📖 My Darlings
✍️ Marie Still
🗓️ 08 Oct 2024
📝Rising Action Publishing | Rising Action


⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

I loved Marie Still’s debut novel. It was so well written and fresh. So I had to read this one as well. Well, I can report, this was not a fluke. The woman can write, and that damn well!

I admit, the story was wild and at times over the top, but so what? I enjoyed that so much. When I was on insta, I talked to Marie and I remember asking her for her plans for her new book and what kind of character she would love to write. And she did it. The true villain. Someone so evil to their core, the perfect sociopath. I do enjoy this aspect in novels, so I did not mind. Irving was too graphic for my taste.

I don’t want to take anything away from the story, but boy, I am so happy that I got to read it, it was brilliant!

Eloise Williams seems like your typical suburban mom – PTO president, philanthropist, all-around pillar of the community. But as I quickly discovered, there's more to Eloise than meets the eye. She's also a serial killer. Yeah, you read that right.

But here's the kicker: Eloise isn't the only one in this upscale DC neighborhood hiding dark secrets. As the layers peel back, we're introduced to a cast of characters whose hidden lives rival Eloise's in their darkness and complexity.

With each revelation, the body count rises, sending shockwaves through the community. And let me tell you, the suspense is palpable. I found myself on the edge of my seat, eagerly devouring each twist and turn as the story unfolded.

But what really sets "My Darlings" apart is its exploration of the consequences of deception and the struggle for control. As Eloise desperately tries to maintain her facade of normalcy, the cracks begin to show, and the chilling reality hiding behind closed doors is exposed for all to see.

Overall, "My Darlings" is a gripping psychological thriller that pulls no punches. It's dark, it's twisted, and it's utterly addictive. If you're a fan of thrillers that delve into the complexities of human nature and the secrets we keep hidden, then do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of "My Darlings." Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Eloise Williams is the epitome of an all-round wonderful mother, involved in the PTO at her children’s schools and devotes her time to many boards raising money for worthy causes. Life is all about appearances to her and she is obsessive regarding her looks, her home and her children and the picture these paint to the rest of the world. She married her husband not so much out of love but more as a means to an end, as he has the funds to support the lifestyle she craves and desires and everything she does is to paint a picture of a perfect lifestyle.

She has a close group of friends but underneath she feels she is way better than any of them and again these women play part of a role vital to her life. But Eloise is not a nice woman, she is a serial killer and plans these attacks meticulously, she believes that she will never be caught.

To be honest I found the whole story way over the top, characters I struggled to care about and once this happens, I do lose interest quite quickly. Will I remember this book? I doubt it but I would be open to trying another book from this author.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions expressed are my own.

𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐜𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐦 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐲𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐥𝐮𝐫𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬. 𝐈𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐞𝐰. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

For so long this was just a cover on my Want to Read shelf, so the second I saw it was available to request, I damn near dislocated something trying to get to that request button! Of course some obligations and required adulting were screaming my name at just that time, and that's the only reason I didn't finish in a single sitting!

The short review: Holy sh*t. I am speechless.

The long review: Never mind. I found my words and will be using a lot of them in my review!

I have read plenty of books featuring the female MC as a serial killer, sociopath, or psychopath, but none of them have repulsed me and left me as unnerved as Eloise. Eloise lives in an exclusive neighborhood in DC and rules as president of the PTO at her teen daughter's school. In her free time, she's also a serial killer. What sets Eloise apart from other similar characters I have read about is that she's not killing for a noble purpose, like ridding the world of evil. She's doing it because it gives her a thrill. Her absolute lack of remorse, zero empathy, and the hideous mask of normalcy she wears made me root for her demise.

Even worse, there are plenty of flashbacks to her youth that include this abhorrent behavior. I know my face was doing things as I read these, and all I could think was, "What exactly do you do with a child like this?" Once again, the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture pops up, but this time, there is a sense of urgency. Monsters like Eloise exist. They are empty vessels that rely on human suffering to fill them up. As soon as Eloise talked about her first "darling," I knew I was in for a wild ride.

Even worse, Eloise is not the only monster in this book. Lurking close to her inner circle of friends is someone you're going to absolutely hate, and THEN there is someone only called The Watcher who narrates small snippets here and there. When that identity is exposed, I was screaming!

I feel like I need to watch a Disney movie or something, but this book exceeded my expectations. It will definitely make you uncomfortable even though it's not overly graphic. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time. Thank you so much to the author for the early copy. MY DARLINGS will publish August 1, 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

The premise of this book being compared to Dexter and Desperate Housewives was very interesting to me. It was the cover that made me request it. I love a good suburban domestic thriller.. Unfortunately, this book was more Dexter and less Desperate Housewives in my opinion. I would almost consider this book to be borderline horror as some parts were more graphic than I was expecting for a thriller (I have read other books about murder that have been less graphic). If I had known that, I wouldn't have requested this book. I might pick up another book by Marie Still. in the future.

Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.


2.5 rounded up
********


If you are interested in seeing more of my reviews and other content feel free to connect with me here <3:

https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules (links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, My blog and Substack newsletter, etc)

If you are a publisher or author who has questions about my reviews (as well as questions about my stats, reach or engagement), please free to email me. I am also open to requests for book reviews from authors or publishers. Thank you again for taking time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!