I have never read a book by this author but now I am interested! This book is incredible. I loved all the characters and loved how it all came together. This book kept me guessing until the very end. INCREDIBLE! Thank you NetGalley for an advanced read!!!!

This is one of those books that, once you start it, you won't want to stop. The premise of the book involves two babies switched in the hospital, and the ensuing custody case once the families learn of the exchange. But it's so much more than that. With each book J. P. Delaney releases, he ratchets the psychological suspense up a notch. In this case, he ramps up to the suspense to unbearable levels. I couldn't wait to see how the story would unfold.

The book has alternate viewpoints between partners Pete and Maddie, who are raising their son Theo in an unconventional way. Pete and Maddie have never married, and Pete is Theo's primary caregiver while Maddie supports their small family. Then, one day, a man named Miles knocks on their door. Miles shares the news that he and his wife Lucy are Theo's biological parents, while their "son" David belongs to Maddie and Pete. The babies, both born prematurely, were switched in the hospital.

Miles, Lucy, Pete, and Maddie become quick friends and agree to raise their children together. But just as this unorthodox arrangement seems to click in place, Miles turns on them and sues for custody of Theo. This is when the story gets really twisty and suspenseful. I really felt for Pete and Maddie, who are on the cusp of losing everything. They're not perfect parents, but at least they are real--unlike Miles, who demonstrates all the signs of sociopathy.

Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book. It will keep you reading late into the night.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy for an fair and honest review.
Playing Nice by JP DELANEY is a page Turner thriller, kept me thinking what would I do? Love the ending . Another great job by DELANEY.

I will rate Playing Nice by JP Delaney 2/5 stars... I just could not get into this book no matter how hard I tried. The concept of the story was admirable and fresh, but it fell flat for me. The writing is so... Dry. I felt no rush of excitement reading this story. The only emotion I felt was frustration with the characters. Maddie was purely awful. Who refers to their premature baby as a hairy little monkey? As someone who would give anything to have a child, the way she carried on about her baby was terrible. I didn't like any of the characters and to learn who actually switched the babies and their reasoning behind it, oh my goodness... That was the dumbest excuse ever. I will not be recommending this book to others.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Playing Nice is an intense drama about families and what it means to be a family. Does biology dictate family or does nurture? Two infants switched shortly after their birth while in the NICU and it was not discovered until much much later that they had been switched. One is developmentally challenged and one is not... What is the fair thing to do?

Now that the boys are two, the families lives are uprooted ,turned upside down and inside out as they try to play nice and get along... I have a hard time reading anything about little kiddos and the possibility that something could happen to a child really upsets me....so there were times where I was cringing in this book not because something more horrific had happened but the thought or worry was there. I was on the edge of my seat with all the twists and turns as we dive deep into the characters involved. Very powerful book, surprises throughout the intense read.

Thank you to NetGalley, author JP Delaney (one of my favorite authors!) and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this temporary digital advance review copy for me to read and enjoy. As always, my opinions are my own!

Can you imagine finding out your 2 year old child was switched at birth. How do you resolve this issue? Well, playing nice with the couple that has your birth child goes well until it doesn't. This story will make you think one way and then see the other side of the story. No decision is black and white for these families.

As time goes on things become a bit suspicious so keep reading until the end.

J.P. Delaney does not disappoint in this twisted tale of family, love, and deceit. I loved this book.

Thank you NetGalley for this book. (due July 2020)

As much as I love my thrillers, it's becoming increasingly hard to find ones with fresh plotlines. The premise of Playing Nice intrigued me, but even better, its unique take on the genre came through for me. It contains lots of the qualities I love in this kind of book -- suspicious characters, ominous twists, events spiraling out of control -- from a refreshing (albeit dark) angle.

JP Delaney's books are always on my radar, so the bar is set pretty high when it comes to my expectations. This one more than held up to what I hoped to read.

I absolutely loved this book! It kept me guessing the entire way through! I appreciated how everything was pulled together in the end. A must read!

Imagine a stranger shows up on your doorstep announcing that there was a mix-up in the NICU two years prior and your beloved son is not biologically yours -- this is the intriguing premise behind Playing Nice. With a variety of narrators (some unreliable and some loveable), this book is a psychological game of cat and mouse. Follow a thrilling legal and emotional battle as Lucy and Pete struggle to hold it all together as a sinister force tears their world apart.

4-4.25 STARS

When Pete and Maddie’s life suddenly gets turned upside down, they find themselves entangled in a game of cat and mouse with a diabolical sociopath who masterminds the slow destruction of the family that Pete and Maddie have built.

A malignant plot that starts off seemingly benign, “Playing Nice” pits two families against one another in an attempt to right a past wrong. While I felt bad for Pete and all that he’d endured, I had a hard time garnering any sympathy for his partner, Maddie, who is a bit too detached for my liking. In kind, I loved how strategically evil Miles is, while hiding behind a placid façade. As for his quiet, unassuming wife, Lucy, still waters often do run deep.

“Playing Nice” is a gripping psychological drama that pulled me in right from the very start. And despite the sluggish pacing, it help me captive right up until the very end. While falling a bit short of a 5-star rating, overall, I enjoyed this very twisted little tale.

This book should come with a warning label: May make your blood pressure rise, may make your heart rate increase, and may make you scream out loud! I read this in 2 sittings, I could not put it down (except when I had to take a short breather because the plot twists were getting too much), This should definitely be on every summer reading list. J.P. Delaney has another winner,
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

What a roller coaster ride of emotions. I loved the premise of this book and the questions it evokes in my mind as I was reading. I could not wait to find out what happened. Ultimately, the ending was too unbelievable for me to give it a full 5 star rating but I loved the rest of the book!

JP Delaney is one of my favorite authors and she did not disappoint with this twisty turning family drama. The story kept me completely enthralled and I could not wait until the end. Thank you Netgalley and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this advanced reading copy.

This was REALLY good! This is a psychological thriller at it's best! The plot is very different from what I have been reading.and centers around 2 babies possibly mixed up at birth. One is special needs and one has behavior issues. Two very different sets of parents. This really makes you think about nature vs. nurture and what would you do if this happened to you. I loved Pete and Maddie and their unconventional relationship, but don't want to give anything away so I will leave it at that. DEFINITELY recommend this one and all of the others by J.P. Delaney! Well, The Perfect Wife was not a favorite, but he has reeled me back in with this most excellent story!! Keep 'em comin'!!

Thank you to NetGalley, J.P. Delaney and Random House/Ballantine for this ARC!

If I were Forrest Gump, or perhaps his mother, I would say, “J P Delaney books are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”

Nothing formulaic, about this author’s work! The first was suspense, the second read like a screenplay, the third had a sci-fi feel, and now comes “Playing Nice” one that will feel like a family drama for the MAJORITY of the book but, don’t worry...not everything is what it seems!

“IT WAS JUST AN ORDINARY DAY”

Until it wasn’t.

A knock on the door changes everything for Pete and Maddie, our two narrators, when they are told that they took home the wrong baby, from the hospital two years ago...two babies accidentally switched at birth.

At first, Miles and Lucy, the other parents involved, are “playing nice”.

But, it is just an act, and since Miles is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is his biological son, Theo, he will stop at nothing to get him back!

My favorite chocolate in the box...caramel pecan turtles...yummy!
My favorite JP Delaney book-“PLAYING NICE” by far!

You can pre-order now or pick up your copy on July 28, 2020!
But set aside, a chunk of time-you WON’T be able to put it down!!

Thank You to Netgalley, Ballantine books and the author for the digital arc I received in exchange for a candid review!

As a lover and recommender of JP Delaney's novels, I have to say I was disappointed with Playing Nice. It takes longer than usual to get into and had it not had JP Delaney's name on it, I probably wouldn't have finished it. The gradual understanding of who Pete and Maddie and Miles and Lucy are as couples and individuals makes sense in the end, but sadly, the first two hundred or so pages suffer because of it. There are lots of suspects in the "how did the babies get swapped in the NICU" mystery, but we never get their point of views, only those of Maddie and Pete. Had Delaney included them, I think it would've made the story shorter and also more well-rounded. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend Playing Nice as a person's first JP Delaney novel.

5 Holy Cow Stars

This was one mind-spinning book and my first from J.P. Delaney. I found it compulsively readable and quite the page-turner! I read it in two sittings, I just had to get to the end! The premise is a fascinating one – how would you feel if someone showed up on your doorstep one morning and told you that you brought the wrong baby home from the hospital two years ago?

The gentleman on the doorstep is Miles Lambert, and he and his wife Lucy want to amicably work through things, get to know each other. Or so it would seem . . .

Pete and his partner Maddie are still in shock that Theo is not their son, he is not the easiest child to raise, but after two years, he is an integral part of their lives. Pete stays home with him and tries to work on teaching Theo to share. This book brings up some interesting notions of nurture vs. nature and made me ponder this a bit more.

Turns out that Miles is a slick operator with money in his pockets for lawyers to sue the hospital. Things take a turn for the worse when skeletons come out of the closet and Pete and Maddie realize they are in for the fight of their lives. I was anxious as this one came to its powerhouse conclusion. I definitely recommend this one!

Thanks Netgalley and to the publisher for the advance ecopy.
Wow! This book held my interest from beginning to end! A definite page-turner! I could not put it down! Two babies accidentally switched at birth. A very shocking twist.

Once again, JP Delaney has wowed me! I absolutely loved this beautifully written and well-crafted story, full of twists and palpable tension that gripped me and didn’t let go. The characters are so richly drawn, and the author did a great job of not making any of them perfect, thus making them relatable. The well-paced events of the story kept me on the edge of my seat, and the perfect ending left me speechless. If this book doesn’t have you shaking your head and thanking your lucky stars you aren’t one of these characters, I don’t know a book that will. Highly recommended!

A huge thank you to Random House and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Playing Nice by JP Delaney is a psychological thriller that is twisted. I found I couldn’t put he book down. I disliked all of the characters and found the storyline to be far fetched, but I was still so engrossed. This book is not for you if twisted books are not your thing. I will highly recommend it.