Little Darlings is a very well written book, the story line goes in a completely different direction to what I expected based on the cover notes. The ending leaves a lot of unanswered questions - maybe ready for a second book!!
An individual read but more fairy tale than psychological thriller for me.

Beautifully written, this chilling story grips the reader and will not let you go. When the book is finished you’re still lingering inside the world!
The writing style made this an extremely accessible and quick read for me, which helped me immerse myself in it more.
I would recommend this to anyone but be warned it may creep you out for a while afterwards lol

A great thriller. Super entertaining with great twists. Less character development than I was expecting but a great read nonetheless.

As a mother, a midwife and a parent, this book is deeply disturbing on many levels. This is a story about a woman suffering postpartum psychosis....or is it a story about a women suffering from a supernatural possession...of her twins? My heart went out to this poor woman and her babies. This novel is extremely well written and with a delicate touch to one of the most overwhelming, demanding and sometimes confusing phases of a woman's life. The ending is perfectly balanced, though not the ending I wished for.

This was a well written Horror/Thriller story based on historical folklore from Ireland and other places in the British Isles about changelings. I love the way bits of actual folklore like superstitions for how to protect a baby from being taken by the fairies is placed at the beginnings of some chapters.

The story itself follows two women; one, a new mother of twins who believes someone is trying to take her babies and the other a female cop who has good instincts and doesn't swallow the psychiatrist's explanation that the woman is just hallucinating. There's a definite supernatural aspect involved causing the mother to doubt her perceptions and the cop to doubt the dismissal of the mother's concerns by hospital staff.

The story kept me interested, especially the last quarter. I even stayed up late reading because I had to know what happened next! The characters were well defined and I really hated two of them, though I liked both of the two primary women.

There were some plot points that I felt could have been further developed, but my only real complaint is the ending. Too many questions were left open and side plots unresolved. The evidence for whether the happenings were hallucinations or psychosis could have supported either way. Perhaps it's meant to leave the reader to decide.

I LOVED this novel! The writing is so skillful, the description is detailed, visceral and so well done, and the story is flawless. The author writes an unreliable narrator in a way that I've never experienced before; you don't know what to believe, from beginning to end, and it's perfect.

Lauren is a new mother to twin boys. Whilst still in hospital she believes an attempt is being made to abduct her new babies. This story follows her initial days and weeks, exhausted by new motherhood but petrified about the safety of her babies. Patrick , her husband, is a character that is difficult to like, showing little support for his wife.
The story is full of twists right up to the end where the reader is unsure whether Lauren is suffering from mental illness or there are abduction attempts on her babies. Her only ally is DI Harper who invests her time in Lauren.
This was an enjoyable read with lots of suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Melanie Golding for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a delightfully dark book which explores post partum psychosis and the devastating impact it can have - or does it?

That's the beautiful thing about "Little Darlings." It could be a story about a mother in the throes of a rare but devastating medical condition or it could be a supernatural tale of wicked fey spirits, waiting to whisk away new born babies. It's so skillfully written, you can't be sure until the final page.

I absolutely loved every page of this. It's a refreshing twist on the thriller genre which brings something new to the table.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

I felt that this was a well written book with an eerie storyline. At no point did the book let my interest go wandering, I was intrigued to find out the truth behind the mysterious stranger...and there is the sad part...as well as it was written, I didn't really get any sense of completeness or closure at the end of the book...if this was deliberate, then I've missed the point. Still a very readable debut.

I thought this book was ok. I didn't love it nor did I hate it. I couldn't easily work out if it was meant to be based on folklore, mental health or ghostly horror. It's obvious that the lead character was suffering from some sort of post partum breakdown but the book was heavy on the folklore so I was unsure. But it's worth a read.

Little Darlings by Melanie Gould is a very clever mix of psychological thriller with a supernatural/fairy tale twist. It starts as a tale of a potential infant abduction from a hospital. But fears are unfounded...or are they?

This turns into a haunting and occasionally chilling rework of the changeling fairytale. But how much is fiction? Are the fears unfounded? Like the shadow at the corner of your eye, as soon as you glimpse, the threat is gone. And yet you know there’s something there. That’s how these tales have lasted for centuries; who knows where the truth lies?

This is a slow burn take, but it had me hooked from the beginning and kept me reading. I think it’s a cracker.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Good god i maybe shouldn’t have read this book so soon after having a baby!!!

What a cracking read it was so scary and tense and just frightening to be honest and I bloody loved it; even though it also scared me daft!

Lauren had newborn twins Riley and Morgan and on the maternity ward she swears she sees a witch type person come and try and take them and swap them for other babies who look exactly the same as hers.

Everyone says she’s exhausted and imagining it, but is she?

All I’ll say is I didn’t dare take my own eyes off my baby for a second, seriously creeped me out and that takes A LOT....read the book if you want to be up all night!

This unsettling and bewitching tale soon had me under its spell. I must admit to initially feeling a little bit disappointed that it wasn’t the conventional psychological thriller that I thought it was going to be. However, I soon got over that as the nightmarish situation drew me in and I had to keep reading to find out where it was all leading.

I’m very interested in the origins of, and dark side to, fairy tales so I found the folklore passages fascinating. Lauren’s situation felt real and terrifying and I found myself questioning along with her what was real and what wasn’t.

I’d recommend this to anyone who likes chilling stories with a supernatural element.

You would never, ever guess this is a first novel. Ripe to be made into a movie, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Fantastically written, I loved how a folklore was woven through the modern story, and how the writer had really identified those feelings most new mums feel. Fantastic.

Sadly not for me, seemed a little slow to get going and didn't hold my attention.
I had high hopes for this one and it seemed to have all the ingredients I enjoy so no idea why I couldn't get into it. Nothing wrong with the writing and other people really seem to have enjoyed it.

What a disturbing creepy story.....loved it! This book had my attention from the first page, and I couldn't put it down. What a really disturbing story that grips your imagination, in a very scary way. Looking forward to more from this author.

Lauren is convinced someone is planning to abduct her newborn twins, so when they go missing it seems her fears were justified. But when the twins are found, Lauren is convinced they’re not hers. Have they been swapped for changelings like she believes, or is Lauren suffering from postpartum psychosis? Is she the only one who can save the babies, or is she the one who’s putting them in danger? A chilling page-turner that will keep you guessing.

Little Darlings is a haunting chilling thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It is dark faiiy tale set in modern times. Prepare for a disturbing read that will have you looking out of the corner of your eye just in case.

Lauren has just given birth to twins. She is alone in the maternity ward in the middle of the night and becomes convinced someone is trying to steal her babies. Locking herself in the bathroom she phones the police in desperation.. They arrive and all seems fine.

The next morning DS Joanna Harper looks at the list of overnight incidents and sees a report of an attempted abduction. Although it is flagged as a false alarm Harper isn't so sure and goes to visit the Lauren. Nothing backs up her story apart from a fleeting shadow on the CCTV but Lauren is convinced the woman was there and her babies are still in danger.

After leaving the hospital Lauren refuses to go out locking herself and her babies in her room sure this woman will steal them.

Everyone has heard of changelings in fairy tales. The fairy mother who steals the human babies and leaves a changeling in return. This book is the modern version of this story. Lauren knows that the woman is ready to take her children but no one will believe her. She knows she must not sleep or the babies might be gone. The story unfolds in a dramatic fashion. The chilling story grips you and will not let you go until you finish it. Even when it ends you are still left in a world where fairy tales might be real, looking out of the corner of your eye and wondering.

A must read book

I am a huge fan of thriller, detective and suspense novels. I also adore fantasy elements, which this book incorporated fantastically.
Right from the very beginning, this novel creates a sense of unease and suspense. Even when Lauren meets her twin sons, I felt myself waiting for something to happen.
Throughout the novel are excerpts of folk tales, fairy-tales, rhymes and so on relating to changelings. So naturally, you expect something to happen within this area. It made it so much more exciting, like you are always <em>waiting </em>for something bad to happen.
What I especially liked about this novel was that it really blurred the lines between reality and fantasy or even the supernatural. I don't want to ruin this for anyone who may read it, but the ending is somewhat open. It leaves space for your own interpretation; though certain things are strongly hinted at. All throughout the novel there is an ongoing debate as to whether the 'case' of Lauren Tranter is an actual criminal case, or simply a mental health case. I found this super intriguing.
Overall, this was a great book. The ending could be seen as somewhat unfulfilling, but I liked how it left some things to the readers' own imagination. 4 out of 5 stars!

Lauren is convinced that someone is trying to take her new born twin boys, leaving her with changelings. But are her fears justified or is she suffering from hallucinations and post natal depression?
A decent read but I guessed the outcome quite early on.
My thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for this copy