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sea_caummisar's review against another edition
5.0
I am so far behind on reviews, and taking a few minutes to catch up. My head was full of what I was going to say about the dozen other books I read in the past few weeks. Then I finished this book. My jaw is still on the floor. My well-thought-out reviews are now empty spaces in my brain.
This didn't sound like a book I'd really enjoy, but I found it in the BOH Brawl runner-up list and it was in KU. (I'm 99percent sure that's how I found this book. Like I said, my brain is barely functioning). So I gave it a shot because why not? It's free to read to me.
Boy oh boy.
I will never regret reading this book.
The storyline is about a down on her luck single mother caring for two children, one who has special needs. When her mother dies and leaves her a house, Cherry returns to Darling.
The characters are very realistic, especially if you know anything about small towns.
Moving forward, her baby Daisy goes missing.
Let me tell you this. I could feel the mother's grief radiating from my Kindle like electrical currents to my fingertips. I don't even have my own children, but yeah, the way everything was portrayed even wounded me. If I had a soul, I maybe would have even cried. But I'm dark, so I didn't.
As if that wasn't enough, the author threw multiple curveballs into the ending, melting my thoughts.
SO GOOD>
Possibly my top read of 2023 so far. If not, it's definitely in the top 3
This didn't sound like a book I'd really enjoy, but I found it in the BOH Brawl runner-up list and it was in KU. (I'm 99percent sure that's how I found this book. Like I said, my brain is barely functioning). So I gave it a shot because why not? It's free to read to me.
Boy oh boy.
I will never regret reading this book.
The storyline is about a down on her luck single mother caring for two children, one who has special needs. When her mother dies and leaves her a house, Cherry returns to Darling.
The characters are very realistic, especially if you know anything about small towns.
Moving forward, her baby Daisy goes missing.
Let me tell you this. I could feel the mother's grief radiating from my Kindle like electrical currents to my fingertips. I don't even have my own children, but yeah, the way everything was portrayed even wounded me. If I had a soul, I maybe would have even cried. But I'm dark, so I didn't.
As if that wasn't enough, the author threw multiple curveballs into the ending, melting my thoughts.
SO GOOD>
Possibly my top read of 2023 so far. If not, it's definitely in the top 3
kleonard's review against another edition
1.0
This is one of those books where you spend the whole time reading it and shaking your head and saying "WHAT" not because of surprises in the plot but because everything from characters to descriptions of places to dialogue seems to have been written without any regard for common sense or reality or any checks or balances on the "would this person do this" or the "how does this make sense" scales. It's a mess, and a poorly written mess, and is an excellent example for the need for developmental editing in fiction.
donasbooks's review against another edition
2.0
DARLING from Mercedes M. Yardley falls short of its ambitious concept in which abused and forgotten Cerise/Cherry returns with her two children, Jonah and Daisy, to her hometown, Darling, which is itself evil and out to destroy her family. It will so accomplish in part through a twisted love triangle (square?) between her abusive estranged husband, Ephraim, his kind and passive brother, Mordechai, and "E's" childhood best friend, confident playboy Runner, all pursuing Cherry to the very ends of what seems like her life. Part horror novel, part thriller, part romance--this book has an identity problem.
It's likely this one just isn't for me.
It's still a largely entertaining read, if you're into chaos. If you can suspend your need for narrative logic and roll with the wild rope of seemingly unrelated character and plot information, you might still like this. It connects enough to make a rough kind of story sense all through, but I wasn't able to think too hard about any of it or it started to unravel.
I'm a little sensitive to these things, so I have to note the despicable treatment of the developmentally disabled character, Jonah. He was barely treated as a character, and more as a plot device, which is just so difficult to read. So even if I had liked this book, I would never have connected to the FMC or the narrator because neither of them humanized Jonah. If this is a triggering issue for you, you might want to avoid this book.
I've read quite a bit of work from this writer, so I can say this book is different from her typical work and though I wouldn't recommend this one, I do hope you'll check out [b:Pretty Little Dead Girls|23163610|Pretty Little Dead Girls|Mercedes M. Yardley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410038594l/23163610._SY75_.jpg|42709776].
Rating 2 stars
Finished October 2022
Recommended for fans of dark romance (maybe), serial killer stories, haunted house stories (maybe); I don't really recommend this selection from the writer's oeuvre
TW DV, SA, violence against children, child SA, incest, violence against women, mental illness, mental illness stigma, torture, so many more
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
It's likely this one just isn't for me.
It's still a largely entertaining read, if you're into chaos. If you can suspend your need for narrative logic and roll with the wild rope of seemingly unrelated character and plot information, you might still like this. It connects enough to make a rough kind of story sense all through, but I wasn't able to think too hard about any of it or it started to unravel.
I'm a little sensitive to these things, so I have to note the despicable treatment of the developmentally disabled character, Jonah. He was barely treated as a character, and more as a plot device, which is just so difficult to read. So even if I had liked this book, I would never have connected to the FMC or the narrator because neither of them humanized Jonah. If this is a triggering issue for you, you might want to avoid this book.
I've read quite a bit of work from this writer, so I can say this book is different from her typical work and though I wouldn't recommend this one, I do hope you'll check out [b:Pretty Little Dead Girls|23163610|Pretty Little Dead Girls|Mercedes M. Yardley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1410038594l/23163610._SY75_.jpg|42709776].
Rating 2 stars
Finished October 2022
Recommended for fans of dark romance (maybe), serial killer stories, haunted house stories (maybe); I don't really recommend this selection from the writer's oeuvre
TW DV, SA, violence against children, child SA, incest, violence against women, mental illness, mental illness stigma, torture, so many more
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
nickymaund's review against another edition
3.0
The creepy vibes of this one really appealed and I was keen to learn all about the demons that Cherry’s hometown is hiding. Yardley sets out the dire situation of Cherry’s circumstance early on in the story, and her distaste for Darling including how much she loves her two children.
Upon her return to Darling, it took a while for Cherry’s story to start getting anywhere. I found it hard to connect with her and it felt really abnormal that practically all the men she meets are utterly obsessed with her - but I suppose that’s the depth of the evil that runs through the town and its inhabitants.
Whilst there were some moments that started on the creepy feeling, overall it just felt a little lacking for me.
Upon her return to Darling, it took a while for Cherry’s story to start getting anywhere. I found it hard to connect with her and it felt really abnormal that practically all the men she meets are utterly obsessed with her - but I suppose that’s the depth of the evil that runs through the town and its inhabitants.
Whilst there were some moments that started on the creepy feeling, overall it just felt a little lacking for me.
sucharita's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
frombethanysbookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
A desperately dark and thrilling story about a young woman who returns home to Darling after the death of her mother - only to find she isn't the only one. First it starts with the children in town, before reaching her own front door and taking her only daughter - something evil is spreading, and it's everywhere.
Full of chilling settings that gave me physical goosebumps , Yardley creates an otherworldly atmosphere full of sinister demons lurking round every corner, under every bed and on every roof. However, as amazing as it was, there was a bit too much description and not enough action for a large chunk of the story which did leave me struggling to get fully into the tale.
Full of chilling settings that gave me physical goosebumps , Yardley creates an otherworldly atmosphere full of sinister demons lurking round every corner, under every bed and on every roof. However, as amazing as it was, there was a bit too much description and not enough action for a large chunk of the story which did leave me struggling to get fully into the tale.
rock_n_reads's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
vanquishingvolumes's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this book!
Following a single mother who, down on her luck and with no family or friends to speak of, is forced to return to the hometown she fled as a teenager - this thriller pits a hard scrap mother against the terrors of motherhood and small towns. With a reputation for being the most desirable girl in town, she has enough men clambering for her attention but she only has eyes for her two children. Her darlings. And when one goes missing she will turn over the entire world to get that child back.
Following a single mother who, down on her luck and with no family or friends to speak of, is forced to return to the hometown she fled as a teenager - this thriller pits a hard scrap mother against the terrors of motherhood and small towns. With a reputation for being the most desirable girl in town, she has enough men clambering for her attention but she only has eyes for her two children. Her darlings. And when one goes missing she will turn over the entire world to get that child back.
the_m_lor's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Man, this book was a RIDE. Part thriller, part horror. Definitely a good pick for spooky season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Incest
dbguide2's review
I managed to get to 18% before deciding to dnf and I was so bored throughout it all. From the apparent perfection of Cherry/Cerise and although her hometown views her as a bad girl for various reasons – she ran off with a man, left him, had a baby with another man, made sure her kids were fed and dressed (but that was with a job that left them clutching their pearls) but she’s still seen as the ‘darling’ of the town. Two men want to be with her, or maybe only one really did, but I saw absolutely no chemistry with Cerise (in fact it felt like she had no chemistry with anyone, including her kids) with either of them. The whole spiel of all the townspeople disliking her because of her choices but then also constantly showing up to help her annoyed me so much. Either have them dislike her outright or have them help her out.
The language trying to be flowery but it just fell flat for me and somehow added to trying to make Cerise out to be an amazing mom because she’s great with the kids even when they’re ‘difficult’. It’s just all of that just tried to make Cerise a strong character and I didn’t feel it at all.
So the older kid, Jonah, is disabled. It’s said he has a genetic disorder and although it’s not mentioned anywhere, he’s autistic and largely non-verbal too. The author said in the acknowledgements that she wrote Jonah based on/for her disabled kid – and then she names his diagnoses – so we basically know what Jonah’s diagnoses are. I don’t know when the book is set because the year is never mentioned. Phones, their cords and cradles are mentioned but seeing as the book is set in a small town it makes sense for them to still have corded phones – let’s say still into the 2000’s. Jonah wears headphones, but they’re actually not a new thing (dating back somewhere to the 1800s, surprisingly). All of that is to say – the r-slur is used a few times in the book – when is this book set? Their usage of it felt so casual). Either way, I don’t like the slur – whenever the book is set.
I didn’t like how Cerise spoke about Jonah. Specifically there was this line where he wakes up and his eyes are like dulled by the reality of life. And then it says he’s ‘only fully himself when asleep’ which annoyed me a lot because he stims a lot. So what? He’s not himself when he stims? Stimming even helps the person feel more like themself. I stim (ADHD, not autistic) and stimming is something I like to do – it calms me down, it shows when I’m happy etc. Stimming isn’t only for happy or angry. sometimes we just like to make noise for fun! Also it felt like he was only there to prop Cerise up, to show how good of a mom she was because she’s taking care of him.
The language trying to be flowery but it just fell flat for me and somehow added to trying to make Cerise out to be an amazing mom because she’s great with the kids even when they’re ‘difficult’. It’s just all of that just tried to make Cerise a strong character and I didn’t feel it at all.
So the older kid, Jonah, is disabled. It’s said he has a genetic disorder and although it’s not mentioned anywhere, he’s autistic and largely non-verbal too. The author said in the acknowledgements that she wrote Jonah based on/for her disabled kid – and then she names his diagnoses – so we basically know what Jonah’s diagnoses are. I don’t know when the book is set because the year is never mentioned. Phones, their cords and cradles are mentioned but seeing as the book is set in a small town it makes sense for them to still have corded phones – let’s say still into the 2000’s. Jonah wears headphones, but they’re actually not a new thing (dating back somewhere to the 1800s, surprisingly). All of that is to say – the r-slur is used a few times in the book – when is this book set? Their usage of it felt so casual). Either way, I don’t like the slur – whenever the book is set.
I didn’t like how Cerise spoke about Jonah. Specifically there was this line where he wakes up and his eyes are like dulled by the reality of life. And then it says he’s ‘only fully himself when asleep’ which annoyed me a lot because he stims a lot. So what? He’s not himself when he stims? Stimming even helps the person feel more like themself. I stim (ADHD, not autistic) and stimming is something I like to do – it calms me down, it shows when I’m happy etc. Stimming isn’t only for happy or angry. sometimes we just like to make noise for fun! Also it felt like he was only there to prop Cerise up, to show how good of a mom she was because she’s taking care of him.