Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Darling Rose Gold

by Stephanie Wrobel

THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"If you enjoyed The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, read Darling Rose Gold."Washington Post

“Sensationally good - two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction...”—Lee Child

 
A most anticipated book of 2020 by 
Newsweek ∙ Marie Claire ∙ Bustle ∙ ShondalandPopSugar ∙ Woman’s Day ∙ Good Housekeeping ∙ BookRiot ∙ She Reads
 
Mothers never forget. Daughters never forgive.
 
For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.

Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.

After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.

Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she's forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.

Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling...

And she's waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

 “Dazzling, dark and utterly delicious”—J. P. Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before

“One of the most captivating and disturbing thrillers I've read this year. An astonishing debut”—Samantha Downing, USA Today bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

Reviewed by Joni Reads on

5 of 5 stars

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Thank you to Edelweiss Plus for the free copy of this book for review.

When I read the summary for this book months ago I was very intrigued. I love true crime and followed the Dee Dee and Gypsy Blanchard case closely.

This book was riveting. I read it in one day and flew through it. The story is told in alternating chapters told by Rose Gold and her mother.

The premise of the story is that Rose Gold's mother is being released from prison after serving five years for aggravated child abuse for poisoning Rose Gold and making her think she suffered from chromosomal abnormality that made her deathly ill as a child.

Rose Gold's chapter are explaining her life history and her life while her mother has been in prison.

Because of how sheltered her life had been while being raised by her mother her chapters are painfully awkward to read.

She is so socially stunted and really doesn't know how to interact with the world around her. I found myself grimacing at the things she was thinking in her chapters because of how naive she was.

Her mother's chapters are a whole other ball game. I wanted to throttle this woman. She is extremely arrogant and of course claims complete innocence in the abuse of her daughter.

When she is released from prison she has somehow convinced Rose Gold to agree for them to once again live together. I was screaming at Rose Gold when I found out she was allowing her mother back into her life but that screaming was even more frantic when I learned one vital fact- Rose Gold had a son now.

I was fully anticipating where I expected this story to take me. And all I will say is- don't be so quick to assume that you know where this story is going.

The more I read the more I was wrapped up in the story and the twist in the end is completely unexpected.

One of my first 5 star reads for this year.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 17 February, 2020: Finished reading
  • 17 February, 2020: Reviewed