This book. Wow!
What would you do if your baby was switched at birth with another and you were dropped this bombshell when they were 2? No, seriously, what would you do?! That’s what happened in this book. I had to sit and think about it when I first started reading. I really don’t know what I would do. I want to think I’d handle it as well as Pete and Maddy did. But, I just don’t know. And then, all the rising problems with Miles? I’d be a train wreck. I loved this book! It was so good!
It for sure made you think and question yourself.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

[book:Playing Nice|49078674] by [author:J.P. Delaney|14719991]
5 Stars

This well written novel is a twisty thriller that you will speed through. It is about a couple who discovers that their toddler, brought home from the hospital 2 years prior, is not their biological child as they believed him to be...the result of two infants switched at birth!
There are many issues brought up in this book that I enjoyed like postpartum psychosis, parenting, law and order, psychopathy, domestic life, etc. I'm always amazed at the amount of research that must have occurred to write a novel like this.

Here's a quote from the book to make you curious, <spoiler> "A while back, people used to think psychopaths were all chaotic, disorganized murderers, because those were the ones who ended up in prison and got studied. But there's mounting evidence that many successful CEOs and politicians are actually psychopaths too; or at least, fall somewhere on the psychopathic spectrum--that is, they score low on tests for remorse, conscience, and moral judgement, and high for fearlessness, quick thinking, and cold-bloodedness." </spoiler>

I thoroughly enjoyed [book:Playing Nice|49078674] and am very grateful to NetGalley, Ballantine Books and [author:J.P. Delaney|14719991] for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Thank you so much!
Expected release date on 7/28/20.

This was a riveting book about a man, Pete, and his partner, Maddie, who learn their son may have been switched at birth before leaving the hospital.

At first the two families seems on the same page, but in this twisty mystery, things change suddenly. I do not want to give too much away, as there are some surprising turns in the story, but the main question the book asks is how are we bonded as families and how far will we go to protect that bond?

JP Delaney is an entertaining writer, and I enjoyed this fast-paced book a lot.

I received a copy of this from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. I seriously loved this thriller about two couples who accidentally switched babies at birth. From the minute I started, I couldn’t put it down as I was dying to see what was going to happen next. Very fast paced book! I will be watching for the next book by this author as I’m now a fan!

Maddy and Pete, parents of two year old Theo, suddenly find out that Theo is not their biological child. Somehow their biological child went home with another family. Imagine the horror and disbelief that brought to all involved. Maddy and Pete decided to try to bring the other parents ,Miles and Lucy and their son David, into their lives. They thought it would be the easiest way for both sides to deal with the horrible situation instead of getting involved in a long court case. Things were friendly for awhile until it WASN"T! Thats where this book takes a very sinister and mind-boggling turn! I couldn't think of a more emotionally draining situation than the one that the poor parents in this book (Maddy and Pete) have found themselves in! What a wonderful ,thought provoking book this was!I enjoyed it so much!

This book was a wild ride! It was a quick and intense read. It centers on Pete and Maddie, who find out that their son, Theo, was actually switched at birth with the son of another couple, Miles and Lucy. Miles appears in their lives instantly and aggressively, insisting that they join up to sue the hospital, that Theo shares their nanny, and regularly buying Theo gifts and showing up uninvited. The extra attention by Miles, who seems nice in the beginning, begins to make Pete nervous, and the whole story gets scarier and more intense as the book goes on.

This is one of those books where the protagonists seem to be in such a helpless predicament that the reader is easily able to put themselves in that position, giving a real sense of understanding into the characters. The author did a great job of creating an unsettling vibe in the first part of the book, when everything is going well, where you are just waiting for the other shoe to drop. While the ending might have been a bit unrealistic, it was very satisfying, and felt to me like the only ending that would have allowed them to get on with their lives.

I would absolutely recommend this book for those who like domestic suspense, and won't mind staying up late into the night to see what happens! Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Whew! Not for the faint of heart! Not for the tenderhearted, either! This story about 2 infants switched at birth in the NICU hospital was very, very intense. Being a [tenderhearted] mother and grandmother, I put the book down several times just to breathe deeply and wonder if I could actually make it through the horrors these parents were enduring. And I guess, that’s what denotes the writer as a really superb one – when the reader so totally identifies with the characters, he/she is feeling their pain and experiencing their anxieties.

This was very well crafted and believable up until the great reveal. And that was totally unrealistic. It all worked out OK in the end, but there were some gaping holes there which could have been a bit more realistic in keeping with the rest of the story.

I’m thankful to NetGalley and the publisher, Ballantine Books, for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this one! The chapters were short and kept switching between two narrators. I thought there was going to be a bigger twist at the end with the babies, but I still found it to be a good one. I thought the end was justified. This is a nightmare situation, though...

This book gave me serious chills! If you like a good mystery with a LOT of drama and maybe a murder or two then you have to check this one out. I love a good baby switch book but I can’t imagine this scene woo in real life! It’s one crazy ride from start to finish!

Delaney's latest book Playing Nice is a thriller that approaches quite the dilemma. What if you found out that your son was not actually your son? What if he was switched at birth with another's family's child? This book was actually really hard to read at times because of how realistically it told the story of how a child could be taken away from the only parents he's known. The storytelling was well-done, but the content was rather difficult. I'm not certain I would recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

**5 Stars**

I took a bit of a break from book reviewing due to some health issues and am slowly working my way back to reading and reviewing regularly. When I was approved for J.P. Delaney's Playing Nice, I was super excited to dive in and see what Delaney has cooked up for his readers. I have reviewed his last three books and loved them all.

Playing Nice a bit of a departure from his last three books. I don't mean this in a negative way - it's just a different type of book that looks deeply at what happens when a child is switched at birth and ends up with the "wrong" biological family. This book spends a good deal of time developing two characters - the parents (Pete and Maddie) of a child, Theo, who they discover is not their biological child. Pete and Maddie's world is shattered when Miles and Lucy, Theo's biological parents, show up unannounced in their lives and reveal the devastating truth that their children were switched at birth.

How did Theo get switched at birth? Who is responsible? Nurses? The hospital? Or is it something more sinister, such as one of the parents? 

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but let's just say that Miles and Lucy have ulterior motives in sharing this shocking information with Pete and Maddie. At first, it seems as though Miles and Lucy are good-natured folks who want the hospital responsible for the switch to be held accountable. There are vast class differences between the two families; Miles and Lucy are wealthy, while Pete and Maddie are struggling to get by. Both couples seem to have fractured relationships that also complicate matters. I was super interested in how this complex, unusual situation would unravel and how each of the characters would respond to it.

What did I think of this book? I did miss some of the shocking twists and turns of Delaney's last 3 books, but that doesn't mean this book wasn't enjoyable. As I said before, this is a book that is focused on character development more than pulling the rug under readers. Delaney has a real talent for making his characters come to life and feel relatable, no matter what questionable deeds they've committed. There are some surprising twists in this book, but simply not as dramatic in Delaney's previous works. If you enjoy well-crafted characters and a skillfully paced plot, this book is for you!

Thank you to the author, J.P. Delaney, the publisher, Random House Publishing, and NetGalley for an advanced reviewer copy of Playing Nice!

I really enjoyed this book. Although it was about 75% a family drama, the last part of the book was very good - twisty and suspenseful.

What would you do if a person showed up on your doorstep and told you your children had been mistakenly switched at birth? The child you have loved for the past 2 years is not biologically yours? My heart broke for Maddie and Pete. I tried to think how I would feel, how I would act, in this same situation.

I definitely enjoyed the book but it took me a long time to get into it. I felt like it started off strong and then hit quite a lull until about 75% of the way through. I’m interested to see what others think.

Playing Nice
One of the best books I've read for the year 2020! I could not put this book down. Gripping storyline. You just wanted to know what was going to happen next. I will highly recommend this for our library readers.
Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC of this book.

Great REad!

One mind-numbing day, one couple gets informed by another couple that their now two-year old boys were seemingly switched while in the NICU.. and here begins the story about psychopaths, psychological abuse, nature vs. nature, and murder. They are seemingly two very different couples, but when it comes to their children, they will show how similar they really can be..

Another brilliantly shaped novel by JP Delaney! A subtle, yet mind-blowing psychological thriller that keeps my 5 star ratings for his books going!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House/Ballantine and the author for this eARC!

Thank you net galley for an arc of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Well JP Delaney you are quickly becoming one of my all time favorites. Everything you think this is gonna be it's not, it's so much more!

As a parent I can't imagine if someone knocked on my door after 2 years to tell me that our babies had been switched in a hospital NICU. This is exactly what happened in this story!

Pete and Maddie, have a 2 year old named Theo, he was born premature and they we're told he may die. A knock on the door by a PI and a man named Miles, who also got with his wife Lucy have 2 year old David, turn both families upside down. They are informed their sons were switched at birth.

This book just had so much that I read it with my mouth permanently agape. We have one family who isn't well off trying to hold on to the son they have raided while trying to get to know their bio son which also involves could parenting with the other family which has the power and money to go after what they want. This whole book has the Riley's walking on egg shells and every time you turn around the story gets darker and darker. There is so much betrayal and lying and not to mention this mix up accident, or was it?

i Am so torn over this book! 80% of me loved this twisted and original psychological thriller while the other 20% unfortunately was yelling at the main character for being so unbelievably naive. And that ending...? I wanted more! Overall I found that once I was properly introduced to all the characters and was only a short ways in to the book, I had easily figured the big ‘who dun it’. Thank god for that final twist at the end which in my opinion was a game changer!!!! So back to the 80%- I did love Maddys characters. I thought even with her flaws that she was relatable and her story was heartbreaking and felt real to me. This story overall was such an edge of your seat, never know what’s going to happen next- and even better , never know who’s going to say what what next! I loved Delaney writing style here. With the breakup of chapters and having court documents and witness accounts. Brilliant, kept it very light and felt fun. Overall I’d still give this 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For you psychological thriller fans- this will be top 5 of 2020

I want to thank netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review

Playing Nice is the latest book from author JP Delaney, and like the prior books, a sure-fire winner. The story starts with a bang, as Pete, the father of a two year old, finds another parent, Miles, at his door with a private investigator, telling him that their kids, both premature babies born at the same hospital, were switched at birth. What at first is an amicable relationship between both sets of parents soon spirals out of control.. Told in alternating narratives from one set of parents, with the chapters prefaced by court filings, the story keeps getting darker and bleaker by the minute. The book hooks you right away, and the unusual story-telling style adds to the suspense, until the blockbuster ending. Great set-up, somewhat unique, and ultimately satisfying, a solid read. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is no secret that I am a fan of PJ Delaney's thrillers and Playing Nice did not disappoint. It was fabulous and kept my attention from the first to the last page. The character development -- particularly the inner workings of their minds -- was really well done and allowed the reader to understand their motivations and frustrations. I loved how PJ Delaney made me so anxious and caused me to yell at a particular character over and over again. This was an emotional ride that I am so glad that I had the opportunity to be part of.