I couldn’t put this down and ended up reading it in one sitting over the course of an evening. I agree with another reviewer when they say they are of two minds with this book. It’s a thriller but not in the sense you think it is and it doesn’t feel executed fully. I too was left wanting more from the story, from Claire, from the plot, or just having the characters developed a little further. That said it is an incredible debut novel from Callie Kazumi and I’d read more from her in the future.

I’ve spotted on Goodreads that the US copy is titled “Claire, darling” which I personally think works better than Cuckoo, especially given how many times it’s said in the book. Thank you so much to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC copy before it is released!. Cuckoo is out on 13th March 2025, I predict this will be popular!

Cuckoo was an addictive read, I can’t believe that it’s a debut!

I read this book in one go, and I found myself trusting Claire less and less throughout the book, and Noah seemed shady as hell throughout. It’s rare that ai don’t trust any characters in a book, but that’s what made this book so much more interesting! I do like an unreliable narrator, and Claire was very much one.

I found the story really interesting from the start, I felt so many emotions ranging from anger to sympathy to shock. For the first half I felt like I really wanted ti find out what happened and get Claire the information she needed, why did he leave? And then the second half happened. That second half was such a difference, and it explained a lot, but it was so well written, and so well paced throughout.

I’m trying really hard to avoid spoilers, but Cuckoo was honestly so addictive, and if you like psychology in your books definitely check this one out. Overall, I absolutely loved this book, it is so good and so well written! I am giving Cuckoo 4.5 stars.

A really entertaining story that I read quickly and was hooked throughout. Similar ro others stories in this genre, but enjoyable all the same x

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'm always very happy about an ARC and being able to give it a review! <3

The book starts off super exciting and I couldn't put it down.

If you like an unreliable character who you don't fully trust, then this is the right book for you. You could also read Claire's diary entries - but I don't know if they were necessary at all..

Unfortunately, it was clear to me pretty early on in which direction it was going.. but I'd hoped that there would be a really good twist at the end.. The ending wasn't bad, don't get me wrong, but I was just hoping for something completely different/bigger. The ending was too simple.. too boring.

I still had a good time, I LOVED the writing style and would definitely still recommend the book at any time!

This is so compelling! A killer premise and intriguing protagonist means that you just can’t stop reading this dark as night thriller. Very satisfying conclusion too.

WOW what an absolutely astoundng debut thriller Cuckoo by Callie Kazumi was she will go far.

Claire takes Noah her fiance lunch at his work place in order to surprise him for their anniversary but she is devastated that his boss had told her that he had left nine months ago.

Noah has blocked her on his phone and she is so worried that something terrible has happened to him. Her only friend Sukhi helps to track him down to his new place of work.

Unfortunately they find that Noah did use social media but his posts proved he lied to Claire at the time they got together he told Claire that he would never entertain it.

As they dig deeper the secrets unravel into an exciting twist of events which I never would have guessed. I do hope there is a sequel.

What a fabulous debut. I really enjoyed this book, although I had worked out the twist it didn't take anything away from the book.

Claire goes to visit her fiancé Noah at work but discovers he left the company 9 months ago and he is not returning her calls. You then go on a wild ride to get to the truth.

Claire is a character you really feel for. You can feel her pain and anguish through the pages. There is not a lot you can say about this book without giving anything away. Baby Reindeer vibes!

I will definitely be reading more from this author. Very enjoyable read.

This book was really easy to get into and I thought I was going to thoroughly enjoy it. However it got unbelievable and very repetitive so I completely lost interest in it. I struggled to finish it but hoped I would get back into it but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. I can’t say much without spoilers but the final day in court made me mad.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading copy, I wish I could have rated it higher.

Just wow!! I wasn't expecting the twist at the end!

A gripping psychological thriller. Clare goes to surprise her fiancé Noah at work to find he hasn't been working there for months.

Noah isn't answering her calls, and then she finds out he has a whole different life with someone else.

Clare is confused and lost, and soon, her life completely spirals out of control!

Rounding to 3.5
I was so happy to be able to read this as an ARC. I really enjoyed it from the very beginning.

It’s written from the POV of Claire who we meet and is engaged to her true love Noah. Until one day on their anniversary she turns up at his work to find out he no longer works there. We then follow the journey uncovering the many twists and turns creating suspense and questions.

As thrillers go I wasn’t jaw dropped but the twists but as a debut novel I was kept engaged throughout.

Claire is enjoying the perfect relationship with her fiancé Noah, when suddenly he cuts contact with her.
Her attempts to track him down lead her to find that he has another girlfriend and has been leading a double life.
As her life starts to unravel, we learn about Claire's abusive relationship with her mother and her fragile mental state.
The twist in this book was fairly obvious from about half way through, but it's still a worthwhile read and a good new author to follow.

Great debut from an author with lots of potential. The twist was a little obvious, but I'll definitely be checking out further books by this author, as I do think she has a talent for characterisation and plotting.

What a wild ride this book is!

From the off, Claire was a character you really feel for. Her love for Noah could be felt through the pages, and her devastation when he went left was palpable. How could he have done this to the person he loves?

As Claire searches for Noah, the truth starts to unravel. Flashbacks to Claire’s childhood, and diary entries from her dates with Noah, really helped paint a full picture of her character. I also felt that the female relationships, both with her mum and her best friend, had a real depth to them.

The need to find out the truth kept me gripped throughout. I knew something was off, but I wasn’t sure what!

this was a great debut novel and such a fast and gripping read. I really liked the writing style with the back and forth of Claire’s past and present. the detail to the characters especially the relationship between Claire and her mom was really well written and I liked how it added to the story, we weren’t just given additional information for no reason. now were some things a little predictable? yes but nonetheless this book had my whole attention throughout and I was satisfied with the ending. Although I do think I would’ve liked a little more as the epilogue felt a bit rushed but overall it was still an enjoyable read. If you like and are looking for a new psychological thriller, I’d definitely recommend this one!
thank you NetGalley for the arc.

The premise was intriguing and I felt that had it continued with a lying fiance it would have held more substance.

The 'twist' becomes quite obvious and sympathy for the main character is lost.

I struggled with the contrast of the woman who apparently was unaware of her very serious mental condition but ultimately is complete aware of what she did.

I loved this book! It gripped me and held me throughout. It was written so well that I found it so easy to read; I absolutely flew through it. This is one of those books that you don't want to put down because you just cannot wait to find out what happened, but also don't want to keep reading because you don't want it to end. Speaking of the end, I sort of saw it coming but feel like I was thrown back and forth between different theories throughout that it was still a shock. A brilliant psychological thriller.

Entertaining book but I'm not sure I'd really call it a thriller? The "twist" was pretty obvious from quite early on and I actually think it would have been more interesting for everything to have been caused by something else, would have subverted my expectations more. The diary entries also read really strangely, like there was so much exposition in them that they felt really unnatural. I was just super aware I was reading a book rather than feeling like I was reading someone's diary. Still an entertaining read overall and I did enjoy the ride, I just think the premise was more interesting than the execution of the idea ended up being.

If you want a fast paced, can’t put down, psychological thriller then you have to pick this up when it’s finally released. I’m actually going to buy a few copies to gift to friends and family, that’s how much I enjoyed this.

I was gripped from the start and loved the characterisation that the author built up. Firstly, the toxic relationship between mother and daughter which had me wondering what the twist at the end was going to be and how they were going to link this to the plot. Secondly, the female main character herself, Claire. I loved her and I’ll not spoil the ending or give anything away but throughout I was like ‘did she? Didn’t she? Has she made this up? Did she do what they say she did?’

I also loved how you knew exactly when the author was talking about current day and then dipping into the past with her mother. Normally it would take me a minute to realise we were in a past or present setting but the author had it perfectly set out for you.

Towards the ending I was getting that standard feeling I get when reading thrillers, feeling that it was a bit anticlimactic and feeling like the author had rushed the ending and I didn’t get what I wanted from the book… until the very last chapter and then I was sat gobsmacked and wanting more.

I honestly couldn’t recommend this thriller more. If you’re fans of ‘The Silent Patient’ and ‘None of This is True’, you will love this.

Side note; if you’re single and dating this book will put you off and you will trust nobody!! 😂

Finally, thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this arc.

It's genre is thriller, but I will agree to disagree that it was more of a contemporary book. It had elements of a thriller, but it's not entirely that. There were mystery elements too. The premise was different from what I expected, but in a good, unpredictable way. Honestly, I couldn't predict the plot twist, but I did see it coming.

The thing I was most curious about was how the name of the book correlates with the story. And it actually makes sense, and honestly, it kind of gives away the big twist too, so I'll suggest not paying it much mind.

The depth to her character and her relationship with her mother was so interesting—it was so well-written in a creepy and disgusting way. I was taken aback when we transitioned in the second part, but it was interesting nonetheless. It definitely added a different take to the plot. 

Thank you Net Galley, Random House UK and Callie Kazumi for a copy of this arc.

First note to make is that Cuckoo is going by the title “Claire, Darling” in the USA!

Claire and Noah have been together for one year, to celebrate their anniversary Claire decides to take a surprise lunch to Noah’s work, only to find out he hasn’t worked there for months now, however, he’s been going to “work” every day as normal… now he won’t answer his texts or his phone! As Claire starts to investigate she finds out more and more about Noah’s life and it doesn’t seem to be exactly what he told her. Who really is Noah?

We also learn a lot of Claire’s childhood, raised by her mother, it wasn’t the greatest of upbringings where Claire wasn’t allowed friends or to call her mum. This relationship is toxic and abusive and really had me feeling sorry for Claire, knowing this kind of parental abuse exists in the real world!

This is told as a dual POV, which I love, we’ve got the story from Claire’s side with flashbacks to her childhood and then Claire’s diary entries from when she first met Noah!

If there’s a book to read in 2025, this is it! It had me hooked right from the start, it was relatable in all sorts of ways, quick paced with an ending I didn’t see coming. I couldn’t put it down, I even cancelled plans to keep reading! Well written and I look forward to Callie’s next book!