Zusammen mit Pete Riley und seiner Frau Maddie erfährt man völlig überraschend von der Vertauschung der Babys Theo und David. Schnell werden die möglichen Auswirkungen, die Tragweite klar. Es kommt zur ersten Begegnung mit Miles Lambert und seiner Frau Lucy. Alle versuchen zunächst im Sinne der zweijährigen Kinder einvernehmlich und harmonisch mit der Situation umzugehen. Die ersten Kapitel geben eine gute Einführung in die Geschichte, können emotional überzeugen. Der Hintergrund für den Titel des Buches wird schnell verständlich. In die Erzählung werden in abwechselnden Kapiteln Beweisstücke aus Gerichtsakten eingeflochten. Sie ergänzen die Schilderungen hervorragend und lassen einen unterschwellig rätseln, um welche Auseinandersetzung es da wohl gehen mag.

Man ahnt schnell, dass zwischen den Paaren Konflikte in der Luft liegen, wie wird das wohl weitergehen, fragt man sich und dann kommt ein erster ganz übler Verdacht auf. Auch wenn bald klar wird, wer hier der Bösewicht ist, geht das Buch sehr spannend weiter.

Das Tempo zieht an und die Situation der Paare entwickelt sich Schlag auf Schlag auf ungeahnte Weise weiter. Die Auseinandersetzungen, die entstehen fesseln ans Buch. Viel dreht sich um die Frage, ob bei Kindern die Veranlagung oder die Erziehung stärkeren Einfluss auf die Entwicklung haben. Man kann interessantes über Psychopaten erfahren.

Es kommt zu einem passenden Ende, das überraschen kann.

Für mich einer der besten Thriller dieses Jahr.

I'm a massive fan of JP Delaney ever since The Girl Before. I went into this book literally with my eyes closed without knowing any details about it. Just knew I wanted to read it because of the author.

After a few pages I already knew I absolutely loved the concept - what would you do if you found out your baby isn't yours and you're raising someone else's child?

The narrative is told to the reader in alternate characters through Maddie and Pete who are trying to come to terms with the shocking news that their beloved son Theo isn't their biological child. The day when Miles comes knocking on their door revealing their babies were switched at birth sets off a series of events that will keep you turning pages late into the night.

Playing Nice raises and explores questions such as

A) Should a child be raised by their biological parents or those people who have been looking after them, providing love and stability
B) How big of a role do genetics and environment play in shaping children's personalities

It's an incredibly easy read (in search of a better term), yet full of twists and moral dilemmas that give plenty of food for thought.

Having said that, the ending ruined the fun for me. It felt far fetched, unrealistic and unnecessary. I'd have liked a different outcome and the final twist should've been completely left out.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the book overall and I definitely recommend if thrillers are your cup of tea.

You know I'll still be reading any and all work this author puts out into the world!

Wow! This has to be my favourite book of the year so far. I just loved it, so much so that I was up reading in the middle of the night.

I was hooked from the word go – a knock on the door turns couple Pete and Maddie’s world upside down. They have been told that they are not the birth parents of their lively son 2 year old Theo and the centre of their universe while their birth son, David is being brought up by wealthy couple Miles and Lucy. Initially things are good between both couples who try to work out an amicable solution but as the book goes on things take a nasty twist.

This book tackles everything including relationships, legal battles, medical, personality disorders - the author must have had to put in a lot of research before writing and tackling some of the issues in it. It had me questioning throughout what you I would do as a parent if this happened and also asking how this could have happened, and kept me turning the pages to see what had happened in this case.

Highly recommend – five stars***** . I will certainly be watching out for the next offering from JP Delaney!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fabulous ! I really loved this book. I really look forward to this authors new books you always get a brilliant twist ! 10/10

WOW what a great read!! Such an unusual storyline which gripped you from the first page to the last! A real thought provoking storyline which highlighted how innocent discussions can be twisted to mean something else entirely. Highly recommend this book

A fantastic read that had been intrigued from the beginning. Such an interesting premise and I enjoyed the parenting side from a man's point of view. I would definitely recommend this book - great plot, good-story-telling, and a lot of suspense. My kind of book.

Do enjoy this author and his concepts always slightly original or taking something that isn’t and adding their own angle .
The character in this is truly controlling and your fear builds for the characters with each page .
The grooming of the couple in a way and the clear undercurrent of deception lurks and builds till the end .
Who if anyone stopped the baby’s ,all had motive or was it just an error ,how far will the family go to get the object of his desire ,I say object as he treats everyone as such and is well written of a sociopath who manipulates decieves and attempts to removes all obstacles which are human to get what he wants .
I sort of questioned the end though liked it and without giving too much away I disagree not with the action for s thriller but maybe the supposed similarity trait to our main villain .i didn’t see that and the character was written as genuinely caring and worried for her child and the other one biologically so it didn’t quite fit for me they were the same diagnostically ,more that they took control for the family because they really cared and enough was enough they had no real choice .Did they succeed u will have to read to find out .....
A good novel not quite four stars but three and I will read another !
Thank you netgalley and publishers for this advanced copy

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. And when Theo is thrown out of nursery for hitting other children, Maddie and Pete have to ask themselves: how far do they want this arrangement to go? What secrets lie hidden behind the Lamberts' smart front door? How much can they trust the real parents of their child - or even each other?

Delaney presents a horrifying and all too plausible situation with this read. From the beginning, I was drawn into the desperation Pete feels and the emotions him and Maddie go through. This is a roller-coaster of a read and I was hooked and utterly obsessed with it.

We know from the blurb this is about how two families handle the devastating reality of their baby being switched but like all Delaney books this proves to be more complex than that. Throughout the read there are twists, turns and concurring plot threads that combine to ensure for a thrilling, immersive read with raw emotion at the front.

The characters in this are spot on as well. From Pete being our likeable character, to Maddie and her flaws, I was quickly invested in their story and on their side throughout their emotional fight. Miles and Lucy are equally as strong, they may not be likeable but that is not their purpose and they fulfil their role spectacularly.

'Playing Nice' starts with a devastating truth and Delaney does not let up until the end. This is emotional, thrilling and all too realistic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy.

Playing Nice by JP Delaney
I give this book 4.25 stars
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 and they have his biological son David.
How much can Pete and Maddie trust each other and what are the Lamberts hiding ?
A thought provoking,emotional and gripping read.A page turner from start to finish.Well written and full of tension,l absolutely loved it and would highly recommend !
Thanks to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for my chance to read and review this book

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. I've read a few books by J P Delaney and was really excited to read this one. It did not disappoint. Pete and Maddie find out that their son isn't actually their son and that the child they think is theirs was switched at birth with another child. At first the two families handle things amicably and seem to be getting along, and then it all changes. A terrifying psychological thriller. I could not put it down and stayed up way too late as I just had to know how it ended.

A rather creepy tale of how you can be totally played by another person - the powerlessness and desperation of the characters in this story who realised they had been totally outwitted was compelling. I really felt for them, despite knowing it was fiction! That means that this book was well researched, well written and very troubling. I'm not sure I would recommend it to any new parents, though!! For everyone else, it is worth reading.

JP Delaney is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Every book is so unique and different and you never know what is going to be in store for you. I was thrilled to find that Playing Nice was no exception.

Maddie and Pete fell in love, got pregnant, and then in the way that awful things sometimes happen, Theo, their gorgeous boy, was born prematurely and for a while they thought this was the worst thing that could happen to them. That is until a knock on their front door, two years later, causes everything to spiral apart. What would you do if you found out your child was not your own? And what secrets do we all carry inside of us when we are pushed to our boundaries?

Once again, great characters, a brilliant plot line and a book I just could not put down.

This was a tense family drama that kept me hooked from start to finish although I didn’t particularly like many of the characters! It had a great conclusion and I can honestly said I could not predict how it would end. Very enjoyable book

A devastating domestic noir and fantastic psychological thriller. Couple Pete and Maddie discover their two-year-old Theo, is not their real son and was swapped accidentally at birth in hospital. So begins their terrifying torment as the situation becomes more sinister. A riveting and creepily satisfying read.

Now I am a massive fan of JP Delaney’s writing and I have been since reading The Girl Before, but this is a whole other level!

Told at pace - a tale of love, rivalry and menace!

The world tells us that the love a parent has for their child is the greatest love known to man. We have stories of nature and nurture claiming their effects, and trying to be champion over the other. This story gets right to the root of the debate - when babies are swapped at birth and raised by two quite different families - whose behaviours do the children display, whose interests do they mirror. The unfolding of the story tells us that love is strong, pride is unreal and the desire to win can conquer all!

There are so many issues explored within this book - disability, wealth, domestic violence to name just a few. And every one is told with the pitch perfect sensitivity. Reading as very real and authentic. Creating a read of depth as well as superb plot.

The best read from JP Delaney EVER! And that is saying something!

I loved this book. The story starts out as lots of story lines have in the past. Two babies are accidentally switched and it is only when they are both 2 years old that this becomes known to the families concerned. Pete and Maddy face the prospect of losing Theo, the lively toddler who have they thought of as their son.. Miles and Lucy have thought of David as their son for the last 2 years as well. Can the two families resolve this issue? It seems they may be able to do so amicably until it all begins to fall apart! The story takes numerous unexpected turns and the ending is seriously dramatic and unexpected. I haven't read anything as good in years!

Bloody Brilliant !
I'm a huge fan of JP Dalaney, I've read all of his books so I had high hopes for this. I was right. Its well written and I was impressed with all the legal information that was contained in this book. Some which I never knew about and was quite shocked to read that this can actually happen.
Two families where each of their baby was switched in the hospital and they come to an amicable resolution where they each get to bring up their non biological child. But the situation soon starts to turn nasty.
Its such an easy read but its also gripping with legal elements to it. I thought I knew how it was going to end but boy was I wrong. Thanks to netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review

Playing Nice is an intriguing and thought-provoking read. I love the concept of this novel, which has been addressed before in other novels I’ve read, but here JP Delaney adds an extra element of suspense to what is already a very stressful situation: a couple – Maggie and Pete Riley – learn, out of the blue, that their 2 year old son Theo is not actually their son but another family’s. He was swapped in a mix up at the hospital when Theo and David, their biological son, were both born prematurely. The other family are well off and seemingly reasonable – but then things start to change…

I really liked the way Miles, the ‘other’ dad, is portrayed firstly as very reasonable but slowly reveals his true colours as things progress. Pete, in contrast, seems to be the perfect husband, but we know he has his faults, and his wife Maggie certainly has some secrets of her own, too! It feels like there’s plenty of half truths and concealed feelings involved, adding to the sense of mystery around what really happened.

Pete and Maggie’s son (but, as it turns out, not biologically) has an issue with being aggressive and self-centered around other people, something it becomes very obvious may be inherited from his biological father, Miles. This book really makes the reader consider the nature vs nurture debate – with Pete being such a soft, kind-hearted father, is Theo destined to turn out like Miles even with Pete’s influence, or can he be changed?

I’ll say no more about what happens, as a lot of the pleasure in this novel is realising what has been planned by certain characters all along, and sharing Pete and Maggie’s outrage – but then also wondering, could [this or that character] actually have had something to do with it? Or could that other person? This element of doubt really adds to the tension throughout the novel and left me completely hooked. There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against characters which is explained really well – just when you wonder if anyone would actually think that, you find out that there was a reason a certain something was mentioned earlier in the novel. I like the way lots of seemingly loose details are tied up.

There are some parts of the story which require a certain level of suspending your disbelief, but not a lot because the majority is worryingly believable, and really makes you question what exactly you would do in Pete and Maggie’s situation…

What would I do? I’m still undecided…

This book made me think about all the stories you hear about children swapped at birth and the nature nurture arguments. I liked the idea. I do love the author. It is tense and distressing to think about how a child can be affected when in poor situations. Don’t want to give too much away but it’s a great read and worth purchasing.

This is an unusual plot, ingenious and riveting. At first the scenario of babies mixed up in the baby unit and sent home with the wrong parents does not seem that compelling. The twists and turns of the plot, however, soon change that. Delaney's books are always that little bit different and slightly scary in that the reader realises that this kind of awful event could happen to anyone. The characters and the pace of the story kept me enthralled and the end is quite a surprise. An excellent read.