"I'm so sorry, "I said, wincing at the pathetic desperation in my voice, though I knew it was necessary. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

Darling Rose Gold begins with mother Patty being released from a five-year prison term. Her crime? Aggravated child abuse. The victim, Patty's daughter, Rose Gold, picks her up and shocks her neighbors when she offers Patty a place to stay.

Told in dual perspectives, we follow Patty's view in present day with some reflections on the past, and in Rose Gold's chapters, we find out more about what she had been up to over the last five years.

This disturbing domestic suspense kept me hooked through the end. I'm not sure how much I believed some of the unlikable characters or plot points, but I was able to suspend disbelief and let the story take me for a dark ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with a free digital review copy.

Rose Gold Watts was ill throughout her entire childhood. She endured countless surgeries, doctors visits and tests. It wasn't until she grew older that she discovered she wasn't in fact ill, but her mother, Patty, was poisoning her. Now, after serving a five-year prison sentence for child abuse, Patty is about to be released from prison. Wanting to reconcile, and wanting her own son to know his grandmother, Rose Gold agrees to take her mother in. But does Rose Gold really want a reconciliation, or are her motives more sinister? There is no shortage of psychological suspense novels out today, but this complicated mother/daughter story with two unreliable narrators, stands out.

Rose Gold and Patty Watts seemed like the perfect mother-daughter pair. They had been dealt a bad hand; Rose Gold was constantly sick, and her doting mother constantly cared for her. With the help of many charities, as well as the charity of their neighbors, Rose Gold and Patty were able to stay afloat. There was only one problem: Rose Gold was never sick. A victim of Munchhausen by Proxy syndrome, Patty was making her daughter ill and taking the credit (and other benefits) of being the doting mother caring for her chronically ill daughter. When Rose Gold discloses the fact that she’s realized that she’s not actually sick to a friend who alerts the police, Patty is quickly and swiftly arrested and tried for child endangerment.

Due to Rose Gold’s testimony, Patty Watts has served five long years in prison and is ready to be released. She’s convinced Rose Gold to pick her up and let her live with her and her infant son, Adam. Rose Gold wants justice to be served to her mother, and Patty wants revenge taken out on Rose Gold for her scathing testimony against her and her hand in her conviction. Told from alternating points of view-Rose Gold’s after her mother’s arrest, and Patty’s after her release-Wrobel weaves and intricate and sinister plot with twists and turns around every corner. I was constantly wondering what would happen-and consistently being surprised by what did. A well-written thriller that will surprise readers at every turn.

This was a book that held my interest from start to end. It truly was a hard book to put down. After Rose Gold's mother was released from prison for trying to poison her daughter and having that daughter invite her into her house until she got back on her feet I was hooked and trying to figure out what the plan was. The author did a great job of moving between the two voices of mother and daughter with throwing in a few twists that I didn't see coming. The plot was fast paced and well thought out with the characters traits well thought out. I would recommend this book to those that love psychological thrillers. This had me on the edge of my seat most of the time. Hard to put down for sure.

Patty Watts is a wonderful mother, a pillar of the community and loved by everyone for the care she gives her only child, sickly Rose Gold. Patty is a healthcare provider and she knows what Rose Gold needs and if one doctor won't help her she finds one who will. Rose Gold needs a feeding tube because she keeps vomiting and her teeth are rotten because of it. She is so weak and malnourished she needs a wheelchair.The town rallies around the family holding fundraisers and providing food and emotional support for Patty. For eighteen years mother and daughter are completely dependent on each other and Rose Gold is convinced that she is sick and that her doting mother is helping her. It turns out that Patty has been poisoning her only child.

Patty has spent the last five years in prison for what she did but she is about to be released. She has nowhere to go and begs Rose Gold to take her in saying that all she has ever done is love her. The town is shocked when Rose Gold, with her infant son, picks her mother up at the prison and takes her home. However, she isn't taking her mother in out of the goodness of her heart. Rose Gold has her own plans because daughters never forget.

This debut novel is a taut, twisted, psychological thriller told from both Patty and Rose Gold's points of view. There are many twists and turns and as a reader I sometimes wasn't sure who to believe , who was more twisted or what was going to happen.

Darling Rose Gold has an unexpected ending that I didn't see coming. I am looking forward to the next book by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley/Penguin Random House for an Advanced Reading Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I'm curious to see if this will become an interesting contribution to the canon of sorts that includes BABY TEETH and WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN because although the roles are reversed, I found myself reminded of these the full way through.
I didn't love this, but it was fascinatingly crafted and felt very realistic. The web drawn wasn't super surprising because all of the motivations were clear. Kept me entertained through a long layover!

I think that part of my issues with this book is that I compared it to the story of Gypsy Rose and DeeDee Blanchard. I didn't think that the book was terrible, but it didn't hold my attention like I wanted it to. I would certainly read other titles by this author but this one just fell flat for me.

Psychological thriller. Rose Gold's mom, Patty, has raised a child who is ill all the time. Why? We find out Rose Gold has been poisoned by her mother for many years. As Rose Gold grows, the conditions grow more abusive, until, finally, there is a court trial and Patty is sent to prison for five years. About two years before Patty's time is up, Rose Gold starts visiting her in prison, setting to work on her plan to take down her mother.

Patty apparently suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy. On her release from prison, Rose Gold, with her baby son, picks Patty up from prison and brings her to the home Patty grew up in. Patty suffered terrible abuse from her father and she never hopes to see the place again.

Told in alternating chapters, Patty tells her story and Rose Gold her story. The reader is left with trying to deciding which woman might be more mentally damaged. Who will prove to be the more diabolical and who will win out?

I personally did not care for the book, but I know there are others who will stay up all night to finish it.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

If you are a fan of unreliable narrators and unlikable main characters, this is the book for you. Somehow the author makes you interested in these horrible women and you simply have to know how this is all going to end. Is this a book of redemption or revenge? To tell more would give it away.

It is enough to know that mom goes to prison for lifetime abuse of her 18 year old daughter and upon her release, goes to live with said daughter. The chapters alternate between the two main characters’ points of view; mom in the present and daughter dealing with the time after mom was imprisoned. Be prepared, this book deals with an extremely depressing and complex subject and pulls no punches. It is hard to read at times, but even harder to put down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this clever, twisted, ripped-from-the-old-headlines story!
Rose Gold's mother, Patty, is finally out of prison after eighteen years of abusing Rose Gold. The author takes this case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy and spices it up.
Rose Gold has been waiting for payback, and the story (told through their two viewpoints) is a glimpse into what makes both of them tick (neglect, abuse, etc.) and the game of chess they're playing with each other. They love each other. They don't trust each other. And, they're both more than a little demented which makes their choices all the more clever - and disturbing.
The author does a great job of adding humor (mostly from Patty's POV) to this dark story.
It's a very quick, easy read that I'd been looking forward to reading, and it didn't disappoint!

Thank you netgalley for the ARC of this book. It was an amazing with read. I loved the writing. It was an interesting look at a mother daughter relationship with munchausen by proxy and how it effects both people and also everyone’s else around them. It was was on my favorite read so far.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

Rose Gold's entire life was spent in Dr's offices and at home with only her mom. As she gets older she starts to question her life and discovers her mother Patty is the source of many of her issues.

Patty is scheduled for release from prison after Rose Gold's testimony put her behind bars. Over the last year, mother and daughter have reconciled and Patty looks forward to moving home with her daughter and grandson. As Patty tries to rebuild her life, Rose Gold has a few surprises in store for dear old mom.

Interesting concept for a storyline. I enjoyed the twist at the end.

Wow, this book took me by surprise. The development of the characters in the first 1/3 of the book didn’t prepare me for the outcome, although forgiveness for Mom seemed to come out of nowhere.

A teen who has been poisoned and starved her whole life by her mother turns the tables and testifies against her in court, sending her mother to prison. It is a surprise then to learn that the same daughter turns up to pick her mother up from prison the day she is released. Rose has recovered from her rough childhood and agrees to let her mother stay with her and even help care for Rose's baby. No relationship is perfect and soon old memories along with the town's hatred of Patty make it difficult to imagine a happy ending. Old habits run deep and revenge may be what's for dinner so you, dear reader, must figure out the truth and if justice is to be served for dessert. Chapters flip between Rose and her mother keeping you on your toes. This debut deals with the very real issue of Munchausen Syndrome and works it into one heck of a twisted psychological thriller. This author will be on my radar. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

For most of her young life, Rose Gold believed she was chronically ill, allergic to all kinds of food, and even wheelchair bound at times. Her mom took her to countless doctors, had numerous tests done, yet the doctors couldn't solve Rose Gold's problems. Until Rose Gold's testimony in court sent her mom to prison for the crime of poisoning her child to the point of making her seriously sick!

Don't go into this thinking it's just another Munchausen by Proxy book because there are so many layers to unravel! Five years after she was sentenced, Patty is finally free, and of course she has no where to go. When you poison your own child your community and all of your friends shun you, apparently... So, Rose Gold agrees to let her mom stay with her and her son. Has she forgiven her mom, ready to put the past behind them, or is she ready to show her she's not a weak, ill little girl anymore? It's all about who wants revenge the most and who's crazy enough to go to any length to get it!

Thank you to Berkley Pub and Netgalley for an ARC. Darling Rose Gold releases on March 17, 2020!

Rose believes that she has been seriously ill for the first eighteen years of her life. Uses a wheelchair, allergic to everything and in and out of the hospital. No one could figure out what was wrong with her. Her mother Patty spends 5 years in prison then wants to reconcile with Rose. Will she or does Patty want to pay her back? Interesting debut thriller.

A mother is serving jail time for abusing her daughter. While she is away Rose Gold is learning to be an adult on her own for the first time without her overbearing mother. When her mother is released will they start a new relationship like mother thinks or does daughter really hope to get her revenge? This story will keep you guessing the whole time. Is it the mother or the daughter? Who is really the villian in this story? Maybe it is both.

What a story! I raced through this suspenseful novel and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to Rose Gold and Patty. The small town setting was the perfect background for this creepy read. The author kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat. Each chapter alternated between mother and daughter point of views. It was easy to feel sorry for Rose Gold and I kept questioning how she could possibly reconcile with her mother. It is explained that Patty was beaten by her father and her brother committed suicide but I’m not sure it was a good explanation of what caused her to abuse her daughter in this way. I was satisfied with the ending and the overall tension and quality of the authors writing, but closed the book with unanswered questions.

This book was so enjoyable! I was so intrigued by the concept after being enthralled with the Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard Case. This book had some predictable aspects but still had some twists that I did not see coming. I think this book did a good job portraying both sides of people who are affected by this disease and I really enjoyed this book!

This will grab readers from the beginning. Such a dark, twisted story, with surprises throughout. Told in a dual storyline, both Patty and Rose Gold reveal their own chilling story according to their viewpoint. Readers will quickly become aware that something is terribly wrong with the whole situation. None of the characters, including "dad" are likeable. Readers who love psychological thrillers will want to read This one. Recommended!