Darling Rose Gold is told in alternating perspectives from Patty and Rose Gold. This novel tells Patty’s story as it happens in the present and Rose Gold’s perspective in the past leading up to the present. The reader is not privy to Rose Gold’s motives or what she is thinking or experiencing in the present until later in the book.

Darling Rose Gold is thoughtfully planned out and leaves the reader in the dark about what is happening. The author plays with the reader all throughout the novel which makes for an excellent thriller.

It was predictable in some places, but I can overlook that with the writing style. The ending wasn’t what I expected, but looking at the book as a whole I enjoyed it.

The characters are flawed but I think that’s what makes them relatable. I don’t want perfect characters; I want the messy and the realistic characterization. I enjoy books where the characters are written with passion and conviction that they aren’t black and white, there’s grey in there. The more you can humanize and make a character feel real the more I like the book.

When Rose Gold was 18, her mother Patty went to jail for child abuse because she had been poisoning her all her life and made her believe she was sick when she really wasn't. It is now 5 years later, Patty is getting out of Jail and Rose Gold now an adult with a child of her own agrees to let her stay with her.

This book is very well written, the narration alternates between Rose Gold's point of view and Patty's point of view, two very disturbed women. I didn't want to put this book down, I was looking forward to see what was gonna to happen next and how this whole mess was gonna end and oh boy what an ending that was, I am usually good at predicting book endings but I did not see this one coming at all, which is why I am giving it a 5 star!

TW: child abuse, kidnapping

This novel is actually based on the true story of Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose. Initially, when I heard the premise, I was drawn to the twisted motives of the mother to commit what was essentially child abuse. I wanted to know more about what her reasoning was and how it occurred. The story is told from alternating perspectives – Rose Gold talks about what occurred after her mother’s arrest and her mother talks about what is currently happening in the story. I loved that it was written this way because it allowed me to understand both characters and their thought processes, while also building the tension for the inevitable standoff. This was such a twisted game of cat-and-mouse and I was riveted from the start. I will admit that I guessed the ending early on, but the story was written so well that I really didn’t mind. If you like twisted thrillers, then this might be up your alley!

Darling Rose Gold was an intriguing read. The conflicted mother-daughter relationship was compelling, and I was so interested in the depiction of Munchausen by proxy. The atmosphere the author created was so foreboding and sinister, it was fantastic. I very much enjoyed this thriller.

Maybe it's these doom-and-gloom COVID times, but I found it a chore to keep reading this book given that the two main characters, Rose Gold and her mother Patty, are so incredibly unlikable. Munchausen syndrome by proxy is such a fascinating mental disorder to explore in a novel, but I much preferred Gillian Flynn's take on the subject in her book Sharp Objects because her character Camille is someone the reader can definitely root for.

I had a lot of emotions while reading this book. About halfway through I realized BOTH characters were unreliable narrators so had to work through that. About 3/4 through the book I was sure I knew what the real story was. Then I realized I had no idea and this was a literary masterpiece. What a wild ride.

One further note: I didn't like the story or the characters, but I appreciate the writing.

This book was seriously messed up. I don’t even know what to say. I kept on reading because I just couldn’t believe what had happened/was happening. I didn’t see that ending coming. Well done!

This was definitely a chosen book by its cover and I'm so glad it was sent to me in advanced!

For those of you that don't know, Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) is a mental health problem in which a caregiver makes up or causes an illness or injury in a person under his or her care, such as a child, an elderly adult, or a person who has a disability. Because vulnerable people are the victims, MSBP is a form of child abuse or elder abuse (**taken from www.uofmhealth.org site). This book is based on that because of a Mother's choice to inflict these beliefs on her daughter. Once this is realized and Mama is put into jail, the story takes a turn to when she is released and asks her daughter, her Darling Rose Gold, to take her in.

I absolutely love the storyline, the build up, the revenge factor and the slow burn of this one. I would definitely not say it's a thrilling page-turner, yet the writing was incredibly executed that I could not put it down.

I'm still in awe that this is actually a DEBUT novel for Stephanie Wrobel and I am most thankful that I was able to obtain an ARC. My apologies for the tardy review posting.

Thank you Stephanie Wrobel, Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. Always so grateful for the opportunity to read complimentary books!

Wrobel was born in the USA but has lived in the UK for the last three years. This is a debut novel and seems to have been inspired by the real American case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. In the novel Rose Gold has been told she was seriously ill for the first 18 years of her life. She spent a lot of time in a wheelchair, lost hair and underwent numerous medical tests. At 18 she learns that her mom had been poisoning her and with the help of her testimony her mom spends 5 years in prison. Once she is released, much to the surprise of the small town they lived in, Rose Gold welcomes her mom into her home. Rose Gold is in fact wary of her mother and worries about her seeking revenge, but Rose Gold is no longer the weak child she once was. This creepy domestic thriller is a good recommendation for fans of the genre.

I did not finish this book. It had me interested at the start, but as I started reading I quickly lost interest and decided not to finish it.

3.5 stars
This would be the perfect read for those that are wanting a suspenseful mystery but are cautious and worried about disturbing content. Although the plot can be considered disturbing, there wasn't anything too graphic and I would consider the novel 'light' in comparison to other mystery thrillers that are out there.

As someone who finds the topic of "Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy" fascinating, this novel satisfied that fascination. For those that are aware of the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, this story seemed quite similar but unique at the same time.

Without spoiling anything, I will say that there's a big twist within the story that caught me off guard but made sense. It's a very entertaining and unique read and for those that like mystery thrillers involving psychology, I definitely would recommend checking this one out.

***Thank you to the publisher for supplying me with an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I felt every emotion while reading this book. Rose Gold wants so much to be loved after living an awful childhood isolated with her mother who poisoned her. When her mother is in prison for what she did and her father, that she thought dead, came at her job trying to make amends, it felt like her luck was changing. It was awkward to see her wanting so much to be a part of his family. I understood the need to be loved, but she was trying too hard, poor girl. I felt bad for her, she was so alone and lonely... but you can't have been raised by a lying and toxic mother and not become one too, unfortunately.

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada for the complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Holy freaking crap.... this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for review purposes.

This book had me ready to go on a ride in the first few chapters and I wanted to binge it. I knew that I was in for a delicious treat, so I chose to savour it.

This book gives me Gypsy Rose Blanchard vibes. Darling Rose Gold is the twisted tale of Rose Gold Watts and her manipulative mother, Patty.

This is a book that I won’t go into detail because it’s best to go into this without knowing too much. Just when I thought I had this book figured out, the author threw so many twists that left me going “WTF?”

So many characters that were messy and it left me wanting more.

Darling Rose Gold is a binge-worthy thriller about Munchausen syndrome by proxy, told in two timelines from the perspective of the mother, Patty, and her daughter, Rose Gold. The author did a fantastic job of crafting characters that I simultaneously detested and felt sympathy for. I didn’t know who to trust or where the story would end up, but I really enjoyed the ride. A fantastic debut novel that makes me excited for what Stephanie Wrobel will write in the future!

To be honest, I put this one off for a bit because of the bookstagram hype and the build up in my own head. There’s something fascinating to me about Minchauswb by Proxy, it’s such a devastating syndrome, but I thought it would be really interesting to read about in thriller form.

I’ve had to digest my thoughts on this one. It’s very readable, once I started I couldn’t put it down. It reads so quickly and it really is binge worthy. It was twisted and bonkers, but dare I say I wanted even more?! Even though I enjoyed the wild ride, I feel like it might be forgettable. 3.5 stars

This book was definitely a creepy, dark and twisty psychological thriller!

The story contains two POVs, Rose Gold’s and her mother Patty. My sympathy kept changing as I was reading their POVs. Both characters have many issues and are quite deranged but that’s what kept me wanting more! I had to know what would unfold.

I kept wanting to scream at the characters like WHY are you acting like this?!? But that’s what kept me engaged! Definitely expect some unpredictable twists.

This is a 4-stars for me since I will admit I was getting annoyed at Patty and Rose Gold’s shenanigans but overall original and entertaining story!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Stephanie Wrobel for a free electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and it did NOT disappoint!

Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel Darling Rose Gold is a sinister psychological suspense that explores the twisted, dysfunctional and manipulative relationship between a mother and daughter—Patty Watts and Rose Gold.

The book opens from Patty’s perspective, on the day of her release from prison—after serving a five-year sentence for being convicted of poisoning her daughter for the majority of her life. Upon her mother’s release, Rose Gold is seemingly willing to let their relationship start over as she decides to let her mother live with her until she can get back on her feet. The book continues in alternating points of view, from the past (Rose Gold) and present (Patty), to let us know all of the things that have happened within the five years that Patty was sitting in prison and Rose Gold was out all on her own. As these dual perspectives unfold, we learn of Rose Gold’s relationship with her father (and his second family) as well as Patty’s own abusive upbringing and dark family secrets. These alternating perspectives lead to an ending that is bound to shock readers!

Even though many parts were hard to read simply because of the subject matter of a mother deliberately poisoning her own child (and knowing that this book is based off of a real-life situation), this book was excellent and completely binge-worthy. It pulled me in from page one and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what was going to happen. It kept me completely hooked and could not have come at a better time.

I never read the description when I was sent this book. I opened it up and allow the story to unfold without any preconceived perceptions. Needless to say, I was super surprised at the path it took.

Rose Gold, born 10 weeks early, suffered many illnesses through the first 18 years of her life – sleep apnea, fevers, digestive issues, etc. and confined to a wheelchair. We soon find out that Rose Gold’s mother has been keeping her sick. Forward 5 years, Patty Watts aka “Poisonous Patty”, has spent the last 5 years in prison for the atrocities to her daughter.
Rose Gold is now 23 and a single mother. She is willing to fix her relationship with her mother, so she purchases her mother’s childhood home, and welcomes Patty to live there with her young son, Adam.

But this book is NOT about forgiveness and happy rainbows. No, this book is sinister. It will creep you out, and make you feel uncomfortable..
A wonderfully written story of manipulation and payback.
A big thanks to Simon & Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.

Patty was sent to prison for poisoning and abusing her daughter, Rose Gold. She made her daughter and everyone else believe Rose Gold had been sick her whole life, but it turns out she had been poisoning her. Now she has gotten out of prison, and her daughter welcomes her into her home, where she lives with her newborn baby.

This story follows two perspectives. Patty tells her story right as she’s gotten out of prison and moved in with Rose Gold. Rose Gold tells the story of what she was doing during the five years her mother was in prison. Their stories often conflicted, so I was curious to see what would happen in the end. The Rose Gold that Patty described in the present didn’t sound like the same Rose Gold who was telling her part of the story. These conflicting narratives kept up the tension and mystery of the story.

Many parts of this story were devastating and difficult to read. Patty treated Rose Gold horribly by poisoning her for years. It was almost hard to believe she could get away with it for so long, but there was a real mother who did that to her daughter. It made the story even more sad, imagining that this happened in real life.

The story didn’t end the way I thought it would. I was surprised at the way it all turned out. This was a very suspenseful story!

Thank you Simon and Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a ride this book was! Inspired by the Gypsey Rose Blanchard story, this book starts out with Rose Gold Watts picking up her mother, Patty, from prison. A prison sentence she had completed for abusing her daughter her whole life through Munchhausen by Proxy. The book alternates point of view each chapter. Patty in the present and we see Rose Gold through the 5 years Patty was in prison. I found both stories fascinating. Neither character is particularly likeable, but I found myself rooting for Rose Gold anyway. I really liked how through Patty's inner dialogue she truly does believe that her daughter and Adam are sick. It isn't until the end that she even comes close to admitting to us/herself that she did any harm.

This was a super enjoyable read. A great way to escape real life.