I thought this was a great book. I loved the story and was totally shocked at the ending. This was everything you wanted in a book. Claire had a terrible life and a bad relationship with her mother. She grew up bullied and had no real friends. She meets Noah and finds the love of her life. She decided to take lunch to his office one day and discovers he doesn't work there. He doesn't return her calls or texts and then finds out about a secret life with another woman. Claire asks her close friend for help and she looks into Noah's current life. Some shocking things happen in the book and the true story of her and Noah unfolds. I could read the last several places over and over again.

Imagine being ghosted by the man you are engaged to marry! Especially after surviving a childhood that was much less than ideal. I thought the book, though a little lightweight did a good job of setting up why she might get involved with such a man which I think a lot of thriller-type books don't bother to explain. I could not understand why she'd want him back after all he put her through and what she learns but it was fun to read. Good vacation book.

This was an engaging and fast read. I was completely invested in the story until the ending. While I didn't predict it, I also found it disappointed. I really enjoyed the authors writing style. So much so that I will read future books of hers

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for an advanced copy to read. I couldn’t stop reading Claire, Darling! It started with Claire learning some intriguing information about her fiancé, Noah. As the story progresses, Claire has goes back and forth between recent memories of her relationship with a very caring Noah, and memories of her volatile childhood relationship with her mother. It was easy to relate to Claire and her anxiety over her situation with Noah. It was suspenseful with several twists that made me not want to put it down while also not wanting it to end! I highly recommend Claire, Darling and look forward to reading more from Callie Kazumi.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. I read this in one day. It is engrossing and fast-paced, and I was dying to find out what was going on.

The chapters about Claire's mom and her childhood are heartbreaking.

I loved the character of Sukhi, a strong woman and true friend.

The only part that I did not love was the ending. It makes sense, but I really thought it would go differently.

Looking forward to reading more from this author!

Claire, Darling ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Woah! An amazing debut novel by Callie Kazumi. This one will have you guessing til the very end.

Clair’s perfect fiancé has ghosted and she has no idea why. She finds out he hasn’t worked at the same job for months now and he refused to take her calls. Confused and distraught Claire is determined to get her fiancé back no matter the cost.

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi is an intense psychological thriller that follows Claire as she uncovers the shocking truth about her fiancé, Noah, and delves into her own troubled past. On what was meant to be a celebratory day, Claire discovers that Noah has been living a double life—a revelation that sends her spiraling into obsession. The story explores themes of manipulation, identity, and the lasting scars of childhood trauma, particularly Claire’s complex relationship with her controlling mother.

I loved how Kazumi builds suspense with a deft hand, pulling you into Claire's unraveling world. The pacing is tight, and the plot twists kept me guessing. This book is perfect if you enjoy stories that blend emotional depth with edge-of-your-seat tension. Claire is a compelling, flawed protagonist, and her journey is as haunting as it is gripping. A fantastic debut! I'd recommend it to fans of Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

This book started slow and I almost put it down. Glad I didn't. It got much better as the twists and turns took you one way and then another. I read this in one evening!

This was an excellent debut!! I loved the main characters voice—it was very readable from the very first page to the end. Fans of Paula Hawkins or Alice Feeney will enjoy this slow burn psychological drama.

I read this on the recommendation of another NetGalley participant, requested it without reading the synopsis, and jumped right in. I really liked it and thought it was really well executed! I did guess what was going on by about a third of the way in but in no way did this diminish my enjoyment.. Claire is written in a sympathetic manner and is intriguing to the reader. We learn much through Claire's journal entries which are scattered throughout the book. I am amazed that this is a debut novel. Loved the ending, and the courtroom scenes as the truth is slowly revealed and Claire's fate is determined. I highly recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Bantam for this ARC.

This is a really fun and exciting read. Claire is ghosted by her fiancé, Noah, and as the reader, we are along for the ride as she tries to figure out why. This is a gripping and twisty novel, and as a debut novel. I am excited to read more from this author.

This mystery/domestic story starts when Claire and her friend Sukhi decide to bring lunch to Claire's fiancé Noah. Only when they arrive at Noah's place of employment they are told he hasn't worked there in months. Claire tries to call Noah only to find her number blocked and she can't figure out what in the world is going on. The current story alternates with stories from Claire's childhood with her abusive and narcissistic mother. As Sukhi and Claire investigate what is going on with Noah, they find out he is engaged to another woman named Lilah and works in a different company than he told Claire. We also see snippets from Claire's diary as she talks about meeting Noah in a wine shop and the romantic and sweet side of him that made her fall in love.

I don't think there was much of a mystery as it was pretty obvious what was going on from the start. There were also too many stories from Claire's childhood, each showing her mother behaving in an abusive way towards Claire. There are a couple of twists in this story and I found it a quick read. I did feel bad for Claire who was always told she was "nothing" by her mother, bullied in school and didn't have any friends besides Sukhi. I really liked the character of Sukhi as she was a truly devoted friend to Claire. There is a murder in this book as well as stories of child abuse. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this ARC in exchange for a review.

I had a hard time getting into this book and did not find it an enjoyable read. I have a hard time giving feedback that is negative but I could not finish this book.

Claire has finally found the man of her dreams - he's handsome, successful and totally in love with her. Or is he? After Noah ghosts her completely, Claire slowly unravels as she obsesses to understand the truth of what's going on. But was the relationship ever truly "real" to begin with?

The premise of Claire, Darling is solid -- but for me, the execution fell short. Almost instantly upon starting this book, I knew this was going to be an uphill battle of maintaining my interest. Surprisingly enough, I stuck with it and finished the novel in a half-day! The second half picked up for me during the courtroom trial, which is where I really picked up steam with the reading pace. The abrupt ending was a bit of a downer though.

For me, this is 2.5 stars rounded up to 3. Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Random House, and Callie Kazumi for this e-ARC.

Whoa boy, this book was a fun ride. Claire, raised by an abusive, narcissist mother, who tells her she is not worthy of love, finally finds the love of her life, Noah. Claire can't believe what a great man she's found and she's so happy when he asks her to marry him. Then, all of a sudden, Noah ghosts her. Claire will do anything to get this perfect, loving man back.

This book had me hooked right from the beginning. You feel so bad for little Claire and the things she has to deal w from her mother. Then we meet Noah and we feel happy for Claire, bc she deserves something good in her life. When Noah ghosts her out of the blue, I couldn't wait to see why, and what was going on. The twist at the end was something I never would've guessed, and I thought it was great.

I highly recommend this book and author. I fully enjoyed this one.

I have to admit - this book wasn't my favorite. I hate being ghosted so the fact that Claire was ghosted by her fiancé. It just seemed to go downhill as Claire fought to figure out why as well as dealing with underlying trauma from her childhood. It was definitely not what I expected.

This book was a quick one for me, I read it almost in one sitting. It starts off fast and then slows down. As reader who lives psychological thrillers I found it a little predictable and hoped for a shocking twist.
At first I felt bad for Claire, I mean come on this guy is lying to her, avoiding her and blocks her from his social media! But as the plot unfolded I started to really dislike Claire.
The ending was a bit lacking but that could just be for me as I expected a shocking twist.
At some points I almost put the book down and not pick it up again, but I couldn't. I still wanted to find out the ending even though I already kinda knew how it would end.

This reviewer thoroughly enjoyed reading Clarie, Darling. This compelling psychological thriller kept me awake late into the night to finish the story, and I loved every minute. The author offers a modern twist on a seemingly familiar tale and then surprises us with an original storyline.

There are lots of mixed reviews on this book, but I found the novel to be highly entertaining and well written. The characters are well drawn. My empathy for Claire stayed with me to the last page. I can't imagine why she wants to reconcile with a man who dumps her so callously and hurts her so badly, but her passion for Noah blinds her to the truth. No spoilers here. You'll have to read the book to learn more.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for providing an advance copy of the book to read and review. This review will post to Bayside Book Reviews.com at https://baysidebookreviews.com and its Instagram page on release day. Follow us! *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

A devious, addictive little read which I gobbled up in one sitting! Callie Kazumi is a powerful and fascinating new voice in suspense fiction, and her main character, Claire, is equally intriguing. I knew pretty much from the beginning of this book what the "twist" was -- in fact, the author doesn't really try to hide it -- but that didn't take away at all from the fun of the reading experience. This is one of those books that can be read in a couple of different ways depending on your interpretation and how reliable you find the narrator. Kazumi does a masterful job of letting the reader into Claire's mind -- which is a bit of a dark and twisted place. I really enjoyed the supporting characters in the book especially Claire's best friend and her mother. Without giving too much away, the second half of the book becomes more of a traditional mystery/thriller and that plot is cleverly interwoven with Claire's internal monologue.

A really fun book that reads like a popcorn thriller, but has a little something more to say. Intelligent, witty, compassionate, and always fun to read. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

This book told hold of me and I binged it in one sitting. Great premise and characters. It is creepy, startling, and good. Can't wait to have my friends read this, too!I Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC. Pub Date is March 11, 2025.

#ClaireDarling