What a story. Pete and Maddie’s son Theo is born prematurely and starts his life off at the NICU. Two years later he’s a boisterous boy full of life, Pete looks after him while Maddie works.
One day he has a visitor that drops the bombshell that Theo is not their son, he and the man’s son David where swapped at birth.
Pete and Maddie are devastated but try to have a mutual arrangement with the other family, until something goes wrong and every parents nightmare threaten to become real: they might lose their son.
This heartbreaking story is a great breathtaking read, a little slow to start, but as you keep reading it gets darker and the twists just keep coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for allowing me to review this book.

Having been absolutely captivated by The Girl Before a number of years ago, reading it in one long session in a hotel in Cornwall during a blustery February, unable to draw myself away even for the sea air, I was very much looking forward to devouring this one. And devour it, I did. Over the course of a couple of evenings, I was captivated by the legal system and failings of institutions that make up this novel. The dual perspectives added an extra angle which helped and I loved the addition of the case notes and evidence. It started slowly but began to ramp up from about half way through. Ultimately, I enjoyed the read and feel I learned more from it about the systems in place than I did before. BUT I called the explanation for how everything had happened from the very early chapters and was therefore disappointed by the ending. Had there been more nuance to the resolution, more red herrings to throw you off the trail along the way, my rating would have been higher. It was still an interesting read, and one I would recommend, but it wasn’t the gripping read I expected after The Girl Before.

Two couples have very premature babies on the same day and are moved to a specialist care unit. At some point that day, the babies name tags get switched and the parents eventually take home and nurture the ‘wrong’ baby. Two years later, Pete and his wife Maddie are confronted with what has happened and both sets of parents are obliged to consider how to deal with this situation. A really interesting and challenging storyline deserves good story telling and this novel does not disappoint.

Clever is how I describe this story. It holds your attention straight from the off. The topic is quite interesting. and rare. The closest other story that springs to mind is "After The End" by Clare Macintosh which is also a thought provoking book. You have the story told from Pete and Maddie's perspective, how they feel and why they did what they did. Very well researched with all the legal happenings and procedures.

Yet another very good novel by J P Delaney

A remarkable book. Hooked right from the start with a rapidly growing sense of unease in an unusual but possibly manageable situation which escalates into your worst nightmare. The sense of fear of what will inevitably go wrong next, never leaves you. That a sensible solution will ever be reached looks increasingly unlikely and yet is totally plausible. Highly recommended.

J P Delaney has a magical and gripping writing style, but i definitely much prefer his thrillers to any form of suspense writing.

This book is definitely more family suspense rather than gripping thriller. I felt like I saw all twists coming, the characters were pretty predictable and easy to read, and I'd really loved to have seen more of Maddy's murderous side. I enjoyed the ending a lot, but i generally find it quite a dull storyline to follow when it is a family style plot (I love BA Paris but The Dilemma also gave me this feeling!)

Delaney still remains a firm favourite and still writes absolute magic - but personal preference, this plot premise just isn't for me

Just in case the nightmare premise of the child you think of as your own really having been born to someone else isn't enough of a story, the author racks up the tension with psychopaths, possible murders and courtroom dramas. Brilliant - another winner from J.P Delaney
Thank you to netgalley and Quercus books for an advance copy of this book.

A gripping read with well developed characters. I read the first half of the book with a sense of unease as to what was going to happen and devoured the second half, reading into the early hours of the morning to finish it.
A real page turner of a book that draws you in and whilst the main characters Pete and Maddie aren't flawless you can't help but be empathetic and therefore anxious on their behalf.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley for supplying an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, I'm very glad you did so.

A totally gripping psychological thriller full of twists. Pete and Maddie are left in shock when another couple get in touch to tell them their now two-year-olds boys were mistakenly switched at birth, and they have each been bringing up the wrong child. What starts as an attempt to navigate an emotional and confusing situation turns into a tense legal battle full of sinister personal threat.

I never repeat the blurb. I didn't think that I would enjoy this at first but the more I read, the more eagerly I devoured the story as it unfolded. Resonant to me perhaps due to experience and the horror of others, who don't know you, making decisions which affect your life and your family. An excellent read.

I've just spent about four days with couples Maddie and Pete, and Lucy and Miles. Both couples had premature babies born the same day, both babies were rushed to the intensive care unit. Both couples took the wrong baby home. Two years later they find out. What happens now?.
A well written entertaining book,

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book prior to publication.

This book has been very well researched and well written. It’s the story of Pete and his partner, Maddie, who have a two year old son, Theo. Pete is a stay at home dad, and one day he opens the door to two men, who reveal that Theo is not their son. He, in fact, belongs to one of the men, Miles, and his wife, Lucy, who have subsequently brought up Pete and Maddie’ son, David. A swap had been made shortly after the births when the children were transferred from one hospital to another for treatment.

The book gripped me from the start, and was an emotional rollercoaster. I was amazed by how easy it was for seemingly ordinary people to find themselves in such a legal nightmare. It was very realistic and well done.

Well worth reading.

This is a slow, steady burn of a book that lures you in and keeps you in its grip throughout, as it slowly ratchets up the tension and the suspicion. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the combination of domesticity and crime - I was anticipating a far more dramatic thriller, but actually, the insidiousness of ,ordinary people and the lies we tell ourselves - and each other - was enough to keep me gripped. An easy read that i found myself eager to get back to.

Loved this book , was really hard to put down twists and turns takes your breath away moments and what's just happened moments in excited to read more from this author,

This psychological thriller is every bit as terrifying as it can get when it comes to the synopsis – what if the child you are raising isn't yours?

Pete Riley and partner Maddie have their world turned upside down when Miles Lambert knocks on their door one day to declare that their two-year-old son, Theo isn’t actually theirs. Theo and Miles’ son David were mixed up at birth.

What ensues is a seemingly amicable start with both families, Pete and Maddie, Miles and his wife Lucy. They agree to find a way to share the children rather than swapping them back, as it could cause devastating consequences to each child’s development. David has some very complex needs and Theo is having a few behavioural issues. The two families plan to sue the hospital, but this triggers a deeper disturbing investigation and raises more questions than, was the hospital to blame?

Secrets are unearthed, disturbing behaviour from parents is displayed and you ponder the age-old question of nature versus nurture.

A gripping read that keeps you turning page after page as more layers of this story are unearthed. The narrative flits between the perspective of Pete and Maddie giving the story more elements of suspense, as each character has a unique way of handling and viewing the situation. The story is given more depth when you add elements of court case evidence into the narrative. This I thoroughly enjoyed as it kept you wondering where this would end and showed just what twisted lengths a family would go to, to secure the ‘ownership’ of a child.

JP Delaney has created an emotional rollercoaster.
The narrative is tense & unsettling as one gets little glimpses of what is to come.
This is an addictive story reaching boundaries beyond a recognised comfort zone.
It is as unpredictable as it is unputdownable.
A slick reinvention of the Victorian 'sensation' novel.

Playing Nice is something out of a parent's worst nightmare. Absolutely terrifying but gripping read that lingers in your conscious long after you've finished reading.

This is the first book by JP Delaney that I've read and I absolutely loved it. It would be a nightmare to be told the child you have been bringing up and loving isn't your child. That there were mistakes made after the birth. How would you cope? Playing Nice deals with this scenario brilliantly. I couldn't put this book down and loved the ending. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

This is my second novel that I have read by Delaney, my first being Believe Me. I didn't love Believe Me and found it to be quite mundane and boring however Playing Nice for me just absolutely knocks the suspense and thriller genre out of the park in terms of keeping me hooked and engaged.

The novel is split into small and quick chapters which are from the perspective of Pete and Maddie an unmarried couple who it becomes clear have their own demons and inner workings at play underneath their good relationship facade. One day a knock is heard on their door and their whole world falls apart from under them.

First I will talk about the plot and how Delaney has structured this in terms of narrative and suspense. The first person style of Pete and Maddie really helps to flesh out the story as we can see from both points of view how they are feeling at the dramatic event that they have been burdened with. The plot is very clever as a lot of foreshadowing is used from the beginning of the novel to an event that occurs later on in the book (do not want to give too much away here). We constantly feel anxious to what this may be and although it may not be a "twist" perse it definitely creates an uneasy atmosphere that reveals itself at the end of the book. The events in this book are so believable and I think Delaney has written it so well you feel a sense of stomach wrenching nervousness throughout the book and you keep asking yourself "what would I do in this situation?"

Next I want to talk about the character development within the book. This is one of the best books I have read that really tells you about our characters. The writing really engages you to confide in them especially Pete and Delaney makes you feel his pain and frustration throughout the book. Maddie is really well fleshed out as well as we learn a lot about her past and how this is an essential part to the plot. However who I really want to talk about are Miles and Lucy Lambert. I have never ever hated a man so much in my life than I do Miles Lambert. The way Delaney has portrayed him is absolutely fantastic I could feel myself getting angry, frustrated and annoyed and how evil, vindictive and manipulating he is within the book. He is portrayed so well I actually think he is a real person. I do not want to say too much about him because it will give the story away. Lucy Lambert is also very well described and you go on mixed emotions with her which I believe was Delaney's intention right from the onset. With Theo (Pete and Maddies son) he is really complicated in the fact that Delaney has really done his research on these kinds of children and the portrayal of Theo's actions and speech within the book really shows this.

The suspense is built into the book from the start and there is no hanging about in terms of getting the thrill element started. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is different, unique and special as it touches on real life issues that lots of parents go through each and every day. 5 out of 5. I would like to say a special thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley #PlayingNice

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

Pete Riley answers the door one morning to every parent's worst nightmare. His two-year-old son Theo is not his son. Miles Lambert breaks the devastating news to Pete that Theo and David, who Miles has been raising as his son, were mixed up at birth.

Along with their partners - Pete's partner Maddie and Miles' wife Lucy - they decide to try to find a way to share Theo and David. But when a plan to sue triggers an investigation which starts to unearth disturbing questions, and drama, Pete and Maddie have to ask themselves what secrets the Lamberts are hiding, and if they can really trust the biological parents of their son.

I found this intense psychological family drama gripping from the start. The characters were brilliant - the good and the bad - and I found myself struggling to know who to trust as Pete and Maddie themselves found it hard to trust everyone, including each other. The themes of mental illness, abuse, lies, deceit, and how far parents are willing to go to protect the child they love makes the book a roller-coaster ride from start to finish.

The twists in the story, and the conclusion, were well played out and well-developed, and it everything came together perfectly at the end. Totally recommend!