What a fantastic debut novel- I enjoyed every page. Even though I suspected the outcome very early in the book, it didn't stop me from being pulled in invested. Loved the London setting! Thank you #randomhouse and #netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Prepare for a thrilling journey with the psychological suspense novel "Claire, Darling." When Claire sets out to deliver lunch to her seemingly perfect fiancé, Noah, she is stunned to discover that he no longer works at his office. This revelation marks the beginning of a series of dark secrets that gradually come to light. As Claire delves deeper into Noah's life, we also uncover the impact of her own traumatic childhood, shaped by a manipulative and emotionally abusive mother. The scars from her past significantly influence Claire's ability to confront Noah's hidden truths. The conclusion left me utterly astonished! Although the book is concise, it is richly packed with compelling content.

Strangely addictive reading. Fast paced, but nothing truly original. I still really enjoyed it even if it somewhat fizzled out at the end.

3.5/5

Slow start but the last half of the book is really good.
If you like an unreliable narrator who you don’t know if you fully trust this is the book for you. You hear Claire’s story told by her in both the past and the present. You can also read her diary entries for her point of view on events happening.

The book is a little obvious. I guessed what happened about a quarter of the way through. However, it’s still a good read and you want to keep going to know what’s happening.

Claire is engaged to Noah and all of a sudden he disappears and pretends not to know her. She goes down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out why. She spirals from there.

Well Claire Darling, you had me going from page one to the end. what more can you say for a debut novel. This is a page turner for sure and a big accomplishment for an author at any stage of their career.

This book really had me on edge. I was not prepared for how suspenseful it would be. Truly enjoyed it and would recommend it for others as well.

“Claire, Darling” is a psychological thriller (was it a thriller, maybe?) by Callie Kazumi. In this book we follow Claire in two timelines - the present dealing with her boyfriend/fiancé and the past dealing with her relationship with her mother. Claire is engaged to Noah, but one day he seemingly disappears and she is frantic with worry. With help from her co-worker/friend, Claire discovers that Noah is engaged to someone else -and has been for a long time. Claire goes into a mental spiral trying to figure out why he did this to her - and interspersed are stories about Claire’s own upbringing and rather warped relationship with her own mother. I sometimes feel that reading books like these are a reminder to just be overly careful out in public and on social media. The fact that it becomes clear that Claire is an unreliable character was interesting - how much could the reader trust what she was saying? My favorite character, though, has to be Claire’s co-worker/friend Sukhi - she was so supportive of Claire and really tried to help her in her quest for finding Noah and dealing with the fallout. This book had some pacing and repeated information issues but it was a pretty good and interesting read. I did like the courtroom scenes - especially Claire’s lawyer. Was this book’s ending predictable - yes, but that wasn’t a bad thing. If you like psychological thrillers, this might be a book to pick up.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Random House Ballatine for a copy of this book!

Wow. This was a good one. I read this in a day because I had to find out what the heck was going on. I felt so bad for Claire and then when I got towards the end I felt the WTF. The ending was a good one. I'll read this author again.

This gripping psychological thriller is the perfect one-sitting read.
A twist-filled story, it delves into themes like infidelity, ghosting, abuse, bullying, trolling, stalking, and psychological manipulation. At its center is Claire, a seemingly ordinary woman who finally appears to have her life together: a promising new job where she can showcase her potential, a devoted fiancé, Noah, who supports her self-growth, and a reliable work friend, Sukhi. But beneath this façade lies a troubled past—Claire has endured a tumultuous childhood with a narcissistic, abusive mother, her father’s abandonment, and relentless bullying, leaving her isolated and struggling to build meaningful relationships. Now at 30, with her mother gone, Claire is planning a future with Noah, saving for a dream home and looking forward to a fresh start.
But her idyllic life crumbles when a spontaneous visit to Noah’s workplace reveals he hasn’t worked there in months. Worse, he vanishes—ignoring her calls and texts and failing to come home. Determined to uncover the truth, Claire enlists Sukhi's help and dives into social media sleuthing. What she finds is devastating: secret accounts that had likely blocked her, a new workplace, and signs that Noah might be cheating with a glamorous blonde named Lilah. Digging deeper, Claire discovers Noah and Lilah are about to marry and live together in an upscale home—a far cry from the life she thought they were building.
Years of emotional scars and feelings of inadequacy ignite Claire’s resolve. She refuses to let go of Noah without a fight and becomes consumed by a dangerous determination to win him back. But as she takes increasingly impulsive steps, she unwittingly puts herself in harm’s way, with consequences far more perilous than she could have foreseen.
While the major twist felt predictable to me, the fast-paced storytelling and intense, suspenseful events kept me hooked. Claire’s complex character and her chilling dynamic with her late mother were particularly well-crafted, even if some of the legal thriller elements felt a bit implausible.
If you enjoy psychological thrillers that draw you in quickly and hold your attention, this one is an undeniably compelling read.

OMG THAT WAS AMAZING!!!! Spoilers follow.

Claire, a woman in her late twenties living in London, had a rough childhood, but things are finally looking up for her. She has a fabulously handsome, sweet, and wealthy fiance, Noah, whom she can't wait to marry, after which they'll have kids and live in a gorgeous house happily ever after.

So, she is understandably upset when Noah doesn't return home one evening, after she discovers he hasn't worked at the company she thought he worked at for nine months. With the help of her coworker and friend, Sukhi, she stalks him on social media—and finds out he's living with another woman, the tall, blonde, gorgeous Lilah.

Claire confronts Noah, but he refuses to talk to her. Eventually, she goes to Lilah's house and confronts her, which ends in Lilah's death when Claire pushes her and poor Lilah's head is whacked open when she falls.

Claire goes on trial, during which we find out that she and Noah were never in a relationship, much less engaged. She's been creepily stalking him and suffers from delusions. We also find out Noah is no prize, as he cheated on Lilah multiple times in the time they were together.

Interspersed throughout are flashbacks to Lilah's childhood with her wretched mother and school bullies. I did feel bad for her in those sections—she really had it rough.

Anyway, Claire is sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. She appears to be getting better... but in the epilogue, we find out she's not actually taking her medicine and is pretending to get better so she can get out... and get "back together" with Noah...

A truly fantastic, fast-paced, cutting thriller. I highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free copy for my review!

I loved and hated this book at the same time! I loved the story and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen, but I hated the triggers in it. Reading Claire’s childhood made me feel for her so much! This book was a great read! I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to read more from this author!

Wow, what did I just read?? What a whirlwind, but in the best way. If you are on the fence, get off of it and read this book!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

WHOA, this was a wild ride. Claire's perfect relationship with Noah comes to a crashing halt when she brings him a surprise lunch and realizes that he no longer works where he said he did. She quickly learns many more secrets about Noah which ultimately leads to a very sad climax.

I predicted the "point" of the story early on but that was AOK. You may know what is going on, but the epilogue will have you gasping!

Flashing back on Claire's life was heartbreaking. Her mother was downright cruel - a true bully to her own child that was constantly gaslighting her. My mom heart ached for young Claire, I wish I could have adopted her and saved her this whole nightmare of a story! If you are triggered by child abuse and narcissism, this is not the book for you.

One thing I loved in this book was the friendship between Claire and Sukhi. Sukhi was a true ally to Claire and showed her the kindness she really needed.

Shout out to the author for including Rottweilers in her book, the biggest and sweetest baby beasts.

Mommy Dearest, meet Claire Darling… Well sort of.
Claire has it all in her life. A too good to be true fiancé and a good friend Sukhi. But sometimes her childhood upbringing comes back to haunt her. Claire had a rough upbringing. Claire grew up with a narcissistic mom. Claire grew up thinking she will never amount to anything.
But all that changed with she met Noah. He boosted her confidence and helped her feel at ease with herself. All that came tumbling down when she finds out Noah is living a double life.
The book was a little slow. There was a lot of anticipation throughout the story and a lot of frustration with Claire.. up until the last page where you were left with…..poor Claire, or is it?

I enjoyed this book, but it is more of a romance book than a thriller. That being said, it was still a great book with a good twist. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC of the book.

Don't be seduced by your own interpretations of reality.

Claire, Darling is a knotted venture into what serves as one's desires and longings for perfection. Callie Kazumi provides the twisted avenues that coax the willing mind into those dark and not quite focused curbs and sidewalks.

Claire met Noah in the wine section of the local grocery store. It started with a simple discussion of which to choose and ended up over coffee in the neighboring cafe. A year later, Claire is sporting a diamond on her hand and great promises in her heart.

All seems well until it's not. Claire decides to bring lunch to her fiance at his workplace. She's accompanied by her friend Sukhi. Just a quick in and a quick out. But the receptionist denies that Noah even works there. Claire will be hitting bottom from here on out.

Claire, Darling is not a bad read. It's just a bit of a disappointing one. Callie Kazumi injects reality hard and heavy from the office visit. But reality seems to only limp on broken ankles throughout. We begin to wonder how the unstable Claire was even able to establish a relationship from the onset. So, so many potholes to jump across to get to the other side. There's also the back and forth in time to the Wicked Witch of the West, Calire's mother. It became tedious. How could Claire even function day-to-day after all that? And yet, Kazumi dresses Claire in a suit of armor initially. A blind eye from all corners of this planet. But check this one out. It may just ring a bell for you.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Bantam Books and to Callie Kazumi for the opportunity.

dramatic, interesting, and with a super great dset of twists and vibes in it. tysm for the arc, 4 stars. would recommend ad really like it.

I feel like a bitch about to give a review that's anything but "darling.".

I DNFed it at 34% in. Although slightly curious if Claire made Noah up or what the deal is, the book was more rom.com than psychological thriller. Claire is an unreliable narrator. I was able to skim through paragraphs at a time. The story is trite, boring & common.

This will definitely not be a hit of 2025.

I'm giving it 2.5 stars which bumps up to 3.

Claire Darling attempts to weave a tale of betrayal and heartbreak, following the main character Claire who uncovers that her fiancé is married.

Each confrontation between Claire and the fiancé , he evades her questions, leaving the plot feeling disjointed and frustrating since he never answers her. The story drags, particularly during Claire's quest for answers about his deceit, which becomes repetitive. As the narrative progresses, her turmoil culminates in a shocking turn where she finds herself on trial for the fiancé’s wife’s murder. This transition was a gripping climax, as courtroom scenes filled with witness testimonies that her attorney is able to counter.
Additionally, Claire’s childhood trauma serves as a backdrop but often feels more distracting than illuminating, interrupting the flow of the main story rather than enhancing it. The flashbacks, while intended to provide depth, sometimes detract from the what is happening in present situation.
I cannot say I enjoyed this one as it was frustrating to wait until the very end to have the situation uncovered.

This is my favorite kind of thriller...where you become so invested in finding out what the heck is going on that you walk around your house reading, resenting anyone who needs you for anything. Pizza for dinner, kids!

I was as desperate as Claire to figure out why Noah ghosted her and when we finally got there? Ho-oh-oh-oh-ly cow. Yes, please, Ms. Kazumi, may I have another? I will line up for whatever you write...

Thank you so, so, so much for gifting me a copy. I don't even want those two days back...

It is my pleasure to write an honest review and hurl 5 stars at this book!