I found this book to be a twisty, mind-teasing, heart-wrenching story that left me questioning my own judgment at times. This puts the reader in the same predicament as the main character, who I found easy to relate to as a new mom myself. The folklore aspect was extremely interesting and intriguing to see how it played out. I also really enjoyed the strong, female detective and the variety of narrator viewpoints presented, although it made it difficult at times to know who to believe. This book was an exciting and refreshing change from my usual mystery reads and really
provides something unique.

Little Darlings is very atmospheric and dark. The dread seems to ooze from every page and I was just waiting for something to creep out of the corners. So, before I begin I feel I must put a warning. If you are a mom and have ever struggled with post partum depression or anxiety, this book will be hard to read. With the terrible things Lauren witnessed and the fear and anxiety she feels in the book, I had to put this book down for days at a time. This book lurched my stomach and at times felt suffocating. I really hated Lauren's husband and wanted to reach into these pages and slap him!

All that said though, Little Darlings was super creepy and relied heavily on old folktales (did I mention they are extraordinarily creepy and dark?).

Normally I give a brief synopsis of the book, but with Little Darlings I don't want to give anything away. If you love mystery/thrillers sprinkled with horror, then you will love this. The book is a bit of a slow burn, but once it gets going, it doesn't stop.

Thank you to Netgalley and Crooker Lane Books for this ARC of Little Darlings.

LOVED this! Total page turner and I feel kind of bad writing about it because I read a galley and it doesn’t come out until spring, but mark it down on your wishlist because this is so good. Lauren, our main character, gives birth to twins. She’s exhausted, underslept, and overwhelmed, but she knows what she saw….in the middle of the night, a woman crept in and tried to replace Lauren’s babies with her own…creatures. This book was like a modern day take on a Grimm’s fairy tale (LOVE), and it had undertones of Rosemary’s Baby and The Changeling (I’ve read the former, not the latter). Aside from being compulsively readable and totally creepy it was also an honest portrayal of the challenges of new motherhood.

This book is about every mother's worst nightmare; what if the child you brought home after giving birth was not your child. Lauren, the mother, is not quite sure what is going on with her babies but she knows something is amiss.

I really enjoyed this book as it is well written and so creepy the storyline is something I have never read before. Not a really fast paced book but it does keep you reading and turning those pages. Can't really say much more about this book or I will give out spoilers. You just need to read it and let the creepiness and uneasiness set in. You'll really like this book. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This highly readable debut from author Melanie Golding is a clever and creepy reinterpretation of classic folk- and fairy-tales. An elegant melding of crime fiction, fantasy, and horror, it tells the story of a young, isolated mother convinced that her newborn twin baby boys have been switched with "changelings" by a malevolent fairy creature. She is dismissed as unhinged by local law enforcement, except for a rogue police officer convinced there is more to the story than meets the eye.

Every sentence is infused with suspense and dread. The visceral imagery conjured straight from the darkest fairy tales will keep readers trying to decide who is telling the truth until the final page. I also thoroughly enjoyed the inclusion of excerpts from fairytales and folktales from around the world, providing context for readers who may not be as familiar with some of the lore alluded to in the novel.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Melanie Golding, as well as NetGalley, who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really liked this book!
It started out pretty well and had me hooked to it right till the end. I generally prefer strictly thriller books, but this one was crossed over into fantasy and I was not sure if I'd like it. Surprisingly, it was really good. However, the ending could have probably been better. That cliffhanger didn't sit well with me. But that's now a reason I'll have my eye out for Melanie Golding' next.

This was definitely a creepy read considering what happens to the twins in the book and I don't even have kids to worry about.

Lauren has twins, Riley and Morgan, in the hospital. While she's resting after the birth, she encounters an odd woman who tells her that she wants to make a trade, her babies for Lauren's. When Lauren says no, she is haunted by the woman. Lauren's babies go missing one day and they believe it to be an abduction case but Lauren knows better, she knows her children were stolen by that woman. When her babies are returned to her, she knows that they aren't actually hers, they're different. Lauren decides to risk everything to get her babies back, no matter the cost.

I was enticed by this novel because of the description, I've always been into the fey and changeling stories and this one was no different. It does have a slight twist that features Lauren's mental state as well, which was an interesting aspect to focus on. I was surprised because there are two POVs, Lauren's and Harper, the detective on the case....or rather, who is making this into her case.

I didn't really see a point in the romance between Amy and Harper, just because it didn't really go anywhere and didn't aid in the story much. I think if there was going to be a romance aspect, it should be more crucial or important to the plot. Amy just helped Harper sporadically, and more towards the end of the novel.

I absolutely hated Patrick, not because he was poorly written or because he was a flat character, but because he didn't care about anything that his wife was worried about. He literally tells Lauren that his job is more important than the fact that she just gave birth to twins, and tells her that she's on her own with taking care of them. What a horrible father and husband!

The mental health aspect of this novel, along with the unreliable narrator, really made this a unique read, one that I wasn't entirely expecting, but thoroughly enjoyed. At times, the pacing felt a little slow, although it didn't hinder my reading.

I was given an ARC of this novel on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Hmmm this book was slow for me to get into at first but the story picked up bout 5o% in. Then I got hooked and had to find out what happened!!!! Lauren has twin baby boys and seems to be having a hard time with them. She swears that someone tried to take her babies while still in the hospital but no one believed her. They thought she was delusional. Until one cop started digging deeper and the crazy truth comes out. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for my honest review.

**ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY FOR AN HONEST REVIEW**

-Little Darlings comes out April 2019!




This is a creepy, psychological thriller about a new mother who is convinced her twins have been swapped with something evil.

Lauren is a new mother, and on the night of her twin boys, Riley and Morgan’s birth she is visited by a woman who tries to steal them and replace them with her own babies, creatures. But yet nobody believes Lauren, they say she made it all up.
When Jo Harper picks up the case out of curiosity she starts to think something isn’t quite right here and maybe Lauren really did see a woman in her room that night.


So we swap chapters between Lauren and Officer Jo Harper and this is a wild ride.

I was so into this I could not put it down. I was so creeped out and yet convinced I figured it out more than 3 times and never did. You never know what’s real and what’s not in this story.


This is an amazing thriller that actually gives you thrills. My heart was pounding, I was spooked and worried and just. Omg



Patrick ( the father) will make you mad throughout this book, he’s a lousy ass husband and a lousy ass father and I can’t stand him. At all. He has no redeeming qualities to me and I love Lauren.

This is a 4.5 instead of a 5 because the writing was confusing at first and somethings I didn’t understand because it’s mainly British words, I’m American and British slang I believe, so not the authors fault. But also because the ending kind of left me wanting a little bit for something different and confused me a lot. Definitely excited to read some more from Melanie though.


Blog post:
https://kristinsbooks.wordpress.com/2019/01/16/little-darlings-by-melanie-golding/

Thankyou to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author, Melanie Golding, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Little Darlings in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
It is not very often that i get scared from reading a horror novel, nor from watching a scary movie. That being said. I got chills down my spine while reading this book.
I thought the storyline was well written and thoroughly unnerving. It felt so terrifyingly real.
Well worth a read.

I definitely had a hard time getting into this book. It was a good psychological read, but confusing at times. The characters were good, although frustrating every now and then and I’m still confused by the ending. Were the babies Changlings or was she crazy? Also, I feel like her husband was pretty checked out of the relationship from the beginning and the abrupt turn around with having the nanny there (while likely having an affair with HER now) seemed strange after his initial unwillingness to be present with the twins.

From the very first chapter this book had me hooked with it's creepy, haunting story of a mother who gives birth to children who aren't what they seem to be. I devoured this book, reading long into the night when I should have been sleeping! I definitely recommend it for those who enjoy creepy thrillers.

Lauren Tranter is exhausted. After the rough birth of her twins and complications after, Lauren just needs rest. Yet she cannot, especially after a woman tried to take her children and replace them with creatures. No one believes Lauren but she knows what she saw. A month later, Lauren's twins disappear from the park and when they are found, Lauren knows that something is wrong with them. The twins look the same to everyone else, but a mother knows her children best. Lauren learns that if she wants to get her own children back, she must do something unthinkable.

I loved Little Darlings by Melanie Golding. I never knew whether I should trust Lauren or if she was going through some sort of postpartum depression. I loved the back and forth of wondering if this folk tale of changelings were true or if Lauren was wrong. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and I look forward to more from Melanie Golding.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the book! What a STORY!!! I truly thought one thing and something else would happen. The ending was a huge surprise.

A mother’s worse fear…what happens when the newborns you just gave birth to have “changed”? New mother Lauren is about to find out, she swears that her newborn twins are crying different, singing, and are having eye color changes…but are they? Or is she just crazy? This book was great, the suspense slowly built up and you would think one thing and something totally out of left field would happen. Very unsettling and a read that will keep you up…until the haunting end.

Thank you, NetGalley for an advance copied of the novel for my honest review.
Little Darlings
by MelanieGolding
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.

Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some of our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking—and rechecking—your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

This was just creepy. I honestly had difficulty even following some of the dialogue. Perhaps it was the U.K.slangs, spellings, and whatever. It was very dark and chilling. I honestly could not finish.

And VERY sorry I rated it as my own opinion and rate scale.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review. I did not really care for this book. It was not really creepy or all that suspenseful. The ending was rushed and not very satisfying.

I requested this book back in November from Net galley and completely forgot about it until searching through my kindle TBR list. It sounded interesting enough so I started it yesterday evening. Well...I stayed up way past my bedtime devouring this book, it has such a unique concept. So much so that it's hard to put this book into one genre. It has elements of a psychological thriller, horror and dark fairy tale/folklore.

I went into this thinking it was a psychological thriller so I was very suprised to discover it was a whole lot more. This whole book gave me Rosemarys Baby vibes which is a positive as it's one of my favourite movies, talking of movies this is already being made into a film and I can definitely see why and I will also be watching the movie adaption as soon as it is released, definitely my cup of tea.

This book filled me with so many emotions. Not only was it seriously creepy but it touched the serious topic of post partum anxiety and psychosis. I think it is due to the fact that my youngest is only 5 months old so the worries and concerns that Lauren has at the start of the book really hit home and I could relate to a lot of what she was thinking and feeling and also the utter trauma she faces, you really do feel for her. It truly was terrifying in parts but not in the cliche way a horror usually is, this is on a more phsycological way that really gets you thinking about everything Lauren is going through. Again, this is probably because I am a mother and my Baby is still very young.  I'm not saying that only other parents will find this utterly creepy and disturbing because I am sure this would give everyone a huge shiver up the spine.

It is very cleverly written so you are always going backwards and forwards in terms of what you think Lauren is experiencing, one minute I was convinced it's post partum psychosis that Lauren is experiencing then the next paragraph the writer makes you question yourself and think "no could it really be...??"

My only small dislike with this book, which stopped me giving it 5 stars was the chapters which included the detective and her love interest Amy the reporter. I found these chapters that focussed on these characters were slightly unnecessary and didn't add any substance to the book for me.

I would love to read more of Melanie Goldings books in the future if they are in anyway as good as this one. This book is released on 2nd May in the UK.

Thank you Net galley and Crooked house books for sending me the digital ARC of this book. All views are my own.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

4.5 stars.

This. Was. Wonderfully. Creepy. I have not read many books about bad things and babies over the last several years since I've had my own child, but I couldn't resist this one. It's certainly largely a fairy tale--a haunting, dark, old-fashioned sort of fairy tale--but it also touches on horror and psychological suspense. And it will keep you up all night, jumping at things that go bump in the night.

I loved the references to the multitude of fairy tales that address the notion of changelings: these are some of my favorite tales. This novel does leave a couple of unanswered questions, but because the book is just so hypnotic, I'm willing to accept that we just aren't getting all the answers here. Overall, I enjoyed that I really did wonder from time to time if the protagonist was in her right mind; the author expertly presents the narrative so you juggle your interpretation on and off throughout the story. Golding also does an excellent job of making you feel the protagonist's anxiety; like her, you're not sure who you can ever trust. Really atmospheric and unsettling.

I agree with others that you might want to hold off on this one if you are having twins or have recently had them. It's just that affective. But if you can handle it, this is a great read. I'm considering using it for my fairy tale class next fall. Highly recommend.

This was a perfectly decent thriller, straddling the line between psychological and supernatural. I felt like the story got a little sluggish near the two-thirds mark, and some of the dialog was a little weak, but on the whole, the writing was quite good, and the story was fairly gripping. I felt it was good, but not great.

Do you like dark, scary fairy tales? Stories where the twists shock you and leave you breathless? Read Little Darlings. This is a modern take on ages old fairy tales that were more frightening than enlightening.

Lauren Tranter is a brand new mother of identical twin boys. She has a rather rough delivery and finds herself stuck in the hospital recovering. One night shortly after the babies have been born, she awakens to a nightmare. An ragged woman in in the cubby next to hers. The woman wants to trade a baby for one of Lauren’s. Lauren locks herself in the bathroom and calls for assistance. No one else has seen or heard anything, so they assume Lauren has had an episode from all the exhaustion.

Things don’t get much better once Lauren goes home. Her friends visit and gift her a very strange book of tales of twins that are both fairy tales and other dark stories. Lauren becomes convinced that she cannot leave her babies for even a second or something sinister will happen. She becomes obsessed with locking herself in her room and not allowing anyone near the babies, nor leaving the house. Everyone around Lauren chalks this up to exhaustion of a new mother, but is it?

No spoilers here. The story is fabulous. I couldn’t put it down (except from exhaustion.) While reading it is hard to discern what is real and what isn’t. Golding puts us into a state of wondering if fairy tales can be real. At no point did I think that the book was dragging or long-winded. I truly enjoyed this journey, even though it’s so unsettling to think about.

Definitely not a read for new moms, but for the rest of us, highly recommended! There were parts of this book that gave me the chills. Loved it.