Eerie, innovative, and at times bleak, Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is the type of book that will get into your head. I wouldn’t consider this a psychological thriller in the traditional sense (or the one that people most commonly think of). There are elements of magical realism and lore that push it almost towards non-gruesome literary horror, if I had to describe it.

The book is inspired by a Welsh fairy tale called A Brewery of Eggshells. In the original tale, a woman gives birth to twins, but has to leave them alone for awhile. When she returns, she discovers the babies are swapped with changelings. If you’re a fan of fairy tales, you know that these stories tend to be quite dark, though we may brighten them up in modern society for kids.

In Little Darlings, the same premise is used as inspiration for this spooky, somber tale. Lauren has given birth to twins, and her experience with childbirth was much more traumatizing than she was led to believe it would be. She’s exhausted, and she hasn’t even met her babies yet. Lauren is convinced that a strange woman with elf-like twins entered her hospital room and threatened to take Lauren’s babies. No one believes Lauren when she tells them about the woman, but she knows what happened.

A month later, Lauren is in the park with the twins when they disappear from her side. After a frantic search, the babies are found but Lauren insists there is something different about them. Detective Sergeant Jo Harper is assigned to the case. Jo has her own issues with authority, which may make her the one person who will actually try to help Lauren with her concerns. Jo doesn’t let go of the case, despite direct orders from above her to do so.

Lauren becomes more and more difficult to believe, though. Even for the reader, I found Lauren’s manic cycles and sheer exhaustion to make me question if she might be unconsciously making this up. I think any mother reading this book will be both terrified and sympathetic—though most mothers don’t have their babies replaced with changelings, I think many understand that post-partum phase and the pain of everyone wanting you to be ok when you aren’t

At times Lauren seemed normal (relatively speaking)—she made decisions with clarity and calculations. These moments constantly changed how I was viewing Lauren and her story—did she believe it? Was it psychosis? Lauren’s “madness” is a constant ebbing and flowing presence in the story, taking the reader on a journey to unveil what really happened.

Final Thoughts

I have to wonder if this story (and the original fairy tale) are meant to make a statement about post-partum depression. Certainly, that’s an unspoken but boldly present part of Lauren’s story. It’s that more than anything that makes this story feel somber. Lauren is either having a mental health issue related to her pregnancy, or she is telling the truth and no one believes her. I wondered which would be worse?

I won’t tell you what happened, obviously, but I did find the ending to be satisfying, infuriating, and perfect in equal measure. Golding knows how to spin a tale. I loved the quotes included throughout, as well as the story. Jo Harper (mostly she goes by Harper) is a fantastic character. She’s the sort that many would describe as “rough around the edges,” but I’ll tell you that there is no one I’d rather have assigned to my case than Harper. She does not care what her superiors tell her to do, she will continue to search for the truth at all costs.

A haunting story, one that will stick with the reader long after the final page.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Sorry this book wasn't for me. I'm sure it is a brilliant book for many but just not my thing. Not sure why I requested it to be honest. Sorry about that.

The story kept me engaged the entire time. Each chapter was introduced with a disturbing quote from fairy folklore about twins. Melanie Golding's Little Darlings brought any mother's worst nightmare to life.

As the story began, Lauren Tranter, a happily married woman to Patrick Tranter, was giving birth to twin boys. The couple decided to name their sons Morgan and Riley. Lauren experienced some complications after the birth of her twins and therefore had to remain in the hospital a little longer than usual. With little support from her husband or hospital staff, Lauren found herself exhausted taking care of and nursing her twin boys. It was no wonder Lauren was soon showing signs of postpartum depression. She was completely overwhelmed with her new role as mother to twins. One night, while still recovering at the hospital, Lauren hears a strange and creepy voice singing a frightening song. Lauren is greeted by a haggard looking woman who has a basket full of rags and what she calls her babies. These babies are more like creatures, though. The woman threatened to take Lauren's babies and exchange them with hers. The woman promised she would do it, if not today sometime soon when Lauren was not expecting it. Lauren was so frightened she ran to the bathroom where she locked herself in and called the police. The only problem was that no one believed Lauren's story, not even her husband. From that point on Lauren became so paranoid about leaving Morgan and Riley alone for even a minute. She did not trust herself to leave her house, when she finally got home, in fear of having her babies taken from her by that hideous woman.

After much time, Patrick convinced Lauren to take Morgan and Riley out of the house to meet her friends. Lauren had a pleasant time with her friends who had also recently become young mothers. On the way home, Lauren became so tired so decided to have a rest on a park bench. Not meaning to, Lauren fell asleep and when she woke up her babies were missing. Her worst nightmare had actually happened. She just knew that that horrid woman from the hospital had taken Morgan and Riley. The police were called to help investigate the kidnapping. DS Jo Harper, who had been on the case from the first incident in the hospital, was called to help look for the babies. It was Jo Harper who found Morgan and Riley. Were they Morgan and Riley, though? Lauren believed that her babies had been taken and replaced with that woman's creatures. The woman had vowed to make her babies look just like Morgan and Riley. Lauren knew they were not her babies and she knew what she must do to get her babies back. Her problem was that she was confined to a psychological unit for observation. When Lauren screamed and carried on about the fact that those babies they found were not hers, everyone thought she was crazy. That included her husband as well.

Little Darlings was not my usual genre but I did enjoy it. I felt it ended a little abruptly, though. I do recommend Little Darlings by Melanie Golding.

Lovedddd this plot line, pace, and the ominous paranormal influence. Did not love the ending. I felt that it kept me in the edge of my seat the entire time all to leave me longing just a little bit more from the ending

I loved the premise of the story but did not like the execution as much. I would have loved for the main character to have a little more personality before all of the stuff started with the babies.

Several books I’ve read lately has dealt with the horror of being pregnant, post partum depression, and being a new mother which are topics I myself know nothing about. Unlike the other books I’ve read I loved Little Darlings. It is a creepy little folk horror tale that you do not need to be a mother to appreciate. It left me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out if Lauren is crazy or something is really after her and her twin boys.

I listened to the audiobook via audible and read it as well. I liked the narrator.

I recommend this book if you’re a folk horror fan like me.

**thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review.**

This book was too creepy for me. I didn't enjoy the plot....although I'm sure fans of the eerie may find it fascinating.

This book caught me off guard. When the description blurb said creatures, I almost did not request the book. However, after I started reading, I could not put it down. This is probably the best thriller I have read to date. I have not read anything else from this author but can say that I hope that she writes another book. She has found her niche in life.


I would give it 10 stars if I could

*Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book. Review not posted to Amazon because less than 4 stars.*

Lauren is a new mother to twins. During her stay at the hospital after the birth, she is visited in the night by a creepy old woman with twin boys herself. But to everyone's knowledge, Lauren thought up the whole thing. Now being labeled with a mental illness, Lauren needs to try to get someone to believe her about the old woman and what she has threatened to do to Lauren's boys.

Then it happens! What the old woman told her happened! Now Lauren needs to do everything in her power (still without anyone believing her) to get her babies back.

This story is creepy and makes you check on your babies. Being a new mom myself, I was even considering DNFing this because it made me so nervous. The story was very creative. I was completely disappointed with the ending. I was definitely hoping for a different outcome for Lauren involving a more fantasy/fairytale ending, especially involving the old woman.

This was a well written, though unsettling read, as it relies heavily on folklore and fairy tales of the darker kind. The author did an excellent job of portraying a post natal woman on the edge - very little sleep, a husband who shows no inclination to share responsibilities, and appears to care little about her well being. Add to that her fear that someone is out to steal her babies, and it’s not difficult to feel deep empathy with her. Though there was something of a slow start, it soon picks up pace and let me just say, it doesn’t get much creepier than this! Not something I’m likely to forget in a hurry!

Huh! This did not wrap up like half of the other threads that it started. I'm fine with how the MC's plot line ended, sure. Mostly. But there were a ton of other side plots that just disappeared. WTF. Way too many unanswered questions! That was extremely disappointing.

4.5 stars. A twisted, dark, horroresque psychological thriller that features an unreliable narrator and a haunting narrative. There were some scenes that had me scared. Little Darlings is absolutely riveting and unputdownable, it is a must-read!

I enjoyed this book. It opens a little slow, but picks up as you read. I received an advanced copy from netgalley.

I went in expecting a very different kind of book. At two separate times I started reading this book but couldn't make it past the first couple of chapters. After looking at the reviews I realised this just isn't a book for me. The content can be pretty triggering and I've decided to not finish this one.

Creepy, unsettling, and sad. I loved that fairy tales and fables were intertwined in this story -you, the reader, must decide who to believe and how much. I feel this book should have been labeled as contemporary rather than mystery. Mental illness and motherhood are the main themes in this book.

This book was hard for me to read when I had just become a new mother.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a unique mystery with a mix of fable and creepiness mixed in.

I have since bought a copy of this book for my library at home.

I want to thank Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Melanie Golding for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I could not get into this book, sorry. Trying to clean up my netgalley. Didn’t realize that I was forgetting to leave reviews on netgalley itself, My apologies.

Little Darlings is a dark, disturbing, crazy take on the Changeling myth. It was overall a captivating story.

While I was hesitant the first time I received this, because I was suffering from post-partum on second read I found this to be a tension-filled novel that kept me wanting to read more. It reminded me of one of my other favorite reads, Victor Lavalle's The Changling. It isn't something I would recommend to my students as the themes are a bit too adult, but I would consider recommending it to some of my friends.

After reading what could arguably be considered WAY too many feel-good holiday rom-coms, I was in need of a good thriller. I'm not sure that I would describe this as a thriller, exactly, but I certainly got the change of pace I was looking for!

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a creepy, unsettling, gripping tale that constantly had me questioning my own judgment, teetering on believing Lauren’s version of events and thinking maybe she really was suffering from some sort of postpartum psychosis and none of her story was true. After what felt like a major bomb dropping, I no longer knew what and whom to believe, and couldn't get through the final pages fast enough.

I cannot wait to read more from Golding!

I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley for my honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.