This book annoyed me. I felt so much anger on behalf of Pete and Maddie. I just kept thinking what else can possibly be added to this ever growing list of things going wrong, and what else can possibly be thrown at them! I imagine that was probably the point though! Interesting story, kept me hooked, but I found there was a lot of story telling within the story, and it was a bit tedious at times.

I found this book really hard to put down. It wasn't what I expected at all. A great read, that keeps you captivated to the end. Lots of twists that leave you not wanting to put the book down. Can’t wait to start the next one!

This is a great thriller. It is gripping family drama
The ending of the book was very well done.
Another excellent book by this author

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

A very gripping book with a completely different premise to most out there, but not quite as shocking and twisty as some of JP Delaney’s other work.

Whilst the book is fast paced and engaging, I felt some of the legal parts were long and drawn out and affected the overall pace of the book. Others may enjoy these parts but I felt they slowed things down.

Still a very enjoyable book but not quite as good as previous ones.

When a couple find out that their 2 year old boy was swapped at birth they try to navigate what's best for all parties.
This started out well but the couple descend into a nightmare as the other couple aren't who they appear to be.
I really enjoyed this story and didn't want to put it down.

I love JP Delaney books and this did not disappoint!
What a absolute dilemma the main characters find themselves in.
A knock at the door one day to be told that their son was involved in a switched baby scenario when born, and both couples have been raising the wrong child for two years.
What would you do?
I loved this book and will certainly read more by this author, I like her take on psychological thrillers.

Thank you for providing me with an advance review copy of this book. Enjoyed reading, would recommend....

3.5 stars

This was an interesting thriller with a subject matter I've not read before.

It did take a while to get going, and it lacked the suspense and thrills, which I normally look for in thrillers.

However, as a domestic thriller goes, it was a pretty enjoyable read with an interesting plot. It probably could have been a little bit shorter, but overall, it was worth a read.

This is one of my go to authors and so I expected that I would love this book - and I wasn't disappointed. this is a gripping twisty thriller and i would definitely recommend to fellow book lovers.

Always love a great thriller by Jp Delaney and this one was particularly good. It draws you in to the characters and I enjoyed the story line

A very good read. I really felt for Pete and Maddie - what an awful situation to find yourselves in! Enjoyed the twists towards the end.

If you gloss over the fact that a lot of this is not realistic and extremely improbable, and just roll with the story, this really is very good. I found i couldn't put it down, I had to read to the very end before I could sleep! The characters weren't particularly likable, some were hateful but it only served to heighten the tension on every page. It has a strong, gripping storyline that builds and gathers speed, relentlessly throughout the book. I thought it had a satisfying and rewarding ending. What a treat, its been ages since I enjoyed a story so much. Would recommend.

I was addicted, a totally captivating read that you can't put down until the end.

A binge worthy read at its absolute finest!

More please Delaney.

Although I enjoyed this book and the storyline, I felt like it was quite dragged out and slow, and a lot longer than it actually needed to be. I always enjoy JP Delaney’s writing so I knew that I was going to like this one, but it definitely wasn’t my favourite. Part of the storyline was predictable, but the ending did surprise me. It was an interesting storyline idea, and one that I haven’t read about before - which is always a pleasant surprise with crime/thrillers! However some parts did feel a little far-fetched and unrealistic. I didn’t love the storyline, but I did really enjoy the writing. JP Delaney’s books are always very quick and easy to read, with chapters that are the perfect length and writing that’s guaranteed to make you want to read more. I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

A very interesting read based on a horrifying situation, although I would say it was more of a domestic drama than a thriller. Still a good read though

JP Delaney is becoming one of my top authors of late; such well written books in a way that makes them impossible to put down!! Absolutely loved playing nice; this is my genre to the letter!!

They've got your child. You've got their's... Let the battle begin.

WOW...WOW...WOW!!! How can I even begin to review this book and do it justice?

PLAYING NICE is pretty much the opposite of "playing nice", rather more a tongue in cheek play on words...but very clever indeed. As is the entire book. I've only read one J.P. Delaney book before and that was his debut under this pseudonym "The Girl Before" and it was OK-ish so I naturally went into it a little apprehensive but I needn't have worried because it seriously has nothing on this one! O.M.G. as in Oh-Em-Gee!!

I was gripped from the moment I started reading and I could not put it down, even when I had to...to, you know, deal with real life. The premise was intriguing to say the least but the story drew me in and had me hooked until the very end. It is so clever, so intricate and so complex your head will be swimming with all that was lumped at this poor couple's feet.

But how did they get here?

Imagine answering a knock on your door while your son is at nursery to a man who, not only is the spitting of your son, but claims that he is not actually your son but his. That is what happened to Pete Riley one morning whilst perusing the DadsForum after dropping exuberant two year old Theo at nursery. At first, his reaction is that it's not true. Then upon noting the obvious resemblance his next thought is that Maddie had been unfaithful with this man and now he has come to lay claim to his child. But what this stranger, Miles Lambert, reveals is something far more complex and devastating that any infidelities. The man with Miles is Don Macguire, a private investigator that he had engaged to track down his biological son, and with him is irrefutable proof that Theo is in fact the Lambert's child.

So what happened?

That in itself is a long story and one the reader needs to experience themselves to fully appreciate it in its entirety. But I will say that the two babies were switched not long after birth resulting in Theo becoming Pete and partner Maddie's son whilst their child becomes David Lambert. What a heartbreaking thing to have happened to two families...or is it? What if it wasn't an accident but a purposeful act? But surely, no one would do that intentionally? The babies came from private clinics and were transferred at the same time to the same neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and could have inadvertently been mixed up. After all, the flimsy paper tags placed around the babies' legs after birth aren't designed for premmies that small and they can easily slip off. It's the only conclusion both families comes to...but it is negligence just the same. Isn't it?

So let's get the players straight. We have:

Pete Riley, a freelance journalist, and Maddie Wilson, an advertising executive, parents of two year old Theo who is rather exuberating to say the least. They have been having some behavioural problems with him as Theo does not seem to grasp the concept of sharing and when he wants something another child has, he hits them to get it. Of course the nursery frowns on this sort of behaviour, and yet they are not equipped to deal with the specific needs that each child might require. So instead of discussing different forms of discipline with Pete, they exclude Theo from the nursery...this having been the fourth incident in five weeks. Pete adores Theo and does his utmost best for the child. However, his time-out and naughty step strategies don't appear to be working. But does that make him a bad parent? Of course not. Every child is different and therefore may have different, or rather specific, needs. So while Pete is a stay at home dad, a job he loves more than he thought he would, Maddie works in advertising which sees her away a few times a year for location shoots. But does that make her a bad parent? No, of course it doesn't. Even if she isn't as hands on as Pete, she still loves Theo with every breath in her body.

Then we have Miles and Lucy Lambert. They parent two year old David who is quite different from Theo in just about every way possible. But it is clear from the moment Pete and Maddie step into their house that Lucy adores David with every fibre of her being. He is her world and to uproot either child from their current living circumstances would be detrimental to both of them. But Miles, however, is a different kettle of fish. When he first knocked on Pete's door and introduced himself, he was amicable and friendly and even understanding. After initial contact and meeting, the couples made an amicable arrangement which appeared to suit both families. And then Miles started making suggestions and offers that came packaged as gestures of goodwill. A suggestion that they spend Easter together by Maddie turned into a week-long holiday in Cornwall that Miles booked for them all...without discussing it with them first. And then he would turn up at their house unannounced with expensive gifts for Theo, all smiles and friendliness.

But one little white lie snowballed into something far greater than Pete and Maddie could ever imagine it would become. As the plot evolved quickly, things got ugly. And then difficult. And then even uglier. What it became was a living breathing nightmare from which neither could see an end.

If you haven't read this book then you seriously need to! It is so addictive I couldn't put it down. It is powerful, emotive and compelling that you will run the gauntlet with an outpouring of emotions...from devastation to horror to anger...and boy, did this story elicit a range of emotions for me, particularly anger - having been through something similar, even as nasty with a just as despicable adversary, that brought those old emotions to the surface once again.

What began as a family drama is twisted into a complex thriller that plays one another off the other as it becomes an even greater tangled web of secrets, lies, deception and underhandedness in the extreme. And what Pete and Maddie find themselves up against stretches them both almost to breaking point. Until they decide to beat Miles at his own game, stopping at nothing to keep their family safe. If he wasn't playing nice, then neither were they.

I seriously cannot praise this book enough. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it, despite its ability to make me squirm with anger. The unfairness and injustice just made my blood boil that the good intent and gracious hearts of those were trodden over without a care just to win and claim the prize.

A rollercoaster ride from the narratives of Pete and Maddie throughout, as well as the intermittent excerpts from conversations, reports and evidence gathered over the course of battle taking place, PLAYING NICE is chilling and disturbing on a whole other level. It's a dark suspenseful psychological thriller throughout which the tension is palpable. And I could not put it down! And that ending....YES!!!

So do yourself a favour and go out and grab yourself a copy of PLAYING NICE and prepare to run the gauntlet of emotions. Prepare to be shocked. And prepare to stay up all night to finish it. You won't be sorry. Highly recommend!

I would like to thank #JPDelaney, #Netgalley and #QuercusBooks for an ARC of #PlayingNice in exchange for an honest review.

Another twisty and addictive thriller. I would absolutely love to see this on the big or small screen. Excellent!

Nice introduction to JP Delaney with this book. Really enjoyed the writing style and twists of the story