Little Darlings by Melanie Golding

Audio CD,  10 CDs
Narrated by: Melanie Golding & Stephanie Racine 
Release Date:  April 30, 2019
Published by:  Blackstone Publishing
Read from: August 24-September 6, 2019
Stand-alone
Source: Library 
TW: Drowning & missing newborns
For fans of: Psychological Thrillers, Horror, Dark Fairy Tales, Adult, 

     “Mother knows best” takes on a sinister new meaning in this unsettling thriller perfect for fans of Neil Gaiman and Grimms’ Fairy Tales.
     Everyone says Lauren Tranter is exhausted, that she needs rest. And they’re right; with newborn twins, Morgan and Riley, she’s never been more tired in her life. But she knows what she saw: that night, in her hospital room, a woman tried to take her babies and replace them with her own…creatures. Yet when the police arrived, they saw no one. Everyone, from her doctor to her husband, thinks she’s imagining things.
     A month passes. And one bright summer morning, the babies disappear from Lauren’s side in a park. But when they’re found, something is different about them. The infants look like Morgan and Riley―to everyone else. But to Lauren, something is off. As everyone around her celebrates their return, Lauren begins to scream, These are not my babies.
     Determined to bring her true infant sons home, Lauren will risk the unthinkable. But if she’s wrong about what she saw…she’ll be making the biggest mistake of her life.
     Compulsive, creepy, and inspired by some our darkest fairy tales, Little Darlings will have you checking―and rechecking―your own little ones. Just to be sure. Just to be safe.

*This book is part of the adult mystery/thriller genre! I have featured it in The Crime Scene as a way to feature the few Adult and New Adult titles I am beginning to read in this genre! There's not much of a difference, however the scenes may be more graphic and there may be more explicit scenes in some of them."  

*MY THOUGHTS*

     I remember requesting this one and reading the first couple lines and thinking it wasn't for me. But then I got the audio in and I remember sitting in my car after I'd parked to finish listening to the first one. It's true that the format makes all the difference. 
     After having twins, Lauren is exhausted. After all, any new mother would be. But then one day the twins are abducted and Lauren is distraught. But then she begins telling people those aren't her twins... and no one believes her. Determined to bring them home on her own, she risks it all.
     What I liked most about this book wasn't even the writing style or anything like that.... It was a real experience. There were special effects and all. It made the atmosphere of the story even more creepy than it should have been. I wish I had recorded my face when I first heard the change in the audio. It creeped me out.
     Although this was creepy, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be. There just didn't seem to be much happening. And to make it worse, I wasn't really a fan of any of the characters. Especially her husband. He was terrible. Your wife just had your twins and you're out here doing stuff like the things he was doing?! He pissed me off!!! 
     As for the fairy tale that it was a retelling of, I'm not sure if it's real, but it was definitely something I'd like to read later on. It was creepy, interesting, and weird. So basically, all the things I liked. It made the story really weird, but it didn't seem like much happened with the plot. It was basically the same thing happening over and over, but it got weirder and weirder along the way. If you're ok with that sort of thing, then this will be a great read for you. 
     This wasn't amazing or anything, but still was entertaining enough. Definitely took a while to get into it, but the ending was kinda worth it. It was weird and will make you hug your little ones extra tight. 
Overall, I give this


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