Reviews

Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

whatdevread's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

2.0

leighannc's review against another edition

4.0

Finished this creepy read. And it was good....really good. I completely got sucked in and I love that. I love the addition of how "fairy tales" play a role in our lives. I had no idea where this was headed and I loved the ending even though I'm still unsure of where the story went. 🙄 But that's a good thing with this book. Take the leap and experience it for yourself.

rubisbookshelf's review against another edition

5.0

I can't wait for this movie. The detail in the descriptions are amazing and I can't wait to see them for myself.

You know what is the scariest part of this book? The fact that although to some of us, Lauren's "hallucinations" are real. The detail in which the author describes Lauren's fears and feelings are all real in post-partum depression. I never suffered from it but I could totally see where Lauren's feelings lay. I felt that need to keep my children safe though not to the extent she went to. I think that is what is scarier than the changelings, the creepy woman and any creatures that could surround us. Our own mind.

I give this read a 5 / 5 for not letting me go to sleep at a decent hour.

chloerebecca974's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

acraftyescape's review against another edition

4.0

I’m not typically a fan of super natural elements but it was done nicely in this book.

amyhungerford's review against another edition

4.0

I'll be honest...

I don't think I fully understand what happened at the end there.

livvity's review against another edition

5.0

very spooky and well told story!! nice to finish a “was it supernatural or not” book that actually had an ending leaning more one way than the other.

emilygoods's review against another edition

3.0

i don’t know why my current genre is demon children or children being taken by fairies but…here we are.

i did like the ending but i found myself bored with 80 pages to go. for a story about twins being taken and turned into changelings, parts of this story really dragged.

emleemay's review against another edition

4.0

How could her brain conjure something that seemed so real, something laden with so much horrifying detail, and yet there be nothing at all?

This book is seriously creepy, creative and sad. I think it's a bit misleading that it has found its way to the mystery/thriller section when it is mostly a contemporary with elements (or suggestions) of magical realism. But either way, it's a moving, frightening, psychological portrait of new motherhood, set in the Peak District.

[b:Little Darlings|41806986|Little Darlings|Melanie Golding|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1537554545s/41806986.jpg|61722329] is inspired by the Welsh fairy tale A Brewery of Eggshells, about a woman with newborn twins who are swapped with changelings. Lauren Tranter has just given birth to two beautiful twin boys who quickly become her whole world. When a disheveled woman appears on the maternity ward and threatens to swap them with her own sons, she is rightfully terrified and will do anything to protect her babies.

Lauren is tired and stressed like all new mothers, but she knows the woman is real. Even though the doctors and the police and her husband keep telling her that she is seeing things, that she needs help, she knows the truth. When her babies go missing one day, a frantic search begins and they are quickly found, seemingly unharmed. But Lauren knows the truth about that, too - these babies are not the children she lost.

Everyone wants to dismiss her as mentally ill except Detective Sergeant Joanna Harper, who has her own reasons for believing Lauren. Against the wishes of her superiors, Harper opens her own investigation into what really happened.

I think the police procedural aspects are the weakest part of the novel. [b:Little Darlings|41806986|Little Darlings|Melanie Golding|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1537554545s/41806986.jpg|61722329] is at its strongest when hovering somewhere between a portrait of postpartum depression and a dark, sinister fairy tale. I can speak from experience when I say depression can be terrifying. And just like in this novel, you can never quite be sure what is a legitimate feeling and what is an exaggerated response brought on by your mental state; these two often overlap.

After the birth of my first child, I found myself crying uncontrollably. I was exhausted, confused and afraid of absolutely everything. On top of the hormonal crash that comes after giving birth, for most people there's also the pure terror of being wholly responsible for someone else's wellbeing for the first time in your life. Unless you were previously a carer, the emotional shift that comes with knowing the responsibility falls entirely on you changes you beyond belief.

I think this book captures all that. Maybe the woman is real and this is a dark fairy tale, and maybe she is not and this is just a book about a woman struggling with mental illness. But it actually doesn't matter that much. The fear - of getting it wrong, messing up, of losing your baby, of not being a good mother - all of that is very real either way. I found it highly effective.

CW: Depression.

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anjanettew13's review against another edition

3.0

Quick read - as a mom of twins, I can vouch for the exhaustion even when you have help. The loss of your own identity is real and hopefully temporary. I enjoy creepy mythical stories so this did not disappoint.