This book was WILD! This book had so many good twists and turns. It really was exactly what I hope for when I read a thriller. I wanted answers just as much as Claire did - If not more. Such a good debut novel. I am excited to see what else this author will come out with.

Claire has the perfect life. She has a job she enjoys and the perfect fiancé, Noah. Or so she thinks…. One day Claire decides that she’s gonna stop by Noah’s office and drop him off lunch. One small problem, Noah does not work there. She tries calling him and he doesn’t answer, he has basically dropped off the face of the Earth. Naturally, Claire begins to try and figure out what happen to Noah and unfortunately what she discovers shocks her.

The story is told in two different parts. Part one deals with Noah’s disappearance along with some journal entries from Claire’s past culminating to a tragic act of violence. Part two deals with the fallout of part one. I personally enjoyed the second half of the book on how everything is broken down to the reader via testimonies. Being that I am familiar with this genre there was nothing that shocked me, but I did enjoy the pace of the novel.

3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

this book was a wild ride. i knew that claire (the main character) was an unreliable narrator, but i audibly gasped while reading the epilogue. the first part of this book was much more engaging than the second part with all of the witness statements, though. “claire, darling” was an interesting read overall! thank you to the author and netgalley for this ARC.

What a brilliant debut!! I’ve read the mystery genre for a long time and this book was delightfully deceitful. I read it in one sitting and was clueless of the twist that I was to yet encounter!! Thrilled to receive the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I enjoyed this story so much. It was thrilling, entertaining, and everything and more that I hoped it would be. I rated this book a 5 stars.

This was a fast paced read that I finished in less than a day. It centers on Claire, who finds out her fiancé is living a secret life. You also get flashback chapters from Claire’s childhood and from diary entries over the last year that help provide the necessary background for the events in the current timeline.

I did figure out the big twist pretty early in the book, but it didn’t make me enjoy it less, and there were also other surprises intermingled throughout. The chapters from Claire’s childhood are heartbreaking to read and elicited a deep sympathy for her. I thought the ending was good, not great, but worked well with the rest of the story.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and quick read that really made me feel for the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thoughts

Honestly this is the best thriller I have read in a long time. I absolutely devoured it because I had to know what was going on.

This is full of suspense and intrigue from the beginning to the end. I was worried that it was going to die off in the second half because the first half was filled with so much, but it never did. This is a true page turner.

I think the combination of flash backs, diary entries, and present day really kept it moving along as you are finding out more about her past with her abusive mother, learning about her relationship, and seeing how everything led to the present was perfectly executed.

I am so excited to read more from the author in the future.

Read If You Like:
- Psychological thrillers centered on obsession
- Narratives exploring the aftermath of deceit
- Stories featuring unreliable narrators
- Tales of personal unraveling and self-discovery
- Suspenseful plots with unexpected twists

In this taut psychological thriller, Claire Arundale's world shatters when she discovers her fiancé, Noah, has a secret life with another woman.

Her quest for answers leads her down a path of obsession, unearthing buried traumas from her past. As Claire's grip on reality weakens, she becomes entangled in a murder investigation, blurring the lines between victim and perpetrator.

This debut novel delves into themes of love, betrayal, and the haunting impact of one's past, keeping readers on edge until the final page.

This story kind of goes how you expect. But there’s something in that, knowing more than the narrator and wondering how that was going to play out for her.

The flashbacks to Claire’s childhood lend sympathy to her, like a lot of sympathy.

It’s easy to get sucked into.

Claire, Darling was hard to put down. I finished it in less than a day. The story is a mystery wrapped up in a mystery. The ending still makes me wonder because Claire Darling is so good at spinning her tale that I am unsure if I shouldn't believe her. I look forward to reading more from Callie Kazumi.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 rounded up - Wooo. I could not put this down once it got going. The beginning is a little slow but not too slow. I *needed* to know what the heck was going on! The flashback sections to all the stuff with her mom were hard to read but there was purpose. I can’t believe this is a debut! My biggest gripe, which is quite small, is that the author used boyfriend and fiancé interchangeably 🤣 so really not a big deal. This went many different ways I wasn’t expecting and kept me on my toes until the very end.

This book had a big twist at the end! No spoilers, but it was definitely interesting. Trigger warnings include mental illness, rape and sexual abuse, and abusive parenting. Things are not quite what they seem for main character Claire as she stumbles upon her fiance Noah's Secret life. I would recommend this book for those who enjoy psychological thrillers and those who enjoy trying to guess what's coming up next. I would not recommend this book for those who have had upsetting childhoods as this may bring up a lot of triggers.

Callie Kazumi’s debut novel has many engrossing moments. The story is about Claire, a woman who learns that she has been ghosted by her fiance. As she investigates what went wrong in her relationship she discovers her fiance has an entire double life. She spirals into obsession as she tries to discover why her, and where things went so terribly wrong.

I’m rating this book three stars because throughout the beginning of the novel there are many flashbacks to Claire’s relationship with a critical and abusive mother. These felt disjointed to me and separate from the main story. I did find things picked up a lot in the second half of the novel, and it all began to feel more integrated. There is a significant twist to the story, which I predicted, but which was still interesting.

Overall I think this is a solid debut.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for sharing this book with me in exchange for my honest review.

This book was engrossing from the very beginning. My God! I couldn't put it down. I had an idea of where they were going, since I have read similar stories, but I was still interested to see how the entire thing played out. This was an incredible debut novel!

Callie Kazumi’s debut novel Claire, Darling is an unpredictable, unforgettable story about a young woman who learns that her supposed fiancé is living a double life. Claire was raised by her cruel, narcissistic mother and has never truly come to terms with the long-lasting effects of her childhood. It hasn’t been easy for her to make friends or maintain relationships because she doesn’t think that she’s worthy of love. When Noah gives her attention, she is in disbelief…. and when he becomes her boyfriend, she ignores the red flags. Then a tragic event rips apart her life as she knows it and Claire is forced to reexamine what she has believed to be the truth for far too long.

I’m so grateful to NetGalley for introducing me to this brilliant new author who belongs on every “One to Watch” list.

Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for this ARC in exchange for a review.
Expected publication
March 11, 2025 by Bantam

Claire Darling is the debut book by author Callie Kazumi. I really enjoyed this and only learned that this was a debut when I looked for other books.

She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah's name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.

Noah isn't picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.

Desperate to unpack all of Noah’s lies, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.

If you enjoy bullying, trolling, stalking, trial, murder, unreliable characters, but reliable friends, this may be a book for you!
Bravo Calle Kazumi 👏🏻

The suspense of this novel is compelling. The main character Claire, is in a relationship with Noah Coors. In the beginning we see this story from Claire’s point of view. We sympathize with Claire for a mother wound tight. A mother so controlling Claire fears her reaction to everything. The first inkling that all is not as it seems is when a workmate starts questioning Claire about Noah, noticing him on social feeds with another women, Lilah. As Claire and her friend look into Noah’s life , we see the unraveling of Claire. Noah refuses to communicate with Claire which pushes her into a complete psychotic event. Unfortunately Lilah is the victim of this moment, and what follows is a fascinating exercise in misdirection. It will give you chills in the end. Happy reading

This was a wild ride! Claire goes to her fiance's work one day and finds that he no longer works there. She starts to realize that he has a double life and many aspects of their relationship have been hidden from her. While she is spiraling about her relationship the novel flashbacks to her life with her mother. This was the part of the book that had me practically in tears as I read about what a difficult life Claire has had to deal with.

This was a solid thriller, although I did guess the twist pretty early in. It still made for an interesting read. The book flowed easily and kept me engaged the entire time. Claire was a dynamic character and I enjoyed reading about her life. The flashbacks really helped to explain why she acted in the way that she did. I look forward to reading more by this author.

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

I finished this and I’m still sitting here like….. but that can’t be right! This was a story where you thought one thing but it was really another. Even with the truth being convoluted the story was still relatable because we as women are so often gaslighted and then we’re called crazy. This was a great psych thriller and lovers of the genre will enjoy it!

“For God’s sake, Claire, darling, he’s making a fool of you. Why would a man like that want a girl like you?”

What a debut!! Now this one is unhinged. And I’m here for it.
This book starts as heartbreak but spirals into something much darker. Claire goes to bring lunch to her fiancé, Noah’s, work only to discover he doesn’t work there anymore. Not only that, he isn’t answering any of her calls. She’s been ghosted! With her co-worker and new friend by her side, she is determined to get answers.
Through this we get Claire’s diary entries for when she first meets Noah and her childhood with a manipulative mother. Who has made her feel unloved and not good enough.
The lines between reality and delusion blur which makes this a tense and eerie read. Definitely recommend for psychological thriller fans.