A very strange story which really didn't gel for me. There was a lot going on ,most of it quite dark and weird.

I’d like to thank Harlequin UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Little Darlings’ by Melanie Golding in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lauren’s in the maternity ward after giving birth to twin boys when a unkempt woman dressed in dirty ragged clothing tries to take her babies. Lauren locks herself and the babies into a bathroom and phones the police to report an attempted abduction, but when DS Jo Harper arrives at the hospital nobody in the ward has seen the woman and they say it’s a false alarm. Jo isn’t convinced and wants to look into the matter further although her superior officer has told her to drop it.

‘Little Darlings’ is a well-written and intriguing psychological thriller that makes for uncomfortable reading. It accurately describes how a new mother, lacking in sleep and with an unhelpful and inconsiderate husband, can become paranoid and irrationally delusional. The spine-chilling plot is disturbing, absorbing and very frightening at times, and I was gripped from the start. If this is Golding’s debut novel I’m looking forward with great anticipation to reading her next one.

After a traumatic birth, Lauren is alone on the maternity ward with her new-born twins when a terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves her convinced someone is trying to steal her children.

Lauren is sure that she sees and hears a dirty, rag covered woman showing her a basket of what looked like baby rats and singing an unusual song. After a bit of talk the woman says, “Let’s deal, Let’s change one for another”. “Give me one of yours and I’ll take care of it, You have one of mine and treat it like your own” The woman grasps Lauren’s arm and she struggles to get away, Choose one, said the woman, “choose one of I’ll take them both. You’ll never know the difference; I can make sure they look just the same”. What could be more horrific, she grabs the twins and locks herself in the bathroom and calls the police. The hospital security and police arrive only to find just a very scared woman locked in the bathroom with her babies.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of overnight incidents that have been reported, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later.

Harper's superior officer tells her there's no case here, but Harper can’t let it go so she visits the hospital anyway. There's nothing on the CCTV. No one believes this woman was ever there. And yet, Lauren claims that she keeps seeing the woman and that her babies are in danger, and soon Harper is sucked into Lauren's spiral of fear. But how far will they go to save children who may not even be in danger?

This book is seriously creepy, echoes of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, ‘Little Darlings’ will probably give you sleepless nights

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ General Fiction for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

Creepy and disturbing, this book is an exploration of that weird post-partum period where hormones are all over the place and mental stability can waver as both body and circumstantial changes come crashing in. In this story, there is a well drawn line to follow- that this mother is delusional and that all the terrifying events she describes have been conjured by her sleep-deprived and hormone drenched brain. However there’s a fantastical/ supernatural alternative story line being woven- equally persuasive though far less believable from an everyday common sense perspective.
I enjoyed the tale, and found myself compelled by Lauren’s plight. I enjoyed the police investigation angle, and found Harper a likeable, honest detective. I really wanted a happier ending for Lauren...away from Patrick, yes, but not like this!
Well recommended, but not for new mothers!
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a different kind of read for me, a spooky thriller fantasy. It was easy to read and I enjoyed the creepy folk tale elements of the book. The main character Lauren, has just given birth to twin boys. Right front the start something doesn't feel right for her, as the story goes along the reader is question if Lauren really did see someone trying to take her babies or is it mental health issues like her husbands wants to believe
If you like a dark creepy read this is definitely for you. .

A very good book which left me completely confused throughout whether someone was trying to take the babies or was it part of her imagination.

This is a really hard book to review. - it was brilliant a 4 star read, I want to say I enjoyed it but I’m not sure it’s appropriate.

The beginning was very hard hitting, there’s a woman with 2 babies in her arms walking into a river about to dunk them underneath. The police are stood on the viaduct and all they can do is watch. My heart was in my mouth wondering what was going to happen next, but then obviously the epilogue ends and the story goes back in time a month.

Lauren is on her own in the hospital, she’s just given birth to twins and the nurses have sent her husband home.

She thinks she can hear someone in the bed next to her but when she looks there’s no one there.

Then she thinks someone is trying to abduct her twins, but when reported to the police they can find no evidence of the intruder. But Lauren is utterly convinced there is someone out to get her & her babies


This book was fast paced and absolutely brilliant,

We meet DS Jo Harper who despite being told by her superiors that the case had been dropped can’t seem to let it go, babies are a sore subject for her and she wants to do everything in her power to get the case solved.

There were so many twists and turns to this story that you’re left constantly guessing. Sometimes you’re sympathising with the main character and other times you just want to shout at her and ask her what on earth she is doing.

This book deals with very important topics in a delicate way, trigger warnings for mental health issues

I'm not one to read many thrillers/chillers but I was intrigued by the blurb of this book, and I am glad I took the decision to give Little Darlings a try.

What a spinetingling book - I am still not sure what to think!

Lauren is mum to newborn twins, and from the first night, gets embroiled in a twist and turn filled journey as she believes her babies may be changelings.

With a husband who's motives are questionable at best, who I thoroughly disliked, and a cop who has a heart, wanting to believe this woman who all others have relegated to the Mental Health Department, alongside a journalist who wants a scoop, this book kept me riveted!

Old spooky stories about a village underwater, a missing person, possible copycat crimes 40 years apart - seriously, there was a lot to take in.

If you are a thriller fan - read it. If you are a new mum, read with caution!

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am not really sure what genre Little Darling belongs in; I am not into fantasy but there was an eerie, chilling amount of this, probably just enough to keep you guessing even at the end.; it was a police drama, a thriller and all in all a captivating and unusual storyline.

Lauren is a fully dimensional figure whose back I felt I always had whereas her husband was a bit less clear and towards the end I felt that maybe I'd been kinder to him than I should have been.

Jo Harper is not your usual police officer but again she is believable.

The plot line of new motherhood was so realistic it took me right back to my time, and my eldest is coming up 40!!!

Excellent book, totally recommend although my review will leave you as muddle headed as I was on completing the book.

Atmospheric modern gothic with a postpartum mother of twins who thinks they are changelings. Also incorporates a drowned village and some fascinating stories about the mythology of changelings.

I absolutely loved this book and read it in one sitting.

The story of Lauren and her twins gripped me all the way through. I was never entirely sure what was happening and the excerpts from folklore and traditional tales kept me guessing.

It was an unsettling and disturbing story with exceptionally well written characters. I was heavily invested in Lauren and felt the other characters were well rounded. We knew how the author wanted us to see them and the writing supported this.

I’m not entirely sure how I would categorise this book, but if you want a fast paced, eerie, unsettling and well written page turner, this is the book for you! Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for my copy.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in return for a review.

Here is the blurb

"Lauren is alone on the maternity ward with her new-born twins when a terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves her convinced someone is trying to steal her children. Lauren, desperate with fear, locks herself and her sons in the bathroom until the police arrive to investigate.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of overnight incidents that have been reported, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later.

Harper's superior officer tells her there's no case here, but Harper can’t let it go so she visits the hospital anyway. There's nothing on the CCTV. No one believes this woman was ever there. And yet, Lauren claims that she keeps seeing the woman and that her babies are in danger, and soon Harper is sucked into Lauren's spiral of fear. But how far will they go to save children who may not even be in danger?"

I really enjoyed this book. All the way through the book I am torn between the book being about the mum being delusional or are the events really happening, right up to the end. Great book would recommend.

I think I decided to pick up this book because a favourite author of psychological thrillers of mine headlined the reviews. I presumed it was a psychological thriller. I'm not sure what genre out fits into, but it's not that. And had I read a little deeper into the previews, being mostly allergic to babies, I probably wouldn't have bothered.

Oh but I'm glad I didn't. It took a while to get into the book properly, but once you've waded through the first quarter, then the story gets going. Faeries and folklore and abduction, but not, but is it? Intrigue and deception and an horrid, pig-headed, useless husband who quite frankly didn't deserve Lauren or the twins. Golding leads us a merry dance through psychology, adultery, law enforcement excellence and dedication and absolute uselessness, and then there's the hack, with her green stilettos and silver tongue.

I raced to get to the end; I needed to know the truth. Sadly there weren't enough hours in my day to finish it more quickly, but oh the partial relief when I did.

It's not quite horror, it's not really a thriller, but it is unnerving and compelling, and well worth a read.

This book is creepy creative and sad. What amazing talent the author has.
This book is a moving emotional and psychological thrilling and shows new motherhood.

What a fantastically creepy read. Very different from other books out there just now with a unique storyline. This book was thoroughly enjoyable.

Lauren gives birth to her twins Riley and Morgan. Whilst in the hospital a woman comes and wants to exchange her twins for hers. Nobody believes Lauren apart from a female police officer who decides to look further into the case.

There is a lot of Folklore in this story which i would normally give a miss, But it kept me hooked and read in one sitting,tho not to happy about the ending . Am glad my child rearing days are over after reading this. Would recommend this book

This book was nothing like I imagined it would be. It freaked me out slightly with the strange folklore about twins and changelings but at the same time I felt compelled to read on as I was desperate to find out what would happen next. I really bonded with Lauren in the book but disliked her husband intensely. This book really is a case of Mother knows best. I will certainly look out for this author in the future.

https://themostsublimThis book uses all of these things in a story that combines thriller, paranormal and mental illness – it’s up to you as the reader to interpret the unreliable narration of Laurie, the main character, to decide on yourself how large a role these things play.

Laurie is an excellent main character, she’s an ordinary first time mother trying to keep her babies safe. She’s intelligent, resourceful and trying to survive the most stressful time of her life with little to no support from her total ass hat of a husband. He makes it abundantly clear from the moment the twins are born that it’s all very inconvenient for him – this only adds to the sense of claustrophobia and panic, which you feel throughout this book.

The chapters are split between the perspectives of Laurie and Harper, the investigating officer, which gives you two sides to the story to help you form your opinion on what’s real and what isn’t. I was hooked from the beginning of this book though I did find myself a bit frustrated with the ending as it was left somewhat open to interpretation.

I’d recommend steering clear of this book if you’re a parent of very young children, it plays very heavily on a parent’s fears for their children and will probably result in you giving up on sleep altogether until your offspring is 18…
This story gave me chills, which is probably the highest praise I could give any kind of thriller!e.com/2019/04/11/little-darlings-by-melanie-golding/

an originally written, creepy book that is very atmospheric. This book keeps your hackles raised from start to finish.

I loved it.

A thoroughly, dark, compelling story. The main character Lauren a new mother of twins, a not so helpful husband, you feel for her and get totally drawn in to her world. Would thoroughly recommend.