Three and one-half stars
Review of Advance Reade’s Copy eBook

Claire Arundale and her fiancé, Noah Coors, are celebrating one year together. She’s looking forward to a wedding one day and then to children.

Claire decides to stop in at Noah’s workplace and leave him lunch. But the receptionist says that no one named Noah Coors works there. And all her efforts to reach him are unsuccessful.

Where is Noah? Why is Claire being ghosted? And what is the truth?

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The story alternates between what is happening today and Claire’s diary [providing some important background information]. Sprinkled throughout the telling of the tale are events the sometimes-gruesome details of Claire’s abuse at her mother’s hand are both cringe-worthy and heart-wrenching. Then, too, there is the bullying by her classmates at school. These incidents help explain Claire for the reader.

Although neither Claire nor Noah are particularly likeable, the unfolding story, with its mostly-brief chapters, keeps the pages turning as the readers are pulled into the story. Although many readers will figure out at least part of the story before the revelations in the surprising denouement.

Readers who enjoy psychological mysteries are likely to enjoy Claire’s story.

Recommended.

Hard to read, horrible abusive upbringing

This story was a quick, addictive read but it wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been. The unreliable narrator is a plot device that is tired, exhausted.

The sad thing is that Noah was a shit. Unfortunately all that was lost in nonsense that was our main character.

Hopefully she gets out of the asylum and takes him out.

This story was like an actual nightmare- dropping off food to your fiancé only to find out he hasn’t worked there in months and never told you.
This book was sooo hard to put down, I just wanted to find out what her fiancé was up to.

If you like a quick psychological thriller that grabs you quickly and jumps timelines, you will want to read this one!!

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

•When Claire arrives at her fiancé Noah’s place of work to drop off some lunch, she is shocked to hear he doesn’t work there anymore. After several failed attempts to get in contact, Claire comes to the realization that her fiancé ghosted her. She can’t understand why he would do this, so she makes it her mission to understand what happened between them.

•While I predicted part of the ending early on, I still really enjoyed the book! It was Callie Kazumi’s debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

•Thank you to NetGalley, Bantam Books, and Callie Kazumi for this ARC. It will become available on March 11, 2025.

I really wanted to love this book. The beginning grabbed my attention, and I felt like it had a lot of potential. The setup was intriguing, and I could see how the story could unfold into something special. However, as I kept reading, I started to feel disconnected. The direction the plot took didn’t align with what I was expecting or hoping for. While I appreciate the author's effort, the story just didn't resonate with me in the way I had imagined. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite what I was looking for, but I can see why others might enjoy it.

Claire, Darling is a one sitting read type of book. The timeline goes between present day, journal entries from the year prior, and Claire’s childhood. One day Claire decides to surprise her fiance at work and bring him lunch only to discover he doesn’t work there and now he’s not taking her calls. I loved the premise and enjoyed the book but felt let down with the twist. I would say this is a solid 3.5 or 3.75 read but falls more in the drama genre than thriller. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Claire, Darling was a twisty, fast-paced read about a woman ghosted by her fiancé and embarks on a search to find him—only to discover that not everything is as it seems. While I guessed the ending fairly early on, I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I especially loved the glimpses into her history with her mother and how those moments shaped her life. As a fan of unreliable narrators, this novel hit the mark in so many ways.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book started out pretty good, but quickly became a script for a Lifetime movie. It's a really quick read and I could see where it was going about halfway through the book. So, the big twist wasn't really shocking or a mystery to me.

I didn't really find any of the characters that likable. This just wasn't my favorite suspense novel.

OMG! This was insanely good!! I read this in one day! Claire was such an interesting character and with this story I just could not tell what I was supposed to believe!! Will keep you guessing until the very last page!

This was fun! If you love an unreliable narrator this one is for you- constant twists and my prediction was wrong about the ending! I enjoyed this.

Claire, Darling was a wild ride! Claire finds out her finance has been leading a double life and has written her out of it. She has been blocked on all of his social media accounts and even from texting or calling him. Claire is determined to get to the bottom of this and get an explanation!
I flew through the pages trying to find out what was really happening! Is Claire crazy? Is her finance just an evil loser? I also really liked the stories from Claire’s childhood that were woven into the story. I promise you whatever you think is happening is not happening. Do not miss this book! Thank you to that NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a debut novel!

This story is told by the my character and her journal entries. The journal entries give you more thoughts that I’m not sure would be told otherwise. There are also flashback memories that happen as things spark her thoughts. The chapters are short which I love. I was sucked in from the beginning and couldn’t read this fast enough. I just had to know what was going to happen next. The twists were predictable but this was such a fun read.
It recommend this to anyone looking for a quick popcorn mystery thriller. I will definitely read more from this author.

Thank you for the ARC !
This book was amazing ! I couldn’t put it down! The story had me hooked right from the beginning and easy to follow it .i was definitely surprised by the ending !

After years of emotional abuse at the hands of her single mother and school bullies, Claire is finally an adult on her own, holding down a job and finally getting a boyfriend. Noah is perfect in every way and when he proposes, Claire is over the moon with joy. But Noah has secrets and isn't the man Claire thinks he is. When her perfect future with Noah is shattered, Claire isn't going to take it lying down and will pursue both Noah and the woman who shattered her dreams of a loving husband, children and a home of their own. Now on trial for murder, Claire must face the truth and hope that the jury will ignore the lies that Noah tells and believe her story instead.

This had me hooked from the very beginning. Readers will root for Claire as she finally becomes her own person, finds success and love too. Getting to read pages from her diary give readers an insight into how Claire developed into the person she is at the time of her trial. Trusting her lawyer with her freedom, Claire feels betrayed as her long-held secrets are shared with the court. The ending will have you second-guessing the person you thought you knew as Claire, Darling.

This psychological thriller takes a deep dive into the aftermath of infidelity, abuse and stalking.

When Claire unexpectedly shows up at her fiancé’s workplace to surprise him with lunch, she finds that he is no longer employed there and hasn’t been for many months. He won’t answer her calls and he never again comes home. Claire refuses to give up and thus begins her journey into stalking, obsession and self-hatred.

This is a gripping psychological thriller. I found parts of it slow, but overall it’s intriguing and a little sinister. Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the advanced reader copy.

This was GOOD. Claire decides to surprise her fiancé on their anniversary by bringing him lunch at work, but when she arrives the receptionist tells her that he no longer works there.
And then he's not taking her phone calls, answering her texts, or coming home. So basically, Claire has been ghosted, and she quickly becomes obsessed with getting answers. With Sukhi by her side they begin to uncover Noah's secrets about his other life, but Claire doesn't want to believe it.
Claire is definitely an unreliable narrator, and you can't decide if you really believe what she says or not and that definitely makes the read more interesting. While the twists were a bit predictable, it didn't take away from how good it was overall and how it still felt shocking, even if I knew it was coming. The last page is definitely one that you would describe as 'jaw dropping.'
I don't want to say anything more that could give the ending away because I definitely recommend the read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House - Ballantine for providing me with a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My darlings, I just spent 24 hours with this debut and it was one wild ride.

When Claire drops off a lunch for her fiancé, Noah, as a surprise, she is the one surprised to find out he doesn’t actually work in the building. And when Claire tries to clear up the mistake, Noah doesn’t answer calls or texts. Has she been ghosted? What follows is a twisty ride as Claire plunges herself into an obsessive journey to find answers.

This book grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go until the very end. While I thought I had it all figured out pretty early on, the author did such a great job at making you doubt EVERYTHING. I love a good unreliable narrator story, and this was perfection. This had great pacing and was well done for a debut. I look forward to reading more from the author.

Grab yourself a glass (or bottle!) of wine and hunker down. This is one you don’t want to miss.

Thank you to Callie Kazumi, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and NetGalley for a digital copy of the book for an honest review.

Loved this novel that kept me guessing. Very unique perspective with an unreliable narrator. Also had a great ending!

This story grabbed me right away I could not put it down.
It’s filled with twists and turns and loads of cray cray!
This is a great domestic thriller that will have you
on the edge of your seat and trying to guess if you’re right or wrong.
*Mommy dearest vibes
*Lying, cheating
*Mental Health
*Child Abuse

The title of “Claire, Darling” was changed from the original “Cuckoo” — which might be enough to spoil what’s going to happen in this debut psychological thriller from Callie Kazumi. The book opens with a murdered woman and, presumably, her unknown-gender observer musing about how the two of them got to this point. So, is this the killer and could it be our darling Claire? Or the other girlfriend of the ghosting cad Noah and the dead body is Claire? Shouldn’t awful Noah be bleeding somewhere, too, no matter who’s dead?

This is a one-sitting read that will either keep you going until the end or irk you immediately as you are screaming “He’s not worth it, Claire!” We get to read Claire’s diary entries from the day she met Noah a year ago (who makes her origami love notes). It’s also quickly obvious she had a very strained and torturous relationship with “Mother,” a constant family drama that obviously influenced Claire for the worse.

As expected, once Claire gets totally ghosted and rejected in person by Noah, she goes into full-on stalker mode (with a little initial help from her workmate Sukhi and Noah’s oversharing on social media). You’ll have to read this fairly short novel to find out what happens and how it circles back to the prologue, but oh-my-goodness….

The “Mother” vignettes could have possibly been trimmed. They became so abusive and tragic that I started to skim over them. Admittedly, mental illness does play a very serious role in this thriller. Anyway, it’s a terrific debut for a new author. If you enjoyed Alex Michaelides’ “The Silent Patient,” you’ll enjoy “Claire, Darling.” 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES The unrelated Sukhi, Blake, and Lilah all have green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska):NO However, I had never encountered the term “gardening leave” before so now I know it has nothing to do with gardening.

Thank you to Random House/Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!