Little Darlings: The chilling, haunting and addictive best selling crime thriller debut everyone’s talking about

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I bought this book expecting it to be quite boring. So receiving this book for Christmas I had low expectations for Little Darlings, but it managed to surprise me and grab me. The mom of newborn twins, Lauren's intense love for her boys shines throughout the book. She took me through many emotions and while she was surrounded by a cloud of mystery. I wanted to believe her. Real or imagined ? This is what I kept asking myself. Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review! I decided I give it 3 stars. I enjoyed the whole book, I liked the atmosphere, I adored the elements UNTIL the end. It is a great book, the problem is with me and my oddly specific taste. I still highly recommend it to anyone who likes creepy plot, especially if you don't mind the open-ending.

I loved so much about this book. There is a lot of the plot I am not even going to mention here as it is best to be taken off guard by it. Darling lives with her mum in a crummy area outside Manchester. She doesn't have a lot but she has enough. The main idea of the book is based on the European myth of the Changeling, an evil fairy who abducts babies and leaves in their place its own creatures. ( more about that here) What is real and what is a figment of Lauren's imagination? Many things point either direction and even Lauren doubts herself at times. Jo Harper works to find out what exactly is going on, with the help of Amy, a journalist that Jo fancies. The 'maybe' romance between Jo and Amy detracted from the book for me. It just didn't fit into the story and was unnecessary, in my opinion. Otherwise this book entranced me, even with an ending that may leave some readers questioning just what was real. Destiny is also an interesting character. At just 11 years old she feels more like the parent and has to plead with her mother, Kate, to seek help for her deteriorating condition. It feels as though we are meant to pity Kate for working so hard and trying to connect Destiny with her father - and whilst it was certainly sad to read about her neglecting her own health and falling into a depression, any likeability for her character was destroyed by how frustrating it was to read about her hysterical obsession with Danny and the way in which she neglects Destiny because of it.Sweetie Kilman – Daughter of Suzy and Danny and Sunset's younger sister. She is described as little, blonde and very pretty. She has known how to model "since she could toddle". Sweetie sometimes teases her sister, telling her that she is the pretty one and twirling her lovely, soft blonde hair in poor Sunset's face. However, when a shadow of sadness is cast over her beloved family, Sweetie leans on Sunset for support, showing her love and sweetness. Qwill. "Interview with Melanie Golding, author of Little Darlings". Archived from the original on 2023-07-04 . Retrieved 2023-07-04. Golding reportedly received a six figure publishing deal from HarperCollins for the book. It was published by HarperCollins in Canada and Crooked Lane Books in the United States and United Kingdom. [8] It was published on April 30, 2019. [9] The character of Jo Harper appeared in Golding's second novel The Hidden. [10] Both Sunset and Destiny's chapters only properly connected at the end of the book. Before this they could have been two completely different books. Everyone wants to dismiss her as mentally ill except Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper, who has her own reasons for believing Lauren. Against the wishes of her superiors, Harper opens her own investigation into what really happened.

A psychological thriller, readers have a chance to determine how to interpret a story that can be told in many ways. Golding's talent sits in the ability to walk a fine line of confusion and power. We will all feel differently, yet it's the same words and story. Which part will you connect to? Definitely worth a read, you'll find hidden gems in the life lessons and fairy tale history we learn along the path. I recommend it for those looking for something a little different than the normal family drama. One day, at the park, Lauren’s babies disappear from her side and she faces with her biggest fear: because when they’re found, she realizes the babies she deliver not her babies! :Somebody kidnapped and replaced them. Little Darlings" by Melanie Golding was a unsettling, eerie fantasy wrought with much uncertainty. It is a dark fairy tale-like read that will have the reader intent on separating fantasy from reality. An excellent debut novel I highly recommend.Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life. Once home, Lauren grows to love her baby boys and will do anything for them. The doctors, nurses, and Lauren's husband think that Lauren was hallucinating in the hospital and when she sees the woman in front of her home, Ben is upset that Jo Harper would even consider what Lauren saw as real. Lauren continues to see the dirty woman over the next month as she learns from fairy tales about changelings, and knows she must do everything she can to keep this woman from swapping twins with her. Lauren doesn't even leave the house until the twins are 5 weeks old. Heavily borrowed from fables and fairy tales, Little Darlings skillfully walks the line between psychological and supernatural horror. Ingeniously, the reader is left to decide how much to believe when it comes to the ghost stuff. I’m not a big supernatural fan, but little bits injected into a familiar story is perfect and adds a great deal to the already tense atmosphere. Cover: I got a chance to vote on this cover and mine wasn’t chosen. To be honest I didn’t really care for any of the covers. The next day, Kate confesses the reason she's suddenly become insistent on Danny Kilman knowing about Destiny is she's worried she might be ill and wants to know Destiny will be looked after if the worst happens. Destiny insists that Kate see a doctor and they find out that Kate has hyperthyroidism.

I was obsessed with Little Darlings. I couldn't put it down. I was reading late at night, although usually, I fall asleep early. This book forced me to read it. I desperately wanted to know what happens.Kate Williams – Destiny's mum, who believes Danny, Sunset and Destiny should have met a long time ago. Kate is ever so imaginative, and tries to stay positive when her and poor Destiny are forced to move into a dull, unsafe apartment in a rough and unsuitable estate. She has a very gentle and empathetic temperament, and wants her little Destiny to grow up with he best possible childhood. She can't give Destiny much, but she gives her unconditional love, and that is enough the get them both through when poor Kate falls ill with thyroid issues. Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and Aimee Molloy's The Perfect Mother.

Little Darlings is the debut novel of author Melanie Golding. [1] The book is based on changeling folklore, in which human children are abducted by fairies and replaced with fairy children. [2] It was partly inspired by Golding's personal theory that folktales about changelings were a way to explain postpartum psychosis in premodern times. [3] [4] She had discussed maternal bonding with psychologists and other women and found it was often a gradual process despite the popular perception that mothers will feel a "rush of love" when they first see their child. She described this misconception as a "modern folktale". [4]Double Act won the prestigious Smarties Medal and the Children’s Book Award as well as being highly commended for the Carnegie Medal. The Story of Tracy Beaker won the 2002 Blue Peter People’s Choice Award.