Emma and her 'weekend only' boyfriend, Alastair, have new neighbors - Jade and Tomas. During the week, Alastair ,a forensic laboratorian. lives above an Italian restaurant with his mum and his son, Stephen. Ex-wife and Stephen's mother, Heather, is constantly bothering Alastair for more money - Alistair doesn't have it . Working in a forensic laboratory does not make a man rich. And more - he has custody of Stephen!

Jade invites Emma and Alastair to dinner. During that first time together, Jade takes Emma aside and warns her that Tomas is a rover. Strange for a first meeting... Yet, Emma has the looks and personality - so,,, .As Jade becomes more pushy with Emma, Emma gets "less available" to her. Once, when at a quick lunch they tell each other that they met their current mates on Tinder. Jade discounts Tinder - too much promiscuity. Yet Emma met Alistair there and wants their relationship to grow. Jade tells Emma she knows Tomas and her are having an affair, Emma is merely Tomas' dentist, she tells Jade straight up.

How far will this foursome have to .stretch to overcome the past, the jealousy, the deceit and so much more...

WOW! A book the reader will not want to put down. Amanda Robson spells out a winner!

Many Thanks to AVON/HarperCollins Publishers, Ltd. and NetGalley for a twisty and fast-paced read !

(3.5 stars)

It all started when Jade and Tomas moved into their new house near the river in Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire. Their neighbour, Emma, is an attractive woman who has her own dental practice. She's in a relationship with a divorcé called Alistair whom she knew on Tinder. When these two couples met over at Jade's house for a get-together, Jade is positive that Tomas will cheat on her. Tomas isn't unfaithful, for Jade suffers from paranoia and she always think that Tomas is the kind who would cheat behind her back. Her wild imagination eventually bring out the revengeful streak in her, and using her forensic scientist knowledge (she's now retired) to plan for Emma's downfall, she has unknowingly started a cat-and-mouse game which would inadvertently involve their partners.

This dark, twisted and twisty psychological thriller was a fast read with its short chapters but I wasn't enamored by the writing style. There are three narratives but they are written in second person format so it seems like each narrator is talking to another character. It's definitely not my favourite style of writing and it was confusing in the beginning but it got better as the story progresses.

However, as intriguing as the characters and storyline are concerned, what the characters did may seem overly dramatic and implausible in some areas so if you can suspend your disbelief, it's an entertaining if not an enjoyable thriller.

If you like books with messed up, dysfuctional, larger than life characters playing out a rip-roaring over the top story then this will definitely float your boat. Wholly credible - probably not. Fun and frolickful - heck yeah!
So... This is the story of neighbours. A married couple. And then a single woman moves in next door.
The wife feels threatened by her existence and, well, all sorts of shenanigans ensue, aided and abetted by their scientific jobs. Throw in the single woman's boyfriend and his own position in work and, well... you might just get away with murder...!
Honestly... to really enjoy this book you want to go in a blind as possible and expose every raw wound as the author intended. Witness every twist and turn as they happen. Read open mouthed as the author delivers shock after shock. All the time holding your belief in your hand as it descends into the occasional farce, and over the top madness. Basically, read it with a bit of leeway. The story is worth pursuing with, even if you read through rolling your eyes. It's a bit of fun. Don't take it too seriously.
That said, it is very well plotted and all interconnects very well. It's also a bit predictable and I did see quite a bit coming a mile away but then this is my bread & butter genre and it takes a lot to pull the wool over my eyes these days.
Characterisation is interesting and I know that sounds a bit meh - but it isn't. You'll see when you start reading. They are all well drawn and act well within their story arcs. Occasionally they cross the border into caricature land but on the whole they're pretty consistent.
Pacing is good as the story gets on with itself at a rate of knots with no superfluous padding or waffle. The plot is all things crazy and a tad incredible and implausible - but great fun nonetheless.
If you love dysfunctional characters doing crazy things and are willing to put credibility aside for the duration and just enjoy a wild ride then you'd probably enjoy this as much as I did. If not sure then there's always the sample, that should be enough for you to test your mettle.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

An unusual writing style with all characters telling their own story to justify the actions taken by each one.was a clever concept. So many twists and turns that each time I had fathomed the end game another surprise quickly made that redundant making for a great read.
I will never look at a coke bottle again with innocent eyes thanks to Amanda Robson.
An indepenent review for NetGalley / Avon

What did I just read??

If you love crazy this is the book for you!

I can't decide who was crazier, who was more devious , who was more believable!

I just did not know who to cheer for , not than any of them deserved to be cheered for !

Secrets , secrets, secrets , secrets.

Froze my e reader a few times. Have pre ordered this book for my daughter , but I just might keep it for myself!!!

I will say no more!

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for a whirlwind of a read !!!

Another absolutely brilliant psychological thriller from Amanda Robson! I've loved all of her previous 3 books and My Darling was no exception! The plot was fantastic, (so much murder!), the characters were well thought out and well structured, the twists and turns kept me gripped throughout, fantastic, would absolutely recommend!

I really enjoyed this book and will give it a huge thumbs up. With a great story line and excellent main characters - I would highly recommend this book.

Amanda Robson knows how to construct an engrossing thriller. This book was right on point scientifically and flowed flawlessly through murders, bodies, psychological and physcric conditions to build into a brilliant feast of tension and intrigue.
As I read through and the deaths piled up, I kept wondering, "How much more can she focus on? Who else can go?" Amanda manages it in bags. Just so well constructed.
A credit to the author.
I found this to be a captivating page turner.

Well...I do like crazy! This book is certainly that. It was a dark, gritty and twisty ride. Half way through I thought this must be the end and couldn't believe I was only half way through.

It is a quick and easy read as far as the writing went. Filled with despicable people that you just don't know at times what the heck is going on, how could this possible be happening but that is what makes it so crazy. I felt the ending could have been a little better but it was a great ride indeed.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Kept me on the edge of my seat until the end, this fast paced thriller moves back and forth between multiple points of view keeping you hooked as you try to figure out the twists and turns and who is playing who. The characters, even the smaller characters such as Alistairs mum, are SO well written. I love psychological thrillers and normally have them all figured out but just as you think you've got it, it tears it all down again, total page turner - I could not put this down!! Amazing.

My Darling is the thriller to keep you up all night. It is told from the point of view of several characters with each character weaving their own complex twists and turns into one. It was fun to connect the dots and see how the story fit together.

Woooow!. So much crazy in one book.
We have several POV.'s. Emma, Alaistar, Jade and Memories. YES, you read that right. Memories..We don't know Memories is until Mid point. And you don't know who is crazier as the story progresses.
Jade and her husband just moved in next door to Emma. Emma is dating Alaistar and he has his own drama to deal with, with a crazy ex-wife who he shares a son with.
Almost immediately Jade suspects her husband Tomas is having an affair with beautiful "stereotype" Emma. Emma thinks Jade is straightout nuts and does not trust her. But you won't be able to look away to see who is the crasiet of them.
Each POV chapters are short but keeps you engage and this was a great suspenseful thriller.
TW: Violence, death,domestic abuse

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this ecopy in exchange for my honest review

I have mixed feelings about this book. Told in 3 POV but the chapters were choppy and sometimes quick and short and jumped around.

Emma’s neighbor Tomas is murdered.... And while we know who did it.... who are the police going to believe and arrest. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters but I’m not sure if we were supposed to. There is enough crazy in this book to keep my interest and enough twists to say I’m overlooking the choppy quick chapters.

This book kept me entertained and I enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy!

Tense chilling I was drawn right in.A book that kept me racing through the pages so well written multi layered. Will be recommending To my friends who love a really edge of your seat thriller.#netgalley#avonbooksuk

Never can I remember thinking WTH so many times while reading one book! “My Darling” was a faced paced, well written book I finished in less than 24 hours. Every time I thought I had it figured out there was a twist. Grab this book for a lazy summer day and you will be on a crazy ride sure to take your boredom away.

This book was a mind-bending psychological thriller that had so many twists and turns I had to keep up to figure out who was in the lead. It was all a murder game of cat and mouse to see who actually did the killing.

What made it fun was the crazy personalities of each of the people involved in the story. Mainly there were two couples that live next door to each other. The first couple moves in next door. They are being watched out the window by the other couple and judged. There is Emma, a successful Dentist, with Alistair, her boyfriend who works as a Forensic Scientist. The couple moving in is Jade, a retired former Forensic Science College Instructor, (who has severe psychological dillusional mental issues) married to her husband, Tomas, who is a Hedge Fund Investor. A few other side characters add to the story as well. When Jade and Tomas move in, they meet with Emma and Alistair for a drink and Jade right away suspiciously warns Emma that Tomas has a roving eye. It turns out that Jade and her twisted mind always accuses Tomas of cheating on her with every woman he talks to casually even though he never has ever cheated on her. So the game begins...

I really enjoyed this book, and the author did an incredible job of keeping you guessing and making it very interesting and hard to put down at the same time. It was a fun read and it had the perfect ending to tie it all up, not what I would have guessed. I want to read more of Robson's books, and I highly recommend this one!

I would like to thank #NetGalley and the publisher Avon Books for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Darling
By Amanda Robson
Published By Avon Books
Publish Date Aug 24, 2020

A book so twisted you will not be able to keep up! Amanda Robson is not afraid to write a thriller and she will shock you to your core. This book is insane, in a good way. Prepare to be confused, disgusted, amused and disturbed in equal measures…

The drop from five stars to three was purely down to the style. The books structure gave me a headache and took me twice as long to read. Three narrators often got confusing in this book – it’s possible that the advanced copy wasn’t quite finished as chapters often bled into the same one so switching between the actual narrators voices was a little frustrating at times. The Characters point of view regularly changed mid-chapter and often there was a switch in tense where it seemed as if one character was telling the story to another. Both great techniques but only when used consistently.

Thank you, Avon, and NetGalley for a copy of My Darling Amanda Robson. I have read Guilt her previous novel which I enjoyed so I was looking forward to reading this one.
Jade and Tomas Covington move into their new home and meet their new neighbours Emma and Alastair. When after getting to know them Jade who has a history of paranoia thinks that her husband Tomas is having an affair with Emma. So, in a fit of rage she murders him. Even though Tomas vows that there is nothing going on. But that is not the end of the story as all three of them try and fit each other up for his murder.
My darling was an interesting story about the relationships between two couples who were neighbours and their infidelity between each other, and other people using Tinder. But for me personally I found this story to be too far fetched and a bit confusing. No way would a police force spend so much time on one murder case. It was a bit unrealistic. Three stars from me.

My Darling started off very strong. All characters in this one are whacky especially Jade. She comes off as weird right from the start & doesn't stop getting odd till the very end. There were 4 major characters this story was centered around, but I felt Jade was the best. The plot rested entirely on her outlandish & extreme behavior. That was fun while it lasted but sadly not for long. I found it very difficult to 'like' the book because there was nothing shocking, compelling, or believable about it, at least after the first 25%. The first few 'twists' were good but were concentrated mostly at the start of the book. I kept hoping for a major shocker towards the end because that is what I felt was a long way coming, but that didn't happen. The book ended in the most predictable way leaving me slightly disappointed. I kept turning pages hoping for that elusive big finish, so I finished this book pretty fast.

Thank You, NetGalley, Avon Books UK & Amanda Robson for an arc!

I’d like to thank Avon Books UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘My Darling’ by Amanda Robson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Emma is watching from her bedroom window as her new neighbours Jade and Tomas move into the house next door. Jade is jealous of every woman who comes into contact with Tomas and convinces herself that he and Emma are having an affair. She comes up with a plan to put a stop to what she believes is her husband’s philandering.

‘My Darling’ is a breath-taking and exceptionally well-thought-out thriller that’s so addictive I read it in a day having no choice but to leave the housework. The story is told by the four main characters, Emma and her boyfriend Alastair, Jade and Tomas, with frequent memories of Emma’s past and her experiences of domestic violence and abuse. To say this novel is great is an understatement, it’s absolutely brilliant and the further I got into the story the more involved I became. I’ve read previous novels by this author but this has to the best yet. I can wholeheartedly recommend this thriller as one that should definitely not be missed.