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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com.
Playing Nice is an intriguing and thought-provoking read. I love the concept of this novel, which has been addressed before in other novels I’ve read, but here JP Delaney adds an extra element of suspense to what is already a very stressful situation: a couple – Maggie and Pete Riley – learn, out of the blue, that their 2 year old son Theo is not actually their son but another family’s. He was swapped in a mix up at the hospital when Theo and David, their biological son, were both born prematurely. The other family are well off and seemingly reasonable – but then things start to change…
I really liked the way Miles, the ‘other’ dad, is portrayed firstly as very reasonable but slowly reveals his true colours as things progress. Pete, in contrast, seems to be the perfect husband, but we know he has his faults, and his wife Maggie certainly has some secrets of her own, too! It feels like there’s plenty of half truths and concealed feelings involved, adding to the sense of mystery around what really happened.
Pete and Maggie’s son (but, as it turns out, not biologically) has an issue with being aggressive and self-centered around other people, something it becomes very obvious may be inherited from his biological father, Miles. This book really makes the reader consider the nature vs nurture debate – with Pete being such a soft, kind-hearted father, is Theo destined to turn out like Miles even with Pete’s influence, or can he be changed?
I’ll say no more about what happens, as a lot of the pleasure in this novel is realising what has been planned by certain characters all along, and sharing Pete and Maggie’s outrage – but then also wondering, could [this or that character] actually have had something to do with it? Or could that other person? This element of doubt really adds to the tension throughout the novel and left me completely hooked. There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against characters which is explained really well – just when you wonder if anyone would actually think that, you find out that there was a reason a certain something was mentioned earlier in the novel. I like the way lots of seemingly loose details are tied up.
There are some parts of the story which require a certain level of suspending your disbelief, but not a lot because the majority is worryingly believable, and really makes you question what exactly you would do in Pete and Maggie’s situation…
What would I do? I’m still undecided…
** Many thanks to the publisher, Quercus, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review. **
Playing Nice is an intriguing and thought-provoking read. I love the concept of this novel, which has been addressed before in other novels I’ve read, but here JP Delaney adds an extra element of suspense to what is already a very stressful situation: a couple – Maggie and Pete Riley – learn, out of the blue, that their 2 year old son Theo is not actually their son but another family’s. He was swapped in a mix up at the hospital when Theo and David, their biological son, were both born prematurely. The other family are well off and seemingly reasonable – but then things start to change…
I really liked the way Miles, the ‘other’ dad, is portrayed firstly as very reasonable but slowly reveals his true colours as things progress. Pete, in contrast, seems to be the perfect husband, but we know he has his faults, and his wife Maggie certainly has some secrets of her own, too! It feels like there’s plenty of half truths and concealed feelings involved, adding to the sense of mystery around what really happened.
Pete and Maggie’s son (but, as it turns out, not biologically) has an issue with being aggressive and self-centered around other people, something it becomes very obvious may be inherited from his biological father, Miles. This book really makes the reader consider the nature vs nurture debate – with Pete being such a soft, kind-hearted father, is Theo destined to turn out like Miles even with Pete’s influence, or can he be changed?
I’ll say no more about what happens, as a lot of the pleasure in this novel is realising what has been planned by certain characters all along, and sharing Pete and Maggie’s outrage – but then also wondering, could [this or that character] actually have had something to do with it? Or could that other person? This element of doubt really adds to the tension throughout the novel and left me completely hooked. There’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against characters which is explained really well – just when you wonder if anyone would actually think that, you find out that there was a reason a certain something was mentioned earlier in the novel. I like the way lots of seemingly loose details are tied up.
There are some parts of the story which require a certain level of suspending your disbelief, but not a lot because the majority is worryingly believable, and really makes you question what exactly you would do in Pete and Maggie’s situation…
What would I do? I’m still undecided…
** Many thanks to the publisher, Quercus, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review. **
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It's official; JP Delaney is amazing.
I like how all thrillers boil down to "TRUST NO ONE! THEY'RE ALL OUT TO GET YA!". This story has one of the most outlandish plots -switched babies- and two sets of seemingly civilized parents. Or are they?
They're not as perfect as they seem. There are secrets and hidden plots and loads of tension. It's not scary, per se, but it'll wrench your little trusting heart out. I don't even have kids and I was so stressed to the point I had to put the book down several times.
It has a little plot twist at the very end, I've noticed that's always the case in all of Delaney's books.
I like how all thrillers boil down to "TRUST NO ONE! THEY'RE ALL OUT TO GET YA!". This story has one of the most outlandish plots -switched babies- and two sets of seemingly civilized parents. Or are they?
They're not as perfect as they seem. There are secrets and hidden plots and loads of tension. It's not scary, per se, but it'll wrench your little trusting heart out. I don't even have kids and I was so stressed to the point I had to put the book down several times.
It has a little plot twist at the very end, I've noticed that's always the case in all of Delaney's books.
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
‘Playing Nice’ is the latest psychological thriller from the master of the genre JP Delaney and this time around, the take focuses on two couples each with a two year old son. To their absolute horror, Miles and Maddy are informed by the other couple that their babies were accidentally swopped at the neonatal unit shortly after birth. What follows, is story of heartbreak and mental torment as both families are torn apart of they attempt to discover what really happened in the hospital and fight to keep their children.
Of course, there is more to the tale for the reader and Delaney has a wonderful ability to build up a slow, creeping dense of dread, ensuring that the reader remains engaged with the story and is constantly wondering who is telling the truth.
It’s rare that a thriller, can actually give you chills and also stay in your mind for hours afterwards. One of my favourites of recent reads.
Of course, there is more to the tale for the reader and Delaney has a wonderful ability to build up a slow, creeping dense of dread, ensuring that the reader remains engaged with the story and is constantly wondering who is telling the truth.
It’s rare that a thriller, can actually give you chills and also stay in your mind for hours afterwards. One of my favourites of recent reads.
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely loved this book. Exciting and filled with tension.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
This book was stellar...In a genre that can be pretty repetitive with the same basic storyline...ie. an unreliable character, someone is lying, someone ends up dead and whodunit...the topic of this thriller was so freaking interesting and thought provoking, I admit I was constantly thinking about what I would do in the same situation.
This is the story of a couple who is contacted by another couple and told that their children had been accidentally switched at birth and they had been raising the other couples child and vice-versa.
As a mother its a terrifying concept and one I absolutely shudder to think about. What would you do in a similar situation? What lengths would you go to to protect your family? How would you cope? Would it be better to keep the child you already have an attachment and bond with, knowing that your biological child was out there being raised by someone else? Or would it be better to switch since after all that is your biological child? These are all questions running through my mind as I read.
Obsessive, twisted and chilling, I loved every minute of this jaw dropping page turner!
This is the story of a couple who is contacted by another couple and told that their children had been accidentally switched at birth and they had been raising the other couples child and vice-versa.
As a mother its a terrifying concept and one I absolutely shudder to think about. What would you do in a similar situation? What lengths would you go to to protect your family? How would you cope? Would it be better to keep the child you already have an attachment and bond with, knowing that your biological child was out there being raised by someone else? Or would it be better to switch since after all that is your biological child? These are all questions running through my mind as I read.
Obsessive, twisted and chilling, I loved every minute of this jaw dropping page turner!