared I’d have nightmares, but although I’m a mother of twin boys myself, I couldn’t feel for the main character. I’ll recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I liked this book so much. It's erie feel follows you through the story. As a mom, I could relate to how the character must've felt. It made me fear for her babies too. I'll admit that the ending did leave me slightly curious... curious if the really was a woman from the lake.

This book evokes feelings of the truest part of our lives that we love... or curb. It shows the lengths to which a mother will go for her children.

This is one of the best books I have read in a while. The description of the first weeks with a new baby was brilliant; that feeling of isolation and the worry everyone is coping better than you; the sleeplessness and baby blues. I was never sure throughout the story what was going to happen, and I stayed riveted till the very last page, I could not put this book down.

Little Darlings is a lot of truth. Wow. As a mother who had borderline postpartum depression/psychosis with my second child, I completely understand how this can really happen. Lauren is crazy. Of course she is. How else can you explain the things she's doing? I swear it's impossible to understand unless it has actually happened to you. I saw myself in this story. Me, about ten years ago. I didn't harm my baby, but everyone thought I would. In the end, I tried to harm myself because I couldn't make anyone understand how deeply buried and desperate I felt. I had to put this book down, and walk away several times. I could feel that downward spiral pulling me back to the same dark abyss that Lauren was in. It's always there at the edge of the mind. It's something women should know about before having children. I know some people think it's not real. If you haven't lived with this condition or even depression, then your opinion doesn't matter. Some mothers survive, and some don't. Some babies survive, and some don't. Just don't ever question the legitimacy of this condition. I love this book for it's sharpness, raw truth and all the feels it leaves you with long after the last page.
Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Little Darlings is a psychological thriller. I loved the fast-paced writing of Melanie Golding. I cannot wait to see this story come to life at the movies.

This was super creepy. It bounces between supernatural and psychological. I am so glad I didn't read this when I was pregnant or right after. I sat in awe at some points. I really had to break to digest some of what was happening in this book. Crazy but really great!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of Little Darlings by Melanie Golding. This book is fantastically creepy, with elements of Grimms Fairytales tied in there. I found this book so scary because it also hits on every parent's worst nightmare. Not knowing what was actually happening in this story was killing me! My only complaint is that I didn't love the open-ended situation with the husband and his potential infidelity. It felt like his story was started but never ended. Other than that, loved this book!

A creepy debut that mixes old fairy tale thinking with psychological trauma after childbirth that no new mother should be allowed to read.
Postpartum depression and sleep deprivation can cause rational women to do some really irrational things but when Lauren is found locked in a bathroom with her children screaming that a strange woman tried to steal her babies, not once but twice, the police and Lauren's husband really don't know what to make of things. With little evidence other than "mother's intuition", a policewoman and journalist try to prove Lauren's claims. You too will fall into the sleep deprivation category because once you begin this twisty tale you will not stop until its chilling conclusion. This is the stuff that nightmares are made of. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Excellent story, writing, pacing and dialogue. I was so interested and cannot wait to read more from this author. Didn't want it to end!

I could not get into this book. Maybe at anotytime, I was excited for this one
As I saw so much about it.

This book keeps you guessing until the end. The tension between reality and supernatural is finely wrought. Any new parent will recognize the emotions that overwhelm Lauren and hopefully we're at the point now in understanding post partum depression where most people will be screaming in their heads at her oblivious husband who turns his back on her when she's obviously suffering. The theme of loss is so perfectly woven in to the different characters, from the detective to the drowned village. A great psychological thriller with a supernatural patina.

This sounded deliciously creepy in all the right ways, however, it fell short for me.

I was able to put Little Darlings down several times, so I definitely would not label it as "unputdownable" for me, but when I sat down to read it kept me intrigued.

I found Golding's inclusion of writing relating to changelings as a nice touch, and was probably meant to add to the creep factor.  I didn't connect with the story or characters, and honestly found most of the characters a bit annoying.  All-in-all I was really hoping this would be more of a "can't-put-down-can't-sleep" book, and it just wasn't for me.

Little Darlings was a fantastically eerie story. It's made more so by the fact that it's so difficult to know what's "really" going on! Those hazy days of new motherhood, days that are full of sleep deprivation (especially with how little help Lauren is offered by her husband) and hormonal swings; combined with the suggestion that Lauren, who has experienced depression in the past, may be struggling with postpartum depression (or postpartum psychosis?) , mean it's difficult to know if she's a reliable narrator. Is someone trying to make her seem unfit? Is she really seeing someone lurking in the shadows, trying to replace her babies? Or is it really that most difficult to imagine thing- that something supernatural is happening?
This story kept me guessing all the way to the end, and I tore through it, worrying for Lauren and her babies.