This did keep me guessing until the end and was a very interesting premise - it was great to see the book start where I would have expected to see it finish - with Patty just out of prison and Rose Gold now well after having been subject to Munchausen syndrome by proxy by her mother (Patty). It did keep me guessing until the end, with several twists along the way that I didn't expect. The main issue for me was that every character was so unlikeable that I found it difficult to connect with them, so it was harder to care what happened to them. But it was still a very enjoyable read, and I would recommend it.

A different kind of read for me, I normally enjoy a book where there is a character I can really route for and warm to but the two main narrative of this book are very hard to like at all. Mother and daughter Rose Gold and Patty have a strange relationship, Rose grew up thinking she was very ill because patty told her she was. After all is unmasked, Patty is sent to prison and after she is out Rose Gold let’s her back into her family. Their relationship is far from normal and a twisty drama unfolds to show just how abnormal each relationship is.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 ok stars

I was a bit disappointed reading this but mainly due to all the 5 star reviews it was getting.

It was ok. The main issue for me was that every character was unlikeable so it was hard to care what happened.

I did enjoy that the story had an interesting angle with what Patty did to Rose but a spark was missing for me to make this a great book.

Two complex characters, two timelines, twisted personalities creating a drama based around revenge and a sprinkling of regret. This is a rough, tough read. Don't give it a go if you are feeling down... it won't cheer you up! It starts well with an intriguing idea which pulls you in but Istruggled to like or even care about the women portrayed which meant I ended up rushing through and can't say it was an enjoyable read.

I was very keen to read this one, I found the Dee Dee Blanchard case fascinating and loved the Hulu show The Act. Following a similar theme, this was an well-developed thriller. Even though the ending didn't blow me away, I will recommend it to anyone who is intrigued by these bizarre 'Munchausen by proxy' cases.

I never repeat the blurb. This started off quite interestingly as a premise but was really very slow. I know I was reading at a difficult time for me, but I persisted, hoping for some kind of development and was left, in the end, really disappointed with the two thoroughly nasty main characters and I shall not be reading anything more form this writer. Sorry.

Surprisingly twisty and horrible, and utterly gripping; could not put it down. Very interesting depiction of this kind of relationship; love to see female characters being given full rein for villainy.

Rose Gold was told she was ill by the one person she trusted - her mother. After eighteen years she discovers it was a lie.
Her mother is now out of prison but Rose has a new life and a baby son. so why does she ask her mother to move in with them?
Which one will prove to be the stronger and can Rose Gold break free.

Wow! Two unreliable narrators, aggravated child abuse, munchausens by proxy, loneliness and forgiveness! What a dark, unpleasant book that is very well written and absorbing - reminded me of Sweetpea without the snarky asides!

Highly recommended. Ps much prefer the US title of Darling Rose Gold.

This is a book that kept me guessing to the end. A mother and daughter relationship that started with abuse. Is forgiveness possible?

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin/Michael Joseph for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unbelievably, this mesmerising, chilling-tale of a toxic mother and daughter relationship is Stephanie Wrobel's debut novel. Such is the competence and sheer brilliance of Wrobel's narration and plotting, it is astonishing to think that 'The Recovery of Rose Gold' constitutes Wrobel's first steps on the path to assured literary success. The novel is quite simply a tour de force of the imagination, and a perceptive study of the human condition in microcosm. The petri dish of humanity for Wrobel's unfolding narrative is the malignant relationship between Rose Gold and her mother Patty. In the present-day Patty has just been released from prison for abusing her diminutive daughter, Rose Gold - with both women caught in the tangled web of abusive behaviour known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP) -- or Munchausen by proxy -- a psychological disorder marked by attention-seeking behaviour by a caregiver through those who are in their care. With flashbacks and switching POV's between Patty and Rose Gold, Wrobel provides us with tantalising insights into the relationship between mother and daughter, with its distorted image of uncomplicated maternal love. Yet, the great mystery of the novel is why Rose Gold provides Patty with a home upon her release from prison. Revenge, a twisted form of love, both? Well, I'll let you find out. The plot unfolds at breakneck speed and you will be torn by the inevitable desire to rush through this book and marvel at Wrobel's masterful storytelling, or to savour every page of this pitch-perfect study of the dark heart of mother-daughter relations. With its claustrophobic atmosphere that stimulates the equivalent of an icy finger up one's spine and mesmerising exploration of the damaged human psyche, this is THE novel to read in 2020.

A chilling story of family revenge. But who wants revenge?

Is it the mother for her daughter taking the witness stand at her child cruelty trial which sent her to prison for 5 years or is the daughter wanting to punish her mother for taking her childhood away from her by making her sick every day of her life. All is not as it seems!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, seeing which one would win through and the twist was pretty good at the end Neither character was likable which made the story more interesting.

Well worth a read!

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks as always to Netgalley for sending this to me!

The Recovery of Rose Gold was a reading experience I won’t forget in a hurry. Inspired, I presume, by the real case of G***y-Rose Blanchard, it follows a young woman named Rose Gold whose mother, Patty, abused her for most of her childhood. Suffering from Munchausen by Proxy (or so I assume, it’s never labelled as such in the book but seems very clearly to point that way,) Rose Gold’s mother systematically poisoned her for many years, fooling everyone into thinking Rose Gold was chronically ill – even Rose Gold herself. Years later, Rose Gold surprises everyone by welcoming her newly emancipated mother back into her life, and we explore their situation through a dual narrative as Rose Gold tells the story of her life after her mother’s arrest, leading up to the present day, and Patty tells us what’s going on in the present.

It’s a gripping and chilling story, often uncomfortable to read. Neither of the characters are particularly likeable – not even Rose Gold, who is a sympathetic character but could also be both vindictive and manipulative, perhaps a natural product of an upbringing where she relied on the sympathy of others for most of her life. Her mother is a textbook unreliable narrator, the kind of character I loved to hate, who managed to unnerve me constantly with her deep-seated denial and conniving nature. On the whole, if you’re someone who needs to like the characters in order to enjoy a book then I’d say to steer clear, because I think the only character I liked in the story was the baby (an unusual occurrence for me, I can’t lie) but it’s a fascinating character study. In addition to this, it’s one of those unputdownable books that I kept sneakily picking up when I was supposed to be doing other things – it completely cured my reading slump, for which I’m very grateful.

I will admit that I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second – firstly because the characters become progressively more unpleasant as time goes on and secondly because I started to find the book a little bit unrealistic, which pulled me out of the story a bit. It went from making me feel sad and sympathetic on one character’s behalf to feeling like they were almost as bad as each other, and it did rock me a little to have my perception of one character changed so drastically. That being said, it was deeply satisfying to see such a deplorable person getting their just deserts, even if it wasn’t necessarily in a way that I approved of.

If I had to compare this book to any other, I’d actually say it compares favourably with Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. I can’t really elaborate on the comparison without spoilers, but it gave me that same feeling of elated disgust that I had when reading about Amy Dunne – that sensation of knowing that everyone in the book is sort of awful but kind of loving it anyway – so for all you Gone Girl fans out there, this might be worth checking out. Overall, I found it to be riveting, unnerving and fun in a perverse kind of way, and would definitely recommend if you're looking for a creepy read.

This is a very intriguing concept for a thriller and definitely sets itself apart from other novels (obviously it will draw some comparisons to the TV show 'The Act', which has a very similar concept), but it fell a bit flat for me. Even from the beginning, I struggled to attach myself or even feel gripped to the plot - it doesn't help that you can figure out right from the first few chapters what the entire novel is going to be like. I'm sure it'll be a popular general fiction thriller, but I didn't really find it to be anything new.

5☆ An Unputdownable, Gripping Psychological Thriller!

Oh wow what a dark and completely gripping read I absolutely loved it!

The Recovery Of Rose Gold is an Unputdownable, dark and gritty read about revenge, secrets, survival and manipulation.

Rose Gold has been tortured both mentally and physically by her mother Patty Watts throughout her whole childhood.
Patty had everyone believing Rose was very very sick. But really it was Patty who was sick with munchausion by proxy.
Rose Gold eventually testifies against her Mother sending her to prison.

But Patty is due for release and to everyone's horror and shock Rose Gold agrees to let her mother come live with her! Seriously messed up!

But Rose Gold isn't the feeble manipulative young girl Patty could fool. Rose Gold is very much clued up and wow how the tables have turned.

I can't say much more for fear of giving things away.

Rose Gold is deeply flawed and slightly disturbed, as you read through the book you find out more about her life, her abandonment from her father, and just how far she's willing to go to make her Mother pay!

It's really hard to believe this is the Authors Debut novel, it's superbly written, Engrossing, At times chilling, Taut but believable.
The characters are seriously dark, flawed and compulsive which I loved as it made them believable and dangerous.
The twists and turns are Perfectly plotted and it kept me on my toes right till the end!
I can honestly say I didn't have a clue as to what Rose Gold had planned!
I do hope there might be a continuation to this story as I would like to know more!
But one things for sure....Stephanie Wrobel
Is definitely an Author to watch out for!


I would like to thank Netgalley,  Michael Joseph Publishers and Stephanie Wrobel for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This had me enthralled from word go, it was so well written that I felt sympathy, anger but most of all I felt uneasy throughout. The ending wasnt a surprise to me - but it showed how well thought out the plot and characters were. It showed the effect childhood trauma can have on an adult and how difficult this can be to overcome.

The Recovery of Rose Gold had an intriguing premise, a mother who lied that her daughter was ill to the point she shaved her head and made sure she had a feeding tube is about to be let out of prison and she wants to reconnect with that daughter. But things aren't as they seem as they lock into a battle for control and revenge.

This book was interesting when I requested it I didn't know it was going to be a thriller, it simply said that the novel was 'an exploration of the aftermath of Munchausen syndrome by proxy' but this gets very dark - and not in the way that you might expect.

I have to admit that I'm really keen on this kind of book being believable and that's where it fell a little short for me. While I can understand why a child would want to know their mother again no matter what, the events that transpire left me questioning a lot of things - I can't say too much as I clearly don't want to spoil it!

There was clear inspiration from the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother and in some ways it really did mirror their story which made me feel quite uncomfortable while reading.

While I read it quite quickly and though there were good ideas within the novel I didn't enjoy the ending which made me settle on a 3-star review. That said, I can see this being a popular book and great for fans of Gone Girl and Girl on the Train.

What a gripping story. From descriptions in detail of childhood atrocities to Rose’s later life experiences, the whole read was captivating. All the way through the book I found that I was puzzling whether the child abuse was real or self inflicted as this was kept under wraps until the very end. I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who likes an intriguing book to read.

Wow, this book is intense and beyond twisted. We get alternate chapters from current Patty to see how she’s dealing post-prison and then past chapters from Rose Gold to see how she got to this point. I loved Rose Golds chapters as each one revealed a little bit more about her story and why she is the way she is. It also meant you could gather pieces to work out what her plan was.

Neither of the characters were particularly likeable which made picking who you wanted to come out on top even harder. The plan was just outrageous and I honestly could not stop reading. This was unlike anything I have ever read before. It was such a wild ride and I loved it.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Oh boy, what a book! There are some seriously sick and nasty characters in this book and yet I loved it and couldn't put it down.

This is exactly the kind of book I want to read after a stressful day at work when I want to rest my brain and just enjoy my reading time. Getting yo know Rose Gold and her mother was one crazy ride that sucked me in and let me forget everything else.

The narrative is cleverly done with chapters switching between Rose's and her mother's POV presenting the reader with two very different perspectives and two timelines, and with no way of knowing who to believe and whose side to take. Can the mother be really such a monster as they say or is the daughter to blame? And can those two finally forgive and forget? As you probably guessed it, they can't!

A brilliant psychological suspense, one to be included on your 2020 reading list!

4.5 stars!

Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy in exchange for an honest review.