Reviews: Little Darlings (19)

I loved this story. I really loved this story. It was creepy, ensnaring and made my imagination want to climb under the duvet until it was safe to come out. There was such a building tension that had me psychologically hooked from beginning to end.

What worked here was the execution and development of the mystery. The plot throughout teeters between the idea of this being a psychological thriller or a supernatural thriller, which made for a fascinating read. The inclusion of quotes from folklore tales and stories of changelings, really made the mystery feel otherworldly and unnerving.
Combined with this, was the story’s ability to seize control of any reader’s parental instincts and then plunge them into a blender of terror. When every chapter wrapped up, I was left with growing butterflies in my stomach. I was scared and anxious for Lauren and her babies, and dreaded the outcome regardless of whether or not the book was primarily psychological or supernatural.

The other thing that worked here was the awesome ensemble of likeable and loathsome characters, who were easy to connect with.
I loved Lauren and Harper. Lauren was like any new mother (loving yet nervous…) but had a lot more to contend with; from two babies instead of one, a serious lack of support from her spouse and the fear of a woman trying to take her babies. Her character was easily empathised with.
For a short time, I felt the introduction of Harper's narrative was needless. I wanted to charge ahead reading about Lauren etc., but with Harper's development in amongst Lauren’s nightmare, I began to love reading more about her as well. And just for the sake of saying it, yes, I loathed Lauren's husband, Patrick. And to all ladies and gents out there, if your other half was to treat you as crap as Patrick treated Lauren, DITCH THEIR ASS.

Maybe my favourite thing was the victim was believed/supported by one of the central members of police. There was no hostility or bullying tactics from Harper to Lauren, even if Harper found Lauren's narrative far-fetched. I wish more mystery thrillers pulled this approach off. I'll reiterate my feelings about police procedurals being so hostile to victims - I hate those kinds of plots. Yes, they're real life, but some are so exaggerated. A massive THANK YOU to the author for writing a detective who was compassionate and considerate, even if it was through the character’s own bias, because I loved Harper’s faith in Lauren. Additionally, I liked that the topic of mental health was handled very well.

I had a minor gripe with the ending as I felt it could have been polished off more, for both Harper and Lauren, with some communication between the ladies. I just felt the book needed something a bit more after the climax. Ultimately, the wrap up isn't the happy ending I would have liked, especially when babies are involved. But that just adds to the reader's psychological horror of it, doesn't it?

Overall, I read this over 2 days and I'm rating it 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 as it is a cracking debut. There were some issues at the ending that were unsatisfying, but despite this, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Someone needs to buy the rights to this as a film ASAP, because it would be one heck of a movie. Little Darlings was so eerie to make the hairs on my arms stand tall, I won't be forgetting this story or the characters anytime soon.

This wonderfully creepy and deeply unsettling debut novel by Melanie Goulding certainly enthralled and entertained this particular reader as the story became more darker and darker with a conclusion satisfyingly enigmatic. This goes beyond the normal psychological thriller as the writer cleverly updates and transports into a modern setting a traditional changeling fairy tale along the lines of that penned by the brothers Grimm where a young mother has her cradle robbed by elves and in her baby’s place they leave a changeling.

Lauren Tranter has just given birth to two twin boys in a Sheffield hospital during a particularly warm and rain free summer period (this meteorological fact will prove to be an integral element of the plot) and during the night she believes that she is visited in her hospital room by a strange and disturbingly unkempt woman who wishers to replace her babies with her own strange creatures that she is carrying in her basket. Although Lauren initially attributes this to a bad dream the woman subsequently returns to claim the twins and Lauren is forced to lock herself in the toilet from where she phones the police.

Although no one else in the hospital can verify the existence of an intruder and the incident is quickly assumed to be as a result of Lauren's temporarily unbalanced mind, the investigating police officer Jo Harper has an instinct that something is not quite right which is heightened when CCTV footage shows a shadow crossing the screen. As the story develops and eventually a swap does or does not take place we are faced with a simple question is Lauren delusional or are there supernatural forces at work?

This was a definite page turner for me and I was kept in suspense until the last haunting lines. Mixing folklore and the supernatural with a normal police procedure story gave an unsettling veneer to the deeply disquieting and disturbing narrative. I'm not surprised that this will be the subject of a forthcoming film but the book deserves a reading from those who like a frightening tale that I'm sure will stay in the mind for some time after.

Little Darlings is the first book Ms Golding has had published and as such is certainly the heralding of a major player in the literary world. The novel has already been selected to be made into a movie which, if capturing the author's intent, would be well worth seeing. While difficult to imagine the book is at once a sort of Fairy Tale as well as a horror story and the reader will run the gambit between characterizing it in his or her own mind.

Lauren Tranter and her husband Patrick are anxiously awaiting the birth of their first child with Lauren more than a little nervous during the impending event. The birth of twin boys to the couple quickly turns Lauren's feelings from trepidation to normal motherly love for the two. She can become a stay at home mother since Patrick earns enough money to support them all. And that is what she does to the point of never leaving them in the care of others. Echoes of long ago writings haunt the air and bring up the idea of an evil force taking the babies and changing them for look a like creatures. Lauren believes that this may be possible and does not allow the boys to move out of her sight.

During a walk outside with the children Lauren falls asleep without intending to do so. When she awakens she comes to the conclusion that her twins have been stolen and as foretold other babies have become substituted for her boys. No one, including Patrick, believes that this has happened and Lauren's sanity is called into question. The events as described by Ms Golding refuse to allow the reader to put the book down before coming to it's conclusion. The ending is a superb climax to a tale that keeps readers guessing all along what it will be. Characterization of the principal characters, including that of a female police officer, are very well done. Motivations for all are well delineated and create much of the action taking place in the novel. A very well done story and a welcome to a major new voice in literature.

New mother of twins Lauren is wondering who is singing in the ward. The woman seems to have twins too, but she will wake everyone, Lauren checks on her boys then talks to the woman who is unkempt & talks in a strange way offering to swap one of her babies, if Lauren doesn't she will take both from her.
DS Joanne Harper reads the 999 callout list & decided to investigate the call from a distraught Ady saying an intruder is in the ward trying to take her babies. The CCTV footage is strange& Harper has a strange feeling this may need a follow up.
At home Lauren has had no sleep, her husband is going back to work & strange gifts have been left, a book on the myths surrounding twins, a wooden rat ornament... Then Lauren sees the woman from the hospital across the street staring at the house. When her husband rushes out to chase her Lauren calls the sergeant the one that seemed to believe her. Someone is trying to steal her babies but why?
This was a creepy read, well told.
I remember my first weeks back discovering a baby's ways as well as coming to terms with a birth plan that got thrown out the window The third day after my waters had broken. I could very much relate to Lauren's confusion & sleepless night worrying about the babies breathing & being swapped over for someone else's. Also in Lauren's case the sensation she had of being violated by the doctors and saying it hurt and them still carrying on seemed to be looked over as this, I felt was the catalyst of her fear, having no control. Her insistence someone is out to get the twins coupled with the folklore book and left alone after the first 2 weeks left her in a very vulnerable mindset.
A haunting thriller that will get under the skin of any mother. I'm sure it will create many discussions on mental health after birth & how we support those who may be struggling. I look forward to her next book

Wow. Just wow. I had seen quite a lot of promotional material relating to Little Darlings which led me to believe it was a psychological thriller. Luckily, with nothing to read one lunchtime, I found our proof copy at work. The premise - Lauren Tranter has just given birth to twins. Obviously she is exhausted, hormonal and facing an overwhelming amount of responsibility so when she encounters a lady in the middle of the night who threatens to take her babies and replace them with hers and no-one else sees the lady, everyone thinks Lauren is seeing things. What made this book so different from psychological thrillers was the exploration of the subject of post natal depression running along side another possibility for Lauren's visions, the lady is in fact real. At the start of each chapter is a quote from dark folklore fairy tales which are reflected in what the lady who Lauren sees has told her. I've never read a book like this before, you can feel the tension emitting from Lauren and just want to protect her. One of my favourite parts was where her husband, who one, doesn't believe her and two, doesn't support her decides he is exhausted and needs his sleep so moves to the spare room. It's not my favourite because of what happens, what a truly selfish thing to do, it's my favourite because of how superbly the author captures the feeling of true despair and loneliness, Lauren feels totally on her own and the responsibility of keeping the twins safe weighs on her all the more because of it. I won't say anymore, I don't want to spoil it but again, wow. I love it when a book comes along and not only surprises you from being different to what you thought it was but also tackles sensitive subjects like post natal depression and then, for the icing on top, mixes in some dark folklore fairy tales. Highly recommended.

This is a sinister tale in all it's glory. I was hooked from page one and couldn't put it down!
It follows the tale of a mother who has twins and when she's in hospital a women threatens her so she runs away. She then falls asleep on a bench and her twins get kidnapped. Who knows if those twins are hers or not, that really is the mystery.
it's a real thriller and I loved every page of it - I've not read one like this so was nice yo have a different sort of thriller.
I would recommend anyone to read this book.

Lauren gives birth to twin boys. She’s exhausted, yet somehow the deep fierce love inside her keeps her caring for her babies as endless hours and days merge into each other. Then Lauren’s life is flooded with terror when suddenly the long-ago past erupts into the present day with devastating consequences.

Is Lauren suffering postnatal psychosis, or is she telling the truth? The folk tale embedded in the story’s DNA gives another twist, another dimension.

DS Joanna Harper has to go deeper than she’s ever gone before to investigate the dark heart of the crime she uncovers. But first, she must face up to the truth about herself.

Beautifully written, this chilling story grips the reader and will not let you go. When the book is finished you’re still lingering inside the world where the old stories, the dreams and fables and nightmares are real. They are true. They are living inside your DNA, and they are here, now.

This is a good mystery / horror / thriller that intersperses fairytale changeling tales with a mother suffering from post partum depression.

For me, the writing was sluggish at times and I did find it hard going overall. It wasn't the page turner I anticipated.
However, overall, it's a good read with scary elements and sinister undertones.

Thanks to HarperCollins Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview in exchange for my honest review.

Oh boy, this was one scary scenario. With echoes of Grimms Fairy Tales, ‘Little Darlings’ will probably give you sleepless nights along with the protagonist!

It’s the wee small hours of the morning on the maternity ward, and even though she’s exhausted, Lauren Tranter lies awake, already worrying about the responsibility of looking after her newborn twins Riley and Morgan - like any new mum she has concerns about her new role in life, keeping these little ones safe and well. Little does she know that her role as guardian will be challenged that very night, when she encounters a dirty, smelly disheveled woman who attempts to steal her babies. Lauren is convinced that she wasn’t dreaming, and slowly but surely she enters a nightmare world where she tries to impress on those around her that her children are in danger, but no-one believes her, not even her husband Patrick.

After a panicked phone call from Lauren to the police reporting the attempted abduction, hospital security guards are soon on the scene, but find Lauren locked in the bathroom with her babies and no sign of an intruder. She couldn’t have imagined it could she?

Eventually the case comes to the attention of Detective Jo Harper who starts to see some truth in what Lauren is saying, but this won’t be an easy case to crack, venturing off as it does into the realms of the supernatural!

This was a well written, though unsettling read, as it relies heavily on folklore and fairy tales of the darker kind. The author did an excellent job of portraying a post natal woman on the edge - very little sleep, a husband who shows no inclination to share responsibilities, and appears to care little about her well being. Add to that her fear that someone is out to steal her babies, and it’s not difficult to feel deep empathy with her. Though there was something of a slow start, it soon picks up pace and let me just say, it doesn’t get much creepier than this! Not something I’m likely to forget in a hurry!

I expected this to be a thriller and whilst it is to a degree it’s actually difficult for me to slot it into one genre. It’s a good concept and well written although I’m not sure how much I like the charcters. It was very easy to read this, it took me a couple of chapters to get into it but once I was I was zooming through it. I found it quite creepy and twisted and it was definitely hard to know what reality was real. Overall the author has given birth to an intriguing book.

Lauren has just given birth to her baby boy twins, Morgan and Riley. One night whilst she is in the hospital bay on the maternity ward she believes a woman has been brought in to the bed next to her, but the curtain is shut and so she can’t see her. However, she can hear her talking. The next morning there is no-one in the bed next to her and the staff tells Lauren that there never was.

The next night, Lauren again hears the woman, this time she is singing a creepy song and after a few verses Lauren has had enough and opens the curtain to ask the woman to be quiet, however she is shocked when the woman tells Lauren that she wants to swap one of her twins for one of Lauren’s and if she doesn’t do it she will take both of Lauren’s. Lauren is clearly shaken by the woman and picks up her children and heads to the bathroom locking herself in and calling the police.

The hospital security reaches Lauren first and cancels the call as there is no woman in the bay and Lauren is the only mother on the ward with twins. A psychiatric doctor is called who believe that Lauren is having some kind of psychotic episode.

DS Joanna Harper visits Lauren to find out what happened and to take a look at the CCTV which doesn’t show a woman on the ward but does show some kind of strange flashes on the floor. Lauren is petrified that someone wants her babies and it would seem that DS Harper might be the only person to believe her, but what is actually going on. Is there really a stranger after Lauren’s children, is there something paranormal occurring or is everything really in Lauren’s mind?

This is one of those books that you start to believe you have everything figured out about what is happening and then you are led down another road that makes you change your mind, nothing is clear cut and there are plenty of twists in the tale to keep you on your toes.

The characters are very believable. You have Lauren who has just given birth to twins and is feeling happy and anxious at the same time. Her husband Patrick who is struggling to understand what is happening to his wife as he can’t see any woman trying to take his children. There is also DS Joanne Harper who is a bit of a loose cannon on the force. She doesn’t always play by the rules as she tends to follow her gut, even if it gets her into trouble. Her gut is normally right too.

The book has been cleverly written and was really addictive. I actually read it in two sittings as I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t say that they book creeped me out or had me on edge but there is definitely a darkness to the book and the sense that something sinister is always around the corner.

This is a superb read that had a nice pace to it and the short chapters helped to keep it moving along steadily. I also loved the little quotes and passages at the start of each of the chapters and the folklore aspect too. I was engrossed in trying to figure out what was happening and how we would end up where the prologue begins. I can honestly say that the book might not have given me goosebumps but it certainly kept me entertained.

Whoa! Talk about a creepy read! This book kept me on the edge the whole time with its dark undertones and uncertainty of what was going on and what was going to happen. I couldn’t put it down!

After having a difficult time giving birth to her twin sons, Lauren is left helpless and lost even as she lays in the hospital. When the unseen woman in the bed next to her sings to her own twins and the sounds of feeding change into something dark and disturbing, Lauren finally manages to check it out. What she stumbles across is the thing of nightmares and when her own babies are suddenly in danger Lauren’s protective instincts rise to hysterical proportions.

Harper is walking a fine edge as a detective in the local precinct. Nevertheless, she checks out the call from the previous night that was placed by a patient on the maternity ward. Her own past leads her further into an investigation that was marked off as a mental health issue. Neither woman knows that both of their lives will be irrevocably changed and that Lauren’s very state of mind will be called into question as the mystery deepens.

With fairytales and folklore as a backdrop, this story begins and ends with scary uncertainty and dark, unspoken mysteries. The author presents Lauren as a mother who initially doesn’t feel anything for her newborn babies and how, or if, those instinctive reactions will ever arise. Despite her initial need to protect her children, the questions remain throughout the story and my mind ran in circles as to what was really happening.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever read anything that left me feeling so totally creeped out. I love when a book can affect me in such a way. I’ve read Stephen King novels that didn’t leave me feeling the way certain parts of this story did.

For a debut novel, this is so very well written and moved with an incredible speed that kept me engaged throughout its entirety. Although it ends with a finality, it’s not wrapped up neat and tidy. Life is uncertain and there were a few characters that I wanted to have a black and white ending and that wasn’t the case…which was actually perfect for this story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. All thoughts and opinions are my own.