The Recovery of Rose Gold

The page-turning psychological thriller

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Pub Date 5 Mar 2020 | Archive Date 30 Apr 2020
Penguin UK | Michael Joseph

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Description

A CHILLING EXPLORATION INTO OBSESSION, RECONCILIATION AND REVENGE IN 2020'S MUST-READ THRILLER

'With a genuine menace seeping from every twist and turn. . . worthy of Patricia Highsmith at her finest' Daily Mail

'A spine-chilling thriller injected with themes of obsession and revenge . . . Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train . . . set to be next year's biggest thriller' Stylist
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Rose Gold Watts believed she was sick for eighteen years.

She thought she needed the feeding tube, the surgeries, the wheelchair . . .

Turns out her mother is a really good liar.

After five years in prison, Patty Watts is finally free. All she wants is to put old grievances behind her, reconcile with the daughter who testified against her - and care for her new infant grandson.

When Rose Gold agrees to have Patty move in, it seems their relationship is truly on the mend. And she has waited such a long time for her mother to come home.

But is she still the pliable young girl she once was? And is Patty still as keen on settling an old score?

Because if mothers never forget then daughters never forgive.

A gripping tale of obsession, reconciliation and revenge from an incredible new talent.
_______________

'A rivetingly nasty psychological duel' Sunday Times

'Sensationally good - two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction, and won't let you forget them. Wrobel is one to watch' Lee Child

'This book has it all - a killer premise, twisty plotting, crisp writing and compelling characters. Dazzling, dark and utterly delicious' J. P. Delaney, bestselling author of The Girl Before

'An absolutely brilliant book; funny, dark, authentic and a total page turner. I loved it' Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

'A dark, nerve-jangling read that kept us on the edge of our seats till the very end' Independent

'An intelligent and highly disturbing read' Literary Review

A CHILLING EXPLORATION INTO OBSESSION, RECONCILIATION AND REVENGE IN 2020'S MUST-READ THRILLER

'With a genuine menace seeping from every twist and turn. . . worthy of Patricia Highsmith at her finest'...


Advance Praise

'Sensationally good - two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction, and won't let you forget them. Wrobel is one to watch'

- LEE CHILD

'A spine-chilling thriller injected with themes of obsession and revenge . . . Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train . . . set to be next year's biggest thriller'

- Stylist

'Sensationally good - two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction, and won't let you forget them. Wrobel is one to watch'

- LEE CHILD

'A spine-chilling thriller injected with...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780241416068
PRICE £12.99 (GBP)
PAGES 352

Available on NetGalley

Send to Kindle (PDF)

Average rating from 180 members


Featured Reviews

The story begins when the five-year sentence for a crime has come to an end and Patty Watts is being released back into society to rebuild her life. Her victim had been her daughter Rose Gold, who for 18 years had suffered at the hands of her mother who had Munchausen by proxy syndrome.
Rose Gold had spent all her childhood and teenage years in and out of hospitals as her mother, a former nurse, convinced doctor after doctor of illnesses that her daughter didn't really have. Rose Gold had, a couple of years before, mended bridges between them and was now willing for her mum to move into the house she was buying. Rose Gold also had a baby boy herself now.
The story is told by both Patty and Rose Gold as it drops back to the past while moving forward into new territory too. What comes across straight away is the twisted mind of Patty who is like a cat ready to pounce on the mouse and put it back in its place again but in the meantime is content to toy with her. But Rose Gold isn't a child anymore.
The actual story of Rose Gold growing up is extremely similar to the real-life case of Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy Rose, which I watched as a series on NetFlix's true-life drama in 2018. The ending to that story is very different though.
The story really began to get under my skin, with many OMG moments that made me look at everything differently. The more I read the more I wanted to keep the book at arm's length but I couldn't put it down.
I really loved the character development of both mother and daughter in the book, in a twisted entertaining way, which grows darker on every page. I could feel myself pulling away from these characters, but I was mesmerised with them like a rabbit caught in headlights unable to see what was coming at me. Oh, boy was this just brilliant. What a trump card to play!!!! A cracking read.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

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I really wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I am so glad I requested it. The story is compelling and clever, and the ending completely unexpected. Although the central characters are irredeemably awful, it is impossible not to feel some sympathy at times. The author also paints a nice portrait of a very close community, which can make life very difficult for transgressors. A really enjoyable read, in spite of the dark subject matter.

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Oh dear where do I begin? Firstly this is one seriously f*cked up, twisted, dark and seriously uncomfortable book and secondly I absolutely LOVED it. Everything about this book ticked my warped and disturbed mind.

To say I devoured this book in almost one sitting is not an exaggeration – it’s literally UNPUTDOWNABLE. The Recovery of Rose Gold (or Darling Rose Gold in the US) is one hell of a powerful and disturbing debut novel from Stephanie Wrobel.

Told from the viewpoints of Patty Watts, a devoted and misunderstood mother who has just been released from serving 5 years in prison for aggravated child abuse and her daughter, Rose Gold Watts now 22 years and trying to rebuild her life and reconnect with Patty despite the horrendous childhood she endured at the hands of her mother.

The story alternates from the present and events leading up to Patty’s arrest and the five years she was in prison and it doesn’t hurt that both women are “bat-shit crazy” and slightly unreliable narrators throughout.

I don’t want to admit that I “enjoyed” this book because the subject matter is really uncomfortable and dark, but my obviously depraved mind and dry sense of humour absolutely LOVED it.

If you like twisted and deeply flawed characters in a story that both sickens and entertains you then I am 100% guaranteed you will love this book as much as I did. The only downside is that it’s not available to buy until March 2020 – but in my opinion it is definitely worth the wait.

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“Rose Gold Watts believed she was sick for eighteen years. She thought she needed the feeding tube, the surgeries, the wheelchair. Turns out her mom, Patty, is a really good liar.”

First and foremost, thank you to Jen Porter and the rest of the team at Michael Joseph for giving me an early proof of this book - I have no doubt it will go far with its publication in 2020.

In a market saturated by thrillers, I had some reservation whether Wrobel’s debut would hit the mark, but it exceeded every expectation and more. This will be *the* thriller of 2020.

Rose Gold spent the first two decades of her life believing she was incurably ill with a chromosomal abnormality, entirely dependent upon her mother, Patty. This dedicated mother never missed a hospital appointment and could recite Rose Gold’s list of ailments as easily as the alphabet, but when Rose Gold digs deeper, she discovers that her mother orchestrated each and every illness.

Poisonous Patty, who has Munchausen by Proxy, is convicted with aggressive child abuse and is imprisoned for five years. With her release date looming, both women want to reconcile. However, is true reconciliation possible when both characters are mentally deranged and driven by a sick desire for revenge?

Split between the alternating POVs of Patty and Rose Gold the plot unfolds at an incredible pace, making this book engrossing and impossible to put down. The characters and narrative twists gave insane an entirely new definition. A purely gluttonous thriller about vengeance and obsession that lingers long after the covers are closed.

“The bond between a mother and daughter is sacred. You know better than anyone that no matter how awful they are, we still find it in our hearts to love them.”

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