Claire's fiance has seemingly ghosted her. He's left his job, won't answer his calls, and seems to have completely ditched her. Claire and her friend Suhki are on a mission to figure out how and why Claire was so unceremoniously dumped and how her past may be presenting itself in the present.

This was a quick thriller, fast-paced with short chapters that made it hard to put down. While it was predictable at points, the writing and character-driven story made it a solid read. I am looking forward to reading more from Callie Kazumi!

Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi was so good!! If you like woman scorned, psychological thrillers, revenge, flash backs, and an unreliable narrator then you will love this book!!

This is my first book from Kazumi and I was in no way disappointed. Kazumi did a great job with the storyline and plot. She does a great job of giving us detailed backgrounds and we learn about Claire and Noah’s relationship through her journal entries. Claire grew up in a dysfunctional family and suffered from childhood trauma. Claire meets Noah they fall in love, and move in together. It’s their anniversary so Claire and her friend Sukhi, decides to surprise Noah with lunch. While at his office they realize that Claire has been ghosted and soon learn Noah is not the man she thought he was. There were twists and turns that keep you hooked in this fast paced story and I loved it. This is a must read and can’t wait to read more by Callie Kazumi!! Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Ballantine for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion thoughts and opinions.

Hold on tight, because "Claire, Darling" by Callie Kazumi is a psychological thriller that will have you questioning everything and everyone.

Imagine a seemingly perfect life unraveling at the seams, a facade of normalcy shattered by a series of unsettling events. Kazumi masterfully crafts an atmosphere of creeping dread and mounting tension, drawing you into a mystery that's as intricate as it is disturbing. The protagonist's world is a labyrinth of secrets and hidden agendas, where trust is a dangerous commodity and nothing is quite as it seems. With each page, the suspense builds, revealing layers of deception and manipulation that will leave you breathless. You'll find yourself second-guessing every character, every interaction, as the truth becomes more elusive and terrifying. If you crave a thriller that's smart, suspenseful, and utterly gripping,

"Claire, Darling" is an absolute must-read. Prepare to be taken on a wild ride through the darkest corners of the human psyche, where the line between reality and delusion blurs, and the consequences are deadly.

This is a book that will stay with you long after you've turned the final page, leaving you with a lingering sense of unease and a desperate need to unravel its mysteries.

Check out this teaser :

She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.

Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah’s name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.

Noah isn’t picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.

Desperate to speak to Noah and convince him to return to their dream life, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.

Will Claire break free from the ghosts that haunt her? Or will they become more costly than any of Noah’s lies?

For a debut thriller, Callie Kazumi writes like a seasoned pro. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Claire Darling kept me guessing. Was she the victim of gaslighting or an unreliable narrator.

Claire’s fiancé ghosts her and she goes crazy trying to find out what the heck happened. Through diary entries, flashbacks and present day events, the reader gets an idea what is going on. I had second hand embarrassment for Claire as she confronts the fact that Noah isn’t who she believes him to be.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read a preview copy of this book. I liked it a lot more than I expected to. From the first page I was drawn in and really excited to keep reading to see what would happen. I’ll admit I began to suspect where it was going soon into the first few chapters but that really didn’t change my enjoyment. I found it well written, an easy and fast paced read, but not seeming like a young adult novel. The ending doesn’t disappoint while having the potential for a sequel. A really nice job for this authors first novel. I’m a fan!

Poor Claire has had a really rough childhood being raised by a single narcissistic mother.

As an adult, she is struggling at making friends, and dating seems impossible. While at work, she makes a friend, and outside of work, she meets a dreamy guy who, she can't hardly believe after a few dates, is her boyfriend!

Life is really looking up until one day she decides to bring her now fiancé lunch at the office, and he refuses to see her. Now she must find out what what is going on.

Soon, she finds him with another woman, and her world is flipped upside-down...

I wasn't too surprised by the resolution, but it was an enjoyable fast read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

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.

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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.