Great premise! Lauren has just given birth to identical twin boys. She is grappling with parenthood at the beginning, not feeling the instant "surge of love". I think a really good representation of post partem blues. One night in the hospital, after a difficult birth and recovery, she believes a woman wants to steal her babies and swap them for her own. Nobody believes her, expect for our lead detective, Jo Harper. Her babies go missing, after she does everything to keep them safe from this threatening woman that is only visible to her. They are returned safely, but they aren't the same babies...

There were definitely pros and cons to this book. Overall, a really creepy story and I couldn't figure out if our main character was mentally unwell, or this was a creepy fairytale come to life. The author really did a good job at keeping you guessing, and I still am not sure what was "real" in the end.

However, the book was majorly ruined by the ending for me. There was a lot of great buildup and I was expecting some shocking twist, but no. Why did Patrick want to keep her in the hospital? Was it because he didn't trust or, or because he wanted to hook up with his "nannies" on this side? I feel like the author didn't know how to end it.

The ending could have been cleaner in general; the bodies found in the lake didn't really add any value, and it was just a "dead end." Was it a ghost who wanted revenge, was it unrelated? For me it didn't add much value, and I thought it could have been pushed in one direction or another much more.

Still a solid debut, I would be interested to see what is next from this author.

3.5 Stars. This was a book out of my genre-comfort zone once I got into it. It's a mixture of mystery and fantasy. The ending did have me thinking but could've been a little better.

Ms. Golding is an up and coming new author, and Little Darlings is her first published book. I found Little Darlings to be a hauntingly realistic story with a psychological and supernatural twist. There were times that I felt like the story was a little slow, but it plot built upon it, and I was drawn in. Little Darlings is a masterful rendition of a modern day fairy tale....not the happy children's fairy tale, but the original dark and twisted tale. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Goldring.

Engaging thriller that makes a quick read. Unfortunately, I'm a little over the "crazy mom" trope in domestic thrillers.

Little Darlings was a book that had excellent writing filled with unreliable characters that was honestly fascinating to read about. I couldn't stop reading this book and was thrilled at how it turned out. Thanks for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A thriller that got me at the edge of my seat. I'm a sucker for a good mystery novel that involves a mother and child.

The protagonist, Lauren, is a new mother to two twins. She's managing as much as she can. However, something came to her that night she was alone with her twins. Grim folktale legends about twins is what grabbed my attention and it did not disappoint. I also heard this will be turned into a movie production and I can’t wait to watch it. The story did come to life and I can see why it’s being turned into a movie.

I give this book four stars. A mother’s love is put to the test. Will you do anything to get back what is yours?

This book was interesting since it was developed from a old fairytale. I had a hard time getting into it because it seemed to kind of drag in the beginning. I don’t think this was the right fit for me maybe because I didn’t really enjoy or become engrossed in the story like I usually am and I can’t put a finger on what it was exactly that didn’t mess with me. I hate to say it but I would not recommend this book☹️
🤓❤️📚❣️

Eerie, strange happenings with a mother with newborn twin boys. A gripping storyline that means you cannot put this book down. Her fears and thoughts after birth mirror so many other mothers' thoughts after birth and are why her story resonates with mothers all over.
There are strong well-defined characters.
Joanne Harper, the DS. She is strong, dependable and a voice of reason. She is trying to make sense of what she sees, hears and experiences. I enjoyed her calm presence even when things seemed to be totally strange.
Husband Patrick seems to be floating outside the whole picture - not really part of his wife and sons's lives, leaving the parenting mostly to Lauren - leaving her feeling isolated and unbelievable.
Lauren, seems prone to mental issues, but you get the feeling she is a devoted, caring mother despite the issues surrounding her, you feel sorry for her while she is trying to make sense of her confusion.

The addition of extracts from fairy tales and other stories all contribute to the eeriness and sinister background events. Amy also contributes enormously to shedding light on the sinister side.

The ending is very strange, but ties up the story brilliantly. I was continually wondering whilst reading how on earth this story will resolve itself. A satisfying read which hints to something darker in Patrick. It will be interesting to see how this book will play out as a movie - I'm not sure if Lauren will come across on the screen as the reader perceives her in the book - someone who despite of her actions is still the nicer portion of the couple.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this powerful book.

Lauren is a new mother to twin boys, she is tired and stressed but she knows that the woman who appeared in her room in the maternity award, threatening to swap Lauren's twin boys for hers was real despite there being no evidence of anyone else being there that night and everyone assuming she was just seeing things. Lauren knows she must do everything to save her little boys.

Little Darlings is based off the welsh fairy tale 'A brewery of eggshells' about a woman with newborn twins who are swapped with changelings.
This book is more of a contemporary novel with suggested magic realism, rather than a mystery/thriller novel. Which going into this book I thought was a mystery/thriller.
As you read this story, you are often questioning if what Lauren is going through actually real or if she is just going through post natal depression.
Patrick, Lauren's husband was so annoying, and I didn't really care for Jo Harpers character who is the detective that investigates the case.
And the whole story was predictable which didn't leave me satisfied when the book had ended.

Thank you to net galley who provided me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't think this was a mystery or thriller. I think it was more magical realism. A woman thinks her twin infants were replaced in the night with monsters and no one believes her or notices anything, It is rather chilling but not really thrilling or mysterious. I was expecting something a little different.

Little Darlings. Even the title is a little off-putting. A little too saccharine, it sounds like a phrase used to thinly veil something closer to contempt. The cover is dark and twisty; reminiscent of things growing and stretching. Reaching. Clawing. Long story short, I knew right away that I was in for a good scare.

Little Darlings is the debut novel of Melanie Golding and holy crap, way to start off with a bang! This book tells the story of new mother Lauren who recently gave birth to twin boys. While still in the hospital, Lauren is visited by a ragged, frightening woman who threatens to take her boys if she leaves them for even a minute. She says she will switch them and Lauren will never know.

Obviously, Lauren is freaked out after this interaction, she tries to tell hospital personnel and nobody believes her. The video surveillance on the ward shows nobody coming or going and Lauren is treated as though this was a hallucination.

But Lauren knows what she saw. And knows that she has to keep her boys safe. Sleep-deprived, hormonal, and frightened, Lauren has to fight her way to the boys she knows to be hers.

Part dark fairy tale, part folklore, this book was creepy and atmospheric in the best way. It left me turning pages at a furious pace, questioning every detail, and not trusting any of the characters.

Assuming you haven’t had a baby recently (if you have, wait a year or two), you should get your hands on a copy of this one the next time you’re looking for a chilling page-turner!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wonderfully written modern tale of the Irish myth of the Changling. My grandmother is Irish, and I grew up hearing these types of stories. It was very fun to see this myth brought to modern days. The writing of the book was superb and engaging. I loved every moment of it. Thank you for letting me review this.

The best way to describe Little Darlings is as a ‘Dark & Sinister Fairytale’. Melanie Golding has combined elements of a psychological thriller and folklore to perfection to craft a modern dark fairytale. Almost everyone has read a dark folk story in their childhood and this will bring back memories of that

Amazing, tense edge of the seat reading. Doubting motherhood, spooky visits and the promise of her twins being taken, this book has a lot to offer! Along with twists and a fight for what is right, when no one else really understands. To the end where you never really know who you can trust!
Recommend read!

Did not finished it because it got expired as I had some family emergency. But definitely something that left me curious, which I will definitely buy to finish it to find out the ending.

Little Darlings is one of those books where it's good to go in knowing as little as possible, but basically a woman fears her newborn twins are not her own. It has a ton of dark fairy tale elements that really add to the suspense. I love the atmospheric slow burn and I found myself truly transported into the story. I really felt the mother's struggles and could feel her anguish. This is a great book for anyone who doesn't like the traditional thriller, which is another thing I loved about it. I also love that the ending didn't take a cop out. If you've read it, you probably know what I mean!

I received this book in exchange for a honest review from NetGalley.

I really liked this book but it is definitely not the book for you if you have a difficult time with children in danger or mothers with mental health issues. It is dark and mysterious and even now I am still guessing about the ending. I love the connections that it made to class fairy-tales and folklore. I love fairy-tale retellings so much. Overall a great book but can have really difficult themes in some parts read with care.

To be honest, I still don't know what to think of Little Darlings. I want to like it because it deals with the fae, in its own way. Yet, I am not a fan of books that are so open-ended, that leave the entire story to the reader. I never did enjoy the Choose Your Own Adventure series; I am certainly not going to enjoy them now. Yet that is what I think of when I think of Melanie Golding's novel. The story has no right or wrong answer, so you are free to choose to think what you will of Lauren's conviction that her babies are not hers. For my own peace of mind, I choose the more poetic side, not because I love fae stories - which I do - but because the prosaic side is too depressing. That being said, any reader easily upset by missing children or triggered by mental trauma should avoid this one.

Not since the novel “Baby Teeth” have I gotten serious chills from reading. This book was extremely hard for me to put down, and after reading, the passages stayed with me. It is not only a thriller in the likes of Stephen King, but also an honest depiction of new motherhood, and the history of folklore. ⁣

Lauren is a new mom of twin boys, so one would expect her to be exhausted and overwhelmed. Her husband Patrick means well but like some new dads, doesn’t quite know what to do and ultimately leaves the majority of the childcare to Lauren. As someone who had her first child a year ago, I sympathized with Lauren’s feelings of pure exhaustion, worry, and frustration. When she was angry with her husband, I felt it along with her. When the doctors wouldn’t listen to her, I wanted to shout at them on her behalf. That’s on behalf of the author, who writes very vividly.

What a creepy story!!! It’s a domestic thriller (kind of), Grimm’s fairytale, detective drama, and mystery all rolled into one....and if you’re expecting a baby, have just had a baby, are ever around babies, have seen a baby, know what babies are....be warned. The creep factor is HIGH. Following a very difficult and traumatic delivery, Lauren is recovering alongside her brand new identical twin boys when she encounters a creepy woman with two creepy eel-like babies in a basket. The woman threatens to take Lauren’s babies and replace them with her own claiming they would look just like her babies and she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Lauren hides in the bathroom with her babies and calls for help, but the woman is gone and there is no trace of her on the security cameras, so Lauren is written off as being paranoid and mentally ill. A few weeks later, the babies are abducted, but when they are found, Lauren knows without a doubt they aren’t her real babies. Could the creepy woman have been real? Or is she actually losing her mind?

This book was super creepy and intriguing but kind of missed the mark for me. The concept was wild and interesting but didn’t hold my attention as well as I’d hoped, but that could be mostly because I’m not really into magical realism and there was a definite scary fairytale vibe to it. It was definitely well-written, and I’m excited to see what else Melanie Golding writes in the future!