Darling Rose Gold is a dark thriller about a daughter's struggle to gain independence from her twisted mother. With alternating (and often unreliable) narrators, this book will be an instant best seller in the New Year. I devoured this book in a few short hours and am happy to log it as my first read of 2020.

I was absolutely addicted to this book. I had such a hard time putting it down, and finished it within 24 hours. Munchausen Syndrom By Proxy has been a topic that I have always been fascinated by, so having a fictionalized story really had me intrigued. I loved the plot twist. Superbly done.

A debut novel that was both entertaining and had hints to the true story of Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard, a case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. Patty, a single mother, convinced doctors that Rose Gold was an extremely sick child even though she wasn’t. She told everyone Rose Gold was too sick to attend school. She even shaved her daughter's head to make her appear sick. Rose Gold did feel faint, and constantly threw up. It wasn't until she was older, she realized her mom was poisoning her. After Patty spends 5 years in jail for child abuse, she reunites with Rose Gold. However this time Rose Gold has become older and wiser and refuses to be a victim any longer.

This book was definitely addicting and a really crazy, wicked story of a mother and daughter. I received an ebook from Netgalley.com.

Take some Munchausen by proxy, add some revenge, and you end up with a GREAT book!!!

I loved the dual timeline aspect with present time told by Patty, Rose Gold's mom, and Rose Gold giving the past side of the story up to the present. Sick and twisty!!! Just what I love in a thriller!!

So I found this book awhile ago Goodreads. The second it became available on NetGalley, I requested an arc.

These are some of the worst characters ever.....
and that's why I LOVED it.

I could not put this book down.

I initially wanted to read Darling Rose Gold because it sounded eerily similar to the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. Turns out, I was right. While it doesn't follow Gypsy Rose's story to a t, it definitely had a lot in common. It's mostly based on Münchhausen Syndrome, which if you followed the Gypsy Rose case, you know what it is. For those who don't, Münchhausen Syndrome is when a caregiver creates or exaggerates symptoms of various illness for a while in their care. Keep that in mind while I talk about this book.

Darling Rose Gold is told in alternating perspectives through flashbacks following the daughter, Rose Gold and a present day story line for mother, Patty. In the flashback, Rose Gold leads us through her life after her abusive mother is put in prison. We get to see her grow into the young woman, fending for herself, getting a job, and moving on from her mother. We get to see her take the stand and testify. We see her building new relationships and becoming who she truly wants to be.

Then there's Patty.

Fresh out of prison and ready to start controlling her daughter again. She hasn't had control in 5 years, but she's ready. She was born to be a mother. We see her hometown turning against her, and standing up for her daughter. We see her struggling to survive. We get to see her take on her newest task, being a grandmother to little Adam. But little does she know the woman her daughter has become. She believes she needs to get Adam out of her daughter's grasp and raise him on her own. Her fantasies closely resemble the life she built for Rose Gold.

What intrigued me about this book was how unreliable both characters were and how they were playing each other. They each had a grand scheme, scheme's that wouldn't include the other. They were both portrayed as victim and villain, that alone is an incredible feat for any author. It's definitely going in my list of most anticipated reads of 2020!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and of course, author Stephanie Wrobel!
Darling Rose Gold hits shelves March 17, 2020!

Darling Rose Gold is the debut novel by Stephanie Wrobel. Ms Wrobel takes the reader between the two main character and back and forth in time. It's difficult to say much about Darling Rose Gold as I do not want to give anything away. This story is definitely worth a read. I want to thank Net Galley and Berkley Group for an early copy to review.

Rose Gold has been abused for the first eighteen years of her life, poisoned by her mother and told she has a chromosomal defect. When the truth comes out, her mother is sent to prison. Rose Gold forgives her mother and offers her a place to stay when she's released from prison. Then things get really weird. This book is full of twists and interesting characters. I read it in one sitting because I could not put it down!

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was really looking forward to this book, based on the description. However, I found it a bit lackluster in reality.

I didn't really care for the back and forth POV shifts. Additionally, I'd recently watched The Act on Hulu and this was a less than thinly-veiled recreation of the story of Gypsy Rose and her mother. It just didn't have the murder, which would have made it more exciting.

This book shook me. It left me with a sense of “WTF” and I don’t know if it’s in a good way or bad. This book totally reminds me of the case of Claudine Blanchard and Gypsy Rose. However this story takes a different turn and it was pretty insane.

Rose Gold seems like a girl who just wants to be loved. And even though she’s trying to move forward after her mom, Patty, who was sentenced to jail, she is still struggling on how to move past of being the victim. I did feel sorry for her but at some point it weird how she was acting and behaving.

Patty of course sees no problem what she done with her daughter. You can say she’s in denial even though she was found guilty and was sentenced in jail. She’s definitely delusional. Always on the move and thinking what needs to be done despite she was already known for seeking unnecessary medical treatments.

overall this story is a good one. Left me wanting more and of course it left me surprised with how it ended.  I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It’s a fast pace novel and of course if you haven’t seen the series, The Act, on Hulu the. You should! I wonder if that’s how the author found the inspiration to write this story. 🤔

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when jumping into Darling Rose Gold but am so very pleased I gave it a read. Neither of our main two protagonists were even remotely likable or at all reliable, which usually will put me right off a book (I love having a character to root for) but in this particular case it worked so well I literally couldn't put this book down.

Patty Watts has been in prison for 5 years after being convicted after it was discovered she had Munchausen syndrome by proxy and had been poisoning her daughter, Rose Gold, for years.. Rose Gold, in those 5 years her mother was locked up, has rebuilt her life, had a child, has been living on her own and has a job. Upon her release, Patty and Rose Gold seem to be trying to reconstruct their mother/daughter relationship into something healthier than it had been before Patty was sent away. As we flip back and forth between the past and present (what Rose Gold has been up to the 5 years and how Patty is acclimating to life after prison) we start to question if all of this reconciliation is really what it seems for both ladies.

This is such a great psychological suspense, I could always tell something was up but could never really put together just what that might be and was flying through the pages in anticipation of finding out what was going to happen. For those of you that watched the Hulu series about Gypsy Rose Blanchard, this kind of feels like what could have been the sequel if that story ended a different way for DeeDee Blanchard. The pace of this book was so good, I've read so many slow burns lately this was such a pleasant surprise. Two enthusiastic thumbs up for Darling Rose Gold, grab this one when it comes out and dive in for a wicked adventure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital arc,

I picked up Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel because it sounded similar to the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. It does start with the same idea, a young woman who has spent her whole life convinced by her mother that she is deathly ill. In the book, Patty Watts has gone to jail for her crimes and is about to be released. Her now healthy daughter has agreed to take her in.



Rose Gold has a completely different life now and she's been waiting to show her mother just how much she's changed. Patty is determined that her daughter remember who is in charge, and still angry that Rose's testimony put her behind bars. Oh, and Rose has a two month old baby caught in the power struggle between the two women.



The book alternates between Patty in her first days out of prison and Rose as she starts her own independent life. They both have plans and it's fascinating to watch the whole thing unfold, although a couple of times I wanted to shake the book and yell at the characters. Munchausen by proxy intrigues me and I loved seeing it play out in a thriller.

This debut was stunning. Well-paced, compelling, and flavored with the Gypsy Rose Blanchard case this book was un-put-downable. I do wish there had been a little more tension and build-up leading up to the end, but this is definitely an author I'm going to look out for.

Review #73 DARLING ROSE GOLD by Stephanie Wrobel and reviewing for Netgalley. When I first started reading this book I was a bit unsure if I was going to like it because it had way too many similarities to the story of Gypsy Rose. However, this story picked up and took off with a major twist! Definitely worth the read. ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four stars

Having lived very close to the real life similar story of Gypsy Rose and her mother, this felt like an author who thought what else could have happened in this situation. Gypsy Rose killed her mother and tried to make it look like someone else, but this was a very drawn out story of revenge. However, the stories were almost too close and didn't feel "original". Gypsy Rose vs Rose Gold (gag me on that name... did not like it at all). Gypsy Rose had a secret internet boyfriend, as did Rose Gold. Mother claimed she never did anything wrong, but was poisoning her child, just like in this book. A family friend who was more a "wanting attention friend" than an actual good friend - both girls, Gypsy Rose and Rose Gold, experienced this. Anyway, it was all a little too much like this other story which is why I'm only giving it 3.5 stars. However, it was an interesting tale of revenge and I definitely didn't hate it. I had wondered from the beginning in Adam really was Rose Gold's baby.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3

Thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing this ARC for an honest review. I’m fairly familiar with the Gypsy Rose case so I was interested in the twist in Darling Rose Gold where Rose Gold’s mother is in prison for abusing her daughter and upon her release goes back to living with Rose Gold.

The ending felt abrupt and I was left feeling like I needed so much more from the story. There are some questions I was left with and all I can do is make some assumptions about how situations will play out.

Knowing Gypsy Rose’s story probably influenced my feelings towards Rose Gold a bit. In Darling Rose Gold she clearly has it out for her mom. She purchased her mom’s childhood home while her mom was in prison knowing it held traumatic experiences from her mom’s childhood and that her mom would be forced to live their upon her exit from prison. Then between the two of them we are left to watch a cat and mouse game and see who wins.

The sad part is Rose Gold’s relationship with her father and his new family, which plays heavily into the twist in the story so I won’t go any further with that.

Would I recommend this? Yes. Do I still want more? Yes. The ending actually felt more like a cutoff on a novella series you might buy on amazon where they always end on a cliffhanger so you have to buy the next one to see what happens!

👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️ out of 5 👩‍⚕️s
#DarlingRoseGold by #StephanieWrobel
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Oh my goodness this is an incredible novel. I received an ARC on @netgalley in return for an honest review.
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With what happened to #gypsyroseblancharde through her mother's #munchausenbyproxy made international headlines, and this brilliant novel is a clever riff on their story. If you're not familiar with the case, please do look it up. You'll be horrified.
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In the novel, Rose Gold Watts is the victim of her mother Patty Watts' Munchausen syndrome by proxy, meaning that the parent has a vested interest in keeping the child as sick as possible. The parent draws adoration and praise for their endless efforts to get to the root of the child's illness, though in fact the parent is causing the illness. The parent controls every facet of the child's life, and Patty Watts does so here.
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None of that is a spoiler as we are dropped into the middle of the story from the start. Patty Watts is getting out of prison, having served 5 years for the abuse of Rose Gold. Rose Gold is an adult, and testified at the trial. In a twist, Rose Gold and her newborn son welcome Patty into their home upon her release.
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And I will end my review there, because any further info would be chock full of spoilers. This book is scheduled to be published in March 2020 and I urge you to add it to your #

I was so excited to get an early copy of this book and it did not disappoint. Not what I was expecting at all but my mind was blown and I enjoyed it so much. Must read!

Thank you to #Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for this advanced copy.

This book is clearly based on the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and I was so excited as I found the real life story utterly fascinating! I felt the book started off strong, with Rose Gold being presented as the victim, obviously. However, as the story went on it was hard to feel any sympathy for any of the characters. Rose Gold was clearly traumatized by her childhood (as anyone would have been) but she became so unlikable that I didn't feel sorry for her anymore. Patty also had a terrible childhood which traumatized her, and lead to her mistreatment (abuse) of Rose Gold. She was unlikable from the start so I never cared about what happened to her.

Overall this book let me down, I wanted to see Rose Gold succeed after her terrible childhood! She didn't and turned out to be rotten just like her mother.

This book wasn't bad, but it also wasn't what I hoped it would be. A decent debut from Stephanie Wrobel, I will certainly read her next book to see her how she has grown as an author.

If you were interested in the Gypsy Rose case you will be interested in this book, just don't set your hopes too high. 2.5 stars rounded to 3.

A “ripped from the headlines” novelization of one of the stranger cases in recent memory. Anyone familiar with the case of Gypsy and Dee Dee Blanchard will recognize the muse of this psychological thriller. In this version, we meet Patty Watts on the day she’s getting out of prison for poisoning her daughter, convincing young Rose Gold and the rest of their town of her chronic illness. Rose Gold, it turns out, was never sick, and is now learning to re-join society. People are shocked at how well-adjusted she turned out. Or did she?
Told through alternating narrator and time-frames, this twisted story unwinds through the lens of family relationships, co-dependency, and vengeance. An interesting alternative to the original story’s progression, and a novel to entice true crime aficionados.

My Darling Rose Gold picks up on a fictional Gypsy Rose Blanchard type story when her mother is getting out of prison. Her mother, Patty, served 5 years for child abuse – almost killing her daughter and lying for years to her friends, family and doctors for years about her daughter’s health.
So already, the story has changed. Rose Gold didn’t murder her mother and run away with a boy. But that doesn’t meant that she doesn’t have plans for her mother.
Rose Gold is a new mom, impregnated by her internet boyfriend who is no longer in the picture. But she’s done well for herself over the past five years. She has a job, she was able to save up and buy her grandparent’s old house in her small town, and the community has rallied around her to support her just as her mother never did.
But Rose Gold and Patty are in a co-dependent relationship. So when Patty is let out of prison and has nowhere to go, Rose Gold extends an invite for her to move in with her and her son Adam. And slowly, Patty worms her way back into her daughter’s and grandchild’s heart. But that’s not the end.
My Darling Rose Gold was so readable and interesting and I loved the characters that Wrobel created. Rose Gold is vulnerable, awkward and often falls prey to those who at first want to help her and then get annoyed by her. The story is complicated and deliciously readable.
Special thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and Netgalley for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review. My review will be posted to my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on February 20, 2020.