A good read with plenty of suspense. There is a lot to this story and it is very well written and has obviously been well researched. It was just not my type of book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of Melonie Golding’s ‘Little Darlings’ in exchange for an honest review.

‘Little Darlings’ begins with a shocking scene at a reservoir in the Peak District where D.S. Joanna Harper watches helplessly as a tragedy plays out.

After leaving me quivering the narrative then moves back five weeks to the night when Lauren gives birth to twin boys after a long and traumatic labour. That chapter opens with a quote from ‘The Changeling’ by James Russell Lowell. (In fact a number of chapters open with snippets of poems and tales about stolen children increasing the sense of unease).

In the middle of the night Lauren is aware of a woman in the bed next to her making odd noises and then drifts into a dream of an old woman feeding a bird and cat that then begin to transform into human infants. In the morning she is told there was no other woman.

She begins to worry that someone is trying to steal her babies. After a frightening encounter she locks herself in the bathroom and calls 999. This brings DS Harper onto the scene.

I hope that the above gives a taste of what is contained in this unsettling tale. It follows both Lauren’s experiences and DS Harper’s investigations. It was inspired by the Welsh fairytale ‘The Brewery of the Eggshells ‘, which is referenced in the narrative.

It certainly kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. I love this kind of novel in which the unseen realm is depicted alongside every day reality. Is Lauren in the midst of a psychotic episode or is a dark fae seeking to steal her babies?

Certainly highly recommended and a powerful debut. I will be looking forward to future projects and rather hope that she will continue to explore the borderlands between such dark folklore and the thriller genre.

This was for me a tense and very creepy read but one which I really enjoyed. After giving birth to twin boys Lauren Trenter is recovering in hospital and one night she is convinced some one is trying to steal her babies. Is it a figment of her imagination or something more sinister ?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this amazing book

and what a book...one that will give you nightmares for years...it hit every nerve going, the stuff of nightmares for new moms, and one not to be read after just having a baby....

new mom lauren with twins who hears voices from the next bay next to her in hospital...but is told nobody is there, when the next night the same thing happens again only this time she sees an old woman with twins and is offered a choice give me one of yours as a swop or i take both...and from then on a nightmare scenario starts

is this old smelly woman for real or is it a figment of her imagination...what a nightmare journey this book takes you on..at times you just dont want to finish reading it, but then you carry on...

stuff of nightmares this book but so well written, another author to keep an eye out for...

This sounded so interesting to me. It was on my most anticipated books for the year.
I didn't know what to really expect. It's the type of story that could go anywhere.

The first half of the book felt like nothing was really happening. However I was wrong thinking back. So much was happening. Lauren showing signs of Postpartum Depression/Anxiety. I was missing the importance of how Lauren was acting. Even Patrick being distant.

This book has paranormal vibes to it. As you're wondering if the babies were changings or is Lauren suffering from some form of postpartum psychosis.

The ending itself was ok. Wasn't mind blowing, but I don't think it needed to be. The story didn't need it. Having the end be sort of open was important. To show Lauren still has ways to go.

Wow what a debut!! I thought at first it might not be my type of read but it definitely was and more. I felt every one of Lauren's emotions and did actually wonder if she was psychotic, no one believes her that a woman tried to take her babies and replace them, they disappear then when they're found she's convinced they're not her babies. Being sectioned she realises time is running out to get her babies back. Only Harper believes and helps her. Nothing is as it seems!! A book full of fairytale fantasies, horror and thriller all rolled into one!! Highly recommended

This book was not for me. I found the book to be a little slow and did not find myself engaged by the subsidiary characters, particularly the husband and the police officer. The style of writing is not one I enjoy and I did not find quotes, whilst relevant, added anything to the storyline for me. Unlike other reviewers I did not find it creepy. As others was drawn in to whether Lauren is mad or whether there is something supernatural going on. I thought the handling of the mental illness issues was done quite well as were the thoughts and behaviours of a new mum.

Oh this is a very creepy book, intentionally I should add. Dark fairy tale meets police procedural and very nicely done it is too. The lead detective is a really good character and I'm hoping this isn't the last we hear from her. This is a book that leaves you not knowing what to believe. Avoid reading late at night!!

I loved this book.
It’s quite a dark story and has Faerie folklore running through the book.
Lauren gives birth to two beautiful twin boys but whilst in hospital is visited by a haggard old woman who tells her she wants her babies.
Lauren is understandably scared and runs and hides after calling the Police.
The hospital puts it down to a psychological incident as there’s nothing showing on the CCTV - or is there?
Harper wants to investigate but her boss tells her it is a waste of time as no crime took place. But Harper does some research and realises something strange is going on.
Once home Lauren sees the old woman outside again but her husband doesn’t believe her.
Lauren is frightened to go out but when she does, after several weeks, the babies are taken from her.
I really felt for Lauren as she knows what she’s been told is impossible, but she knows the babies that were found were not Morgan and Riley.
This is a breathtaking read and will make you question what’s real and what’s not.
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I hadn't realised that this book was about changelings, and is really an adult fairy tale. It is quite a disturbing book, and really should not be read by any pregnant women. It is well written, with good descriptions, but just wasn't for me.

The descriptions are brilliant in this book you feel like your outsider listening in and watching something you shouldn't. You want to scream at the people involved listen to Lauren and what shes saying but then your not sure yourself. It's a real tingling page turner that once you start you will not want to do anything else for the day till you finish it so don't start it at night.
I was given this ARC of this book for a honest review thank you for letting me read such a amazing book.

I loved this book, a real page turner. Descriptions are so well written, I was there and believed in all the characters........well almost all.
Twin boys are born to Lauren but a dirty, stinky woman tries to steal them whilst they are still in hospital. Lauren is petrified. The twins are taken home and eventually a very tired,frightened Lauren is persuaded to take them out for a stroll. Lauren sits on a bench and falls asleep.........the twins are stolen! When found ...........we have to wonder whether they really are Lauren's twins!
No more spoilers. Excellent, unusual,well written story.

Wow!! What a scary and chilling read I found this book to be. When I first heard about this book I thought it was going to be a thriller, but when I actually started reading I found it was much more. It was a thriller interwind with mental health issues and folklore stories relating to twins.

This story had me obsessed with finding out whether the babies where really exchanged for changelings or whether it was just all in the mothers head. While reading I never quite know what to believe and even found myself doubting the mother like the others in this book do.

Although I thought the writing and pacing of the story was right on point, there were a few little bits that I found to be a bit slow, but the interesting storyline made up for this.  I liked how the chapters alternated between the two characters, Lauren the mother and Harper, the detective who is working on the case.  

The characters in the book were great and well developed. While reading I never quite knew what to believe and even found myself doubting the mother like the others in this book do. I did feel sorry for the main character Lauren by the end, and oh my hate for Patrick. I thought he was a manipulative prick and really wanted to punch him in the face, for the way he treated Lauren after having the twins.

Also, even though the characters and storyline had me gripped and wanting to keep reading I thought it did need to be a little more darker and creeper. But other than that, I couldn’t really find a fault.

There is so much more I want to say about this book but I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t read it yet. So, let me conclude by saying that this was a great debut novel, that you need to read, especially if you’re into reading dark and creepy thrillers.

I definitely can’t wait to see what Melanie Golding has to offer next.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher’s HQ for a copy of my eARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

OMG WHAT HAVE I JUST READ WOW!!!!!!!
A fairy story? Psychosis? I really don't know but this book is so much more !!!!!!!
I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page at 3am. I could not put this book down.
This read kept me gripped from the first to the last page.
Lauren a young new mother has recently given birth to twin boys. It is the middle of the night in the maternity ward and the curtains are drawn round her bay for privacy. Lauren is alone or is she? Lauren can hear another woman talking to her babies. Twin boys just like her. Why is Lauren afraid ???
This read had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. This is a chilling and scary read. A new mother has so many after her baby is born, this is normal but what Lauren experiences is not normal or is it ? This story plays with your mind and definitely gets under your skin. This book was not what I was expecting it is so much more. A new author for me and I can't wait to read what this lady does next. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended. A MUST READ!!!!!!
I would like to thank the author, HQ and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I had assumed this book was going to be a thriller, but there’s a lot more to it than that - a whole other layer, steeped in folklore and dark fairy tales, and full of sinister threat.

Lauren is in hospital after giving birth to twins. One night, she calls the police, hysterical with fear. A strange woman has found her way into the ward and tried to steal the babies. The police can find no evidence, and it seems that no one believes her. Weeks later, the twins briefly go missing. When they are found, Lauren’s joy is short lived. She is convinced that the twins, apparently identical to her own - are not her babies.

Framed by dark fairytales of changelings and sinister sightings, this book takes the thrillers that dominate so much of our reading today and turns them on their heads, with a spooky and unsettling impact.

BOOK REVIEW

' OH MY WORD ' What a book , what a story, what a brilliant piece of work this is. A chilling, spine tingling, page turning book. Hard to believe its a debut novel its that well written, I couldn't put it down. Incorporating old wives tales using a modern theme it transports you to the mind of anew mum of twins. The descriptions of the twins make them to me as memorable as the twins in The Shining. Yes they are tiny humans but I still feel chills thinking of how their mum sees them. The author takes you into the mind of a new mum who may or may not be suffering post natal depression. You feel her pain as she falls deeper and deeper into the black abyss that torments her. Yet you are never really sure if its all a lie. The author keeps that doubt spinning through your thoughts the further in the book you get. Captivating your imagination even when you think you know the truth.

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding is a sinister and chilling contemporary tale with fairy tale elements to it.
The characters are well drawn. The reader ‘feels’ the terror and utter desperation of the main character. We are never quite sure – is she deluded? Or is she telling the truth? You decide.
The atmospheric terror is enhanced with the locations, the sights and the sounds and the ‘smells’. So vivid are the descriptions that I definitely read with the hairs on the back of my neck raised. Murky waters and dark woods heightened my emotions and level of fear.
New babies should bring happiness but when their existence is threatened, emotions of a different kind take over.
Little Darlings was a very sinister tale, not to be read at night or alone when things may creak or go bump. Even now I am not sure what was real and what was imagined. A smashing debut novel that would make a marvellous film.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

# Little Darlings #Netgalley
Wow what a nerve wracking storyline. Lauren knows someone was behind the curtain in the maternity ward. Yet why oh why will no one believe her. They say she was tired, imagining it, Post natal depression. But Lauren knows differently. She hadn’t just woke up, she hadn’t dreamt it. She did not have PND. It’s a spine chilling story, you can feel your heartbeat faster because your living it along with Lauren. Read read read

Thanks to NetGalley and The Publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I guess this book is a mix of Psychological Thriller and Police Procedural, with a supernatural element. The premise of which sounds good but just didn't work for me. For me there was no tension building and the eerie atmosphere that you'd expected was ruined by the dialogue between the characters. Some more sophistication was needed. There was the usual characters from the police - hard working detective, who bends the rules and gets in to trouble with the higher ups, with a complicated personal life - so nothing new there.

I think if there had been more focus on Lauren and her progress through her treatment rather than just her despair this book would have had more of an impact on an important and overlooked condition.

I just didn't enjoy this.

Absolutely terrifying. This books swims very close to many issues, adultery and marriage issues, having young children, and mental health issues.

At some points of this book I almost felt like I had to look over my shoulder. It’s is creepy and edgy. Yes it’s slow to start but it doesn’t disappoint at all. What a ride my imagination was taken on.