Sadly, although I have loved previous JP Delaney books I couldn't finish this one. I could not engage with the characters nor could I agree that the scenario that is the premise of the tale could actually happen. So incredulity and lack of empathy drove me to quit half way through. I do apologise but life is too short to stagger through books that one is not enjoying. I feel bad.

My heart rate was so high the entire time I was reading this book - it was so psychologically intense. I stayed up past 1am to finish reading and woke up the next day still thinking about it! Pete is the stay at home dad who finds out his birth son was switched at birth - but him and his wife Maddie think sticking to the status quo would be best for both families. Their son Theo is boisterous, doesn’t respond to being told off and Pete spends way too much time asking a Dads forum online for help. Miles and Lucy however, who have Petes birth son David, seem to be struggling with the boundaries of parenting both boys.

The storyline was great but the characters in this book sort of fell flat for me in comparison with JP Delaneys previous books. None of the characters are particularly likeable; Pete and Maddie really don’t seem to have the strongest of marriages and to be honest, I got the impression they weren’t at all bothered about what happened to David - there were a few too many dark joke references to them ‘winning’ the healthy son and neither seemed keen to forge a relationship with him. Miles is the classic psychopath and it’s written very well - but I wondered in one ‘dinner party’ chapter why Pete and Maddies friends sat around and watched instead of providing assistance. I would have liked to have read more about Lucy’s character - particularly at the end of the book.

This has got to be one of the most maddening and frustrating (in a good way) books I’ve ever read. How many bad things can happen to a person? Read Playing Nice and you’ll find out the answer is A LOT. Mr. Delaney certainly knows how to write a compelling story that keeps you glue to the pages and how to create believable and three dimensional characters to hate and root for. My only (small) let down was the ending cause I thought it was building up to something more explosive but it was satisfying nonetheless.

Every parents worst nightmare when Maddie and Peter learn their little boy isn't actually theirs. A mix up at the hospital means they're raising someone else's child. The families try to make it work but it soon becomes clear everything is not what it seems in either family.

This was such a good read. It instantly draws you in and you just have to know how it ends. The plot is quite fast moving and the end is very cleverly done. Speaking of the ending wow what a series of twists there was to finish the story. In fact the whole story is twisted. You can never be sure just what will happen next which I loved. The writing is detailed and decriptive. I liked the addition of the various extracts from the court hearing dotted through the story. Everyone has their faults and flaws which makes it real but I did soon warm to Pete. A brilliant twisty thriller.

I always go into thrillers not reading the synopsis so I'm surprised by the plot etc. I did the same with this one and it was SO GOOD.

Pete is going about his everyday life as a stay at home Dad when the mysterious Miles knocks his door. Miles drops the bombshell that their sons were swapped at birth in the hospital. They come to the agreement to keeps things as they are not to cause upset to the children. Everything seems great until Miles starts to become more and more forceful. Things take a dark turn when Miles takes Pete to court. Will Pete be able to keep his son or will he be forced to hand him over to Miles?

This is my first J.P Delaney book and I was blown away. The writing style got you hooked on the story within the first couple of pages. The pacing was brilliant throughout, I finished a chapter and had to keep reading because I needed to find out what happened next.

The characters were all believable and it was nice to see the role reversal of stay at home Dad and slightly distant mother. Miles was an excellent villain and he really fit into the businessman 'psychopathic traits' persona.

I loved that we also got to see all the notes, statements and interviews for the court proceedings too and how things were twisted and how opinions varied for all the outside sources.

I thought the story was going one way and then I would be hit by a plot twist. There were more than a couple in here that I really didn't see coming.

This would have been a five star read for me except I felt the court case was concluded too conveniently, although, I think this was probably based on conclusions from real life cases.

Overall, I really can't recommend this enough. I can't wait to go back and read this authors backlog!

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a copy to read.

What would you do if you found out that the child you have been raising and loving for the past two years is not yours? That your biological son was swapped at birth and he’s being raised by two strangers? After the initial shock, Pete and Maddie decide to make the most of the situation and welcome Lily and Miles, the biological parents of their son Theo, into their lives. From the beginning the two families seems to get along fine, after all, they have the same goal: do what’s best for the children. However, as times passes, Miles seems to get himself more and more involved in Theo’s life, turning up unannounced at Pete and Maddie’s door, organizing holidays together, and deciding which school Theo should go to. Soon, they find out that when things don’t go his way, Miles’s charming and friendly attitude can turn dark and he would do anything to get what he wants.

I am not a parent, so I wouldn’t know how I would react if something like that happened to me, but JP Delaney’s insightful descriptions of Pete and Maddie’s feelings throughout the ordeal are heartbreaking and sincere. Although there were times where I didn’t really like these two characters, I really felt for them as they risked to lose their son twice: first at childbirth, as he was born premature and they didn’t know if he would survive, and then in their fight with Miles.

Pete seems the too-good-to-be-true guy. Gentle, caring, nice, trying to see the good in people and always accommodating. Maddie, on the other hand, is a more complex character. She struggled with motherhood, the difficult birth and post-partum depression, and her love for Theo. At times, she seems distant and cold and she is hiding something.

Playing Nice is a compelling, thrilling, and psychological story about parenthood and family drama. It is full of twists that keep you on the edge of the seat until the very end and ask the question: what would you do to protect your child? And, in a battle between nature vs nurture, who would win? Genetics or the child’s upbringing?

A huge thank you to Ella and Quercus for providing me with a copy of the novel.

I was hooked since the first pages and couldn't put it down.
I rooted for Peter and Maddie, was kept on the by the growing tension and loved every moment of the story.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last as I loved.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Creepy,, dark and compelling reading. The characters in this story, particularly Miles are brilliant and totally believable. All the twists are really well written and kept me reading. This is a memorable read which I would definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Delaney consistently writes intelligent, page-turning thrillers. This one is a combination of a family drama and a psychopathic threat. Parents Pete and Maddie are approached by Miles and Lucy, who devastate their lives with the revelation that the two year-old child they have raised, Theo, is not theirs. The tags on the two couples' babies were wrong at the hospital.
At first they try to share the children but differences in parenting expectations and the children's futures make this impossible. Miles and Lucy's David was born with added complications which mean he needs specialist care. Theo shows hereditary behavioural traits similar to Miles - early signs of psychopathy.
The odds are stacked against Pete and Maddie, as Miles is a cold-hearted winner who stops at nothing to implicate them as bad parents and not suitable to continue to bring Theo up. Once the system starts, it shows how difficult it is for parents to get it right. Social Services and Family Arbitration is portrayed as quite uncaring and in a negative light, but the author does state at the end that for every horror story there are a dozen stories of empathy and caring by officers in the most difficult circumstances.

A thriller that has a simple premise and one that is relatable to parents in a what would I do way. This makes this story all the more engaging than others I have read recently.

A great read that will have your emotions flying about all over the place. As psychopaths go, Miles is certainly up there with the best of them. You really wouldn’t want to be up against him. You can’t help but route for Maddie and Pete, even though they really don’t help themselves. It just goes to show how easy it is to make someone look bad. A real page turner. Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for letting me read and review this book.

Maddie and Pete experience every parent’s worst nightmare when Miles Lambert arrives on their doorstep and announces that the little boy, they have raised for the past two years isn’t theirs. Theo was in fact swapped in the hospital with Maddie and Pete’s real son David. In a truly unique situation, all four parents decide its best for the children to remain with the people who have raised them until that point. They feel there is a way to be in each other’s lives without involving the courts. However, what starts out as amicable relationship soon becomes fraught and we follow Maddie and Pete as secrets and lies become unearthed with things taking a very dark turn.

This was my first J.P.Delaney book and I was unsure what style of this book would be. I would describe it as a domestic drama with some dark twists and turns that make it veer into the thriller zone. The concept of this story really appealed to me be as it sounded very unique and unlike anything I had read before. It turned out to be quite a wilds ride. Once I was about 20% of the way in, I could not put it down and read the bulk of it in a couple of days. It really was so compelling, and I was completed absorbed in seeing how it played out.
We follow two couple who are thrust into the truly awful situation of learning their children they have both been raising are not actually theirs. Both Maddie and Lucy gave birth to premature, sick babies in a private hospital before being transferred to an NHS hospital and somewhere along the way their children were switched. I found this incredibly thought provoking as a basis for a story. With every decision the couples made, I was asking myself what I would do in the same situation, it really made me think.

The four main characters that this plot centres around made for extremely interesting reading. All of them, at one time or another come across as really unlikable or do things that as a reader I disliked. They were all certainly floored. However, despite this you cannot help but feel for them because of the situation they are in. This is particularly true of Maddie and Pete whose perspective the story is told from. I don’t want to give too much way, but it felt as if they ended up on a runaway steam train that they couldn’t get off of. They found out that a lie here or a silly choice there can lead to devastating consequences. I found I spent half of my time really sympathising with them and feeling frustrated for them and half of my time feeling frustrated with them thinking ‘No no, do not do that!’

Whilst the bulk of the story felt like a drama playing out, I loved the dark twists it took as the book went on and became more thriller like. I also appreciated how well passed it was with lots of well times secrets and reveals meaning I wasn’t waiting for the big twist at the end. I was constantly satisfied with little shocks I wasn’t expected as we went along. I also found I could not predict how the story would go and how it would end which I loved.

Overall, I found this such an interesting and compelling book. I haven’t read many domestic thrillers, but I really enjoyed seeing all the nitty gritty play out with solicitors, social workers and courts. It has made me excited to check out more books in this genre. I was completed absorbed and invested in the characters’ lives and was shocked throughout. I am definitely going to check out some more J.P.Delaneys previous works after reading this.

«Playing Nice» is my second book by J.P. Delaney. Last year I found one of his books – «The Girl Before» at the local thrift bookshop. Surprisingly, I read it a few days after the purchase [which never happens!] and even though I wasn’t head over heels for it, I still enjoyed it.

When I saw that he was publishing a new book this year, I of course immediately requested it and was very lucky to get approved. That being said, «Playing Nice» didn’t blow my mind either. J.P. Delaney’s books seem to be a very quiet sort of mystery. There wasn’t anything particularly thrilling about it. I didn’t stay up all night trying to finish this book. However, it was still entertaining in its own way.

Pete Riley and his partner Maddie just recently had their child [Theo] under very stressful and scary circumstances. Theo was born prematurely and had to be rushed to the NICU [The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit] right after birth. The doctor’s prognosis wasn’t very positive, as Theo’s brain was oxygen-deprived for quite some time.

That was 2 years ago. Theo is now two years old. He is a healthy, active little boy. Pete, who decided to go freelance after Theo’s birth, is his primary caretaker, and the day we meet him started like any other normal day. However, his whole life was turned upside down when he met Miles Lambert, Theo’s real father.

1 – The story based on switched-at-birth children was such an interesting one to follow! As this is all mentioned in the blurb and in the first couple of pages, I don’t consider it a spoiler. My main complaint when reading thrillers is that they don’t surprise me anymore. It feels like after reading so many books in the same genre, I kinda saw it all. I’m sure many of you can relate. But J.P. Delaney always finds new stories to explore. I was pleasantly surprised by a new plotline, something I haven’t seen being brought up before.

2 – There are certain thrillers that will make your heart pound (*cough* Megan Miranda *cough) and then there are others that won’t increase your heart rate but that are still fascinating to read. I’d call them the slow and calm thrillers (if that is even a thing). J.P. Delaney books (the two I read so far) are definitely on the slower side, but that doesn’t make them any worse than all others, instead, it makes them different.

I love to read a slower mystery / suspense novel from time to time, but my allegiance usually lays with faster-paced and more thrilling stories.

3 – The only downfall, for me, was the lack of truly interesting characters. Pete, Maddie, Miles, Lucy – all of them had so much potential. And I agree that the author did explore their personalities, but I wish he’d go even further. I wish there were more surprising revelations because as much as I liked the story itself, the characters were all very predictable. J.P. Delaney’s attempt to confuse the readers wasn’t that successful, and from the very beginning, I kinda knew how the story would end.

Overall, this was a very well-executed suspense novel (I wouldn’t call it a thriller), which might appeal to many readers.

I had super high expectations for this book and wow did it meet them! So the basic premise is that 2 Mums give birth to 2 baby boys on the same night in the same hospital. Everything is fine and dandy until 2 years later one of the Dads turns up at the house of the other family and claims that the boys were somehow switched in the hospital and they've been raising a child that isn't actually theirs! I mean, if that's not something that terrifies and grips any parent out there then I don't know what will. So the story progresses with the families trying to figure a way forward and how to blend their families so that both boys are involved with both sets of parents but then it all just starts to get really messed up. Things just build and build like a snowball rolling down a hill gradually gaining speed and getting bigger and bigger until BAM! There were so many OMG and WTF moments my mind was just racing. There's just this constant underlying feeling of dread and the thought that was constantly running through my mind was 'If this was me, what would I do and how far would I go?'
There's also this kind of theme of nature versus nurture and what makes a parent/family which makes you start questioning things.
I absolutely loved this book so much that the night I was reading it I couldn't put it down and had to force myself to stop reading until 01:30 and I had to be up for work at 05:15! Talk about a serious book hangover! But it was so worth it!

Theo’s birth is highly dramatic, much too early, the young boy has to be taken to intensive care while his mother Maddie is still weakened by the C-section. So, it’s Pete’s task to get familiar with all the machines and to take care of his little son. Despite the turbulent start, Theo develops much better than expected and Pete turns out to be the perfect father while Maddie struggles with her new role. Quite naturally, they decide to have Pete stay at home since his job is less well paid and he totally likes taking care of the boy. When one day Miles and his wife Lucy are in front of their door, they only have faint memories of the couple whose boy was born on the same day as Theo and who was also taken to an incubator. The reason for their visit will shake their lives: the boys were swapped and Theo actually is their biological son. What starts as a friendly encounter, since they all sit in the same boat, quickly turns into the most evil fight no parent would ever like to be in. And just like in war, Miles is willing to use any weapon available to get his boy.

A novel like a roller coaster ride, emotionally challenging and breath-taking, reading it caused me almost a night without sleep since I couldn’t put it away. It is a conflict which is unsolvable, yet, the way it all turns out is unbearable to read and makes you wonder the whole time: could this happen to me, too? What incriminating material would police find if they checked on my computer and mobile phone? And at the same time: this is so absolutely unfair, this cannot be true, but how often do you hear of those stories where institutions are simply wrong and easily fooled?

At the beginning, I was wondering if Maddie’s difficulties of bonding with her son would become the major focus of the novel, quite soon, this shifted when the core problem became known. You cannot say what to do in such a case and just like the protagonists, I would never have expected it all to turn out that way. It is sheer unbelievable how everything that happens is turned against Pete and Maddie, even the most harmless incidents become major reproaches and raise questions about their parenting. It isn’t illogical at all, that is the terrible realisation, from the characters’ point of view, they hardly have any other option than interpreting the signs in this way. It hurts reading it, it really hurts, first and foremost when you look at what the situation does to Pete and Maddie. I guess, at some point, I might have given up had I been in their shoes.

To call it a wonderful read would somehow be awkward, yet, it is a brilliantly crafted novel with a very interesting conflict and, above all, authentic and lively characters who could just be you or me. Even though it is fiction and as a thriller mainly aims at making you feel a cold shiver running down your spine, it is also a novel that makes you ponder a lot.

How would you feel as a parent of a two year old happily settled into family life, unconditionally loving that child only to be were told your child wasn’t biologically yours? That’s exactly the scenario for Pete and Maddie who have already been on a rollercoaster ride of emotion since the premature birth of son Theo, spending weeks in the NICU before beginning normal life as a family of three. Add to that Maddie’s spell of post partum psychosis and you can’t help feeling these two have had a rocky start to parenthood. You can imagine when stranger Miles Lambert turns up on their doorstep, claiming that Theo and his son David have been swapped at birth that this earth shattering news will be insurmountable. The burning questions are how has this happened, who is to blame and more importantly how are both families are going to deal with this highly unusual predicament? ‘Playing nice’ seems to be the mature way forward, lulling Pete and Maddie into a state of false security. It’s naivety on their part to believe the future can be so straightforward. As a reader your gut instinct warns you this is too good to be true and as the Lamberts quickly insinuate themselves into Pete, Maddie and Theo’s lives it’s inevitable that boundaries are crossed and a tenuous trust is broken. With life rapidly spiralling out of control this makes for a gripping, if anxiety inducing read.

The nature versus nurture debate was immediately at the forefront of my mind when reading this novel. Pete as primary career to Theo has to be commended for his dedication to honing his parenting skills and I loved his use of dad website to bolster his confidence. However as the storyline progresses and the reader gains further valuable insight into Miles character the nature element really comes into force with regards to Theo. Is it a case of like (biological) father like son? I enjoy a novel that provides food for thought and this is no exception.

For the majority of the time I spent reading this novel my blood pressure was gradually increasing to the point I could use the phrase ‘made my blood boil’ accurately! I felt intense anger and frustration not only towards the Lamberts (and Miles in particular) but also at the state’s role in this sorry state of affairs. My sympathy and loyalty never wavered away from Pete and Maddie since they were entirely at the mercy of Miles behaviour and the social worker involved as well as the lawyers. I’m not trying to cast judgement on the necessary role the state has to play in terms of child welfare but I could quite happily have swung for that social worker. Her overused refrain ‘don’t you see’ was patronising in the extreme and there would have been no playing nice as far as I was concerned. I did find it incredulous that two families could find themselves in such an unusual situation making me ponder the question ‘how would I deal with this’?? I think the answer is not very well!!! Automatically I was relating these fictional events to my own mother/daughter relationship knowing I would be fighting tooth and nail to preserve the status quo. It’s goes without saying that I felt sadness for the two little boys unwittingly caught up in this nightmare.

I loved the title of this book. I think it aptly describes saint Pete, as his wife affectionately calls him, who has to be admired for trying to be the better person in this bizarre situation, although his character isn’t without flaws. Wife Maddie comes across as a cold fish which may actually be a blessing in disguise whilst Miles made my skin crawl. Lucy Lambert seemed forever on the periphery, a figure overshadowed by her husband.
I adored Theo’s exuberance which was joyous although in reality I would have found him a challenge whilst David and his life limiting condition cuts a pitiful character by comparison.

There’s such a sinister element to the storyline with the author creating Miles as the perfect villain to despise. Manipulative, controlling, lacking in empathy and with a streak of evil running right through him, I loved how the plot thickens and becomes more complex, leaving the reader more aghast with each development.

The nature versus nurture element to the storyline would make this an interesting choice for a book club discussion. Although Playing Nice has received mixed reviews I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it, as a piece of fiction I think it’s well paced, with just enough suspense and it conjured up all kinds of emotions. The twists and turns aren’t as shocking or surprising as you might prefer or expect but I never lost interest. Perhaps the storyline is a little bit predictable in terms of its conclusion but that didn’t bother me at all. I simply felt relieved that I wasn’t at the centre of this unlikely scenario.
I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as his previous novel The Perfect Wife but nonetheless would still recommend.
My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

Pete & Maddie are blindsided one day on answering their door to a stranger claiming to be the father of their young son Theo. As they are forced to confront every parent's nightmare of an infant intensive care unit swap, comfort can at least be found through weathering the storm with a couple who seem aligned in wanting the best for the children. How will they cope; however, when forced to re-live the harrowing distress of Theo's birth and its ripple effects, as the Lamberts start to put their faith in them to the test...?

Wow, this was an emotional roller-coaster! JP Delaney has been a must buy author for me since I discovered The Girl Before a few years ago and was totally enchanted. I have been gripped by each book so far and ravenous for the next page, resulting in a guaranteed 24 hour finish. Playing Nice was no exception. Told from the dual perspectives of Pete & Maddie, the story is interspersed with court documents which give an inkling along the way to the precarious nature of the situation to which the couple are exposed. So emotive was the story that I yelled out loud at several points along the way, begging the characters not to succumb to the writing on the wall.

Whilst there was a clear path for the story trajectory from the opening chapters, it would be wrong to assume that this is in anyway a predictable tale. There are plenty of twists and surprises sprinkled throughout - enough to keep even the most committed thriller lover gripped. For anyone that knows me, I love a tidy ending and this book did not fail to deliver.

I'm so thankful to Netgalley, Quercus & JP Delaney for allowing me the honour to pre-read and review this book. Add this 5 star read to your TBRs - I am desperate to talk to people about it so please share with me your thoughts!

This is my first book by JP Delaney and it will not be my last. This author pulled me in straight from the start and I could not put the book down. How would you cope finding out your child is not your child, shocking and heartbreaking with very surprising twists.
A very clever and heart wrenching thriller which kept me intrigued until the very end. Very enjoyable read and highly recommended read.

What could be your worst nightmare as a parent? Your child getting hurt? Them not having any friends? Or perhaps, someone telling you that your own child, who you have given birth to and loved, isn't actually yours?

Theo had a traumatic entrance into the world, one that Pete and Maddie will never forget, but nothing trumps Miles Lambert showing up at their home with a private investigator and saying that Theo is actually his son, and they have theirs.

When both couples start to get friendly, Maddie senses that something isn't right. Apparently Theo and David were swapped at birth, but who would do such a thing and why are they only finding out about it now?

Miles and Lucy are lovely. They're charming, playful and Theo adores them, so why can't Pete shake the feeling that something is off with the pair?

Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney is the fourth book by the author and what an absolute gem it is. The day I received the ARC I nearly screamed! As you all know he, he has become one of my favourite authors. So a big thanks is in order for NetGalley and Quercus.

The book was very gripping from start to end. The chapters are quick so you fly straight through them and the story is narrated between Pete and Maddie. I feel this one is better than its predecessor, The Perfect Wife. There was certainly more of an edge to this and the plot was a lot darker than the last, I would say on the same parr as The Girl Before.

The plot is rich and equally creepy, I literally couldn't put it down and was reading into the early hours of the morning. The amount of twists in the story and how it all unfolds is genius, all the way to the end it had you suspecting but then it twists again and leaves you shocked!

The thing I love about JP Delaney's books is that the plots are so different to everything else on the shelves at the time they're published. Then there's the unique style of writing which just flows from the page and has you reading on and on far later into the night than you planned to.
In Playing Nice we are introduced to Maddie and Pete and their whirlwind son Theo who came bursting into the world far sooner than planned, plunging Maddie into a dark world of post partum psychosis. These events lead to Pete taking the role of stay at home dad while Maddie returned to work as the main breadwinner. It's on his return from taking Theo to his nursery placement that Pete and Maddie's world is turned upside down and well and truly shaken. Answering a knock at the door Pete is met by two men, one a private detective and the other his client Miles Lambert. They drop the bombshell that a DNA test has proven that Theo and another baby from the neonatal unit were switched not long after birth some 2 years earlier and it's time to try and rectify the situation somehow. Discussions start off extremely amicably but it's not long before we start to feel the mood change between the two couples.
The author has clearly done a lot of background research into how a switch might be possible at the hospital and the legalities of correcting such a traumatic event. The emotions felt by the parents, the practicalities of taking a toddler's best interests to heart, the whole situation is dealt with confidently and sensitively by the author and I was swept along as events took more and more sinister turns along the way.
Every single character was created with depth from the arrogant, pushy Miles to the officious social services staff who made me want to slap them with their box-ticking exercises and insinuations.
I find this author so easy to read despite some very tricky subject matter. I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl Before but feel that this is on another level again. You will want to put the Do Not Disturb sign up and lose yourself among the pages - and probably lynch Miles Lambert while you're at it!!

WOW, Wow, wow...absolutely loved this book!!

Imagining opening your door one day to a complete stranger who tells you that the little boy you have been calling your son for the last 2 years is in fact NOT your son!

Pete and Maddie were told one day by a total stranger that Theo there son was swapped/mixed up at birth and in fact is not there son. He belongs to Miles and Lucy who have there son David, who has special needs.

Both families decide to try be civil and make arrangements so that both families are involved in the boys lives and keep things as normal as can be. Until things become a complete mess.

This book is absolutely brilliant. I find lately that a lot of thrillers are so alike. They are all quite similar and this book was the total opposite. Nothing like I've read before, I couldn't put it down. It was so fast paced and so well written. I loved how it went from Maddies view to Pete's and then the court case in between. It had me guessing the whole time. A topic that is not likely to happen or be in the news and could have came across so far fetched was the total opposite. It was so real life and the author did this so well writing such a brilliant book. These book is an easy 5/5 for me.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and JP Delaney for this ARC copy in return for an honest review.