I dnf’d this book at about a third of the way through. I was confused on why the flashbacks with her mother were included. They seemed depressing with no real obvious contribution to the main storyline.
I was also annoyed with the main character, Claire. I wanted her to stop whining and get revenge and move on!

What a great debut novel! I do confess that I struggled a bit in the beginning - trying to figure out where the story was headed, but once it took its first strong twist, I was fully invested. I felt for Claire and her crappy childhood, and I so wanted her to have happiness - so I feel Kazumi did a great job of creating a character you can feel empathy for. I have to say, the twist at the end was *Chef's Kiss.* I won't share more, because I don't want to ruin anything, but it was perfectly done.

This was a fun entertaining read that keeps ya guessing my first five star read in a while! I thought it was great for a debut

After being ghosted and humiliated by her perfect fiancé, Claire is left faltering and desperate for answers. This story is told chaotically through Claire's journal entries, witness statements, and flashbacks to Claire's childhood. The stories are sad and the facts just don't add up. The twist at the end makes the story make sense, but wasn't a satisfying ending to me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book and was excited to read it, but unfortunately the reality was that this book was too dark and disturbing for my taste. So when reading this book, I suggest you proceed with caution and check your trigger warnings.

Whoa I genuinely was so blown away at the ending. I love a tale of obsession, this was beautifully done.

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi does an excellent job of getting the reader to question her own conclusions. Early on, I suspected that Claire is an unreliable narrator. I thought I knew how the book would end and I was close. But Kazumi does such a fine job of Claire being a convincing enough narrator that--a few times--I thought I might be wrong. Claire seems to convince herself of her version of the truth and is an engaging enough voice that the reader gets a little drawn in as well. I look forward to more from this writer as she shows promise as a creator of suspenseful stories with deliciously unreliable narrators.

This suspenseful novel grabbed my attention right from the start. It’s a true page-turner with well-developed characters, and you find yourself rooting for the protagonist through every twist and turn.
Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this eARC that will be released March 11, 2025!

I love a great, twisty psychological thriller. Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi is a debut page turner. If this is a look into future books by Ms. Kazumi, put me on the automatic buy list. This books is just so much, I can't decide where to begin. It's definitley one you have to read for yourself. I look forward to recommending this book to psychological thriller fans and discussing their thoughts.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Easy, fast paced read. Predictable. I figured it out halfway through that it was probably all in her head given the history of her abusive mother. Still entertaining though!

Absolutely captivating psychological thriller you don’t wanna put down! What a debut 👏🏽👏🏽 thank you NetGalley and publisher for early arc of this book! I loved it!!

Not the ending I expected!

This story was bananas in the best way!

I don't want to give too much away, but writing an unreliable POV like Claire's is both challenging and rewarding (when done right), and Kazumi has accomplished just that. I thought I knew what was going on, but when the story reached the midpoint it threw me off completely and I realized something much darker was going on. Considering Claire's background with her mother, which is included as regular flashbacks throughout, her mental state made sense. Having been raised by a narcissistic parent, it's obvious that it took a toll on her mental health.

The story gripped me, but the second half during the court proceedings slowed the pace and I would have enjoyed a few more shocking reveals from her past. I enjoyed how the midpoint tied back to the prologue, filling in all the blanks in between. Kazumi's voice was compelling and I enjoyed reading from Claire's POV, but would have also enjoyed to see from other character's perspectives, even toward the end of the book.

4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

For readers who enjoy unreliable narrators, steady paced suspense, and themes of mental health.

Ugh I’m sorry to say I ended up not really loving this one. It’s a relatively easy read and the plot is intriguing, but there were certain parts of the book that seemed to go on for too long. I felt that there were just way too many flashbacks and the trial took up so much of the book and ending up existing for literally no reason (we didn’t need the mother’s testimony for example). I also feel like the twist was a bit of a cop out. I kind of wanted it to end differently! I could see this being good as an intro to thrillers but for someone that has read quite a few, this just wasn’t a stand out to me.

Also just a note there is a reference to “secondment” in chapter 30 - just want to mention as an American I have absolutely no clue what this means and would recommend changing it to something else or removing it altogether!

"Claire, darling, you know that no one could ever possibly love you, right?"

That is not a direct quote from the book but it sure does provide insight into why our main character, Claire, is so emotionally stunted. Let's just say that her mother was not a contender for any mother of the year contests.

Claire and Noah are happy, in love, and recently engaged. Imagine her surprise when she shows up at his work with his lunch only to be told he doesn't want to see her. Imagine her dismay when she spots Noah at a club with another woman leaving her to hurl her engagement ring at him while running away in tears. Imagine her confusion when she is arrested for murdering his actual fiancé?

Claire is alone, afraid, and very angry. Why has Noah done this to her? You'll have to read this to find out.

Okay, so nothing about this book is going to shock and amaze, it's your everyday tale of obsession. The thing is, I love these kinds of books, when they're written well and with an interesting unreliable narrator as their main character. Claire was someone that I felt terrible for. Her mother was monstrous and she openly flayed her daughter daily with her razor sharp observations and insults. So while Claire did provide many a cringe moment I still couldn't help but care about her regardless of her behavior. Her mother convinced her she was an unlovable loser and so she became what she was told she was. It's really very sad.

So we have Claire and Noah, a murdered fiancé, a trial, and a verdict. Then there's the devious little epilogue. Nicely done, Kazumi! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group -Ballantine for my complimentary copy.

I love a good twist in a thriller, I had figured out the main twist early on which I was bummed about but then another one came that I didn't see coming and it left a stupid grin on my face. Overall, I enjoyed the flow of the book. The author did a great job at going from past to present tense. The relationship between Claire and her mom makes you feel a lot of different emotions. Some of the book I felt was dragged out a bit too far, but overall, I enjoyed it and would recommend it!

This wasn't a horrible read, but it wasn't amazing either. It was almost too slow placed for my tastes and I had a feeling that the relationship between Claire and Noah was all in her head. The flashbacks to her childhood seemed a bit misplaced too, until of course you get to the ending where it kind of made sense. It would have been a two star read if not for the very ending and her journal entry. That gave it a boost to three stars.

Claire, Darling was a written debut thriller that kept me guessing up until the end. This had a lot of twists and things I didn't see coming. I'm looking forward to more from Callie Kazumi rating this 3/3.5 stars. I want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Claire, Darling is a thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Claire believes she and her fiancé have the perfect relationship until she decides to surprise him with lunch one day and is informed that he no longer works there. He completely ghosts her, and poor Claire is left spiraling. She desperately wants her fiancé back. The writing is fast-based and keeps the reader guessing what is really going on. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Callie Kazumi. Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for the ARC.

This was so good!
This gave me the weird spine tingles, often, and kept me on my toes for every single page.

I absolutely recommend!

This book was unhinged... in the best way.

One sentence synopsis: Claire is ghosted by her fiance and takes her investigation a little too far.

This one started out VERY strong. I was interested in the storyline and I really could not figure out what was going on. I felt bad for Claire and I felt like I was listening to the song "Mad Woman" by Taylor Swift. Then... things took a turn. The second half turned into a court room drama.

While I was super interested in Claire's actual storyline, I thought the past storyline with the mom took away from the narrative. I don't think there needed to be as many of those. I lost interest a bit in the middle of the story.