WOW. What a rollercoaster this book was! I don’t read a lot of thrillers as I find a lot of them to be really predictable (I found THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN to be a good exercise in character creation, but a poor mystery/thriller), but DARLING was anything but. I literally had no idea what was coming, but the plot twists were so well done that I had to close the book in shock at certain points.

What begins as a family drama set against the backdrop of Brexit Britain evolves into something dark and twisted, slowly building up the pace until it reaches its shocking conclusion. I’ve seen that this novel has been tapped for TV and I can see why – this would work very well as a dark drama or miniseries.

The book is largely narrated by the titular character of Darling, with diary entries from Lola letting us know exactly what’s happening in the stepdaughter’s mind – but even though we can see right into the characters’ heads, don’t fool yourself into thinking you know them. Even if you’re convinced you know everything that’s going on, you don’t. Trust me. And Edwards has expertly balanced the novel, giving you just the right amount of hints that you won’t work out the twist by yourself, and then the reveals come and it’s suddenly so obvious. I’ve found a lot of authors struggle to give the right amount of clues – either they give too many and the twist is predictable, or they don’t give enough and it feels like they pulled the reveal out of nowhere and it feels like cheating. DARLING doesn’t do that – it’s one of those rare thrillers that both shocks you and leaves you satisfied.

Every character is layered and complex, and the novel carefully handles the topic of racism and prejudice (especially in a post-Brexit-referendum Britain), but the family remain at the forefront of the story. It paints a brutally honest picture of racism in the UK, showing the growing popularity of nationalistic right-wing groups (Bright New Britain in the novel being an obvious stand-in for parties such as UKIP and the BNP) and the emboldening of formerly private racists (something we are also seeing in the USA under the Trump presidency). The novel feels painfully realistic in this regard, and feels particularly necessary as the UK lurches towards an uncertain future.

Darling is billed as a “reading group thriller”, which sounded a bit strange. (What *is* a reading group thriller? If I don’t have a reading group, am I still allowed to read it?) I think it just means there’s a lot of food for discussion in this book, which I suppose is true. I can certainly imagine a few debates being sparked.

It’s also dubbed a “Brexit thriller”, which sounded kind of appealing and also kind of not, because if I never had to hear the word Brexit again I would be more than happy (I know, not gonna happen), but still... Brexit thriller, intriguing concept.

Anyway... Darling (who is black) and Thomas (who is white) meet by chance on the day of the Brexit result and fall in love - and marry - very quickly. There’s a major fly in the ointment, though, in the shape of Thomas’s sixteen year old daughter Lola, who doesn’t really want a new stepmother, particularly not a black one. Lola’s at pains to tell us she’s not racist (though she really kind of is - but that’s only one of many ways in which Lola is dangerously screwed up).

Lola needs to take back control. Lola needs rid of Darling.

But Darling is a nurse, a caregiver - single parent to a disabled son, the adorable Stevie - and she’s sure she can win Lola over with enough lovingly prepared meals and patience.

Then again, Darling has her secrets, too.

Narrated alternately by Darling and through Lola’s notebooks, the voices of both characters are compelling and the tension builds throughout.

I’m not sure about “Brexit thriller”, but the book certainly does evoke the landscape of post-referendum Britain and its newly emboldened racists - here, a toxic far-right group of idiots calling itself Bright New Britain (the BNP, basically, with a dollop of UKIP and the EDL thrown in for bad measure), with whom Lola gets somewhat embroiled. All of this is sadly only too believable.

Darling is a superbly crafted story which immediately drew me in, and never felt predictable - whenever I thought I knew where the plot was going, I was invariably wrong, and the end is surprising. Rachel Edwards deftly led me down several wrong turns in the process.

A very, very impressive debut which I would highly recommend.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

*3.5 Stars*

If ever I got a character completely wrong, then this was it, right here! I spent most of the book with my mind made up about one of it's characters (won't say which one, as I don't want to give anything away) but boy was I wrong!

When Darling White met Thomas, she knew he was something special - their love literally snowballed, and before we knew it, they were making wedding plans. Yes Darling sure loved Thomas - what she didn't love though was Thomas's teenage daughter Lola - such a spoilt and devious girl. The feeling is mutual, Lola hates Darling and she will do whatever it takes to get rid of this interloper. However, Darlings's the adult here, she needs Lola on side, and she decides to make an effort in order to bring harmony to their relationship. She's also a nurse, so she's used to caring for people, (including her disabled son Stevie) and she's determined to show her caring side - if she demonstrates compassion towards Lola then she'll win her over - won't she?

I don't want to say too much about the storyline, as it would be too easy to give away some important snippet that spoils it for other readers. What I will say though is, it was written with great insight, and allowed us to really get inside the heads of the main characters. How then, could I have misjudged one of them so badly. The twist ( when it came) was, what the heck just happened? How did I not work that out. Very clever. Well done Rachel Edwards for managing to pull the wool over my eyes!

* My thanks to Netgalley, HarperCollins UK 4th estate, and Rachel Edwards for my ARC. I have given an honest review in exchange*

I enjoyed this book and was particularly impressed with the two distinct voices both of which had an authentic feel. The ending wasn’t what I expected but also wasn’t an OMG moment either. I felt there were a few inconsistencies which is why this isn’t a 5 star book for me. The major one was the Jamaican food which played a huge part of the story but very early on in the book Darling says she had an English upbringing in Basingstoke and had to purchase on line a Caribbean cookbook to make her first meal for Thomas. The other glaring one is that ALL trains stop at Harrow on the Hill. Met line and Chiltern alike. I know this is a minor detail but for someone like me who has been commuting through that station for over 50 years it was a poor choice of location and spoilt the drama for me.

Sixteen-year-old Lola thinks she has enough worries already, and then she meets her dad’s new black girlfriend Darling. When Darling and Thomas marry, Darling is exquisitely patient, realising that any confrontation with Lola will turn into a battle she cannot win, but to no avail. Lola schemes against her new step-mother and continues to be jealous and nasty.
Darling, the debut novel from Rachel Edwards is a twisty tale. Written in great descriptive prose and alternating mostly between the voices of Darling and Lola, this book is difficult to put down.
Save for the odd clues scattered here and there, (what did she just say?) there is little hint of how this impasse, Darling or Lola, will be resolved.
Darling is an interesting and enjoyable read.

With thanks to Netgalley UK and HarperCollins UK 4th Estate

Darling is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. A welcome change for me, since I am generally very good at predicting plot twists or who the killer is.

This is a very clever read, the characters are well written and the story packs a few good punches

Darling tells the story of what happens when Darling, a black single mother to young Stevie, a little boy with duchenne muscular dystrophy, meets and marries Thomas, a white widower and father to troubled teen Lola. The narrative switches between Darling’s viewpoint and Lola, allowing you to see the situation from each perspective. Darling’s determination to bond with Lola and earn her trust contrasts with Lola’s manipulative attempts to undermine her new stepmother.

As the speed picks up, however, the reader begins to realise that neither narrator is telling the whole story, and with each woman fighting for her place within the family, it makes for a gripping and page turning read. Exploring the topics of race in post-Brexit Britain, family, trust and truth, Darling is compelling and fast paced.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher.

Darling is a fantastically complex thriller that reads more like a part-Nabokov, part-gossip-girl-post novel than a thriller. I love unreliable narrators and both in this book are brilliant at convincing the reader that they are telling the truth, even when all the signs point otherwise.

The reality of post-Brexit Britain rings very true, but there is so much more to this story.

Plot: Darling, a black woman of Jamaican parentage but who has never even visited the island, meets and marries Thomas, a wealthy man with a teenage daughter, Lola, at the time when Brexit has just been announced. The story is told from Darling’s and Lola’s perspective – Darling, who has a young son with a muscle wasting disease and who struggles against casual and not-so-casual racism every day, and Lola, who is not a racist but doesn’t understand why her father has married a black woman.

My thoughts: This was a twisting ride of a book that was really enjoyable and disturbing in equal parts. The open racism from the younger and middle-class generation was honestly shocking to me – I thought they were more open minded! – and the experiences that Darling comes up against are horrifying. But equally disturbing are other parts of the plot that are revealed later in the book, so I can’t give them away! I admit that I did pick up on a couple of the hints throughout, but not all of them, so I loved it when it all came together. This was a very good and thought provoking read that I highly recommend.

Well this book certainly didn't pan out the way I thought it would! Plenty of twists and shocks and the reader's perceptions of the characters change as the story unfolds.
Darling, a black woman, meets and falls in love with Thomas, a white man. Thomas's daughter Lola can't understand why he would find a black woman attractive and goes out of her way to cause trouble in the relationship. It is a damning indictment on racism in the UK especially in the wake of the Brexit vote, some the right wing attitudes portrayed here are scarily accurate. However, it is also a tense family drama, a thriller with you wondering what on earth is going on at times!
At first I found the voices of Lola and Darling quite annoying when they were telling their own side of the story, but I soon got used to it and it actually added to the authenticity of the characters.
I really enjoyed this book and wish the author every success with it.

Wow. This book was not what I was expecting. I loved it. It's gritty, it's dark, it touches on so many tough issues and it has given me my first big book hangover in quite a while. Darling meets Thomas who, after a 3 month whirlwind romance, get married. However Lola, Thomas's 16 year old daughter, absolutely does not want a new stepmother, much less a new black stepmother. Tensions mount. Darling, a nurse, natural caregiver and mother to 5 year old Stevie who is disabled, decides not to rise to the many baits that Lola leaves for her, and tries her best to create a relationship with Lola. All the way through the book I found myself cheering on one of them and despising the other, but under the surface, not all is as it seems. A great read. Highly recommend. You will be thinking about it for ages after.

I loved the premise of Darling so was very excited to read this, and this was truly a binge-worthy read to be consumed in one sitting.
Told from the POVs of Darling, a black woman who marries Thomas, a white widowed middle-class father of a teenage daughter, Lola, after a whirlwind 3 month romance, and Lola, a 16-Year old who resents her black stepmother, this is is a mix of post-Brexit and domestic noir using race to create tension in the home. The writing is easy to read and pacy with some poignant and sharp lines like:
“I had learned from a young age that there were those who would look at me and assume I was poorer, less intelligent, less cultured, a quandary solved upon sight; sexually incontinent, insanitary, ill-mannered and ill-educated for good measure. Not everyone, not most , even. But for those who saw colour and wanted you to know it, these were the cudgels with which they daily tried to crack your thick black skull.“
Despite this I give Darling 3.5. While there is lots of tension and conflict I found the ending unsatisfying and that certain plot strands don’t tie up. In the end I felt like Edwards was cramming into too much and with another edit this could’ve been a better and tighter read. Having said this Darling does stand out and if you want to read something new in the psychological thriller genre then give this a go.

Excellent, pure and simple. From the first page the prose grabs you and takes you with it, depositing you breathless a few hours later, full of awe at the visceral writing style of Rachel Edwards. Will definitely be seekng out this author’s other books!

Darling is an addictive, shocking, twisting thriller that had me hooked from the first few pages. I enjoyed the dual narratives - from Darling, black step mother and Lola, teenage nightmare - the lurking suspicions and the cranking up of tension, and I certainly didn't see the twist at the end. I also enjoyed the descriptions of Caribbean food woven through the story as Darling sets about nurturing her new blended family. This is well written, lots of layers, bang up to date, well worth reading.

great little thriller, trying to work out the narrator's motives kept me reading at every opportunity

Wow, this wasn’t what I was expecting at all! I’d expected more domestic tension / family drama but in fact it was that and more.... a bit of domestic noir, racism, far right extremist parties and a few very unreliable narrators all get thrown into the mix. So it was great, really refreshing to read something original, from two very different but very authentic POVs.

Some great twists and turns and a conclusion I certainly never saw coming! Moves domestic noir on into a far more diverse audience. More please!

A slow, (eventually) compelling exploration of mental illness and twisted love. The book promises to be about race and - ghastly - Brexit, but fortunately is, in the end, about much more besides. I enjoyed this book, but would have loved it more if it weren't for the apparently obligatory prologue, so obviously designed to raise questions and tease. And also, if at least one of the characters had been genuinely likeable.

This was a really interesting and gripping read. A story of a new wife and a resentful stepdaughter. Darling and Thomas have fallen quickly and madly in love. They marry very soon into the relationship and bring the blended family together - Thomas' teenage daughter Lola and Darlings' disabled seven year old. Written very differently via the voice of Darling and the journal of Lola. A story that gets darker as you delve deeper. Secrets, racism and surprises with an awesome ending.

I’m a massive fan of unreliable narrators, and I love finding stories that are either told from an unexpected point of view, come from a fresh new author, or comment on issues that are so contemporary, they’ve hardly featured in fiction as yet. This story manages to combine everything in my list. It starts out as an examination of those left floundering after the UK referendum result, but also touches on the feelings of dissatisfaction amongst other groups that led to the vote and its outcome in the first place. However, this novel encompasses far more than the clash of ideologies I’ve just referred to and brings in a whole raft of other issues that have fallen out of the headlines over the past decade or two.

Darling White is a black British woman struggling to bring up her young son, who himself is facing a progressive and debilitating genetic condition. She has help from the boy’s father and from a group of fundraisers who organise events to help with research into her son’s treatment, but is estranged from her few living relatives. On the morning following the Brexit vote, Darling encounters overt racist abuse from those who believe the referendum’s outcome gives them the right to voice, and put into action, their obnoxious opinions and bigotry. Fortunately, help is at hand in the form of Thomas, a handsome, white American-born widower, who intervenes and then seeks Darling’s advice in return on what to buy his daughter as a birthday cake.

The pair arrange to meet again under pleasanter circumstances, and a whirlwind romance ensues, much to the horror of Lola, Thomas’ daughter, who would like her father all to herself or, failing that, in a relationship with the mother of one of her friends. Thomas is a successful architect, and Lola is horrified at the thought of acquiring a stepmother who is not only black, but also considerably beneath them on the social scale. Nevertheless, Thomas and Darling are soon living together in the house he designed for his first wife and, shortly after that, they marry. All the while, Lola is involving herself in right wing hate groups, via the boy she has a crush on (and an on-off relationship with). He promises her that he’ll get rid of Darling, but it turns out that she has secrets of her own, including a past connection to some of the adults running the group he’s a member of.

This book had me gripped with all its unexpected twists and turns. Darling is our primary narrator; however, we also get to know Lola through her journal and her lists of accomplishments – written down on the instruction of her therapist. We know all along that something bad is going to happen to one of them, but which one and how that event happens were totally unexpected to me all the way through the book. Darling’s hidden issues are revealed only very slowly as the story progresses, and as more people from her past appear in her new life to tell their stories.

Although this novel is ostensibly about a very particular point in the UK’s here and now, I doubt it will date as fast as many other contemporary stories, because it also speaks of issues that aren’t going away any time soon. I can’t wait to find out what the author has in store for us next.

Darling meets Thomas the day the Brexit results come in. she's soon introduced to his daughter Lola, who 'didn't think her dad liked black women'. Three months later, Darling and Thomas are married, and they, along with sixteen year old Lola and five year old Stevie, Darling's disabled son, are setting up a new life and a new family, one that Darling is determined to make the best of.

There follows a twisty novel - Darling is determined to care for Lola, to smother her with kindness until they can be one big family. Lola is scheming to get rid of Darling, perhaps her new friends in a right-wing group can help.

Darling received phone calls that she doesn't answer. Lola's bulimia has returned. And Darling keeps finding skimpy underwear strewn around the house ...

This book builds up beautifully, showing the interplay between stepmother and stepdaughter, whilst Dad (a little two-dimensionally) appears to be oblivious. Told from the point of view of Darling and Lola's diary entries, it's very easy to believe everything your narrator tells you, when perhaps that is only part of the truth.

All of this builds up to a masterful ending that you only really begin to suspect about three quarters of the way through -more psychological thriller than suburban drama. The blurb for this book really doesn't do it justice.

Omg still very much "What did I just read?" with this. It is a stunning, gripping, drama-packed book and despite reading a couple of spoilerish reviews I still didn't see what happened coming, it keeps you guessing and delivers many eyebrow raising moments! A very astute story regarding Brexit and the rise of the far right also. A book that needed to be written!

Oh boy, this book, THIS BOOK! It is definitely one of those books that makes you go "what did I just read?!" when you've finished it. It would have confounded all of my expectations if I hadn't seen a slightly spoilery review when I added it to Goodreads which made me connect some dots I might not have otherwise (thanks for that internet stranger), but the twists were still VERY twisty and compulsively readable. In fact it's so unputdownable that I finished reading it on a long bus journey despite the fact that reading on the bus makes me feel sick!

The book takes place in the months following the Brexit referendum, a peculiarly dark, depressing, and confusing period which fits the mood of the book perfectly. The story is mostly told from the perspective of Darling, with Lola's viewpoint scattered throughout. I have to say that the Darling chapters worked better for me - the Lola chapters felt like the 'teenage' voice was a little bit forced. That's not to say that the Lola chapters were bad. It was interesting to hear the other side of the story, and as both narrators had an air of Unreliable Narrator about them it was still almost impossible to decide who to trust!

I really loved this book, I've already told my best friends to read it (partly so I have someone to discuss it with!), and I sold it to them as "if Lianne Moriarty wrote a book set in Brexit Britain" which I think is fair! It's a cracking domestic thriller that also shines a light on the ugly side of Britain which is becoming (sadly) ever more prevalent.

Lola lives with her Dad, Thomas. They are pretty much rubbing along OK since the death of her mother. Until that is the day he meets Darling and falls for her. Their relationship blossoms and soon they are discussing wedding plans. Problem is, Lola doesn't want or need a new mother. Especially one like Darling. To say she is jealous would be an understatement. But that isn't all, there's the whole "colour" thing to be had too. Quite simply, she doesn't like Darling and to be honest, Darling doesn't seem to much like her either. They have a few spats initially with Thomas trying to play peacemaker as Lola acts like a really rather bratty petulant child. Things progress further and soon Darling moves herself and her disabled son, Stevie, into Lola's home. And then things take a rather different turn. Darling's behaviour becomes a bit strange, she obviously has some secrets and there is something/someone that she is avoiding.
It's so hard to say anything more about the story here as it turns out that, like many stories, things are not always as they seem to be. It took a rather strange turn at one point and this really did turn everything on its head somewhat. A turn that even I, a hardened reader of this genre, didn't see coming in a month of Sundays! So very very clever. Well done that author. It made me want to go back and re-read the whole book with this new knowledge. Oh I wish I had time to do just that. It would be fascinating reading with hindsight. Maybe one day when I get my tbr under control.
The story is told alternatively by Lola and Darling. Lola's sections are written in a way you would expect from a girl of her age, full of short statement and #hashtags to put her thoughts and feelings across. I did find these initially a bit hard to read but, once I got more into the book, they started t settle down for me. Darling's parts are more classic in nature and provided the most of the storytelling. I did feel that I would have liked to have got more of Thomas's side of things as he was just portrayed by others. I thought his voice would have been a bit of a welcome addition at times. But maybe this is as the author intended as the battle was really between the two women in his life and he was just the middle man, caught up in the whole whirlwind and was depicted as such.
There was also quite a bit of politics thrown in for good measure. The book is set around the time of the Brexit vote and the author uses that to add some colourful prejudice into the mix. Lending more sympathy to Darling and her place in the story.
All in all, a satisfying read that delivered what it promised. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I honestly wasn’t sure exactly what to expect going in with this book. Is it a domestic drama? Psychological Thriller? Bit of both? However, I think its actually best to just go with it and not try and define it too much. The first thing to say is that I liked how current Darling feels. it is set just after the Brexit vote in 2016 and whilst this is not a major plot point, the storyline does demonstrate some of the unfortunate repercussions of the vote, namely a rise in crimes with racist undertones. I thought it was really interesting to see Brexit in a work of fiction. Another big issue in Darling is racism itself and the corrosive effect it can have on it’s victims. The casual racism from some characters is actually all the more shocking because it is so recognisable. The phrase ‘I’m not racist, but…’ which is usually followed by a clearly racist statement is one I’m sure most readers will have heard at some point which makes it hit home just a little harder.
To be frank, neither of the main characters in Darling are particularly likeable, although I did feel some measure of empathy for both of them occasionally. Darling and Lola are both deeply flawed human beings and are at times insufferable but personally I don’t mind reading a book where I don’t like the characters, sometimes I even prefer it as long as the book is good enough in other areas. Lola comes across pretty immediately as a nasty and bratty teenage girl. The author has done a very good job of getting the voice of a certain type of teenager right. Lola is alternately cruel, jealous, vulnerable and shallow. Her sections of the book are in a kind of diary form which I felt worked nicely and took us right inside the characters most honest thoughts and feelings. Darling, on the other hand, comes across at first as a much kinder and more genuine person than Lola but you also quickly get the feeling that all is not quite as it seems with her and as you read further it actually becomes harder to get the full picture of who she really is.
I really don’t want to give anything away about the latter part of the book so as not to spoil anything but I will say that the readers perceptions are twisted around several times in a feeling almost akin to whiplash. Even twists that I did have an inkling of before they took place still felt shocking when they happened. By the end of the book I just had no idea who to trust about anything. I don’t think this book will be for everyone but I thought it was a highly unconventional and compelling read which I will be thinking of for a while yet.

I was intrigued by the premise of this story straight away. It is set in the immediate aftermath of the results of Brexit  and I was so interested to read about this setting given that it is still such an ongoing and extremely divisive issue in the UK. Not only that but the racial issue of a white stepdaughter, Lola, and black stepmother, Darling, was intriguing to me. I wanted to know if racial issues would play a major role on the storyline and they definitely did.

The story is told alternately by Darling and Lola. Lola's chapters were absolutely crammed with teenage angst, hashtags and phrases that made me feel extremely old. Her parts were quite hard to read at first as they were so disjointed and rather jarring. Either her chapters toned down or I just got used to it but I soon got in the flow of the book and about halfway through it became SO gripping.

The story was told in such a casual way to start with as we get to know Lola and Darling respectively and how Darling becomes stepmother. When the plot started to reach crucial points, the pace of the story quickened and towards the end MY GOD so many twists that I absolutely did not see coming. 

One problem I had with this novel was the middle man... As in Thomas, who was Lola's father and Darling's new husband. I felt like I knew nothing about him. He seemed like such an insignificant background character and I felt that even Lola and Darling were detached from him because there was no meaningful interaction or anything with him. It didn't feel right to me, considering the fact that HE was supposed to be the whole reason why Lola and Darling were enemies and competing for Thomas's love and attention. Given all of this, I thought that Thomas should have been much more prominent in the story or at least knowable to the reader.

Apart from this, and overall this book is well worth a read. The ending was so explosive and there were several shock reveals which all lead up the final moment. This book definitely left me reeling slightly and it was one of those endings where I was like... but why?!?!?!? Also, my opinions of the characters did a complete 180 reverse by the end and I did not expect that at all. This book was also really important for its portrayal of racial tensions post-Brexit and how that changed many peoples' experiences. 

The latter half and the authentic portrayal of important issues really saved this book for me (I also love the cover).

A great thriller with a unique twist and an up-to-date premise. I was floored by the final plot twist and loved how we got to know (and hate!) the characters. Will be recommending this widely!

Wow ok so I stayed up till one am to finish this ,as u turn the pages u think u may know where it’s heading and a feeling ofworry for darling grows ,the sense of fear that groups filled with fear can give u
Brexit does rear it’s head and foucuses on those that may have voted to leave for more ignorant reasons than maybe others who were frightened of big fat cats making a lot of money in Europe at the cost of the little people
This foucuses on the venom though of others and the threat they feel of a diverse culture ,and I’m sorry that Rachel herself was faced with racism after the vote
Anyway this is soooooo much more than highlighting that
I did get a sense of how needy darling was to care for others almost codependent in the way she looked at people that needed her
this is a twisty tale and both darling and Lola have their faults and it becomes more and more entwined
I loved how darling cooked and described her food also I cd really smell that curry!
I won’t say anything more but I awarded this four stars not cause of the writing nessarily but it is original and that’s a rare find and topical
I agree with others Lola was annoying and maybe a bit cliche but teenagers are to some degree and I did sort of warm to Lola
Overall well worth a read and good novel thanks a lot for letting me read this netgalley and publishers

This book is a page turner and I really enjoyed this. The setting behind the story is very apt for the times that we currently live in however that's only half the story behind Darling. Really well written with very detailed insights into the two main characters with just the right amount of teenage angst for Lola. Highly recommend!

I thought as a debut novel this was a really good book. The author manages to tackle a number of contemporary issues - Brexit, racism - with an admirable lightness of touch wrapped in a page turning novel of love and jealousy. I'm looking forward to further books

I enjoyed reading this book but it did seem to plod along quite a bit through the middle. Really glad I stuck with it though as the ending was magnificent! Really didn't see that one coming.

Darling is an intriguing story about a blended family in the wake of Brexit. It starts at the height of the story - someone dies - and moves back to narrate the story of Darling, a single mother with a young son suffering from a muscle-related disability and Lola, the teenager daughter of the man Darling ends up marrying. The story is told in dual narrative; while Darling narrates most of the tale, Lola tells her side through journal entries as assigned by her therapist. The narrative weaves in the social climate after the Brexit vote and how it affected the relationship between the two. Lola, who didn't understand what her father saw in Darling was eager to get rid of her. Darling for her part just wanted to care for Lola, even if she acknowledges the rift between them.

Both characters have a distinct voice, making it easy to switch from one perspective to another. They each have their own concerns. Darling would always talk about her culture and how important it is for her to nurture and care. She was always concerned with her son's well-being, and her relationship with her husband. She had a bitter relationship with Lola; she despised the girl yet loves it when Lola would show any sign of genuine affection. Lola's concerns were very different from Darling's. She hated Darling and wanted to get rid of her; she would attempt many things to get her out of their lives. She also had teenage issues that she dealt with, something that Darling would use to her advantage.

It does start off slow, but there were a lot of things happening that it would make you forget that someone dies. Only after reading the entire book would the narrative be reflected in a new light. Its tone can be uneven at times, but the payoff is really good.

Thank you to Netgalley, HarperCollins, and Fourth Estate for the copy

Parent/Child clashes, BREXIT, racism, teenage troubles...well, this book has it all. A superb book, covering so many relevant topics in today's Society. I would highly recommend this book - it was a great read and well written. I can see it being made into a film/drama. Well Down Rachel Edwards. A superb read!