Now imagine this: you awake, startled on the bench, not knowing how long you've been asleep only to see that the stroller and your precious babies are no longer there. Thank you to Melanie Golding, Crooked Lane books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. a b Wiseman, Andreas (2018-04-03). " 'My Cousin Rachel' Director Roger Michel & Producer Kevin Loader Board Psychological Thriller 'Little Darlings' ". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04 . Retrieved 2023-07-04. Laura Tranter just had newborn twins. She named them Morgan and Riley. She is exhausted and needs a lot of rest. The night in the hospital room a woman tried to take her babies. and replace them with her own...creatures. Eek! When she tells everyone what happened, no one believes her. They think that she is just imagining things and needs lot of rest. Harper was a police officer on the case. Compulsively creepy and inspired by some of our darkest fairy tales. Each chapter starts with a passage from dark folklore. Is Lauren imagining all of this or is the supernatural real? The book is very imaginative in a very common way. Yes, there are tons and tons of retellings about great stories, but I don’t think many people thought of the idea of retelling some gruesome folkloric tales.

I can't quite believe how selfish Sunset's mother was as she put what she wanted before her children's needs. She also complained the father couldn't look after the children when she clearly couldn't either. Melanie Golding writes an atmospheric and creepy tale that will leave you wondering what’s real and what’s not! Normally I avoid anything remotely supernatural but in this case it worked. I was actually left wanting more of that aspect! Mr Juniper – A strict teacher in Destiny's school who gives out detentions. He is on the judging panel in Destiny's school production. Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million! Personally I love something juicier, more surprising, twisty and extreme stories when it comes to read something mysterious but this book is mystical, psychological fiction playing with our minds. It didn’t fit with my expectations but the writing is quiet good and the parts about Lauren’s fight with inner demons, her struggles to be a good and protective mother, trying to gather her strength mentally and psychically without anyone’s support were written quiet impeccably. It’s impossible not to feel for her character and live inside her mind and heart.

Lauren is understandably exhausted after giving birth to twins, but enough to imagine she saw a woman enter her hospital room and attempt to swap out her babies? Lauren insists someone is out to steal her twins, but the only person who is giving her the benefit of the doubt is Joanna Harper, the officer who responded to Lauren’s initial emergency call. This novel has supernatural aspects that were handled skillfully and believably. Supernatural elements are usually a turn-off for me, but they were presented in such an intriguing and fascinating way, that I was completely drawn into the plot and invested in the characters. Despite a slow start, I enjoyed this novel very much. I especially liked the police procedural part of the story. I was always questioning how many of the events had actually happened or were just imagined by Lauren. Detective Sergeant Harper brought a welcome dose of earthy realism.

LITTLE DARLINGS by Melanie Golding doesn’t come out until April 30, 2019, but you need to put this on your list of books to read now. I’m serious!

Featured Reviews

me: *hugs tight Leo, the stuffed lion* shh my baby! I won't let that scary unshowered woman take you away from me! She never leaves the house, doesn't socialize and lives in constant fear that the would-be kidnapper will return. In fact, one evening, she sees the woman outside the house, staring in at her. There is only one person, DS Jo Harper, who believes her and even goes so far as to look up the history of the small town and folklore attached to another incident which sounds a lot like what is happening to Lauren. As a mom of four I remember the sleep deprived feelings, forgetting what day it even is, never having time for a shower or to read even a magazine or newspaper and the constant needs of a newborn. I can’t even imagine the exhaustion of this new mother of twins. Later in the night an incident occurs where the police are called and has Lauren shaken to her core. Unfortunately, this would only be the beginning of a series of frightening events that will have Laura fighting for her babies lives and struggling to hold onto her sanity.

I don't suggest you read Little Darlings if you are pregnant, especially close to the end. And.please wait until six weeks after your baby is born until you read this book. But read it you must. Especially if you don't believe in fantasy, like I did. Now I do. Dumpleton, Elise (2019-03-31). "April Book Releases". The Nerd Daily. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04 . Retrieved 2023-07-04. If I had one con to point out in this story it would be with the narrative for Detective Harper. Her personal relationship with the reporter is distracting and adds nothing towards advancement the plot. Miss Avery – A popular sports teacher who helps in the school production. She is also on the judging panel.

Advance Praise

The book is told from the point of view of Lauren Tranter, an exhausted new mother of twins and Jo Harper a detective who investigates the events that take place concerning Lauren and her twins. The story starts towards the end of Lauren's long labor and the baby boys are named Morgan and Riley. Lauren spends several days in the hospital with them, wondering when her "love" for her babies will appear. Lauren is exhausted, inexperienced, and gets no real support from her husband Ben, at any time in the story. The first night of her babies' birth, she hears and sees a dirty woman in the area next to hers, singing a horrid song, while a basket with the woman's "twins" surrounded by rags, sits at the woman's feet. As the woman tries to trade babies with Lauren, she is able to call 999 to get help and Det. Jo Harper's intuition drives her to want to know more about what is happening to Lauren. Destiny's mother was so irresponsible and didn't seem to think about her daughter when she made decisions, especially when she got into a random car late at night. What is real and what is a figment of Lauren's imagination? Many things point either direction and even Lauren doubts herself at times. Jo Harper works to find out what exactly is going on, with the help of Amy, a journalist that Jo fancies. The 'maybe' romance between Jo and Amy detracted from the book for me. It just didn't fit into the story and was unnecessary, in my opinion. Otherwise this book entranced me, even with an ending that may leave some readers questioning just what was real. The Hidden by Melanie Golding". www.publishersweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2023-07-04 . Retrieved 2023-07-04. A terrible hemorrhage post-birth provided an additional trauma and now she finds herself in constant pain, alone and questioning her ability to handle motherhood.

As part of Destiny's eleventh birthday, Kate has arranged they go to the London premiere of the film "Milky Star", in which Danny has a cameo as himself, where hopefully they'll be able to meet him and tell him Destiny is his daughter. The plan fails, as only Sunset seems to notice the two. Kate realises she hasn't planned how to get home, and they're stranded in London till morning. She decides they might as well use the time to seek out Danny at his home in Robin Hill. Destiny climbs over the fence and comes across Sunset in the garden. The two become fast friends and Sunset believes her story about them being sisters, but Destiny and Kate get thrown off the premises when Sunset's mother Suzy discovers them.Destiny's narration was very honest and you could clearly see how her mothers actions were affecting her. I slept on it. When I was finishing, I instantly gave it 2 stars. I was really disappointed because of the ending. It could have been my new favorite book. I have mixed feelings about it.