Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the copy of Claire, Darling. I loved how this book started, but parts about Claire’s youth were too hard to read because her mother was so toxic. I loved that parts of the book were intriguing and I felt for Claire but thought she went overboard. While I can see how many people love the final reveal, I hated it and felt cheated. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me engaged and it only took a few days to read. I think this is going to be a good book club option for several clubs. I plan recommending to my book friends and I look forward to reading more by this author.

I love domestic thrillers (my husband not so much) this was a lot of fun and a bit predictable in some places but overall i really enjoyed it. I wanted to know what was happening and the journal entries were a nice touch.

I have always been a fan of Lifetime movies where the main character wants revenge and gets revenge in the most sadistic and carnal ways. It's my guilty pleasure so don't judge me lol! This book was a roller coaster ride of twisted suspense and I couldn't get enough of it.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

Claire is engaged to Noah and the day after their anniversary Claire goes to Noah’s job to bring him lunch and is told that he hasn’t worked their in months. Claire is of course upset and confused about what is going on and with the help of her best friend Sukhi tracks him down to find out what is going on. Noah acts like he doesn’t know her and when they see that he is at a bar with friends find out that he is also dating another woman Leilah and they live in a fancy part of London and have been together for years. Claire starts stalking them and eventually decides to speak to Leilah and ends up pushing her causing her to die. 8 months later Claire is on trial for Leilah’s murder. It is revealed that Noah had an affair with another woman named Mads who was his personal trainer. After Noah takes the stand they use Claire’s diaries to show that she is not of sound mind and she goes to a psychologic hospital and pretends to be taking her meds and confesses to killing Leilah by bashing her head after finding out they were planning to start a family. By the end of this book it is clear that Claire was suffering from delusional tendencies where she pretended to have a relationship with Noah. This book was very interesting and I flew through it.

What would you do if the love of your life deleted you out of his without explanation? Well you might go a little crazy which is what Claire proceeded to do, or...was she already crazy? Having read similar books with this premise I pretty much guessed the plot, but that did not take away from reading this book. Interesting characters, interesting locales and the writing made for an easy read. Looking forward to the author's next book!

SPOILERS

This book was actually insane. Like poor abused Claire has never had anyone to love her or care for her or be there for her. And she’s finally found someone who is so sweet to her and loves her for who she is and then this???? Genuinely the entire time I was thinking “did she make this up? No she couldn’t have because they did this together, they live together, there’s no way” and now EYE feel insane. Also the epilogue had me literally clutching my chest because Claire is so unhinged I love her.

I actually really loved this book!

(Spoiler alert) - I knew that Claire wasn’t mentally stable. It was fairly obvious with the crazy, cruel mom and the stalking of Noah and Lilah, but the writing was well done and I wanted to keep reading. I also love that the author set this up for a sequel, which I would absolutely read!

I thought this was a great book. I loved the story and was totally shocked at the ending. This was everything you wanted in a book. Claire had a terrible life and a bad relationship with her mother. She grew up bullied and had no real friends. She meets Noah and finds the love of her life. She decided to take lunch to his office one day and discovers he doesn't work there. He doesn't return her calls or texts and then finds out about a secret life with another woman. Claire asks her close friend for help and she looks into Noah's current life. Some shocking things happen in the book and the true story of her and Noah unfolds. I could read the last several places over and over again.

Imagine being ghosted by the man you are engaged to marry! Especially after surviving a childhood that was much less than ideal. I thought the book, though a little lightweight did a good job of setting up why she might get involved with such a man which I think a lot of thriller-type books don't bother to explain. I could not understand why she'd want him back after all he put her through and what she learns but it was fun to read. Good vacation book.

This was an engaging and fast read. I was completely invested in the story until the ending. While I didn't predict it, I also found it disappointed. I really enjoyed the authors writing style. So much so that I will read future books of hers

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for an advanced copy to read. I couldn’t stop reading Claire, Darling! It started with Claire learning some intriguing information about her fiancé, Noah. As the story progresses, Claire has goes back and forth between recent memories of her relationship with a very caring Noah, and memories of her volatile childhood relationship with her mother. It was easy to relate to Claire and her anxiety over her situation with Noah. It was suspenseful with several twists that made me not want to put it down while also not wanting it to end! I highly recommend Claire, Darling and look forward to reading more from Callie Kazumi.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I read this in one day. It is engrossing and fast-paced, and I was dying to find out what was going on.

The chapters about Claire's mom and her childhood are heartbreaking.

I loved the character of Sukhi, a strong woman and true friend.

The only part that I did not love was the ending. It makes sense, but I really thought it would go differently.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Claire, Darling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Woah! An amazing debut novel by Callie Kazumi. This one will have you guessing til the very end.

Clair’s perfect fiancé has ghosted and she has no idea why. She finds out he hasn’t worked at the same job for months now and he refused to take her calls. Confused and distraught Claire is determined to get her fiancé back no matter the cost.

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi is an intense psychological thriller that follows Claire as she uncovers the shocking truth about her fiancé, Noah, and delves into her own troubled past. On what was meant to be a celebratory day, Claire discovers that Noah has been living a double life—a revelation that sends her spiraling into obsession. The story explores themes of manipulation, identity, and the lasting scars of childhood trauma, particularly Claire’s complex relationship with her controlling mother.

I loved how Kazumi builds suspense with a deft hand, pulling you into Claire's unraveling world. The pacing is tight, and the plot twists kept me guessing. This book is perfect if you enjoy stories that blend emotional depth with edge-of-your-seat tension. Claire is a compelling, flawed protagonist, and her journey is as haunting as it is gripping. A fantastic debut! I'd recommend it to fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This book started slow and I almost put it down. Glad I didn't. It got much better as the twists and turns took you one way and then another. I read this in one evening!

This was an excellent debut!! I loved the main characters voice—it was very readable from the very first page to the end. Fans of Paula Hawkins or Alice Feeney will enjoy this slow burn psychological drama.

I read this on the recommendation of another NetGalley participant, requested it without reading the synopsis, and jumped right in. I really liked it and thought it was really well executed! I did guess what was going on by about a third of the way in but in no way did this diminish my enjoyment.. Claire is written in a sympathetic manner and is intriguing to the reader. We learn much through Claire's journal entries which are scattered throughout the book. I am amazed that this is a debut novel. Loved the ending, and the courtroom scenes as the truth is slowly revealed and Claire's fate is determined. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Bantam for this ARC.

This is a really fun and exciting read. Claire is ghosted by her fiancé, Noah, and as the reader, we are along for the ride as she tries to figure out why. This is a gripping and twisty novel, and as a debut novel. I am excited to read more from this author.

This mystery/domestic story starts when Claire and her friend Sukhi decide to bring lunch to Claire's fiancé Noah. Only when they arrive at Noah's place of employment they are told he hasn't worked there in months. Claire tries to call Noah only to find her number blocked and she can't figure out what in the world is going on. The current story alternates with stories from Claire's childhood with her abusive and narcissistic mother. As Sukhi and Claire investigate what is going on with Noah, they find out he is engaged to another woman named Lilah and works in a different company than he told Claire. We also see snippets from Claire's diary as she talks about meeting Noah in a wine shop and the romantic and sweet side of him that made her fall in love.

I don't think there was much of a mystery as it was pretty obvious what was going on from the start. There were also too many stories from Claire's childhood, each showing her mother behaving in an abusive way towards Claire. There are a couple of twists in this story and I found it a quick read. I did feel bad for Claire who was always told she was "nothing" by her mother, bullied in school and didn't have any friends besides Sukhi. I really liked the character of Sukhi as she was a truly devoted friend to Claire. There is a murder in this book as well as stories of child abuse. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.