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

Little Darlings is a well written dark psychological thriller than keeps you on the edge of your seat. Constantly I was torn between believing the main character and thinking that perhaps she was truly mentally ill. The author does a great job keeping you on the fence. The pace of the book was wonderful, there was just enough description and information given to let you paint a clear picture. I found myself enjoying each main character, even the ones you are less apt to like. Also, I really found myself enjoying the folklore added into the story. In regards to the main character, Lauren, the author really hit the head on the struggles as a new mom. Especially one with twins. The exhaustion and sleep deprivation really add to the "messiness" of life. Lastly, the ending... Oh I wish that the author had continued on just a bit. My mind really went all directions with what could potentially happen next.

I really enjoyed reading this debut novel. I am so thankful to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read tin exchange for an honest review. Melanie Golding has done a really good job creating this debut novel. It was fantastically written, mainly from Lauren, the mother of the twins, point of view. As a mother myself, I identified with some of the post- pregnancy thoughts and feelings of exhaustion that Lauren experienced. You just can’t help but sympathise for her.

Little Darlings was inspired by dark fairy tales and atwin folk tales, frequently referring to tales of changelings; children that have been secretly substituted by fairies and elves during infancy. The storyline made me question whether Lauren was in fact having a psychotic break due to postnatal depression or if there was in fact a figure after her twin boys. I even thought I had guessed it, with Lauren having a split personality! This is a reason why I thoroughly enjoyed the book, that it kept me guessing right until the final chapter and didn’t give away too much too soon. I would have liked a ‘one year later’ type of chapter just to wrap up the novel entirely.

The storyline included Jo Harper as the reliable policewoman; it dipped into her past slightly, as well as looking at a blossoming romance. Although these were nice personal touches I am not completely sure the purpose.

If you’re looking for a twisty, creepy read, this is definitely a book for you. It is not too dark or disturbing but still provides an airy atmosphere. It is an enjoyable read, especially if you enjoy myths and folklore. I’ve included a link to twin folk tales at the end of this post if anyone is interested in further (creepy) reading materials,.

Little Darlings is available for pre-order now on amazon, released 2nd of May 2019.

This is one of my 2019 recommended reads. I have awarded Little Darlings 4 / 5 stars!

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding was a great read. It had the perfect amount of suspense, folk-lore/magic, and police procedure.
Lauren is a new mother of twin boys, on her first night in the maternity wing of the hospital she overhears a woman in the next bed singing to her own set of twins. The woman tells Lauren it's not fair that she has everything and when she is not looking the woman will switch her twins with Lauren's and make it so that no one knows. Lauren becomes hysterical and locks herself in the bathroom and calls 999. Staff at the hospital are convinced that Lauren had a hallucinogenic episode and that no one else on the ward has given birth to twins but Lauren.
She returns home with her husband and her twin sons, but becomes more and more paranoid and is afraid to sleep without the boys in her arms in case the woman returns. At this point a police detective takes interest in the case and it seems like she might believe that Lauren was telling the truth.
My only problem with this book was the husband and the maternity ward who made him go home for the night when visiting hours were over, leaving her alone with the twins to care for after she had just given birth. I also would have liked to have had more insight to the husband's position on the situation and on his feelings for his wife.
Overall this was a great book with lots of intrigue, but it has left with a lot of questions. Would be great for a book club to discuss.

4 creepy motherfucker stars

You know what I should not be doing? Reviewing a book set to release in the April of 2019 in November of 2018. And yet here we are.

I will say the same thing you’ll probably find in every review for Little Darlings- This was a creeptastically entertaining read.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I requested the ARC for this book, but you cannot blame me after that blurb. It really is a very interesting one. And I will say this, Melanie Golding did not disappoint.

I don’t think I need to say anything about this book that the blurb already hasn’t, but this book is a must read for people looking to freak themselves out, because I swear on my life I had legit goosebumps reading it, and knowing myself there’s a huge chance you might share those said goosebumps.

But at the same time, having said all this, there are a few things that are never answered in the book. Like who sends the Twins Tale book to Lauren? I don’t agree with the bullshit comment that it might’ve been her dead mom since this wasn’t that kind of a story. Also what was Patrick’s motive at making everyone think his wife was crazy? We never really get the answer to that, so I’ll just settle for him being a abusive sociopath. Also Harper’s boss was unnecessarily assholic. Like dude she’s solving the bloody case why don’t you just sit back on your fat ass and let her do all the work?!? Seriously, men *cue eyeroll*. And the biggest thing I have a doubt with is was the mother a fairy or a dead woman? If she was a dead woman then how did she come back to give her dead children a better life and how does what works for a fairy changeling work for her kids? And if she’s a fairy why does she have a human past? And if she’s a human mother turned an undead fairy, how the fuck did that even work? Like what has to happen in your human life to turn you into an unsatisfied fairy in your afterlife? Because honestly becoming a fairy is beginning to sound a bit promising lol.

But then again you’re giving me creepy twins singing creepy songs, so Imma overlook all those. Maybe.

Really, it’s a recommended read for everyone other than those who just had twins. I know i don’t plan on having them after this book.

It was a good book. I haven't read any books by this author prior to this.. It was well written with strong characters. I recommend it and give it 4 stars.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I cannot believe that this is Melanie Golding's first novel. This book was very fast paced, had interesting and well thought out characters who were just the perfect amount of unreliable to keep you hooked!

Definitely a twisted fairy tale brought exquisitely to life for the modern day.

So very excited to see what Golding comes up with next - she definitely has me as a fan!

I really enjoyed this book! It's creepy and keeps you interested the entire story. I don't exactly like how it ended because I really wanted to know more but it is worth checking out if you like mysteries/thrillers!

This was a gripping thriller, that I couldn’t put down! There were so many gasping moments! I loved it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

An unsettling tale of new motherhood mixed with Grimm's fairy tales would be a good way to describe this book. I love psychological thrillers and this had some of that but also some paranormal and folklore elements that aren't usually my thing. It was definitely creepy and very unsettling and so if you are into that this book is for you! I did really like the lead detective and found her character to be my favorite part of this book...I just didn't fully get on board with the whole concept of what happens with the twins and so it fell a little flat for me.

While nicely written, “Little Darlings” isn’t my style. Stories of fairies have never been of interest to me. If you like that genre, you’ll likely love this book.

I found the story slow moving and rather tedious. That said, I could definitely see another topic and style by the same author being much more to my liking.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the eARC.
Wow, what a terrific book, couldn't put it down!
Lauren gives birth to twin boys, Morgan and Riley. It was a difficult, long birth and she is absolutely exhausted. While in the hospital, she is approached by a bedraggled, foul smelling woman who wants to take her babies. Hysterical, she hides in the bathroom till help arrives. The police arrive and detective Jo Harper is the only one who feels there's something off about the whole situation. When Lauren finally gets home, she's so terrified, she won't leave the house, basically living in one room with them so she can protect them. Her husband is trying to be sympathetic, but isn't particularly helpful and patient. When he finally gets Lauren to go out, she falls asleep on a beach to wake up and find her babies gone. The babies are found, but Lauren knows they are not hers. She's so overwrought they put her and the babies in a mental hospital, under heavy security.
Jo Harper and her friend, a reporter, do background checks and research that bring some disturbing facts to light.
I don't want to give away any more of the story, but will say that it is mesmerising...is Lauren psychotic or is there something sinister at work?
This book is not quite horror, to my mind, but more a disturbing look into postpartum depression, mental health and the eerie possibility that the past can come back to haunt us. The chapters all start with great quotes and passages regarding changelings; very well done, it adds an otherworldly feel to the read.
I felt for Lauren, but particularly liked Jo, and hope that there may be future books that feature her. An addictive read that I recommend highly.

After giving birth to twin boys, Morgan and Riley, Lauren spends the night alone in the hospital. (My only issue with this book is this weird occurrence. What modern hospital shoos the husband out at night and sends him home? Is it a UK thing? Surely not... Oh well. Had to happen for the story to happen, so I'll let it go.) Upon awakening in the middle of the night, she notices that she has a strange, smelly roommate, who also has twins tightly bundled. The woman wants Lauren's babies and seems prepared to take them. She locks herself in the bathroom and calls emergency services, only to be told that there was no one in her room. No one believes her, except for Harper, one of the responding officers who is already on a short leash with her department. Soon after the hospital incident, the boys actually disappear while Lauren accidentally falls asleep on a park bench. Are her boys really gone? Has the smelly woman from the hospital successfully swapped them with her twins? Will Harper be able to overcome her own issues to be of help to Lauren?

A creepy, chilling, subtle thriller that sneaks up on you with its intensity. While Lauren is an interesting character, it's the damaged but well-meaning Harper who is the real star. It was fun to read something in this genre with the twist (or promise of the twist--I won't tell which it turns out to be!) of a supernatural element. .

Excellent look at a new mother's paranoia - the question is, is it deserved, or is she insane. What I loved about this book is that you just don't know until the very end. Great characters, crisp writing, and tight plotting make this a keeper.

Wow, what a book! I highly enjoyed this book!! It's got a creep factor like no other! A fantastic horror tale! I can't believe it's the author's debut. She's going to have a wonderful career!! I can't wait to read more by her! No spoilers, he he, read it for yourself....if you dare!!!!
I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley. Thank you, Netgalley!
More than five stars!I
All opinions are my own.