Loved the book. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I spent half the time trying to decide if Lauren was really experiencing depression or if this other lady from the sea was real. As crazy as it sounds little things in the book like the storybook she received make you wonder. Another theory I had and still am wondering about is was her husband trying to drive her crazy? He seems content at the end on keeping her in the hospital so maybe knowing she was in a fragile state hr tried to push her over the edge to continue his affair. I love that she had the police on her side especially after the camera footage. Even after the book ends it keeps you guessing. I will read this again just to satisfy my curiosity

This book was creepy good!! Sucked me right in and didn't let go until the end.

Lauren Tranter has just given birth to twin boys. While recovering overnight in the hospital she is given the scare of her life when a homeless women attempts to kidnap her babies. Muttering something about rivers and swapping babies, Lauren is terrified and anxious to return home. Once home she is too frightened to take her boys outside and stays shut up in her house. Her husband starts to become frustrated and encourages her to meet some friends out. She reluctantly meets her friends and has a great time. The meet up tires her out and she dozes on the park bench. When she wakes up her boys are gone and she is hysterical. Once reunited she is certain the woman from the hospital has returned and swapped her boys out with different beings. No one believes her and she starts to doubt herself.

I really enjoyed this book and could definitely see it being made into a movie. The characters were all believable and likeable (except for Lauren's husband Patrick, yuck). I appreciated all the Grimm and fairy tale quotes at the beginning of each chapter. This story had a little bit of everything: marriage drama, supernatural/paranormal, mystery, etc. It was very well written and I would recommend it!

“Little Darlings” is a twisty tale that blends folklore with real motherhood in a way that leaves you unsure of what is happening. Lauren, a new mom, has just gone through a really traumatic birth. She’s left with two infant twins, a disinterested husband, and...possibly a would-be kidnapper stalking her. Not to mention, a set of hospital and police staff that think she’s gone mad. Did Lauren actually interact with someone who tried to steal her kids? Is someone after her? Or is her sleep deprived, postpartum, depressed, lonely mind slipping away from her?

Unfortunately I was not a big fan of this book; I found it hard to get past the descriptors of Lauren’s birth-related trauma. As someone without kids who is not interested in having kids, I felt I was not really the person to be most impacted by this story. That said, I think it would also be extremely difficult to read if I was pregnant, just gave birth, or still had a baby at home!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Little Darlings started out gripping this reader. I was drawn into Lauren's world as a new mother. Is she suffering from post-pardum depression or is someone really trying to take her babies. It was a fun ride trying to figure out if her visions were delusions or the real thing.

The ending did feel a little flat for me. The idea of goblins/trolls that switch out babies was prominent throughout the story. The introduction of the dead woman and her babies just muddied the waters. I don't mind ending that make you think, but this one was just confusing.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

This was one of the best books I've read in quite some time. I pulls you into the story and doesn't let you go. Highly recommend

This was a dark, page turning novel about a young mom, Lauren who has just given birth to twins. She is doubting her abilities as a new parent and exhausted beyond her limits. When she begins to fear that a sinister woman wants to take her newborns and leave changlings in their place, not even her husband believes her.
A female detective feels compelled to help the young mother. With hints of a fairytale in a modern world, this story is both addictive and a spellbinding read. I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher.

As I read the description of the book I was excited about reading it. At the beginning I was wowed and looked forward to the next page but that quickly ended. Lauren is a married mother of identical twins, Riley and Morgan. While in the hospital after their birth a strange woman appears and wants to trade her twins for Lauren's. She calls the police from the bathroom of her hospital room as she clutches her twins and tries to keep the woman away. The story and writing are very good at this point. I get the creepiness and suspense they described but this is where it changes. The book becomes three stories in one and only one of them is interesting. Detective Harper listens to Lauren's story and believes it warrants more investigating.. Harper has a potential love interest in the reporter that helps her research the case. Reading about this "does she like me, does she not" scenario became annoying. It was as if I was reading something going on between middle schoolers, not grown women. The last of the stories in the trio is where the husband fits in. I believe while reading you will quickly see who he is and what kind of person he is rather quickly. There was not enough about the creepy little woman in the hospital and her changelings and far too much about whether or not Lauren is crazy, Detective Harper gets her girl, and the messed up husband. Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

** spoiler alert ** I really liked the premise of the book - a modern day mother suspects that a supernatural being is trying to swap her babies for changelings- and that for about a third of the story you aren't really sure whether she's suffering from a postnatal mental health issue or if the creatures are real.
It was at this point that the writer lost me a bit. When the policewoman also notices some strange things about the twins it left the rest of the book feeling a bit underwhelming. DCI Harper is supposed to be a brilliant and insightful detective, but although she sees strange things with the babies she is far more interested in the whether or not she has a shot with the journalist covering the case and at times is annoyingly immature - "OMG, I text her and she hasn't texted me back?! Does she fancy me or not?!?"
In the end it's still not really clear whether Lauren (the mother) is delusional or not and it's sooooo unsatisfactory that her horrible husband, Patrick, gets away with being a complete prat.
A really strong start but I think it could have ended better. The story seems to have had a bit of an identity crisis - thriller or modern day fairy story? Still, a decent enough story if you fancy something a little bit different.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review

★★★☆ 3 ½ stars
Lauren a new mother has just given birth to twins, Morgan and Riley ,and is truly exhausted suffering from sleep deprivation. In the hospital though she becomes convinced that she saw a menacing woman who wants to take her twins and replace them with her own. When she reports it to the cops they don't find anything and everybody starts questioning her sanity but Lauren seriously believes that her babies are in danger and will stop at nothing to protect them.

Little Darlings is a creepy psychological thriller with some paranormal aspects to the story. It’s a well written story relying heavily on dark fairy tales and changeling stories. An interesting slightly unsettling read.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

What a delicious read! Filled with images of fairy tales and changeling babies it reminded me of my childhood. Let me say, the beginning of this book is not for the faint of heart. The descriptions of birth and the aftermath were so vivid it was hard to read at times. Then the palpable fear of this new mother as she believes her children are in danger, was overwhelming and really very disturbing. And I mean that in only the very best of ways. This was a compulsive page turner. Then to find out this is a debut novel. Mind blown. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

There's nothing I like more than a great psychological thriller. When Melanie Golding's Little Darlings began, I was sucked right into it, but as often happens, the rest did not live up to my expectations.

Lauren Tranter is a new mother of adorable twins, Morgan and Riley. Because she has some complications, she stays in the hospital for a few days after the birth. One night, Lauren claims that a creepy woman in her room tried to take her babies and replace them with her own "creatures." Is Lauren having hallucinations? Or did something sinister really happen? Lauren continues to see the woman in her daily life until, one afternoon in the park, her babies disappear. When they are eventually found, Lauren insists they are not Morgan and Riley but are the "replacements."

Little Darlings reads like an evil fairy tale, but it just did not keep my interest after the beginning. Whether it is the detective on the case or the husband who doesn't seem quite right, the book needs more character development and fleshing out of the plot to really make it work.

MY RATING - 2.5

Woahhhhhh this book was so creepy and haunting from the beginning. While this book didn’t blow me away (hence the 3 star rating), it certainly scared me quite a bit. I mean, yikes, having a baby is scary enough without adding what happens in this book into the mix!!

From the cover...

Deep, Dark, Utterly additive...
Be warned—you can't unread this story. It will haunt you."
-Theresa Driscoll.

In an extraordinary coincidence, I watched the movie, The Changeling, a couple of days before I read this novel.
I became completely absorbed in the movie, the ending sending tears streaming down my face.
At the very end, I was jolted once more when I was reminded that the film was based on a true story, sending chills up and down my spine and taking my breath away.

Two days later, I started reading this novel.....

"The child is not mine as the first was,
I cannot sing it to rest,
I cannot lift it up fatherly
And bliss it upon my breast;
Yet it lies in my little one’s cradle
And sits in my little one’s chair,
And the light of the heaven she’s gone to
Transfigures its golden hair."

From...
Wait for it.....
The Changeling by James Russell Lowell!

And so, from the very beginning, I was a little freaked out, brimming with trepidation to read this book, but I couldn't deny my overwhelming curiosity and anticipation of what was to come in Melanie Golding's debut novel, Little Darlings.


'AUGUST 17TH
PEAK DISTRICT, UK
DS Joanna Harper stood on the viaduct with the other police officers . On the far bank, across the great expanse of the reservoir, a woman paused at the water’s edge, about to go in, her twin baby boys held tightly in her arms. Harper turned to the DI. “How close are the officers on that side?”
Dense woodland surrounded the scrap of shore where the woman stood. Even at this distance, Harper could see that her legs were scarlet with blood from the thorns.
“Not close enough,” said Thrupp. “They can’t find a way to get to her.”
In a fury of thudding, the helicopter flew over their heads, disturbing the surface of the reservoir, bellowing its command: Step away from the water. It loomed above the tiny figure of the mother, deafening and relentless, but the officers on board wouldn’t be able to stop her. There was nowhere in the valley where the craft could make a safe landing, or get low enough to drop the winch.
Through the binoculars, Harper saw the woman collapse into a sitting position on the dried-out silt, her face turned to the sky, still clutching the babies. Perhaps she wouldn’t do it, after all.
A memory surfaced then, of what the old lady had said to her:
“She’ll have to put them in the water, if she wants her own babies back … Right under the water. Hold ’em down.”
The woman wasn’t sitting at the water’s edge anymore; she was knee-deep, and wading further in. The DS kicked off her shoes, climbed up on the rail and prepared to dive.'

'How to Protect Your Child

1. Placing a key next to an infant will prevent him from being exchanged.
2. Woman may never be left alone during the first six weeks following childbirth, for the devil then has more power over them.
3. During the first six weeks following childbirth, mothers may not go to sleep until someone has come to watch the child. If mothers are overcome by sleep, changelings are often laid in the cradle.
Jacob Grimm'

********
Wow!!! ★★★★★ Creepy-fest stars!

As if I wasn't unnerved enough by the flashes from the movie, the changelings, Melanie adds elements of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales to the mix, creating a toxic brew that is an inescapable, mesmerizing, riveting, and extraordinary debut in Little Darlings!

There were moments when I had to clench my teeth together at what Lauren was having to endure. Times I needed to stop reading the words on the pages, close my eyes, take deep breaths, calm my pounding heart, steel my nerves to continue!
After all.... I HAD to see what happened next!!!

Take Theresa Driscoll's warning to heart!!! And believe it!!
My thoughts are not meant to put you off reading Little Darlings.
I'm simply encouraging you.....
No....
I'm DARING you to RISK IT!!

With thanks to NetGalley, Melanie Golding, and Crooked Lane Books for my advanced reading digital copy of this book for me to read and review.
*NOTE
I was unable to find anywhere that said this is an uncorrected proof, not to be quoted from but keep in mind that the quoted part from the novel may change from this copy to the official published novel to be released for purchase in April, 2019.

On the night that Lauren Tranter gives birth to twin boys, she swears another mother in the next room attempts to take swap the twins. Unable to locate the other mother, Lauren is lead down an emotional and terrifying journey.

This book will leave you sleepless, just like Lauren. I was terrified- I may have even checked my closet before bed. Haunting and beautifully written. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves to be frightened.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book!! The story was haunting from beginning to end. No one and nothing is what it seems. Having a baby is scary enough without the dangers told in Little Darlings. Read it with the light on.

"The child is not mine as the first was, I cannot sing it to rest, I cannot lift it up fatherly and bliss it upon my breast; Yet it lies in my little one's cradle, And sits in my little one's chair, And the light of the heaven she's gone to transfigures its golden hair."
~ From The Changeling by James Russell Lowell

Lauren Tranter has just been blessed by giving birth to healthy twin boys—Riley and Morgan. As with all new mothers, the lack of sleep and anxiety of being a new mom plays upon Lauren’s health, both physically and mentally. In fact, when she swears that a woman cloaked in black entered her hospital room to steal her babies and exchange them for something insidious, no one believes her, and she’s left wondering if perhaps she did have a mental breakdown. But continued scratchings on the window, glimpses of the woman in black and the deep down fear of knowing her children are in danger puts Lauren over the edge. How far will Lauren go and what sacrifice will she make to protect Riley and Morgan…a mother knows her children, right?

Little Darlings is an addictive nail biter with a sinister fairy tale undertone. So frightening in passages, I found myself pushing the book away. Highly recommend!

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time! It was definitely a book that kept you thinking! I would definitely recommend this book to fellow readers. Thank you!

Thanks #netgalley for a copy of this book for my review. I must acknowledge this book but so close to home for me. My daughter has just given birth to twin boys, so exciting. But Lauren, the main character has just done the same. She believes someone has changed out her babies and the ones she is raising now are not hers. Everyone plays it or to exhaustion and being a new mother. Her husband doesn’t believe her. You must read this book, it is so well written, proves you don’t need blood and guts to scare the Hell out of people. This book is so creepy and I admit, I’ve been watching my grand babies like a hawk since then.

Little Darlings is a terrifying story that will haunt your thoughts long after you finish it. The original Grimm’s fairy tales are not sweet and innocent; they are bloody, violent, and scary. Folktales that have been told for hundreds of years can be the same. What if they were true? What if the horrible things that happened in them could actually happen to you?

Is getting lost in dark creepy stories one of your favorite things? Then Little Darlings could turn out to be one of your favorite books. As a caution though, if you’re pregnant, this might be one you want to pass on for now.

Lauren gives birth to twins, but while she is in the hospital, someone tries to switch her babies with theirs. But she is the only one in the hospital with twins. The doctors and everyone else, except for one cop, tells her that she is imagining things, that her babies are just fine. And she is convinced they are fine, but she is afraid to fall asleep, afraid that if she does, her two precious boys will be stolen. And one day, she falls asleep. When she wakes up, they are gone.

This book is about a mother’s worst nightmare. I was completely wrapped up in what Lauren was feeling and so thankful that neither of my babies was ever abducted, especially by someone that no one else could see or hear.

There are so many red herrings—or are they?—in this terrifying tale: the river woman, a female friend of her husband, Lauren herself. Yes, there were times that I was convinced the mother was crazy and had done it herself.

Once you start this book, be prepared to stay up all night reading until you reach the end. On every page, there is an undercurrent of something evil and malicious going on.

I was sent a copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Looking for something different? Do you enjoy fairy tales and folklore? Then this may be the book for you!

This was an interesting book.. a bit different.... Was Lauren insane or were her beliefs real ? The author makes us question whether she is crazy and having a psychotic break of some kind or if something more sinister is at play ... Twin changelings....a woman from the river... A bit horror, thriller, supernatural and folk lore...a bit creepy but not as creepy as I would have liked.

I'm not sure that I loved this as much as others. A little suspension of belief is needed. After Lauren encounters a very strange woman in the hospital that threatens her and her twins, Lauren sees her outside her window when she returns home from the hospital. Fearful the strange woman will take her babies, she stays locked up in the house until the day she finally decides to go out for a bit and her twins are taken...

This is a debut novel and I feel the author has talent, very well written and I would be interested in reading her next book IF it doesn't involve fairy tales...

A big thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book! 3.5 stars -