I love when a book exceeds expectations! This one did that for me. And a 5 star at that. I loved the theme of the book and the story overall!

Claire, Darling starts off with a dead body, looks like your typical fiancé who finds out her partner is leading a double life, merges into a court drama with an extremely unreliable narrator, it's quite the ride. Claire is engaged to Noah, and one day as she decides to drop off lunch to him at work she finds out he no longer works there. With no contact from Noah, Claire spirals, finds out he's with another woman, and spirals even further. The current timeline is interspersed with diary entries from Claire and flashbacks of Claire's childhood with her abusive mother. The book was very readable, not exactly plausible, but a great first novel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75/5)

If you’re a fan of psychological thrillers with a slow-burn unraveling of secrets, Claire Darling might just hook you from the start.

This debut had me intrigued with its chilling premise: Claire’s fiancé has mysteriously vanished… or has he? Told in alternating timelines through Claire’s eyes, the story weaves between past and present, creating a layered narrative filled with emotional depth and psychological twists.

While I occasionally found it challenging to keep the timelines straight, the tension and suspense kept me turning the pages. The characters—especially Claire—are distinct, flawed, and compelling in all the right ways, adding to the novel’s eerie unpredictability.

This was an engaging debut that I’d definitely recommend to fans of psychological suspense and twisty thrillers. I’m already looking forward to what this author writes next!

📚 Many thanks to #NetGalley, #ClaireDarling, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

#BookReview #PsychologicalThriller #ThrillerBooks #ClaireDarling #NetGalleyReads #Bookstagram #CurrentlyReading #NewThrillerAlert #ARCReview #ReadersOfInstagram #DebutAuthor #MysteryReads #SuspenseReads

𝚁𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐: 4 ⭐️
𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: mystery/ thriller 📚

𝙼𝚢 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:
A domestic thriller that will keep you guessing til the very end

𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
Unreliable narrators
Domestic/ Psychological thrillers
Courtroom drama
Flashbacks
Diary entries
Character driven suspenses
Twisty reads childhood trauma
The Girl on the Train/ Gone Girl vibes

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚍:
Fast paced
Dual timeline
All the twists

𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗’𝚝 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛:
The ambiguous ending!
Familiar twists
The courtroom scenes slowed the pacing down a little

Claire goes to bring her fiancé, Noah, lunch one day and finds out that he no longer works at his job. It’s been months since he’d worked there. Why would he not tell her he got a new job? What else is he hiding from her? Claire and her friend Suhki, begin uncovering everything Noah has been hiding.

This book will take you for a good ride. Twists and turns until the very end.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

Quietly devastating and beautifully written. This story about memory, loss, and reckoning stayed with me. Some plot elements drifted, but the emotional truth remained strong. Poetic and haunting in equal measure

Claire drops by her fiance, Noah's, office only to find out he hasn't worked there in three months. This sets her off on amateur detecting to discover Noah has been lying to her on several fronts.

This was a well written book, and I listened to the audio and it was well done. I enjoyed the present day story more than the reflections back on Claire's mother's bad treatment. However, the childhood narrative was important to the narrative of the storyline. Those that are into unreliable narrators may enjoy this book but it is not my favorite genre. This fact makes me grade the book lower than it might deserve. Again, the writing is first class. I just didn't enjoy the story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Callie Kazumi, and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I stayed up all night to finish Claire, Darling. I thought I had the plot figured out, but the author added enough red herrings to keep me intrigued. Recommend for a fast, adventurous read!

Claire, Darling was infuriating in a fun way. The gaslighting, the crazy making, the female RAGE. . . All building to the question, is this woman insane or is she being ghosted in the weirdest way possible?

It was an enjoyable read, with plenty of twists and turns and questions about what motivates us to want the “ideal” and how far we will go to keep up appearances…

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very twisted thriller with a main character that had me questioning her perception of reality throughout the book. This was an interesting read even though it was predictable at points. This was a fun thriller.

I really wanted to love Claire, Darling, but it just didn’t hit the way I hoped it would. The concept had promise, and there were some meaningful moments, but the story didn’t fully pull me in. The pacing was off at times, and I never quite connected with the characters. It wasn’t a bad read—just not a standout for me.

Did not get to read - have way too many books on the shelf. Need to clear some out. Hope to get to this one in the future though.

Without giving away the big twist at the end, my main issue with the book was just Claire as a person. I guess her personality makes sense though with the ending. Definitely a gripping read but kind of messy for me.

This book started off as a banger! Hooked me right away, even though the more I read, the less I liked Claire. The desperate unreliable narrator trope has been done; and done again and again, and it’s not my favorite. However once Lyla was introduced I was invested on where it was headed. The ending was meh at best and knocked a star for me. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review..

(I was provided this ARC from NetGalley. This is my unbiased review)

Claire has the near perfect life currently. A great job and a perfect fiance and a future to look forward to. Unexpectedly things take a turn for the worst when suddenly her fiance Noah ends up not showing up at home after work. Claire starts to panic and her work friend Sukhi offers to help her find out what's going on. This all spirals from Claire's decision to take her fiance lunch at his office only to find out he doesn't work there. Claire desperate to find out what is going on messages and calls Noah without response.

The whole events and those following suit end up leaving Claire in a down spiral. Sukhi helps her try to uncover the truth when the pair discover a secret social media account that Claire has been blocked from. The hunt through the account finds Claire discovering Noah's whereabouts and she determinedly goes to the club he is at with Sukhi. When they arrive the find Noah there with another woman. This causes Claire to become broken and devastated over the revelation. She in turn throws her engagement ring at Noah and walks away after a few escalating moments are exchanged.

Claire becomes desperate to discover who this other woman is and what this secret life is that her fiance has. As the story unfolds the reader is brought into flashbacks of Claire's past and her relationship with her mother. These take place through the book just as do Claire's journal entries. Still as the story continues the reader begins to realize that Claire may not be the most reliable narrator. Things found to be believable are not as they seem and the reader can't help but question everything especially when murder and trial investigations begin to take place in the story.

For me while completely different the whole book reminded me quite a lot of Baby Reindeer. If you enjoyed that series then Claire, Darling may be right up your alley as a read. I couldn't put Claire, Darling down. I kept on thinking to myself something isn't making sense especially when I started to feel like there were similarities to the MFC in Baby Reindeer. Regardless the book was fascinating and enjoyable and I highly recommend it. Until next time, happy reading!

A compelling premise with strong psychological tension, Claire, Darling explores obsession, identity, and the long shadow of childhood trauma. Claire’s unraveling after a shocking betrayal is emotionally gripping, and her descent into the past adds intriguing layers. That said, while the setup is intriguing, the execution didn’t fully hook me. The pacing lagged at times, and certain plot turns felt repetitive rather than revelatory. Still, it’s an interesting look at how our histories shape our relationships and sense of reality.

Sigh. This book was incredibly predictable, especially since I mostly just read thrillers. I saw the ending coming from page 2.

Claire, Darling is a psychological thriller by a debut author. Claire is furious when she discovers that her fiancé has changed jobs without telling her. Then she discovers that he has not been faithful to her, and she digs deeper to uncover the truth.

This book is told from three perspectives. First is the present time Claire, as she discovers that Noah is not who she thinks he is. Second is Claire’s journal, where we hear about how her relationship with Noah began and progressed. Third is Claire as a child, where we learn about the abuse she experienced from her mother.

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, the ending might not be a surprise to you, but you might still enjoy the journey.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this title. My reviews never contain spoilers and are freely given.
Wow, what a great debut novel. Claire, Darling is the story of a woman, raised by an abusive mother. After her mother’s death she meets her fiancé Noah. After a year together he is ghosting her.
Claire’s downward spiral is sad and heartbreaking, and results in tragedy.

This is one you should not miss.