Cover Image: Little Darlings

Little Darlings

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3.5/5

I don’t usually read thrillers – in our current book culture, they often feel like the apex novel category where a season doesn’t go by without a new Mackintosh, King, Hawkins, Lapena, Ware, or other lesser likeness taking a stab at the genre – but I couldn’t help myself when I saw this book described as a “dark fairy tale” in the vein of Neil Gaiman’s works.

Little Darlings is a fascinating rumination on post-conception experience. When the protagonist, Lauren, delivers newborn twins, the fatigue of childbirth coupled with the stressful scenes she is witness to in the delivery room and thereafter culminate into one nagging conviction: what if my children are not my own?

Although a seemingly unfeasible conclusion, the practical portrayal of the postpartum condition – a mix of exhaustion, confusion, fear, and even paranoia – become a plausible middle ground where supernatural phenomena and sober realism can meet. When you’re not completely in control of your own reality, looking away for even a moment could allow anything to happen.

What I liked about Golding’s novel is that it balanced realism and fantasy well – so well that you can’t define which this book offers. One of the better parts of this experience was thinking you had it solved only to keep questioning your judgment. Lauren’s sympathetic position makes it difficult to rule out the impossible even when so many characters seem intent on their rigid conclusions. While I was expecting something with more of a creepy, fantastic edge, I can’t say I was disappointed with what this story ultimately had to offer

Although not perfect, Little Darlings gave me novel insight into the realm of contemporary thriller fiction while satisfying my fantasy fix. While I think few books fit their categories to a T, Golding’s novel has definitely made me consider doing a double take before dismissing any book coined as “thriller”. A skilful, gripping, psychological read – I’d definitely be curious to see what Golding comes up with next.

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Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a novel that explores mental illness, family, infant twins, extramarital affairs, mystery, and folklore fantasy. The novel begins following with a character named Lauren who gives birth to identical twins. The birth of the twins is traumatic to Lauren and she becomes fearful and paranoid. As the plot progresses we follow Lauren as an event occurs that brings in law enforcement. Lauren and her husband’s marriage is also examined. The stress of twins alone puts a huge stress on both parents. The introduction of folk law complicates the parents’ issues even further. Although I enjoyed this novel I did feel that there were very awkward and unbelievable narratives throughout . If you enjoy folk law I believe you would have enjoyed this novel more than I did. I
would like to thank Melissa Golding, Crooked Lane Books Publishing, and netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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I had high hopes that I would love this book but it wasn’t for me. I am sure other readers will love it though.

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A sweet seductive mystery that has all the parts of a perfect story. Lauren is a new mom who is convinced her children have been replaced by something else. Everyone tells her she is tired and working through the trials of being a new mom. But, as we explore the story further we find out that in fact not all is as it seems.

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I absolutely LOVED Little Darlings! Everything about this is the perfect blend of domestic thriller and dark folklore. I never would have imagined putting the two genres together to craft a story, but I am so glad that Melanie Golding did. Now I know this is a possibility and I am eager for more like it.

This book is fast-paced and is full of suspense, creep factors, eerie vibes, and loaded with all the things that make a domestic noir/thriller so good! In this story you will see homages to The Yellow Wallpaper, The Changeling, and contains overall Brothers Grimm vibes. It was practically unputdownable!

I loved how the ending is slightly ambiguous and the readers are left to determined for themselves what they choose to believe happened. I am so glad I won this book in a giveaway and I highly recommend it! 5 stars!

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This book reminded me of the overall theme going on in "The Perfect Nanny" by Leila Sleimani, which is not categorized as a thriller, but could pass as one. This one is definetly marketed as a thriller but to me it is like Sleimani's novel, that is more of a fiction with some creepy elements.

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This book will take you to the edge as you question Lauren's sanity, is she really seeing her twins as Changlings like in the fairy-folk tales or is she having a psychitic breakdown.

Golding has done a fantastic job of this novel and it was a chilling horror that you never really know what was real and what was just Lauren's imagination.

This book was suspenseful and even a little creepy.

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This book was very good. I found a a little eerie and a downer in a way but ultimately satisfying in the end.It seems to deal with magical realism and covers motherhood set in the Peak District.

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A deliciously creepy read featuring magical realism, folk tales, and the true horror of motherhood.

The story brings to light the very real body horror experienced by childbirth and the first days of motherhood. This is enough to make most squeamish. Then add a terrifying folk threat wishing to swap out her babies for changelings? Scary!

All the while the reader is asked to question whether what the narrator is saying is true or what it's like to be a prisoner in your own mind.

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RATING: 2 STARS
2019; Crooked Lane Books

When I started reading this novel, Little Darlings I was expecting a bit of horror and fantasy, but I was a bit bored with this story. I am not sure if it was the hype of the book, or that this storyline has been done before. I just couldn't connect to the characters, but I did finish the audiobook. I am in the minority with this one, so please check out other reviews.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

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Little Darlings by Melanie Golding was a very interesting horror/thriller that really kept me hooked all the way through it until the very last page. Highly recommended.

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Little Darlings is part police procedural, and part fairy tale. If by fairy tale you mean the dark, demented ones often ‘softened’ for modern audiences. You are compelled by Golding’s clever writing to root for and doubt the protagonist Lauren who shortly after giving birth to twin boys begins seeing an unkept, uncanny young woman who threatens to trade her twins for Lauren’s. Mayhem ensues as police and mental health services are involved.

What makes this such a troubling read for me is that Golding combines the wealth of folklore surrounding twins, changelings, and the dark fey within the harsh realities and fears of modern motherhood.

The first act of ‘Little Darlings’ reads like a post-partum memoir. A comparison I feel qualified to draw given that my sister wrote a post-partum memoir about being committed to a psych ward nine days after my niece was born (Day Nine by Amanda Munday). The fear of motherhood consuming your identity, anxiety that your children are in ever-present danger, and paranoia that your every decision is being judged by those closest to you are realistic and frightening in their realism when combined with the folklore of child stealing fey.

In short, this was a great read. I’m likely going to be thinking about this one often.

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Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

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Where to start with Little Darlings? Well, I guess looking back my overall reflection is that this book is both good, and also very weird. Lauren is convinced her babies have been stolen and swapped for a sinister woman’s monster twins, and that no one but she can tell. She’s a first time mother, her husband isn’t particularly supportive, and as she becomes more and more terrified, she becomes increasingly alone and isolated. The only person who seems willing to concede that something might be wrong is Detective Jo Harper, who ends up pulled deeply into Lauren’s life and everything going on.

“She was still waiting for the rush of love. That one you feel, all at once the second they’re born, like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. The rush of love that people with children always go on about. She’d been looking forward to it. It worried her that she hadn’t felt it yet.”

I was absolutely sold by the blurb for this – I went in expecting a creepy, fairytale with a horror twist blended with a crime murder mystery. Something like Alice by Christina Henry or maybe Once Upon a Time crossed with Donnie Darko. Little Darlings is that, and yet, it somehow also wasn’t what I expected. It’s a powerfully emotive read; I have never been a mother and yet I so strongly empathised with Lauren and what she was going through. Golding has created a character with such raw, visceral feelings you can’t help but get swept along with them. It’s an uncomfortable read at times that had me questioning everything I thought I knew about motherhood and relationships and the way the world treats new mothers. It was gripping and addictive and it will absolutely mess with your mind (see how restrained I was there with my wording? I resisted the obvious swearword of choice!).

The book at times felt like it had two different halves, and while I liked both, I wasn’t always convinced they blended. On the one hand you have Lauren’s story with the changelings; throughout the book there are excerpts and references to creepy folklore, stories of changeling babies and of fae deals gone wrong. It’s heart-poundingly tense, a truly great psychological thriller. On the other hand, we have Jo Harper’s storyline. Harper is a DS who’s not very good at following procedure, but she’s very likeable. I’ve seen a few criticisms for the romance element of her side of the story but I thought it was well done and it let Golding show off some of Harper’s more vulnerable side, which is usually well guarded. I’d happily read another book about Harper, her future cases and the potential romance opened up here. While I liked both plotlines, it made for a slightly strange mix at times – I wanted MORE dark, heart-pounding horror and MORE police procedural drama, so at times it felt like I was just getting into the swing of one when we’d switch to the other.

“Look at someone every day for long enough and you stop seeing what everyone else sees. You start to see what no one else sees, what is kept hidden from most people.”

I personally was disappointed by the ending, but that’s very much a case of personal preference. If you love the kind of story that will have you constantly questioning your narrator, and whether what’s happening is real or not (think Before I go to Sleep, Riverdale’s Gargoyle King plotline, or The Grace Year) this is absolutely a book for you. I just maybe wouldn’t recommend reading it at the same time you and your partner are having a conversation about your future plans in terms of children!

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Thank you, Crooked Lane for our gifted review copy.

This is definitely a darker read & one that took me a bit to get through. While I was expecting a creepy bok with a sci-fi twist, this one definitely goes deeper into motherhood, depression, our own expectations, etc.

This is a very interesting read that made me stop & think.

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This is about a mom who has twins boys, and when she is in the hospital, a woman comes to see them. This lady is extremely creepy and switches her babies with the twins. The mom calls the police, but no one believes her and thinks she is crazy. But, the mom knows that the babies have been switched, and nothing is the same.
I do love ambiguous endings, but I was pretty upset by house this book ended. I definitely wanted more, and I also found that the husband was extremely irritating and an asshole.
Another thing I didn't care about was the backstory from the police process. I just don't like any type of police or detectives in my thrillers.

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3 Stars

I had never read anything by Melanie Golding before but something about Little Darlings caught my attention and would not let go. It took me a little while to get to the book but I finally found the time to dive in and see if the story could captivate me as much as the cover.

The world seems to think that Lauren Trantor just needs to get more rest. This is understandable given that she just had twins, Morgan and Riley. She agrees that she has never been more tired in her life. It does not help that her husband seems to have decided that taking care of the twins is her job to do alone. Lauren is exhausted and needs more rest. She would not argue with that. But that does not change what she saw that night in the hospital. Everyone thought it was a delusion brought on by exhaustion. Lauren knows it was real.

Lauren knows the woman who visited her in the hospital wants to take her children. She told her so the night they were born. She lost her twins and wants Lauren’s son to replace her own. No one believed Lauren. Then a month later, the twins disappeared. They were quickly recovered but Lauren knows a secret about the boys. Something about them is different. She knows even though no one believes her and she is determined to set things right again and reclaim her family.

Little Darlings is bit of a hybrid book with a cross between a police procedural and a supernatural thriller. The book started out in the manner that I expected and I was really geared up for a wild ride. The book then settles down a bit and the middle parts is a bit slower as the pieces are put together and the truth begins to come out. The action ramps up again toward the end of the novel but it began to seem a little hollow to me. Once the facts of the story are uncovered, it all seemed a little anticlimactic to me and I was a bit let down. I still enjoyed the novel but I did not care too much for the ending. It just did not seem to fit with how the story started and left me wanting for more.

Overall, there is a lot to like in Little Darlings but I finished the book feeling a little let down. The story got off to a strong start and then built on a slow simmer for a while in the middle as it sorted itself out. But ultimately it took a less interesting turn than I had hoped and started to lose me a little toward the end. I was also a bit confused by the book t times as it almost seemed as if the novel was the continuation of a series. There was a whole relationship between the detective and a reporter that I never could quite get a good grip on because I felt as if I was coming into the middle of the story. I honestly thought it was a sequel but that is not the case s it is the author’s first novel. In the end, the novel ended up being an interesting tale that I felt could have been much more. It was good enough that I would encourage giving it a try to see if you like it more than I did.

I would like to thank Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this review copy. Little Darlings is available now.

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This is a tense, atmospheric, spine-tingling story. I loved the speculative element and the fairy-tale like undertones woven throughout. I found it to be exactly the type of thriller I've been looking for. Unproblematic, thoughtful, well written and extremely interesting. Oftentimes mystery/thrillers sacrifice things for shock or plot, this book balanced plot, character, mystery and otherworldly implications so deftly. I would love to read more from the author but also more books like this!

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Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

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This was a page turner. I could feel her anxiety, exhaustion, frustration. In fact, I had a hard time reading it and kept falling asleep as I was reading. It was an easy read when I was awake but it just made me tired. I kept waiting for the reveal. For the explanation that never really came.

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