Love love love. A story of deeply woven family dynamics and folklore wrapped up nicely in a thriller. Nothing is as it seems and makes you wonder what it really takes to give up your child. Every page turned made me feel like I needed more answers. Such a good afternoon with this novel. Melanie Golding tells an amazing story.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

This was a wonderful audio book. Intriguing story line and made you want to know all about characters. The narrator was very easy to listen to and made the whole experience enchanting.

Melanie Golding is a talented author. No question. She seamlessly weaves in a gripping story of complicated family dynamics, thriller, and folklore. I love how the novel is at once grounded in a crime thriller and fantastical in mythical legend. The weaving in of folktales at the beginning of the chapters helps to provide context. This is a read that will grab you from the start, break your heart, and then come together in what is a complex but very satisfying end.

Wow! I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. The author mixed fantasy with a very realistic world in a way that left you wondering for most of the book whether or not it was actually going to dip into fantasy!

I found it was very well written, and I really enjoyed the storytelling

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley

From the start, this has the feel of a melancholy fairytale. I loved how the author intertwined the genres of suspense and fantasy to tell the story of the bonds between mothers and daughters.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for the advance copy to review. All opinions are my own.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC of The Hidden by Melanie Golding.
A little girl is found outside a shop on her own when her mother arrives the authorities belive its just a case of the mother losing sight of her daughter for a split second so they allow her to leave.
A man believed to live on his own is found near to death in his flat but why are there signs of a child living there?
Unable to sleep Ruby watches the man opposite her flat she's sure his not noticed her but he has and soon he makes himself know to her she then becomes involved in his life but things are not as they seem on the surface .Once Ruby realises what's happening she's in to deep to just walk away.
The attention to detail is spot on and really well written with plenty of shocking revels on the way.
The book really explores the true meaning of motherhood showing the lengths a mother will go to protect her child.
I loved the twist on celtic mythology and the myth about Selkies is enchanting.
I'm glad I read this book and this is definitely one of my new authors to follow.

I loved this book so much!
Very detailed characters and a mind game as nothing seems what it is. Very much recommended

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book this was a page turner couldn’t put it down

As a mom, I really thought when I read this book. What would it take for a mother to leave her child? There are so many twists and turns in this one, you are just waiting for the end to find out what is real and what isn't. One thing you do find out is that Constance (the mother) believes she is a selkie. No matter how you spin it she isn't right in the head.

A quick read with well thought out plot and characters. I really enjoyed it.

This was a different read for me but one that I enjoyed which employed both myth and mystery with a beguiling setting. Really enjoyed this one

Really enjoyed this story. Not familiar with the author but needed a new book and I'm so glad I'll choose this. Great story, twists, and ending. Will definitely look into other books from this author!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I hadn't read anything by Melanie Golding in the past and I've heard great things about her books so I was very excited to receive this. I can honestly say this was full of mystery, and lots of twists and turns that I felt my head was spinning! I am usually able to figure out where the story is going but this one surprised me and kept me guessing at every turn! I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Hidden is a wonderful read that is the perfect mix of Mystery and Supernatural. It spins myths and folk lore into a cutting edge novel. The book explores the bonds of friendship, abuse, and a mother’s love. If you are looking for a thriller with a unique storyline - this is the book for you.
Thanks so much to the publishers who allowed me a sneak peek at this book. It was great!

The Hidden by Melanie Golding delivers surprises and nail-biting suspense that I absolutely love. The main character Ruby is so loveable and easy to connect with as she goes through the highs and lows of the intense situation she’s unknowingly thrust into. The way Melanie Golding wrote this story switching between past and present and different POVs keeps your interest and is very easy to follow which isn’t easy. I was really intrigued by and enjoyed the myth and folklore Constance was a part of and only wish we could have gotten a better look into that part of the story. Overall a very enjoyable and interesting read.

I loved this book.

I loved that it was so different than anything I have read before. I loved the world building - I could totally picture everyone and all of the action. I loved how dark and mysterious it was.

It started off a little slow. However, I didn't mind because although it was background and character building there was still a lot of mystery - I kept thinking "what in the hell is going on?". I was fascinated and drawn in.

As it progressed I actually got a little tense -it was really odd and mysterious.

So why 4 stars and not 5? It was a close call, but I could honestly out it down and pick it back up. In fact, it was easier to read/digest that way.

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

This book was great!

This is an incredibly engaging book which is told through alternating perspectives and through an achronological timeline. It is a mystery that keeps you guessing, with each new perspective adding a new layer of information and building the suspense.

It is difficult to say exactly what was so good about this book without spoiling it, however, Golding did a fantastic job of writing such an interesting story with so many layers. A young girl, found wandering the shore alone, a man found, barely alive, dysfunctional families, and an incredibly well woven story.

I haven't read Golding's other book yet, but this has absolutely convinced me that I should. If you're looking for a mystery to solve along with the characters, a book that you just want to keep reading, then this is it.

It is a nice modern story blending mystery and the folktale. I enjoyed reading the book very much. I was really attracted by the first half of the book, and was trying to find out if Constance’s version of the story was true. I like that it is different from other similar types of folktales that I read before. Other ones I read are usually like that they fell in love, living happily together for a while and then the girl had to be taken back wherever she originally belonged to involuntarily, left the guy heartbroken after; or the guy found out the true identity of the girl (not a human being) and then got scared or was tricked by other characters to leave the girl or to do some harms to the girl.

An amazing read! This story started off very slow but once it gets going it keeps you on edge waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Ruby is a sad and lonely woman who is spying on her neighbor doing Yoga at night. She doesn’t think he knows about her until one night he sees her. She then sees him on a train and they become “friends” he introduces her to his babies mother who also lives with him. Ruby and Constance form a friendship and it’s after this that ruby truly finds out who the man Gregor is. Ms. Golding takes you on a wonderful ride of finding out how deceitful this man truly is and the things that he has done. She weaves into the story the tail of the sElkins and how the woman came to be with Gregor. In the middle of all this is family drama for ruby as she is coming to terms with her mother and their past. This is a book that will have you waiting to see what’s gonna happen next.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3980694784

I really loved this book. It is inspired by a selkie folklore tale '"The Mermaid Wife" so I guess you can call it a supernatural mystery story. After the first 10% of the book, I was completely hooked. I was so involved and excited and also scared even reading during full daylight! I don't read mysteries much but I now understand why the genre has many fans. This one was an amazing one to start this new genre for me.

Apart from the crazy thrilling turn of events, I loved the characters too. I was able to see the reasoning behind Ruby's and Constance's decisions, and feeling the stress of the poor traumatised little Leonie.

Some slightly negative reviews I saw are "multiple POVs". I sometimes get super annoyed of it too when it feels useless but in this one, it just adds to the suspense. Another negative remark I saw was that it wasn't "rational". Me personally, I enjoyed the magical folklore tale, mixed with contemporary mystery story. Loved it.

I am adding "Little Darlings" to my to be read list and recommending it to everyone I know!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the ARC!

Oh my goodness! What a ride! I could not put this one down! What a wonderful thriller. I have become a fan of Melanie Golding. I can't even put this book into words, twists and turns pulls at your heart strings. Well done. Thank you for the chance to review this book!