Oh gosh, where do I even begin with this review? This book had me hooked from the very beginning, and I'm still trying to process it almost a week later.

Little Darlings tells the story of a woman named Lauren, who gives birth to twin boys. As a new mom, she's a bit stressed, tired, and unsure of herself. Understandable. I think every mom remembers how that can be. But there's something more going on with Lauren. Something more sinister. Lauren knows there is someone there, watching her and her boys, waiting to snatch them away from her. She knows she must do whatever it takes to protect her babies, even though everyone, including her husband, thinks she's acting a bit crazy.

When the unthinkable happens while out for a stroll in the park, Lauren hopes she'll finally prove to everyone she's not as crazy as they thought. But when her babies are returned safe and sound, she insist they're not hers and have been switched with something else. Unfortunately, that just makes everyone believe she's crazier than ever, and they lock her away. But what happens when the others around her start buying into the craziness? Is Lauren perhaps telling the truth? Or has the stress of being a new mother become too much for Lauren to bear, ultimately messing with her mind completely?

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Little Darlings. It was an intense thrill ride that explored the depths of emotion new moms deal with. I liked that the story touched on Lauren's inability to bond with her sons right away. She worried there was something wrong, because every mother is expected to immediately fall in love with their baby. By not doing so, Lauren feared there might be something wrong with her. I related to that, because I went through the same thing with my first. When I had my son, I looked at him and thought, "What am I supposed to do with this baby now? I'm not cut out to be a mom. Take him back." Eventually that went away, but I think it's important for women to know that it doesn't always happen right away, that bond. It may take some time. With my second, I was in love the moment I laid eyes on him. So, yeah. That was a nice touch to the story.

I didn't particularly care for Lauren's husband. I thought he was a useless, rude, unhelpful jerk at times. He put so much pressure, and all of the child-caring burdens, on Lauren, and then he acted like he was a victim of sorts when Lauren had her moment. He frustrated me, and I didn't like him at all.

I did like Jo, though. She's a cop, and she was a character who seemed to have more of an open mind and a willingness to help Lauren. She was probably my favorite character.

The plot moves along at a nice pace, building up the tension and the worry. It's creepy and unsettling at times, and it makes you wonder constantly if Lauren was really insane, or if she was telling the truth, even though it seemed so far-fetched it couldn't actually be true.

Overall, I am so glad I took a chance on Little Darlings. It's a fantastic read that showcases the stigma mothers face when it comes to mental health issues. They're not taken seriously. They're expected to be perfect and capable 100% of the time all the time. Moms aren't allowed to have bad days. They aren't allowed to be stressed or depressed or worried. They're expected to go-go-go constantly. And I really liked that this story shone a light on just how ridiculous that is, and how women need tender love and care after becoming new moms. Help them. Guide them. Treat them with respect. Take them seriously.

if you're a fan of folklore mixed with horror, definitely check out Little Darlings. You won't be disappointed.

Remember their names!!

4.5 stars! Don't you love when a thrilling premise is executed perfectly? Little Darlings is super creepy, chilling and a page-turner. This should come with a warning - do not read if you are pregnant!! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have no idea how this book has such a good rating... did I read it wrong?
The idea behind this story is pretty cool, but I feel a bit confused at the same time.

The story seemed to drag on, and I found myself bored pretty frequently. There’s about 10 pages of excitement around the 85% mark, and then all of a sudden the events take a twist and I was wholly let down.

I feel like a lot of the events that transpired were random, and somewhat unnecessary. I don’t know, I’m struggling to put into words how I’m feeling, without giving away the entire story.
I feel like if this book was a pool, you’re stuck floating on top, when the prize, and what you are desperately seeking is trapped at the bottom of the deep end.
This book just really didn’t do it for me.

This book was fantastic! I had seen an ad from another author who was reading it, and it sounded like my kind of book, and was so happy to see it on Netgalley!!!
The book is a creepy, thrilling book, that really sucks you in, to the point, you do not who or what to believe.
After a long and very difficult labor, Lauren and Patrick welcome twin boys, Riley and Morgan.
Shortly after, while Lauren is still in the hospital, she believes a creepy woman is trying to steal her babies, or swap them out for hers.
No one can find any evidence of this woman, so people begin to think she is crazy, but is she?? So many things happen, poor Lauren is afraid to sleep, she won't leave her home for fear of this woman taking them. And when she does finally go out, they are kidnapped. There are so many twists and turns, that make this book hard to put down!!!!
The book is a thriller, that Folklore, and Fairy Tales are intertwined in. Its a creepy book, and I am so surprised that this is the author's, debut novel. We will be hearing more from her, as she is a gifted writer!!
Thanks so much @Netgalley for letting me read it!!!
I will write a more in deph review later, as the book is not to be released until May 2019. Def, want to add this to your to read shelves!!!

Little Darlings is the first novel by Melanie Golding and I can't wait to see what her next story will be about. Fair warning, there were times I couldn't put the book down and others where the goose bumps wouldn't stop! When I wasn't in the process of actually reading I found myself thinking about this story. I was given an early copy to review.

Golding delivers what is sure to be one of the books of 2019 with this stunning debut.
A dark fable of changelings in the vein of the Grimm Brothers, it's an unsettling horror story about motherhood and post-natal depression. Golding perfectly captures the world of a new mother, along with the fears of expectation and isolation that often come with it.
The fable of the changeling is one that is known through many cultures, and Golding weaves the notion into the story with a cleverly-constructed plot that keeps you guessing until the final pages. For every supernatural theory there is a equally plausible human one and you are never quite sure if you are experiencing something otherworldly or a mother's mental decline.
Brilliant stuff.

Lauren is a new mother of twin boys, Morgan and Riley. She knows she's exhausted, but is she going mad? She is convinced she caught someone attempted to take her boys and rep;ace them with.....what? Then, a month later, she is at the park when the twins disappear. They are found, but she *knows* these boys are not her own. They look like them, but there's something very different and wrong, and Lauren knows it.
She also knows postpartum is real. Everyone looks as her as if she is crazy, even her husband. She must risk it all to find her boys - no matter what.
This book was fantastically creepy! It is a dark thriller that kept my attention the whole way through. Definitely different from the "normal" thriller!
Thank you to Melanie Golding, Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this great book!

This book really kept me engaged, and I really enjoyed the supernatural element of it. It's fun to suspend belief sometimes! I found myself feeling sympathetic yet suspicious of Lauren, the main character. I was also challenged in my feelings about her husband and father of her children...loving him one minute and hating him the next. It was a roller coaster ride of a book, which I loved.

Wow is how I am going to describe this book. It is a chilling, twisting story of a new mom, Lauren Tranter, who is convinced her newborn twin sons have been switched by a swamp woman that only she can see. This isn't my usual genre but I really enjoyed this book. It is kind of a mix of fantasy, fairy tale with a little sci-fi mixed it. This is very well written and I really enjoyed it. I immediately disliked Lauren's husband, Patrick, as he was a real piece of work. I really liked DS Joanna Harper and her role in this book. Great story line and a really great read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.

This turned out creepy & I loved it! it started out slow for me, then eventually when it got to a certain part I was hooked! Highly recommend!!

We have likely all heard "old wives" and "ghostly spirits" tales.....but what if one actually came true? And what if nobody believed you? This is exactly what happens to Lauren following the birth of her twin boys, Riley and Morgan. Alone and exhausted following their deliver, she hears strange noises coming from behind the curtain next to her....an eerie song about babes needing to be returned to the water in order to return to their true selves when the 'elf - woman in the water' comes for them to replace her own two babes,  
Selver and Bishop, named for the two rivers that fed into the New Riversby reservoir, swallowing the town of Selverton forever. Lauren is believed to be insane and is institutionalized, while Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper tries to makes sense of her story, what little evidence that they have, and years gone by. Interesting and heartbreaking as we watch a young mother do what little she can in her power to find her "real" babies home again.

After much internal debate, I had to go with 3 Stars. The book itself is actually very good - it’s well written and well thought out, extremely creepy and chilling, and very mysterious. But at the end of the day, I can’t give it 5 stars based on that. I have to weigh in my own emotional response and feelings, and they weren’t all positive.

This book ends up being, for me, extremely depressing. I guess that’s the point, but I just don’t really enjoy that sort of thing. It ends with you questioning everything you read, and wondering what was really going on. There really isn’t a happy ending for anyone.

And I just did not like the husband in this book. From the very beginning you get the feeling that something is off about their relationship, and though some things come to light throughout the story, I was just never entirely sure what to make of him or his relationship with the main character (his wife).

I actually almost abandoned this book in the first couple of pages (which I NEVER do) because of the writing style. Some paragraphs were so wordy that I just got bored and skimmed. And some things were so unnecessarily graphic that my stomach was churning. But that was really only the first chapter or so, then it got better. Glad I stuck it out because it was definitely an interesting read.

I can’t stop thinking about this book. And not 100% in a good way; more like a creepy and depressed way. It certainly was impactful. I just wish it had ended a little differently.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing me with a free advance review copy (ARC) of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This review appears on GoodReads, my Facebook page, and will be posted to retail sites once published.*

Melanie Golding's debut novel, Little Darlings, is a frightening mix of fantasy, folklore, delusion and desperation. Little Darlings excels at making you believe in the unbelievable-that the bump in the night is real, that monsters dwell in the deep sea and are coming for your children, that there's danger hiding in every bush, that mothers know everything and will always keep you safe. Logic flies out the window in this harrowing story of newborn twin boys abducted in broad daylight, and the search for the ghoulish sea creature their mother says is the kidnapper. Miss Golding must have one heck of an imagination to come up with a story so freakish it can't possibly be fake. Little Darlings will scare the living daylights out of you and keep you up at night. It's prose is lyrical, it's plot is fantastical, it's ending ambiguous-but all in a satisfying way. So you won't turn off the lights for weeks after you finish Little Darlings? A small price to pay for such a tantalizing treat of a book.

Wow, this book was completely unsettling and had me wanting to believe the main character but I just wasn't sure! Kept me interested until the last page !

Almost any one who has ever read Grimm's or other fairy tales or folklore of that ilk (so basically, everyone) can relate to the subconscious thought of the possibility of fairies, trolls under the bridge, and horrid witches who steal your children. Little Darlings will have you wondering if Lauren, a mother of twins with some initial trouble bonding due to a traumatic delivery, has postpartum psychosis or if there really is a woman, real or mythic, trying to steal her babies. Her husband, Patrick, is no help at all from the get-go when he refuses to help out with late night feedings, to being unable to support her emotionally when she is going through her crisis due to his own secretive life. The officer investigating the babies' kidnapping is much more involved and on Lauren's side, to the point of unprofessionally involving a reporter (who may or may not be a love interest) in helping her research the case. Soon to be made into a movie, it should make for interesting watching, indeed!

3 stars--I liked the book.

Pregnancy is my ultimate body horror, and though this is more in the genre of dark fantasy, the book certainly horrified me more than most horror novels! It's the story of Lauren, a new mother of twins, who is utterly exhausted--she had a terrible birth experience, has no support at home, and hasn't had a full night's sleep since the birth.

Then she becomes convinced her children aren't her own, but changelings.

I enjoyed the folklore intermixed in this novel, and liked the characterization. However, two things kept me from loving the book: occasionally I found the changing narrator voice grating (it pulled me out of the story to shift to the cop's point of view), and I don't think all the plot elements meshed well (the ending felt too rushed and unexplained).

Still, if you like dark fairy tales with sinister tones, give this book a try.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

I absolutely loved “Little Darlings”. It was dark and mysterious, frightening and beautifully written. I found it impossible to put down.

Lauren, a new mother of twins, becomes convinced that someone is trying to steal her babies. She might be paranoid and suffering from postpartum psychosis, or she just might be right. She is an unreliable character with an unstable past, which makes the whole scenario that much more frightening and gripping. Sometimes I believed her, and sometimes I wondered if she really was crazy.

Golding explores themes of motherhood, marriage, infidelity, mental health and support for those in crisis. The story is also like a dark fairy tale, with a backdrop of mysterious rivers and a drowned village. Each chapter opens with an excerpt from a fairy tale or oral retelling of a changeling story, which was a fantastic addition and gave a feeling of history to the story.

This is a compulsively readable, very original story. Highly recommended.

This book is a departure from the typical thrillers. It’s dark and creepy. Totally movie material. There are many references to folklore and fairy tales which add to the darkness of the book. This was way out of my comfort zone of reading and I’m glad I took the challenge of reading it!

When the unthinkable happens - you’re outside on a bench resting with your twins in a stroller and you fall asleep!!! You wake up and your new babies are GONE!!! Omg how can this happen!!? That would be awful..this book I did not want to put down!! This is the author’s first novel and I will definitely be looking for more books by Melanie Golding. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the book for my honest review.

This book will keep you hooked from Osage one! Chilling at times, gasping for air and gripping my seat we're just a few of the things I did! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!