User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Can you imagine during your mid-day somebody knocking on your door and when you answer it, you see a man standing in front of you looks like older version of your son!
There are three options for you to express your feelings:
1) Slamming the door shut at the man’s face and form a plan to kill your spouse for her infidelity (you may also hire a contract killer if you have great connections at the dark web. Don’t you dare to ask me how I can know!)
2) Slamming the door shut at the man’s face, moving fast to toss everything inside your valise, grabbing your son and leaving your place from your back door.
3) Scrutinizing the guy’s face, acting like a naïve, gullible person and asking: “could you be my son’s second cousin?’
I know my three options are so stupid! And I cannot imagine a man appears in front of my door telling me two years ago our kids switch at birth and he is biological dad of my son. It’s so devilish, smart, gripping, hooking you from the beginning plot, isn’t it? That’s why J. P. Delaney is one of the great authors: he doesn’t give us stupid choices or plot has more holes than my socks have! (I spent all my money to booze and books! And I love my feet get more air!)
So we have two families: Lamberts-wealthy ones (Miles and Lucy) and Rileys ( wait a minute, we have Pete and Maddie but they are not married and unfortunately they are not financially stable. Pete is journalist, stay at home dad but he is responsible and gets parenting very seriously, spending his time at chat forms for dads to read the comments and try the best options to help his son! Maddie suffered from post-partum depression after giving birth to her child and had problems to connect with him. She didn’t share the same bound Pete and Theo have but it doesn’t make her bad mother and it doesn’t mean she doesn’t love him, does it?)
Two switched kids: Theo and David.
Miles’ life completely changes at the day Miles Lambert knocks his front door accompanied with a private investigator, showing him the DNA results and telling him they’re suing the hospital for their crucial and impactful mistake! But a few pages later we find out: there are affidavits indicate that Miles also sues the family and we may sense he’s after the full custody of Theo!
Two families arrange a meeting at Miles’ big mansion, being introduced with David and they find out: little boy suffer from brain damage, introvert kid. They finally decide they are not gonna change anything with children’s life: they will live with the same parents but they also decide they’ll involve their biological child’s life like a family friend do.
Both parties seem like appeased with the solution but wait for it! We have a real psychopath in this equation and a psychopath gets furious when he doesn’t get his way and things get uglier. Could Nate and Maddie resume playing nice around them for their son’s sake? Did they put themselves in danger at the very same day they accepted Lamberts in their lives?
This is gripping, psychological, high tensioned family drama plays with your nerves, making you face with your insecurities and inner fears, nightmares! I was wearing gloves not to bite my nails during my reading so you may imagine I changed 6 pairs of gloves! I may have stress-eaten some of them!
The conclusion of the story and final twists are also well-played, well-written and well-developed.
Overall: I read while I was sitting at the edge of my couch. It was one of the reads make you nervous, edgy, frustrated and when you finish it, you take a long deep breathe and say thanks loudly for not being one of the characters of the book!
This means I’m addictive to this author’s books and I keep going blind and devouring them without thinking a second!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for sharing this fantastic ARC in exchange my honest review.
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Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars!
The door bell rang and Peter Riley went to answer the door and there were two young men outside the door, and one of them looked exactly like Theo, his son. "Can we come in they asked". "Its about your son they said". "It would be better to talk indoors". Pete let them in and Miles Lambert introduced himself and Don Maguire. "Prepare yourself for a shock, Lambert said." " I am sorry to tell you that Theo is not your son'. "He is mine." Don Maguire says that we both have sons who were born prematurely and they were both transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Alexander's. It's conceivable that at some point during the process the wrong tags were put on the babies.
"So you have our son Pete asked". Miles Lambert nodded. "We call him David". How do you know this, Pete asks. Miles let him know that Don Maguire is a private investigator. We took a sippy cup that belonged to Theo at Theo's nursery. The tests came back yesterday and there is no doubt that Theo is my son. This is how it all begins and life will never be the same again. Pete and his wife Maddie discover that they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe. They are done playing nice.
I was captivated straight from the beginning until the very end. This one kept me on the edge of my seat and was a roller coaster ride. This is a suspenseful dark psychological thriller that kept me turning the pages. I loved the short chapters. This also is a family drama and it's every parents worst nightmare. I loved the shocking twists. There were some dark secrets and lies. There also were a lot of Oh No, moments! I loved the ending and all the characters were very well developed.
This was a buddy read with my friend, Susan!
I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Now Available!
Rating: really liked it
Wow, what a horrible thing to happen to a family, to two families! Two years after Maggie and Pete have the agonizing time of their son Theo being born months early, and all the heartbreak that goes with such a tiny premature baby, a man enters their life and tells them that Theo is his son, that their babies were accidentally switched not long after they were born and sent to the ICU for babies. Miles and Lucy, who have baby David, have had him DNA tested so they are positive he is not their son. Miles has also secretly had Theo tested and they know that Theo is their son. Miles claims that they want to work with Maggie and Pete, to not disrupt the life of either boy, but allow both sets of parents to play a role in each boy's life.
Theo is very headstrong and seems to lack any trace of compassion or kindness to others, but he's just two years old and Pete is a fantastic, stay at home, hands on father, willing to make any changes in his raising and guidance of Theo, to ensure he learns healthy social skills. Theo looks like Miles and even seems to take after Miles in other ways. And little David looks like Maggie and reminds her of her favorite brother, when he was David's age. David has mental and physical challenges from his very premature birth and Miles and Lucy have the money to give him the special care he needs, although their huge home and their life, seems so sterile and cold, to Maggie and Pete.
Then things start falling apart. Miles is demanding, thinking he's going to send Theo to boarding school when he's older, dropping by Theo's house at night to spend time with him, interfering with Theo, Pete, and Maggie's routine and lives. Miles practically demands that Pete, Maggie, and Theo go on a week long vacation with his family and when Pete and Maggie revolt, all hell breaks loose and their life explodes into a huge legal and moral mess. There is even a suspicion that someone may have swapped the babies on purpose. People have been hurt and murder may even play a part in this story. Things look hopeless for Pete and Maggie and they realize they may not ever get to see either child again. What at first seems like a domestic drama definitely turns into a thriller.
Publication: July 28th 2020
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
“A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path”.
-The Last Seance (from The Hound of Death and Other Stories, also Double Sin and Other Stories)”
― Agatha Christie, The Hound of Death.
Pete and Maggie Riley have a 2 year old son Theo, they’re having a few problems right now with his behaviour, he’s very naughty at home, and doesn’t want to play nice with the other kids at nursery, he resorts to hitting and biting them to get his own way, and there have been complaints from other parents about him - so much so, that he’s in danger of being asked to leave the nursery altogether, but do Pete and Maggie love him? Of course they do! Would they give their life for him? Absolutely!
Pete, a full time Dad, is sitting down to a well earned coffee, after dropping Theo off at nursery, when he’s interrupted by the doorbell. He discovers two men at the door, one being a tall athletic looking guy named Miles Lambert, and what they tell Pete shocks him to the core - they have proof that Theo isn’t Pete and Maggie’s son - the fact is, Theo was swapped at birth with Miles and wife Lucy’s little boy David!
It doesn’t take much imagination to realise just how earth shattering that announcement would be, but nevertheless, after the initial shock, the two families try to adjust to what has been an absolute bombshell, and they all agree that they want an amicable relationship, for the sake of everyone, but especially for the children.
However, events quickly take a turn for the worse, and for Pete and Maggie, it will prove an absolutely terrifying experience, but I won’t reveal any more than that, as I’d hate to spoil it for those of you tempted to read it.
This thought provoking thriller is psychological suspense at its best, completely and utterly gripping, with some seriously good twists - miss this one at your peril!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for my ARC, in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
Rating: really liked it
This was so flipping good!!!! The premise for this book is the most exciting thriller premise I've heard of in quite some time. It follows this couple Pete and Maddie who are raising their two year old son Theo, when this other couple knocks on their door and tells them their children were accidentally swapped at the hospital when they gave birth. Their birth son David has been being raised by this other couple Miles and Lisa for the last two years, and now they have the difficult decision of deciding what to do next... keep this child that you've been raising for the last two years and have already formed a bond and attachment to, but watch your birth child getting raised by strangers? Or swapping the kids back and raising your birth child, a child you don't yet know.
This topic was FASCINATING to read about and
I could literally not book this book down. This book got me out of my weird reading slump I've been in for weeks. I keep talking about this book with everyone I know, asking them what they would do in a situation like this because it's just so interesting to me. This book was a roller coaster and we follow back and forth between Maddie and Pete's POV as they deal with this other couple and trying to navigate the most impossible circumstances. This book was over 400 pages but I FLEW through this book, it ended up being a very quick read for me.
I saw one of the twists coming at the end, but the one I didn't see coming left me freaking shook!!! I was just so genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed this,
definitely one of my favorite thrillers of 2020 so far. This is my first book from this author so now I'm super interested in checking out more books from them!
Rating: really liked it
HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY to my FAVORITE J P Delaney book!
JULY 28, 2020
If I were Forrest Gump, or perhaps his mother, I would say, “J P Delaney books are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.”
Nothing formulaic, about this author’s work! The first was suspense, the second read like a screenplay, the third had a sci-fi feel, and now comes “Playing Nice” one that will feel like a family drama for the MAJORITY of the book but, don’t worry...not everything is what it seems!
“IT WAS JUST AN ORDINARY DAY”
Until it wasn’t.
A knock on the door changes everything for Pete and Maddie, our two narrators, when they are told that they took home the wrong baby, from the hospital two years ago...two babies accidentally switched at birth.
At first, Miles and Lucy, the other parents involved, are “playing nice”.
But, it is just an act, and since Miles is used to getting what he wants, and what he wants is his biological son, Theo, he will stop at nothing to get him back!
My favorite chocolate in the box...caramel pecan turtles...yummy!
My favorite Delaney book-“Playing Nice”!
But set aside a chunk of time to read it-you WON’T be able to put it down!!
Thank You to Netgalley, Ballantine books and the author for the digital arc I received in exchange for a candid review!
Rating: really liked it
**MY FAVORITE BOOK OF 2020 THUS FAR IS AVAILABLE NOW! YAY!**
Hello, friends! Meet my first 5-star stunner of 2020! I've had a few 4.5 star reads which I've rounded up, but Playing Nice has become the understated hit of my reading season thus far.
I confess, after The Perfect Wife, a story of which I was NOT a fan, I honestly didn't have high hopes going in. However, since I really enjoyed The Girl Before, I was absolutely willing to give J.P. Delaney another shot.
I'm so glad I did!This book is everything I never knew I wanted. Swapped baby stories are such a cliché, but
Playing Nice is so much more. This is a story about mental illness, addiction, abuse, murder, lies, betrayal, the law, and most importantly, it covers just how far parents are willing to go to protect the child they love, despite the multitude of nightmarish scenarios facing them. It's a total roller-coaster ride. My emotions were all over the place!
It's terrifying and addicting.I had to force myself to stop reading last night. I've had an incredibly busy day, and it's made me totally grouchy because all I could think about was getting back to this book.
Any of you who know me, and have read my reviews for awhile, know I'm not one to gush...
but I am so gushing right now. Just do yourself a favor and read it.
Available July 28, 2020
**Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
A fantastic and thought-provoking domestic suspense novel!!I started off reading this novel but switched over to the audiobook a few chapters in as I wanted to get a few things done around the house. I found the beginning of the book a little hard to get into, but honestly, it wasn't long before I was completely HOOKED!
This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I don't normally think about jumping ahead with books, but at times I was so anxious that I contemplated skipping chapters to see how it ended. I resisted the urge though.
The scary thing is that a lot of what happens in this book could really happen. It's terrifying being a parent at the best of times, but I can't even imagine going through the things these characters went through.
I normally take notes when I read or put stickies on different parts of a book I want to remember for my reviews. With audiobooks, I'm still figuring things out. And with this book, I couldn't stop listening long enough to write anything down.
An exciting, intense, and intelligent novel that I highly recommend!I've enjoyed all this author's previous novels, but this is definitely my favorite. I'm really excited to see what J.P. Delaney writes next!
Rating: really liked it
***HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY***
Playing nice is not something Miles Lambert has ever even tried to be good at. Mid-way through the book we will find out just how manipulating and forceful he can be.
Pete and Maggie have been raising a son, Theo, for two years, loving him, teaching him to learn and to “play nice” with his friends. Theo is a great little boy, energetic and intelligent but has been having trouble at nursery school with sharing and learning how to play with others. He was very premature and so there was a long period when Pete and Maggie had to stay in the hospital while Theo was in the NICU. This was very difficult for both of them, although Pete seemed to handle it very well. He quickly learned how to comfort and love Theo. Maggie had more problems, especially when Pete was away. They were just getting to feel confident in how things were going with their relationship and with their son.
It was “just an ordinary day in Willesden Green, north London” and Pete was dropping Theo off at his nursery school. Pete noticed a “ trio of people, a woman and two men, on the other side of the road watching us.” By their dress he assumed that they were possibly looking in the area for child care sites. Back home while Pete was making some coffee and spending time online with fellow “stay at home dads”, the doorbell rang.
This would be the changing point of the entire book and the story of two sets of parents and two little boys who it becomes known were allegedly switched at birth. Miles Lambert is the person on Pete’s doorstep and he has come to tell him that Theo is actually his son and that Pete’s son has been living with Miles and his wife Lucy. There is a third person involved, Don Maguire, the Lambert’s lawyer, because they have already begun proceedings to sue the hospital for the mix-up and had taken a cup used by Theo and tested his DNA, he is definitely Miles’ son.
What begins as a “civil” decision to make it possible for the parents and children to get to know each other quickly escalates into an impossible situation.
Miles Lambert will settle for only one thing, getting Theo back. He begins to show up at Pete’s house at all hours insisting on seeing Theo. He gives him gifts which are usually inappropriate and even goes so far as to offer up a scholarship to the college he attended.
Lucy and Maggie quickly become concerned at what will happen next. Lucy knows how volatile and demanding Miles is and Maggie has her own way of “reading” him and knows that the solution to this situation will not be an easy one.
This is the third book I have read by this author and definitely my favorite. I enjoyed the character development and how the atmosphere in the book changed from amicable to diabolical by the end of the book. What really wrapped this up for me was the great ending, of which I won’t speak a word!!
If you enjoy a great character driven thriller, this is the book for you.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Rating: really liked it
Talk about domestic suspense which turns into a psychological thriller!
Whew!
What a nightmare! Pete Riley unknowing opens the door one and has everything turned upside down. Miles Lambert and his attorney inform Pete that his and Maggie's two-year-old son, Theo is not actually their son. That there was a a mix up at the hospital and that Pete and Maggie brought home, Miles and Lucy Lambert's son and they in turn took home, Pete and Maggie's, son who is named David. The Lambert's are suing the hospital and naturally want to get to know Theo, who is a rambunctious boy who gets in trouble at school for not getting along with other children, while David has developmental delays.
Whew! Two babies switched at birth. Two sets of parents. Love, nature vs nurture, family, the law, betrayal, mental illness, protecting your child, secrets and abuse. This was a compelling read from the very first chapters. How many times have we seen, read, watched switched at birth stories but J.P. Delaney made sure to not make this one cliched. I was glued to the pages and found this to be an absorbing and quick read. The characters are interesting, flawed, well-formed and I am not going to say much else.
This was a very enjoyable read that had twists, turns, revelations and bits to chew on. This had me thinking about the plot well after I finished it. This is a thought-provoking book that was another solid read by J.P. Delaney.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own
Rating: really liked it
First 5-star read of 2021! 🏆This book was unputdownable... A roller-coaster of emotions from page 1 to page 400!
What if you found out your 2-year-old son wasn't your genetic son? What if he had been switched at birth?Believe me, I don't get so enthusiastic often. I couldn't rave enough about this book, so let me go straight to the point:
if you enjoy domestic thrillers, read it. If you're ready to be confronted to ethical questions and to feel strong emotions (positive and negative as well), read it.Delaney's books are all very good, but this one is my favorite so far. I just can't wait to see which theme he's going to chose for his next book.
If it's not already done, you can now add this book to your neverending TBR. 😉 Happy reading!
Rating: really liked it
3.5*The premise of this book quickly got my attention. Having read the previous book by this author “The perfect wife,” I knew this was a must for me!Pete Riley answers a knock at his door to find his life won’t ever be the same! (This is
exactly why I never answer the door). On the other side of the door is Miles Lambert, exuding an air of confidence, teetering on downright arrogance. Miles has some rather interesting news to share with Pete. The child Pete has raised from birth actually belongs to him. There was a mistake made at the hospital! What!? Are you serious? Then what about the other baby?
This was a fun, light thriller that’ll make you cringe at the thought of this actually happening! The book sites other cases, though I’m not sure if that was part of the fictional tale. I have yet to seek out the all- knowing, all-powerful google!
The only gripe I had was with the naiveté of Pete. Personally, I’d be speed-dialing my lawyer before the visitor took his second step into my house. (While also dispensing a serious dose of Mace!) But that’s just me!💁🏻♀️
An enjoyable read, though
The Perfect Wife is still my favorite!
A fun buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for an ARC to read and review
Rating: really liked it
JP Delaney's latest offering is a tense and riveting blend of family drama and psychological thriller that explores the emotionally charged feelings and complexities of the dilemma faced by parents in London, making the shocking discovery that their two year old toddler son is not their child, he was mixed up with their actual biological baby at the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital. Stay at home dad, journalist Pete Riley and his long term partner working in advertising, Maddie, are bringing up their son, Theo, a veritable ball of energy and a real handful, trying to get him to play nice, to share and interact more positively with others, areas he has difficulties with. Their life is derailed when Miles Lambert turns up at their door, informing them that Theo is his and wife, Lucy's son.
A secretly carried out DNA test bears this out, not to mention the fact that Theo bears such a strong physical resemblance to Miles. The Lamberts are bringing legal proceedings against the hospital, which triggers an official investigation into what happened there. Initially matters are cordial as Pete and Maddie agree to the well intentioned and understanding civil decision for both couples and the children to get acquainted with and getting to know each other better. The couples are markedly different from each other, the Lamberts are wealthy, Pete and Maddie are more ordinary, struggling to make ends meet. Maddie feels a strong connection to David, her brain damaged son that the Lamberts have raised, a David that will need life long care. However, as it becomes clearer that the psychopathic Miles has every intention of getting hold of Theo, by any means, matters spiral into a living hell for Pete and Maddie.
Delaney's character driven novel is markedly different from his previous books, it is a compulsive read that explores the age old debate of nature versus nurture and the family dynamics that ensue upon facing the emotional quagmire of raising a child that apparently turns out to be not biologically their own. The characters are suitably flawed, whilst Miles is utterly reprehensible as a human being in this story of twists and turns. A fascinating roller coaster of a read that touches on mental health issues, what it is to be a parent, deception, secrets, legal issues, abuse and murder. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.
Rating: really liked it
A super enjoyable book that blended a few different genres.
I found the writing really convincing.
How terrifying it must be for people caught in the system!
The ending merged all the different parts of the story in a way that was consistent with the rest of the book - more sincere, rather than excessively over the top.
Rating: really liked it
Happy publication day (28th July) to this unsettling gem!A gripping, unsettling, well written and researched psychological thriller!What would you do if you found out that your child was not your child?
How far would you go to protect your family?
Pete and Maddie find out that their two year old son, is not their son, that they took the wrong baby home from the hospital, after a mix up in the NICU. At first, both families seem to have the best intentions, but what happens when they stop 'playing nice?'
Wow this book had me gripped, and in an emotional state for the whole time! It was like something from one of my worst nightmares! Playing Nice built up tension slowly with it's tense atmosphere, and it kept me in an almost constant state of anxiety! Seriously, I was biting my nails, my hands were shaking, and I had an uneasy, sick feeling in the pit of my stomach the whole time! I was so stressed! Nevertheless, I couldn't stop reading this addictive and unpredictable book, and I needed to know the final outcome!
I enjoyed that we had Maddie and Pete's POV, but not Miles and Lucy's, the other couple involved, as it added tension, and made me question everything! There was also evidence from court, which added to the story.
J.P. Delaney wrote incredibly flawed characters, who all had their fair share of disturbing secrets! Mental illness, lies, betrayal, gender roles in parenting, nature vs nurture, and what is the best interest of the child were explored. I was shocked and terrified by how quickly events escalated legally into a nightmare!
I'm not sure I could say that I enjoyed this book, but it certainly had an impact on me! I spent a lot of time gasping, and shouting at my kindle in a shocked, angry and hateful manner! I will definitely be thinking about this tale, and holding my babies a little bit tighter for a while!
This was my first J.P. Delaney book, but it definitely wont be my last! I own The Perfect Wife but what other ones are good?!
Published on 28th July 2020, grab yourself a copy!
Many thanks to Quercus and NetGalley UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
