Thriller and family drama mixed into one book. Pete answers the door one day to find out his son isn't really his. Craziness ensues and a nightmare begins. I stayed up way too late finishing this book. So good.

The author of The Girl Before and The Perfect Wife is back with this highly anticipated new novel, featuring two British couples whose lives become intertwined and are turned upside down when they discover that their young sons were switched at birth. Though it seems at first that all can work together to find a solution in best interest of the children, the suspense ratchets up as it becomes clear that one parent is manipulating all of the others and is determined to get his way, no matter the cost. The book is engrossing, fast-paced, and unpredictable, with gripping legal details and compellingly flawed characters.

This book deals with a horrible premise - their 2-year-old child is not really theirs! Pete opens the door to Miles and his attorney who proceed to inform him and provide proof that Pete and Maddie's son, Theo, is actually Miles and Lucy's biological son. Miles and Lucy have been raising David, who is really Pete and Maddie's biological son. What a mess! Everything is as amicable as possible at first with all the parents trying to be agreeable and share the children without uprooting them. But Miles has a different agenda!

This book makes you think a lot about nature vs. nurture, the needs of a child, the draw of biology, and morals and ethics. What would you do in such a situation? It's really hard to envision something like this happening to anyone. What caused the switch? Was the hospital at fault?

A very interesting book which turned dark and creepy. An absorbing read. Thanks to Ballantine Books through Netgalley for an advance copy.

It is that time of year where I take a break and start delving into more summer fun appropiate books of which domestic thrillers are top of my list. Delaney is quickly becoming a "go to" summer/vacation author. I love that you never know exactly what you're going to get in a J.P. Delaney book, the ones i've read have been so different from one another. I really enjoy when an author can keep their books fresh and not follow a formula because of past successes.

Playing nice centers around two families who find out their boys were switched at birth and now have to figure out the best way to manuever going forward. As they deal with the aftermath, many secrets start to come out and the beginning of a mutually accepting relationship with the families start to unravel.

This was an excellent fun, thrilling, addictive, ride.

*Thank you Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine Books for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Overall, a decent book but the story was a bit of a stretch for me in terms of believability. Of course, authors need to take some creative freedoms to make storylines work but the last time I checked, this book wasn't in the Fantasy genre. I don't think readers are meant to suspend all reality when they pick up a work of fiction. Throughout the custody battle that makes up the crux of the story, every possible thing you can imagine, and then some, goes wrong for this couple. Yes, child custody cases bring hardships but the number and degree of defeats that befall Pete and Mads, one after another after another after another. Afterwhile, the story sounds ludicrous and not so believable. The ending wad predictable.

I would like to thank Random House and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

J.P. Delaney is an author whose books I have begun to anticipate, knowing I am in store for a good read. PLAYING NICE did not disappoint.; in fact it may be my favorite Delaney read to date.

Two families, two NICU babies inadvertently switched in the hospital; were the babies switched by accident or on purpose?

When Pete and Maddie are first told of this switch by Miles and Lucy the two families decide to work together to achieve what is best for Theo and David, the switched babies.

Miles and Lucy are very wealthy, Pete and Maggie are not. Miles and Lucy are nurturing David who has developmental delays, Pete and Maddie are nurturing Theo who is an aggressive toddler, having difficulties adapting to daycare.

Though similar books have been written, this one is worth the read. Character driven, with a lot of psychological drama. Read it. Do not hesitate to pick this book up or any book by JP Delaney.

This book was great. Very mysterious, and I love the premise of baby switched at birth. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and had me questioning who to trust and who not to trust. It does very deep in to the psychological and legal ramifications of the story. I love JP Delaney’s work

Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney
Another book that did not disappoint! This book had characters that you could root for and characters you didn't really like, all were fleshed out and left you feeling like you knew them. Very interesting story with just the right amount of mystery and mayhem to keep you flicking the pages to find out wth is happening with these 2 couples whose babies were switched in the nicu. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this book and letting me leave my honest opinion!

I was so excited to read the latest from one of my all time favorite authors, JP Delaney. I e read all of his previous novels and was recently blown away by Believe Me. I enjoyed Playing Nice but didn’t love it as ,u h as I was expecting. I really loved the concept of babies switched at birth but I could’ve used a bit more “wow.” I think the plot got a little bogged down in the legal case for my liking. But, I did enjoy the exploration of sociopaths and not knowing who to trust. Altogether a solid novel, but this one ranks for me at the bottom of Delaney’s works. That being said, the book is still great and if I didn’t have such high expectations of this author I’d probably rank it higher.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy of this title!

Playing Nice by JP Delaney Reviewed June 20, 2020 ~ 4+ stars
Two families have 2 year old sons
Peter and Maggie’s son Theo, is a typical “terrible two’ little boy.
Miles and Lucy’s son David is a sickly little boy.

Pete a “stay-at-home dad is dropping Theo off at the nursery school when he notices a trio of professional looking adults standing outside the school. Later that same day Miles Lambert turns up at his door step with results from a DNA test showing that son Theo is actually his son! In fact, Miles’ Lawyer has already started procedures to sue the hospital.

Hmmm ~ Switched at birth!! Was this an accident or did someone intentionally swap the babies to gain a malpractice payout.

What would you do?
You love the 2 yr.-old you believed was your child however ……

This is my 4th J.P. Delaney novel… I rated those three novels ~ 3-4-5 stars!
He does not disappoint!

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine Books for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 28, 2020

First, a thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read all of J.P. Delaney's books thus far, and finding them hit or miss for me (loved The Girl Before, liked The Perfect Wife Well Enough, & rather loathed Believe Me) I went into this with my eyes wide open, yet heart still hopeful. Alas, unlike my many Goodreads compatriots, I did not like this book. In fact, I feel guilty for admitting this, but I couldn't even bring myself to finish. So, if the ending is mind-blowingly amazing, I couldn't tell you. I admittedly have a hard time with stories in which selfish adults place their needs far above their kids, and well, that sums up this book to a tee. Peter's a sucker, Miles is a creep (to put it mildly) and the wives are relegated to unlikable side show characters - and not the kind you love to hate. There's just a sheer emotional & mental perversity here that's too much for me.

Another winner from JP Delaney. I loved this book and didn’t want to put it down. The characters were well developed and the suspense was the perfect amount to keep me hooked. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

You will like it, I didn't

JP Delaney is working hard to prove that she is the most versatile writer on the block. Each of her books and series seems totally different from the others. It is an amazing accomplishment, but unfortunately, I don't happen to like the topics of the newer books which are psychological dramas about robot spouses and switched babies. After a few chapters I put them down. This should not block you from trying them, but not if, like me, you don't like psychological drama.

Wow...I couldn’t put this book down! Just when you think nothing more can happen, it does. I found myself pondering multiple times, what would I do in this situation? This book drew me in from the start. I wish I was reading this for my book club, because I’d love to have a discussion on other people’s take on the story, the characters and just overall how they felt during the book. 100% recommend!!!

Thank you Netgalley (and the publisher) for providing me a free copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

It was a good book, but you kind of get let down at the end. It was very interesting and crazy at first, I just thought the ending and who did it would have been differently, but on the other hand I didnt see it coming either.

Really good book about an awful situation! It was wonderfully written and hard to put down. I kept waiting for Pete and Maddie to start playing hardball to fight Miles! The story kept me guessing and the psychological evaluations were fascinating.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

This was a very enjoyable page-turner. The plot was well so well woven that you didn’t care that the writing wasn’t exceptional. In the multiple-character perspective narration, the characters weren’t written so that you got a true sense of who they are. While achieving some depth and insight of what motivated the couple the plot revolves around (Pete and Maddie), the alternating-character structure didn’t achieve the depth that multi-perspective narration is capable of. However, the plot was so compelling that I almost didn’t care.

Great slow build of emotional tension. There were a few twists (some predictable and others not). I appreciated the author’s exploration of unlikeable characters. Because he chose to go this route, he was able to plant suitable doubt throughout the novel that keeps readers guessing.

My biggest critique is the ending; it felt rushed and a bit unbelievable. The entire premise was somewhat unbelievable, but the author does a great job of weaving in statistics of probability of the events included in the plot, so the reader adjusts their mindset of the plausibility of what the plot is hinged on: preemie babies swapped in the hospital. Although the ending did seem abrupt to me, it was still satisfying.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC.

This was definitely not what I was expecting, but I loved it so much. I can’t imagine why the Pete and Maddie went through emotionally when they find out their son wasn’t theirs biologically and then to be put through all the additional craziness. As a mother I couldn’t even fathom it.

As always, I loved the differing points of view, and it kept me guessing right up to the end.

A knockout from JP Delaney. Begging to be talked about in book clubs. A first purchase for all fiction collections.

Playing Nice by J P Delaney is another powerful psychological suspense that will have you reading for hours! Once I started, I could not stop until the ending and it was so worth the time. I always know when I pick up a book by J P Delaney that I am going to be challenged emotionally.
What if you found out your baby had been switched in the hospital nursery? That is the horror that has happened to Peter and Maddie. One day Miles Lambert appears at Pete's door with his attorney to explain the two premature babies who had been admitted to the NICU at the same time had their ID tags switched. The boys are two years old and seem to have different degrees of disabilities. Theo has a delay in his speech and is aggressive toward his playmates. David has mental handicaps and developmental problems which are very serious.
Miles Lambert and his wife Lucy seem to want to be agreeable about letting the boys see each other often and keeping the children as they have been living. Can this arrangement work out for them all? Or does Miles have ulterior motives in spending more time with Theo?
This story is heartbreaking and also shocking. Miles makes a game of deception and malicious actions against Pete and Maddie. How far will they be pushed before they decide that 'playing nice' is not going to be the answer!
Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.