Chilling and shockingly real.
Little Darlings is an exquisite combination of modern horror and psychological suspense.

What if you said someone tried to steal your babies? Would it make you sound paranoid or crazy? This is exactly what happens in Little Darlings. This is a deep thriller with unpredictable twists and turns. Highly recommend.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. From the description I thought it was right up my alley. A little suspense with some changelings mixed in. However, for most of the book I felt like I was forcing myself to read it. I didn’t like any of the characters. I hated the husband from the beginning. I got tired of the dual perspectives. Overall, the book was just ok to me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

A little mystery thriller a little dark horror, a lot of good reading. The author's skillful writing and magical descriptions had me hooked from the beginning and the plot was different from anything I have read before. The characters, for the most part, were well-written. The creepiest part for me is we have 1 year old twins ( shudder ). Giving this one a 4 star and daring you to pick it up!

This book reminded me a bit of Rosemarys baby. That is one of my favorite books. Little darlings is right there with it.
Difficult to put the book down. Edge of your seat scary. I identified with the main character The way she felt in the hospital after the birth.
I love this story. I want to hear more from this author. It’s just awesome. Thank you for giving me the chance to review it and read it first

When all fingers point to a new, first time mother losing her mind, even she begins to doubt it. There is a book that explains it all. Or is there? How did she come into possession of it. No one is claiming they gave it to her. Has the dark lore warped her hormone riddled mind? Or, is everything she saying the truth. She is hoping even a little is accurate, but even the police and her husband don't fully believe her. No one would conspire after such an ordinary young family...or would they? This was dark. Her doubts while dramatic, are feeling a mother can feel after the birth. She felt alone with the strange beings. No assistance from her husband. This was a wonderfully painful story written to the point touch felt the mothers despair. I felt it kept you guessing and then hit a certain word count or length and was wrapped a tad too quick. It's really my only knock on it. Or, maybe I like the sweet again drawn out more in the story. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this before the release in exchange of my non biased opinion.

Much creepier than your average tale of mothers losing babies, having them taken while they slept. This one had me wondering throughout whether Lauren was being haunted or whether she was losing it with lack of sleep and postpartum hormones. A really great and quick read with just the right amount of ghost tale.

Little Darlings A Novel by Melanie Golding
4 Stars
Genre – Horror/Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.

A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley—to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.

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.

Review

First I would like to give a big Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review!

As a fan of horrors and thrillers I was really interested in reading this story based off the Synopsis that I read on the NetGalley Site. I like all things creepy, scary and just plain unnerving! This book provided me with all that and more.

Being a mother myself I can relate with every feeling and fear that Lauren experiences. From thinking "How am I to care for this life I have created", "Could I possibly love anything more", "I have to protect and nurture", "I can't take my eyes away for even a moment, must make sure all is well". Joining Lauren through those first frightening days of motherhood pulled me right back into the uncertainty of what to expect. Lauren experienced a truly horrific visit from someone she saw. Immediately starting motherhood with a unnerving fear and paranoia only she understood. The Author, Melanie Golding, does an amazing job of bringing you into the world and situation at hand. You feel the panic, the fear, the uncertainty. At times I was yelling at characters in the book "LISTEN TO HER AND HELP HER!" Only to be given more to second guess and doubt what I thought I knew.

I rated this book 4 stars , which to me is a high rating. The book did not WOW me therefor 5 stars was not appropriate rating for me! Excellent Horror/Thriller Vibe. A definite recommend. However a word of caution, if you are pregnant or have a new baby at home I might wait a bit to read. We moms are far to tired and over worked, especially after new babies to be drawn so well into a unnerving story as good as this one!


Jenn

What a creepy story! A little bit of folklore and dark fairytales makes this a dark thriller.

Being a brand new pair to twins is scary enough but when Lauren finds herself locked in the bathroom with her newborn boys, screaming for the stranger to get away and leave her alone. This starts a very slippery slope downhill. Is there really someone there or is it the lack of sleep and her mind playing tricks on her?

Keep reading and decide for yourself! Is there some truth to these fairytales we tell our children?

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a chilling, disturbing tale of a new mother, her babies, and an ancient myth that has terrified parents for centuries.
Following the long and painful birth of her twins, Lauren Tranter is immediately caught up in the constant feeding, changing, and care of her babies. Exhausted and wrung out mentally, she is devastated to realize her husband has no interest in helping her care for the twins and is overwhelmed by the amount of responsibility now placed solely on her shoulders. After a terrifying encounter with a woman at the hospital, Lauren is convinced her twins are in danger. Even after the police investigate and find nothing to back up Lauren’s claims, she remains steadfast in her belief that the unidentified woman is after her children.
Now at home, Lauren cuts off her family from the outside world. Refusing to leave the house and completely at the mercy of the babies feeding and sleep schedules, Lauren is exhausted and wrung out. Living on little sleep, bags of chips and cookies, and eventually going so far as to keep her and the babies locked in her bedroom, Lauren is locked in a cycle of fear and paranoia. Throughout all of this, her husband is only concerned with his own well being and offers criticism, but not help.
After a friend finally confronts Lauren about her behavior and lack of interaction with her friends, Lauren works up the courage to take the children on a playdate with the other mothers from her parenting classes. When Lauren suddenly finds herself waking up on a park bench and the infants nowhere in sight, she becomes hysterical. After the police become involved, dark secrets and betrayals come to light that will turn everyone’s lives upside down.
This book was absolutely mesmerizing! I was completely absorbed by every word on the page. Melanie Golding weaves a magical tale that could be read as horrifying supernatural tale and at the same time, be read as a critical take on the stress and pressure we put on new mothers. Patrick, Lauren’s husband, is the most worthless piece of trash. He is constantly thinking only of himself, offers no help to Lauren, and can’t tell his own kids apart. When someone finally takes an interest in Lauren’s health and wellbeing, he is instantly concerned about how it will impact him. Ugh. He’s horrible.
Alongside the story of Lauren, we also have the story of DS Joanna Harper who takes an interest in Lauren’s case and is convinced, even without solid evidence, that Lauren and the twins are in danger. She is a wonderfully written character that is full of flaws and is willing to break the rules if she feels it’s justified.
This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it for lovers of horror, dark fairytales, and suspense.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

An ominous and beautifully written fairy tale filled with touches of mythology and folklore. 

Two little darling twin boys and mother who loves them immensely.

Everything else I was reading took a backseat to this scrumptious tale. I just couldn't stop reading it. It has an addictive quality and the author's skillful writing and magical descriptions pulled me right into the heart of the story. And it does have heart!

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.

I also enjoyed the police-procedural side of the story. The clues, the investigation and a determined officer added to the tension and intrigue. An intoxicating and atmospheric journey.

Are these little darlings her babies?  

Blog review closer to publication.

2.5 - 3 stars

I feel terrible with having to rate this book so low, but after finishing this story, I felt wholly let down by it. Melanie Golding is a new author to me, so I was not familiar with her, or her writing style. But even with that aside, this book did not produce any of the feelings or thoughts I expected it to when I read the blurb.

Part of my struggle with this book was the fact that I did not form any type of connection at all with the main character, Lauren Tranter. I understand she just had twins and there was a complication after and it was all very harrowing, but she just wore on my nerves to no end. Her husband Patrick comes across as a worthless lout who I disliked immensely from page one. And he just got worse as the book progressed. I feel like Ms. Golding wrote his character to be exactly what I thought of him, and that's all well and good when an author does that, but for me, there needs to be some type of comeuppance by the end of the book in order to redeem them, or the book, but that doesn't happen here. In fact, the book just sort of ends with no real resolution at all, which was pretty much the icing on the cake for me and left me feeling confused and frustrated.

Truly the only character I was interested in reading about was Joanna Harper, the Detective Sargent who was investigating Lauren's case. Her background was quite interesting and I enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on her, her past and her life. But again, by the end of the book she had pretty much just disappeared, with no closure or ending.

The premise of the story was really what made me want to read it, and I understand that a motion picture is in the works that I will watch when it releases. I really didn't come across any elements I would consider horror per se, except for the few interactions between Lauren and the "changeling" twins, but even those were just kind of creepy, not scary.

Overall, the story had a lot of promise, but something in the execution of the story was lacking for me. I think it is a combination of characters I didn't like, a slow moving storyline, and several very frustrating scenes that had me setting the book aside several times. It took me seven days to read this, and normally I finish a book in 2-3 days.

Perhaps one day Ms. Golding will expand the ending of the story, or maybe when they release the movie it will have a more resolved ending. I think I could have tolerated everything that bugged me about this book, and give it a higher rating, IF the ending had given me good resolution for both Lauren and Joanna.

Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Giving birth was traumatic enough for Lauren but to have a gypsy come to you while you are still in the hospital and tell you she wants to trade your twins for hers would be even more traumatic.

Lauren had a very difficult birth and a husband who has checked out in the helping department with the twins.

Along with sleep deprivation, Lauren is deathly afraid to leave the house because of the woman she saw hours after the birth of her twins and again in her front yard and scratching at the window.

LITTLE DARLINGS moves along quickly sharing Lauren's fears and her wonderful care of her twins Morgan and Riley.

Then one day when Lauren finally ventured out and had a good time with her friends, she became exhausted, sat on a bench in the park, fell asleep, and when she woke, the stroller was gone.

A nightmare for any parent, but it seemed more pronounced for Lauren because of the threat from the gypsy.

No one believed Lauren about any of this.

They do find the stroller, but Lauren screams that they are not her babies. They had been switched and were changelings. This started an entire other problem for Lauren.

LITTLE DARLINGS will be frightening for anyone but even more so for any reader who is a new parent.

The book has a bit of paranormal and fairy stories as part of its theme, but it is more of a thriller and a mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. 4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Little Darlings is a supernatural thriller part police procedural that depicts the life of Lauren Tranter, who is suffering from severe postpartum depression after the birth of her twin boys. One day at the park, Lauren dozes for a few minutes and when she wakes up, the twins are gone. When they are later found, Lauren insists that they are not actually her boys, but changelings. Those in Lauren’s life, including her husband and a police detective who is investigating the case, struggle to understand what is actually going on.

What I loved most about this was that it’s different from typical psychological thrillers. Lauren is the epitome of an unreliable narrator, yet, as a reader, I was captivated by her story and was rooting for her the entire time. The supernatural elements add a layer of unpredictable mystery, whereas the police detective portion grounds the plot and causes the reader to think, “What if . . . ?” An overall original and enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Melanie Golding for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this arc early.

I have to admit. When I first read the blurb? I was a little skeptical about the storyline and concept. I’m wasn’t too sure I’d like the book. But I was pleasantly surprised. There were a few chapters were it was a little
Slow or hard to get through. But for the most part, Such a great read. Unique too.

Lauren Tranter has given birth to twin boys. While worrying about not immediately being in love with them — that mysterious mother’s love, she hears a voice sing “I’ll take yours and you can have mine.” Frightened by the woman, she calls the police who don’t take it seriously. However when Det. Sgt. Jo Harper hears the call, she doesn’t think Mrs. Tranter is making up what happened even though hospital security finds nothing in her room. Mrs. Tranter is evaluated by the hospital. Sleep deprived, at home with her babies she does her best taking care of them. When she sees the woman from the hospital outside of her home, she calls the police again. It is assumed she is hallucinating. When the babies are taken, only Det. Sgt. Jo Harper believes that she wasn’t hallucinating. When the babies are missing, Mrs. Tranter is institutionalized. Why? Will she get her babies back?

The author has written a mystery that has a bit of horror to it due to the folklore given about changelings. It strikes the fear of what happens to the original babies and what the changelings are. The nightmare that Mrs. Tranter goes through kept me wondering if anyone would believe and help her. It is a suspenseful mystery.

Motherhood has not started well for Lauren Tranter. So excited for the birth of her twin sons, labor was a horrendous affair involving forceps and emergency surgery. When her beautiful boys are placed on her chest, she doesn't immediately feel the overwhelming surge of love you're "supposed to" feel when you see your newborn infants. Not to mention the nursing staff are less than kind, and her husband practically skips out the door when it's his time to leave.

She's alone, stressed, and overwhelmed.

That's the time when the old lady appears, and offers to trade babies with her. Except what she's offering aren't quite babies.

CCTV and the hospital staff say she's seeing things. That a traumatic birth plus exhaustion have led to a mental break. That once she gets home, she'll get some sleep. That everything is just fine.

But are things fine? Is she, in her sleep deprived state, seeing things? Is a fairy tale nightmare coming for her children, or is post partum depression/psychosis sinking in?

What is really going on?

This. was. excellent. I jumped on this book when I read the synopsis, but when it came time to start it, I was nervous. If we went too far down the fairy tale route, would I still enjoy the story?

The creep factor in this book is SO intense. It's not too much, though there are some moments where I couldn't help think, "WTF Why would you tell a new mother that?"

Each chapter starts with fairy tale lore about what to do if your child has been traded for a changeling. Different culture interpretations of the myth, and they are all relatively disturbing. If I were a sleep deprived new mother, I could see the paranoia kicking in, and the wondering if I were imagining things. What is real, who can be trusted?

So many layers to this story, so many questions. Even the ending will leave you guessing.

This book needs loads of attention, because it is so captivating, so good.

Thank you Crooked Lane Books for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review. All opinons are my own.

I rate this book a 2 .5 out of 5 Stars.

Please, Please don’t let this review discourage you from reading this book, as I really am going to be the unpopular opinion here. Plenty of my fellow bloggers have given this 4 and 5 Stars. I don’t like writing negative reviews, but I also promised to give an honest review, and this is it.

It just didn’t work for me, and I really cannot pinpoint why, other than I just couldn’t be grabbed by the story, the characters, or the slow build up. And maybe part of the problem was that I psyched myself up to much on this one.

What I can say about this book, is that I liked the way you questioned whether, Lauren was suffering from Postpartum Psychosis, or were her babies really changelings? The Author did a great job writing it in a style to keep you guessing. I myself suffered with PPD, and I found Lauren to be very relatable, her feelings, her emotions, her fears, were all written very spot on.

I would consider this book to be more of a Dark Fairy Tale, or maybe a Dark Folk Lore, maybe the fact I thought of this as a thriller, is why I felt so let down.

That ending though, was pretty dang good.

Little Darlings was absolutely captivating. I was complete enthralled through out the whole book. I was completely intrigued by the whole story and the dark fairy tale/ dark folklore of this book. I was kept guessing from beginning to end and had a hard time putting this book down. I haven’t read anything like this book and I absolutely loved. It was creepy and just kept getting creepier but I had to find out all the answers. I will definitely be recommending this book to many of my friends.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Little Darlings is a suspenseful narrative weaving in folklore and the paranormal. It is for sure a page-turner that keeps you guessing what is really going on. Lauren is a brand new mom of twin boys. She is convinced someone is trying to kidnap them, even trying to exchange them for some sinister changlings. The premise of this novel is immediately capturing, unfortunately, it falls flat in many aspects. Despite its intimate ties to some grimmer fairytales, the author struggles with seamlessly integrating their content. In fact, I thought on many occasions that the whole story could've worked without any mentions of river fairies or their attempts to swap out newborns. The protagonist, Lauren, is plenty unreliable on her own. We never know if she is delusional or if someone truly tried to take her babies. Another disappointment for me was the ending - it just left me feeling deflated. It was so anticlimactic that I was confused about whether or not I had missed a huge plot point somewhere along the way. I kept thinking "there has to be more, right?". I also failed to care about most of the characters. Detective Harper had several of her own issues that should've been explored more. Her "relationship" with Amy, the journalist, was like an afterthought and added very little to the story. Lauren's husband was sleazy and disgusting at the very least and hugely manipulative on his worst days. There was also NO solution to any of his indiscretions. Lauren herself was an ok protagonist but her personal struggles were incredibly relatable and earnest. And this is really where the author did her best work.

Golding tackled a very important issue - postpartum depression (PPD) - in a unique and smart way. Channeling it through an unreliable narrator in a setting of potential dark paranormal forces gave the novel some depth and made PPD accessible to a reader without any personal experience, like me. At times, I too had very visceral sensations as Lauren was going through her "breakdown". I could understand her thought processes and I really felt for her. I am so glad we are starting to address some of our mental health issues in creative ways. I'd say this book could be a trigger for someone suffering from PPD but is definitely an interesting resource nonetheless. It sure allows bringing awareness to a topic that we often treat as hush-hush. I hope Golding will continue her writing journey along those lines and I will check out her next book.