“Unforgettable.”—The New York Times“Lyrical and atmospheric.” —Bustle“A satiating psychological horror tale.” —Cultured VulturesSOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREAPRIL 2019 LIBRARY READS PICK“Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman, Grimms’ Fairy Tales, and Aimee Molloy’s The Perfect Mother.Everyone says Lauren Tranter is … Molloy’s The Perfect Mother.
Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.
A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley—to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.
Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some of our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking—and rechecking—your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.
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Little Darlings is chilling cold case fiction. A pretty good page turner, albeit a bit cliche. Taking place in Sheffield England, Det. Sgt. Jo Harper must contend with multiple instances of a crime that seem eerily similar to one that happened decades prior. as though history were rhyming.
The prose style of Melanie Golding is quite succinct, leaves a bit of wanting in the choice of language and art, but there is no confusion, especially not for the sake of atmosphere. It is a perfect weekend read by the beach or with a hot cup of tea on a rainy day. I had hoped for a bit more, however I would definitely recommend this to my friends and family as it is miles ahead of most fiction from this overcrowded genre.
2.5 – 3 stars
I feel terrible with having to rate this book so low, but after finishing this story, I felt wholly let down by it. Melanie Golding is a new author to me, so I was not familiar with her, or her writing style. But even with that aside, this book did not produce any of the feelings or thoughts I expected it to when I read the blurb.
Part of my struggle with this book was the fact that I did not form any type of connection at all with the main character, Lauren Tranter. I understand she just had twins and there was a complication after and it was all very harrowing, but she just wore on my nerves to no end. Her husband Patrick comes across as a worthless lout who I disliked immensely from page one. And he just got worse as the book progressed. I feel like Ms. Golding wrote his character to be exactly what I thought of him, and that’s all well and good when an author does that, but for me, there needs to be some type of comeuppance by the end of the book in order to redeem them, or the book, but that doesn’t happen here. In fact, the book just sort of ends with no real resolution at all, which was pretty much the icing on the cake for me and left me feeling confused and frustrated.
Truly the only character I was interested in reading about was Joanna Harper, the Detective Sargent who was investigating Lauren’s case. Her background was quite interesting and I enjoyed the parts of the book that focused on her, her past and her life. But again, by the end of the book she had pretty much just disappeared, with no closure or ending.
The premise of the story was really what made me want to read it, and I understand that a motion picture is in the works that I will watch when it releases. I really didn’t come across any elements I would consider horror per se, except for the few interactions between Lauren and the “changeling” twins, but even those were just kind of creepy, not scary.
Overall, the story had a lot of promise, but something in the execution of the story was lacking for me. I think it is a combination of characters I didn’t like, a slow moving storyline, and several very frustrating scenes that had me setting the book aside several times. It took me seven days to read this, and normally I finish a book in 2-3 days.
Perhaps one day Ms. Golding will expand the ending of the story, or maybe when they release the movie it will have a more resolved ending. I think I could have tolerated everything that bugged me about this book, and give it a higher rating, IF the ending had given me good resolution for both Lauren and Joanna.
Many thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book was really unpredictable, and I could not figure out at first where this book was leading me.
This is the story of a woman named Lauren who gives birth to twins and has had a rough long labor. While she lay in the hospital, a woman, dressed in rags tries to take her babies from her and replace them with her own! She struggles to get away from the woman and finally is able to. Lauren runs into the bathroom with her twins and locks herself in, calling the police.
After receiving a call from the hospital once the security guard gets there to check on Lauren, the police don’t even come out. Everyone thinks she is suffering from postpartum depression or has had a breakdown.
The next morning an investigator, Jo Harper comes in and looks at the overnight log. Seeing the incident listed from the hospital, she follows her gut instinct and goes to see Lauren. Lauren’s husband is not pleased she has come and lets her know so. Looking at Lauren, Jo knows something is up, and she suspects the husband is lying about something.
After leaving the hospital, Lauren remains worried and certain things occur, which she knows she has not imagined and she calls Jo, wh comes right over. After she has Lauren show her a place she thought she saw someone, the husband asks her to leave and stop letting Lauren thinks she believes something happened.
Then the unthinkable happens, and all hell brakes loose. You have to read on and find out what exactly is going on and I have t admit I did not figure out what happened!
Great plot, great dialog, and so much angst, you won’t soon forget this book! I gave this book 5 terrifying Stars!
Little Darlings, is a debut novel by Melanie Golding. A well-written creepy read with a dark fairy tale aspect. What a great debut!! I love reading new authors and this one will definitely be added to my favorites list.
The main characters are Lauren and Patrick Tranter, new parents of twin baby boys. Lauren is quickly feeling overwhelmed after the birth and gets little help from her husband. Patrick is a little jerk…once the babies are born his true selfish side comes out when he doesn’t want to help Lauren out.
My favorite character would have to be Detective Sergeant Jo Harper. Jo has issues from her past that haunt her making Lauren’s case something that she couldn’t brush off. When no one else believes Lauren, Jo does. Jo is a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of police officer. She isn’t a dirty cop but she doesn’t always follow all the correct procedures. She had a chance to try for an inspector job but she likes the hands-on part of investigating, she doesn’t want to be stuck in an office.
Little Darlings is an atmospheric tale that kept me interested throughout. The build up to the ending was spot-on. I would recommend this book to those who love psychological thrillers mixed with a little supernatural and dark fairy tale. Thanks so much to author, Melanie Golding and Crooked Lane Books for providing me a copy of this book to review.
Little Darlings by Melanie Golding was an enchanting story that is based on an old English Fairytale. The beginning of each chapter is preceded by a quote from other books. Lauren is a new mother of twins and she is exhausted. Have her spirited baby boys been replaced by something otherworldly or is she just losing her mind? Lauren’s husband Patrick seems like a loving man but is he?
Harper is the Police detective that follows the case of Lauren’s accusations. She does not give up and continues to search for the truth. She is relentless and I can see her being a featured character in other stories should Ms. Golding continue writing these stories.
This story reminds me very much of another book I read from NetGalley, The Good People by Hannah Kent. However Little Darlings is set in present day England.
If you are a fan of the t.v. show Grimm you may like this book.
Oh gosh, where do I even begin with this review? This book had me hooked from the very beginning, and I’m still trying to process it almost a week later.
Little Darlings tells the story of a woman named Lauren, who gives birth to twin boys. As a new mom, she’s a bit stressed, tired, and unsure of herself. Understandable. I think every mom remembers how that can be. But there’s something more going on with Lauren. Something more sinister. Lauren knows there is someone there, watching her and her boys, waiting to snatch them away from her. She knows she must do whatever it takes to protect her babies, even though everyone, including her husband, thinks she’s acting a bit crazy.
When the unthinkable happens while out for a stroll in the park, Lauren hopes she’ll finally prove to everyone she’s not as crazy as they thought. But when her babies are returned safe and sound, she insist they’re not hers and have been switched with something else. Unfortunately, that just makes everyone believe she’s crazier than ever, and they lock her away. But what happens when the others around her start buying into the craziness? Is Lauren perhaps telling the truth? Or has the stress of being a new mother become too much for Lauren to bear, ultimately messing with her mind completely?
I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed Little Darlings. It was an intense thrill ride that explored the depths of emotion new moms deal with. I liked that the story touched on Lauren’s inability to bond with her sons right away. She worried there was something wrong, because every mother is expected to immediately fall in love with their baby. By not doing so, Lauren feared there might be something wrong with her. I related to that, because I went through the same thing with my first. When I had my son, I looked at him and thought, “What am I supposed to do with this baby now? I’m not cut out to be a mom. Take him back.” Eventually that went away, but I think it’s important for women to know that it doesn’t always happen right away, that bond. It may take some time. With my second, I was in love the moment I laid eyes on him. So, yeah. That was a nice touch to the story.
I didn’t particularly care for Lauren’s husband. I thought he was a useless, rude, unhelpful jerk at times. He put so much pressure, and all of the child-caring burdens, on Lauren, and then he acted like he was a victim of sorts when Lauren had her moment. He frustrated me, and I didn’t like him at all.
I did like Jo, though. She’s a cop, and she was a character who seemed to have more of an open mind and a willingness to help Lauren. She was probably my favorite character.
The plot moves along at a nice pace, building up the tension and the worry. It’s creepy and unsettling at times, and it makes you wonder constantly if Lauren was really insane, or if she was telling the truth, even though it seemed so far-fetched it couldn’t actually be true.
Overall, I am so glad I took a chance on Little Darlings. It’s a fantastic read that showcases the stigma mothers face when it comes to mental health issues. They’re not taken seriously. They’re expected to be perfect and capable 100% of the time all the time. Moms aren’t allowed to have bad days. They aren’t allowed to be stressed or depressed or worried. They’re expected to go-go-go constantly. And I really liked that this story shone a light on just how ridiculous that is, and how women need tender love and care after becoming new moms. Help them. Guide them. Treat them with respect. Take them seriously.
If you’re a fan of folklore mixed with horror, definitely check out Little Darlings. You won’t be disappointed.
A weirdly scary story. It’s gripping and intense. It will give you nightmares and make you question the sanity of people. The author tells a horrifying tale of a mother losing her mind after the birth of her children. She gets no support from her spouse and creates and incident that is a tangled mess. It is creepy and sad at the same time. You will not be able to put it down until the end.
Lauren Tranter gave birth to twin boys, Riley and Morgan. She had a rough delivery and although, her husband, Patrick, is with her during visiting hours, but must leave when visiting hours are over. While in the hospital, Lauren hears a mom next to her cooing and talking to what sounds like another pair of twins. After a nurse pushed back the curtain, there was no bed, and the only other mom in the room had just one baby. Another night, Lauren again heard loud singing and two babies, and peered through an opening in the curtain to find a filthy woman sitting in a chair with a large basket by her feet. Confronting the woman, asking her to stop singing. Soon the woman took a keen interest in Lauren and her twins, and tried to make a bargain one baby for one. Fearing Lauren ran back, fetched her boys and locked herself in the bathroom.
Jo Harper, a police officer took note of an emergency call that came from the hospital. She went to pay a visit to Lauren. The call was dismissed, as no one saw an intruder, and considered that Lauren was seeing things. Despite Jo’s boss telling her to let the investigation go, she makes a copy of security tape.
Patrick Tranter, is the husband of Lauren, the two were very close and Patrick is a doting father to the newborns. As time goes on, Patrick decides, that he has helped enough and needs his rest so he can go to work. He leaves Lauren to deal with tending to the twins by herself.
Patrick insists that his wife gets out of the house, which she goes to meet up with friends. When the visit is over, and the friends depart, Lauren decides to do a little more walking and soon finds herself fatigued. She sits on a bench and ends up falling asleep, only to wake to find the stroller with her boys missing.
Jo Harper is called once more and although finding the boys and a suspect, doesn’t get the reaction she expects to get. When she enlists the help of a journalist, Jo learns of another attempted abduction of twins with similarities to Lauren’s hospital case.
I enjoyed this book very much. There are a lot of twists and a creepy factor that keeps you guessing to the end.
I received an ARC from NetGalley via Crooked Lane Books in exchange for my honest review.
This book was fantastic! I had seen an ad from another author who was reading it, and it sounded like my kind of book, and was so happy to see it on @Netgalley !!!
The book is a creepy, thrilling book, that really sucks you in, to the point, you do not who or what to believe.
After a long and very difficult labor, Lauren and Patrick welcome twin boys, Riley and Morgan.
Shortly after, while Lauren is still in the hospital, she believes a creepy woman is trying to steal her babies, or swap them out for hers.
No one can find any evidence of this woman, so people begin to think she is crazy, but is she?? So many things happen, poor Lauren is afraid to sleep, she won’t leave her home for fear of this woman taking them. And when she does finally go out, they are kidnapped. There are so many twists and turns, that make this book hard to put down!!!!
The book is a thriller, that Folklore, and Fairy Tales are intertwined in. Its a creepy book, and I am so surprised that this is the author’s, debut novel. We will be hearing more from her, as she is a gifted writer!!
Thanks so much @Netgalley for letting me read it!!!
I will write a more in depth review later, as the book is not to be released until May 2019. Def, want to add this to your “to read” shelves!!!
Wow is how I am going to describe this book. It is a chilling, twisting story of a new mom, Lauren Tranter, who is convinced her newborn twin sons have been switched by a swamp woman that only she can see. This isn’t my usual genre but I really enjoyed this book. It is kind of a mix of fantasy, fairy tale with a little sci-fi mixed it. This is very well written and I really enjoyed it. I immediately disliked Lauren’s husband, Patrick, as he was a real piece of work. I really liked DS Joanna Harper and her role in this book. Great story line and a really great read! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.
“The child is not mine as the first was, I cannot sing it to rest, I cannot lift it up fatherly and bliss it upon my breast; Yet it lies in my little one’s cradle, And sits in my little one’s chair, And the light of the heaven she’s gone to transfigures its golden hair.”
~ From The Changeling by James Russell Lowell
Lauren Tranter has just been blessed by giving birth to healthy twin boys—Riley and Morgan. As with all new mothers, the lack of sleep and anxiety of being a new mom plays upon Lauren’s health, both physically and mentally. In fact, when she swears that a woman cloaked in black entered her hospital room to steal her babies and exchange them for something insidious, no one believes her, and she’s left wondering if perhaps she did have a mental breakdown. But continued scratchings on the window, glimpses of the woman in black and the deep down fear of knowing her children are in danger puts Lauren over the edge. How far will Lauren go and what sacrifice will she make to protect Riley and Morgan…a mother knows her children, right?
Little Darlings is an addictive nail biter with a sinister fairy tale undertone. So frightening in passages, I found myself pushing the book away. Highly recommend!
**Received ARC via NetGalley for honest review**