If Grimms' Fairy Tales and The Changeling had a twin babies, Little Darlings would be those babies.

An unsettling tale of a new mother, Lauren, of twin boys, who finds herself terrorized by a macabre woman attempting to abduct Lauren's babies and replace them with her own. Her account is dismissed by hospital staff, the police, and even her husband as a hallucination attributed to exhaustion, even Lauren herself begins to question her own sanity. The only person that is unconvinced that Lauren has simply snapped is the investigator that responded to her call for help, Detective Harper.

Upon returning home from the hospital, Lauren quickly descends into a waking nightmare that she cannot escape from, leaving her more and more desperate and going to extreme lengths to protect her infants.

If I had one con to point out in this story it would be with the narrative for Detective Harper. Her personal relationship with the reporter is distracting and adds nothing towards advancement the plot.

This story is framed with dark history and and even darker folklore that adds an eerie depth to the book. This is a foreboding and unnerving spine-chiller that leaves the reader questioning if it's possible for fable to turn into reality.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I throughly enjoyed this adult fairy tale, of it can be called a fairy tale. Wonderful debut novel, reminiscent of Ira Levine. I was completely engrossed in the story and get such compassion for Lauren throughout. Highly recommend.

A dark, creepy tale reminiscent of the Brothers Grimm at their Grimmest. I consider that a good thing. Do you believe in folklore and faeries? Or in the scientific technology of video and audio analysis? While reading this compelling book you may believe in both. Very well written but found a couple phrases just a bit precious. Also I felt that emphasis on Detective Harper’s professional and personal life somewhat detracted from the case although she was a positive caring force.

Lauren has undergone a difficult birth of twins and has reason to believe that there is a threat to steal them from her. Is she suffering from postpartum depression/ psychosis or is what she sees and hears actually very real? Is her husband contributing to her paranoia? Do you believe in Changelings? There is a fear that Lauren’s plan to restore order may have disastrous results, but also a hope for a happy outcome.

The author did a terrific job in portraying Lauren’s troubled and confused mind to the reader and her emotions seemed very real. This is a memorable tale, but anyone with twin babies or who is expecting twins might find it quite unsettling.

Many thinks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advanced copy of Little Darlings in return for an honest review.

Everyone knows that postpartum depression is real, but changelings? That’s something out of a dark fairy tale, right? Lauren knows what she saw shortly after giving birth to her twins, Morgan and Riley. A woman tried to take them, leaving something not quite human in their place. Everyone laughs off Lauren’s story, she’s obviously just exhausted. But then a few months later, the babies are stolen. When they are found later, everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Everyone except Lauren that is; she just knows these creatures are not her children and sets out to find her real babies. This is a super creepy book and begs the question, what is real and what is imagined. Couldn’t put it down