User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This book just didn't sit right with me, guys. In fact, the more I think about it, the more I really didn't like what seems to be the "message". I'm not going to get all finger-waggy about it. If you enjoyed this and found it a compelling thriller, then I am glad. I just personally couldn't get on board with the narrative being sold here. A lot of my major issues are going to be under spoiler tags.
Darling Rose Gold is based on the true story of Dee Dee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose. In this book, Rose Gold Watts believed herself to be seriously ill for the first eighteen years of her life. However, it turns out her mother had actually been poisoning her for years, seeking more and more medical diagnoses, and taking money from well-meaning strangers. Patty Watts was finally caught, convicted, and sent to prison for five years.
Now she's getting out and, to everyone's surprise, Rose Gold has agreed to have her back. She welcomes Patty into the home she has bought and even lets her look after her newborn baby. This all seems a bit suspect, of course. Even Patty herself thinks so. What is Rose Gold up to? Is she planning some payback? Or is she really ready to put the past behind her?
Lots of reviews have revealed the essence of the story, but the book treats it as a spoiler so I will tag it: (view spoiler)
[this is a revenge story. It is about Rose Gold punishing Patty for destroying her body and her life. (hide spoiler)] What we do know is that neither Patty nor Rose Gold is particularly likable. Rose Gold might be a victim but she is definitely not the sweet, innocent kid Patty left behind.
So, what's my problem?
Well, I know there's a lot of debate on this issue. I've read a few fiction books with Munchausen's (aka Factitious Disorder) and have done a fair bit of outside reading on it. Munchausen's itself is recognized as a mental disorder. Munchausen's by proxy, as of my writing this, is not. It is also not granted a medico-legal entity (it cannot be used as legal defence). Clearly, this is because a) MBP does not cause the individual to suffer themselves, and b) there is a fine line in these cases between mental illness and child abuse. People understandably do not like to make excuses for those who abuse children.
A person with Munchausen's is sent to get psychiatric help. A person with MBP is generally sent to prison. I do not know if this is right or wrong. I do know that statistically those with MBP were often victims of child abuse themselves, which to me suggests it is trauma-related. And so it just didn't sit right with me when (view spoiler)
[this became a story about punishing Patty.
Rose Gold buys the house where Patty grew up because she knows it will upset her. This was the house where she was abused and where she found her brother after he hanged himself. Then Rose sets up a number of scenarios to deliberately traumatize her mother before eventually framing her and sending her back to prison, presumably for much longer this time.
And I'm just not sure what the author wanted us to take from this? Patty is clearly portrayed as a deeply-troubled person whose childhood abuse has affected her whole life. Sure, let's say she deserved prison for harming her daughter, mental illness or no, but are we really supposed to rejoice in seeing her bullied, frightened and sent back to prison for something she didn't do? Revenge stories can indeed be fun when it feels like just desserts, but this one felt extremely distasteful. Knowing what we know about Patty, I didn't feel like I was enjoying the downfall of a child abuser... I felt like I was watching a mentally ill woman being punished again and again. (hide spoiler)]I got no pleasure or satisfaction from the way this book ended. I felt let down. I felt a little nauseous, honestly. I have given it an extra star for holding my attention throughout, but the whole thing felt misguided.
Facebook | Instagram
Rating: really liked it
I have read my way through 315 books to bring you my
Top 10 Books of the Year (video) .
Now you know that this one made the cut, check out
my video review to see the others!
(Ps. This one is technically going to be published next year but it was so good, I let it slide)
4.5 stars
All these years, I've been telling people she was sick.
Look who was right after all.
Rose Gold spent nearly two decades of her life believing she was sick.
A chromosomal abnormality is what her mother (Patty Watts) said but what Rose Gold was actually diagnosed with was always shrouded in mystery.
That is...until her mom installed the internet and Rose Gold did a little digging for the first time in her life.
It's Rose Gold's fault I went to prison, but she's not the only one to blame.
Patty was safely behind bars for five years and when she's released, Rose Gold is there to pick her up.
The community is shocked. Absolutely shocked.
But...Rose Gold didn't spend all that time idle.
I smiled at her, teeth exposed. About time I let her see the ugly side of Rose Gold.
After all...who could possibly suspect dearest darling Rose Gold?
Ahhh! This one was really good!
I could tell from the cover that I was going to be wholly and completely sucked into this one.
I loved the way Rose Gold and Patty circled each other, each testing out the boundaries and figuring out how life has changed in the past few years.
The two of them really carried the book. Part of me wanted more extremes (especially with the basement!) and the other part was supremely satisfied with the way it turned out.
I also was really intrigued and impressed by how well the flashbacks fit into the story.
The smoothly inserted just enough information to keep you going while withholding enough to make you read ever faster.
Right away you know the book is setting you up for a big finish and let me assure you - it did not disappoint!
"You deserve every rotten thing you got."
With thanks to author and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from an uncorrected proof and are subject to change upon publicationYouTube | Blog | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Snapchat @miranda_reads
Rating: really liked it
Oh my gosh, what a entertainingly wicked book. Rose Gold's mom, Patty, apparently suffers from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and has spent five years in prison for her brutal treatment of Rose Gold. On her release from prison, Rose Gold, with new baby in tow, picks Patty up from prison and allows her to move into her new home. Patty knows this home well because it was her childhood home where horrible things happened and a place Patty hoped to never see again.
This story is told from both the viewpoint of Patty and of Rose Gold and very quickly, the reader is faced with deciding which woman might be more mentally damaged. This is a story of an epic battle of wills and it's fun, although at times gross, watching to see which woman is going to come out as the winner.
Published March 17th 2020
Thank you to Park Row/HarperCollins and Edelweiss for this ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Five years ago, Patty Watts was arrested and charged with poisoning her only child, Rose Gold.
A alleged case of
Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy, Patty was said to have been abusing Rose Gold for years.
As a late teenager, Rose Gold, whose body had suffered permanent damage stemming from the abuse, confessed some secrets to a neighborhood friend. After that, the adults around her finally put the pieces of the puzzle together.
Ultimately, Rose Gold testified against her Mother in court and Patty was subsequently sentenced to prison. As you can imagine, this led to an estranged relationship.
Darling Rose Gold follows Patty's perspective after she is released from prison and follows Rose Gold after her Mother is prosecuted, up through the present day.
On the day Patty is released, Rose Gold is there to pick her up at the prison gates. It seems during the interim of her time away they have begun the process of healing their relationship.
Rose Gold is now a mother herself, of little Adam, and has purchased her own home. Since Patty has nowhere else to go, it is decided that she will move in with them until she can get back on her feet.
This book is full of messed up twists, and keeps its intensity throughout, as the varying timelines come closer and closer to merging.
I love this type of format. I always end up racing through quickly in order to get to that climatic scene at the end.
About mid-way through I
knew hoped I knew where this was going. It went exactly there and I was stoked.
A revenge story is one of my favorite tropes of all time. This one satisfied me in that regard and was full of masterful manipulation.
I have often mentioned that I love a strong long-game and this story had that in spades.
Well played, Wrobel.
There were definitely parts that made me uncomfortable, particularly the focus on Rose Gold's ruined teeth, but I understand where the author was coming from in framing it that way.
Rose Gold and Patty definitely shared one of the most f*ed up relationships I have ever read. It's also one I will remember for a long time.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.
I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to more from Stephanie Wrobel.
Rating: really liked it
Mother vs Daughter. Crazy vs Crazier. Who will win in the end?
Darling Rose Gold is a psychological thriller about an extremely dark and twisted mother-daughter relationship. 5 years ago, 23-year-old Rose Gold Watt’s mother, Patty, was convicted for aggravated child abuse. Patty, who has Munchausen by Proxy, abused her daughter for years. Under her mother’s care, Rose Gold became violently ill, suffering from malnutrition and a host of other ailments as a result of her mother's abuse.
Patty served 5 years in prison, and with her release date looming, Rose Gold wants to reconcile. However, Rose Gold’s suffering has taken its toll. While she has recovered physically, mentally she is far from healed. Mother and daughter seem to try to repair their relationship, but underneath the surface of their reconciliation, they are playing an underhanded game of cat and mouse which results in pure insanity!
I found the subject matter of this book to be fascinating--I couldn’t put it down! It is fast-paced, entertaining, and easy to read.
Split between Patty and Rose Gold’s POV’s, two sick minds reveal the motives and the consequences of abuse. Both are unreliable narrators and both are unlikable and deranged in their own unique ways. I found their voices to be flat and cold, and while this type of narrative style might not work in another book, it works in this one. Both Rose Gold and Patty are nonchalant about their actions, which made them even more fascinating to read about. They do some crazy things, don’t think about them, and then move onto their next act of insanity.
I highly recommend for those who are looking for a good dose of craziness! I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: really liked it
**4.5 stars **
“I will hurt you for this. I don't know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you'll know the debt is paid.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
Let me say straight off the bat that neither of our protagonists - mother Patty Watts, and daughter Rose Gold Watts are in the least bit likeable, but are they readable? Hell yes!
Rose Gold spent nearly two decades of her life believing she was ill - a chromosomal abnormality is how mother Patty described it, but when Patty has the Internet installed, Rose Gold begins researching her illness and soon comes to the conclusion that her darling mother is also the person responsible for her illnesses!
With the help of Rose Gold’s testimony, Patty is convicted of aggressive child abuse and put behind bars for 5 years.
On her release, Patty hopes to take over where she left off, that is to gain control over her daughter’s life just like she always did. Rose Gold has other ideas though - she’s happy to let her mother move in with her, but she has her own secret agenda. Who’s going to win this battle of two truly sick and damaged individuals? Well hold on tight, cos you’re in for a riveting read discovering where it all ends.
How terrifying it was to have two such strong and devious protagonists, each with their own agenda, and both utterly vengeful individuals - this, together with a terrific plot, makes it an unforgettable and compelling read!
* Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin UK Michael Joseph for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Rating: really liked it
5 Sick and Seriously Twisted Stars!
Now that’s my Kind of Read! Mothers and Daughters - talk about relationships that are never easy!
Most, however don’t involve mothers who constantly lie and cause extreme harm to their daughters, complicating things just a tad.
Whatever the problem might be, a Good Dose of PRISON is sure to shake things up a bit! Just ask Rose Gold. She sure is excited for her mom Patty to be released from the slammer after 5 long years. In fact, she almost seems.. gleeful. As for Patty, she sure is a piece of work and she can’t wait to be with Rose after all that time.
Perhaps this is a case of be careful what you wish for? Only time will tell for Patty and Rose Gold!
Be Prepared to be Sucked into an Insanely wild read. I honestly wasn’t sure who or what to believe as I dove into “Darling Rose Gold” by Stephanie Wrobel. All I knew was that I simply could not get enough and did not want it to end. This is a Must-Read if I do say so myself!
This was another fabulous buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group and to Stephanie Wrobel for this arc.
Published on Goodreads on 10.13.19.
Rating: really liked it
"Most people don't like holding on to anger. They feel it crushing and consuming them, so they let it go. They try to forget the ways they've been wronged. But some of us cannot forget and will never forgive. We keep our axes sharp, ready to grind. We hold pleas for mercy between our teeth like jawbreakers. They say a grudge is a heavy thing to carry. Good thing we're extra strong."Saddle up and buckle in folks, we have a new popcorn thriller on the horizon! True, this book isn't released in the US until March of 2020, but when approached with the opportunity to read an early copy of a novel that sounds suspiciously like a fictionalized account of the DeeDee Blanchard and Gypsy Rose story, what's a girl to do? I had the pleasure of buddy reading this one with Dennis of @scaredstraightreads , and we're both proud to announce that we fully endorse reading this book.
Darling Rose Gold is less of a mystery and more claustrophobic psychological suspense, which I found myself surprisingly grateful for. If you read the synopsis for this book, then you probably have an inkling of the epic flaming drama that will ensue at the end, but the beauty of this tale is basking in the satisfying conclusion of revenge. We know from the beginning that Patty Watts has concluded her 5 year sentence after being convicted of poisoning her daughter Rose Gold for the majority of her life, and that RG has seemingly forgiven her mother and decided to take her back in upon her prison release. What we don't know are all of the things that have happened in those 5 years that Patty and RG have been apart, as well as Patty's horrific upbringing and childhood secrets. These things unfold in dual perspectives, flipping flawlessly between past and present.
If you're looking for a fast paced and engrossing tale of suspense that's sole job is to provide the entertainment factor, look no further. Seriously, Darling Rose Gold is the type of breezy read that, given the time, a reader could complete in a single sitting. While I found most of the outcomes fairly predictable, mainly due to the nature of this type of story, it didn't inhibit my enjoyment factor in the slightest. Whether you are lounging on the beach or curled up next to the fireplace with a cuppa, Darling Rose Gold is the type of read that will be enjoyed regardless of the season.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars!!!
My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
A plucked from the headlines gripping read! The story opens as Patty Watts aka “Poisonous Patty” is being released from prison after serving five years for aggravated child abuse. Patty has always maintained that she is innocent. She doesn’t blame Rose Gold even though her daughter testified against her. Instead, she blames the prosecutor, the jury, and the reporters who just wanted their story.
If she did all of those terrible things to her daughter why would Rose Gold offer to pick her up today? Patty waits outside the prison for Rose Gold who is late picking her up. Eventually, Patty sees her old maroon van headed towards her. She is excited to see her now twenty-three-year-old daughter. She is also excited about seeing the other passenger in the van.
Patty needs to find someplace to live and also needs to find a job. She hopes that Rose Gold will offer to let her stay with her. Rose Gold tells Patty that she’s recently bought a house and that her mother is welcome to stay. Patty is suprised and has trouble hiding her shock when she sees where they'll be living.
Patty wants things to return to the way they used to be, but Rose Gold has other ideas.
Have they really forgiven each other? Who is telling the truth now?
I was so excited to read this novel! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it.
Although the story has some similarities to a true-life story, it is still very different. Even though I knew the story it was partially based on, I still really enjoyed this novel.
The story is told from both Patty and Rose Gold’s point of view alternating back and forth between past and present. We learn what happened in the years they lived together prior to Patty going to jail, what happened during the years they were apart, Patty’s past and childhood, and their time together once Patty is released.
I thought this was an entertaining and easy read although it does deal with some very disturbing topics. Some parts of the novel may be unbelievable but many things about the true story were hard to believe as well.
I flew through this novel taking very few breaks. I really didn’t like having to put it down. It may not be for everyone, but I thought it was a great read!!
I look forward to reading more from Stephanie Wrobel.
I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
So, this story was really close to the true Gypsy Rose Blanchard case. The author was apparently inspired by it? 🤷🏼♀️ I don’t know, that’s what the inter webs are saying (and we all know everything online is true 🤪😂). Anywho... a mother is sentenced to five years in prison for child abuse (munchausen by proxy). But her daughter (Rose Gold) forgives her and picks her up and brings her home (with her newborn) to live with them. 🤔🤫🙄 I’m not gonna go further- cause I don’t wanna spoil the crazy story for anyone. I’ll just say, I found it entertaining.
Rating: really liked it
OH NNOOOOO!!! This is too nasty, disturbing, agitating and creepy! This is totally sick, insane, dark, edgy! CARRIE MEETS HULU’S “ACT” SHOW! And I LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT! Who cares if I’m not normal! I loved those brilliant, ultra evil genius brain cells of the author. If I ever have plastic surgery, I will demand to have that kind of batshit crazy brain cells so I can enjoy more creepier, nail destroyer, body hair lifter, and scary stories. As a result: I can happily give 5 gazillion stars without thinking a second and say 2020 will be exciting year to read such amazing thriller books!!!!
I’m writing this review hid under the couch, hands shaking, breathing heavy, praying God get those mother and daughter away from me and at least for 2 two hours my husband still thinks we’re playing “ hide and seek”! He still couldn’t find me (Or he acts like that because I can hear his laugh and soccer critics’ nonsense comments so he might have taken the control of the TV and finised my last bottle of Chardonnay! Dammit! I’m so scared to leave my hiding place!!! Oh no, am I smelling Italian takeout! That’s it! I left my book and took the cannoli! Luckily I don’t intend to poison my husband as a punishment like these sweet and lovely villanelles did on the book!)
Okay, nmmmmm, yes this pad thai and papaya salad is excellent…Okay let’s start again! Argggkk (Don’t worry, this painful sound is coming from my husband because I’m sitting on him when I’m writing this review! I might have gained a few pounds. Who counts the calories anyway when you’re tasting multiple amazing French wines!)
When I’m writing this review in the meantime, I’m formulating a letter to Ryan Murphy stop working AHS and advise him to produce this story and give the leading role PATTY to Jessica Lange. She was my dreamy villanelle! When I read the parts of Patty especially her snapping to her daughter at the jail, I only saw her face on my head and I started screaming, dropped the book but luckily I caught my Chardonnay glass so nothing has gone wasted!
So our terrifying mother PATTY, abuse victim, her own brother killed himself, turned into a monster (or she was baby monster but she has grown up to be wilder version of herself), poisoned her daughter for years and isolated her from outer world, made her believe she has been a victim of unidentified rare disease. When she got convicted by her own daughter’s testifying against her, her poor daughter Rose Gold was suffering from being underweighted, hairless, having rotting teeth, looking like malnourished ten year old boy.
The story has so many resemblances with Hulu TV series “Act” like daughter’s turning against her mother at the court, the neighborhood friend’s efforts with her make up products to help her feel better. Even Joey King who was acting as sick girl suffered from her mother’s secret madness named “Gypsy Rose”
But thankfully we’re not stuck at the past story of those two characters because the book is focused on after life of Rose Gold and her reborn from her ashes after she sent her mother to the prison and took her freedom back. But as trauma victim, she did have no friend. Even her online boyfriend did not want to talk with her face to face in real life. And as soon as she found out her father was not dead… Well, this story had also no quite happy father-daughter gathering ending. So neglected, lonely and broken Rose Gold needs her revenge to move on! I think she gets her first big step to the dark side after her mother’s denying her sins! (Darth Vader’s theme song Imperial March begins to play nananana!)
Then five years later, PATTY the MOTHER DEAREST ( mash-up of One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest Nurse Ratched, Carrie’s mother Margaret White and combination of all evil Meryl Streep characters!) gets out of the prison to live with her daughter and her grandson ( What? Rose Gold had a baby ? As we consider her ancestral characteristics: pure baby could be also Rosemary’s baby!) at her own childhood house. (SURPRISE! SURPSIE! HER DAUGHTER DEAREST bought mother’s childhood house she has been suffered from parents’ abuses for years! Evil laugh comes from Rose Gold!)
So THE MOTHER and DAUGHTER’s revengeful adventure begins. Which one will poison the other? Which one is more intelligent at mind games? Who is the father of the child? Could be Patty innocent? Of course not, I hit my hand to write this silly question! SO LET THE MIND GAMES BEGIN!
I’m not gonna give spoilers but I’m giving my SLAP CONTEST RESULTS FOR THIS BOOK:
PATTY (incarnated Lucifer’s mother) 5 gazillion punches, 3 million slaps
Billy Gillespie (asshole father) 3 million punches, convicted to watch Travolta’s Battlefield Earth 4 million times without restroom break)
Alex ( asshole worse best friend) 3 million slaps and permanent epilation of her eyebrows!
So yes, I love this Kill Bill quote : “I roared and I rampaged and I got bloody satisfaction”!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for sharing this devious ARC COPY with me in exchange my ugly honest review!
blog
instagram
facebook
twitter
Rating: really liked it
i want to preface this with saying my reading standards are so much higher for mysteries/thrillers than for other genres. it takes A LOT to really surprise and thrill me, so books have to work hard to get a 5 star rating/review from me. and although i didnt find this to be an intense page-turner, i do think the story has its merits.
i think the concept is phenomenally creative. its a little bit sad, a little bit weird, and a whole of crazy. i just dont think this is set up in the most effective way. it begins exactly where the synopsis leaves off - RGs mom is released from being imprisoned for making her daughter sick for years. the problem is, the reader isnt given first hand exposure to the mothers actions. its presented as a history between the two characters. i would have LOVED for this to be split into two sections with part one being RG growing up sick, the reader doesnt know why, and then finally discovering the mom was behind it the entire time. and then leave part two for after the mom is released from prison. i think that would have been much more fun as a reader to discover the mystery behind the illness rather than what RG has in store for her mother upon her release. if that makes sense. i am probably ranting at this point. im not a writer - what do i know. lol.
regardless, this is a cool concept and definitely had potential, but didnt quite impress me as much i would have liked.
↠ 3 stars
Rating: really liked it
Compulsively readable, disturbingly fascinating, & an absolutely unputdownable psychological thriller!DARLING ROSE GOLD by STEPHANIE WROBEL is one disturbing, dark, twisted, and original thriller that was quite the gripping book to read. I was immediately sucked into the narrative and could not put this book down.
STEPHANIE WROBEL delivers an interesting, fascinating, and well-written read here that offers quite the original and suspenseful plot with complex and dysfunctional characters. The story is told in alternating points of view between Rose Gold and her mother Patty. We get a firsthand look into both of their disturbing thought processes and what motivates each of them.
I wouldn’t say that I enjoyed or liked either one of our main characters here but they were definitely quite the entertaining pair though. I didn’t know which one of them to trust and who was playing who. I did have my suspicions though and I did puzzle together some of the story's plot points with the help of the author's subtle clues. But it didn’t disrupt the flow of the novel for me or how compelling this book was to read. I was getting a little bit fed up and disappointed with one of the characters actions though which did affect my total enjoyment for this novel. Hence the 4.5 star rating rounded down to 4 stars.
This was a Traveling Sisters read that I read in our group.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Suffocating, striking, suspenseful, eye-catching and a great representation to storyline. I’m absolutely in love with this beautiful cover!!
Title: A simple, intriguing, effective, and fitting representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Well-written, easy to follow, entertaining, engaging and readable.
Plot: Complex, dark, twisted, disturbing, fascinating, interesting, creepy, fast-paced, twisty, and entertaining.
Ending: An ending that didn’t really take me by surprise but regardless that I was expecting it I thought it was a thrilling resolution that I was totally satisfied with.
Overall: 4.5 Stars! I wouldn’t necessarily say that I had fun with this one but the characters and the storyline definitely made for an entertaining and compelling read. Would highly recommend!
Thank you so much to Elisha at Berkley Publishing and Simon and Schuster Canada for kindly sending me a copy of this book! I’m in love with this cover!!
Review can also be seen on Traveling Sisters Book Reviews blog:
https://travelingsistersbookreviews.com/
Rating: really liked it
The debt between a child and her mother could never be repaid, like running a foot race against someone fifteen miles ahead of you. What hope did you have of catching up? Darling Rose Gold is one of those stories in which you are not sure what to trust and whom to believe. As a dark and disturbing psychological thriller, it delivers an interesting and fascinating experience with a brilliantly original plot and some complex characters. In a genre full of stories of husbands and wives, Wrobel explores one of the most complicated (and least explored) mother-daughter relationship.
For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, is poisoning her and is sentenced to prison. After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and the entire community is shocked when Rose Gold takes her in. Patty insists she's forgiven Rose Gold testifying against her. But some old wounds never truly heal.
The story is told from both Patty and Rose Gold’s point of view alternating back and forth between past and present. Apart from an intense look at a dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship, it is also a tale of manipulation and revenge. With alternating POVs, Patty and her daughter, Rose Gold reveal the motives and it is left to the readers to figure out who is manipulating whom. The fact that it’s based on a true story makes it much creepier.
The story unfolds in layers, explaining the motivations of each character and makes the readers wanting to know more. We learn what happened with each character in the intervening 5 years, Patty’s past, and their time together once Patty is released. The story revolves mostly around Patty and Rose Gold but supporting characters also leaves a mark. The dysfunctional relationship between this mother & daughter and the resulting friction between them is intense. It’s like watching a live explosive and never knowing when it’s going to explode. A dangerous game of cat and mouse develops between them with no way of knowing who will win in the end. The fast pacing, the tense setting, and the twisted characters create a really captivating story.
Overall, Darling Rose Gold is an entertaining and engrossing thriller. If you like reading dark psychological thrillers,this one is highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publishers Berkley, Penguin Publishing Group and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Rating: really liked it
Finally!! My search is over! The five star thriller I‘ve been searching for!Oh how I love dysfunctional characters and all their human frailties. And folks, this book is chocked full of them! It was like a mad-cap competition to see who was more unstable.
Rose Gold had a rough childhood, to say the least. Always quite ill, ushered from one doctor to another...one hospital to the next. And never getting any answers.
Patty Watts. A single mother raising her daughter Rose Gold on her own. She has dedicated her life to help her daughter heal. Right up to the point when Rose turns on her, reporting her to the authorities. She now finds herself behind bars for aggravated child abuse! NOOO! 😱 Inconceivable! After all she’s done and sacrificed for Rose Gold? This is unthinkable!
Now, after five years Patty is released from prison. Time to reunite with her daughter and heal old wounds. Or… get revenge.🤷🏻♀️ But maybe Rose Gold isn’t exactly ready to welcome mommy dearest home with open arms.
I can sum this entire read up with one word...
WOW! These characters took crazy to a whole new level. And so many questions to be answered.
Who’s the wronged one here? Who’s off their rocker!? Who will come out on top? Well... just pick this little gem up and dig in!
Stephanie Wrobel writes an enticing unputdownable thriller that will have you seriously questioning your own sanity by the end! Did I mention this is a debut! Hats off Ms. Wrobel! I can’t wait to see what you cook up next!
A buddy read with Susanne! Enjoy the ride! We sure did!
A huge thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy.
