Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney is a well-needed fresh plot in the thriller genre. A lot of books in the genre are starting to blend together in my mind. Playing Nice replenished my interest in the genre.

A stay at home father is surprised at home by a couple and a lawyer who claim their children were switched at an understaffed hospital at birth. Anxiety is quickly dispersed when the couple and their lawyer share their good intentions of not uprooting the children they have taken care of for the past two years, leaving families as is, but interacting with each other more to get to know their lost children.

Before they are able to settle into their new situation, each family's secrets are revealed, and intentions are discovered to not be as good as promised.

A refreshing plot with an interesting twist, this is J.P. Delaney you do not want to miss.

Playing Nice is an addictive psychological thriller with an intriguing premise from the jump. Imagine you find out that the son you've been raising for the last two years actually isn't your child at all, but was switched at birth with your actual child at the hospital back when you gave birth. Another couple you have never met has been raising your actual child that shares your genetics. What would you do? Would you want your child back or would you feel the child you've been raising is yours? Can the two families work out a situation? What happens when one couple decides to sue the hospital? Secrets get revealed and things take a turn for the worse. How do things get worse? Well, you will have to check Playing Nice out of the library to find out. Highly recommended to anyone looking for a psychological thriller that will keep them reading until the very last page.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. What if the son you are raising, is not the son you fathered? What if your son is medically fragile and being raised by another family who has tracked you down and want their son back? And what if the other family decides they want both boys and has the money to try and make that happen? A crazy set of circumstances that is probably a nightmare idea for any parent you have to keep reading because you need to know how this one is going to end.

Playing nice is what parents hope happens between children. You want your child to have fun and play well with others. It's a life lesson so that when they become adults, they will learn to "play nice" with their contemporaries. Sometimes situations make that concept difficult to follow and find that paying nice isn't an option.
Modern couple Peter Riley and his partner, Maggie, are parents to two year old, Theo. Maggie, a television commercial producer, leaves for work as stay ai home Dad, Peter, gets Theo off to school. After returning home, Peter gets a knock at the door, that once answered will turn this families lives upside down. It will take what should have been an ordinary day into Peter and Maddie's worst nightmare as parents.
Miles Lambert, the man on the other side of that door, is there to tell Peter that their two year old son, Theo, is really the biological son of Miles and his wife, Lucy. He tells him that they have been raising Peter and Maddie's biological son, David, due to the babies being switched at birth in the premie unit of the hospital.
After the shock and awe of the situation, Miles tells Peter and Maggie, that he wants to find a solution that leaves both families happy and one that is best for the children.
Everything starts out with the best of intentions and putting the children's interests first and foremost. Everyone is playing nice but it doesn't stay that way for long. Miles wants more and more time with Theo and decides that playing nice isn't the way to accomplish this. Things start falling apart with Peter and Maggie now facing the unfathomable possibility of losing Theo to wealthy, semmingly perfect Miles and Lucy. Not only do they want their biological son but they want to keep Peter and Maggie's son as well.
There is no time for a pity party as Peter and Maggie's lives are scrutinized, directed and judged by the court of law and public opinion. What will Peter and Maggie do to get Theo back from the domineering borderline psychopath Miles and Lucy.
Will they realize that playing nice doesn't work when bully, Miles, is the one in the yard?
J.P. Delaney's book, Playing Nice, felt all too real. It's the story that on the surface could sound like the makings of a Lifetime movie but attention to detail along with believable characters make this an all too real possibility that we could be reading about in the newspapers.
Well done and a must read for 2020. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #PlayingNice

This book sucked me in right from the start. Imagine someone knocks on your door and tells you your 2 year old son is not your son. They’re claiming that the hospital made a mistake and mixed up their sons, both born premature on the same day, in the NICU. He’s hired an investigator and obtained a sample of their sons DNA and had it tested without their knowledge.
Pete and Maggie’s son is Theo and is a very active, aggressive, toddler who doesn’t play well with other kids at school in which he just got expelled from for hitting another child.
Miles and Lucy’s son is David, who is not developing at the normal pace as your average 2 year old and appears to have disabilities and is very small as well.
This is were the wild ride begins.
While Miles and Lucy file a lawsuit with the hospital and are pressuring Pete and Maggie to do the same, they’re also really pressuring P&M to have an instant friendship and finagle their way in to their everyday day lives by insisting play dates, joint family vacations, sharing daycare with their nanny at their elaborate home. Miles starts dropping by P&M’s home unannounced on a daily basis always bring lavish gifts for Theo.
It soon becomes apparent the Miles is not wired like normal people and is totally obsessed with Theo and that his ultimate goal is to get full custody of Theo with little regard for David. Miles sees his self in Theo and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.
This is one of the best thrillers I’ve read all year.
Thank you for my ARC of this book.

This is an engrossing page-turner! A couple discovers that due to two chaotic births at the same hospital, their two-year-old son is not actually biologically theirs. A compelling scenario on its own, but throw in a bit of psychosis and secrets, and you've got a book you can't put down. I really enjoyed this entertaining read! Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

I am clearly in the minority here on this one. I liked the story line as it was so original. But, I could just not get passed the stupid, stupid decisions that were continually made. It was infuriating.

Every book JP Delaney writes is a winner! These books keep me at the edge of my seat. I never can put down because I need to know outcome!!

Woooow this book had me stressed!!!! In a good way! The book starts off strong but with a slower pace. As you continue reading the book keeps picking up momentum as the plot unfolds. I had to shift & read earlier in the day bc it got me so stressed out reading it! But in a good way! 😆 I really enjoyed it & will keep reading Delaney’s books!

Interesting premise, that I’m not sure it was believable but it held my interest until the end to see how the two families will resolve the problem

JP Delaney's intriguing thriller centered around babies switched at birth is one I couldn't put down! The subject is thought provoking and Delaney's conclusion, while somewhat expected, is satisfying.

The premise is switched at birth: After raising their son Theo for over two years, Pete and Maddie get devastating news that Theo is not their biological child. Meanwhile their birth son David has been raised by another couple, Miles and Lucy. Someone switched the two babies in the hospital nursery, yet there is no evidence of who is responsible. Initially deciding to work together, both families become close, until Pete and Maddie’s world gets turned upside down.

I liked the pacing and short chapters- for being over 400 pages I flew through this book. The story was engaging, and kept me interested until the very end. My main issue was that I couldn’t connect with the characters, especially the first half of the book. I also felt the ending was a bit rushed. Overall, an interesting, quick read for those who like domestic thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for sending me a copy.

Pete Riley, his wife Maddie, and young son Theo have their lives upended one day when two strangers show up on their doorstep. One claims to be Theo's biological father, Miles Lambert. He tells Pete that Theo and another baby, David--whom the Lamberts have been raising--were switched at the hospital and sent home with the unsuspecting families. Suddenly Pete and Maddie have been raising "the wrong" child for the past two years. The families form a friendship based on their shock, agreeing not to upend the children's lives. But as the Lamberts prepare to the sue hospital, questions are raised, and soon Pete and Maddie start to wonder how much they can trust Miles and his wife, Lucy. What are they hiding--and how far will they go to get Theo back?

"'I'm sorry to have to tell you that Theo isn't your son. He's mine.'"

Delaney's latest is a fast and compulsive read. Told in alternating perspectives from Maddie and Pete, with some flashes to the past, the book is stressful and makes you think. What would I do in this situation? And what a terrible situation to be in. With both boys being two-years-old, they are already comfortable in their family lives. At first, each family is determined not to switch the children back. But it soon becomes clear that Theo is progressing better than David, who requires more specialized care. Is that what's affecting Miles out-sized affection for his newfound son? His constant, unannounced appearances on Pete and Maddie's doorstep? Meanwhile, Maddie feels wracked with guilt at leaving David behind. The emotions and decisions are clearly complicated.

I myself was fascinated that Delaney brought up a "baby switch" case in Charlottesville, VA at the hospital where I was born, though far earlier. If I had known about this case, I must have forgotten; I would have been in my mid-teens and probably not caring about such things at the time. Anyway, it was intriguing to hear a local reference, and it totally pushed me down the rabbit hole of researching that case (which is completely tragic).

It's hard to truly like any of these characters, even Maddie and Pete, who are initially sympathetic. Let's not even get started on Miles, who truly plays the villain well. But I appreciated that the characters and their feelings are complicated and well-portrayed here. While much of the story is character-driven, it's also a mystery, unraveling what happened when the boys were switched, and it's quite interesting.

The plot in this one moves quickly, escalating fast. I predicted the ending, but it didn't do much to diminish my enjoyment of the book. If you're looking for a different and fast-paced thriller, which also gets you thinking about emotional family dilemmas, definitely recommend. 3.5 stars (rounded to 4 here).

This story had a great premise and I liked how sneaky the characters could be. I think the children could have played a higher role in the story, giving the reader a chance to care more about the outcome.

This is the kind of book that you cannot bear to put down. It kept me reading late into the night.
Pete, thrilled to be a dad, suddenly finds out that he is not the child's father, but that the babies have been switched. The real parents and Pete and his partner decide to raise both babies to be together as much as they can. All seems to be going well until the other parents decide to sue the hospital for negligence and that opens up a lot of questions and secrets.
The characters in this book are totally believable and does show modern day bureaucracy when involved with a negligence case.
I do thank Netgalley and the publishers for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Man did this book get you thinking. Thankfully mix ups in the nursery at a hospital do not happen like they use to. Could you imagen someone coming to your house to inform you that your child, is not yours? Well that is what happened tp Pete and Maddie. Miles, a man who's wife had delivered a child at the same time as Maddie just came out of the blue one day and dropped the news on Pete. At first they were all in agreement that they would introduce the children and just have a relationship, a friendship of sorts. However Pete and Maddie started to see when Miles didn't get his way he go very angry very easily. Till a PI showed up a served papers of Miles intention to fight for full custody for both children.

This was a very interesting read and JP Delaney does not disappoint!

Playing Nice is my third book by JP Delaney, and each one of them has been unique and different from the others. I have enjoyed all three I have read, but Playing Nice definitely had me more emotionally invested than either of the other two.

Playing Nice is about a modern couple, stay-at-home dad Pete and television commercial producer Maddie, who's lives are turned upside down when a man shows up at their door and tells Pete that his and Maddie's 2-year-old son, Theo, is really his and his wife's and that their sons were switched at birth while still premies.

Miles and Lucy, have been raising their own son, David, who Miles says is actually Pete and Maddie's biological son. Miles claims to want to be able to come up with a solution to the dilemma in a way that both families are happy with and which is best for both children. Reluctantly, Pete and Maddie agree to try out a shared arrangement where Theo and David can get to know their birth parents while not uprooting them from the parents who have raised them.

It all starts out fine, but Maddie and Pete learn on their first meeting with David that he was much more severely impacted by his premature birth than Theo was. Soon it seems to them that the real reason Miles wants Theo back in his life is that he is extremely competitive and proud and Theo looks to be the "better" child to have. Lucy seems to love David dearly, but is very passive to what Miles wants. Before long Miles starts becoming more aggressive and demanding, before ultimately taking everything he has learned about Pete and Maddie and suing them for both children.

As a parent, I could totally relate to the main characters of Pete and Maddie and found my stomach in knots when imagining myself in their position. I can't imagine finding out the child I have loved for two years might be taken from me and also learning that the biological son I just met might also be removed from any possibility of a relationship with me.

Miles was a very convincing villain and basically all the characters and plot points seemed highly plausible, enough that I would have believed someone if the story was relayed to me as non-fiction. To call this a thriller is accurate, but it is definitely a bit heavier in theme than your typical beach read. I really liked it, though and will be recommending to all my friends.

Another great thriller from JP Delaney. This tense, psychological thriller is about two children switched at birth and the struggle between their respective parents to resolve the issue two years later. Nothing is as it seems on the surface as private investors, the courts and the police all play a role. The surprise, conclusive twist is pure brilliance. Highly recommended, along with all other books by this author.

. I wanted to like this story. I had just watched a special on a real switched at birth story that happened in 1979 and wasn’t found out about until 10 or so years later.

But this one was just so far fetched. Miles and Lucy were so overly aggressive at becoming a part of Maddie, Pete, and Theo’s life. The second Maddie and Pete found out that Miles and Lucy were Theo’s biological parents and there was an accidental switch at birth, they should have immediately called a lawyer. Find out what this situation meant. But they didn’t. And they let miles walk all over them and plan a ridiculous plot to take both kids. It was just too foolish to me.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.
Playing Nice begins with a discovery that 2 years ago 2 very premature babies were supposedly switched at birth. The families now must deal with the aftermath of raising and loving their boys for 2 years only to have this huge life bomb go off. Would you fight for your wrong child or would you give him up to have your right child back, even though you missed the first 2 years?
“This is a story about two broken families determined to heal. This is a story that will strike fear into the heart of every parent.”
A simple knock on the door from a stranger leads to a devastating, destruction of a mess..but also shows the weakness, and strength of a family who are filled with love, loss, lies, and promises.
Great book that deals with some hard subjects and ends with a delicious twist that I feel wrong saying I liked!

And my favorite line, “Gutless, limp-dick!” 🤣