Let me begin this review with saying that I have absolutely no business reviewing an ARC that doesn't even publish until April 2019 when I have so many ARC's pending soon or better yet the ones I'm behind on BUT the synopsis for this is beyond intriguing and it's October when it's time for all things creepy and spooky and this one seemed a perfect choice for the season.

And I was right! <--- it does happen once in awhile! ;)

Whoa! Little Darlings was an absolute delight to read.

"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 The Changeling by James Russell Lowell

Imagine given birth to a set of lovely twin boys. Imagine in the middle of the night on the very day of their birth a vile woman invades your hospital room and insists on swapping your babies for hers. Imagine that no one, not even your own husband, believes you.

Now you've returned home with your babies and the mother in you wants to protect them fiercely from the outside evil you know exists. After spending a month locked behind closed doors your husband decides it's time you venture out for a walk. Get some fresh air. So you take his advice to avoid an argument and think to yourself maybe he's right. Maybe it is all in my head.

You stroll through the park, the sun on your shoulders and crisp leaves crunching underfoot, when a coming bench is all too tempting to take a little rest with your boys.

Now imagine this: you awake, startled on the bench, not knowing how long you've been asleep only to see that the stroller and your precious babies are no longer there.

Not all is lost though and after a brief search the beautiful babies are found and returned to you. You look upon the lovely boys only to realize they aren't your babies at all.

"I told you, that wasn't them," said Lauren, "whatever was in that stroller. They've been swapped. They're evil those things, they're not my babies."

I could not put this one down! If you want a creepy read then this is a MUST READ! On a side note, this has been optioned to film and I hope with all my heart that this happens. This would be perfect on the big screen. An easy 5 Stars!

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

This book started out well for me, but there ultimately had to be such a huge amount of suspension of disbelief, that I couldn't buy into the story. Changelings? Really. Meh. What began as a solid domestic drama/thriller meandered into another realm, and one that is not for me. Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy.

A creepy and thrilling read that kept me wanting more. It took a little while for me to get into it, but once it had me hooked there was no letting go.

Oh my goodness, this book is sooo good!!!! I finished it in 24 hours and literally couldn't put it down. It's a perfect Halloween time read - just the right blend of spooky, creepy, and realistic. It keeps you guessing on whether or not Lauren is going crazy, whether a real life person is stalking her, or a ghost is haunting her. My only complaint is that there were a few loose threads at the end that I would've preferred to be tied up more tightly (hard to say what they are without getting too spoiler-y). I wanted a bit more information at the end. But definitely get and read this book!!! I will be eagerly watching for future releases from this author.

I love folklore. I read a lot of fantasy because I so enjoy myths, legends and lore. In this book about "changeling" children, I felt like we got sufficient background and snippets of the folklore from many different cultures without having to divert too much into the subject itself, or feel as if I needed to go do research before reading. The lore that is sprinkled within the writing explains enough to be engaging and creepy! I love reads where I'm constantly thinking "Is this real, or not?" It allows me to form my own opinions about what I believe and don't believe is happening. This is a great story, written from many points of views.

My favorite character is DS Jo Harper. She's a shining star in this book. She keeps the story grounded in reality, yet is open enough to the fact that something strange is going. She stays on the case, open to anything, and she's relentless. I enjoyed her so much, I found myself wanting to know more about her, and would love to see some spinoff stories of her adventures. :)

Little Darlings leaves you questioning what really happened in this book. The book has a supernatural turn as the mother delivers twins and receives threats of them being traded out by a dark, creepy unnatural woman. Tossed into all encompassing paranoia, Lauren refuses to go out of the house for weeks, locking her babies to her side. When she finally does leave the house her babies are taken and she swears replaced. With a crappy example of a husband, Lauren is locked away as her sanity is in question. The only person who seems to believe her is a local detective named Jane. The more Jane uncovers the reader is flopped back and forth between Lauren being crazy or sane. The spooky fairytale element of the story is prominent and keeps the reader on edge. Even after the ending, I question exactly what happened in the story and still do not know who was crazy or sane. The pages turn quickly and the unanswered questions leave a spooky feel to the story for a thrilling read. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.

Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

My thoughts
rating 5
WOW was sure if i was going to like it or not but wow , its everything i like in a story: dark ,twisted , unnerving and disturbing all round into one, can't stop reading when i started because i had to know was she losing her mind or was something really going on, love how the dark history and and even darker folklor plays a part of the story , to find out more you have to read the book . With that said i want to think Netgalley for letting read and review it , it was and is the perfect story ( at lest i thought so to read on a cold gloomy day) exchange for an honest review,

Little Darlings is Melanie Golding’s first novel. I hope it will not be her last! Lauren has given birth to twin baby boys. While in the maternity ward an intruder tries to take her babies. She calls emergency services. When they arrive nobody is there and they think she is hallucinating. When she goes home she is convinced someone is watching her and her twins. Somebody wants her babies. Her husband, Patrick, thinks she’s making everything up. I don’t want to spoil the plot by giving too many more details. The story started out slow but then picked up very quickly. The sense of dread slowly grew until I had a very disturbed feeling while reading this. Definitely check this book out! You will not be disappointed! Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding was an enchanting story that is based on an old English Fairytale. The beginning of each chapter is preceded by a quote from other books. Lauren is a new mother of twins and she is exhausted. Have her spirited baby boys been replaced by something otherworldly or is she just losing her mind? Lauren's husband Patrick seems like a loving man but is he?
Harper is the Police detective that follows the case of Lauren's accusations. She does not give up and continues to search for the truth. She is relentless and I can see her being a featured character in other stories should Ms. Golding continue writing these stories.
This story reminds me very much of another book I read from NetGalley, The Good People by Hannah Kent. However Little Darlings is set in present day England.
If you are a fan of the t.v. show Grimm you may like this book.

This was terrifying and fantastic.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2559894020?book_show_action=false

This book looked like the perfect spooky thriller, and it did not disappoint! It is an amazing debut novel for author, Melanie Golding. I zipped right through it, needing to know if the mom, Lauren was crazy or if something wicked was going on with her family?

This story starts as Lauren and her husband Patrick are about to give birth to twin boys. Even in the hospital while Lauren is giving birth Patrick is barely around. Lauren is left to take on motherhood and recovery mostly on her own! I was so annoyed with her husband!!😠

As any new mother would be, Lauren is exhausted and completely deprived of sleep, when something happens. I don’t want to spoil it, so I will leave it at that… But I had to find out if it was real or not!

I am not super into scary stories but this one had just the right amount of thriller and mystery, with maybe a sprinkle of Stephen King creepiness! If you want a fun and spine-chilling read look for this book in stores May 10, 2019.
This was posted as part of my book review of Little Darlings on October 11th, on Cole Campfire Blog at the link below. Thank you!

I received this advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author, Melanie Golding for this copy.

Little Darlings is a great psychological thriller that has great twists and turns. It will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat. I loved it and can not wait for more.

I really enjoyed the writing style of this author. This was a fantastic, page turning psychological thriller.
I could not put this one down. I kept getting surprised, like draw dropping, what just happened surprised.

This book is so twisty I fell like I was on a roller coaster, and the end was fantastic.

Great book!

This book was amazing! I began reading and could not stop reading until I had finished it! It was a dark, twisted and unsettling read, but one I enjoyed precisely because of those factors. We follow the story of Lauren, who has just given birth to twin boys, and she keeps seing this horrible woman who wants to change babies with her. Everyone tells her she is psychotic, that the woman doesn't exist, that her babies are safe... but she keeps on seeing and hearing the woman, and weird things keep on happening around her.

I loved how twisted the story was, making you doubt Laure'ns sanity: is she crazy? Does the woman exist? What the heck is going on? And there were times in which the story was so disturbing that you had to keep on reading praying nothing of what was happening was real.

The prose is amazing, the author really know how to alternate being fear, being rational, being grimm fairy tales-que, telling the story from a new exhausted mom's point of view and then switching characters... it had me trapped and I couldn't put it down until I had finished it.
The characters are so well developed you could think they are real, they all have their things and manias and quirks and are very much alive, and you can feel what they go through easily.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers and dark creepy tales, because the author weaves an amazing story out fo the two. And it's her first book! I really can't wait to see what she does next!

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE!
I am so glad that this book is going to be a movie, it'll be great to see the characters come to life on the big screen.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

This is a creepily, clever dark story that will make you want to check on your little darlings constantly just to be sure they are safe and sound.

#LittleDarlingsBook by Melanie Golding
A huge thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC
Pub Date: 10 May 2019

A wonderful modern retelling of an ancient story. I was hooked from the beginning and went along for the whole ride in one sitting. I went back and forth with Laura and the truth. Is she crazy? Has someone taken her children? Pulse pounding story with incredible ties to the past. Loved all the folklore and ancient text inserts. Highly recommend.

The ending was interesting in that it didn't feel like closure. Is that a sequel I smell? Yes please!

This is not a book that you want to read if you are expecting a child or if you believe in folklore superstition. I was impressed with the detective for not giving up on the case because of her gut feeling. She knew something was not right and decided to investigate it further. I feel bad for the mom because she was just trying to protect her babies and now she is looked at like a monster. Never doubt your gut because it is generally right. Especially when you are a mom!!

Little Darlings is an excellent and unsettling read! I found this book to be totally unexpected in the best of ways and I could not put it down! I hope the author continues writing because I am now an instant fan girl!

This book was the perfect pick for a spooky October read! I grew up on the dark fairy tales of Grimm and Hans Christen Andersen, and this book had many of the same elements.

After Lauren gives birth to twins, she is convinced that a woman is trying to take them from her and change them into something else, as she warns. After a disappearance scare, she now believes her twins are changelings and she must return them to the river in order for her real children to come home. She's committed to a mental hospital, and things ramp up to scary as Jo Harper, a detective, tries to figure out what actually happened to the twins. The ending ties in some neat elements of realism and historical lore.

With the mix of unreliable narration, a past history of mental illness, and a husband acting suspiciously, I was kept on the edge of my seat! I couldn't tell what was real and what was a side effect of psychosis, and the writing was so real and descriptive that it was almost hard to stomach in a few spots. I double-checked the locks on my doors after reading it!

Thank you netgalley for this sample copy in exchange for my honest review. GREAT BOOK! It was a page turner and had me feeling different emotions all throughout. I definitely recommend this book. Flow is great, story line is gripping, and it is psychological thriller perfect.