I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I always, always look forward to this author's books, and I certainly wasn't disappointed.
What a read! This book had me gripped, and on edge the whole way through. I'm not even a parent, and this book gave me a lot of anxiety to read. Being told that the child isn't yours, and was in fact swapped at birth?!?! Just heart-stoppingly devastating.
I really felt for the characters and desperately hoped for a happy ending!
And that ending?!?!
Another outstanding read from this author. Can't wait for the next!

Well, its been a while, but after initially reading the first 15% last night, I have devoured the rest of it today!
What an absolute page turner. The build up of tension is almost unnoticeable to the point that before you know it you are halfway through and can't put it down!
Brilliant characters and a scary, yet believable story about two premature babies being swapped in the NICU not long after their births.
Two years later, Pete gets a knock on his door with the news that no parent wants to hear, that the son he and his wife have raised for the past two years isn't theirs.
What follows is the story of how they try to resolve the situation with the other family and how far each will go to make sure that their children are safe.
Gripping, addictive and will make you wonder how far you would go to protect your family.

4.5 Stars from me

I swear I read this entire book with my mouth open in a shocked pose!

My mind raced with 'what would I do...?', I know this eventuality is incredibly rare but the fact that it does actually happen is mind blowing. How do you ever deal with that - whatever you chose is essentially wrong! How unthinkably awful.

Much like in The Girl Before, JP Delaney has penned an absolute stonker of a psychological thriller which will leave you reeling.

There are high levels of tension throughout and once I got started and 'the swap' had been discovered I read and read and read until the book was done - I had to see how it all turned out. I had plenty of theories on how it would end but none of them was right!

Super gripping - the perfect distraction from the Lockdown and the heat right now!

JP Delaney is such an amazing writer, this book is like nothing I have ever read before. I read this book in one day, I just couldn't get enough.

"What if you found out that your family isn't yours at all? How far would you go to protect them?"

Peter and Maggie have a 2 year old called Theo. After full time dad, Pete, comes back from dropping Theo off at nursery theres a knock at the door. The man, Miles, is standing at the door and looks exactly like his 2 year old, accompanied by a private investigator. They explain, with a DNA test that Theo isn't actually their son. Miles explains that there has been a mix up wile the two children were being transferred to the NICU. This means that Peter and Maggie's biological son, David is living with Miles and Lucy Lambert.

This runs smoothly at first and it looks like the families will come to a mutual agreement regarding the children, choosing not to swap them but have an active role in both of their lives. Unfortunately after some boundary issues from Miles it's clear that things are going to be complicated.

This type of storyline is not one i would normally pick up, but after reading another by the same author that I couldn't put down, I was intrigued. I just couldn't put the book down, I wanted to know how everything would unravel and the fate of the children. Such a perfect blend of posological thriller and family drama.

Wow - I absolutely loved this. It was definitely one of those books that once you start you literally can't stop - a real page-turner.

It's a really difficult book to talk about without spoiling the plot but what I can say is that it was a real roller-coaster. There were so many twists and turns and different elements to this story. The author says in the acknowledgement that he wanted to write about ordinary people who try to resolve a near-impossible situation with compromise and dialogue. And, that's Pete and Maddie - two completely normal people, both with good qualities and flaws, who try to play nicely in the nightmare situation of finding out their son is not theirs, and another polar opposite couple is bringing up their birth son.

And, you gotta feel for poor Maddie and Pete as they reel from one mishap to another. Granted they bring a lot of it on themselves, but the things that happen to them are all fairly innocuous in themselves and the type of things that could happen to anyone but they take on a different meaning and importance in court. Its a terrifyingly view of how quickly events can escalate into a legal nightmare. For example, in court googling parenting advice is no longer normal, responsible behaviour but can be used as a sign of incompetence. What I liked is that I too read something and thought nothing of it but then later got a feeling of dread as I suddenly realised how it was going to play out just before it did. I was kept in an almost constant state of anxiety as the tension built and built as the story twisted and developed towards its conclusion.

I've not read this author before (I definitely will be in future) but apparently this is quite different to his previous work although I understand his stories are always base on ethical quandaries. And, this one was truly thought-provoking exploring a variety of hard-hitting topics including mental illness, gender roles in parenting, nature vs nurture, and child protection.

The psychopathy test was a nice touch.....and I'm pleased to say I'm not. But, it was enlightening to understand there's scales of psychopathy and the impact of nature vs nurture on someone's likelihood of becoming a psychopath.

I don't feel that I've done this book justice with my review but as I said it's so hard to explain why it's so good without giving anything away. I will just urge you read it yourself and it's undoubtedly the best psychological thriller I've read this year.

I found this book a slow burner which took me a long while to get into. I usually really like this author but this novel was a disappointment. Just ok and not the gripping storyline I had expected. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Wow. A fast-paced psychological thriller that doesn’t let you pause for breath.

One day there’s a knock on the door, when you open it, the stranger on the doorstep tells you that there was a mix up in the hospital and your child isn’t actually yours....

Playing Nice by JP Delaney
I am fast becoming a big fan of this author. I enjoyed every minute of this book. You are straight into the baby swap storyline, and quickly get to know the characters. I was suspicious of them all!
Well written, with great characters, I especially liked his well Miles was written, I felt the right amount of love, hatred and pity for the characters.
I read this book in two sittings, and just had to keep going to find out the conclusion, which had my head spinning!
Loved it, loved it, loved it.

This is a fast-paced thriller that asks the question – what would you do if you find out your child is not actually yours? I thought the book handles the idea deftly, balancing the seriousness of the issue with enough juicy drama to keep the plot moving. It brings up questions of nurture vs nature, and the legality and morality of taking away a child from his family based on biological reasons.

Pete and Maddie are interesting protagonists who are hiding secrets from each other, but they are united in their fight to keep their son, Theo. Miles Lambert and his wife Lucy are the other couple who have raised Pete and Maddie’s biological son, David. The book shows both couples dealing with the painful possibility that they might lose the only child they have ever known. The book feels plausible for the most part and it’s obvious that the author has done his research. However, I thought the ending is too neat and wishful. There’s a psychological aspect to the story that I didn’t find thoroughly convincing.

Overall, Playing Nice is a thrilling family drama that asks interesting questions on what it means to be a family.

The biggest fattest five shiny starts from me! This was a fabulous book, the story-telling so compelling as we get to know and understand the four main characters. And what a gob-smacking premise - your premature child was swapped with another at birth and you only find out when the child is two. How on earth could this situation be handled? Not well is the answer! It's a complex and shocking story that had me gasping at the outrageous behaviour, not only of the couples but of the legal justice system as well.. Completely gripping and one of my top reads of the year!

A brilliant storyline and characters. I raced through this book in one day. It had me wondering what I would have chosen. Keep the son I’d brought up for two years or exchange for the one I gave birth to? I THINK I know but ......

The premise of this book is that Pete and Maddie discover a parent's nightmare - that their baby was mis-labelled in the hospital and given to another couple. But their initial efforts to work amicably with the other parents to resolve the issues over the two children's future disintegrate as it becomes clear that the other father is a seriously disturbed person.

Their situation spirals as simple incidents are blown out of context and used as evidence of their poor parenting and unsuitability to be the best parents for Theo. It is chilling how quickly the evidence mounts, and the reader is made uncomfortable by the manipulations of Miles.

I could not put the book down, its a really gripping read. Really enjoyable, in a car crash sort of way! A great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story of two couples, whose two year old sons turn out to have been mistakenly swapped at birth, was an interesting premise. However, there are too many implausible courses of action, and omissions of actions, which in my personal view, most parents would not have followed unquestioningly.
Pete and Maddie appear to accept whatever Mikes and Lucy tell them, without any investigation of their own. This would be a devastating revelation for any parent, but Pete and Maddie just accept it.
This scenario did not ring true for me, and I found the narrative slow and plodding, and the characters not very appealing. Disappointing, as JP Delaney is an excellent writer.
Sadly this one was not for me.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

Wow. Wow. Wow.

I rate books very highly but this has been the first book to have me actually mutter "what the..." as it hits its peak. What an incredible book this was.

It follows Maddie and Pete and their son Theo as they navigate through modern parenting with a two-year-old. Pete is the primary parent which already had me relating to it so much as I have taken on the role of Working Mum in my own life, as well as experiencing a traumatic birth and experiencing a mental health breakdown in the weeks and months following my daughters birth. To say I related to Maddie is an understatement. It was like I was reading my biography. I found this fairly tricky to read in the beginning as it was so similar to my real-life experience and it triggered a lot of emotions in me.

To say I am glad I stuck with the book is an understatement. It is a parent's worst nightmare to think two babies are switched at birth and then to have said other parent knocks on your door and tell you this. It is earth-shattering.

My heart was beating out of my chest and my stomach in knots by the end. I am so so happy with the ending and I won't reveal it. This is a MUST READ for 2020. Well any year. If anyone stumbles across this book, read it.

Thanks Netgalley for giving me an ARC of this and thank you for JP Delaney for another fantastic thriller.

Pete and Maddie have a two year old son, Theo. Born prematurely, he is now 2, and life seems fairly ordinary. Perhaps he's not very good at sharing, and perhaps he's being threatened with expulsion from nursery for hitting other children - but he's 2 so it's not that big a deal is it? Pete is a stay at home dad, and there is nothing that could have prepared him for the knock on the door that is about to throw his whole world upside down.

Enter Miles Lambert. He has a 2 year old son David. Born on the same day and at the same hospital as Theo. And he's come to tell Pete that somehow their two boys got mixed up and Theo is not Pete's son. David is. In shock and reeling, the two families initially agree that they will work together to ensure the best outcome for their sons. But it soon becomes clear that Miles is a cold-blooded control freak who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. As he twists and manipulates every conversation in an attempt to take Theo away from Pete and Maddie, it's clear that playing nice isn't going to cut it.

As Pete and Maddie work together to get to the truth, it's clear there is only one person who can help them - Miles's wife Lucy. When she reveals a hidden secret, it's the answer to all their prayers, and there is finally hope that justice may be served. But not by playing nice.

An interesting concept, brilliantly executed, this is a thriller that grips the reader from the outset. How far would you go to protect all that you hold dear?

This is a gripping psychological thriller with family at it’s centre.
Pete answers the door to two strangers but little does he know, this visit will change his life for good.
The visitors tell him that he is not his little boy’s biological father and his son was swapped whilst in NICU when he was born prematurely. His actual biological son is being raised by one of the visitors, Miles.
Miles says he’s done a DNA on Theo and he’s definitely his son and not Petes. Pete’s partner Maddie is gobsmacked by the revelation and doesn’t know what to do next.
Miles is keen for the two families to meet with the children both present but it’s a strange meeting.
Things start off ok but soon Miles is overstepping the mark and Pete doesn’t know what to do.
Soon it’s clear that Miles has his own agenda and a custody battle for the two boys ensues.
I can’t say any more as it would spoil it but trust me, this is a gripping drama that definitely has the psychological thriller elements in it too.
A great read.
Thanks to Quercus Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Totally loved this book and raced through it in a few days. A couple experience the ultimate nightmare of another couple turning up on their doorstep to tell them that their two premature babies were switched at birth. Excellent - you won't want to put it down.

Pete answers his door one morning, to a stranger telling him his child is not really his! There was a mistake at the hospital which resulted in two pre-mature babies being mistakenly tagged and sent home with the wrong parents.
It can’t get much worse right? But it quickly takes a turn for the worse when the two couples agree to try for an amicable relationship for the sake of the two children. What starts off as an unlikely friendship soon turns into an absolute nightmare.

This book touches upon the many questions of nature versus nurture and how parenting can maybe define a young child’s life. It is a real thought-provoking thriller, full of suspense that had my totally gripped.

I am quickly becoming a huge fan of J.P Delany, it is a while since I dipped into a thriller and this one certainly kept me guessing.

*Thank you to Netgalley & Quercus Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read and enjoyed all of JP Delaney's books thus far and i was very pleased to discover that this novel also held up.
The premise of Playing Nice is just as interesting and unique as its predecessors and was executed really well.
This story was thrilling and captivating throughout.

Thank you to the publisher, author and to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow where to start with this cliffhanger of a story. I have devoured it in one day.
So what would you do if you were taken into a private hospital many weeks before the birth of your child as they were due to arrive too early. Things are confused and you are went to A&E at the NHS hospital and your baby sent to NICU. Would they survive? What is another mother arrived the same day?
This is the situation that two couples find themselves in. Each arrive at A&E and their boys are very ill. Neither appears to have a name tag.
Two years later Miles Lambert appears at the door of stay at home dad Pete to tell him that his son is not his and the boys were switched at the hospital.
Initially the two families appear to get along and are trying to form bonds, but something or someone malevolent brings terror and disruption to all of their lives. The couples are done playing nice.
What a fabulous and intriguing story. It plays on the heartstrings and showcases how families suffer from mental illness, alcoholism, cruelty and love and ultimately just how far we will go to protect our children.
5 stars for an amazing book.