I think the police procedural aspects are the weakest part of the novel. Little Darlings is at its strongest when hovering somewhere between a portrait of postpartum depression and a dark, sinister fairy tale. I can speak from experience when I say depression can be terrifying. And just like in this novel, you can never quite be sure what is a legitimate feeling and what is an exaggerated response brought on by your mental state; these two often overlap. a b c d Portman, Jamie (May 31, 2019). "Little Darlings, an ambiguous tale of motherhood, strikes spooky note". Canada.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022 . Retrieved July 4, 2023. As the story progresses, Lauren’s entire experience with motherhood is nothing but complete torture - enough to drive anyone over the edge. As if reading about someone being driven to the brink of insanity isn’t terrifying enough, add some supernatural, Grimms’ fairy-tale-esque elements to the story in the form of a creepy stalker who reeks of fish, leaves slithering silverfish in her wake and has twin eel-like creatures in a basket that can talk, and I wasn’t only anxiety-ridden, I was completely traumatized! (And also very, very grateful I can read about such dreadful misery and not actually live it.) If I had one con to point out in this story it would be with the narrative for Detective Harper. Her personal relationship with the reporter is distracting and adds nothing towards advancement of the plot. I also enjoyed the police-procedural side of the story. The clues, the investigation and a determined officer added to the tension and intrigue. An intoxicating and atmospheric journey.

Viscerally creepy and compelling— a contemporary dark fairy tale that reeled me in like tales of old." When looking for an image to attach to this blog post, one had a blurb across the cover: Most unsettling book of the year! You know what? that's pretty accurate. This book was unsettling because there was such a feeling of ambivalence. I can't go into that without revealing more than I want to give away, but the thing that makes this book work is right up until the end, you just aren't sure what the right choice is for our girl Lauren. This is truly a must read.Immediately after finishing, I was thinking I would give it a 4.5-star rating. There were a couple of plot points that I wished had been expanded on, or moved around in the context of the story, but upon further reflection, to hell with that. Lauren is truly terrified for the majority of this book and that really got under my skin. The writing used to illicit that feeling was so strong. At her friends' urging, Lauren finally chances going out and meeting them in a park. She vows to keep a good eye on her identical twin boys. But will she be able to? Detective Joanna Harper isn't convinced Lauren was imagining the incident and she begins to investigate further, contrary to her superior's wishes. The author did try his best to be engaging, that was clear from the frequent notes he wrote in a friendly, conversational manner, but those rare buts were, unfortunately, the only bits that were actually fun to read. The rest of the time, it was unengaging and dull.

Little Darlings is inspired by those dark and creepy fairytales that I love to be scared by! The idea of changelings, a child secretly substituted by fairies in infancy, has always fascinated me. I knew I had to read this book as soon as I heard what it was about and it definitely did not disappoint! Lauren Tranter is a new mother to twin boys. As many new moms do, Lauren struggles upon her return home from the hospital after giving birth. She is exhausted, she is constantly feeding her babies, she can’t find time for a shower, she can’t possibly think of finding a way to venture out of the house with the boys to get groceries. Her husband works a lot and pushes Lauren to get out of the house with the twins to refresh and reacquaint herself with society. Lauren’s first venture outside ends with a traumatic afternoon that changes her family forever. Jacqueline Wilson is a great writer and has produced many great stories, but 'Little Darlings' just wasn't that one of them. It felt like she was trying to mix her other books, 'clean break', 'illustrated mum' and 'secrets' together. We also get a dose of a more reliable narrator through a second POV character, Jo Harper, a police officer who has taken an interest in Lauren's case. Jo is drawn to the case and continues to dig into it even after being told not to by her boss. Like the reader, Jo isn't sure whether to believe Lauren or not, but she's willing to believe there may be more going on than meets the eye. I liked Jo a lot, and if Melanie Golding's plan is to write more books that feature her as a detective, I am so here for it! What I Liked Most: This is a book that was hard to put down. The writing was excellent and flowed beautifully. Was it kind of creepy? Sure. When I read the tag: Horror, along with Mystery, and Thriller, I wondered how I'd missed that important word, since horror is the last type of book I'd choose to read. (But maybe I'm confusing that genre with horror movies that I see advertised. Anyway, nothing gory, and nobody carrying a chainsaw! To my great relief! Teehee.)Motherhood, like other things in life, contains paradoxical aspects. There is such joy experienced in creation, yet your body and your mind is in a way torched and set ablaze to bring forth new life. Your body no longer looks the way it used to, the healing and recuperation can take a toll and now, suddenly and a little intrusively, there is a newcomer to consider. What makes it worse for our protagonist Lauren is that she has two babies to deal with, when one baby alone is enough to send most running for the hills. I was immediately drawn into this story and felt a strong connection throughout. The author, Melanie Golding, does a brilliant job building suspense, keeping the intensity of the intrigue engrossing throughout the entire story. The characters were fantastic – I loved the two main characters, Lauren and DS Jo Harper. I could strongly relate to Lauren – Golding did an exceptional job capturing the chaos and exhaustion of a new mom.

This story is framed with dark history and and even darker folklore that adds an eerie depth to the book. This is a foreboding and unnerving spine-chiller that leaves the reader questioning if it's possible for fable to turn into reality.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Lauren is so utterly human and vulnerable, which instantly makes her likeable. I don’t think I have ever read a book that lingers so much on the immediacy of childbirth and its aftermath. Usually we just skip ahead to when the mother leaves the hospital, so I like that Golding takes the time to bring us into the reality of Lauren’s exhaustingly grim world – a reality for many mothers. Both Sunset and Destiny's chapters only properly connected at the end of the book. Before this they could have been two completely different books.