“Little Darlings” is a combination of a psychological thriller and a supernatural horror novel. The story is told in the third person, alternating between Lauren’s point-of-view and the point-of-view of DS Jo Harper who investigates various incidents involving Lauren. It is a unique, haunting story that stays with you long after finishing it.

Lauren has just given birth to twin boys Riley and Morgan. She had a difficult delivery and her husband, Patrick, isn’t helpful. Patrick is unlikable from the beginning and does nothing to help Lauren’s fragile state. The reader doesn’t know if someone really tried to abduct Lauren’s sons or if it’s just a hallucination of a sleep-deprived, mentally ill woman. DS Harper is at least willing to look into the situation. Her investigation adds a large dose of reality to this otherwise supernatural story of Lauren being convinced someone is out to take her babies and replace them with “changelings”. The details of Jo’s investigation, along with folklore about changelings at the beginnings of the chapters make Lauren’s situation seem even creepier.

I don’t want to say too much more so I don’t spoil the suspense of the story. The book is strange and creepy, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.

Melanie Golding’s Little Darlings is one of the most unsettling and addictive novels I’ve read in a long time. It hooked me from the opening scene and kept me on the edge of my seat (and looking over my shoulder!) until the very last page.

Inspired by some pretty creepy folklore, in the vein of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, the story follows exhausted new mom, Lauren Tranter, who has just given birth to identical twin boys. One night while still at the hospital, Lauren wakes to find a filthy woman dressed in rags in her room trying to take Lauren’s babies and replace them with some creatures that she is carrying in a basket. Lauren screams, grabs her babies, and locks herself in the bathroom, but when help arrives, there’s no sign that anyone has been there aside from Lauren. Everyone chalks the incident up to Lauren just being so tired from taking care of her twins, but Lauren cannot be convinced that no one is trying to take her babies.

A month passes and Lauren is still terrified that someone is after her children, but reluctantly agrees that it’s time for all of them to get out of the house. She takes the twins to the park, where she dozes off from sheer exhaustion. When she wakes up, her babies are gone and she just knows it’s the woman from the hospital. The police are called, and a search ensues, and thankfully the babies are located and returned to Lauren quickly. Except that Lauren takes one look at these babies and swears that they aren’t hers. She is convinced that they’re changelings and is prepared to resort to drastic and desperate measures to get rid of them and get her boys back.

If she’s wrong, however, it will cost her everything she holds dear…

One facet of Little Darlings I really liked was how well developed and relatable both of the main characters are. Even though my son is now 11, I still vividly remember the crushing exhaustion that went along with those first few weeks after he was born. Because of that, I immediately felt a connection to Lauren and felt tremendous sympathy for her, especially when her husband wasn’t being as helpful as he could be. I also very much remember being hyper alert to any and all things that could possibly harm my baby. The author does an incredible job bringing to life Lauren’s fears about her babies, as well as her growing frustration that no one believes what she is trying to tell them. The intensity of Lauren’s emotions made Little Darlings such a powerful and gripping read.

The other main character is a police sergeant named Harper who takes an interest in finding out what really happened in the hospital, even though the rest of her department and everyone else has written this off as some kind of postpartum psychotic episode that Lauren has experienced. I liked Harper right away because she comes across as a bit of a rebel, always pushing the envelope, if she thinks she needs to investigate something further. What draws her to Lauren’s case is something from her own past that still haunts her, and I loved the added layers Harper’s backstory added to the overall story. It made her just as compelling a character as Lauren, which was ideal since the story is presented from each of their points of view.

Aside from giving me these two characters that I was immediately so invested in, I also loved that the suspense level was just off the charts and that I was kept guessing. I didn’t know what to believe. Had someone really been in the hospital room? Is Lauren right in the park when she swears her babies have been swapped out for changelings? Is there a real suspect at large or is there something supernatural afoot? Or is everyone else right and Lauren is truly suffering a mental health crisis? I wanted to know the answers to these questions so badly that I just couldn’t put the book down and ended up devouring the entire story in less than two days. This book is the definition of a page turner!

The only real issue I had with Little Darlings was that I couldn’t stomach Lauren’s husband. I found him utterly unlikable and didn’t want to believe that a new dad could be as selfish and clueless as he was. I’m sure the author drew him that way to make it even easier to sympathize with Lauren, but that man seriously needed a swift kick in the pants.

If you’re a fan of creepy folklore and addictive thrillers that will keep you on the edge of your seat, Little Darlings should be on your must-read list.

This book wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t for me. It was crazy wicked weird for sure, just outside of the realm of what I would call a great book.

When I first read the blurb of this book on Netgalley, I was averse of reading it. Imagine that, to be afraid of even starting to read the book! I was right though. Ladies, please reconsider if you are soon due to bring a child on this world. It will haunt you if you do read it. Now, all caution aside, the book is definitely worth reading. Never boring and predictable, so chilling and terrifying. It was so stressful and captivating! The only thing that confused me a bit, is one unresolved puzzle at the end of the novel as if asking for the continuation of the story. I'll gladly look for new DS Jo Harper's adventures, but this particular one should not have a sequel. Do not worry though, that one puzzle is easy to guess with a bit of our own imagination; it is just my personal preference to have every tidbit neatly resolved by the end of the reading. Each character, from Harper to Amy to Lauren and her husband, was complex and believable. Their flaws made me strive for the proper, meaningful conclusion of the story, not for what I would wish to happen to the characters. I noticed it is soon due to be adapted for film. Rightly so, DS Harper sounds like a perfect protagonist for a new crime TV series, and the story itself is so spooky and unique it'll definitely be a talk of the year.

Little Darlings, by author Melanie Golding, is a book like nothing I have ever read before. After reading the books brief description, I was quite intrigued. Instantly I knew this was one I had to read. And I’m so glad I did! I found it to be a little creepy, sort of spooky in a good way. You definitely need an imagination. It’s a story told in current times with some folklore and fairytales mixed in. I thought it was a very enjoyable, entertaining story and after reading this, I’m looking forward to checking out other books by this author. My only complaint was with the ending. It seemed a little abrupt and left me wanting more. However, it’s definitely a book I would recommend to others. I’d like to thank NetGalley for supplying me with the arc in exchange for my opinion.

Lauren Tranter has recently given birth to twin boys Riley and Morgan. She is trying to cope, but is extremely tired and does not seem to get much help from her husband.
While she was still in hospital, Lauren heard another mother in the next bed, but could not see her because of the curtain separating them. She heard what sounded like two babies, but what disturbed Lauren was the song that the mother was singing. The words were awful. When she saw the person next to her, it sent chills through her. The person was ragged and terrifying and was singing about taking Lauren's twins and replacing them with her own.
Nobody at the hospital acknowledged that there was ever anyone in the bed next to Lauren and put it down to exhaustion. Even Lauren's husband did not believe her.
Later when Lauren takes the twins out to the park, she dozes off and wakes to find the babies gone. What happens next is Lauren's search for her boys, while the police and Lauren's husband think Lauren herself may have done something to her own babies.
This story has its gripping moments, but is not really my type of novel with folklore elements. I do thank the publishers and author for my ARC through Netgalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding ..
Book Review 📖 #lukewhoreviews
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I can’t believe this is a debut novel 😱! What a joy ride this book was!
Little Darlings follows the story of Lauren a new mother of little twin boys, as the story progresses we find out that Lauren is being haunted/harassed by a unknown woman, who also has twins of her own! What will happen 👀 y’all will have to read the book! Oh my lord it’s insanely crazy!
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Little Darlings is a top class Thriller, but Melanie manages to throw in some dark gothic and paranormal, the genres blend perfectly together, I couldn’t get enough of this story, the twists, the turns, it’s a definitely a race to the finish!
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Lauren finally manages to get out of the house and meet her girl friends at the local park, after finishing her coffee she goes and sits by the lake, Lauren falls asleep by accident and when she wakes, her twins are nowhere to be seen 😱 which leads us to meet the lead detective in the case “Harper”!
Harper is told countless times by her superior to stand down on the case, but she’s determined to find out what is happening with Lauren and the strange unknown swamp Women and her Twins!
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It’s very rare when I read a book that it plays heavily on my parental fears! After becoming a parent, some books are extremely hard to read! I wouldn’t say this one was hard to read, but it sure made me get them parental twinges! - we all know what our children look like right! And know one can tell us differently!
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“Let's trade one.. that way we'll have one of each - that way at least one of each gets the good life. Why should YOU have all the good stuff? I'll make them look the same... I promise....” WOOOOAHH this sentence literally gives me all the chills!! 👻
The ending was absolutely fantastic and my heart was in my mouth the whole way! I can’t wait to see what she does next 🙌🏼✌🏻👏🏼
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An easy 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
From me, I will recommend this to be added to everyone’s TBR!
It’s also already been picked up to be a Film 🎥 and I can’t wait for it to come out!

Actual rating: 3.5

This was a rather interesting little read. It certainly kept me guessing - wondering if this was truly a supernatural story involving changelings... or was it the story of a woman suffering from a mental illness about to make the worst decision of her life? The writer captures the mother's (Lauren Tranter) anxiety, exhaustion, and paranoia expertly and immediately drew me in. The inner ramblings of fear of an unknown woman attempting to steal her twin boys. The absolute certainty she feels down to her bones that only she can protect her babies from this threat; that she must stay awake, stay vigilant, and the moment she slips up is the moment that changes everything. Those early chapters were enough to make me nervous, to make me want to read with a lamp turned on, and to make sure to check my apartment was locked up nice and tight. Bravo to Melanie Golding for causing my own bit of paranoia to kick in.

This story isn't just about Lauren though. It's also about the (bisexual!!!) female Detective Sergent Jo Harper assigned to the case after the police receive a phone call from Lauren the night the twins are born. Honestly, and I hate to say this because I was absolutely thrilled to have another bisexual leading detective lady (shout out to Roxanne Weary!), I couldn't really connect to Harper's chapters. Perhaps it was because Lauren's was so compelling, so creepy, drawing you in with her terror, that when it came to Harper I just couldn't engage with her properly. I was indifferent to her and her problems - from her crush on a female journalist to her boss being frustratingly difficult to her instincts leading her further into Lauren's case. Maybe if we had been introduced to Harper later in the story? After the babies were taken instead of bouncing between Lauren and her in the beginning.

I'll admit though the ending was... a bit of a letdown. This book would have been a solid 4 stars up until the end. It was a little confusing and it didn't feel quite resolved? Perhaps I missed something but it simply felt a little unfinished or rushed which was disappointing considering how fantastic the build up was. There just seemed to be a lot of questions left unanswered in my opinion.

Still, I absolutely loved the beginning half of the book and Lauren's chapters throughout. The little exerts on changelings throughout the chapters were interesting, creepy little additions that helped with wondering: changeling or hallucination?

* Thank you to Netgalley & Crooked Lane Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, this is a debut novel?! DANNNNGGGG. Marketed as a thriller/mystery type book, this also has elements of dark fairy tale and paranormal tendencies. I've always been fascinated with fairy tales, their dark undertones and the changelings! So win, win, win!

I can only imagine going through a pregnancy with twins, having a little bit of a rough birth, lacking sleep, having a husband who isn't the most helpful (good god, Patrick - what is WRONG WITH YOU!) and then everyone telling you that you're hallucinating because of your lack of sleep. Doesn't a mother just KNOW?!

Lauren is being visited/harassed/terrorized by a smelly woman with two twins of her own. Let's trade one.. that way we'll have one of each - that way at least one of each gets the good life. Why should YOU have all the good stuff? I'll make them look the same... I promise.... WOAH. Then the one day Lauren FINALLY gets out of the house.... well, she never should've fallen asleep. Now she can't seem to convince anyone that they're not her babies and the thing she's going to have to do to get them back... well, if she IS wrong, then this will be a catastrophe.

The only person who seems willing to help her is Harper and she is being told to STAND DOWN. Case is closed and determined a mental health issue but as a woman and almost mother herself, she knows in her gut that she needs to stay with this case. Can she save the babies in time? Can she save Lauren?

We get a bit of story with Harper which gives it an almost series feel - but this standalone works well. I felt for Lauren, I loathed Patrick... and though I was a little underwhelmed with Harper, I did enjoy her as a character. Maybe her story could've been detailed a little more. However, the meat of this story is at the heart of these twins and Lauren's journey to get them back.

A fascinating tale and a thoroughly enjoyable read Highly recommend for those who love that little bit of darkness in their fairy tales and a compulsion for the changeling story.

Little Darlings spotlights a new mother's dark and twisty tale of abduction, admist a frighteningly realistic fairy tale component. A modern day mother's worst nightmare. Fast paced page turner, with elements of very creepy fantasy. Four Stars. Look for LITTLE DARLINGS to be published on 30 April 19. My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Melanie Goldng, for the digital ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I’m usually not big on fairy tale retellings or books with a supernatural twist but the premise of this one just sounded too good to pass up and I’m so glad I gave it a chance! This was a dark read with a super creepy tone and a spooky atmosphere that gave me the shivers.

Lauren is the ultimate unreliable narrator, I was never quite sure if she was just a new mom suffering from some sort of post partum psychosis or if she was truly living some kind of bizarre, scary fairytale. Even she questions her own thoughts and feelings so it was difficult to pinpoint what was actually going on and it was also very entertaining. Add in mounting suspense that just got more intense as the story progressed and I was hooked. Harper, the police officer working the case also offers a POV and I liked the police procedural vibe this aspect brought as well.

This was a truly unique read, a real page turner that got under my skin and scared the daylights out of me at times. Recommended if you want something different and don’t mind a hint of the supernatural.

Little Darlings in three words: Unsettling, Menacing and Dark.

4.5 stars. When I received the ARC of "Little Darlings" a few months ago, I was super excited and determined that I would read it right away. It already had a few glowing reviews, and the description of the book made it sound like exactly my kind of read. Babies, folktales, things that go bump in the night.. definitely my kind of book.
What I didn't count on was that I would get super freaked out and not want to read it. I usually read late at night/early in the morning while nursing my baby. Melanie Golding did an amazing job describing post-partum depression/anxiety with a horror twist/element. Main character, Lauren Tranter, has just had twins and is convinced that something is out to get her babies. I didn't have twins and I am lucky to have wonderful support with my husband, but I felt her exhaustion and craziness a bit too much.
The start of the book was a bit slow, but once I got about 40% in the book, I had to know what was going to happen. Definitely had to stop a few times and check out the goosebumps I got from reading. I'm sure that it mostly had to do with my own baby being with me while I read, but it was one of the creepier, more unsettling books I've read. I wanted to hold by baby a bit closer when I finished.
Unfortunately, the only character I didn't like was the main female detective. I almost always wanted to the viewpoint to go back to Lauren (the viewpoint changed between these two lead characters). I felt that the minor romance in the story detracted from the rest of the story. The men in the story were all one-dimensional, but it's forgivable since the story isn't about them. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed, especially from Lauren's viewpoint.
I enjoyed this book a lot and wish it success on its upcoming April release!
Thank you Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Melanie Golding for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was certainly a creepy one and I am very happy to have read it!

Part fairy tale, part mystery and part horror, Little Darlings is a creative and chilling tale of a mother, and her twin baby boys, and what happens to the three of them, soon after their birth. Shortly after the story begins, Lauren Tranter encounters a woman in the hospital, who wants to trade her babies for Lauren's. She called for her after she locks herself and her boys - Morgan and Riley, in the the bathroom in her hospital room. When help arrives, there is no one there but Lauren and the babies, and everyone thinks that she is simply overtired and needs to sleep, or for some, that she is losing her mind. However, Lauren knows what she saw and knows there is a danger to her boys. She tries everything she can to keep them safe. One day, about a month after they were born, Lauren and the boys go to the park to see her other Mom friends and their babies. She takes a walk, and sits on a bench... just to take a rest. Sometime later, she wakes up and her babies are gone. What is this Mom to do? She will do anything to get her babies back. Even something completely unthinkable.

Has this review grabbed your attention? The book will take your attention and hold it until the end of this strange, creepy story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Little Darlings, in exchange for my honest review.

I went into “Little Darlings” knowing it was a supernatural thriller inspired by Grimm’s fairy tales, but I didn’t realize I’d experience such textured prose. Golding’s ability to spin a story with language is beyond skillful. She’s downright gifted. She pulls you in. Well, actually, she kind of grips you, her text’s curling tendrils clamping down and jerking you inside. The wince-worthy details, the evocative descriptors, the elegant way she describes some of the most gory moments of bodily harm due to childbirth, all of it feeds your imagination. Her writing calls to mind Neil Gaiman’s. There’s a layering to the work of both writers that makes the reader feel as if she sinks into their stories, like feet in quicksand or hands into mud.

Here, Golding sets the stage for a psychological thriller that has you questioning her main character’s delusions. Are they delusions? Is she reliable? She’s sleep-deprived, literally drained of her sustenance, and her husband’s behavior toward her may be categorized as abusive. After delivering her twin boys, she’s kind of abandoned, at least mentally. It’s no wonder she experiences what she does. Golding does such a valid job of making insanity plausible. If anything, this story is a cautionary tale for pregnancy -- not motherhood. It’s the trauma of delivery that leaves the scars.

But -- and this is what has me feeling disappointed -- the mystery is never really resolved. The reader is asked to take imaginative leaps and essentially fill in the missing bits. Or the reader is left to decide on her own what she thinks happened. This is where the story comes off as lazy for me. It’s built up in such a masterful way, and yet by the end you realize not much happens. The puzzling aspects aren’t all that mysterious because they are either real and you’re asked to accept the implausible. Or they are the results of a mental breakdown. Either way, the finale is unsatisfying. There isn’t even a moral at the end, which is essentially wanted, not that this is a fairy tale, but it borrows heavily and modernizes. So we don’t come away having learned anything. I actually feel like the story is left unfinished, which may be because we ended up in a corner we couldn’t get out of, narratively speaking. The MC is crazy. The MC isn’t crazy. We either live in a world where impossible things happen or we don’t. Neither of these offer reasonable closure. Even the detective character, who’s the pragmatist and the one to follow hard facts, isn’t sure in the end. She must be just as unsatisfied, though the tidy wrap-up of her storyline wouldn’t suggest so.

I definitely recommend this read for those who love well-written thrillers to sink the teeth into. Just beware curiosity is sparked but may never be satisfied.

Little Darlings is a dark fairy tale like story. It will keep you engaged and a little freaked out. The writing is solid if a bit out there.

A haunting tale based on changeling folklore. A mother, Lauren, is convinced that someone (or something) is out to switch her newborns, and when they succeed, she spirals deeply into a web of fear and delusions (or, so the doctors say).

I became hooked shortly after the first few chapters, and following Lauren's paranoia, needed to know what was going to happen to the babies. There were sections I wished were a bit faster paced, and maybe included more of the lore, but I enjoyed reading this one.

This book was gripping from the very beginning. The author really brought across the emotions, and feelings of being a new mother in the first chapters. I loved the multiple perspectives of Lauren and the deputy Jo. I couldn’t put this one down, and recommend it.

I requested an ARC of this book whenever I realized it was being made into a movie, and for the fact that I'm always drawn to novels that portray a mother and her children. This book will give you all the creepy feels and disturbing emotions while reading. I knew I would enjoy this one from the start, and I was right. I thought it had a good storyline as well as very interesting characters. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this novel in exchange for my honest and true thoughts.

All of your mothering nightmares coming true. That is what Little Darlings will remind you of. Great story with interesting tidbits of folklore at the beginning of most chapters. You really begin to sympathize with Lauren Tranter from the very start. There are a few slow parts, where it bogs down., but overall a very good story. It is sinister and horrifying while breathtaking at the same time. Great read!

Little Darlings, is a debut novel by Melanie Golding. A well-written creepy read with a dark fairy tale aspect. What a great debut!! I love reading new authors and this one will definitely be added to my favorites list.

The main characters are Lauren and Patrick Tranter, new parents of twin baby boys. Lauren is quickly feeling overwhelmed after the birth and gets little help from her husband. Patrick is a little jerk…once the babies are born his true selfish side comes out when he doesn’t want to help Lauren out.

My favorite character would have to be Detective Sergeant Jo Harper. Jo has issues from her past that haunt her making Lauren’s case something that she couldn’t brush off. When no one else believes Lauren, Jo does. Jo is a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of police officer. She isn’t a dirty cop but she doesn’t always follow all the correct procedures. She had a chance to try for an inspector job but she likes the hands-on part of investigating, she doesn’t want to be stuck in an office.

Little Darlings is an atmospheric tale that kept me interested throughout. The build up to the ending was spot-on. I would recommend this book to those who love psychological thrillers mixed with a little supernatural and dark fairy tale. Thanks so much to author, Melanie Golding and Crooked Lane Books for providing me a copy of this book.