Almost any one who has ever read Grimm's or other fairy tales or folklore of that ilk (so basically, everyone) can relate to the subconscious thought of the possibility of fairies, trolls under the bridge, and horrid witches who steal your children. Little Darlings will have you wondering if Lauren, a mother of twins with some initial trouble bonding due to a traumatic delivery, has postpartum psychosis or if there really is a woman, real or mythic, trying to steal her babies. Her husband, Patrick, is no help at all from the get-go when he refuses to help out with late night feedings, to being unable to support her emotionally when she is going through her crisis due to his own secretive life. The officer investigating the babies' kidnapping is much more involved and on Lauren's side, to the point of unprofessionally involving a reporter (who may or may not be a love interest) in helping her research the case. Soon to be made into a movie, it should make for interesting watching, indeed!

3 stars--I liked the book.

Pregnancy is my ultimate body horror, and though this is more in the genre of dark fantasy, the book certainly horrified me more than most horror novels! It's the story of Lauren, a new mother of twins, who is utterly exhausted--she had a terrible birth experience, has no support at home, and hasn't had a full night's sleep since the birth.

Then she becomes convinced her children aren't her own, but changelings.

I enjoyed the folklore intermixed in this novel, and liked the characterization. However, two things kept me from loving the book: occasionally I found the changing narrator voice grating (it pulled me out of the story to shift to the cop's point of view), and I don't think all the plot elements meshed well (the ending felt too rushed and unexplained).

Still, if you like dark fairy tales with sinister tones, give this book a try.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

I absolutely loved “Little Darlings”. It was dark and mysterious, frightening and beautifully written. I found it impossible to put down.

Lauren, a new mother of twins, becomes convinced that someone is trying to steal her babies. She might be paranoid and suffering from postpartum psychosis, or she just might be right. She is an unreliable character with an unstable past, which makes the whole scenario that much more frightening and gripping. Sometimes I believed her, and sometimes I wondered if she really was crazy.

Golding explores themes of motherhood, marriage, infidelity, mental health and support for those in crisis. The story is also like a dark fairy tale, with a backdrop of mysterious rivers and a drowned village. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from a fairy tale or oral retelling of a changeling story, which was a fantastic addition and gave a feeling of history to the story.

This is a compulsively readable, very original story. Highly recommended.

This book is a departure from the typical thrillers. It’s dark and creepy. Totally movie material. There are many references to folklore and fairy tales which add to the darkness of the book. This was way out of my comfort zone of reading and I’m glad I took the challenge of reading it!

When the unthinkable happens - you’re outside on a bench resting with your twins in a stroller and you fall asleep!!! You wake up and your new babies are GONE!!! Omg how can this happen!!? That would be awful..this book I did not want to put down!! This is the author’s first novel and I will definitely be looking for more books by Melanie Golding. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book for my honest review.

This book will keep you hooked from Osage one! Chilling at times, gasping for air and gripping my seat we're just a few of the things I did! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Loved the book. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I spent half the time trying to decide if Lauren was really experiencing depression or if this other lady from the sea was real. As crazy as it sounds little things in the book like the storybook she received make you wonder. Another theory I had and still am wondering about is was her husband trying to drive her crazy? He seems content at the end on keeping her in the hospital so maybe knowing she was in a fragile state hr tried to push her over the edge to continue his affair. I love that she had the police on her side especially after the camera footage. Even after the book ends it keeps you guessing. I will read this again just to satisfy my curiosity

This book was creepy good!! Sucked me right in and didn't let go until the end.

Lauren Tranter has just given birth to twin boys. While recovering overnight in the hospital she is given the scare of her life when a homeless women attempts to kidnap her babies. Muttering something about rivers and swapping babies, Lauren is terrified and anxious to return home. Once home she is too frightened to take her boys outside and stays shut up in her house. Her husband starts to become frustrated and encourages her to meet some friends out. She reluctantly meets her friends and has a great time. The meet up tires her out and she dozes on the park bench. When she wakes up her boys are gone and she is hysterical. Once reunited she is certain the woman from the hospital has returned and swapped her boys out with different beings. No one believes her and she starts to doubt herself.

I really enjoyed this book and could definitely see it being made into a movie. The characters were all believable and likeable (except for Lauren's husband Patrick, yuck). I appreciated all the Grimm and fairy tale quotes at the beginning of each chapter. This story had a little bit of everything: marriage drama, supernatural/paranormal, mystery, etc. It was very well written and I would recommend it!

“Little Darlings” is a twisty tale that blends folklore with real motherhood in a way that leaves you unsure of what is happening. Lauren, a new mom, has just gone through a really traumatic birth. She’s left with two infant twins, a disinterested husband, and...possibly a would-be kidnapper stalking her. Not to mention, a set of hospital and police staff that think she’s gone mad. Did Lauren actually interact with someone who tried to steal her kids? Is someone after her? Or is her sleep deprived, postpartum, depressed, lonely mind slipping away from her?

Unfortunately I was not a big fan of this book; I found it hard to get past the descriptors of Lauren’s birth-related trauma. As someone without kids who is not interested in having kids, I felt I was not really the person to be most impacted by this story. That said, I think it would also be extremely difficult to read if I was pregnant, just gave birth, or still had a baby at home!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Little Darlings started out gripping this reader. I was drawn into Lauren's world as a new mother. Is she suffering from post-pardum depression or is someone really trying to take her babies. It was a fun ride trying to figure out if her visions were delusions or the real thing.

The ending did feel a little flat for me. The idea of goblins/trolls that switch out babies was prominent throughout the story. The introduction of the dead woman and her babies just muddied the waters. I don't mind ending that make you think, but this one was just confusing.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

This was one of the best books I've read in quite some time. I pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go. Highly recommend

This was a dark, page turning novel about a young mom, Lauren who has just given birth to twins. She is doubting her abilities as a new parent and exhausted beyond her limits. When she begins to fear that a sinister woman wants to take her newborns and leave changlings in their place, not even her husband believes her.
A female detective feels compelled to help the young mother. With hints of a fairytale in a modern world, this story is both addictive and a spellbinding read. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher.

As I read the description of the book I was excited about reading it. At the beginning I was wowed and looked forward to the next page but that quickly ended. Lauren is a married mother of identical twins, Riley and Morgan. While in the hospital after their birth a strange woman appears and wants to trade her twins for Lauren's. She calls the police from the bathroom of her hospital room as she clutches her twins and tries to keep the woman away. The story and writing are very good at this point. I get the creepiness and suspense they described but this is where it changes. The book becomes three stories in one and only one of them is interesting. Detective Harper listens to Lauren's story and believes it warrants more investigating.. Harper has a potential love interest in the reporter that helps her research the case. Reading about this "does she like me, does she not" scenario became annoying. It was as if I was reading something going on between middle schoolers, not grown women. The last of the stories in the trio is where the husband fits in. I believe while reading you will quickly see who he is and what kind of person he is rather quickly. There was not enough about the creepy little woman in the hospital and her changelings and far too much about whether or not Lauren is crazy, Detective Harper gets her girl, and the messed up husband. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

** spoiler alert ** I really liked the premise of the book - a modern day mother suspects that a supernatural being is trying to swap her babies for changelings- and that for about a third of the story you aren't really sure whether she's suffering from a postnatal mental health issue or if the creatures are real.
It was at this point that the writer lost me a bit. When the policewoman also notices some strange things about the twins it left the rest of the book feeling a bit underwhelming. DCI Harper is supposed to be a brilliant and insightful detective, but although she sees strange things with the babies she is far more interested in the whether or not she has a shot with the journalist covering the case and at times is annoyingly immature - "OMG, I text her and she hasn't texted me back?! Does she fancy me or not?!?"
In the end it's still not really clear whether Lauren (the mother) is delusional or not and it's sooooo unsatisfactory that her horrible husband, Patrick, gets away with being a complete prat.
A really strong start but I think it could have ended better. The story seems to have had a bit of an identity crisis - thriller or modern day fairy story? Still, a decent enough story if you fancy something a little bit different.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review

★★★☆ 3 ½ stars
Lauren a new mother has just given birth to twins, Morgan and Riley ,and is truly exhausted suffering from sleep deprivation. In the hospital though she becomes convinced that she saw a menacing woman who wants to take her twins and replace them with her own. When she reports it to the cops they don't find anything and everybody starts questioning her sanity but Lauren seriously believes that her babies are in danger and will stop at nothing to protect them.

Little Darlings is a creepy psychological thriller with some paranormal aspects to the story. It’s a well written story relying heavily on dark fairy tales and changeling stories. An interesting slightly unsettling read.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

What a delicious read! Filled with images of fairy tales and changeling babies it reminded me of my childhood. Let me say, the beginning of this book is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of birth and the aftermath were so vivid it was hard to read at times. Then the palpable fear of this new mother as she believes her children are in danger, was overwhelming and really very disturbing. And I mean that in only the very best of ways. This was a compulsive page turner. Then to find out this is a debut novel. Mind blown. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This really was a very creepy book. And I agree with those who've compared it to Grimm so-called fairy tales. The vibe is certainly there. It's like this book should come with a bookmark of warnings: Behold, herein lies the following nightmare you will have...especially if you are a mother.

It's the BEST book ever for this season, especially if you live in England and dark branches keep brushing against your window at night, while you're still up, deeply into your other world. The moon shines through the blinds. Somewhere in the distance a child screems...no, that can't be? You're so deep into the book, you can't even tell what's real and what's fictional.

I will certainly look out for Melanie Golding's next books as well.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy in exchange for my honest review.

There's nothing I like more than a great psychological thriller. When Melanie Golding's Little Darlings began, I was sucked right into it, but as often happens, the rest did not live up to my expectations.

Lauren Tranter is a new mother of adorable twins, Morgan and Riley. Because she has some complications, she stays in the hospital for a few days after the birth. One night, Lauren claims that a creepy woman in her room tried to take her babies and replace them with her own "creatures." Is Lauren having hallucinations? Or did something sinister really happen? Lauren continues to see the woman in her daily life until, one afternoon in the park, her babies disappear. When they are eventually found, Lauren insists they are not Morgan and Riley but are the "replacements."

Little Darlings reads like an evil fairy tale, but it just did not keep my interest after the beginning. Whether it is the detective on the case or the husband who doesn't seem quite right, the book needs more character development and fleshing out of the plot to really make it work.

MY RATING - 2.5

Woahhhhhh this book was so creepy and haunting from the beginning. While this book didn’t blow me away (hence the 3 star rating), it certainly scared me quite a bit. I mean, yikes, having a baby is scary enough without adding what happens in this book into the mix!!

From the cover...

Deep, Dark, Utterly additive...
Be warned—you can't unread this story. It will haunt you."
-Theresa Driscoll.

In an extraordinary coincidence, I watched the movie, The Changeling, a couple of days before I read this novel.
I became completely absorbed in the movie, the ending sending tears streaming down my face.
At the very end, I was jolted once more when I was reminded that the film was based on a true story, sending chills up and down my spine and taking my breath away.

Two days later, I started reading this novel.....

"The child is not mine as the first was,
I cannot sing it to rest,
I cannot lift it up fatherly
And bliss it upon my breast;
Yet it lies in my little one’s cradle
And sits in my little one’s chair,
And the light of the heaven she’s gone to
Transfigures its golden hair."

From...
Wait for it.....
The Changeling by James Russell Lowell!

And so, from the very beginning, I was a little freaked out, brimming with trepidation to read this book, but I couldn't deny my overwhelming curiosity and anticipation of what was to come in Melanie Golding's debut novel, Little Darlings.


'AUGUST 17TH
PEAK DISTRICT, UK
DS Joanna Harper stood on the viaduct with the other police officers . On the far bank, across the great expanse of the reservoir, a woman paused at the water’s edge, about to go in, her twin baby boys held tightly in her arms. Harper turned to the DI. “How close are the officers on that side?”
Dense woodland surrounded the scrap of shore where the woman stood. Even at this distance, Harper could see that her legs were scarlet with blood from the thorns.
“Not close enough,” said Thrupp. “They can’t find a way to get to her.”
In a fury of thudding, the helicopter flew over their heads, disturbing the surface of the reservoir, bellowing its command: Step away from the water. It loomed above the tiny figure of the mother, deafening and relentless, but the officers on board wouldn’t be able to stop her. There was nowhere in the valley where the craft could make a safe landing, or get low enough to drop the winch.
Through the binoculars, Harper saw the woman collapse into a sitting position on the dried-out silt, her face turned to the sky, still clutching the babies. Perhaps she wouldn’t do it, after all.
A memory surfaced then, of what the old lady had said to her:
“She’ll have to put them in the water, if she wants her own babies back … Right under the water. Hold ’em down.”
The woman wasn’t sitting at the water’s edge anymore; she was knee-deep, and wading further in. The DS kicked off her shoes, climbed up on the rail and prepared to dive.'

'How to Protect Your Child

1. Placing a key next to an infant will prevent him from being exchanged.
2. Woman may never be left alone during the first six weeks following childbirth, for the devil then has more power over them.
3. During the first six weeks following childbirth, mothers may not go to sleep until someone has come to watch the child. If mothers are overcome by sleep, changelings are often laid in the cradle.
Jacob Grimm'

********
Wow!!! ★★★★★ Creepy-fest stars!

As if I wasn't unnerved enough by the flashes from the movie, the changelings, Melanie adds elements of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales to the mix, creating a toxic brew that is an inescapable, mesmerizing, riveting, and extraordinary debut in Little Darlings!

There were moments when I had to clench my teeth together at what Lauren was having to endure. Times I needed to stop reading the words on the pages, close my eyes, take deep breaths, calm my pounding heart, steel my nerves to continue!
After all.... I HAD to see what happened next!!!

Take Theresa Driscoll's warning to heart!!! And believe it!!
My thoughts are not meant to put you off reading Little Darlings.
I'm simply encouraging you.....
No....
I'm DARING you to RISK IT!!

With thanks to NetGalley, Melanie Golding, and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced reading digital copy of this book for me to read and review.
*NOTE
I was unable to find anywhere that said this is an uncorrected proof, not to be quoted from but keep in mind that the quoted part from the novel may change from this copy to the official published novel to be released for purchase in April, 2019.