This review may contain spoilers.
Wow, well I loved this book. It is a little hard to describe its genre as I would say it is part Horror, part Thriller, part detective tale. But one thing is for certain it is a real psychological thriller with truly creepy elements and it seems to take it inspiration from Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and other old folklore tales.
Shortly after giving birth to twins Morgan and Riley, she becomes convinced that a woman has attempted to ‘swap’ her babies whilst in the hospital, but no sign is found of the woman and her tale is dismissed as being caused by her tiredness and postpartum depression. Once she and the babies are back home, she hopes that things will settle down but this is not to be.
I do not want to say too much about the story as I do not want to spoil it for anyone but I must say
that the scenes in the Psychiatric hospital were very well observed. And I felt extreme sadness in Harpers dealings with Victoria. Were the things she said just the ramblings of a demented old woman or the truth of what really happened.
The last segment of the book fairly sped by. I was both terrified off and for Lauren and her babies, but that feeling was then replaced with a type of relief, I say type because the ending of the tale also filled me with sadness for the final plight of Lauren and her babies.
I understand that the book has been optioned to be made into a film and I feel the story is well suited to this. Strangely enough I have just watched the TV series ‘The Secrets She Keeps’ which is on a similar theme, and one of the scenes was set in a park around a pond / lake. It was so spooky to see it after just reading this book, that scene gave me the shivers just as this book did.

While this didn't end up being the edge of your seat thriller I hoped it would be, I still really enjoyed Little Darlings. This book was an absolute page-turner and I really felt every emotion our main character Lauren felt. A little slow in some places (thanks to a lot of explaining), the downfall for me was that some of my questions never really got answered. A taste of an unreliable narrator really kept me hooked and I thought the characters were well developed. 3.5 stars.

Loved it! Don't read in the dark bu yourself! Just kidding. I love the family drama, and suspense. I was creeped out a lot too. I couldn't put it down. I felt Lauren's anxiety immediately when I started reading. Little Darlings would be a great next read for your thriller category.

Eerie and disquieting journey into the world of folk lore and myths.

Lauren is a first time mother who has just given birth to her twin baby boys, Morgan and Riley. While recovering in hospital from the difficult births, Lauren is woken in the middle of the night by mysterious noises coming from the hospital bed next to her. Curious because the noises seem to be a new mother with her own set of twins, Lauren is confronted by the sight of a horrid woman who wants to trade her babies for Lauren's boys. After a second encounter where the woman demands Lauren's babies, Lauren lock herself in the washroom and calls police but no one is found. Lauren is finally released from the hospital with her babies but is still convinced a strange woman tried to take her babies so insists on staying at home and protecting her newborn babies. Eventually, her husband convinces Lauren to go for a walk with the babies and while resting. the babies disappear and the police are called. Thankfully, the babies are found unharmed but Laurn is certain that the babies are not hers and have been "changed".

I absolutely adored how this book was written. The surreal encounters with the mysterious woman, Lauren's experience of being a first time mother, her growing horror of realizing the babies are not hers, the police woman who has a hunch that Lauren is telling the truth, the background of folklore ingrained in the story... it isn't easy to incorporate all of that into one book seamlessly but the author nailed it.
I liked the side story about the police woman who believes Lauren very much. She was not the main protagonist but I liked her character (and hope there will be more police stories with her in them... hint hint). I have to say I detested the husband but you need a negative character sometimes just to spice things up a notch. I really can't say too much because I don't want to give spoilers away. The book is more than it seems, and either way you interpret the book, you are in for a wonderful debut novel.

3.5/5

I don’t usually read thrillers – in our current book culture, they often feel like the apex novel category where a season doesn’t go by without a new Mackintosh, King, Hawkins, Lapena, Ware, or other lesser likeness taking a stab at the genre – but I couldn’t help myself when I saw this book described as a “dark fairy tale” in the vein of Neil Gaiman’s works.

Little Darlings is a fascinating rumination on post-conception experience. When the protagonist, Lauren, delivers newborn twins, the fatigue of childbirth coupled with the stressful scenes she is witness to in the delivery room and thereafter culminate into one nagging conviction: what if my children are not my own?

Although a seemingly unfeasible conclusion, the practical portrayal of the postpartum condition – a mix of exhaustion, confusion, fear, and even paranoia – become a plausible middle ground where supernatural phenomena and sober realism can meet. When you’re not completely in control of your own reality, looking away for even a moment could allow anything to happen.

What I liked about Golding’s novel is that it balanced realism and fantasy well – so well that you can’t define which this book offers. One of the better parts of this experience was thinking you had it solved only to keep questioning your judgment. Lauren’s sympathetic position makes it difficult to rule out the impossible even when so many characters seem intent on their rigid conclusions. While I was expecting something with more of a creepy, fantastic edge, I can’t say I was disappointed with what this story ultimately had to offer

Although not perfect, Little Darlings gave me novel insight into the realm of contemporary thriller fiction while satisfying my fantasy fix. While I think few books fit their categories to a T, Golding’s novel has definitely made me consider doing a double take before dismissing any book coined as “thriller”. A skilful, gripping, psychological read – I’d definitely be curious to see what Golding comes up with next.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a novel that explores mental illness, family, infant twins, extramarital affairs, mystery, and folklore fantasy. The novel begins following with a character named Lauren who gives birth to identical twins. The birth of the twins is traumatic to Lauren and she becomes fearful and paranoid. As the plot progresses we follow Lauren as an event occurs that brings in law enforcement. Lauren and her husband’s marriage is also examined. The stress of twins alone puts a huge stress on both parents. The introduction of folk law complicates the parents’ issues even further. Although I enjoyed this novel I did feel that there were very awkward and unbelievable narratives throughout . If you enjoy folk law I believe you would have enjoyed this novel more than I did. I
would like to thank Melissa Golding, Crooked Lane Books Publishing, and netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I had high hopes that I would love this book but it wasn’t for me. I am sure other readers will love it though.

I absolutely LOVED Little Darlings! Everything about this is the perfect blend of domestic thriller and dark folklore. I never would have imagined putting the two genres together to craft a story, but I am so glad that Melanie Golding did. Now I know this is a possibility and I am eager for more like it.

This book is fast-paced and is full of suspense, creep factors, eerie vibes, and loaded with all the things that make a domestic noir/thriller so good! In this story you will see homages to The Yellow Wallpaper, The Changeling, and contains overall Brothers Grimm vibes. It was practically unputdownable!

I loved how the ending is slightly ambiguous and the readers are left to determined for themselves what they choose to believe happened. I am so glad I won this book in a giveaway and I highly recommend it! 5 stars!

This book will take you to the edge as you question Lauren's sanity, is she really seeing her twins as Changlings like in the fairy-folk tales or is she having a psychitic breakdown.

Golding has done a fantastic job of this novel and it was a chilling horror that you never really know what was real and what was just Lauren's imagination.

This book was suspenseful and even a little creepy.

This book was very good. I found a a little eerie and a downer in a way but ultimately satisfying in the end.It seems to deal with magical realism and covers motherhood set in the Peak District.

A deliciously creepy read featuring magical realism, folk tales, and the true horror of motherhood.

The story brings to light the very real body horror experienced by childbirth and the first days of motherhood. This is enough to make most squeamish. Then add a terrifying folk threat wishing to swap out her babies for changelings? Scary!

All the while the reader is asked to question whether what the narrator is saying is true or what it's like to be a prisoner in your own mind.

RATING: 2 STARS
2019; Crooked Lane Books

When I started reading this novel, Little Darlings I was expecting a bit of horror and fantasy, but I was a bit bored with this story. I am not sure if it was the hype of the book, or that this storyline has been done before. I just couldn't connect to the characters, but I did finish the audiobook. I am in the minority with this one, so please check out other reviews.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding was a very interesting horror/thriller that really kept me hooked all the way through it until the very last page. Highly recommended.

Little Darlings is part police procedural, and part fairy tale. If by fairy tale you mean the dark, demented ones often ‘softened’ for modern audiences. You are compelled by Golding’s clever writing to root for and doubt the protagonist Lauren who shortly after giving birth to twin boys begins seeing an unkept, uncanny young woman who threatens to trade her twins for Lauren’s. Mayhem ensues as police and mental health services are involved.

What makes this such a troubling read for me is that Golding combines the wealth of folklore surrounding twins, changelings, and the dark fey within the harsh realities and fears of modern motherhood.

The first act of ‘Little Darlings’ reads like a post-partum memoir. A comparison I feel qualified to draw given that my sister wrote a post-partum memoir about being committed to a psych ward nine days after my niece was born (Day Nine by Amanda Munday). The fear of motherhood consuming your identity, anxiety that your children are in ever-present danger, and paranoia that your every decision is being judged by those closest to you are realistic and frightening in their realism when combined with the folklore of child stealing fey.

In short, this was a great read. I’m likely going to be thinking about this one often.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

Where to start with Little Darlings? Well, I guess looking back my overall reflection is that this book is both good, and also very weird. Lauren is convinced her babies have been stolen and swapped for a sinister woman’s monster twins, and that no one but she can tell. She’s a first time mother, her husband isn’t particularly supportive, and as she becomes more and more terrified, she becomes increasingly alone and isolated. The only person who seems willing to concede that something might be wrong is Detective Jo Harper, who ends up pulled deeply into Lauren’s life and everything going on.

“She was still waiting for the rush of love. That one you feel, all at once the second they’re born, like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. The rush of love that people with children always go on about. She’d been looking forward to it. It worried her that she hadn’t felt it yet.”

I was absolutely sold by the blurb for this – I went in expecting a creepy, fairytale with a horror twist blended with a crime murder mystery. Something like Alice by Christina Henry or maybe Once Upon a Time crossed with Donnie Darko. Little Darlings is that, and yet, it somehow also wasn’t what I expected. It’s a powerfully emotive read; I have never been a mother and yet I so strongly empathised with Lauren and what she was going through. Golding has created a character with such raw, visceral feelings you can’t help but get swept along with them. It’s an uncomfortable read at times that had me questioning everything I thought I knew about motherhood and relationships and the way the world treats new mothers. It was gripping and addictive and it will absolutely mess with your mind (see how restrained I was there with my wording? I resisted the obvious swearword of choice!).

The book at times felt like it had two different halves, and while I liked both, I wasn’t always convinced they blended. On the one hand you have Lauren’s story with the changelings; throughout the book there are excerpts and references to creepy folklore, stories of changeling babies and of fae deals gone wrong. It’s heart-poundingly tense, a truly great psychological thriller. On the other hand, we have Jo Harper’s storyline. Harper is a DS who’s not very good at following procedure, but she’s very likeable. I’ve seen a few criticisms for the romance element of her side of the story but I thought it was well done and it let Golding show off some of Harper’s more vulnerable side, which is usually well guarded. I’d happily read another book about Harper, her future cases and the potential romance opened up here. While I liked both plotlines, it made for a slightly strange mix at times – I wanted MORE dark, heart-pounding horror and MORE police procedural drama, so at times it felt like I was just getting into the swing of one when we’d switch to the other.

“Look at someone every day for long enough and you stop seeing what everyone else sees. You start to see what no one else sees, what is kept hidden from most people.”

I personally was disappointed by the ending, but that’s very much a case of personal preference. If you love the kind of story that will have you constantly questioning your narrator, and whether what’s happening is real or not (think Before I go to Sleep, Riverdale’s Gargoyle King plotline, or The Grace Year) this is absolutely a book for you. I just maybe wouldn’t recommend reading it at the same time you and your partner are having a conversation about your future plans in terms of children!

Thank you, Crooked Lane for our gifted review copy.

This is definitely a darker read & one that took me a bit to get through. While I was expecting a creepy bok with a sci-fi twist, this one definitely goes deeper into motherhood, depression, our own expectations, etc.

This is a very interesting read that made me stop & think.

This is about a mom who has twins boys, and when she is in the hospital, a woman comes to see them. This lady is extremely creepy and switches her babies with the twins. The mom calls the police, but no one believes her and thinks she is crazy. But, the mom knows that the babies have been switched, and nothing is the same.
I do love ambiguous endings, but I was pretty upset by house this book ended. I definitely wanted more, and I also found that the husband was extremely irritating and an asshole.
Another thing I didn't care about was the backstory from the police process. I just don't like any type of police or detectives in my thrillers.

3 Stars

I had never read anything by Melanie Golding before but something about Little Darlings caught my attention and would not let go. It took me a little while to get to the book but I finally found the time to dive in and see if the story could captivate me as much as the cover.

The world seems to think that Lauren Trantor just needs to get more rest. This is understandable given that she just had twins, Morgan and Riley. She agrees that she has never been more tired in her life. It does not help that her husband seems to have decided that taking care of the twins is her job to do alone. Lauren is exhausted and needs more rest. She would not argue with that. But that does not change what she saw that night in the hospital. Everyone thought it was a delusion brought on by exhaustion. Lauren knows it was real.

Lauren knows the woman who visited her in the hospital wants to take her children. She told her so the night they were born. She lost her twins and wants Lauren’s son to replace her own. No one believed Lauren. Then a month later, the twins disappeared. They were quickly recovered but Lauren knows a secret about the boys. Something about them is different. She knows even though no one believes her and she is determined to set things right again and reclaim her family.

Little Darlings is bit of a hybrid book with a cross between a police procedural and a supernatural thriller. The book started out in the manner that I expected and I was really geared up for a wild ride. The book then settles down a bit and the middle parts is a bit slower as the pieces are put together and the truth begins to come out. The action ramps up again toward the end of the novel but it began to seem a little hollow to me. Once the facts of the story are uncovered, it all seemed a little anticlimactic to me and I was a bit let down. I still enjoyed the novel but I did not care too much for the ending. It just did not seem to fit with how the story started and left me wanting for more.

Overall, there is a lot to like in Little Darlings but I finished the book feeling a little let down. The story got off to a strong start and then built on a slow simmer for a while in the middle as it sorted itself out. But ultimately it took a less interesting turn than I had hoped and started to lose me a little toward the end. I was also a bit confused by the book t times as it almost seemed as if the novel was the continuation of a series. There was a whole relationship between the detective and a reporter that I never could quite get a good grip on because I felt as if I was coming into the middle of the story. I honestly thought it was a sequel but that is not the case s it is the author’s first novel. In the end, the novel ended up being an interesting tale that I felt could have been much more. It was good enough that I would encourage giving it a try to see if you like it more than I did.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this review copy. Little Darlings is available now.

This is a tense, atmospheric, spine-tingling story. I loved the speculative element and the fairy-tale like undertones woven throughout. I found it to be exactly the type of thriller I've been looking for. Unproblematic, thoughtful, well written and extremely interesting. Oftentimes mystery/thrillers sacrifice things for shock or plot, this book balanced plot, character, mystery and otherworldly implications so deftly. I would love to read more from the author but also more books like this!