A normal day turns not so normal when Claire goes to visit her fiancé Noah at work, only to find out he doesn’t work there and isn’t answering his phone anymore, which is not usual. The spiraling begins and of course Noah isn’t as loyal as Claire thinks. I mean of course you spiral, your literal fiancé has ghosted you. But maybe ghosting her was for the best when Claire finds out the truth of who Noah really is.

I was invested in this book from the first few chapters and it never disappointed. I loved the diary entries and getting to see their love and how it started before all the lies, betrayal and dare I say murder?!?!? 4 stars and I would happily read another book by this author 100%

I found this book to be very compelling albeit a bit predictable. Having the story told by an unreliable narrator was a fantastic choice and I really enjoyed piecing together what she was saying and trying to figure out what the truth was. The twist wasn’t entirely surprising, but I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing — I think the author successfully set it up so that when all the pieces fell into place it made a lot of sense.

This is a solid debut with some good and some not so good parts for me.

I liked the setup--Claire and Noah have been together for a year, and recently got engaged. She goes to take lunch to him at work, but the receptionist says he doesn't work there. When she tries to text and call, she gets no response. Throughout the book we go back and forth between the present day with Claire becoming more and more unhinged as she investigates what happened to Noah and the past with her growing up with a narcissistic mother.

What didn't work for me was the ultimate execution of the story. I can't give away too much without spoilers, but suffice it to say that I thought there were a few too many plot holes for me to buy into the twists. And I absolutely hated the back story with the mom and growing up. It gave me anxiety and a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. I admit I read through those sections very quickly and thought there were way too many of them.

This is a shocking, page turning book and I was definitely intrigued to keep reading to find out what on earth was going to happen. Even though I clocked the twists from the beginning and thought that there were many much more clever ways this book could have played out, I think that many readers are going to love the wild ride more than I did.

Side note: There is no way that these 20/30-somethings would be using Facebook as much as these characters did.

Thank you for the review copy and PRH for the audio. This was a miss for me., it might be that I have a background in psychology and felt the whole plot was easily predictable from that perspective but I pretty much guessed the ending from the start of the book. A lot of the build up to the end felt drawn out for what seemed a basic premise, perhaps more suitable for a short story versus a longer novel. I never felt much connection to the plot though I will admit compassion for Claire given her toxic childhood.

Claire is surprising her fiance Noah by bringing him lunch at his office. But she is the one surprised when she's told her doesn't work there. And now he doens't come home and he's not answering her calls and texts. Noah has a secret second life - with a job she doesn't know about, but more importantly, with a house and girlfriend Claire didn't know about. Claire starts to unravel the secrets and lies and things spiral out of control.

This was a fun read. We hear it from Claire's POV and we also flash back to her childhood with her terrible mother. (Poor Claire can't catch a break.) It's not necessarily full of twists and turns but it's a good solid story where you don't know who or what to trust. I wavered constantly about what I thought was really happening and a lot times, was a confused as Claire! I thought this was an excellent debut novel and can't wait to read more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available March 11, 2025.

Breakups can be brutal. Just ask Claire, darling! She has been ghosted by her fiancé, Noah. The nerve! But Claire is not one to let things go. She knew something was up when she went to deliver Noah lunch at his workplace and was told no one worked there by that name! Claire is shocked and frazzled is determined to get to the bottom of things.

Claire, Darling kept me turning the pages and wondering, as Claire did, what was going on with Noah? What was he up to? Why did he ghost, Claire? As the book progresses, readers get a glimpse into Claire's childhood and upbringing through journal entries.

There is a lot going on in this book which deals with obsession, secrets. deception, mental health, violence, and relationships to name a few. What a great debut novel. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, Callie Kazumi threw a twist in and turned the tables on me!

Wonderfully written and well thought out!

Claire, Darling written by Callie Kazumi was one heck of a wild ride of a thriller. This book was SO DAMN GOOD I couldn't put it down that I even finished it in one day. With every twist and turn, this book had my jaw on the floor, like I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. To say I was surprised is an understatement, I was completely shocked by the events that unfolded before my eyes. Ladies and gentlemen, I can proudly say that this psychological thriller SHOULD BE listed in the Goodreads 2025 awards. Callie, bravo, Claire, Darling is one hell of a debut novel. The only issue I had with this book is that there should be trigger warnings listed in the beginning of the book because this story definitely does deal with very heavy topics, but I will list them in my review, so please be sure to check trigger warnings before picking up this book. I can't recommend this book enough, everyone and their mothers need to read Claire, Darling as soon as possible, so please do yourselves a favor and mark your calendars for March 11th, 2025 for the publication of this novel. Ladies, please take notes from this book, if a man walks away, JUST LET HIM GO. Breakups can be so messy, but don't let this book stop you from finding your true love.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP- BALLANTINE FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!

TRIGGER WARNING'S
Past Child Abuse
Drinking
Cheating
Childhood Trauma
Bullying
Stalking
Murder
Death

"If there's anywhere suitable for getting messy, it's the privacy of your own house".

"Wine is a medicine for the heartache".

"If you don't trust people, they can't let you down".

Claire Arundale has mommy issues. Claire's mom was a narcissistic who was always constantly drinking and then puking her brains out the next morning, her mom was always bringing a different guy around every single day. Claire's mom would always blame Claire for the reasoning of her father walking away from their family when Claire even had no clue who her father was. The thing that didn't sit right with me was the child abuse her mom brought to the table, there's truly absolutely no need to physical abuse a helpless child, the punching, the slapping, the beating of a child is just not okay, and there's a special place in jail for people like that. Claire feels unwanted and drives people away without meaning to in her adult life after dealing with her childhood trauma. In Claire, Darling we get diary entries, and past, present, and future Claire insights. Noah Coors is Claire's fiancé, but holds so many secrets. Noah hasn't worked at Pulitzer Haas for months, he comes home extremely late at night, he signed an NDA after leaving his job and through a Facebook search, Noah has been working as an investment director at Alliance and Gordon. I mean, come on ladies, do y'all want a man that keeps so many secrets from you?

September Eighteenth is Claire and Noah's one year anniversary of their engagement. Claire decides to surprise Noah with a lunch of jerk chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, spicy rice, and fried plantains for their engagement anniversary at Pulitzer Haas where Claire learns Noah hasn't been working for months. When Claire's text messages and phone calls go answered, Claire realizes she has been ghosted, and that's when all of the fun starts. After being ghosted and everything has gone answered, Claire becomes obsessive. Claire decides to create a fake Facebook profile by the name of Emma Smith since Noah blocked her on all social media even though he said he doesn't do social media. With the new fake profile, Claire learns that her fiancé is living a double life and cheating. During her investigative search, Claire comes across Lilah Andersson who stole her ex-fiancé. Lilah is Swedish, has honeyed skin, golden blonde hair, and sparkling blue/green eyes, everything that Claire is not. As the story unfolds, Claire becomes obsessed with Lilah and her relationship with Noah. So much for those "late nights working", right Noah? Instead of being truthful, Noah decides to lead Claire on and continue to break her heart with every spilled secret that Claire has to uncover. There's a special place for cheating pricks. Just because there's social media doesn't mean you can get off the hook of cheating very easily, us women know literally everything.

The epitome of an unreliable narrator.
Maybe it’s because I read plenty from this genre, the “twist” was unfortunately predictable even as one sided as the story was. Would’ve loved to see more from Noah’s perspective. I will admit the final chapter made my jaw drop.
Overall, something felt missing and just fell short.

Thank you, Bantam Books, for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Claire Arundale is blissfully co-habitating with her fiancé, Noah Coors. They have been living together in Claire's studio apartment while he renovates a nicer home for them in a better London neighborhood. Noah leaves Claire charming love notes on origami animals.

But when Claire shows up at his office building to deliver lunch to him the day after their first anniversary, she is shocked to learn that Noah left that company several months previously. He won't return her calls or texts asking for an explanation, and when she finally tracks him to his new job, he looks horrified to see her.

Why is Noah treating her this way? And who is this other woman he appears to be living with? Claire's confusion and Noah's lies will lead to a tragic conclusion -- and the full truth will be even more shocking.

This book was a quick read and during Part One I wrestled with whether I wanted to finish the book or not. It is really hard for me to not finish thrillers -- even mediocre ones -- because I want to know the solution or see whether my guesses are correct. I did not guess the twist at the end of this book, but I fond the ending to be a disappointment. The second half of the novel also drags a bit as the narrative works through witness testimony at a court trial. The mystery and momentum slowed down considerably at this point.

While this book was an admirable effort for a debut novel, I feel that the author has room to grow in terms of creating more compelling characters and crafting a better flow to the suspense. I see great potential here, and I look forward to reading any future books from Ms. Kazumi.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Claire, Darling
Author: Callie Kazumi
Source: NetGalley
Publication Date: March 11, 2025

This is the second book I have read recently that features damaged daughters and mothers with severe narcissistic personality disorders, resulting in a ruined childhood—adulthood for the female daughters. Growing up in an abusive home is detrimental to a daughter’s mental stability. Notably, one of these books is a non-fiction memoir, while the other, Claire, Darling, is a fictional thriller. I am exhausted from reading about daughters with mother issues, whether they are real or imagined, combined with alcoholism and extremely low self-esteem. I anticipate this book will be popular upon publication, but I could discern our story's direction halfway through, although the second half was significantly better. It is a decent debut novel for the author.

@netgalley @callieuntitled @bantampub #bantam #mentalillness #abuse #ghosting #thriller #death #narcissist

I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this novel.

#book #books #bookAddict #BooksOfInstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #reader#bookreviewer

Out 3/11! This psychological thriller by debut author @callieuntitled, will lead you on a wild ride full of twisty suspense! After freeing herself from a childhood of trauma by a narcissistic abusive mother, Claire finally has her life together, and the dream fiancé to prove it! everything starts unraveling when she decides to surprise her fiancé at work with lunch. She soon discovers that not only does he not work in this building but he is not answering any of her texts or calls. She has been ghosted. As she starts to unravel her fiancé‘s double life, her obsession intensifies, blurring the line between truth and paranoia until she realizes that some secrets were not meant to be uncovered. This one grabbed me right from the beginning and kept pulling me in further with each twist until the jaw-dropping finale! This author is definitely one to watch! Thank you to @netgalley and @bantambooksuk for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I loved how the book was broken out in parts and the courtroom drama of the third part of the book. The text was innovative and unique. I really enjoyed this author!

Claire, Darling
by Callie Kazumi
Pub Date: Mar 11 2025

Claire found the man of her dreams in Noah. They have been living together and are very happy, or so she thought. While dropping off lunch for Noah at work she’s stunned when the receptionist informs her he no longer works there, he hasn't for months! Noah doesn’t answer Claire’s calls…or reply to any of her texts. She's been ghosted...and so the story begins!

Synopsis: In the aftermath of a shocking breakup, a woman's desperate quest for answers ignites a psychological inferno that will consume her past, present, and future in this hair-raising debut from an exciting new voice in suspense . . Claire, Darling is one of the best books I've read so far in 2025! It kept me hooked from the first page until the last! I wanted an explanation as much as Claire did to what was going on with Noah. The shocking ending blew my mind away!

Many thanks to #ClaireDarling #NetGalley and #RandomHousePublishingGroup for providing me with a E-ARC of this 5 star thriller!

Claire can't believe it when her sweet and perfect husband has ghosted her. Not only that, she learns that he's been living an alternate life, he has a wife and child living across town. But Claire has never been one to give in so easily. She will fight for her husband, get him back, forgive him and pick up where they left off. She will do this at all costs, the gloves are off now.
So why is it that as she investigates her husband's story, no one seems to believe her? Welcome to Claire's psyche, a sick and misguided reality that encompasses you to the last page.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is March 11, 2025.

Claire is in for a shock when she drops by her fiancé Noah’s office with a surprise lunch—only to be told he no longer works there. Confused and alarmed, she tries calling and texting, but Noah has officially ghosted her. And —he has an entirely different life. A different house. A different girlfriend. Claire? She was never part of the plan.



This book was chaotic. MESSY. At times, it was both completely straightforward and totally disorienting—I was constantly second-guessing what was real. Some moments shook me. Others had me shaking my head like, “GIRL, what are you doing?!”

On a personal note, as someone who grew up with a mother who has Narcissistic Personality Disorder, this one hit hard. Claire’s flashbacks to her childhood felt painfully real—down to her mom’s reactions when she moved out at 21. Those scenes broke my heart.

As a die-hard thriller reader, I saw a lot of the twists coming, but that didn’t take away from the ride. The tension kept me locked in, and the ending? Chef’s kiss—fun, twisted, and unforgettable.

Also, this is Callie Kazumi’s debut novel—and she knocked it out of the park! Can’t wait to see what she writes next.

💭: Ok, this book rubbed me the wrong way for the first half. It is about an obsessive woman trying to figure out why her fiance just didn’t come home one day. She goes over the deep end. I had just read 2 books in January back to back with obsessive MC’s, and it was just too much. So when I started this one I thought here we go again (insert eye roll.)

BUT….

Once Claire’s trial begins (you will have to read to find out why she was arrested!!!) the book took a turn for me and I started to enjoy it. I loved the chapters with the witness statements and getting to hear about Claire from other’s POV and Claire’s attorney was bad ass! The epilogue made my jaw drop. I am hoping for a book 2 to find out what Claire does next!

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a clever, suspenseful debut! I was hooked with this psychological thriller.

Deliberately leaving this review vague as I think it would be best to go in blindly. Here are the things I loved:

💍 the format. The two parts worked and the diary entries dispersed in between added context.
💍 unreliable narrator and unreliable characters.
💍 pacing. It was spot on and moved quickly.
💍 epilogue. That’s all I’m saying.

I took off a star because I did feel like this story has been done before. This wasn’t a new take on it, but I REALLY enjoyed it nonetheless.

Claire, Darling is a debut novel written by Callie Kazumi to be released on March 11, 2025. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Group and Bantam Books for the opportunity to read an ARC of the book; my review reflects my honest opinion. Life seems to be going well for Claire Arundale, she works at a boutique public relations company, and is engaged to the wonderful Noah Coors. To Claire, Noah is the most handsome, loving and understanding man she has ever met. She sees herself as plain, and as a result of a traumatic and abusive childhood not worthy of good things. She is also thrilled to have a friend in her coworker Sukh. Yet after her and Noah's one year anniversary of dating, he seems to just drop out of her life, not only that it appears he has been deceiving her the entire time they were together. Not wanting to spoil the book, that's as much of the plot that I will share. I found Part One of Claire, Darling to be a bit slow, however Part Two picked up steam and was captivating. The serious abuse at the hand of her mother, and the rather matter of fact way Claire's mental health issues were presented may be challenging for some readers. Claire Darling is certainly a satisfying read and a a fine debut novel. 3,75 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This book was tired and formulaic. I am glad it was a quick read and I only wasted a few hours on this boring “unreliable female” narrative. We have read a thousand versions of this at this point. I hate to be so harsh, but there was nothing new or interesting here.

This was a fun page turner. Through a series of present encounters interspersed with diary flashbacks, we get a front row seat to a spectacularly juicy breakup between Claire and her dreamy fiancé--as well as some background information about Claire and her upbringing. Did I see where this was going? Yes. Yes, I did. Quite early, in fact, But . . . . it still felt like I couldn't stop reading just to see how this was all going to play out.

I would say that the first half of the book is more engaging than the second. And I wasn't sold on the diary-effect: it felt a bit too contrived. But even so, the narrative makes you feel like a voyeur looking in on some hot gossip--and it's hard to look away.

This would be a great beach read or if you're in the mood for a fast page-turner.

Claire, Darling is the debut novel by Callie Kazumi and what a debut it is. It starts with Claire and her fiancé celebrating their one year anniversary. The next day, she and her work friend, Sukhi, deliver a surprise lunch to him at his place of business only to discover that he doesn’t even work there anymore and hasn’t for months. This sets off a string of events leading to the conclusion that her fiancé, Noah, has ghosted her. Left with no answers and no closure, Claire puts her detective skills to work to find out what has happened to her fiancé. Throughout the book, we get diary entries from her year with Noah and flashbacks of her time as a child and with her abusive mother. I loved this book so much. I could not read it fast enough. I desperately wanted to talk about it with someone the entire time I was reading it. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an advanced digital copy.