Absolutely brilliant book, such a creepy and unsettling story.
Well written with heaps of suspense and realistic characters, I honestly felt for Lauren and all she went through, at one point I almost believed that the things happening to her was Postnatal depression or something similar so very thought provoking and intense in parts.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

This thriller gives you everything you want from this genre. Fast paced, tension building, keeps you guessing and characters that interest the reader.

I think this book deals with any mother's biggest fear. What if you can't protect your kids, what if they get stolen or lost somehow. This set the premise for a very scary read, in the way of you were wondering from the start whether the mother was imagining things, or were there a real threat that nobody else saw coming. This was really a solid read, and I will read more by Ms Golding in future.

Having a baby is a shock, having two at the same time? I don’t think anything can prepare a new mum for two babies. Either they do everything at the same time which I can imagine is logistically difficult especially feeding, or they play tag team and that must be exhausting!! Lauren is in for a tough time, and that’s before someone is trying to swap her boys!

Those around Lauren are total extremes. Patrick is an absolute bar steward. Totally and utterly selfish. Lauren is really struggling without having to deal with a grown up toddler. Patrick’s actions made my blood boil!! But then there is Harper. The tenacity she shows to get to the bottom of what seemed to be a non-crime by all those involved was commendable. She really didn’t have much respect for her superiors. Lauren’s case really gets under Harper’s skin.

This debut from Golding is so twisted, a massive tick for this psych-thriller lover. I really didn’t know how reliable Lauren was; was she really being stalked by a woman who wants her twins or was this an extreme case of stress and paranoia? Little Darlings is one seriously chilling and sinister story. Golding impeccably interweaves the unsettled mind of a tired new mum with the darkness of baby snatching. Loved it!

A good psychological horror that keeps you guessing till the end. Well written and enjoyable. Would recommend

This is one of those books that you start to believe you have everything figured out about what is happening and then you are led down another road that makes you change your mind, nothing is clear cut and there are plenty of twists in the tale to keep you on your toes.

The characters are very believable, the book was really well written and highly addictive.

Chilling and creepy, more of a psychological thriller with dark fairy-tale overtones than a mystery, but enjoyable all the same.

Gripping, and scary, it's a great read

All I can say is it is an excellent read and I recommend it. Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

My first book by this author and it was excellent

A complete page Turner which is highly recommended

Lauren is struggling with being a new mother after giving birth to twins, Riley and Morgan. Overnight at the hospital she sees a strange woman who wants to swap her babies with Lauren's and Lauren rings the police for help. No-one else saw the woman, and hospital security finds no evidence that anyone unaccounted for was on the maternity ward, and the incident is written off, but DS Harper is not so sure. Lauren and the twins go home but doesn't feel safe - she is sure that the woman is out to get her babies - and Lauren's husband, Patrick, is not much help. In fact his behaviour is downright shifty. After the babies go missing at a local park, DS Harper gets involved again and as she investigates she realises that this case may have similarities to one from forty years earlier.

I thought this was well-written, and the author kept the pace up throughout, and the line between what was actually happening and what could be happening was tantalisingly blurred. Is Lauren experiencing postpartum psychosis? There are plenty of suspects and red herrings, and it keeps the reader engaged, however, I found some aspects a little hard to believe, for example, the apparent ease with which Lauren escaped a secure mental health unit with two babies in tow. Also Patrick - what a lowlife. Overall I rate this 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, HQ, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Plot: The twins are crying, The twins are hungry,
Lauren is crying, Lauren is exhausted,
Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting...

This book missed the mark for me, I was interested to see how the story played out but the ending just left me feeling a little disappointed.

People: Lauren's emotions of terror were well-written & portrayed in such a realistic way, as a reader you can't help but feel for her. Her husband is beyond annoying, assume that is intentional but he made my blood boil.

Pace: This is a slow-paced novel. If you are a fan of changelings & folklore this will be right up your street. Sadly, I'm not so this one wasn't really my cup of tea.

Disclaimer: A huge thanks to HQ Stories for sending me this title. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book and would read more from this author. May have been first but won't he the last.

I am not leaving a review due to the fact that this book did not interest me enough to finish the story.

This book is really creepy and quite disturbing. A good read but for me it seemed to be a bit slow and dragged on a little.

Lauren has just given birth to identical twin boys. Whilst in the maternity ward someone attempts to swap one of the twins for one of her own twins. The police and hospital staff believe that she’s having a mental health crisis. With no one to believe her Lauren is frightened for her babies. Then one day the babies are abducted. Lauren’s worst fears have been realised. The search for the missing children begins. This book is fast paced and well worth a read. A little different from what I normally read but I liked it. There were however some bits that I found confusing.

I received a digital arc of this from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book relies heavily on belief in a folk lore faery tale of the brothers Grimm variety. It has a supernatural kind of element to it and is very creepy at times. In that respect it wasn't my kind of usual read, and had I known it was like this I wouldn't have read it. If you can immerse yourself in the tale, it's a good read. Just not for me.

A strange one this. I changed my mind a million times about what was going on. Is Lauren going mad? Is her husband gas-lighting her? Not a mystery in the purest form this is more a psychological examination of new motherhood and stress with a hefty dose of fairy tales and folklore thrown in.

The task of repopulating the senior library has been an exciting and daunting task aS in a boarding school our aim is to encourage all members of the community to read. Because of this, I have been searching down a wide and diverse range of books to read that will entice a wide cross-section of the school to come in, browse and find books that they love.
Books like this will ensure that the senior students in the school see the library as a diverse, modern and exciting place with books that speak to them and they want to recommend to their friends, classmates, teachers and tutors.
It is an engrossing and exciting read with fully-formed characters and a plot that ensures that it's hard to look away. It is as far from formulaic as it is possible to be and kept me up far too late in order to finish it. I immediately wanted to read all of this writer's other books as I loved their voice and found that it really drew me into the story and made me think about it even when I'd stepped away from this tale.
This is a thought-provoking read which I'm sure will be a popular and well-read addition to our new library; I'm grateful to have had the opportunity to read it and I know that the students are going to absolutely love it too!

An utterly brilliant chilling tale with some interesting twists, I could not put this book down and I have added this to my favourite list of books read this year.