“Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent’s worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s son, Theo, isn’t actually his son—he is the Lamberts’, switched at birth by an understaffed hospital while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife, Lucy. For Pete, his partner Maddie, and the little boy they’ve been raising for the past two years, life will never be the same again.

The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. How much can they trust the other parents—or even each other? What secrets are hidden behind the Lamberts’ glossy front door? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe.”

Lots of emotions, unputdownable, a perfect thriller to pick up!

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Playing Nice" and all opinions expressed are my own. Definitely lots of twists and turns. You are kept guessing what is going to happen. Fasted paced psychological thriller.

DNF - could not connect to the story but willing to retry again in the near future. I've enjoyed this author's past work.

"Playing Nice" by JP Delaney is a thrilling psychological drama that grips the reader from the very first page with its intriguing premise and complex moral dilemmas. Delaney masterfully crafts a narrative that intertwines the lives of two families in a heart-wrenching scenario, leading to an exploration of parenthood, identity, and the lengths to which people will go to protect their children. The characters are deeply developed, allowing readers to empathize with their struggles and the unimaginable decisions they face. The plot unfolds with precision, offering twists and turns that are both surprising and thought-provoking, ensuring that the reader is kept on the edge of their seat. "Playing Nice" is a compelling and emotionally charged novel that showcases Delaney's talent for creating suspenseful, character-driven stories that leave a lasting impact.
4 stars

Playing Nice by JP Delaney is a good mix of family drama and psychological thriller that will have you asking would I "play nice" in this situation?

Pete Riley and his partner Maddie have an adorable two year old son named Theo. He is full of toddler energy and they have been trying to teach him to "play nice" with others. One night there is a knock on the door and when Pete opens it, he is met with Miles Lambert who has some shocking news - Theo is actually Miles' son and was switched at birth in the NICU of the hospital.

This book is more family oriented that others I've read from Delaney. There is discussion of nature vs nurture, the trauma of bonding with a child and raising him as your own only to find out he is not your child and have him ripped away from you. If you like family dramas with touches of secrets, murder, legal topics, etc. you will enjoy this book by JP Delaney.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This was the second book I read in a row about a wild scenario with parenting. Two sets of parents deliver premature babies in private hospitals. When both face medical issues, they are admitted to a NICU.

Fast forward two years down the road. One day, one of the parents answers a knock at the door. The man standing there says that their babies were switched in the hospital, and they have been raising the other’s child.

What unfolds is painful, difficult, and something j would never want to experience.

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

I loved JP Delaney's last book but I tried this a few times and could not finish it. It pulled at my heart too much, I guess I was just too sensitive.

This psychological thriller was exactly what I needed to get me out of my reading slump. I love family dramas and a good psychopath. And I love how the author left it with a cliffhanger to let us wonder what happened. Perfect fast read.

The HBOMAX series The Girl Before inspired me to pick up all of this Author’s titles. Playing Nice confirmed he can yield the twist with the best of them! It was interesting to me how both families initial goal was to blend as cohesively as they could and their lawsuit of the hospital made perfect sense. It’s what follows which had me unable to put this read down. This book too should be made into a series!!

3.5 Stars

While I felt like Miles character was obvious from the beginning and that Pete was an overly naive man, this book still made me turn the pages. It has the perfect amount of suspense and believability. I really enjoyed the switched at birth plot and seeing the nature vs nurture aspect play out when learning about Theo’s personality. I would recommend this and any other J.P Delaney book to anyone looking for a suspenseful book that won’t give you nightmares.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review./

Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney was a riveting and compelling psychological thriller with lots of twists and turns. It was masterfully written showcasing compelling dialogue between the central characters. Playing Nice was well researched and featured believable and well developed characters. It took a theme that has been used many times before and was able to recreate a brand new, fresh, and unique twist on an old theme. There have been other books written about swapped babies over time but JP Delaney took this concept to an entirely new level in Playing Nice. As these two sets of parents discovered the realities of what really happened to their biological sons a little more than two years ago their lives changed in ways they never imagined. Each mother had given birth to premature sons within minutes of each other. Sometime between leaving the private hospital where each mother birthed their premature baby sons and arriving at the public NICU, tags were switched. Who could have done this? What followed was a nightmarish scenario. I could not pull myself away from this book. It was addictive and capturing. Every time I thought I had something figured out a new twist was added. It was brilliant! The ending was surprising and satisfying. I listened the the audio CD that was read by Amelia Cormack who portrayed Maddie and Ben Elliot who portrayed Pete, Theo’s parents. Peter Forbes read the transcripts. All three narrators were great. This was a stand alone book. Playing Nice was the first book I have read by J.P. Delaney but I will most definitely go back and read some of his earlier books at some time. I highly recommend this book.

Pete and Maddie are living a normal life when Miles appears on his doorstep to tell them the child they've been raising is really his biological child. Two years prior, while in the NICU after premature births, the babies were somehow switched and now Miles wants his child back. What follows are attempts to "play nice" followed by "playing dirty" as Miles tries to take back custody of his biological child while also retaining custody of the Pete and Maddie's son that they've been raising. This is really an unthinkable situation for any family to go through and is makes for a tense story. I'm a fan of JP Delaney and again, this is another great read.

This has been my favorite book by Delaney so far. In the past, I haven't enjoyed the twists or the endings in past books, but this one nailed it. I loved the premise: what happens if someone shows up at your doorstep with proof that your son is not actually yours... but theirs. And they have been raising your biological son? What do you do? Do you swap kids after you spend two-plus years raising a child? Even if you now know it is another couple's child?

This book explored all of those questions really well. The families talked and they seemed to be on the same page with allowing access to the two kids... until psychopathic tendencies revealed themselves and it became a bit of a court battle. The book was filled with twists and turns and ended up resolving all of the loose ends, which I always appreciate. Overall it was well done (although I was hoping for one last Pete chapter at the end!).

I definitely think I’m in the minority here, but JP Delaney has been a consistent 3 star author for me. I was intrigued by the book premise, and felt like it started strong, but ultimately fell flat for me. I do see many raving reviews about this one so I would suggest readers give this one a chance and see what they think.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy!

Playing Nice, by J.P. Delaney, is a psychological thriller about two babies being swapped in the NICU. Pete and Maggie are just minding their own business raising their two year old, Theo, when a knock on the door one afternoon changes everything and turns their world upside down.

When Pete opens the door that fateful afternoon to two strangers, he is informed they brought the wrong baby home for the hospital. Theo is the biological son of Miles and Lucy Lambert who have been raising Pete and Maggie’s baby, David. At first it appears the two couple will be able to come to a satisfactory solution to this mess but thing quickly go awry.

This fast paced psychological thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. The dialogue and characters were very believable and helped the suspense stay high. It will have you asking how far you would go to protect your family. Be sure to check this one out.

I’ve really enjoyed all of Delaney’s previous novels so I was excited to read this one and it didn’t disappoint! Playing Nice really took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s scary to think that a lot of this could actually happen in real life and your life might not be what it seems.

I loved other books by J.P. Delaney I've read so I was excited to pick up this one when it came out. It did not disappoint! Things seemed great to start but then everything went crazy. The plot was exciting and kept me guessing. Another great read by J.P. Delaney!

Talk about a shocker. Can you imagine just being at home, doing housework or just watching TV and hearing a knock at your door and then feeling like the rug is pulled out from underneath you when you see an older version of your son at the door along with another man? Then the other man explains that there was a mix up when two premature boys were transferred to another hospital's neonatal intensive care unit and that at some point, the wrong tags were put on the babies. HOLY COW - worst nightmare ever. What ensues from there is chaos and emotion driven.

Playing Nice is a story truly out of a parent's nightmare. Two babies switched at birth…and the search to find out what really happened. What would you do? How could you give up the child you've been raising the past two years and take in a stranger, even if that stranger is actually your child?

I enjoyed the story. It was entertaining and well written. I didn't fall in love with the characters, but the premise was interesting and kept me wondering what was going to happen right up to the end.

BOOK REVIEW: Playing Nice by JP Delaney

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️️

Pages: 403
Genre: Thriller
Sub-Genre: Psychological Thriller
Location: Willesden Green | North London (England)

IF YOU LIKE THIS BOOK THEN TRY…
Book: This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens
Movie: The Switch

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All my reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at www.thisismyeverybody.com

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.