Claire's mom can best be described as Cruella deVille is she raised a child rather than dalmations. It's no wonder that Claire became completely unsure of herself once the man of her dreams suddenly didn't come home one night and stopped all communication with her. As we begin to see a clearer view on Claire's relationships and how she is treated versus how she treats others, it becomes harder to know who we can actually trust.
Hung up on getting to the bottom of what her once doting fiance, Noah, is up to, she uncovers some things that were very unexpected. He blocked her on social media, changed jobs without telling her, and also has a secret relationship. Maybe even multiple.
Can we blame Claire from some of the decisions she makes in her quest? Especially after learning how unloved she felt as a child.
This was a slow burn psychological thriller that kept throwing curveballs leaving the reader unsure of who exactly to believe.

Claire, darling was a fast paced thrilling story with an ambiguous plot line. Claire was a very interesting and unfortunate character. I loved how we got a bit of her back story while going through the timeline of Claire and Noah’s relationship. It was such a fast read and while I had an inclination of what was happening, the ending and epilogue were fantastic and shocking. Overall, a fun fast read!

First, THANK YOU to NETGALLEY & RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP- BALLANTINE for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. Second, This book was a wild ride! Please know that when reading this, trigger warnings are needed. Please see them listed below, before you dive headfirst into this book! TRIGGER WARNING'S include, Child Abuse, Drinking, Cheating, Bullying, Stalker behavior, and Death.

I read this in one sitting, and after I read the last word, I had to put it down and take some breaths. The novel Claire, Darling is captivating to read. It’s a creepy psychological thriller that deals with obsession and lies. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to fans of the genre.

This was a book that I slowed down in reading so that it wouldn't end too soon. Those are the BEST books (for me). Very dark, very well-paced. Kept you guessing until you start to figure it out. Layers, but not too much. Complexity and intrigue, but not ridiculous amounts. Some likable characters, although you might be halfway through the book before you realize who they are. Finishing leaves you with a sense of accomplishment and a sigh. I can't say too much more without giving away the central spoiler of the book.

I WILL BE HERE FOR ANYTHING ELSE THIS AUTHOR PUTS OUT!

This was a good read with some intrigue. It was slow in spots, but still kept me turning the pages. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the arc.

When Claire drops into her fiancé’s workplace to deliver lunch, she’s shocked to discover that he hasn’t worked there in months. He’s unreachable by phone or text, and as Claire digs, she discovers a whole different life he’s living with his beautiful — what?? — girlfriend!

The more Claire digs, the more she discovers, and the more her past with her abusive mother is revealed. What’s going on, and what’s the truth?

To be honest, this book was painfully boring for the first half of the story. I couldn’t connect with the MC and I wasn’t interested in reading the over-the-top trauma stories. However, the second half of the book really picked things up and I finished it in a day. I’m new to psychological thrillers and enjoyed the ending, but a veteran may find it a bit predictable. Overall, I’d say this is a great debut and, with a main character I could connect with more, I’d definitely more of this author’s work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Writing style
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Characters
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Plot
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Premise
⭐️⭐️ Pacing
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Impact

Thank you to Random House Publishing - Ballantine and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 a fast read about a woman and her fiance told with alternating entries from a journal and past memories. Claire's mother was abusive at the very least and her treatment of fear daughter disturbing. Clair is be with Noah and is putting that all behind her. Or is she? She takes lunch to Noah one day and he's not there. With the help of a friend and colleague she tracks him down and everything unravels. A good book for a quick mystery and an ending that as some holes in it.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

If you are brand new to the thriller genre, you will absolutely love this book. I did enjoy this story but am rating this 4 stars only because I was able to determine to determine what exactly was going on. I love books where there's a few select characters and the author doesn't bog down the story with unnecessary details and this author cake through!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Claire meets Noah, they fall in love and get engaged everything seems to be going so well until Claire finds out Noah could be living a double life and starts ghosting her. Now she is on a quest for answers, but does she really want to know the truth?

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and I did not want to put it down. I really felt for Claire and what she went through in her backstory and then what she was going through. The twist was great and I did not guess it at all. I was satisfied with the ending which most books like these I am sometimes left wanting more or not satisfied with it. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.

This book is for those who love psychological thrillers and books by Alex Finlay, Gillian McAllister, or Lisa Jewell.

I enjoyed this quick read. Even though a bit predictable, it was a fun time for this psychological thriller. The flashbacks to the childhood trauma helped to explain the main characters current behavior. Thanks, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this eARC.
4 star

Callie Kazumi’s first book, Claire, Darling, introduces us to a main character who has had a difficult life. She’s been abused by her mom, picked on as a kid, and spent a lot of time feeling lonely. Things start to change when she meets the charming Noah Coors.

The book starts with a shocking event, and then Claire tells us her story, both in the present and by looking back at her relationship with Noah. She goes from the excitement of their first meeting to when he suddenly disappears from her life. Claire grows a lot in the first part of the book, which builds up to that opening scene. At first, I thought Claire seemed a little unreliable and awkward, but I found the courtroom part of the story really interesting. The way the lawyers question her and the other witnesses made me question what was really true and kept me on edge.

As someone who loves reading thrillers, I wasn’t totally shocked by the twist, but I still enjoyed the ride and the creepy ending! Claire, Darling is a great book!

Absolutely LOVED! Reminiscent of The Wives by Tarryn Fischer, which is one of my all time favorites. Suspenseful but also heart-wrenching. My favorite part was Part 2 of the book with each of the chapters being broken up with witness testimonies.

What starts as a love story gone ghosted is really a veil for a haunting mother-daughter tangle.

I love a psychological thriller and don’t mind an unreliable narrator, but connecting the above-mentioned concepts wasn’t as seamless as I’d like it to be.

Also, Claire’s fiancé, Noah, whom she was ultimately ghosted by, was wholly uninteresting, so I felt extra bad that she focused so much attention on him

A popcorn thriller is an occasional part of my literary diet but unfortunately, this one was not for me. While I breezed through it on a plane ride, I found myself skimming and skipping through large chunks of the text to get to see what happened at the end. Claire's character development and relationships with others is stunted, which can be a narrative choice, but I don't think it quite got to that level of believability. The shortness of the novel, abrupt plot twists, forced "friendship" without real motivation on Sukhi's part, and unfortunately some pretty basic and lackluster prose that was very "tell, not show" took me out of the novel.

This book was sooo good! I could not put it down. And the cover is gorgeous! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read the advanced copy!

This was a good debut novel! If you like unreliable narrators, this is the book for you. A few good twists that kept me from knowing for sure what was going on. I liked the flashbacks to her childhood and her experiences with her mother.

Please note that this review was delayed due to Netgalley no longer offering DRM files for those that do not own a Kindle.

Oh. My. God!!!! I couldn’t stop reading this one!!! I kind of guessed what was really happening early on, but that did not take away from the shock, the twists, and all the emotions this one packed! The thrill and suspense of figuring out who was truthful, what was real and what wasn’t… it was a heck of a ride and I loved every minute of it!! Freida fans will love this one!!!

Oh my goodness, I devoured this book! The intriguing prologue immediately pulled me in.

While frustrated at times with Claire, I was totally invested and wanted to know where the story was going. I really appreciated her friend Sukhi.

Despite having a pretty good idea of what was going on, I love stories like this where the reader gets to sit back and see how events will unfold.

This was a 5 star read, for me, considering how engrossed I was and that I finishing this in one day! I truly hope the author writes more thrillers like this!

Thank you NetGalley, Callie Kazumi, and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the opportunity to read this in exchange for a candid review.

CLAIRE, DARLING… YOU DID NOT JUST DO THAT. 😭😭😭

3 stars! 🌟 Huge thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for the eARC via Netgalley! 💌

This had me HOOKED… until the last 10% absolutely wrecked me (and not in a good way). But let’s talk about it.

Claire is living her best life—engaged to the perfect man, Noah, and thriving. That is, until she decides to surprise him with lunch at work… only to be told that Noah doesn’t even work there. 😨 WHAT. She calls him—no answer. Texts—ignored. Claire’s fiancé has disappeared off the face of the Earth, and when she tracks him down, she realizes the truth is even worse: Noah has a whole new life, new girlfriend, new everything. And Claire? She was never in the picture.

Now, Claire is determined to get answers, and what follows is a psychological spiral of obsession, love, and revenge. But as the layers of Claire’s past start unfolding, we start asking—who’s really the liar here?

Tropes:
✅ Unreliable Narrator
✅ Obsession
✅ Stalker Behavior
✅ Gaslighting
✅ Psychological Spiral
✅ Bingeable Writing
✅ "It Was All in Their Head" (hide spoiler) Twist
✅ Identity Crisis

WHAT I LIKED:
✔️ THE PREMISE – Ghosting? But make it unhinged psychological thriller? I WAS SOLD. The idea of your fiancé just vanishing and pretending you never existed?? NIGHTMARE FUEL.
✔️ TENSE & GRIPPING – The first 90% had me flipping pages like my life depended on it. The dual timelines, diary entries, and slow unraveling of Claire’s past? Chef’s kiss.
✔️ THE WRITING – Callie Kazumi knows how to build tension. Every chapter had me second-guessing what I thought I knew.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK:
✖️ CLAIRE IS A LOT. She’s obsessive, messy, and downright delusional at times. I LOVE a morally grey female lead, but I never fully connected with her.
✖️ THE PACING – Some sections dragged with excessive inner monologue. We got it, Claire, you’re spiraling!!
✖️ THAT ENDING.

⚠️ MAJOR SPOILER WARNING!!! ⚠️

Okay, let’s talk about it. We spend the WHOLE book building up this intense mystery, only for the final twist to be… Claire imagined it all. She had a mental illness and was delusional the entire time. EXCUSE ME?? 😩 I hate when thrillers pull the “it was all in their head” card. It’s frustrating, lazy, and turns what could’ve been an insane twist into a disappointing cop-out. The book had me, but the ending fumbled HARD.

But wait… if Claire imagined all of this, then why didn’t anyone check her call logs or texts?? She was texting Noah constantly. And when she gets arrested, wouldn’t the police have immediately checked her phone?? Like, wouldn’t it be OBVIOUS if the conversations were one-sided?? This entire situation was set up to be this huge, dramatic reveal, but the second you actually think about it, the logic collapses. WHAT WAS THIS. 😭 The book really tried to hit us with a shocking twist, but instead, it just felt like a last-minute, nonsensical mess.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Would I recommend it? Maybe. If you love psychological thrillers and don’t mind an unreliable narrator who takes unreliable to a whole new level, you might enjoy this. But if you hate mental illness being used as a last-minute plot twist, skip it.

𝔹𝕠𝕠𝕜 ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read if you love:

✨Dual time lines
✨Part II plot twists
✨mommy dearest stories
✨wronged women
✨obsessive love
✨diary entries

Claire, Darling is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller! Callie Kazumi's debut into the literary world is a fantastic exploration of obsession and betrayal.

This is full of suspense and intrigue from beginning to end. I had a suspicion about what was really going on, but was still completely entertained, and that epilogue was one of the most surprising I've read in quite some time.

Although the pacing was a bit slow initially, once it gained momentum, I was hooked! The combination of flashbacks, diary entries, and present day kept the plot moving along nicely. All at once, you're finding out more about her past with her abusive mother,
learning about her relationship with Noah and seeing how everything is playing out in the current timeline.

This was one of those books that will totally mess with your mind and have you trusting absolutely no one. The lines between reality and delusion blur, making this a tense read. I definitely recommend this book for psychological thriller fans. It's a bingeworthy unputdownable book.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House publishing, and the author for this arc!