I thoroughly enjoyed Little Darlings. The pacing was great, I never found myself skimming or wishing the story would move along. I was a bit thrown off by the first chapter in Harper's POV, just because I had been expecting everything from Lauren's POV, but I found that storyline interesting as well. I absolutely hated the husband! I don't have children but was so upset on Lauren's behalf for how he was treating her during his paternity leave. All of the main characters were fleshed out well, but I wish we would have gotten more details of Lauren's past mental health history. And maybe more about Natasha?

All in all, I think this is a great debut! My thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The writing of this book was quite different (for me). It really wasn’t my style of book and was a bit too “mythical” for me at times, but still was a very interesting story. The characters were well developed. You really felt the fight of a mother in this one. Having twin boys myself, this was a weird read for me. I’m definitely interested in giving it a re-read at a later date and tryingmore from the author.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
This was a pretty good, creepy read, not quite as creepy as I thought it may be but all in all it was a good story definitely worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book and give my own opinion.

Starts off with a bang and never lets up! This book is one fantastic supernatural thriller. It bites down into the heart of fear and the core of motherhood, and sinks it’s teeth in for the full duration with the tenacity of a rabid wolf. Is the main character mentally disturbed, or is she the victim of an aggrieved vicious spirit that will stop at nothing to take her children away? At what point does the mother, the most sacred of protectors against the world, become and innocent baby’s most dangerous enemy? All these questions leave you reeling towards a heart pounding conclusion that leaves you almost emotionally and mentally exhausted. Stephen King could not, himself, have come up with a more harrowing tell to curdle the blood of any loving mother and many fathers as well.

This is an eerie page-turner of a book! I love how it kept me guessing and managed to throw a surprise twist here and there. The writing is fantastic and so vivid, especially a scene after she's given birth, that it made me physically cringe. Very impressed with this one!



Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a cracker of a book. Before I started to read this, I read that it was going to be made into a film. All the way through, I kept thinking, yep, going to be a fantastic film. It was almost written for it. Not all books work, but this will.

Lauren is a lovely person, you can just sense her goodness. Not so sure about hubby. Think she could have done better. But together two beautiful twin boys are born, and then if all goes downhill.

The book captures the imagination as the storyline moves between Lauren, the slightly ‘craxy’ new Mum, and Harper, a detective with a back story, who believes something is not right. Just a little not right, but can’t quite put her finger on it.

I can already sense the ‘feels’ from the film.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane books got the opportunity to read and review.

Very hard to get into this book....then bam creepiest book I’ve ever read. Literally, can’t stop thinking about this mother of twins. Riveting!

How could I NOT lust after this novel?! Clare Mackintosh, one of my favourite authors, declares that Little Darlings is stunning: “chilling story, beautiful prose”. It’s also been described as Leila Slimani’s Lullaby (which I found deliciously creepy) meets Rosemary’s Baby (one of my all-time favourites). So when I saw it on NetGalley, I had to have it!
The story starts with Lauren and Patrick, about to become parents for the first time, of twins no less. We soon witness the boys’ birth – warning: some of those scenes made my entire reproductive system go on lock-down, I swear I felt my ovaries cringe and hide! Although I found it interesting enough, at that moment I wasn’t captivated by the story yet. In all fairness, I think this has less to do with the actual story and more with me not being a mother myself. I felt Lauren’s emotions – Melanie Golding is quite good at making you empathise with her characters – but I’m sure a parent will feel it much deeper than I ever could.
As the story continues, Lauren struggles, Patrick’s pretty useless, and the situation goes from bad to worse until it all spirals out of control when Lauren dozes off and loses sight of her boys. Before long, they’re back with their mother, and luckily, they’re completely fine! Or are they? Nobody seems to notice anything weird about the boys, but Lauren does. She, the only one who can even tell them apart, is sure that neither baby is her own. And mother always knows best, doesn’t she? But then why won’t anyone believe her? My heart broke for Lauren at this point. That was the moment when I realised that the story had completely sucked me in and I was totally invested and I HAD TO KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON. Melanie Golding does a mighty fine job here, hinting, muddying the waters, playing with the duality of emotions versus reason and imagination versus reality, and how on earth does a little old lady with Alzheimer’s fit into this jigsaw puzzle?! Not only could I not figure out which way the story was heading, I couldn’t even decide which way I wanted it to go :-) One thing’s for sure though: it was a fun ride getting there!
Highly recommended for lovers of the changelings lore and / or psychological thrillers with a sprinkling of the supernatural, especially if you like strong female characters and creepy babies.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I've already shared my review on Goodreads and my blogpost on Twitter.

I really wanted to like this book but for some reason I just could not get into it! The writing style is amazing and the characters are great but the plot fell short for me. That is just my opinion though.. I am sure others will love this book because the author does have an amazing writing style!

What a fascinating, creepy tale! Reminds me of fairy tales I used to read long ago. After giving birth to Morgan and Riley, Lauren is exhausted and terrified by the woman in the next bed, who wants to take her babies. Is she dreaming, hallucinating or is this really happening? When she gets home, she becomes a recluse, hiding with her boys in her bedroom. After finally being persuaded.that she needs to get out, she takes the twins for a stroll, but while resting on a bench, she falls asleep. When she awakes, the babies are gone, but quickly found, except they aren't her babies, or are they? Deliciously told story, I loved it!

I was a little uncertain about what to expect from this story, due to the supernatural aspect. I'm not a huge fan of fantasy stories or the unexplained mysteries where outcomes are not rationally explained. I was pleased to find that it was more grounded in reality than expected and that most everything did have a logical explanation.

I could sympathize with the main character, Lauren, as she struggled to adjust to motherhood, emotionally and physically. Before even leaving the hospital she believes that she encounters a strange filthy woman who tries to switch her own babies (i.e. creatures) with Lauren's. When help arrives, there's no woman to be seen and Lauren's mental state comes into question. That sets the tone for the story to come.

It was slightly frustrating that she didn't push for more help, especially from her husband, who perfectly embodied the inconsiderate and selfish husband. Refusing to help with night feedings while he was still on paternity leave and moving to a the spare room so his precious sleep wasn't disrupted? What a jerk. And the more his wife obviously needed help the more he acted like it was up to her to get her act together. No wonder she started suffering her postnatal symptoms.

It's not quite a surprise that it just snowballs from there - less sleep, more exhaustion, greater confusion. She does have a few other new mom friends who offer support when they see the state that she's in, thank goodness. It's to meet them that she eventually leaves the house and the central action of the story comes in.
Unfortunately, the events that occur once she loses sight of her children for a few hours seemed (to me at least) the result of too long without proper care and medication. Just a sad downward spiral.as she becomes convinced that they are no longer her real babies.

The detective drawn in to the case, Jo Harper, was a likable character to me, with her own disturbed past and her refusal in the present to give up her on Lauren and write her off as everyone else does. Through her persistence, a link to an older case and the history of their town is discovered, leading to as close of a resolution as there is. Though of course, the reader is left with a sense of ambiguity concerning what exactly happened and how the events unfolded.

I was pleasantly surprised by this story and am greatly looking forward to the next book by this author. Her writing is engrossing and she creates the perfect atmosphere, supernatural though it just may be.

He really hadn’t seen it. Seen her, the woman from the hospital, the woman in the bushes. But Lauren had, solid and real as the trees themselves; the eyes still glared at her when she closed her own, the image burned there like she’d looked at the sun too long. She was going mad, she must be. That or the woman was some kind of witch, some kind of demon would could disappear at will.

When Lauren gives birth to beautiful, healthy twin boys, Morgan and Riley, the birthing process was less smooth than she hoped, leaving her exhausted, sore. Then, her husband leaves too fast for her liking leaving her, a new mother, alone with the boys in the hospital. When she finds time to rest, sleeping when not feeding her boys, the strange dreams overtake her, terrifying and lingering upon her waking. She is sure in between a state of wakefulness and sleep that she heard another mother with infant twins too, just like her. The next day, the nurses are perplexed, what other patient? What other babies? Trapped in the hospital for yet another night, things take an eerie turn. Is it just a bad reaction from the difficult birth that makes her imagine a filthy, ragged woman is trying to trade her babies for her own vile mewing creatures, or is Lauren’s world becoming a dark fairytale? The police aren’t taking it seriously, the doctors and her own husband are convinced it’s all in Lauren’s head. No one could possibly get in without being seen, not with the secure settings in the hospital. Detective Harper is determined to check on the new mother, despite the assumption it’s just ‘bad trip’. What she sees is a woman who is terrified, and unsure of her own mind. Something about her story pulls DS Harper in, and the hospital visit won’t be the last of it.

Once home with her husband and baby boys, everything feels like a threat, especially the strange gift she receives. Then her husband tells her he plans to head back to work sooner than he promised, leaving her to cope with no support. Wanting nothing more than to get away, a fresh breath, to escape her husband droning on about how good she is at this baby stuff, trying to convince her that she can do it when she knows she needs help, she bolts for the door ready to leave it all behind. Then she sees the frightful woman again, lurking! Patrick doesn’t though, and it feels like her mind is cracking. If no one is there, why is she so frightened? How to explain the strange gift that her friend swears isn’t from her? Before long, Lauren seems the woman’s filthy face peering in the windows of her home, creeping, waiting until the time is right to swap the babies. She holes herself up in the home, locked up, curtains drawn but Patrick won’t hear of it. All she needs is to get out, be in the world again, just get outside. Heeding her husband’s advice, she ventures upriver with the boys and meets her friends Rosa and Cindy, after commiserating over birth stories and mothering, sharing cake and coffee they part ways. Lauren walks to a clearing, upriver where the secluded bench sits. “Sinking down gratefully” Lauren closes her eyes and falls asleep, knowing only of her careless, unintended slumber when she startles awake and sees the baby stroller gone.

So begins the terror that her children must have been taken by the witch even when they are found not far away with another strange woman. Though they are returned to her, Lauren is convinced these are not her babies! That monstrous woman must have taken them, and replaced them with these stand ins for these ‘others’ are not her own! To the raging river, she and the stroller must go if ever her real, flesh and blood human babies will return to her. This mad turn in her behavior has her locked up, but she will know the truth! She will do anything it takes to get her real children back. “They strapped her down. Like a madwoman.” The doctors know it is true that ‘someone took my babies’, for it is a fact and she is simply confused, embellishing on a real incident because they are back now, safe, unharmed! She must play along if she is to be released, despite the constant truth that circles in her head “they are not my boys”. Pretend, pretend they are yours.

Is it in the pretending that she becomes a threat to her children or is something far more sinister truly at work?

This is a nightmare seethed in folklore, quietly believable enough that you don’t have to suspend your disbelief. Lauren is flawed to begin with, surely someone who could create a fantasy through some sort of mental break, but there are things that lend her outrageous imaginings some credibility, and DS Harper is tied to the strange mystery because of her own past. Why does she feel so close to the case? Looking to study the evidence with an open mind when colleagues are quick to dismiss Lauren as a deluded new mother? This was a creepy gem of a novel, add it to your 2019 TBR list!

Publication date: April 30, 2019

Crooked Lane Books

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this fabulous ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scary and brilliant! Is there truth in Lauren's story or is she really psychotic as they say? Such a twisted and wonderful story telling. So much of the folklore around the world are lost in today modern world. This book was the perfect combination of real and unreal of the world.

Creepy, dark, and satisfying! I enjoyed the suspense woven into the story- is it just new mom paranoid exhaustion or something more sinister?

4.5 Stars

"She took a penknife long and sharp aye-o...and pierced the two pretty babes to the heart."

Little Darlings is a beautifully crafted story that blends the realms of reality and the paranormal.

A mother of newborn twins is struggling with an overwhelming new role as a mother. While recovering in her hospital room from a harrowing birth, Laura sees a young unkempt woman with twin babies of her own behind the curtain next to hers. The vile woman attempts to bargain with Laura.

"Give me one of yours. I'll take care of it. You have one of mine..."

Laura is forced to choose. Give the women one of the babies or she will change both so Laura would not recognize them. " I can make sure they look just the same." Laura locks herself in the bathroom with her two boys and calls 999 for police help. And then the woman disappears.

Soon after, the babies seem different. Not only does her husband think that she is suffering from psychosis, but no one else believes her either. Is Lauren losing her mind, or is the curse becoming a reality?

This masterfully written novel is atmospheric, eerie and unexpected. I compulsively read this novel in a short period of time. The birthing experience although long sets the stage for Laura's physical and emotional well being. Then the story turns taking on a dark atmosphere that is chilling and yet heartbreaking. The blending of the folklore with the storyline gave the narrative a credibility that made me rally behind Laura's experience. The characters are all well rounded and layered, especially Detective Harper who is Laura's only hope of finding her real babies.

Thank you, NetGalley, the author, and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a creepy book! Although, I will admit, I was hoping it would go a little creepier, I thought overall this was a solid 3 star book. Interesting premise, loved the use of the fairy tales and legends throughout, I felt the book slowed down as it neared the end and didn't ramp up the suspense, much as I was hoping it would.

I liked that you were kept guessing the whole time: Was Lauren suffering from psychosis or was their really something paranormal happening with the babies?

I love folklore and anything about faeries so this book appealed to me. I also love a good mystery. This book had me guessing until the end whether Lauren was actually sane or not. Was she suffering postnatal psychosis or was there really a evil woman that traded her babies for changelings? I loved all the descriptions of early motherhood and it made me reminisce of those early days with my own kids. The descriptions of the “changelings” was creepy. I definitely recommend this book and it will make an excellent movie! Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

I was rather hopeful that this would prove to be as creepy and suspenseful as I thought it would be when I requested the opportunity to read it. However I just could not get into this read. It felt disjointed and lacked the creepy vibe I was looking forward to. It started off slow, and it took all I had to continue to read forward.

I appreciate the opportunity but this one was not for me.

Modern day retelling of a chilling fairytale where elves or faeries replace an ailing baby with a healthy one. In this case. It's beautiful twin boys who are at risk of being stolen by a horrible woman that only their mother can see. Is she telling the truth or descending into madness?

True horror. Imagine having your newborn babies switched and only you know it. Everyone see's perfect sweet little babies, she see's gray little creatures. Her fierceness keeps her going even when all is against her. The world thinks she's crazy, and she wonders that herself, till.. I'm not telling you more the surprises are glorious to discover unknown.
I could not put this book down. It was such a perfect scary read. I stayed up a couple of nights later than I should have because I had to find out if...then I thought through the events during my work day. I love a book that doesn't let go when you set it down. I can't wait to get ahold of more from this author