I found this salacious and quite unpleasant. Sorry. I try to think there is a reader for every book - and I'm sure many people will enjoy this but i really couldn't recommend it to anyone.

There has been lots of buzz around The Recovery of Rose Gold and rightly so. Wrobel has crafted something twisted, compelling and original in a genre that is crowded. This is inspired by the true story of Rose Gypsy Blanchard, a harrowing case of Munchhausen by proxy and murder, which was adapted into a Hulu TV show, The Act. This is a case that has earned much notoriety and popularity in mainstream media. Wrobel has taken this familiar story and innovated it: what if Rose Gold didn't kill her mother, instead her mother got arrested and sentenced? That's where this story takes off from.
There are two main narrators. Patty Watts, mother of Rose Gold, who has been released from prison and forgiven by daughter. She leaves prison to move back in with Rose Gold and her baby. But is Patty trying to regain back control of her daughter and grandchild?
Then the story flashes back to just after Patty got sentenced and we follow Rose Gold trying to move on with her life and navigating the world for the first time. She's free from her mother, yet alone for the first time, innocent and naive in a tough world. Will she cave into her mother's words that still linger at the back of her mind?
This is a character-driven story about the power struggle between a mother and daughter. It examines the dark side of the mother-daughter relationship, and how our upbringing shapes who we become and how difficult it is to escape it with themes of fate, and how our relationship with our parents sets a precedent for our life therefore asking the question how much of our future is predestined by our past? What I highly admired about this novel is the voices of the characters particularly Patty's who is a fireball, acerbic and eagle-eyed, her interior prose is shocking, yet compelling and assured of itself. This is a brilliant novel that places the mother-daughter relationship in a new light, bringing out of the shadows the darker side of maternal love. A knock-out debut, confident and assured. I highly recommend this.

Loved the book!!

"Once upon a time, they said, a wicked mother gave birth to a daughter. The daughter appeared to be very sick....."

For 18 years nobody could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold. She was in and out of the hospital until the truth finally came out. There was nothing wrong with her....it was all her mother's doing. Poisonous Patty was thrown into jail and finally, Rose Gold could live a normal life.....or was that possible after 18 years of abuse.
Then its 5 years later and Patty is released and none other than Rose picks her up and lets her stay with her. But Rose has a family of her own now. She has a baby boy.....*insert music from Jaws*

A very well written story that will make a wonderful movie as well! We sometimes hear about Munchausen syndrome and I find it a fascinating subject. Why would people; and mostly mothers; do this to their children? They should be the ones who are fiercely protective over their children and how will it affect these children later in their lives.

I did see the little throwaway clue right at the beginning of the book so I did predict the twist in the end but I'm sure most people will miss it. Stephanie Wrobel has a bright future ahead of her as an author. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a really chilling story that did grip me, but it was based on the true story of Rose Gypsy Blanchard, a harrowing case of Munchausen by proxy and I felt what I was reading I know all about, this could be be because I watched a lot on the true case of Gypsy Blanchard which would explain it. That been said it was really nice writing and a really engrossing story, so I do recommend it.

Brilliant with a super twist at the end, this I could not put down and read it in a couple of days. I liked the way all the loose ends were finished off. Great characters with good descriptive writing. I really enjoyed reading this.

This one is a chilling look at a condition I have always found so fascinating _ Munchausen by Proxy. It is a really intense and at times very disturbing read that left me thinking about it for a long time. I definitely want to read more from this author.

One of my favourite things about The Recovery of Rose Gold is the way @stephaniewrobel plays with the idea of a victim narrative. She doesn’t let Rose Gold be the ‘model victim’ - instead she highlights the cycle of abuse, how learned behaviours can affect a person as they develop, and she allows Rose Gold to as vile as she wants to be.

This book starts where many others end - the crime has been committed, justice has been served, and after a childhood of being told she was sick and treated as so, Rose Gold is now in her early twenties, working a crappy job and taking pleasure in simple things: reading magazines, eating as many different meals at once as she can, watching films that aren’t just Disney.
Her mother Patty has served five years of a prison sentence for neglect and endangerment of a child - for poisoning and starving Rose Gold, specifically.
Now Patty has served her time, she’s desperate to fix her relationship with Rose Gold and be part of the family again, and Rose Gold, living with her new baby in Patty’s childhood home, is more than happy to have her mum move in with her.

Didn't really grab me, and I'm disappointed about that because I'd heard good things about it. I didn't particularly care about the key characters and gave up a third of the way in.

This psychological thriller takes us inside the heads of two complex and manipulative women. Patty Watts has been released from prison after serving 5 years for aggravated child abuse. The victim was her daughter Rose Gold who suffered a restricted childhood marred by debilitating illness. Patty is pleased when Rose Gold, now a mother herself, offers her a place to stay and the chance to reconcile. However, the situation takes a dark turn.


I enjoyed the themes of this debut. There are definite Gone Girl vibes with characters that are compelling and frightening in their willingness to embrace extremes, the normal rules don't apply as they risk absolutely everything in order to gain the upper hand.


Obsession, lies, revenge. Control. Rage. Mother/daughter bond. This is satisfyingly dark and twisted!

The recovery of Rose Gold is a dark and very uncomfortable read at times, but it is 100% worth it.

Patty Watts, a devoted Mother is about to be released from prison, after serving 5 years for the aggravated child abuse of her only daughter Rose Gold Watts.

Rose Gold Watts has struggled to rebuild her life whilst her Mother has been imprisoned, and isn't sure how she should feel about her imminent release.

Rose Gold has spent the last five years learning how to be a 'normal' human being, after spending her whole life up until the point of her mother's imprisonment believing that she was incredibly sick.

The truth is, that she was never sick at all, and every one of her many ailments was a fabrication of her Mother's imagination.

Split the points of view of both Patty and Rose Gold, the recovery of rose gold, gives us a fascinating fictional insight into both the minds of the abused and the abuser.

Both points of view will really get under the skin of the reader, but for very different reasons. This isn't a book that everyone will love, but it's one that everyone should read.

This was a brilliantly unsettling read. With grey and very unlikeable characters and a compelling storyline, I finished this book in a day.
With dual perspectives and dual timelines, the book follows a previously abused young woman called Rose Gold and the mother that abused her, both whilst the mother is in prison and once she is released.
Both main characters were deeply flawed and yet you could feel sympathy for both of them while simultaneously disliking them both.
Without giving too much away I found the ending wonderfully unpredictable. Through the majority of the book, I found myself holding my breath because I knew something bad was around the corner.
It was a brilliantly quiet edge of your seat read.

Rose Gold has been ill all her life - her life restricted by feeding tube, wheelchair, spells of dizziness - and her mother Patty has always been at her side, poisoning her, making her sick. Now Rose Gold is free, living her life, her mother locked in prison. But after five years, Patty is out, ready to make amendments. Or even out the score. Who knows. But Rose Gold invites her to stay with her, so surely, their relationship is on the mend?

Where do I start with "The Recovery of Rose Gold". In all fairness, I should say you should stop reading this review, start reading the book instead and find out yourself what a creepy and messed up thing it is. Firstly, the narrators. Patty Watts is a self-centred, narcissistic liar. Her story is full of excuses, half truths, denials and feelings of being unfairly wronged. You cannot stop feeling disgusted by her stories, but there are some grains of doubt that keep on worming their way into your mind. Rose Gold is clearly a victim, whose childhood abuse left lonely, socially awkward and without a guidance. As we follow Rose Gold's story following her mother's imprisonment and her mother's narration in a present day, e realise that there is definitely something wrong in their apparent reconciliation. Neither narrator is truthful nor particularly pleasant, and the reader soon realised they are simply being manipulated into believing both and neither of them at the same time. The story is twisted, unpleasant to read in places, but between making you want to cringe and shudder in disbelieve, it hooks you completely and is simply unputdownable. It might be difficult to read in places by some as it deals with child abuse and FDIA (know previously as Münchhausen by proxy), but it is also a great story of the relationship between mother and daughter, of what makes us dependant on one another, and if forgiveness and moving on is possible in face of the crime.

If you are looking for a cracking read with themes of obsession and revenge, read "The Recovery of Rose Gold". It is a dark, unpleasant and twisted book that will hold you at the edge of your seat.

The Recovery of Rose Gold is dark and disturbing. It’s a slow-paced psychological thriller that starts the day Patty Watts, a mother convicted of a child abuse, is released from prison. We get to follow the story from two points of view - mother and daughter, which I really liked.
I found it hard not to feel sorry for Rose Gold, even though she was not not as innocent as you may think at first. All in all, I found that once the story got going, I was desperate to find out how it ends, and the ending didn’t disappoint!
3.5⭐️

What an incredible story, I was well and truly hooked!

Patty Watts is being released from prison following a five year sentence. Before being imprisoned she had was the sole carer for her daughter Rose Gold. Rose was born with multiple health problems and so as a result she was home schooled.

But on her release Patty goes to live with Rose who has bought a place specific to Patty's own damaged past.

As for the rest of the plot, I am not going to spoil it for you but urge you to read this clever novel for yourself.

This was a book I heard about online and oh my goodness, it didn’t disappoint. I couldn’t put this down and finished it in 24 hours. The story of Rose Gold and her mother is gripping, it’s tense and an incredible story. The fact that elements of this was based on a true story is even more frightening. I had huge empathy for Rose Gold and her plight and the hatred towards her mother was huge. I wanted more to read, I couldn’t get enough! If you want a page turner.. read this!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was fast moving and gripping. A fantastic psychological thriller which was a real page turner. Considering the subject matter, Munchausen system by proxy , it was a very easy read and the ending was very cleverly written. I would thoroughly recommend this book.

With thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

The book began with the release of Patty Watts from prison. Patty had previously been the sole carer for her daughter Rose Gold. Rose had been born with multiple health problems which left weak and needing a wheelchair. Patty home schooled Rose Gold whilst also making sure to help the elderly in her small town.

When Rose Gold was eighteen her best friend Alex realised Patty was poisoning her friend. Patty was sentenced to five years in prison for child cruelty after Rose Gold gave evidence against her in court.

When Patty was released from prison Rose Gold invited her to stay with her and her baby Adam.. Patty was shocked when she realised Rose Gold had bought Patty`s old childhood home. The place where Patty had been physically abused as a child, and the home where her elder brother committed suicide.

Patty was dismayed when Rose Gold refused to eat meals she cooked and didn't trust her with Adam. Meanwhile Patty found herself shun by her old neighbours who were unhappy she had returned to her childhood home..

When Rose Gold started to complain her mother was poisoning her again, the community decided to keep a close watch on Patty.

I only have two words for The Recovery of Rose Gold - devilishly brilliant!

The story was told from the POV of Patty and Rose Gold. With Rose Gold her story is told from flashbacks when Patty was first remanded in prison.

Although it was never named Patty definitely had Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy but I also think she was generally unlikeable. Once she realised she would be living with Rose Gold and Adam she was bidding her time before she could take over the roost again.

I i initially felt sorry for Rose Gold, she just wanted to be loved and accepted but her faith was abused at every turn. Unfortunately without giving too much away the Apple didn't fall far from the tree.

This was a brilliant story about a silent battle against mother and daughter. I absolutely loved the twist I didn't see it coming.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I thought this book had a good premise but maybe needed a little extra to really engage with the material. I knew from the outset that there would be a twist and had a pretty good idea what it migjt be (though I didn't see the baby coming). However I think mostly I feel that Wrobel didn't use the opportunity to delve into the psyche of a family dealing with Munchausen's by proxy as I would have appreciated more of a deep dive into the Patty character.

I receieved this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

"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?"

The story was sick and twisted...and I loved it! From the start, I didn't know who to feel sorry for, who to believe, who was the psycho; everything you want in a psychological thriller!

The story is told by alternative points of view, mother Patty and daughter Rose Gold, and every time the point of view changed, so did my feelings for both of the characters, and who I did and didn't believe. The use of flashbacks in Rose Gold's POV really helped set the scene and tell the story. It isn't a fast-paced book, but the alternative POV were enough to keep my attention, as was the gripping story.

I'm looking forward to more novels by Stephanie Wrobel!

Rose Gold Watts has spent her entire life in a wheelchair. She's spent years being abused by her mother, Patty. Patty served five years in prison for abusing her daughter. But on her release, Patty goes to live with Rose and her infant son.

This book is based on a true story about Dee Dee Blanchard and the munchausen by proxy. A story about a mother/daughter relationship. This is an interesting read with a gripping plotline. I didn't like Patty or Rose. Indid feelmsorry fork Rose and all that she had to endure. The ending was a little far fetched but I still liked the book which covers: bullying, self-harm, eating issues and suicide. What a great debut novel this is.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Penguin Books (UK ) and the author Stephanie Wrobel for my ARC in exchange for an honest review