This book was well written in a way which makes you feel absorbed by the story. The main character had a really chatty style which enabled me to get to know her.

The story is about a female serial killer and the fear it brings about a town.

I liked the idea of females all trying to fit in and out perform each other, their boastful ways and lavish lives. It was an interesting read and made me keep turning the pages.

The plot was very unrealistic though and so far-fetched - just HOW many people were being killed and thinking of killing others/themselves?!

It was also quite uncomfortable at times.

Overall, it was twisty and silly and an easy read.

Welcome to the mind of a serial killer. Eloise is not your typical psychopath. She’s gorgeous, rich, and head of the PTA, a woman who has everything. But when her obsession for adding bodies to her collection of Darlings begins to get the best of her, Eloise’s carefully crafted life begins to unravel, along with the lives of those in her inner circle. Deliciously devious and deadly, My Darlings delivers twist after bloody twist, until the very end.

My Darlings is a quick read for any thrill seekers. This book kept my attention and was like riding a roller coaster. The only negative I have is I found Eloise too unlikeable. I know that is part of her personality disorder but the chapters focusing on her so much took me out of the book. I was more interested in The Watcher and her daughter's chapters. That being said, I do recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast paced thriller. Thank you to Rising Action Publishing, Marie Still, and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC.

In the vein of Dexter series, Eloise has a few secrets about her favorite hobby of selecting a Darling to hunt and kill. Perfect nails, hair and wardrobe. Eloise knows how to create a mask of loving wife, doting mother, and community leader.

The women in her inner circle also have secrets. As they become exposed, Eloise focuses on manipulating situations to her benefit. Also, her daughter has desires that she does not share. As the body count rises - everyone's secrets are exposed.

My Darlings is one of the most suspenseful, thrilling psychological thrillers I have read to date! Marie Still has a way of writing that will have your heart racing while on the edge of your seat!

The book starts off with the killer announcing she is a killer, right after committing a murder. Eloise Williams is a housewife and stay at home mom, who is well perceived by her society. She is a respected local philanthropist and sits on the boards of many charities, but is also a serial killer. She carefully targets her victims, scoping them out, briefly meeting them, and then stalking them until the perfect time to end her "darling's" life. She is quite particular in her choosing and has rules- one rule being to never go after women she's connected to. Until things change..

This book took me on a wild ride! The author had no problem killing people off throughout the book (by Eloise's hands, of course). Murder after murder, Eloise has never been caught. She's on a streak and does not mind killing off anyone who gets in her way, no matter how close they are to her. She is remorseless, especially when she knows the other wealthy housewives within her circle are hiding their own secrets. This book is suspenseful, it is gripping, it is paced extremely well with several twists that will have you on the edge of your seat, and an ending that will leave you jaw-dropped! The anonymous POV (the Watcher) adds so much to this book as well! We quickly learn this serial killer has a stalker who has been tracking her every move for years and it makes this book even more twisted! 5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley, Rising Action Publishing, and Marie Still for such an utterly addictive ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley for this gifted arc

I love thrillers where you get the killers pov and My Darlings was absolutely no exception. Eloise is insane!!! Literally!!!

This book did a great job at reminding why I never want to be rich (I know because there's such a chance right 😂) Out of the whole group of characters there was only one person I didn't want to strangle and what's sad is he was mentioned so little I can't remember his name 😅 but let's be honest he's probably also a terrible person to hang around this group in any capacity.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs and I thought the flashbacks of Eloise growing up were a nice touch.

It did start to feel a little chaotic about midway and the ending was so action packed I felled a bit jarred when I finished all this action and then BAM the end. I would have liked an epilogue. It was left very open to interpretation which is awesome if there is going to be another book but so many loose ends could have been tied up and now I'm left wondering

My Darlings was a page turner for me. I love how this was told from different perspectives.
This book has it all, deception and red herrings. The main character, Eloise, is hiding some dark secrets, but she is not the only ones.
This is such a dark and twisted read. Clear your schedule because this is one that you won't want to put down.

Loved this freed from the cover to the 1950s vibe perfect housewife something lurking gave me my darling vibes as well as step wives vibes and everything is not what it seems. I just enjoy this read from start to finish flu through it reading at its best for this thriller read.

If I could give My Darlings more than five stars I would! Marie Still is a phenomenal writer who truly captures the mind, actions, and behaviors of a serial killer. Additionally, the way in which she shows the complexity of each of her characters takes such talent. As someone who is captivated by true crime and serial killers, coupled with Marie’s excellent writing, I could not put this book down! I believe I finished it within three days! I was addicted—hooked, and needed to find out what happened next.
My Darlings will have you on the edge of your seat, and you’ll never guess what each character is up to, or has planned! This book is brilliant, and you just have to read it!

In this book, you will know who the serial killer is right away. The story is given in chapters told by everyone involved in the killer’s life one way or another. It’s interesting to hear how the killer thinks and plots her next kill. It turns in ways you don’t expect and keeps you wanting to read each and every page.

i was in need of a good thriller and this did NOT disappoint!! it was written so masterfully that i was on the edge of my seat the entire time! i couldn’t put the book down and ended up finishing it in a little over 4 hours! i will be thinking about this one for years and years!

Publication date: October 8th, 2024
Page number: 283
Audio length: -
Narrator: -
Genre: domestic thriller
POV: multiple
Setting: northern Virginia near DC

Couldn’t put down! Kept me engaged throughout. Was not able to predict all of the twists. Dark overtone, but fun read! Did not love the end- but it worked.

Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced audio copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. A female serial killer is what drew me to this book and although it had Desperate Housewives vibes, my little twisted mind couldn’t put it down.

None of the characters are likable. None of the characters I wanted to survive really. But something about this book made me devour it.
That was a wild ride and quite an enjoyable one.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy!

This was a creepy read about a house wife named Eloise who is also a serial killer. The premise intrigued me and I thought this would be right up my alley. However, the story fell flat for me. The killings and the killer seemed unrealistic and too messy to actually get away with. I also couldn’t stand any of the characters, including the murderer, as they all lacked any moral fiber. I almost DNF but I wanted to know how it ended and found the ending to be exactly what I had predicted. Although I thought this was an okay read, I would definitely try another novel by this author.

Creepy.
Suspenseful.
Very Desperate Housewives-esq.

This was an interesting one! Told through multiple first-person POVs and dual timelines, Still’s latest diabolical thriller, 𝑴𝒚 𝑫𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 is action packed and filled with unlikeable characters you can’t help but loathe.

Definitely recommend for anyone who doesn’t mind a few psychotic, rich housewives. 🤪

Thank you to NetGalley & Rising Action Publishing for the digital galley!

Wow!! Creepy read!! But a good one! This book had a crazy twisted storyline! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, serial killer, and some really crazy twists and turns! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

⭐⭐⭐ 3 Deranged Screaming Stars !

"She has no reason for being the way she is. She was born evil, nature's flaw. A beautiful flower that kills without mercy. Protection from natural selection. But this type pf evil, this type of species, has no place among human kind."

Read this if you like:
* Nonsensical Reads
* Serial Killers
* Deranged Characters
* Multiple POV's and Dual Timelines
*Shocking scenes
* Dark Twisted Reads

My Darlings premises is what hooked me, and the cover, I am such a sucker for covers !! " ABC's Desperate Housewives meets HBO's Dexter , come on you had me at Desperate Housewives !!

Eloise is the star of show in this book who I loathed so much . She is evil, she is deranged and she is a serial killer.

Eloise is the PTO president and has her little clicky group of friends she is a master of manipulating and Eloise is hot for her next victim, but someone seems to be stalking Eloise and mysterious things are happening all around her , does she have a "Watcher"? But hey nothing stops this twisted woman , makes her want to kill more!

I did really struggle with this book, some scenes were just too hard to digest and some of the characters placements and actions made no sense specifically Suzanne's. A few chapters or dare I say many I did a lot of eye rolling , I felt that maybe the author was trying too hard. The book had sooo much potential but a few things just did not add up for me, however I am a bit of an outlier so take this review as you see fit. I do know that ALOT of people will really love this book so if you do read this let me know your thoughts as I have seen several 5 stars !

Thank you Netgalley , Rising Action Publishing and Marie Still for this dark digital ARC!!

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC- this is a violent thriller mystery. The setting is the rich people of Washington, DC. Multiple points of view, including Eloise, our serial killer. Let's put aside that most serial killers are male, there have been some documented females! Eloise is PTO President, very well put together with several "ladies who lunch." She has one daughter, who is struggling with her teenage years, and a bit of a brat. Several secrets come to the surface throughout this book. The characters were extremely selfish and unlikeable... it is tough to get through a multiple POV book where there isn't at least SOMEONE you are rooting for. Some of the husbands were boring, and these were the BEST ones, the worst ones were horrific. The ending definitely was rushed and I had to re-read it to uncover what actuallly happened. It was less ambiguous and more forced to find the conclusion.

What made me request this book was the TV show comparisons.

I did not get much enjoyment from this book. I wasn't a fan of the writing style itself, but the story just got lost. I think it had potential to be a great book, but with everything going on it was just bland to me.

I predicted everything that happened.

2.5 starsc

Eloise is the perfect suburban mom, she’s the PTO president, a stay at home mom who takes care of her husband and her daughter, she lives in a very nice community. She’s also a serial killer, one must have their hobbies.
The most enjoyable part of this story is probably that Eloise is just bad, no sob story to explain her behaviour, she just enjoys hunting and killing people. Her sociopathic nature works really well in her community, she’s really good at making people do what she wants and at acting the way people expect her to. She’s the serial killer but far from the only evil person in this book, there’s also an incredibly abusive husband and a mysterious Watcher who seems to know about her and her past. She’s the best at it but they all pretend to be someone they’re not. Everyone is lying and cheating while pretending that they’re still perfect members of society.
Bryonny, Eloise’s daughter is also such a fascinating character. She’s Eloise’s best project and as she says a lot “she loves her” “she hates her”
It’s rare to have women’s villains being truly evil without the need to be written like a man or like a stereotypical femme fatale (it’s usually one or the other). Eloise sometimes uses sex as a weapon, but it’s not her main one. She’s the perfect little girl, the perfect stay at home mom, nobody would think twice when meeting her, which makes her such a dangerous predator.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.
My Darlings is expected to be published on August 1st