Not one to enjoy this kind of book, this I relished. "What goes around comes around". Very well written, easy to read & identify with characters. Thank you for this ARC. I will be looking for more from Stephanie Wrobel.

I had high hopes for this one and it fell a bit short. Very twisted, didn't like any of the characters, kind of predictable. Not my favourite psychological thriller but not the worst.

I loved this book! Thank you for the ARC. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t leaving reviews on netgalley and was solely sharing on Instagram. My apologies. Huge fan of this author! I actually received the tangible copy. Trying to clean up my netgally account.

This book was more than I thought it would be! The characters were easy to hate, and the story was so easy to plow through. The time changes were handled perfectly, meeting exactly where they should. I loved every minute of this book, and look forward to reading more from Stephanie!

I know an unpopular opinion but I didn’t like this book. Not the characters they we’re annoying and the overall story line was weird

Described as "A dark, shocking, and unputdownable thriller debut about a mother and daughter—and the lengths to which a daughter will go to find independence" and I completely concur with this. What did I just read!?!?

I had a hard time putting this down and was thrilled for the excuse that a low blood sugar gave me for reading in the middle of the night. I detested both characters and the author created such a dismal world and yet I absolutely loved (not sure that's the right word) every second of this book. I wasn't left guessing as I typically enjoy in a thrilled, but was shocked and horrified and gawking the entire read. I found myself contemplating who, in fact, was sanest.

I feel like reading an ARC sixteen months after publication is probably not best practice, but if you're late to the party like I was and haven't yet read Darling Rose Gold, go find yourself a copy.

TW: child abuse and chronic illness

My thanks to @simonschusterca for the ARC via NetGalley. Opinions expressed are entirely my own.

O lord I’m not at all sure how I felt about this. It was supposedly about child abuse (Munchausen by proxy syndrome). The mother is sent to prison for five years for this. But the daughter who was the victim of this abuse becomes a little deranged in her plan for revenge. I did not care for any characters in the book. And I also think the idea for the book was a total rip-off from the true case of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This book felt like a book I've read before. Or a show I watched. It's hard to make a "Munchausen syndrome by proxy" storyline unique. But I think Wrobel did a good job. Overall it wasn't my favorite book, but I did enjoy it and read it in one sitting.

This book wasn't for me. I was intrigued by the premise of a mother who spent a lifetime treating her daughter as if she was ill but in the end it just felt like a cheap take on trauma. On top of that, the writing wasn't stellar and I couldn't stand any of the characters. They were all awful and made me either super uncomfortable or insanely annoyed. I know that a lot of people really enjoyed this so maybe don't take my word for it, but I can't recommend this book. The subject is a brutal one and could have been handled better.

I read one in a few days and was completely suckered into the story. This was an incredible dark and twisted read.

It was interesting to find out that it was based on a true story after I had finished reading it. What a sick world it can be out there.

The only reason this book took me so long to read was because life got in the way and I wasn’t sitting down to read as much. What kept me reading this book was that it kept me hooked the entire time and I wanted to know what happened to the characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 Darling Rose Gold - Stephanie Wrobel

Thank you @netgalley & @berkleypub for the gifted ecopy in exchange of an honest review!

Darling Rose Gold is an absolutely fascinating and utterly unique thriller confusing on a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy.

Patty has been in prison for five years after being convicted of intentionally causes her daughter, Rose Gold, illness. Having lived a very sheltered life, Rose Gold has spent these last five years trying to figure out who she is, and come to terms about what her mother did to her.

This is an absolute page flipping thriller! Seriously, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! While I did guess portions of the ending when I hit around the halfway point, there were still things that surprised me up until the very end!

Darling Rose Gold is truly unlike any other thriller I have read, and it is one that I will definitely be buying a physical copy of to add to my permanent collection!

Yay to such a crazy yet entertaining debut psychological thriller!

Patty Watts is a mother like no other. It seems she suffers from "Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy." Her daughter, Rose Gold is her darling. She means the world to her. Yet Patty has just been released from prison after serving five years for poisoning Rose Gold.

The book begins with Rose Gold picking up Patty after her discharge. It seems she wants to give her a second chance. What is really going on here? Lots of twisty craziness.

I enjoyed the book. It was entertaining and the story flowed very easily. I can't help but wonder if the author got her inspiration for this book by the real life story of, "Gypsy Rose." She did not mention it anywhere though.

I'd like to kindly thank NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for granting me access to this Advanced Reader Copy.

Predictable but enjoyable. The characters are cliched, however, it was an easy read. Good for the beach.

Some books are adventure stories, more about the “what” than the “who.” I love immersing myself in the adventure, the action and all that goes along with that; but there is something special about stories that revolve solely around the interaction of characters. It takes a talented author who can keep their audience captivated without distracting them with all of the action. Stephanie Wrobel did exactly that!

Darling Rose Gold is all about that famous mother-daughter relationship, upped to the nth degree. We all know that the father-son relationship has its own kind of friction (just ask Oedipus and his father, Laius, about it). It is all about power and independence. About preparing your son to take on the world and the son thinking he knows all and is invincible. But the mother-daughter relationship is a bit more subdued, there is almost a passive-aggressiveness about it. Rose Gold and Patty highlight just how wrong that relationship can go and the lengths that the two will go to win. Any relationship is about winning, right?

Wrobel could not have created a more dysfunctional relationship. I could not pull myself away from the train wreck that was Rose Gold and Patty. She kept the story moving along nicely, I was absorbed into Rose Gold’s life. That poor girl never had a chance. But it begs the question: Did they all get what they deserve?

Darling Rose Gold was a fantastic start for Wrobel, and I eagerly await what will come from her next.

*5 Stars

DNF

I was excited to read this book as I was familiar with the case of Gypsy Rose and the mental conditions the mother suffers from is horrifying yet fascinating disorder. I didn’t mind her point of view but the view of her daughter came off as very juvenile and awkward. I couldn’t really stand reading her and haven’t gone back to it in months. I have decided not to continue with the book.

I had only come across the real story this book is based on recently. So since this book is loosely based on real events I got more interested the more I read. It helped that not only was the story interesting, but it was also well-written.

All her life, Rose Gold believed she was sick. As she gets older, she starts to unravel the lies that make up her reality. Her mother, Patty, has been lying to her her whole life. Fast forward five years and her mother is about to be released to prison, a sentence she has served because of Rose Gold's brave testimony.

But after everything, she's Rose Gold's mother and reconciliation and a new start for both of them, as well as the addition of a new baby grandson. Patty moves in with Rose Gold and they try to go back to normal under the dubious and spiteful eyes of the town.

The book goes back and forth in time between the perspectives of mother and daughter slowly revealing everything that lead to the present events. Was it really abuse or was it well-intentioned parenting as Patty claims? Is Rose Gold truly the victim here? Can you truly forgive someone who did the kinds of things Patty did to her daughter?

Both characters reveal themselves to be rather unlikeable as the story progresses, but despite that the story was very engaging and they almost had me (I figured the twist out right before it was revealed but it was well executed and it was fun to get inside the characters' heads). Again the true crime factor really added a lot to the story because, even though this is a fictitious story based on real events, it really makes you think: people like this do exist and really do horrible things like this! I guess that's my dark fascination shining through.

Thank-you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced reader copy.

Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thrill factor: ⭐⭐⭐
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ½, rounded up

Darling Rose Gold is an exciting, fast-paced, crazy thriller! I could not put it down.

Rose Gold grew up always believing, and feeling, very ill. Her mother Patty suffered greatly from Munchausen by proxy syndrome, and continuously poisoned her in order to keep her depended and seeking medical attention. At the age of eighteen, Rose Gold's online boyfriend helped her to realize what was going on, and she eventually testified against her mother. Now, five years later, Patty is being released from prison and Rose Gold is there to welcome her home.

This is a very dark story surrounding characters with evil intentions. I'm fascinated by the Munchausen by proxy storyline and was very interested to see where this was headed! This is very suspenseful and even a bit scary! None of the characters are trustworthy. We are able to see the story through both Rose Gold's and Patty's perspective, and both are somewhat haunting. It is about Rose Gold finding the truth, finding her own independence and working on revenge!

Now, you will have to suspend your beliefs a bit for this one, it's not exactly realistic, though I don't always find that a problem with fiction! This novel is definitely an adventure and there are so many great, entertaining moments! I figured out where it was going close to the end, but there were still some things that surprised me! I'll definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was crazy with a capital C! Many of you bookworms out there have probably heard about this book ! What is outstanding about it is - that it is a true story ! The evil and manipulative mother will make you want to reach inside the book and knock her out
The treatment of her very own daughter is disgusting and unforgivable ! Will the tables turn and the daughter will somehow finally find her voice !? This is so crazy that you will want to pour through it in one sitting !
If you’re like me - you will probably google everything you can about this mother and daughter !

Darling Rose Gold is told in alternating perspectives from Patty and Rose Gold. This novel tells Patty’s story as it happens in the present and Rose Gold’s perspective in the past leading up to the present. The reader is not privy to Rose Gold’s motives or what she is thinking or experiencing in the present until later in the book.

Darling Rose Gold is thoughtfully planned out and leaves the reader in the dark about what is happening. The author plays with the reader all throughout the novel which makes for an excellent thriller.

It was predictable in some places, but I can overlook that with the writing style. The ending wasn’t what I expected, but looking at the book as a whole I enjoyed it.

The characters are flawed but I think that’s what makes them relatable. I don’t want perfect characters; I want the messy and the realistic characterization. I enjoy books where the characters are written with passion and conviction that they aren’t black and white, there’s grey in there. The more you can humanize and make a character feel real the more I like the book.