Thanks NetGalley for the free ARC! This was an entertaining read. I thought the protagonist was partly relatable, but partly obsessive. The first part was good; but I really enjoyed the second part with the court proceedings. I like how the author sectioned the storyline into two parts( basically before and after). I would recommend for an entertaining read.

What a fantastic debut novel!! It starts off with someone's murder and propels forward with heart pounding speed. Claire is in love and engaged to Noah, they just celebrated their one year anniversary but wait ...not all is perfect in paradise. The story takes a turn that we as readers are left wondering what the hell is going on. The finale is bang for your money great. Hope Netflix and the like buy the rights for the movie. Looking forward to more from this author.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Claire, Darling.

TW and CW: child abuse, verbal, physical, and psychological violence

Flashbacks to Claire's traumatic childhood and violent mother is disturbing so consider yourself warned.

I was disappointed by the premise since I quickly figured out the twist because I've read previous books with the SAME TWIST.

The writing was fine, but nothing original or creative about the plot I haven't read already.

This book delves deep into Claire and her psychosis. At first, the reader sympathized with her and the disappearance of her loving fiance, Noah, who the first time in her life made her feel loved but most importantly, he made her be seen. Claire had a very troubling childhood as her Mother was the quintessential narcissist. She would waver between crying immensely due to her great love for her child to forgetting to feed her due to her dates and her drinking. One cannot help but feel who Claire felt less then and her relationship with Noah was enabling her to actually love herself. However, when Noah disappeared and she found out that he had a committed relationship with Lilah that she became completely obsessed and wanted to do anything to get him back. She trailed him to his work, the club, Facebook by creating a false profile, and any other situation that she thought he may be at. She finally confronts Lilah at her home and accused her of stealing her fiance. What happens next is truly shocking that she fabricated the entire thing. She bought the ring, she went on the trip by herself and he knew nothing about her besides her stalker personality. It culminated with the last sentence in her diary. This book is highly recommended due how suspenseful it is in nature.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this thriller. This was a I can't put this book down book....Claire, the title character seems to be happy in and engaged to Noah when we meet her...but there is more going on. First of all, we have alternating timelines where we learn about the trauma that Claire endured with her Mom growing up. Its painful and sad...and you just know that this relationship will factor into her current one. When her fiance suddenly "disappears" to a new life she had no idea about, job, friends, social media, girlfriend, Claire has not choice but to dig deeper in the past and the present. This had some good twists and my heart went out to lonely, friendless Claire. A good ride with this one.

Review Copy

Claire's mother was so mentally abusive I wanted to pull Claire aside and commiserate with her over drinks. She needed to know that she wasn't alone.

But, Claire ended up with a friend and a fiancé who loved her...at least so she thought.

That's it. And I was hooked. I absolutely loved this book and tore through the pages. Good thing they were digital! I had the whole book figured out - until I didn't. As usual, I couldn't have been wronger! Heh. Read every single page and tell me that you saw the last few pages coming.

Coming in March 2025, I offer 5 brilliant stars to Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi. Don't forget to order it.

When her fiance Noah ghosts her, Claire is determined to find out why at any cost. It's a little predictable until the very end, when the author springs a shocking surprise on the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this book, with my honest review below.

Claire, Darling was dark and ultimately very twisty, with the inclusion of what I’m beginning to realize I love - a courtroom / investigation retrospective in the back half of the book that is fascinating and dramatic.

Claire is loved up with her fiancée Noah, just off a milestone celebration of their anniversary. She innocently and sweetie brings him lunch after celebrating with him the night before only to find out he doesn’t work there anymore and is in fact MIA. Claire, along with her friend and coworker, Sukhi, tries to find out what happened. After bringing in reflections of Claire’s fraught childhood with her Mother and relationship with Noah, the second half of the book ramps up the volume when we enter a trial that flips everything we just went through on its head. Once again I loved this piece of the story and what comes from it. This is a hard story not to spoil but suffice to say you may have a hunch of what is going on, but the way it is revealed is a true slow burn that is fascinating to read.

Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing, for the ARC of Claire, Darling.

If you are a fan of author Frieda McFadden, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up this book! An emotional roller coaster to the end and a guarantee to keep you on your feet! Claire has a way to make sure she gets answers no matter how desperate they may when she discovers her fiancee is living a double life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for this ARC of Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi.

I love psychological thrillers featuring deception, duplicity, ghosting, stalking, and obsession. These are why I requested to advance-read this book.

This story engaged me throughout, written in first-person POV with plot chapters of Claire’s present and past, interspersed with (notably, future) diary chapters.

Claire is insecure due to her traumatic upbringing and seemed to be a sympathetic character (“I’m Claire, and I do care” [about what people think]).

Claire’s boyfriend/fiancée Noah has ghosted her after a seemingly idyllic fast courtship. Claire skipped higher education, works in a mundane PR role, and does not make enough for more than a walk up studio apartment. Supposedly Noah makes more money and had previously put a deposit down for renovations to their future house.

Claire has one work friend, Sukhi, and a past with a controlling, narcissistic, dysfunctional mother.
Sukhi is strong and helps Claire to discover the truth about Noah.

This book riveted me! It has tight and increasing suspense, making for a propulsive read. *Why* has Noah done what he has done to Claire? Who is Lilah?
Is Claire just an unreliable narrator?

Four stars. (One star taken because some of the court trial pacing was a bit slow for me.)

Great book!! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had a fantastic ending! It also had light suspense, very intriguing, murder, mystery, juicy secrets, and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was very interesting! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me! 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!

Claire celebrates an anniversary wit her boyfriend Noah. The next day she goes to his work by chance and is told he hasn’t worked there for months. Claire run all around the area and town to try to figure out what happened to him. He doesn’t come home or answer calls / texts. As Claire gets to the bottom of it she looks back and tries to figure out was it all a lie or something she missed? Loved the twists in this one and this is every girls worst nightmare..

I was underwhelmed with this book. It held my interest, but it seemed similar to many other psychological thrillers out there. I didn’t think it was special or unique, just mediocre.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Claire has been ghosted by Noah. She doesn’t understand she thought they had a great relationship. She decides to bring him lunch and they say he doesn’t work there. What lies has he been telling? Now no answers to her calls or texts…but she discovers he has another girlfriend- maybe she needs to plan a visit. She becomes obsessed. Is her past haunting her? What’s with Noah?

Thank you so much to Random House and Netgalley for the ARC!

I liked this book, but I felt like it needed more. It wasn't difficult to discern past from present, but I think having a header on those chapters would have helped the overall reading experience. I think the story had a lot of potential but faltered in the end. I wanted to keep reading to get to the truth and we do get a truth, but it felt too rushed. More bad mother trigger warnings need to be included in books so just FYI our main character, Claire has a traumatic past relationship with her mother that she reflects on throughout the book.

Overall, I don't think this particular psychological thriller was for me, but it is well-written and gripping enough to catch the eyes of readers who enjoy the genre.

Here is a brilliant story that begins with a young woman who had a difficult
childhood. . She now has a small flat, a job she enjoys, and one friend. For
the first half of the book there is her story, and it pulls from all sides~ she
meets a man, gives her heart and soul to the man, she becomes engaged
to marry the man. And…
Sometimes, things are just not at all what we think, see, believe. The second
half (or so) of the book packs a hurricane wallop, which makes up for the
minutia of the background, which is critical to the excellence of the book.
I go out of my way to provide no hints or clues regarding the outcome
of the book because it is how I read the story and it provides maximum
enjoyment for the reader. I promise.
I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys multi-faceted
and complicated layers to stories..
This debut from Author Callie Kazumi is a great one!
My thanks to Random House, via Net Galley for the download of the
book for review purposes.

Fun, quick read - with a decent twist. This one had me turning the pages until the very end.

Kazumi did well on her first book, I would definetly read what she comes up with next

I was so excited to read this one and I was not disappointed! It was fast paced and grabbed me from the first page! I love how the twists unraveled slowly throughout the book and I was left gasping over and over! Brilliant debut novel! I’m totally looking forward to her next book! I’m following this author on Amazon and Goodreads!

This captivating psychological thriller is an absolute one-sitting read, reminiscent of one of my favorite Netflix series (I can’t reveal which one, as it might spoil the book, but you’ll understand once you reach the ending!).

It’s a twisty tale exploring themes of infidelity, ghosting, abuse, bullying, trolling, stalking, and psychological manipulation. Claire seems like an ordinary woman who has finally found her happily-ever-after: a promising job where she can showcase her true potential, a charming fiancé, Noah, who supports her in becoming the best version of herself, and a reliable office friend, Sukhi. Having endured a difficult childhood with an abusive, narcissistic mother, abandonment by her father, and years of bullying, Claire has struggled to form meaningful relationships, especially with men. Her mother’s controlling influence kept her isolated. But now, at 30, with her mother gone, Claire is with Noah, making future plans, saving for a big house, and looking forward to a fresh start.

However, her perfect life unravels when she decides to surprise Noah by bringing him lunch at his workplace—only to discover he hasn’t worked there for three months. When she tries to contact him, her texts and calls go unanswered, and he doesn’t return home.

With Sukhi’s help and some social media sleuthing, Claire uncovers Noah’s secret accounts, which had likely blocked her, and learns that he works at a different company and may be cheating on her with a stunning blonde. The more she investigates, the more Claire realizes Noah is about to marry this other woman, Lilah—beautiful, elegant, and everything Claire feels she isn’t. They even live together in a house in the most upscale part of town.

Fueled by years of emotional abuse that made her feel small, Claire decides she won’t go down without a fight. She is determined to win Noah back, no matter the odds. But her impulsive actions may place her in a far more dangerous situation than she ever imagined.

Overall, while the big twist was predictable for me, the fast-paced execution and gripping sequence of events kept my attention throughout. Though I found some of the legal thriller aspects a bit implausible, I’m still rounding my 3.5 stars up to 4 for the tense pacing, well-developed characterization of Claire, and her chilling relationship with her mother.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers that quickly pull you in, this is definitely a fast, gripping read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Bantam for providing this gripping psychological thriller’s digital review copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC of Claire, Darling.

This was a fast-paced, compelling read. I especially enjoyed hearing the story from different points of view during the trial, as well as in the diary entries. All that being said, I didn't find the ending in any way surprising, and I feel others who frequently read this genre will also find the ending predictable.

3.5 stars