I love Delaney’s writing, and this one raises evocative questions about how best to fix a heartrending situation: two babies were switched at birth in the hospital. The parents start out reasonable but the situation, unsurprisingly, quickly devolves.

What is surprising is that none of the characters is likable, except for one of the children, who was born with a disability. I was invested in *his* plight, hoping he ends up in the right situation and receives the best care. But one dad is a psychopath (literally), his wife appears to be an enabler, the other dad is slow on the uptake and repeatedly makes wrong choices, while his wife abuses alcohol and her husband’s trust. The two-year-old they’re raising? A psychopath in the making. Delaney keeps the story moving at a fast clip but by the halfway point, I had stopped caring much about how the whole mess gets sorted. Delaney is a smart and clever writer, though, so I’ll still read his next book.

JP Delaney hit it out of the park again with Playing Nice, a page turner book of suspense. Pete Riley became a stay at home Dad after his son was born and sent directly to the NICU due to hypoxia. He is home one day when Miles Lambert shows up inform him know that, Theo, his beloved son, is not actually his. In fact, David, Miles son at home is Theo and his partner Maddie's progeny and Theo is David and his wife Lucy's son. Pete, Maddie, Lucy and Miles work out a way to be adult and ultra modern, so that everyone can spend time with both of the boys. It appears that everything is going along great... they are even becoming friends in addition to working together on how to handle the dilemma they find themselves in. Miles lets Pete know that he has begun a lawsuit against the hospital and convinces Pete and Maddie to do the same. Soon, Pete and Maddie find themselves in a bigger mess, as the lawsuit causes some questions to be brought to the forefront about what actually happened the day the babies were switched... questions that could not only cost them the lawsuit, and their child, but may also cost Pete his freedom. What would you do if your family was at stake? What would you do to hold on to your son? This novel shows what one couple is willing to do, to make sure that their son is safe in their home, and the hell they travel through to try and keep him there.

I really enjoyed this novel, as I have enjoyed JP Delaney's previous books. The story was well thought out and masterfully written and I plowed through this story needing to find out what happened. Now that I have finished the tale, I am sorry it is over so quickly! If you like B.A. Paris and Paula Hawkins, you will love Playing Nice!

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read an advance e-galley for this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve liked all the books I've read from JP Delaney, but this one is the best (so far)! While you could guess at some of the twists and turns, it didn’t diminish the interesting plot.

This book was so suspenseful. It was hard to put down. This author is now a must purchase. My patrons will love it.

I gave this book 3 stars. It wasn't out of this world but it was an enjoyable read. I did find it to be a bit predictable and the "twist" wasn't really a twist for me. Nonetheless, I did read it quickly. The writing style created a fair amount of suspense with the multiple viewpoints of the protagonists. I was waiting for what was coming next which started out great but did become a bit repetitive by the end of the story. Some of the story was a bit of a stretch, but isn't that what fiction books are for? Overall, I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. I would definitely read more books from this author.

This book was very thought provoking. What would you do if you found out your child was not really yours? This was very suspenseful and gripping.
Many thanks to Random House Publishing. and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’ve had a mixed response to this author’s books. I liked 2 out of the three previous books that I’ve read but in the case of this book I’m afraid that I just lost interest at around the 55% point. Miles was such an obvious villain it was clear where the book was headed from the moment his character was introduced. I wanted to scream “how can you people be so stupid?”. I skipped to the end of the book and I admit that I did not see the ultimate (and improbable) outcome. I may just be maxed out on domestic suspense novels. They are less believable than wizards and dragons and not as entertaining. <spoiler>This is literally my second domestic thriller this weekend using a car as a murder weapon. Are authors all buying their plots from the same source?</spoiler> I’ll probably try this author again, but this book just wasn’t for me. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Have you ever watched a movie and yelled at the screen because the characters were behaving in a stupid manner? You know, the girl goes in the basement without turning on the lights or the boy goes along with his "friends" who tell him "come on! It will be fun. No one will find out" That's what this book was for me. I kept shaking my head and yelling "NO! Don't be stupid!"

From the shocking beginning where a stranger shows up and tells Pete that his son has been swapped in the hospital, this is a comedy of errors. Pete and his wife are stupidly gullible and (of course) everything goes wrong. As they get deeper and deeper in trouble, I just about lost all my patience & quit reading. I did finish the book. And I felt better about the book at the end. This is a "can't put it down" mystery/suspense novel. If you can get past the dumb decisions Pete and his wife make, it's an intense look at psychopathic behavior. Worth the effort, just be ready to scream at the main characters a LOT.

I know I will be in the minority for having this opinion, but this book was only average for me. Maybe I’m just burnt out on slow burns, but this book was too slow and boring. Coupled with Pete and Maddie’s terrible decisions, the pace of this book had me desperate to finish it and move on to something else.

I loved the alternating chapters. Three perspectives tell the reader this story: Pete, Maddie and the evidence logs. That was a great literary device.

I also loved the plot, although it was making me very uncomfortable. It’s really a no-win situation.

I really couldn’t stand Maddie and Pete. Who puts their kid in daycare when you have a stay at home parent? They made terrible decisions.

Unfortunately, I just couldn’t get into this book, even with the smart use of alternating chapters and plot.

#NetGalley #RandomHousePublishingGroup-Ballantine #JPDelaney

This was my first book by JP Delaney and I liked it very much. It was a story of two premature babies that at the age of two years old were found to have been switched "at birth", and the aftermath of that information. I found the suspense of this book to be nail biting almost and I did not see many of the twists in the story coming. I really liked the father of the main family and hated the other.

I would recommend this book to those that enjoy the mystery/suspense/thriller genre.

Playing Nice is a solid domestic mystery/thriller. Yes, the switched at birth storyline isn't new, but Delaney really cranks up the tension and delivers a good, solid thriller. On a strictly cosmetic note, the cover reminds me way, way too much of The Chain and I hope a new cover is on the pb edition.

Sons switched at birth. Understandably frazzled parents.
I enjoyed Playing Nice. Well written, characters introduced at the right time. Enough tension to keep my attention.

Playing Nice by JP Delaney was a great surprise because I’ve read her novels in the past and thought it was okay (aka The Girl Before). This is a domestic drama but also a mystery-thriller in one. This is one of those books where even though you can kinda guess where it’s going and you end up right, you're still wrong. I enjoyed this book and it had me stressed out from the first page up until the end of it.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy!❤️

Pregnancy it’s best can be a crap shoot,but a preemie birth is the stuff of nightmares. Two families have gone and survived this nightmare only to discover that their boys,so different in temperament and physique, were somehow switched at the NICU. So begins a cat and mouse game that threatens Pete and Maddies exsistance. Miles David’s father is the first to inform Pete that this has happened due to a DNA test they have taken behind the backs of the other couple under the guise of full disclosure. It is a pattern of dominance that plays throughout the story. It is a match of the minds that grips your sense of civility and makes you wonder where your breaking point would be. I loved the ending and did not see it coming.

This book was stressful so it took me quite a few days to read it - it amped my anxiety up. Good story though. Intense and psychological.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pete and Maggie have an arrangement where Maggie works and Pete cares for their 2-year-old son, Theo. At the same time, he works from home as a freelance writer. All is going well until Pete gets a very upsetting knock at the door.

Miles, a man who also had a premie in the prenatal unit when Theo was there, has come with an investigator to talk to Pete. The two inform him that there was a mixup at the hospital and that Theo is Miles’s child and Miles has Pete’s little boy.

I began turning pages quickly. The driving force was pure curiosity. What would happen? Would the two couples play nice and somehow work things out among themselves? Would the 2-year-olds just be exchanged!

The excellent writing and flashbacks start bringing each character to life as chapters alternate between Maddie and Pete. It didn’t take long to discover that JP Delaney created quite a suspenseful character study.

While I never felt this book was a thriller, I found it extremely hard to put the book down. I was completely engaged in this just-one-more-page story.

What Concerned Me
As I said, I was totally engaged in the story, but I did feel there were a few places it would have moved a little faster. It almost felt a bit repetitive.

Also, I was a little disturbed by the ending. Yes, it worked for the story. Yes, it was surprising and good. But I would have liked it to have been resolved in a different way. (I can’t say anything more without spoiling it.)

What I Liked Best
The writing was able to quickly draw me into a unique situation. And I felt the characters were quite fleshed out and interesting.

If you enjoy a suspenseful, character-driven thriller, don’t overlook this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Balentine books for the ability to review this ARC and give my opinion of it.

What happens when you find out your 2 year old toddler actually belongs to another couple, and the other couple’s 2 year old is actually your son?
Pete & Maddie Reilly couldn’t be more different than the other couple, Miles & Lucy Lambert. Pete’s a stay-at-home dad, mainly because he can’t find a full-time job in journalism. They depend on Maddie’s income to get by. Miles & Lucy are filthy rich and even though Lucy doesn’t work, they still have a full-time nanny to help with their son David.
The fathers couldn’t be more different, Pete is the perfect caring father, far too nice, trusting of others, while Miles is a charmer who trusts no one and tends to get what he wants. The pot starts to simmer.

Naturally Miles wants to become part of Theo’s life (and visa versa), so the couples, who really don’t know each other, now spend time together practically everyday. They’re in and out of each other’s homes, giving each other advise about everything in life. Then Miles starts to shower Theo with all sorts of amazing gifts that Pete could never afford to give. And of course, other than the children, everyone is hiding something.
The pot starts to boil.

Full of twists and turns, and slowly revealed secrets. This book is definitely a page-turner. Playing Nice was the first book I’ve read by Delaney, now I’m eager to go back and read his others. Highly recommended!

My thanks to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this highly entertaining book!

Wow, I really liked Playing Nice.

I felt a lot of different emotions throughout this book, which was great! Hate, sadness, empathy just to name a few. I knew from the beginning playing nice was not going to happen, it to watch it actually play out was something on an entirely different level. JP wrote a great psychopath with Miles, man was he wacko. And the others involved in his circle of lies and deceit was just sad.

I loved the writing in this book, the storyline had me engrossed from the first chapter and even more towards the end. If you’re looking for a good psychological/thriller then I would highly recommend Playing Nice..

Pete and Maddie Riley’s lives are turned upside down when Miles Lambert shows up at their door announcing their 2 year old son is not theirs. Switched at birth is the claim and Miles will go to many manipulative lengths to get Theo back. The Riley’s play nice because this means the Lambert’s have their biological son. But playing nice only goes so far when the other side doesn’t have the same intentions.

Another great book by this author. I could feel the anxious, worried and devastated emotions of the characters.

For the sake of being completely transparent, I have to start this review off by saying that I've had a hard time buying into the wild plots of some of J.P. Delaney's previous novels. I read psychological thrillers for pure escapism, but Mr. Delaney's brand of over-the-top writing hasn't always worked for me. With Playing Nice however, he's at the top of his game, and if his future books are anything like this one, I'll be a devoted fan forever.

Pete and his partner Maddie haven't always had an easy time settling into life as parents. After their son Theo was born, he spent weeks in intensive care, and Maddie struggled to bond with him. Once Theo came home, Maddie dealt with some postpartum psychosis, further distancing her from her young son. Now though, two years later, things have settled down. Maddie works a full-time job while Pete stays home to care for Theo. Everyone is relatively happy and healthy, and it seems like the difficulties the family experienced immediately following Theo's birth really are a thing of the past.

All of that changes when a stranger shows up on Pete's doorstep one morning while Theo is at daycare. Miles Lambert explains that Theo isn't Maddie and Pete’s son at all. Instead, David, the little boy being raised by Miles and his wife Lucy is actually Pete and Maddie's child. The two infants, born on the same day and admitted into the intensive care unit at roughly the same time, were accidentally swapped by a busy and understaffed group of nurses. Miles explains he and Lucy have only recently discovered the switch, but haven't made any firm decisions on how to proceed. It is suggested that the two couples meet up to discuss the complex situation in a friendly and reasonable matter.

As one would expect, both Pete and Maddie are deeply shocked by Miles' revelation, and yet, there's a part of Maddie that wonders if this is why she and Theo aren't as close as she would like them to be, and if maybe something inside her knew the truth all along. She and Pete eventually agree to spend time with the Lamberts and come up with a plan to move forward in a way that will benefit them all.

At first, things seem to be progressing smoothly. Both couples love the children they've been raising, and there initially doesn't seem to be anything to be gained from swapping them back to their biological families. However, as time passes and the Lamberts become ever more involved in their lives, Pete and Maddie begin to wonder if they've made a terrible mistake. Suddenly, everything they do seems to anger Miles, and things take a dangerous turn.

This is an extremely fast-paced story. I started reading at just after ten at night and I didn't put the book down until I reached the end at just past four in the morning. It's a story that will have you catching your breath in shock more than once, and you'll definitely have a hard time guessing what the author has in store for these characters next. No one is quite who they pretend to be, so take absolutely nothing you read at face value.

The story is told in alternating chapters from both Pete's and Maddie's perspectives, and there are court transcripts sprinkled throughout which add an additional layer of intrigue to an already complicated tale, as they provide some insight into the troubled mind of Miles Lambert, insight Pete and Maddie don't necessarily have on their own. The reader will learn a few things ahead of the characters, something I don't usually like, but I actually didn't mind it here. It helped keep my interest thoroughly piqued.

Not every aspect of the story feels one-hundred percent authentic, but I think that's par for the course when it comes to these types of books. Ordinary people are placed in truly extraordinary circumstances, and the ways in which they react aren't expected to be totally realistic. After all, part of the appeal comes from the desperate actions the characters take to achieve their goals, so just suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. I found Playing Nice wildly satisfying, a perfect way to spend a sleepless summer night.

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