Rose Gold Watts believed she was sick for eighteen years.
She thought she needed the feeding tube, the surgeries, the wheelchair . . .
Turns out her mother is a really good liar.
After five years in prison, Patty Watts is finally free. All she wants is to put old grievances behind her, reconcile with the daughter who testified against her - and care for her new infant grandson.
When Rose Gold agrees to have Patty move in, it seems their relationship is truly on the mend. And she has waited such a long time for her mother to come home.
But is she still the pliable young girl she once was? And is Patty still as keen on settling an old score?
Because if mothers never forget then daughters never forgive.

The Recovery of Rose Gold was an interesting and compelling read full of unexpected twists and turns. A fantastic debut, written in such a way as to keep you dangling on the end of a string, never quite giving you enough information to know what’s going to happen next.

The dysfunctional relationship between Rose Gold and Patty is dark and sinister, and as a reader it was hard to like either character. Having said that, I couldn’t stop reading about them either! Both were completely unreliable as narrators which meant you never quite knew who to believe!

A disturbing story about Münchausen syndrome by proxy, toxic relationships and revenge, that left me feeling uncomfortable but in the best possible way.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Recovery of Rose Gold is available from 5th March 2020.

Thank you to the NetGalley and the publisher (Penguin UK Michael Joseph) for providing a copy. All opinions are my own and provided willingly.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

told in alternate chapters of mother and daughter....its the story of their lives

rose gold is a sickly child and her mother takes her the rounds of the doctors and hospital, to no avail new treatments and procedures are used but rose gold never seems to get better....

this story does open your eyes to Munchhausen by proxy, must admit i did wonder if i was going to enjoy this book and then at some point i am hooked and that ending i never imagined that was going to happen...

so give it a go its gripping

A story of abuse, control and manipulation. Rose Gold’s mother Patty is coming out of prison after a five year stretch for ‘aggravated child abuse’, having neglected and/or tortured her daughter via Munchausen’s by Proxy since toddlerhood. Powered by a twisted obsessional love, their relationship is fraught to say the least.

On release, Patty moves in with Rose Gold and baby Adam to her childhood home which Rose Gold has bought while she was in prison. Patty and her brother had been severely physically abused by her father and there are many horrific memories for her there. Both women try to take the position of control, Rose Gold guarding against becoming a victim ever again.

A very dark book, where you get into the minds of extremely twisted people! I can’t say I enjoyed it – both lead characters are unlikeable, verging on the grotesque. (My dislike for the daughter did make me feel guilty; being brought up by a psychopath is never going to produce an empathetic offspring!) However it was interesting and had a good twist at the end; it just had a touch of those ‘misery porn’ books - which I normally avoid.

I received an early copy of this book for my independent honest review. Thank you.
This is a difficult one for me to review as it is already revered by many who have reviewed it.
Therefore I feel it is fair to say before I give my thoughts, that you need to read this for yourself as my views seem to be in the minority so far.
I was very excited by the premise of this as Munchausens by Proxy is not a psychological condition that is often represented in books.
There are two narrative threads running through. One of the Mother who has recently been released from prison in present day, and the other by the daughter showing her back story from the five years after the trial and her trying to get some sense of normality in her life.
Unfortunately I was somewhat disappointed in the first half of the book. I didn't feel that the gravity of Munchausen's for both the sufferer and the abused came across strongly enough. The narrative didn't hold my attention and it took a while to place the timelines.
It did become more interesting by the second third. Whilst both main protagonists were unlikable and flawed as one would expect, I didnt find any depth to their characters and didn't really care about them so I didn't get the emotional attachment I like in my fiction.
A big predictable twist made this an enjoyable
thriller for me but I didn't love it. Sadly not the representation of Munchausen's by Proxy that I anticipated. I feel a unique opportunity has been missed here.

Thank you Michael Joseph, Penguin Books and Stephanie Wrobel for my digital ARC - my thoughts are my own.

I don't read many thrillers but this one caught my attention. Such an intriguing idea - could a daughter who had been convinced she was seriously ill really reconcile with the mother who had fed her this lie and deprived her of her childhood.

Patty and Rose take it in turns to tell their version of the story. The stories differ but who should we believe? This is so dark and twisted but I needed to find out what happened and couldn't put this book down.

A great debut novel - I will be recommending this book to friends and family.

I've had a good run of books so far this year (I know it's only February but this one absolutely blew me away. It's my favourite book of the year so far.

This is the story of Rose Gold, whose mother slowly poisoned her all of her childhood, she managed to convince doctors there was something wrong with her daughter, but nobody was able to actually diagnose anything. The mother managed to get away with some pretty horrendous things, and when it was discovered what she was doing she was sent to prison for it. When she is released, Rose Gold takes her back to live with her and her baby.

The book flits between the points of view of the mother, and Rose Gold. The mother of course, denies all wrongdoing. I'm not going to go into the plot any more - what I have told above is set out in more or less the first chapter.

This book had me all over the place, is Rose Gold's mother evil or just misguided, what is Rose up to? Just what is going on in both of their heads? I know I feel sorry for Rose Gold, but the mother? What about everyone else?!!!

This is an absolute gem of a book, and I promise you that you won't be able to put it down

My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the advance copy

Wow what can I say .. when crazy mum and crazier daughter get together .....!!!! A book really of revenge on a mother who made her girl ill all her young years . A tense psychological thriller that keeps you turning the pages .. not likeable characters but still very readable!

There are two voices in this book - that of Rose Gold, the child that was starved and poisoned, and her mother, the abuser. My emotions flipped from sympathy to toe curling horror via a small dash of humour. I had thought it was going to be 'woe is me' tale but I was so very wrong; the twists and turns make this a roller coaster of a ride. Deserves to be a book of the year.

Oh wow. I haven’t devoured a book as quickly as I did The Recovery of Rose Gold in a long, long time. I was both intrigued and totally creeped out by this shocking tale of obsession and familial love and hate.

Rose Gold and her mother Patty have a deeply dysfunctional relationship in which Patty has convinced Rose Gold that she is sick and has so many things wrong with her that she has actually caused lasting damage. Not only did Patty convince Rose Gold but she convinced their neighbours and medical professionals. Until one day the lie is revealed and Patty is sent to prison because of Rose Gold’s testament in court.

As you read this story which is told from both Patty and Rose Gold’s perspective you find yourself oscillating between horrified, sympathy and then disgust so frequently that your head begins to spin and you don’t know who or what to believe or to side with.

I can honestly say that The Recovery of Rose Gold really made me uncomfortable in the best possible way. Stephanie Wrobel is a fascinating new voice and I am eager to see what she does next.

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel is available now.

For more information regarding Stephanie Wrobel (@stephwrobel) please visit www.stephaniewrobel.com.

For more information regarding Penguin Books UK (@PenguinUKBooks) please visit www.penguin.co.uk.

Wow what a thrilling book. A fab book about Mother and Daughter relationship, at times I thought it was real life. Couldn't put the book down, kept me going lots of twists and turns.
Loved it

Growing up Rose Gold believed herself to be seriously ill. She suffered all manner of ailments and was confined to a wheelchair, that is when she was well enough to get out of bed. A number of doctors were flummoxed to the cause so her mother, Patty, made her as comfortable as she could. Neighbours rallied round to raise funds for her treatment and to help in any way they could. And then one day it was revealed that the only thing wrong with Rose Gold was her mother. As demonstrated when she was incarcerated for five years for, amongst other things, child cruelty.
In the days running up to her release Patty and Rose Gold reunite during visits and to everyone's shock and horror, Rose gold offers her mother somewhere to live when she gets out. But is it really reconciliation or is there revenge to be had and, if so, who will be dishing it out...?
This book was all things twisted and mind blowing. We see a snapshot of what life was like for Rose Gold as she was under her mother's power, how she broke free, and then we concentrate more on the years she spent when her mother was inside. None of which I am going to mention here for fear of spoilers. Throughout the book the author delivered me blow after blow, shocking and surprising me all the way through, the majority of which I really didn't see coming. Some I should have but the author was spinning me round every which way so I was a bit dizzy and missed the clues.
There is so much going on around just the relationship between Rose Gold and Patty that there is never a dull moment and I pretty much read straight through from star to finish in only a couple of sittings; so eager I was to get to the end. And then I felt bereft as I had started to really enjoy all the twisted batsh1t crazy stuff that I was reading about. Not that I really want to spend any more time with these two crazies but, well, you know what I mean...
And it's a debut book. Wowsers! Who'da thunk that from the quality of what I just read. I'll be surprised if it doesn't end up in my top ten for 2020 and I really really can't wait to see what the author serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I wasn’t going to post this for a while BUT it was SO good, I just had to let you guys know! Thanks @michaeljbooks for my advance copy (out next month) 🖤
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✨ So, first off, as it’s not clear from the photo - this is Recovery of Rose Gold by @stephaniewrobel (aka Darling Rose Gold in 🇺🇸)
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🖤 Secondly, I LOVED this! I received my copy before Christmas but was hesitant to actually read it. I thought it was going to be very similar to The Act, TV show, based on Gypsy Rose (this book is unrelated), and wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle reading all the details of the abuse inflicted on Rose Gold by her mother with munchhausen by proxy 😢
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🔎 I was pleasantly surprised! The book focuses mainly on the time AFTER Rose Gold’s mother, Patty, is arrested for child abuse 🙌🏻
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🔎 The chapters alternate between Rose Gold’s and Patty’s POVs, which I really enjoyed. Flipping between past (Patty’s time in prison, and Rose Gold adjusting to life without her mother - and LOADS of other stuff 🤐) to present (Patty’s release and relationship with Rose Gold)
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🔎 I don’t really feel like this fits into the thriller category 🤔 It’s more of a domestic drama with some real tension and twists 😬 I think if you enjoyed My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing you will like this! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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🥐 Also, I just want to acknowledge @aliceliveing AMAZING recipe for White chocolate + cinnamon croissant bake - it was SOO GOOD (pictured) 🤤🤤
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💭 Are you marking your calendars 📆 and adding to your TBR? 🙌🏻

This had me gripped, it was quite the page turner! With its potentially unreliable narrator and some pretty dark events, the book took a turn at the end that I did not see coming. Rose Gold was raised believing she was very sick. Her mother Patty took really good care of her, but it turns out it was all fiction. Now her mother is getting out of jail and all Patty wants to do is look after Rose Gold and her new grandson. Rose Gold takes her in, but is all as it seems??? Well, no and that's the brilliant hook that will you keep you reading and guessing.

Well written, well paced and well plotted with a very clever twist. Brilliant!
Thank you to netgalley and penguin books for an advance copy of this book

Firstly I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for the opportunity to read this book prior to its release date in exchange for an honest review..
The book is narrated by two characters, Rose Gold and her mother Patty. Patty was jailed for poisoning Rose Gold for most of her childhood/life. The book tells us the story of what happened in their past that brought them to the present story and culminates in the fantastic and jaw dropping ending.
This book is gripping and it’s one of those psychological thrillers that you won’t be able to stop reading.
I wanted to feel compassion for the characters and even try to understand some of their actions but ended up really hating them. Which it wasn’t a problem because then I just wanted to know what would happen and I couldn’t stop reading.
The writing is gripping and I felt like I was enclosed in their story and there were moments where everything just felt so claustrophobic and uncomfortable -I just couldn’t read fast enough to figure out what happened!
The ending left me a bit gobsmacked as I spend most of the story wondering what the plot was and which one of them I liked the least. It didn’t disappoint at all.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this books and would definitely recommend it to fans of gripping psychological thrillers! Looking forward to read more from Stephanie Wrobel in the future!

The Recovery of Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel is a highly impressive debut novel. It is dark, twisted, complex and bound to captivate many readers on its publication.
Rose Gold was abused by her mother, Patty for years. Patty has Munchausen by Proxy and poisoned her daughter in order to convince everyone that she was seriously ill. Rose discovered the truth and testified against her mother, resulting in her conviction and having spent the last five years in prison. Rose is there to meet Patty on the day of her release, with her new baby, Adam. Is Rose ready to forgive her mother or does she have unfinished business?
The story is told from Rose Gold and Patty’s perspectives and you are often left considering which of them is the most unreliable narrator? What becomes evident is that both are a little messed up, partly through abuse and trauma and partly because it’s just how they’re wired.
The relationship between mother and daughter is complex and Wrobel does a fantastic job of presenting the intricacies of what can be a very volatile relationship. Rose and her mother do not trust each other and this creates huge and palpable tension within the book. They are never fully comfortable with each other and the reader is left to question who will come out on top?
There are some particularly clever and unexpected plot twists towards the end of the book, I did not see the final one coming and I love it when that happens.
The Recovery of Rose Gold is not one to miss, what a fantastic debut.

The recovery of Rose Gold grabbed me fron the first chapter and shows a thoughtful insight in to what it would be like to live with someone you love but who hurts you at the same time, In the book, Rose Gold has spent her first 18 years of life supposedly sick, but it turns out her mother Patty has been making her unwell and playing on the sympathy of everyone around her, a classic case of munchausen by proxy syndrome, When the truth comes out no one can believe a so called loving mother could do such a thing and when Patty gets sentenced to 5 years in prison every one in the town thinks shes got what she deserves, but Rose Gold can't give up on her mother, Can she?

The characters in this novel are complex and I liked the way the narrative was divided between mother and daughter both in the past and the present, and the way the story unfolded showing how flawed these two individuals are. The plot twists and turns and leaves you guessing right to the last chapter. Its the kind of novel that stays with you long after you have finished it. I look forward to more from Stephanie Wrobel.

A truly psychological rollercoaster!

This was my first read by Stephanie Wrobel, taking the reader on a truly different psychological rollercoaster! It is the relationship between mother and daughter, completely out of the norm!

The main characters are Patty and daughter, Rose Gold. The setting is mostly in a quiet little American town, where practically all of the neighbours know each other’s business.

We learn how Patty (divorced from her husband) brings up her only daughter Rose Gold. Because Patty used to be a nurse, she felt qualified to deal with virtually all medical matters. As a consequence, Rose Gold appeared to be a very poorly sick child, who was very well cared for by Patty.

Was Patty doing the right thing for her daughter? Well, let's just say that she ended up in prison for child abuse. After five years when Patty was released, there was a reconciliation between daughter and mother. By now Rose Gold was a mother herself and had her own little boy.

The plot very cleverly switches from past to present and the reader has to decide who is the truthful and stronger person. We also learn about other characters connected to the family, but I don’t wish to give anything away.

I thoroughly enjoyed this darkly twisted thriller, which made it impossible to put down, and it's left me wanting more from Stephanie Wrobel!

Galadriel

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

In a case of art imitating life, 'The Recovery of Rose Gold' feels inextricably linked to the real life story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, one of the most prominent cases of Munchausen by proxy syndrome in recent years and the seemingly unbreakable bond that develops between the perpetrator and the victim.
Wrobel's novel takes the premise of a mother (Patty Watts), devoted to her seemingly sick child (Rose Gold Watts), but who turns out to have been poisoning her the whole time and who gets sent to prison when her web of lies unravels. She then reunites mother and daughter when the mother leaves prison, and throws a baby girl into the mix - the daughter / grand-daughter of the twisted pair.
What at first seems to be the most selfless act of forgiveness on the part of Rose Gold, reunited with the woman who seems to be the only person in the world who truly loves her, soon reveals itself it dark undertones. The seemingly down-trodden victim, rejected by everyone she tried to get close to while her mother was serving her time, isn't quite so weak as she appears, with some excellent plot twists as the story hits its dramatic denouement.
Not for the faint-hearted, this is a tale from the dark side of mother-daughter relationships with two complex characters at its cold heart. As it accelerates to its heart-pounding climax, you won't be able to put it down.

A deliciously dark thriller that kept me hooked and guessing to the end. Can see this being a big hit.