Ever read a book and can't decide who is the worst character in terms of being a jerkface? This is one of them. A few years ago I came across the story of Dee Dee and Gypsy and was for some reason fascinated. After watching The Act and the documentary, I thought a book version of this would be great. And here we are.

I honestly thought I would hate it because the main characters are obviously based off Dee Dee and Gypsy, and I thought the story would be pretty cut and dry with no real twists or anything. However, this book really made you wonder who the real villain was. The ending actually was a surprise and I didn't guess that until towards the end.

Creepy take on the true story of Dee Dee and Gypsy. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read this.

I knew I had to get my hands on Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel as soon as I read the synopsis. The story reminds me of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother, a true story that is worth your time to read about.

I read another book which was inspired by Gypsy’s life and I’m curious how the author will create another intriguing plot around this idea. I am looking forward to reading this one, the early reviews are glowing and I have a feeling I’m going to love it.

Here’s the synopsis:

For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she’s forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling…And she’s waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

I’m all for writers being inspired by a true crime event and using that as a launching point for a novel. What do you think?

The book comes out on March 17, 2020 so you can celebrate St. Patricks Day by reading a book! It’s really how I celebrate every holiday- with a book in my hands!

I could not finish this book. I could not figure out what the point was. And it was boring. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

Very interesting topic to write about. I would of like to have more of the mothers side of the story. Will recommend to people. I think this book would an great book for a book club to read, definitely interesting topics to base a discussion around.

OH NNOOOOO!!! This is too nasty, disturbing, agitating and creepy! This is totally sick, insane, dark, edgy! CARRIE MEETS HULU’S “ACT” SHOW! And I LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT! Who cares if I’m not normal! I loved those brilliant, ultra evil genius brain cells of the author. If I ever have plastic surgery, I will demand to have that kind of batshit crazy brain cells so I can create creepier, nail destroyer, body hair lifter, and scary stories. As a result: I can happily give 5 gazillion stars without thinking a second and say 2020 will be exciting year to read such amazing thriller books!!!!

I’m writing this review hid under the couch, hands shaking, breathing heavy, praying God get those mother and daughter away from me and at least for 2 two hours my husband still thinks we’re playing “ hide and seek”! He still couldn’t find me (Or he acts like that because I can hear his laugh and soccer critics’ nonsense comments so he might take the control of the TV and finish my last bottle of Chardonnay! Dammit! I’m so scared to leave my hiding place!!! Oh no, am I smelling Italian takeout! That’s it! I left my book and took the cannoli! Luckily I don’t intend to poison my husband as a punishment like these sweet and lovely villanelles did on the book!)

Okay, nmmmmm, yes this pad thai and papaya salad is excellent…Okay let’s start again! Argggkk (Don’t worry, this painful sound is coming from my husband because I’m sitting on him when I’m writing this review! I might have gained a few pounds. Who counts the calories anyway!)
When I’m writing this review in the meantime, I’m formulating a letter to Ryan Murphy stop working AHS and advise him to produce this story and give the leading role PATTY to Jessica Lange. She was my dreamy villanelle! When I read the parts of Patty especially her snapping to her daughter at the jail, I only saw her face on my head and I started screaming, dropped the book but luckily I caught my Chardonnay glass so nothing has gone wasted!

So our terrifying mother PATTY, abuse victim, her own brother killed himself, turned into a monster (or she was baby monster but she has grown up to be wilder version of herself), poisoned her daughter for years and isolated her from outer world, made her believe she has been a victim of unidentified rare disease. When she got convicted by her own daughter’s testifying against her, her poor daughter Rose Gold was suffering from being under-weighted, hairless, having rotting teeth, looking like malnourished ten year old boy.

The story has so many resemblances with Hulu TV series “Act” like daughter’s turning against her mother at the court, the neighborhood friend’s efforts with her make up products to help her feel better and as soon as the neighborhood friend leaves her house, the mother dearest cleans the make-up from poor daughter’s face and steals her forty second happiness away from her. The mother’s fake helpful and genuine manners around the community to earn their respect were also similar with the book. Even Joey King who was acting as sick girl suffered from her mother’s secret madness named “Gypsy Rose”

But thankfully we’re not stuck at the past story of those two characters because the book is focused on after life of Rose Gold and her reborn from her ashes after she sent her mother to the prison and took her freedom back. But as trauma victim, she did have no friend. Even her online boyfriend did not want to talk with her face to face in real life. And as soon as she found out her father was not dead… Well, this story had also no quite happy father-daughter gathering ending. So neglected, lonely and broken Rose Gold needs her revenge to move on! I think she gets her first big step to the dark side after her mother’s denying her sins! (Darth Vader’s theme song Imperial March begins to play nananana!)

Then five years later, PATTY the MOTHER DEAREST ( mash-up of One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest Nurse Ratched, Carrie’s mother Margaret White and combination of all evil Meryl Streep characters!) gets out of the prison to live with her daughter and her grandson ( What? Rose Gold had a baby ? As we consider her ancestral characteristics: pure baby could be also Rosemary’s baby!) at her own childhood house. (SURPRISE!! HER DAUGHTER DEAREST bought mother’s childhood house she has been suffered from parents’ abuses for years! Evil laugh comes from Rose Gold!)

So THE MOTHER and DAUGHTER’s revengeful adventure begins. Which one will poison the other? Which one is more intelligent at mind games? Who is the father of the child? Could be Patty innocent? Of course not, I hit my hand to write this silly question! SO LET THE MIND GAMES BEGIN!

I’m not gonna give spoilers but I’m giving my SLAP CONTEST RESULTS FOR THIS BOOK:
PATTY (incarnated Lucifer’s mother) 5 gazillion punches, 3 million slaps
Billy Gillespie (asshole father) 3 million punches, convicted to watch Travolta’s Battlefield Earth 4 million times without restroom break)
Alex ( asshole worse best friend) 3 million slaps and permanent epilation of her eyebrows!

So yes, I love this Kill Bill quote : “I roared and I rampaged and I got bloody satisfaction”!

I liked this novel but was very put off by how much it tore its plot from the story of DeeDee and Gyspy Rose. It really wasn’t even inspired by that sad situation, as much as ripped off. And I think that is the main reason I am rating this low- I did not feel like this author was very unique, creative or thoughtful. It was a fast read and interesting. I would recommend it to people who are into creepy thrillers. But beware that it is quite uninspired.

As a child, Rose Gold's mother Patty intentionally made her sick. She sheltered Rose Gold at home, away from school, away from the internet, and away from anyone who might question what was going on. When Rose Gold realized what was going on, she turned to a neighbor. The police were called, and her mother was arrested. 5 years later, her mother is getting out of prison, and Rose Gold has a plan of her own.

This was a well written and engaging book. I found it hard to put down. The author expertly blended the past and present, revealing tidbits along the way. I would love to read more from this author. Overall, highly recommended.

This book was received as an ARC from Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have read a lot of book about the complications of mother/daughter relationships but I have never read one that was so complicated that it became fascinating such as Darling Rose Gold. Stephanie Wrobel does a stellar job in reflecting the importance of not only the relationship aspect but for the growth of Rose Gold for having the curiosity factor to find out the truth and discover who she really is after bailing her mom out of jail and focusing on the gift of coming home to your mother even when your mother has a difficult track record attached to her. The bravery and tenacity of Rose Gold was very inspiring and at some point everyone should take a look at this book.

We will consider adding this title to our Mystery collection at our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

Darling Rose Gold is a recommended first purchase for collections where thrillers and true crime is popular. Crossover appeal for HS collections where the same genres get traction.

Thank you Netgalley for the early advance copy.

This book is pure crazy, totally insane, absolutely twisted pile of events.
Through the entire time I had no idea who is the victim and who is the villain. It was incredibly well written. The story captured my attention from the beginning until the very end. I was blown away by how interesting the plot is and how complex these characters are.

Wow, did I love this! Definitely inspired by the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case, which totally appeals to me. It's twisted, it's fast paced, and you don't know who to root for, if anyone.

Either Rose Gold or her mother Patty Watts is lying. Or, maybe both of them are. Either Rose Gold or her mother Patty Watts is planning revenge. Or, maybe both of them are. Darling Rose Gold is an emotional roller coaster ride slinging you from side to side as you feel sorry first for Rose and then Patty as they each try to fulfill their obsessive need to feel loved and be needed.

Rose Gold Watts is a woman whose childhood was stolen from her by her master manipulator of an abusive mother, Patty Watts. Convinced her whole life that she was chronically ill, Rose Gold helped send her mother to prison for aggravated child abuse five years ago after finding out that she was ill because Patty was poisoning her. When Patty is released from prison and shows no intention of reforming her nasty ways, <i>Darling Rose Gold</i> has a plan to ensure that Patty will never underestimate her daughter again. Fans of domestic and psychological thrillers will love this suspenseful novel full of twists and turns, that puts a microscope on human relationships and the many complications that can arise when people give action to their darkest thoughts and most intense imaginations of vengeance.

A very impressive debut novel! Wrobel skillfully creates not one but two complex characters and draws the reader into their web of interdependency, toxic relationships and troubling behavior. Wrobel writes a compelling tale with alternating narrators (mother and daughter) that draws the reader into their stories and fascinates and repels in equal measure. Although I found the ending to be a little unbelievable, I still enjoyed this suspenseful story of a very twisted family and look forward to reading more from this very talented author.

This isn’t a bad book. It’s skillfully written and the story is decently entertaining. There are enough twists and turns to keep you entertained throughout.

But. And of course there’s a but. This is a book based on real life cases and it doesn’t read as a book about Munchausen by Proxy, it reads as a book about Gypsy Rose Blanchard. And she is a real person who has my complete sympathy even when she did something awful. So the entire time I am reading this, it feels like this is hurting a real person, that this portrayal of Rose Gold isn’t just “ooh is she a reliable narrator? Are we rooting for her or no?”, this is more like rubbernecking and speculating on the life of a real person who went through hell.

This is definitely a ‘your mileage might vary’ situation. It felt like too much to me, a young mother who is touchy about stuff like this, but plot wise there’s lots here that is different from the Blanchard case, from the very beginning the abuse is discovered, Rose Gold doesn’t do what Gypsy Rose did. I don’t know enough other cases to see what was being pulled from elsewhere and what was true fiction. So truthfully, I think a lot would have been helped by changing the main character’s name. Having Rose in there keeps the connection fresh in the reader’s mind instead of letting them get absorbed in the story. Having it in the title as well, it feels like it is marketing aimed at getting true crime fans interested because we know the Blanchard case. I have read lots of other “ripped from the headlines” types of books but maybe because I feel so motherly protective over this poor girl, this one just didn’t sit right.

The problem may have just been my expectations. I thought this was a sort of revenge thriller and I went in gunning for that, but the book kept detailing bad things that happened to Rose Gold (and the nasty streak she has for retaliation) as though trying to convince me that she should get revenge, but I was already there, baby! I had the shovel to help her hide the body and everything. I think the author was doing something more subtle with regards to showing Rose Gold's bad childhood and bad circumstances and showing Patty's and asking us to explore which of them, if either, we make excuses for. When Rose Gold lies and hurts people it felt much more understandable than when Patty does, and it is worth looking at why and what would cross the line for me as far as a sympathetic character goes. But, at the end of the day, I didn't really want that subtlety. Because of the real case, I came into this knowing whose side I was on and I just wanted some cathartic fictional revenge.

There were some really good points about motherhood in here, about when to let go and how difficult it is to not have your children maintain the baby level of dependence on you and what do mother and child owe each other, but I would have preferred to explore these ideas in a book more generically about Munchausen by proxy.

If you could get revenge against everybody that wronged you and, you couldn't get caught
would you go though with it? I'm still conflicted because , rose gold is a complicated person and at times it's hard to like her or think of her as a savior or heroine. The way that she does get revenge was brilliant. ,but does that really make her better or did it really resolve anything..... truly a nature verses nurture debate . With both parents being awful, how can you excuse nobody basically being a good person in her life. I'm still digesting all of these things after reading. Very chilling read!
If your fan is investigation discovery and oxygen and True Crime Mysteries even though this is fiction this will be a great read.

Rose Gold is a damaged child who becomes a vengeful adult. Or does she? Her mother, Patty was also a damaged child who became a vengeful adult. Or did she? Darling Rose Gold tells two intertwined stories - that of Rose Gold who was starved by Patty until she was sixteen years old, and Patty, who insists that Rose Gold was a sick child who needed her care. Because of Rose Gold's testimony, Patty is sent to jail for abuse. While she is incarcerated, Rose Gold discovers other ways in which her mother deceived her. She hatches a plot to get revenge on Rose Gold and put her away for ever. But Patty has her own plans for dealing with Rose Gold. Stephanie Wrobel has crafted an interesting view at a twisted, inter-dependent relationship and how it poisons bot participants.

I expected to read a novel that had some valid analysis of Munchausen by proxy, but instead it is a novel of mother daughter conflict and revenge ratcheted up to the Nth degree.

Rose Gold has been victimized by her mother who is released from prison after serving her sentence for the abuse her daughter suffered. When it is her child, Rose Gold, who picks her up from prison we see a tale of calculated vengeance.

I just couldn’t find any sympathy for the characters, nor did I see the author seek any motivation on either side. I certainly cannot recommend it since this had potential, but fell flat.

Thank you Netgalley.

Rose Gold grew up believing she was desperately ill, wheelchair bound, allergic to everything and spending most of her time in the hospital. But in reality, it was Rose’s mother Grace was making her sick, Rose was perfectly healthy, she wanted attention and sympathy for herself. After the ugly truth came out, Patty spent 5 years in jail. Now she’s out and has nowhere to go, shockingly, Rose takes her in. This mother and daughter are far from done with her each other. Shocking, exciting and hard to put down