Wow! A brilliant psychological suspense, this was gripping, full of twists. Loved the characters and a fantastic storyline, another great book by this author.

I’m a huge fan of JP Delaney and so I was so excited to get the chance to read this. I was instantly hooked and got through the book so quickly. What a roller coaster of a book!
It was really though provoking and forces the reader to answer the uncomfortable question- ‘what would you do if this were you?’. The characters were well developed and you felt like you got to know them.

Playing Nice
JP Delaney

Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date 6 August 2020

An emotional rollercoaster of a read. This book gripped me from the outset and I galloped through it, desperate to find out how it ended- (realistically and satisfyingly I felt.) At times it made me gasp at how easy it seemed for seemingly ordinary people to be sucked into a emotional and legal nightmare. Well researched and written, i loved it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Pete and Maddie love their son, Theo. He was born early and spent several months in hospital and then Maddie had post natal depression. Two years on and Pete is a stay at home Dad and Maddie works.
Then one day Pete opens the door to a couple, Miles and Lucy, who claim that Theo is their son and the babies were swapped at birth. They eventually decide not to swap the boys but to have a flexible arrangement to suit them both but when the families decide to sue the local hospital the authorities get involved.
However, is all it seems with Miles and Lucy and even the relationship between Maddie and Pete.
I found this uncomfortable reading but also needed to know the outcome.

What if you found out that the child you cared for and loved for two years wasn't yours?
One day Pete and Maddie learn that Theo - the son they thought was theirs - had been switched at birth, leaving their real son David in the care of Miles and Lucy.
Having overcome the initial shock, both families decide not to turn Theo's and David's lives upside down, but instead, they resolve to get involved in each child's upbringing.
Until one day, Miles and Lucy change their mind.

I hadn't read the blurb before requesting this ARC, so I went into it without any expectations, but it quickly turned out that this was a book right up my street.
I found myself instantly gripped.
However, the story soon slowed down and I was disappointed, thinking that I'd have to go for three stars.
But, better late than never, the story did pick up ( abut 40% into the book ) and from then on had me racing through it with bated breath.
The ending was a bit rushed, and I wasn't entirely happy with it.
Concluding, the slow start and the unsatisfactory ending put me on the fence about the rating.
However, because most of the time, the story had me on the edge of my seat, I decided to settle on four stars.

Firstly a big thank you to Quercus for approving my request to read on netgalley. Im a big fan of this author so was excited to read this.

Whizzed through this as it intoxicates you and you will be hooked.Packed with tension and chilling drama this is a great psychological thriller.

A fantastic original concept and written so you dont know who to trust.

Completely unpredictable and addictive.

A fascinating insight into a subject that would indeed cause any family to have dilemmas! Its certainly thought provoking and will make you question where you would stand if it was you .

A great range of charactars that evoke many emotions. I got quite angry at this book especially with one man….say no more.

Highly recommend and published 6th August.

This is my favourite book this year - and I have been reading a LOT during lockdown! I am a fan of this author and was delighted to receive this copy to review. Fabulous characters with plenty of different personality traits. I could not wait to finish this but I was sad when I did. It is a book I will read again and not many fit into that category. FABULOUS!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This was one of the most compulsive books I have ever read I just couldn’t put it down as I just had to know what was going to happen !!
So we start with a knock on the door and just when everything in your life seems to be sailing along happily this knock will destroy everything. The man who is standing there comes out with the explosive statement that your two year old child is not yours but his and somehow a mistake was made at the hospital and your actual child is being brought up by him and has wife.
My goodness what follows is a story like no other, all seems to start out amicable as the two sets of parents try to decide just how to proceed in a situation that really is heartbreaking but then things take a decidedly sinister turn ! From then on we are on a nightmare journey of manipulation, control and even danger and it’s one hell of an emotional read that really doesn’t give up until the final conclusion. I just loved this book it really was the proverbial page turner, so well written with fabulous characters this is a book destined to become a big hit and in my opinion would make a brilliant film !!
So a five star read and no hesitation in highly recommending it and many many thanks to J P Delaney it was amazing.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I started and finished Playing Nice in a single day. The story of every parent’s worst nightmare: a stranger knocks on your door and reveals your babies were switched at birth. This is what happens one unassuming morning for Pete and Maddie, and their whole world tumbles away beneath them.

What starts as an amiable approach to both sets of parents being in their biological sons’ lives quickly becomes a heart stopping nightmare.

I won’t go into any more details here as I really don’t want to give away any hints of the path this story takes, but I will say that - as with all of JP Delaney’s works - I was sitting forwards with a knot of anxiety and rage in my belly as I read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a brilliant read and had me getting so heated when I was reading it! There was such great description and it felt as if I was reading a true story. I would definitely read from this author again.

An engrossing psychological thriller about 2 boys mixed up at hospital and discharged to the wrong parents.
Two years later the father of 1 boy contacts the other family. Full of twists and turns and an excellent thriller.
Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Intriguing and thought provoking read about a couple who are told that they are not the biological parents of their child. Great character development and tense at times. Read in a day would definitely recommend

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

This is a well crafted story about a mix up of newly borns at the NICU. One morning, Pete finds himself face to face with a man who claims to be his son's biological father! Thier children had been changed at some point after their birth, 2 years ago.

Pete and Maddie find themselves been drawn into the arrangements made by Miles about both set of parents being a part of the children lives. While Pete goes by the book, Miles has some tricks and he is not playing nice. Lucy, Mile's wife seems to be a party to all this. Is there something deeper thats going on behind what seems to be a calm exterior?

Pete and Maddie decide to fight for the custody of the child they have raised for the last two years as well as their biological son. Only time will tell if they get their way by Playing Nice. There is a nice twist in the end.

I am already a big fan of JP Delaney and this book is no disappointment. When Pete and Maddie realise that their child was swapped at birth with Miles and Lucy's in a shocking hospital mix up, they have to decide what to do, do they swap them back or is there a way to be part of both childrens lives if the two families can work together. That only works if all four parents agree and unfortunately one of them doesn't. This has all the roller-coaster twists you would expect from this author. Just when you think you have worked it out it twists again. This was a great plot, a real thought-provoker. Written by such a skilled author made it a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed this read, the characters pull in from the start. I like how the story links with other characters throughout. Definitely a page turner

Are we all psychopaths to one degree or another? Children are often told “to play nice” but does this also apply to adults even when it’s clear the other isn’t playing by the same rules as you? What happens when you discover your baby has been swapped for another and the other parents comes to claim their now two year old child who happily calls you mum or dad? Highly addictive thriller playing with nature versus nurture, right against wrong, secrets and lies and the power of true love. Highly recommended.

I requested this book because of both the author and the description. Having already read The Girl Before and enjoyed it I knew I was going to enjoy Playing Nice too. 
This book has got to be every parent's worst nightmare, having their babies switched at birth and not knowing about it until they are two years old. This book really gets you thinking and honestly I found myself imagining myself in Maddie and Pete's shoes and wondering what I would do and how I would deal with the situation. 
This book was a very interesting read, I've never come across a book with a plot anything like this. It really kept me glued to the page which meant it only took me a day and a half to read it. 
I love JP Delaney's writing style and the way he tells his stories. He puts plots together very well and honestly I don't find myself getting bored or distracted reading his books. 
I really found this book unpredictable in places and as much as I had my own theories on what would happen I still found myself second guessing and wondering who really was the real bad guy in this story. 
I really liked the characters in this book, especially Pete, he seemed to be a really good Dad and it was nice to read a book about a stay at home Dad for a change. Although I do wish we got a little bit more backstory from Lucy's character (Miles' wife) as she was a little vague. 
Overall this was a great page turner that was very enjoyable and hard to put down!

From the initial turn of a page this story grabs you into the twists and tricks tricks of its plot. If you like a thriller that makes the hairs on your arms stand on end then I'd recommend this book!

I absolutely LOVED this book. It had me hooked right from the start. The story is very original and the suspense kept me flying through right until the very end.

One morning Pete answers the door to a stranger who claims Theo, his two year old son isn’t biologically his and their babies were actually switched at birth.

The two families, although horrified at this revelation decide to be amicable and enable each other to be in their biological child’s lives.

But things go wrong. People aren’t who they seem and things get very mysterious. It’s up to the courts to decide the best interests of the children but no one will give up without a fight.

The story is told from both Pete & Maddie’s point of view interchangeably. It is also interspersed with official evidence documents, letters and emails, which help move the story along as well as providing more questions.

I felt so frustrated for Pete & Maddie, it seemed absolutely everything was against them. I can’t reveal any more without spoiling the story but just believe me this book is unputdownable.

Thanks to NetGalley, Quercus Books and the author J P Delaney for letting me read and review an advance copy of this book.

Now this is a page turner with no idea of what twists and turns that are in store. Couldn’t put it down. You can really put yourself in Pete and Maddie’s shoes and feel every emotion. It’s hard to believe the acceptance and naivety when it comes to the situation there all faced with if a little on the unbelievable. There is so much going on in this book from one set of parents to the other but also within there relationships. There is definitely a psychological thriller aspect to this read and it’s not one to be missed. Definitely recommend even if for me the ending fell a little short.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the chance to read this ARC and review thats due to be published on the 6th of Aug...