Little Darlings

by Melanie Golding

'Atmospheric and very creepy' The Guardian

'Goosebump-inducing...Unforgettable' Woman & Home

'Unforgettable...there is something of Sylvia Plath in Lauren...One suspects that the real sorceress here is Golding, whose writing has given a voice to every wronged mother' The New York Times

'Chilling story...stunning' Clare Mackintosh

'Taps into every woman's fear that she will not be believed' Mel McGrath, author of The Guilty Party

* * * *

THE TWINS ARE CRYING. THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.
LAUREN IS CRYING. LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.

Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .

A terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves Lauren convinced someone is trying to steal her new-born twins. Desperate with fear, she locks herself and her sons in the bathroom until the police arrive.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of reported overnight incidents, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later. But Harper chooses to investigate anyway.

There's nothing on the CCTV, and yet Lauren claims that the woman is still after her children. No one will listen to Lauren - except Harper. And now Harper must ask herself, is Lauren mad, or does she see something no one else can?

* * * *

Readers can't stop raving about Little Darlings:

'Every mother will see themselves in Lauren...taut with suspense'

'You just need to read it and let the creepiness and uneasiness set in'

'A disturbing and spine-chilling tale...This tale will keep readers on the edge of their seat'

'A unique, haunting story that stays with you long after finishing it'

• ISBN10: 1432869043
• ISBN13: 9781432869045
• Publish Date: 25 September 2019 (first published 30 April 2019)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 20 December 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Wheeler Publishing Large Print
• Edition: Large type / large print edition
• Format: Hardcover (Library Binding)
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Melanie Golding's debut thriller novel, Little Darlings, is one that immediately caught my attention. Thanks in part to a brilliant cover (I'm a sucker for this particular aesthetic) but also due to the description.

For many, the phrase 'mother knows best' evokes an image of a caring mother who knows the best way to care for her children. That, or they're picturing Mother Gothel's song. Now, that phrase is about to take on a more sinister twist.

Lauren Tranter may be exhausted – having twins will do that to a woman – but she knows what she saw. She knows that a woman snuck into her hospital room and attempted to swap out her children. What she doesn't understand is why nobody will believe her.

“She had to play the game, even before she knew what the rules were.”

In my book, there's little better than when a thriller novel pulls in fantasy elements, such as what happened here in Little Darlings. This is one of those tales that all changeling fans will love, even as they try and put the pieces of the puzzle together.

When this book promised to add a haunting twist to 'mother knows best' – they really weren't kidding! That phrase has already been a little warped for me (thanks, Disney), but now it's taken on a whole new meaning.

Is it bad that I'm rather digging it? It never occurred to me to try and blend that phrase with the concept of fae and kidnappings, but Melanie Golding has forced a perspective shift on my part. It's clever and horrifying all in one.

The way Golding's writing carries the story along is so perfect. It's creepy and feels off – in all the right ways, naturally. Readers can instantly tell that something is wrong, but it's harder to peg if what the mother saw was real – or a fantasy. That is until you keep reading.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[zooloo1983]

Now the only way to read this book, in my opinion, is to listen to it. Melanie Golding narrates some truly terrifying tales and the narrator Stephanie Racine just scared the bejesus out of me. When she is doing the singing for the old woman, the production had it distorting her voice, the chills I had were awful. Those scenes scared me, A LOT!! They were horrible but so good at the same time!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story, I didn’t want to read the blurb too much as I wanted to be surprised and boy was I. I know for a fact, I am so glad that I wasn’t pregnant when I read this, nor when mini-me was born and thank god I didn’t have twins. If I did I do not think I would leave the house, shower, eat, sleep you know all those things to function. Because there is no way you can function which is basically what started to happen to Lauren.

I am still not clear on a few things, but the ending was quite chilling. I can’t say too much as I don’t want to ruin it but I have my theories which I need to discuss with someone!! But it is definitely a book that plays on your mind and question what is real.

This book is just so unsettling, just as you think there may be a calm, the interludes in the book will raise the hair on the back of your neck. It will chill you to the core. This book will have you questioning if we are in the midst of Post Natal Depression and on the brink of a breakdown…..or is there something more sinister at work? What do you believe? I found the way that Golding tackled PND spot on, I struggled terribly when I had mini-me, not that I went too near the darkness of Lauren but I didn’t cope, if I had twins as I wanted, then who knows this could have been my future. That’s a terrifying thought!

I know for one thing if I heard the voice that Lauren does on the maternity ward, I would have reacted the same way. I would have creeped out and I would be holding on tighter to my mini-me. I still do now after some of the folklore stories Melanie told throughout. These stories have to come from somewhere, hadn’t they?

The only note I wrote about this book was, Patrick =douche and highly suspicious. Throughout the book, I still suspected Patrick (Laurens husband) was up to no good and I still feel like he was. Something still doesn’t sit right with me. He provided no support to Lauren, not helping with the feeds or at nighttime. He can see she is clearly struggling and instead of supporting her it was me, me, me and oh get out the house. She obviously needs the support and he is so not the right person. I am still highly suspicious. However, on the other hand, I wonder if the reason I feel like that is that the story is told by Lauren, and therefore things are misconstrued and cast doubts where there is no need. Don’t you just love a book that makes you think!!

I will say it again, it is a dark, chilling, truly terrifying book to read. It is going to stay with me for a long time and I will probably question all babies I see now. I mean they freak me out as it is, worse so now!!!!!!!!! (Yes I am aware I had one). I was compiling my book of the year list but I stopped until I had finished this one because I wanted to see if I still loved it at the end. The short answer I did! It played on my fears, add in the folklore tales to further increase the paranoia surrounding the story. The audiobook could unhinge you, the singing alone, still get chills thinking about it.

It is one I will be recommending to all. Not everything is tied up in a bow but I am happy with that because the power of imagination and suggestion is more powerful here. It has made me question what is real and what I believe.

What a book.

[stressedrach]

Why did I leave it so long to read this? When twins are born and the mother starts hearing and seeing strange things you may think she had post partum psychosis that’s what I thought the book was leading to. Turns out I was wrong and it is not the first time it has happened, which DS Harper finds out when investigating.
This book is creepy and chilling and one that grabs you in so you don’t want to put it down. I really enjoyed it.

Lauren is a new mom to twin boys, exhausted from the sleepless nights and endless feedings. When someone tries swapping her babies with their own un-human creatures she begins to obsess over their safety. Except no one saw an intruder and changelings aren't real. Did she imagine it?

A few weeks later, Lauren takes the babies to the park for an afternoon outing. It's a good day for Lauren until the twins suddenly go missing. When they are finally found everyone is relieved for their safe return. Everyone except Lauren, who insists the identical looking babies are not actually her babies after all.

What follows is a haunting tale of a desperate mother questioning her reality and the length she's willing to go to save her sons.

Inspired by dark folklore, this ominous and creepy story is quite the page turner with some Brothers Grimm vibes.



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[chymerra]

Laura swears that she was attacked in her hospital room, shortly after the birth of her twins. She is written off as a tired, new mother when the police are involved. Her husband and the doctors think that she is imagining things. When she gets home, things start to get worse. She starts seeing that woman outside of her house. Again, she is written off as being a tired new mother. Then she takes the twins out for a walk in a park. Where they disappear. The twins are found shortly after being reported missing. But Laura swears that there is something different about them. She needs to bring her boys back. How is she going to do that? Are the myths and legends about changelings to be believed? Or is Laura suffering from a form of postpartum psychosis?

I couldn’t wait to read Little Darlings. From the reviews that I have read, the book was going to be fantastic. So, when I finally got around to reading, I was excited. Little Darlings has earned every bit of praise that has been thrown its way. When a book has me wondering which end is up, it is good!!

I wish that I hadn’t put it off. This book is that good. It is also super creepy. The bit of folklore that the author chose to put at the beginning of each chapter only added to the supernaturalness of the book. I loved it!!

What I also liked is that I didn’t know what was true. Was everything that Laura was experiencing real or in her head? That is what I liked the most about this book. The author did a great job of putting up both sides. And then she does a fantastic job of letting you make your own conclusion at the end of the book. Like I mentioned above, I love it when a book can keep me guessing about what actually happened. Even after it was over.

The end of Little Darlings sent a chill up my spine. Not going to get into it but let’s say that enough doubt is cast that I wondered what happened. The epilogue (well, I wouldn’t quite call it that) was what made me think. It also made me sit and think for a while after I finished the book.

I gave Little Darlings a 4-star rating. This was a creepy book to read. The characters were relatable. The plotlines were fast paced and well written.

I would give Little Darlings an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is violence. There is language. There are triggers. They would be postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis, and cheating. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread Little Darlings. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.