Well written and creepy. I did find it hard going but pleased I persevered. Elements of the supernatural.

I'm going to give four stars as it was a well written book, and very different. For me, it wasn't up my street, I found it too eerie and creepy, however please don't let me put you off. We all like different things, and this one whilst it didn't appeal to me, for anyone liking creepy, psychological thrillers you will love it.

This book is a police procedural with supernatural elements,. Sounds weird, but it works and it was a seriously creepy read.

Lauren Tranter has just given birth to twin boy and is exhausted, and whilst on an outing to the park she falls asleep on a bench and when she wakes her boys are gone. When the police find them she is at first relieved, but then comes to believe that they are not her twins, but changelings.

Ms Golding’s portrayal of Lauren’s mental health state seemed totally real. I couldn’t decide until the end if Lauren was just suffering from post partum psychosis, or if the babies really had been swapped and cleverly Ms Golding leaves the reader to make up their own mind. . The police procedural element of the book was well done, and I loved the character of DS Jo Harper.

The supernatural component of the book made my spine tingle. Imagine listening to your 4 week old babies talking to each other and singing those eerie songs! The way the author managed to weave the folklore and fairy tales into the narrative was superb.

This is an extremely well written debut novel and I look forward to reading more of Ms Golding’s work in the future.

I would like to thank Melanie Golding, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

When Lauren Tranter becomes a mum to twins she worries that she doesn't feel a overwhelming rush of love for them, but when the curtains of her hospital bed are around her she hears someone singing a horrible song she feels a panic, the lady behind the curtain wants her babies and wants to give her, her children instead, little changelings that writhe around in their basket, panicked Lauren locks herse!f in the toilet with her babies and calls the police, but no-one believes her. What follows is a psychological battle, is she mad or fighting a ancient force who will stop at nothing to have her babies.
I enjoyed little darlings but I did find the change!ing excerpts at the beginning of the chapters a bit confusing,but that could be because I was lucky enough to read a early copy on kindle. It's definitely not a book I'd give to a pregnant friend but it's definitely worth a read.

I wasn’t sure what to make of this book when I started reading it. I have to admit I didn’t finish it as it turned a little strange which I wasn’t expecting from the synopsis.

5 stars from me

This is a proper creepy little tale! I loved all the sinister little Grimms' Fairy Tales references and the unsettling nature of the entire books which leads you through 'is this real or is she unwell?', it is very cleverly done.

Little Darlings has the perfect storm of components - a determined cop, a questionable reporter, a shady husband, a neurotic mother, doubting professionals and a sprinkling of pure fear! As the story developed I found myself questioning everyone - except our determined cop Jo Harper - but everyone else came under suspicion in my mind, especially those babies!

Really great book which kept me turning pages until the end. I won't give any spoilers but would love to know what you thought of the ending...

Synopsis: “Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.THE TWINS ARE CRYING. THE TWINS ARE HUNGRY.LAUREN IS CRYING. LAUREN IS EXHAUSTED.Behind the hospital curtain, someone is waiting . . .Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

This is one of those books that will stay with you a long time after you’ve read it. It’s a dark, at times disturbing story that’s hugely enjoyable.
I’ll definitely be reading more from this author in future.

After the birth of her twins Lauren is exhausted! She seems to have spent every moment since their arrival feeding them! Whilst still in hospital she is enjoying some moment peace. When she opens her eyes there is an old woman with a basket that seem to contain some eel like creatures & the woman wants to swap them for her babies. Hysterical she takes refuse in the bathroom but there is no sign of this woman on the hospitals CCTV. She becomes convinced that someone is after her babies & once home she refuses to leave the house or to let the boys out of her sight. When she eventually gives in to pressure from her husband to get out of the house she enjoys the fresh air & falls asleep. On waking her worst nightmare has come true- her babies have gone. The buggy with the twins is found a short time later but for Lauren the nightmare is not over!

This was a terrifically creepy book with each chapter starting with accounts of stolen children & changelings throughout folklore. I loved it. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs a rest. And they're right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she's never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own.... creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her Doctor to her husband, thinks she's imagining things. But is she?

The story is told from Lauren Tranter, an exhausted mother of twins, and Jo Harper, the detective who investigates, points of view. After giving birth to twins, Lauren starts seeing this raggedy old woman who wants to swap her babies for Lauren's. This is quite a creepy and disturbing read. It's based on old fairy stories of changelings - fairy children who are left in place of human children. I liked the characters, Lauren and Jo, and trying to work out if it was all in Lauren's imagination or not. Jo has her own reasons for investigating this case. I was gripped from the start of this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HQ and the author Melanie Golding for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A very Grimm fairytale, abduction mystery. This book shook me to the core. I thought at one time that I wouldn't be able to finish it, but found that I had to - it was too creepy to leave unfinished. Set in the Peak District (where I was staying at the time) Lauren is told that she's just exhausted and there is no mystery woman trying to either abduct or exchange her new born twins.

Not for new mothers!

Little Darlings is exactly my cup of tea. I love proper fairy tales with all their hopes and horrors, stories with freshly-born babies and have always been intrigued by twins. Police procedurals too. And they are all here in one fascinating and very creepy story.

The ambiguous nature of the story is as brilliant as it is disturbing. Folk tales and song snippets are beautifully woven through the story of new mother Lauren and her twins, adding to the sinister atmosphere. The book had me so edgy in places I was jumping at little noises and afraid to pull the curtains back. Little Darlings is fantastic in every sense of the word.

I'm glad I'm not a new mum reading 'Little Darlings'.

This is a dark creepy 'Grimm' influenced story and a psychological thriller about a new mother who becomes increasingly terrified that her baby twins are being watched and threatened. A mysterious singing ragged woman appears, as if from a fairy-tale and sets Lauren, the baby's mother on a traumatic path. What follows is a torturous hormone induced psychotic journey which draws on the supernatural and evokes the world of dark Grimm tales and folklore.
Balancing the narrative, thank goodness, is DS Jo Harper, who feels obliged to help Lauren after reports of an attempted abduction is reported but suddenly dropped. Harper feels intrigued enough to continuing investigating.
I'll admit it took me a while to get into this book, the first quarter was challenging, but in the end I did enjoy it.

A compelling psychological read immersed in folklore and fairy-tale mythology. Thank you for the review copy.

Little Darlings had a strange element to it which I have never encountered before in a novel. I enjoyed the story very much and would like to read more of Melanie Golding's work. The book was set around a normal woman who had just given birth and how a strange character wanted to swap her babies for their's. The swapped twins were very spooky and odd especially when she was in the mental hospital.

A very strange story which really didn't gel for me. There was a lot going on ,most of it quite dark and weird.

I’d like to thank Harlequin UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Little Darlings’ by Melanie Golding in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lauren’s in the maternity ward after giving birth to twin boys when a unkempt woman dressed in dirty ragged clothing tries to take her babies. Lauren locks herself and the babies into a bathroom and phones the police to report an attempted abduction, but when DS Jo Harper arrives at the hospital nobody in the ward has seen the woman and they say it’s a false alarm. Jo isn’t convinced and wants to look into the matter further although her superior officer has told her to drop it.

‘Little Darlings’ is a well-written and intriguing psychological thriller that makes for uncomfortable reading. It accurately describes how a new mother, lacking in sleep and with an unhelpful and inconsiderate husband, can become paranoid and irrationally delusional. The spine-chilling plot is disturbing, absorbing and very frightening at times, and I was gripped from the start. If this is Golding’s debut novel I’m looking forward with great anticipation to reading her next one.

After a traumatic birth, Lauren is alone on the maternity ward with her new-born twins when a terrifying encounter in the middle of the night leaves her convinced someone is trying to steal her children.

Lauren is sure that she sees and hears a dirty, rag covered woman showing her a basket of what looked like baby rats and singing an unusual song. After a bit of talk the woman says, “Let’s deal, Let’s change one for another”. “Give me one of yours and I’ll take care of it, You have one of mine and treat it like your own” The woman grasps Lauren’s arm and she struggles to get away, Choose one, said the woman, “choose one of I’ll take them both. You’ll never know the difference; I can make sure they look just the same”. What could be more horrific, she grabs the twins and locks herself in the bathroom and calls the police. The hospital security and police arrive only to find just a very scared woman locked in the bathroom with her babies.

When DS Joanna Harper picks up the list of overnight incidents that have been reported, she expects the usual calls from drunks and wrong numbers. But then a report of an attempted abduction catches her eye. The only thing is that it was flagged as a false alarm just fifteen minutes later.

Harper's superior officer tells her there's no case here, but Harper can’t let it go so she visits the hospital anyway. There's nothing on the CCTV. No one believes this woman was ever there. And yet, Lauren claims that she keeps seeing the woman and that her babies are in danger, and soon Harper is sucked into Lauren's spiral of fear. But how far will they go to save children who may not even be in danger?

This book is seriously creepy, echoes of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, ‘Little Darlings’ will probably give you sleepless nights

Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ General Fiction for an advance copy in return for a fair and honest review

Creepy and disturbing, this book is an exploration of that weird post-partum period where hormones are all over the place and mental stability can waver as both body and circumstantial changes come crashing in. In this story, there is a well drawn line to follow- that this mother is delusional and that all the terrifying events she describes have been conjured by her sleep-deprived and hormone drenched brain. However there’s a fantastical/ supernatural alternative story line being woven- equally persuasive though far less believable from an everyday common sense perspective.
I enjoyed the tale, and found myself compelled by Lauren’s plight. I enjoyed the police investigation angle, and found Harper a likeable, honest detective. I really wanted a happier ending for Lauren...away from Patrick, yes, but not like this!
Well recommended, but not for new mothers!
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a different kind of read for me, a spooky thriller fantasy. It was easy to read and I enjoyed the creepy folk tale elements of the book. The main character Lauren, has just given birth to twin boys. Right front the start something doesn't feel right for her, as the story goes along the reader is question if Lauren really did see someone trying to take her babies or is it mental health issues like her husbands wants to believe
If you like a dark creepy read this is definitely for you. .

A very good book which left me completely confused throughout whether someone was trying to take the babies or was it part of her imagination.

This is a really hard book to review. - it was brilliant a 4 star read, I want to say I enjoyed it but I’m not sure it’s appropriate.

The beginning was very hard hitting, there’s a woman with 2 babies in her arms walking into a river about to dunk them underneath. The police are stood on the viaduct and all they can do is watch. My heart was in my mouth wondering what was going to happen next, but then obviously the epilogue ends and the story goes back in time a month.

Lauren is on her own in the hospital, she’s just given birth to twins and the nurses have sent her husband home.

She thinks she can hear someone in the bed next to her but when she looks there’s no one there.

Then she thinks someone is trying to abduct her twins, but when reported to the police they can find no evidence of the intruder. But Lauren is utterly convinced there is someone out to get her & her babies


This book was fast paced and absolutely brilliant,

We meet DS Jo Harper who despite being told by her superiors that the case had been dropped can’t seem to let it go, babies are a sore subject for her and she wants to do everything in her power to get the case solved.

There were so many twists and turns to this story that you’re left constantly guessing. Sometimes you’re sympathising with the main character and other times you just want to shout at her and ask her what on earth she is doing.

This book deals with very important topics in a delicate way, trigger warnings for mental health issues