Little Darlings puts a thrilling spin on postnatal depression. The MC has twins at the beginning of the book and the seeming descent into madness ensues. We also follow a detective with a complicated love life and a hero complex.

The pacing of the book builds, so the first half is slow. However, the creepiness builds up quickly throughout the entire novel. I found myself trying to distinguish between reality and fantasy throughout and never came up with a definitive answer.

Yikes! New mom Lauren believes her twin sons have been stolen and replaced with fairy children. How she comes to that conclusion is spooky, and what she does about it is scary. How does one rescue their children when all those around them believe they’ve had a mental break?

Melanie Golding tells her story well. The only let down is the ending, not in the storyline but in the pace. Some other contributing storylines are left hanging. Or it could be just bad editing.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this book. The more I read, the more I loved it! It's creepy and full of suspense! I definitely recommend Little Darlings!

Folklore is not a genus I particularly care to read. This tale was of a woman who gave birth to identical twin boys and who was convinced another woman was attempting to take them and replace them with her changelings. The police are contacted and the investigating officer is also dealing with her own challenges while doing so. The plot deals with the psychological problems of both women, the difficulty of being the only participative parent to twins, marital infidelity and possible psychosis. It is well developed and will grip the reader, just not this one. The paranormal does not hold much interest for me. Thanks to Net Galley and Crooked Lane for an e-Galley for an honest review.

What an absolutely fabulous cross of fantasy and real-life horror. The story definitely echoes the Brothers Grimm and their fairy tales while still keeping readers braced in reality through the police and mental health involvement.

Lauren, an over-tired mom of newborn twins, battles fear of losing her babies after a blurry yet horrifying incident in the hospital. While everyone believes she is sinking deeper and deeper into a case of postpartum depression, Lauren knows what she saw, and she knows that she alone can keep her babies safe. When her most vivid nightmares come true, she finds that she alone, and maybe one member of the police force, believes her version of the truth.

This book doesn't come out until April, but I felt compelled to read it as soon as I got approved because of its description. It did NOT disappoint. What a perfect horror story that will speak to mothers and fathers about the numerous threats posed to their babies.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books & Netgalley for the ARC.

This book had me hooked from the very first. I devoured it, thinking about it when I could not sit and read. The ending is fantastic! It answers some questions, but opens up so many more. I found myself rooting for Lauren and wondering just what might happen next in her life.

Little Darlings begins with new mother bringing her twin boys into the world. I immediately empathized with the pain and discomfort Lauren was going through, as a mother myself. The author captured this very well actually.

All is not well after the twins are born though. Lauren's husband seems less than helpful and to make things even worse, there is a creepy woman in the maternity ward....or is there? Lauren becomes convinced this woman wants to swap babies and no one seems to take her seriously. Even after Lauren is able to go home, she becomes a recluse. Never leaving the house, and not letting the boys out of her sight.

Eventually, after her husband and friends (new moms themselves) insist, Lauren decides to venture out of the house. This is about 40% into the book, so it has taken quite some time to get to this point. Lauren's venture out of the house does not end so well, as the twins are kidnapped (and quickly returned). But they aren't her babies. Lauren can't believe it. The woman finally succeeded in taking her boys. And no one believes her...

All in all, this book was rather uneventful. The Kidnapping and the very end are the only real events of the book and the end felt hastily thrown together. I prefer story lines to be faster paced and bit more eventful so this book just really wasn't a favorite for me.

Scary; chillingly realistic! The feelings are very believable as are the happenings. Is it real? Where are your children? Are you sure??

Are you in the mood for a good horror story? One that starts off slow and gradually pulls you in once you've really connected with the main characters? Ahh I have a delicious read if you think you can handle it as it may really spook you.... Little Darlings is a craftily written, truly spooky, creepy tale of twin baby boys switched with mysterious changelings. Their mother is the one person who knows that the switch happened and her desperation increases as the plot starts to build! Introduce a loving husband and a good detective with a mind of her own and the combination is frightfully good!!! Far from a suspense novel, Little Darlings is a nightmare come true for the exhausted new mother Lauren. This story gives me shivers just thinking about it, so I am sure the book and the upcoming movie will do the same to you!!!!

This book was just ok for me. I thought it had a good plot and premised but I just didn’t find the changeling aspect believable

Seems I'm in the minority on this book. I thought it was a well written, mildly creepy, and an excellent premise. For me though, it just felt like it didn't really go anywhere.

I will say that a big strength of the book is the lead detective investigating the case. She's very fully realized. We understand why she's so personally invested in the case, and her efforts to figure out what's going on are engaging. I would have read any mystery she played a central role in solving. Unfortunately, I felt like this particular mystery actually didn't give her a whole lot to do.

I did also liked the mother, Lauren and felt like the author did a good job of getting into her head, capturing how overwhelmed she was as a new mother, and helping us understand how the mother was evaluating and questioning her own sanity.

The think the problem for me was it felt like this book was coasting a bit on its premise (which is admittedly, a creepy one.) Someone wanting to switch out newborns for changelings makes for great drama (which is probably why those stories have been around for so long.) I was totally willing to invest in that premise from the get go. I wanted the real world investigation to be tangential and the author to deep dive on those otherworldly aspects of the plot. Instead the reverse happened--we got caught up into the real world investigation and all of the cool details about the "other mother" and the changelings, etc. were glossed over.

I like dark horror, I like myths and folklore, I like detectives solving mysteries. But I kind of felt like this book was trying to check all of those boxes at the same time. In doing so I felt like it missed the mark a bit. Not a BAD book by any means, just didn't feel cohesive for me personally.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a definite page turner!
Real life new mother trepidations meet malicious folklore legend of switching babies with changkings! Did it really happen or is she going mad?

Melanie Golding hits the mark with Little Darlings. Chilling, completely absorbing, and keep you reading until the final page.

Wow! This book was so creepy! Lauren has just given birth to twin boys. It was a difficult birth and she is trying to recover while nursing and tending to two infants. Of course anyone who has had an infant or has taken care of one knows you can become sleep deprived very quickly! When Lauren calls the police saying a woman is trying to abduct her boys the nurses and guards find no one around. It is put off as a hallucination, but is it?

OMG! What a creepy suspense thriller! This story follows new mother, Lauren who has just given birth to twins. While at the hospital after giving birth she is terrorized by a woman wanting to swap her babies. her pleas for help are ultimately dismissed and just chalked up to a hallucination. Later after coming home her husband has her leave the house after shes been staying in. She takes a leisurely stroll and fall asleep on the beach with her babies to wake up and find them gone! When they are returned to her she claims they are not hers but evil little things. This story was so suspenseful as you wonder whats really going on! I could not put it down...

If you like a mystery with a bit of paranormal thrown in, this is the book for you. It all starts with the birth of twins and a woman trying to switch them for hers. No one believes that it actually happened with the exception of a police investigator. And when it actually does happen...you have to read it to find out what happens next. It’s not my normal read, but I did enjoy it.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this book, it reminded me of Don't Breathe a Word by Jennifer McMahon, which I loved. In this book, the story alternates between that of Lauren, a mom who just gave birth to twins and is struggling to adjust, and that of Joanna, a police sergeant who eventually investigates a crime that Lauren reports to the police. Lauren's storyline is definitely more exciting as it is difficult to tell if what is happening to her is real or the result of some postpartum psychosis. Additionally, old-timey fairy tales are used to start each chapter, which serves as a reminder that these stories have been around for centuries, and which leads you to wonder: if people have been telling these stories for so long, does that mean there is some degree of truth to them?

I also enjoyed the sections told from the perspective of the police sergeant. I found her character to be a new take on the trope of a police investigator and I enjoyed her perspective. There is also a journalist character who is used to move the story along that I didn't enjoy nearly as much.

I don't want to give anything away about what happens so I will just stop there. But I recommend this book to anyone who likes creepy books that have a psychological angle, and especially those who like fairy tales. I found the book very easy to read, easy to get into, and an overall fun reading experience. I look forward to reading more from this author!

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!*

This is the unsettling story of a woman named Lauren who has just given birth to twin boys. While still in the hospital, she is stalked by a gruesome woman, who seems to be trying to take Lauren’s babies and switch them with her own. Is this real and can Lauren really trust her own mind?

I really enjoyed this creepy and atmospheric story. The fact that no one else has seen this frightening woman causes Lauren to question her own sanity. The only person who takes the young mother’s allegations seriously is Detective Sergeant Jo Harper. Throughout the book we switch perspectives between DS Harper and Lauren as we get more and more information about the danger or perceived danger to Lauren’s newborn twins.

The story would have been better for me if details about DS Harper’s personal and romantic life were minimized or left out altogether. I found it distracting and it didn’t gel with the rest of the narrative.

The writing was especially strong in the its description of becoming a new mother. It was so real and will bring back memories to anyone who has experienced this amazing, terrifying, and exhausting time. I also loved the inclusion of the excerpts of traditional folklore about changelings.

This was a very strong debut and I can’t wait to see what Melanie Golding comes up with next!

I'll admit, I was not thrilled at first when I saw in a review that I skimmed that there was a supernatural element to this book - I am so glad I didn't let that deter me from jumping in anyway!

Poor Lauren, a new mother of identical twins, had her babies nearly stolen from her and then her sanity questioned throughout the book - but is she really crazy, or is there a darker force in place here? When others won't see what she sees, are they in denial or brushing off the "impossible" and sticking to facts?

Little Darlings is creepy, dark ,and throws in these little twists and hints that make you wonder if you're on the right track with where it's going... and man did the end tie things together in the weirdest but coolest way!

Normally I wouldn't do a review this ear

Having been through an experience where I just gave birth and my nurse commented "I won't steal your baby, you can go to the bathroom", which sent me into an all out melt down, where I pulled my baby into the bathroom bed and all, and threatened the nurse. This was so realistic to me. Obviously a lot of women are not in the best place mentally, or hormonally, after going through the exhaustion of giving birth.

I don't want to spoil any of the story. I do want to say I read this in two days and was totally drawn into Lauren's world. I loved Harper and hope she will return for another Golding novel.

The atmosphere this book created was absolutely chilling. I can only hope that Golding will continue to write. This was perfect for Halloween. I loved that the ending wrapped up all the storylines. Bravo Melanie Golding! You have a new fan!!!