J.P. Delaney knows how to get your blood boiling while you read. Something about a British thriller that throws you off more than an American thriller - not sure what it is but I couldn't put it down. An insane ride for two families that made fired up!

I’ve loved every book I’ve read by J.P. Delaney. That first chapter Is magic - it sucks you right into the whole book and before you know it you’ve read the whole thing in one sitting! This book left me so angry about halfway through that I just HAD to finish it. I don’t want to spoil anything plot related but this is a great book!!

Can I just start by saying I <i>lllloooovvvee</i> J.P. Delaney? I love every. single. thing. he writes. This book was different from some of the others he has written. It reminded me of Louise Candlish or Mark Edwards. <i>Playing Nice</i> is about a fairly normal couple ending up in a horrible situation.

Switched at birth (sounds trite, but it never felt that way in the book - and I've actually never read a book about swapped babies if I'm honest). Maddie and Pete have the situation dropped on them like an anvil and then as their wounds have been treated and it looks like they will recover - they get hit by a train. A train in the form of Miles Lambert.

When I read books like these, it is like a nightmare - one that is entirely plausible. The characters are entirely relatable. So, as they struggle through, you find yourself thinking - Holy schnikes! I hope I never end up in a situation like this! I'd be screwed! I'd do exactly the same thing these poor blokes are! Reasonable people dealing with someone who just doesn't play by the rules. It's madly frustrating. And this book built up the frustration beautifully and ended satisfyingly. Loved it!

5 stars

I reallllly liked this one. The synopsis was intriguing and I was happy to see the book read that way the entire way through. I didn't love the previous book by this author, but I'm glad I gave him another chance because this one was gooooood.

Playing Nice: A Novel by [JP Delaney]

I totally devoured this. Highly recommended.



Review copy provided by publisher.

J.P. Delaney's most thrilling creation yet. The twisted tale begins on an ordinary day in which Pete is walking his two year old son to nursery school. On the way there, he notices an unusual trio of two men and a woman loitering near the school. He quickly forgets about them as he continues with his daily routine, until the two men show up at his door and deliver shattering news. His son, Theo, is not actually his son, but the son of one of the men, Miles. Miles's son, David, and Pete's son, Theo, were switched at the hospital, following premature births. Miles and Lucy and Pete and Maddie all approach the situation with understanding and compromise, until Miles begins to reveal his true nature and things go from bad to worse for Pete and Maddie. With intricate character development, Delaney engages the reader in the conflict of the story, which builds with each chapter. "Playing Nice" was one of those books that I didn't want to end because it was so good, but at the same time I couldn't put it down. Five stars.

Full 5 stars for this one - wow! What a ride. I *loved* the different POVs in this story, and I enjoyed the various interludes of court documents. At one point, I did suspect that perhaps two of the parents had affairs and things would get more sinister, but they were more sinister without cross pollinating couples. Will be recommending!

I was sent this book by the publisher, having previously enjoyed other books by JP Delaney. Playing Nice did not disappoint. At the center, this book is about swapped babies at the hospital. Maddie and Pete, a young couple, are raising two-year old Theo when the unthinkable occurs. Miles Lambert, the father of another two-year old, David, approaches Pete with evidence that their babies were switched at the hospital.

At first, it seems that the two families are going to focus their attention on a lawsuit against the hospitals involved and keep things cordial between them., leaving the boys in the only homes they have known (play nice). Miles Lambert's wife, Lucy, is also very attached to little David. But, all is not as it seems with the Lamberts, and the plot escalates from there.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster ride with all my favorite things - psychological issues, both empathetic and unreliable characters and heart-wrenching plot twists.

I highly recommend this book.

Another winner from JP Delaney!

Every book I've read by JP Delaney has taken me into a whole different world. You get completely wrapped up in the story and Mr. Delaney keeps you guessing until the end. None of his books have disappointed and this one was no different.

Very interesting concept and I found myself anxiously trying to find the time to get back to reading so I could find out what happened to these families.

Another fantastic journey we've been taken on by this amazing author. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

JP Delaney does it once again. The blurb for this book does NOT do it justice - this turned out so much better than I anticipated.
Pete and Maddie are living their modest life with their 2 year old son when everything changes with a simple knock on the door. Everything snowballs after finding out their son was switched at birth. A great (and fairly believable) premise that buids with all the twist and turns you expect from this author. It just keeps going until the very, very end.
The author writes about NICU life with beautiful accuracy and insight.
Told in alternating narrators with case reports built into each chapter, readers will wonder just what the truth is and who is telling it.
"Psychopaty is a spectrum, Annette told me."

Actual stars: 4.75

Completely unexpected and twisty.. The book started at an interesting story and an unfortunate one of two babies in the NICU being accidentally switched at birth and became a story about a psychopath and multiple mysterious hit and run accidents.. I liked the switching perspectives. I couldn't put this one down. Thank you to Net Galley for this very entertaining advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

I find this author enjoyable and easy to read. After babies were mistakenly swapped at the hospital, for me it was a race to read and find out what happened! The book was filled with so many twists and turns.

What would you do if you found out your baby wasn’t your baby? You live this child, but your biological child is being loved by “ your” baby’s parents. What do you do? Sadly, babies being switched at birth has happened in real life. At first, our families in the book decide to be a blended family and parent both children..after all, the emotionally attach,ent to the “wrong” baby won’t disappear and an attachment has to be formed with their biological child. Sounds like a great plan..but then things start to go wrong. One could wants to keep both babies Lawsuits are filed and accusations fly. How will this end? I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my review.

This book had me gripped. The story of nightmares, two babies accidentally (or was it?) swapped in the Neonatal ICU. Two sets of very different parents. The children are two years old when the error is noticed. How is this supposed to be resolved? A fascinating read dealing with psychosis, mental health, stay-at-home dads, and society as a whole. Does the judicial system protect you or work against you? 5 stars well merited.

A novel about babies switched at birth is in and of itself intriguing in both a what would I do and what will they do way. But layer on top of that great characters, a mystery and a psychological thriller twist? Hello! Bring it! And this book delivered. I was fully engaged the entire time and enjoyed the ride. Well done, JP Delaney. Another great novel! Thank you JP Delaney and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

One morning after dropping his son Theo off at daycare, Pete answers a knock at his door. He is greeted by two men - one is a private investigator and the other is MIles Lambert, who claims he is Theo's biological father. He says that they took a sippy cup from Theo's daycare to run a DNA test and they show Pete the proof. It seems Theo and Miles' son David were born at the same time and both sent to the same NICU, where their tags got swtched somehow.
I want to tell you more. I really do. But I don't want to spoil a thing for you. And I know you are going to want to read this one. It is one of those that you start reading and then time slips away from you because you just don't want to stop reading. This author is a master at psychological suspense and this book fits that description perfectly.

Most of us would do anything for our family, especially our children. But imagine finding out your 2-year-old isn’t your biological child? That during an emergency in the NICU there was a mix-up at birth?

This is the dilemma facing Maddie and Pete. In the beginning, everyone is playing nice as they attempt to work out an amicable arrangement. Both sets of parents appear to want what’s best for the children. It’s difficult to say much without giving away key plot points, but as you would expect, there are ulterior motives and not everything is as it seems. How far would you go to protect your child?

To make matters more complicated, one family is wealthy while the other is not. One family has a healthy child, while the other child has significant developmental delays. Parenting styles are different and the age old question of nature vs nurture is explored. The characters are well-developed and I found myself questioning everyone. Who to trust when everyone involved is harboring secrets?

The plot sounds cliché with a story line that has been done to death. However, in this author’s hands, this story is so much more. I particularly enjoy a story line that delves into psychological issues, and this book has that, and more. This is an excellent character-driven story with an engaging plot that leaves the reader with much to ponder, although for thriller fans, no worries. There are plenty of surprises in store. And that ending! Don’t forget to read the author’s note in the afterword.

Exactly what you expect from JP Delaney--an unsettling plot with plenty of twists and turns, a big reveal, and plenty of questions to keep you up at night: What would you do if you discovered the child you'd been raising for two years wasn't your own? Delaney provides an intimate portrait of two families of different economic means whose lives are both deeply affected by the switching of their babies at birth, touching on subjects of maternal and paternal love, parental ambition and class disparity. A great read for book clubs, sure to garner new fans for the author of THE GIRL BEFORE.

Everyone makes mistakes. We all go through life making simple mistakes and also those that were not so simple. Although in most cases a mistake does not change the course of your life.

When a knock comes to the door at the home of Pete Riley and his partner Maddie, a mistake is revealed that will change their lives. For behind that knock is Miles Lambert bearing the news that the baby Pete and Maddie thought was theirs is not theirs at all. The hospital made a mistake and switched babies and now the child living in Miles's home is the blood child of Pete and Maddie and the child living in Miles and Maddie's home is really the son of Miles and his wife, Lucy. How could this be, and yet it turns out to be true. A nightmare really, but the parents decide to keep the status quo, letting each child stay where they now reside. So civilized, so understanding, so accepting they are!

However soon things crop up that challenge that ever so civilized understanding. There are discrepancies between the families. Pete and Maddie struggle making ends meet while Miles and his wife are wealthy. The babies also are markedly different. Theo is an active child, headstrong and showing signs that are concerning in his behavior while David, deprived of oxygen at birth, is brain damaged.

As the tale continues, we see the four characters play out one against the other and as we delve more into their personalities we find very troubling details that threaten the very being of both the children and the couples involved.

Told with an open eye towards the various stages of psychopathy, this book delved into an area we often find fascinating as some professionals say that one out of every four people is a psychopath or has psychopathic tendencies. Certainly this character study of the protagonists, particularly the men was fascinating and will keep you riveted to the story. I definitely recommend this one for it provides an engrossing read and one that certainly will divert you from the craziness of today's world.

Thank you to J.P. Delaney, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and NetGalley for a copy of this book due out on July 28, 2020.

Looking once again for a take me away from the craziness happening in our lives, Jan and I decided to read J.P. Delaney's new book Playing Nice. It provided just the diversion we were looking for and gave us many hours of riveting reading.

I read this book in less than 24 hours! I couldn't put it down! Definitely the perfect book to read this summer! Thanks, NetGalley!