There were things I really, really enjoyed about this book. The storyline as an idea was great, the characters were extremely well crafted (some were very likeable, others less so, all had some flaws) and the story unfolded through the voices of Pete, Maddie and court transcripts. For me the plot slightly lacked drama, it was a slow build up (I didn’t actually mind that) to a slightly rushed ending. I would’ve liked some of the chapters to have given us the POV of Miles and Lucy too. All said it was a very enjoyable read and I would thoroughly recommend it. Thanks to netgalley for access to the arc

Playing Nice, J P Delaney. 4/5

What if you found out your family wasn’t yours at all? How far would you go to protect them? Pete Riley opens the door one morning to his worst nightmare, a stranger called Miles who reveals that his son isn’t actually his, but is in fact Miles’ son. Accidentally switched at birth. What follows unearths disturbing questions about the families involved, can they trust each other? The other parents? What do they all have to hide? What happens when they are done playing nice.

I LOVE J P Delaney, I am always here for any work he puts out. I absolutely love how he pivots on the “Thriller” genre. None of his books follow quite the same formula and I can never put them down, always finishing them in one sitting!

Playing Nice is a different kind of thriller yet again, from the moment Pete opens the door and Miles explains that Theo isn’t his child, that they’ve had their babies switched and the toddler he has raised, adored, loved and cherished for 2 years is not biologically his, but in fact, another child is, I had this feeling of absolute devastation and internal panic. It is so rare to find an author who can actually make you feel the way the characters do with such a real physical gut punch.

This again, is another thriller by J P Delaney with twist after twist after twist and just when you think the story has neatly wrapped itself in a bow, he delivers one final, brilliant knife to heart. Delaney is masterful with his craft, hooking you in immediately and keeping you hooked.

Excellent character development here as well, Delaney is skilled at writing both female and male perspectives credibly. Sometimes when writers juggle perspectives from both I find one narrative to be a little off, but not here, both perspectives flowed well together with distinctive voices.

His antagonist work here is excellent, I love finding an adversary I can truly hate and this story has a strong one. His research here is painstaking also.

It is hard to pick a favourite from Delaneys works, all are excellent, his quality doesn’t falter, but i think, on a personal level as a parent, this one strikes an even more terrifying chord.

This one is out August 6th and if you are a fan of Delaneys previous work or want to be hooked in by an unputdownable page turner, this is for you!

Thanks to #NetGalley, #JPDelaney and #QuercusBooks for my ARC of this book.

The premise of this book is every parents worst nightmare and it's a story i'd not come across before so i was very excited to read this. Unfortunately i feel the execution fell a little short. It was a very slow story and i didn't really connect with any of the characters. I found the main character rather annoying actually and as the story developed many parts of it felt unrealistic.

This was a very slow start for me. It look me to half way into the book to get into it. There were chapters through it that made no sense at all which was a little annoying. The characters werent as forth coming or as exciting throughout it. It did get interesting 3/4 of the way in and then the ending wasnt as big or dramatic as I thought it would have been. I heard some good things about this book but unfortunately it wasnt for me

As a mother I found this topic a little too distressing to read the book in full, however as with all of Delaney’s books the writing was fantastic and characters well thought out

What can I say about this book other than WOW! JP Delaney books never fail to shock and stun me and Playing Nice was no different. The storyline is clever and original and definitely keeps you guessing until the very last page. It is a twisty thriller. Just when you think that it can't get any worse you turn the page and bang! So good and I can't recommend it enough.

The nightmare begins one morning when Pete Riley answers the front door. Standing there is Miles Lambert and a private detective with news that will change his life forever. His son, Theo is not his biological son. Miles has proof that his son David and Theo were switched at the hospital almost 3 years ago. The 2 couples meet and decide that the best thing for the boys is to keep them as they are but for them to have part of both boys lives. All seems to be going well in the beginning, and then they decide to sue the hospital - and the real nightmare begins for Pete and his partner Maddie.

You will not believe what happens next, it will have you turning pages late into the night. Easily all the stars of this one

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for my advanced copy of this book to read.

I'm not normally into books centred around families with children. I don't have children, so I sometimes find it hard to relate to these kind of stories. That having been said, it wasn't much of a stretch to understand the horror of JP Delaney's Playing Nice.

This book is about the Rileys whose lives are spun upside-down when they find out that their little 2-year-old Theo, isn't their birth son. The person giving them this news is Miles Lambert, the father of the child. He in turn has a son, David, who isn't his natural son either. David and Theo were switched at birth.

I have to confess that my mind immediately started reeling. I was considering what I would do in this situation. I felt so bad for the Rileys and Lamberts for this conundrum. This is a story of nature vs nurture at its best.

The two families decide to entwine their lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional family. However, how easy is it to trust each other in this situation?

I really enjoyed this concept & plot. This is a horror story even people without kids can understand. The characters are believable and they are consistent. You know what they are made of and by the end of the novel you understand their motives. That's incredibly important in a hard-hitting slow-burning thriller like this.

The plot twists are mild, but incredibly shocking. They suit the story. It's not a conventional thriller, but it is insanely creepy. I couldn't put the book down because I couldn't wait to read what would happen next.

The story is told from three perspectives: Pete Riley, Maddie (his girlfriend) and court evidence. This provides an interesting mix of different and sometimes conflicting perspectives.

My rating isn't the full five stars, because I unfortunately didn't like Pete that much. He made decisions that at times frustrated me. These decisions often resulted in "twists" but those are the ones you can see coming from a mile. It didn't necessarily ruin the experience for me, but it was something that certainly dampened it for me a bit.

All-in-all I found it to be a great novel with a fantastic storyline. I have never read anything else by JP Delaney, but I'll immediately have a look through his previous books to see if something tickles my fancy.

Many thanks to the publisher Quercus Books and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!

A disturbing plot, characters you will love, characters you will hate, and some thrilling psychological writing that will keep you engrossed from the start. Add to that some intense family drama and a lot of introspection and you have yourself a captivating read.

With ‘Playing Nice’, we are thrown into a nightmare situation of the discovery of a baby swap two years on. Wow, I cannot even comprehend how I would handle the situation, and even though this book had me questioning myself throughout, I still do not know the answer, and I am glad I will never need to. Aside from that, the book also had my mind reeling on the subject of the psychopathy spectrum, how it affects children, and the merits of nature versus nurture when it comes to inherent, genetic predilections. Unfortunately (or fortunately perhaps), it also had me questioning the behaviour of myself and close friends when it comes to the spectrum. We will see where that leads…

Anyway, back to ‘Playing Nice’. Great, enjoyable read!

Oh My! What a concept for a book. Imagine one day opening your door to a man who looks just like your son and who goes on to say that he is his real father and that "your" son and "his" were swapped in hospital. Your sons being 2 years old at this stage. Well, Pete experienced just that when Miles arrived into his life, lawyer in tow as he explains how he is going to sue the hospital. Add in that the two children are both very different and require their own challenges medically and behaviorally, throw in an ultra competitive parent, some post natal depression, and submissive behaviour and you have yourself the startings of a very wild ride indeed that had me literally glued to the pages of this car-crash of a book. You know the ones, you want to know but at the same time you can't read!
Less is more going into this book. There is so much fun to have along the way with all the twists and turns it delivers, most with a high shock value, that going in blind is the way forward. I say fun, well, not fun exactly due to the subject matter, but you get what I really mean.
The characters are all really well drawn, some you like, others well... you'll see! But all believable within their own personalities and actions speak for those very well. Pacing is good and fits well with the narrative all the way through. There are quieter moments which I was thankful for as they gave me a bit of breathing space, but on the whole it got on with itself very well, ramping up for a quite shocking conclusion. It's quite heavy on the emotions but you'll realise that it's bound to be from the blurb.
All in all, a cracking book that I devoured in just one day. Can't wait to see what the author serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

WOW
How do I review this book and do it justice? I will try....

Pete and Maddie have a good life with their 2 year old son Theo
All is fine and dandy
Until one afternoon Peter opens the door to Miles, and his solicitor, who inform him that their children, Theo and David, were swopped at birth....and here is the DNA proof
Talk about a bombshell
It’s hard to describe how utterly compelling the next 400 pages are suffice to say your emotions and feelings will be churned and flung around as you discover at first the depths one of the 4 will go to to get what they want from the situation, this then changing to ‘what depths all 4 will go to’ as the book goes on
It’s fair to say I read a lot and it’s unusual for me to shout in frustration at a situation, this book made me, its so intensely done it really gets to you ( in a good way)
It’s brilliant, the whole thing, the characters, the atmosphere, the writing, the interesting factual side to what has happened ( past cases etc ) and the way the investigation into what has happened are told in such a way it keeps you entranced with every word
Expect a roller coaster and a feverish excited tense and amazing read right till the last full stop
AMAZING BOOK
10/10
5 Big Stars

I was lucky enough to get sent an advanced copy of ‘Playing Nice’,JP Delaney’s highly anticipated new psychological thriller, before its publication date for an honest review. Thank-you Netgalley and Quercus Books
!!!!!

I REALLY ENJOYED THIS BOOK, BUT I DIDN’T LOVE IT. This is due to the fact I’d mentally prepared myself for a crazier ending and this book was focused more on the unsettling journey of the characters rather than shocking twists. It’s not as dramatic as his previous thrillers ‘The Girl Before’ and ‘Believe Me’, but that isn’t necessarily a negative thing.

Like all JP Delaney thrillers, you are fully absorbed in the book until you’re spat out at the end. His writing is seriously very gripping, and his plots intense and twisty. If you’re not familiar with his work.
1) WHERE HAVE YOU FUCKIN BEEN ?!?!?! 2) READ HIS BOOKS AT ONCE

After being disappointed with last year’s release ‘The Perfect Wife’ (it felt more sci-fi to me than psychological thriller) I worried that ‘Playing Nice’ would be equally as disappointing because the story-line wouldn’t be one that I would normally gravitate towards.…. So I’d recommend going into this book with an open-mind, you will be pleasantly surprised !!!!!!

THE PLOT OF THIS BOOK IS EVERY FAMILIES FUCKIN NIGHTMARE. Imagine going through the trauma of a premature emergency c-section birth, the anxiety that your baby might not survive, your baby does survive, against the odds, and is your absolute world, and then you find out 2 years later…. That, that baby isn’t even YOURS ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! ‘KIN ‘ELL

IF YOU’RE A FAN OF JP DELANEY, INCREDIBLE WRITING, SKILLFULLY PACED PLOTS, AMAZING CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT AND ARE AFTER A SOME SURPRISING TWISTS BUT NOT QUITE PANIC ATTACK INDUCING THEN I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND PREORDERING THIS BOOK. ITS RELEASED ON 6TH OF AUGUST, OR IF YOU’RE A KINDLE FAN 28TH JULY (NEXT TUESDAY) !!!!

#PlayingNice #NetGalley

I was really looking forward to reading this book as I have read and enjoyed all of J P Delaney's previous books and I wasnt disappointed. I haven't read a book quite so fast for sometime. I literally couldn't put it down, reading into the early hours. This book will appeal to any parent, male or female.
It is a gripping thriller that addresses the issue of nature versus nurture and really does pull at your heart strings. You really cannot help wondering what you would do in this situation and what the outcome in the book will be. Just when you think the situation can't get any worse for Pete and Maddie, it does! Time and time again thus keeping the reader turning the pages to see what will happen next.
The characterisation is absolutely brilliant. Two very different couples and four very different individuals, all hiding secrets. The revelation of some of those secrets not being revealed until the very end, ensuring that the reader is gripped until the very last page. Well done to the author J P Delaney. I cannot wait for your next book!

Playing Nice by JP Delaney tells the story of two couples whose babies were swapped at birth. The book is a psychological thriller that will make you question what you will do if faced with the same situation. This book is as engaging as "The Girl Before" written by the same author, paranoia, lies, unexpected twist, trust are common elements in both novels. In Playing Nice, the main characters are Pete and his partner Maddie whose baby was swapped at birth with Miles and Lucy's baby. Miles has an amoral attitude to life while on the other hand, Pete is an agreeable person with servile characteristics. Their different personality traits add another dimension to the novel at the point where dialogue and compromise become futile in deciding the future of the swapped babies who have now been with their respective families for two years. Having read a previous novel by the same author, I found this book equally engrossing and highly recommend it.

The day Miles knocks on Pete and Maddies door is a day that will change their lives, Miles tells Pete that two year old Theo isn’t his son and there was a mix up at the hospital. To begin with all goes well and both families co operate to bring up Theo and David, but when things don’t all go Miles’ way things take a turn for the worse.

A really good book that had be absolutely gripped from the beginning.

OMG I haven’t read a novel like this for a long time, one that sends your blood pressure soaring at the very injustices within it but Playing nice did just that. It is about possibly one of the worst things that can happen to any parent, your biological child being swapped with another, which is exactly what happens to Pete & Maddie, when they answer a knock to their front door, Miles and Lucy inform them that the child they have been bringing up as their own, is in fact theirs, with that one conversation their worlds collide & implode.

Its hard to say I enjoyed this novel but perversely I also couldn’t stop reading it, even though I was getting angry with it, but then it also shows what a great book JP Delaney has written to get such a reaction from me as a reader. I will definitely look out for the next novel.

And even though books are always better, Playing nice would make such a great TV series

This was an enjoyable and pacy thriller much as I expected from JP Delaney. Well plotted and touching on a subject that's cropped up in the media a couple of times in recent years, it makes you think about what makes a parent and nature versus nurture - as well as the spectrum of psychopathy and the genetic predisposition that some children may have to this.

A good read!

This must be every new parents worst nightmare ! You are suddenly -after 2 years -presented with the fact that the child you are raising is not yours !.
However Pete and Maddie along with the other parents Miles and Lucy are going to deal with this situation in a civilised manner -they are going to be a part of each others lives and all is going to end well -Or is it ?? The situation starts getting out of control and only one couple is going to come out of this the winner .
A fabulous psychological thriller -I loved it .

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

What a great book. It all starts when a stranger approaches a young couple and then tells them that he believes that their children had been swapped at birth. The events unfolded at such a pace that I was unable to put the book down. I certainly did not see the ending coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC of this book.

I certainly raced through this thriller and I really couldn’t guess the outcome until the final page- even then there was some ambiguity when I finished it!
This is a baby swap story with a difference. Pete and Maddie are parents to 2 year old Theo. After a traumatic birth and time in a neonatal unit, Theo is now a boisterous child and Pete is a great stay at home Dad. One day, after dropping Theo at nursery, Pete is confronted by Miles, Lucy and a private detective who claim that Theo is their biological son, swapped at birth in the hospital. Pete is shocked but once he has discussed it with Maddie they decide to behave like adults, meeting up with Miles and Lucy and getting to know David their birth son.
However, Miles is a difficult man and all is not as it seems in their household. Pete and Maddie struggle to work out the best solution to their predicament and hope they can find some sort of compromise with the other couple. Unfortunately it soon becomes clear that Miles does not seem to be the sort of person to go for this sort of outcome. He is an all or nothing sort of person.
This is a well written story with some interesting characters. All have secrets which are gradually revealed in the course of the novel. Pete and Maddie tell the tale interspersed with extracts from a court case so the reader is confronted early on with the reliability of the narrators.
The premise of the plot was compelling and the ethics of the problem were difficult to comprehend, nature versus nurture came into play- who were Theo’s parents, Pete and Maddie who’d looked after him until the age of two or Miles and Lucy who were his biological parents?
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read that I couldn’t put down! I really wanted to know how the author was going to tie it up and I really couldn’t work it out!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was so gripped to this book and to learning the truth about how the two children came to be swapped at birth. There were several routes this could have taken and all of which seemed so plausible. I felt so much for the parents who thought they’d been bringing up their own son for years only to have a knock on the door to tell them he wasn’t their son after all! The emotions and the tensions ran high resulting in some interesting encounters. This is emotionally charged and a completely thrilling read. Highly recommended.