I literally could not put this book down. I devoured it in a little over 24 hours.
A brilliant storyline. I thought I knew what was happening and then came the twists and turns. You will not be disappointed with this book!

I have only read one J P Delaney book previously, The Girl Before, and really enjoyed it, but hadn't got around to reading the others as the books I have to read for work always had to take priority. Having now read this one, I have just put those others on top of my to read pile! I will also investigate books the author has written under other names as well.

Thanks to Quercus for giving me the chance to read this new book and re-introducing the author to me..

As a parent, I can easily imagine the horror and torment of emotions a parent would go through in suddenly discovering the child you have cared for and loved for 2 years is not actually your biological child, but was accidentally switched at birth at the hospital. In this believable and page turning psychological thriller, the reader is totally immersed in the worlds of the two sets of parents caught in this dilemma and the obsessive and dark turn the story takes. Excellent!

This book tells the story of Pete, Maddy, Miles and Lucy whose babies are swapped in a neonatal unit. Initially they are all pals and try and come to an amicable solution but things rapidly decline. It reminded me quite a lot of an episode of the TV series Bull. An interesting predicament and emotionally charged. They end up in court after trying to sue the NHS (not something I approve of) and a private hospital
As the plot unravelled I realised that I didn't actually care about any of the characters. They were well drawn and convincing but uniformly loathsome. I didn't gel with any of them and didn't think any of them would make half decent parents. As a plot I think it got a little far fetched towards the end and I found I had more questions than answers.
There were no page numbers/location numbers/time left in chapter/time left in book notations.
The NHS alcohol guidelines are 14 units per week for women not 10

Thank you so much #NetGalley for an advance copy of Playing Nice in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a J.P Delaney fan I started reading this book as soon as I got it approved and read it in just a couple of days. I could not put it down even if I tried!

The story was very interesting, intriguing, addictive, easy and quick to read, very well written, with short chapters, likeable characters and some amazing plot twists trhoughout the book that got me hooked straigh away!

What would you do if your child had been swapped at birth and you found it two years later? Would you keep the child were wrongly given? Would you want your child swapped back? Would you like to be an important part in his life but without getting too involved?

Although it seemed both couples reached a very good deal, agreeing in that difficult decision and only wanting the best for their kids, soon enought the situation turned out not to be so perfect and the problems began.

From there on, the way the story is developed, the plot twists the book takes, the way the characters start behaving, the lies that everyones tells, how it all comes to and end... WOW!!!

I loved the whole book but the last 20% was a wild ride that shocked me and made me love this book even more.

Without any doubt, 5/5⭐!!

#PlayingNice #NetGalley
Immersive, inteligent and gripping. A must read.
Every parents love their children doesn't matter of how they look, how they behave and what's their colour. But how do you behave if someone appears on your door on a morning and says that your son is his and his son is yours? Do you feel shocked? Who doesn't?
Same thing happens with Peter when he opens a door and find Miles standing on his doorstep with a lawyer.
He tells him that their babies are swapped two years ago. Pete tells his partner Maddie.
Then a sinister game starts between Maddie, Peter and Miles,Lucy for their children, Theo and David, although they're not their biological sons.
I loved all the main characters, so creepy ones as I expected.
I loved it's narration so much. I want to tell that this book is a little bit lengthy.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for giving me an advance copy for this awesome psychological thriller.

I recieved a free digital arc from the publisher Quercus via Netgalley in exchanhe for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own and given freely.

Warning this review may contain spoilers. Continue reading at your own risk.

I honestly feel completely conflicted about this book because it's a horrific prospect and yet it was brilliant - which feels awkward to say... Much like how I felt about My Dark Vanessa.

The storyline was rich and you're thrown right in and as much as it feels like a slog at times, I think that was because I wasn't in a reading mood... However the subject matter is very heavy which I think out me off as much as my mood. So i didnt read much the first few days - despite feeling like i should be extremely far in 😅 Conversely once I really got stuck into it today, time flew a did the book.

I did not like Miles, there was something about the way he acted in the pub the first time with Pete and the way he announced the... facts... To Pete it was cruel.
Lucy seemed very wet... At first I thought she was just shy but turns out she was totally not wet at all.
Maddie... She was hard to figure out she was hard, sad, mad and concerned all at the same time and it's very relatable...
The horror Pete and Maddie felt was visceral to read and honestly I cannot even imagine the strength it took.

The pacing was good and honestly had me on the figurative edge of my seat. It was (what my dad calls) rubbernecking... It was carnage but I just could not look away from the story. Once i got into it i was so worried where the story was heading and i had such a bad feeling and I could not have guessed that was how it would turn out... The ending didn't surprise me much if I'm honest, at least once the threat happened.

What did surprise me was Maddie... Her monologuing at the end was both revealing and obvious for certain details.

JP Delaney is an author I love, I've read 3 books and sadly dnfed one... But I am extremely excited foe the next release whenever that will be.

Playing Nice is about two babies that get switched at birth. It follows the lives of two separate families and how they believe using dialogue and compromise is the best way to work through the awful situation they find themselves in. Until dialogue and compromise are no longer serving them justice. The book switches narratives between Pete Riley and his wife Maddie whose worlds have been turned upside down when Miles lambert, along with a private investigator turns up on their doorstep to share the news about their sons being switched at birth. The book is excellently plotted and I always love the way JP Delaney writes in smaller chapters, making the story a quick and easy read. The two families sue the hospitals that bare responsibility for the switch of their sons which turns into a messy investigation, and one the Riley's are not sure they want to be a part of anymore. A fantastic fast-paced read for anyone looking for their next thriller read! I absolutely loved it and I'm already looking forward to reading what JP Delaney writes next.

A scarily possible story that made me race to the end.
Could babies be swapped? All too possible according to this!
I started and finished within 24 hours.
Recommended>

Every parents’ worst nightmare. This story was so scarily accurate you could just see the descent and just know you couldn’t stop it. The seemingly innocent actions taken out of context and used against you - it’s just chilling to read as it all unfolds.

Maddie and Pete give birth and their baby gets rushed to NICU and they have no idea if he’ll make it or not. As we go through their ordeal and Maddie has to deal with the fall-out of not bonding with her son, soon life becomes a new routine of nursery drop offs and social media friendships. That’s until a knock at the door turns their lives upside down and makes them question every part of their sons entrance into the world.

Following their journey to make things work, we look at the aspects that parents have to face when dealing with some of the most traumatic times in their lives and where a seemingly small white-lie can have devastating consequences.

It was such a good read - so hard to understand how it could happen but at the same time so beyond plausible it’s terrifying.

Absolutely hug your kids tighter after reading this and read this you must!

Pete is astonished when a man called Miles calls to his house with the shocking news that Pete and Maddie's son Theo isn't really their son... he actually belongs to Miles and his wife Lucy. It turns out that their son David and Theo were accidentally swapped at birth. At first it looks like things will work out okay as the two families get to know each other and agree to share both children without turning their lives upside down, however as time goes on things slowly start to unravel... How far do Pete and Maddie want this arrangement to go? Can they trust Miles and Lucy? Can they trust each other? How did the babies get mixed up that day?

I really enjoyed this book. The story was thrilling and tense, and I couldn't wait to find out all the answers to the above questions. I liked getting to know all the characters and slowly unravelling the captivating tale. I thought the ending was great, and overall can't recommend this book enough. Fantastic!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

This is a book you should only start when your diary is clear as you won’t want to put it down. Pete and Maddie are the parents of a two year old boy Theo but it turns out there was a mistake in hospital shortly after his birth, and he isn’t their biological son. Their baby has been raised by Miles and Lucy and it is Miles who visits Pete at home and breaks the news of the mix up. From this starting point there’s many ways this story could have gone, but this is a J.P. Delaney story so expect the unexpected. Chapters are written from the points of view of Pete and Maddie but these are interspersed with chapters featuring case documents which was a great way of adding in extra information. I’m not sure what I think is the ‘right’ solution to the switched baby situation when two years have passed before it is discovered but as a plot for a book it is fabulous. Entertaining and engrossing and highly recommended.

This definitely wasn't my favorite JP Delaney novel as I felt that it lacked the noir thriller vibe of his first two novels but that being said, I still had a blast reading this book and it succeeded in dragging me out of my lockdown reading slump.
Denaley has a real flair for storytelling and his writing is always engaging and well paced. In all honesty I think that he could write about paint drying and still make it seem interesting and slightly ominous. 'Playing Nice' was no exception to that.

4 Stars ****

I have read all of JP Delaney’s books and this is the one that tugged the most on my heartstrings, as well as making me feel deeply unsettled. One morning Pete Riley is told that his and partner Maddie’s son, Theo, is not their biological child. Due to a mix-up at the hospital, Pete and Maddie have been caring for Miles and Lucy Lambert’s son. The couples, though distressed, agree not to swap the boys but find an agreeable, workable way to share in both boys’ lives. That is until questions are asked. How much trust can any of the parents put in another? What’s really going on behind closed doors? And how far would you go to get the one you most want? I read this is one sitting, mouth agog for most of it. It’s such an enthralling read that brings you in right from the opening chapter. I loved it, and how the story ended. Very satisfying.

Wow Wow Wow. JP Delaney is back and certainly doesn't disappoint with his new psychological thriller Playing Nice.

'Pete Riley answers the door one morning to Miles Lambert who breaks the devastating news that his son Theo is not his son. Miles claims there was a mix up at the hospital with their babies and Theo is actually his

The story continues, utterly compelling and every parents nightmare that this could ever happen. more and more lies are uncovered and the ending is a climax no one will want to miss.

Having read JP Delaney before, I enjoyed this one. I would recommend to anyone who loves the author or psychological thrillers, or indeed anyone who wants to try one for the first time. Although I have read stories along this line before I felt this was well researched and had me turning the pages to find out what happened next. I finished this in one weekend, a truly terrifying and riveting storyline!

Thank you to JP delaney, Netgalley and Random House/Ballantine for an early copy of this book.in exchange for an honest review.

What can I say? The master of psychological thrillers has done it again! This book is brilliant. You know from the first pages that the you’re going to be in for an intense psychological read. You feel yourself inevitably hurtling towards disaster at a great speed whilst reading this book; it is a real emotional roller coaster of a read. One thing is for sure make sure you have time to read this book because once you’ve started you seriously won’t be able to put it down.

Pete and Maddie are living an ordinary life with their two year old son Theo. Until one day there is a knock at the door and a man on the doorstep breaks the shocking news that Theo isn’t their real son, that he is actually his. From that point onwards their life starts to unravel. What really did happen at the hospital on that day and how were the babies switched?

I started this book on a Sunday morning and had finished it by 5PM the same day. For fans of JP Delaney this book will not disappoint. Pete and Maddie are parents to a rowdy and over-excitable two year old named Theo. One day a stranger arrives at their door unannounced and explains that Theo is not their child, there was a mistake at the NICU unit of the hospital and their children were swapped at birth. Initially the families try to work things out in a friendly way, spending time with one another however very quickly tensions rise. It becomes clear that Miles, Theo’s biological father, will stop at nothing to get his biological son and his other son living under one roof. Without any involvement from Pete and Maddie. At whatever cost.
What unfolds is a never ending car crash of disasters for our protagonists as they fight to keep their son. This book is gripping, compelling and absolutely impossible to put down. It is a slow burner, it takes longer to get going than some of Delaney’s other books, but boy is it worth it. The characters are complex and flawed and you find yourself doubting if you can trust anyone every step of the way. A brilliant read.

As psychological thrillers go this is up there with the best. It kept me until the early hours as I wanted to know what happened. What would you do I'd a man knocks on your door 2 years after the birth of your son to say he is the dad as your baby was swapped at birth. Good question. I recommend you read this very compelling story.

This book has been on my wish list for a while and I was so excited to receive this arc I just dived straight in. Wow. This book is incredible. This book touches on every parents worst nightmare. What If you discover your child is not your biological child?
Two couples brought together by incredible circumstances. Will they survive this? This book is one heck of a rollercoaster. Absolutely amazing xxxx

#PlayingNice #NetGalley
Pete Riley answers the door one morning to a parent's worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, who breaks the devastating news that Pete's two-year-old, Theo, isn't Pete's real son - their babies got mixed up at birth. The two families - Pete, his partner Maddie, and Miles and his wife Lucy - agree that, rather than swap the boys back, they'll try to find a more flexible way to share their children's lives. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an investigation that unearths disturbing questions about just what happened the day the babies were switched.
Its very creepy read. I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus for giving me an advance copy.

What a totally superb book! This must be the best book I have read for two years. The storyline is totally rivieting and I was transfixed by every page as the tale unfolded. I loved all the characters who I felt I really got to know through the book. It is the sort of book that you start to read slower as you near the end as you never want the story to end. I wish I could give this book ten stars as it is totally brilliant!!!