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Darling

By: Rachel Edwards
Narrated by: Jaimi Barbakoff, Adele Oni
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Summary

A teenage girl clashes with her new stepmother in this debut thriller with an unforgettable twist

‘A pile-up of devastating plot twists’ Bernardine Evaristo, author of Booker-winning Girl, Woman, Other

‘Dark, deep, thought-provoking. Go and read it!’ Adele Parks

‘Similar in spirit to We Need to Talk About KevinSunday Times

‘Genuinely unputdownable’ Clare Fisher, author of All the Good Things

‘Sure to be a reading group favourite’ Metro

‘Stunning’ Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

‘The twists and turns left me reeling’ Eleanor Wasserberg, author of Foxlowe

I knew she was trouble from the moment I saw her. I felt it as she stood in the doorway that day: disaster. Not just because she was so different, that skin and that hair, as different from me as it’s possible to be. There was something wrong about her. Wrong for us. It was never going to work.

Now she is dead and only I am left to love him. She is dead, and it’s all my fault.

©2018 Rachel Edwards (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers
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Critic reviews

'An impressive concoction of characterisation, language and daring, leading to a pile-up of devastating plot twists at the end. It's telly-ready!' Bernardine Evaristo, Booker Prize winning author of Girl, Woman, Other

‘Fast-paced … similar in spirit to Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin’ Sunday Times

‘Stunning. I swung back and forth not knowing who to trust, and loved the two different voices which were so distinct. It had some brilliant twists and surprises, and I never knew where it was going. On top of that it was so beautifully written with such a distinctive style’ Laura Marshall, author of Friend Request

‘Sure to be a reading group favourite’ Metro

‘A darkly funny and modern take on literature’s wicked stepmothers. Inspired by the racist abuse she was subjected to after the Brexit referendum, Rachel Edwards isn’t pulling any punches’ Independent

‘A darkly funny and modern take on literature’s wicked stepmothers. Inspired by the racist abuse she was subjected to after the Brexit referendum, Rachel Edwards isn’t pulling any punches’ Independent

‘A brilliant and surprising chameleon of a novel. I was so absorbed in the voices of Darling and Lola that the twists and turns of their story left me reeling’ Eleanor Wasserberg, author of Foxlowe

‘A page-turning thriller that grips the reader with its twisty exploration of the complex relationship between step mother and step daughter. I read through the night to discover the dramatic denouement’ Kate Hamer, author of The Girl in the Red Coat

‘I devoured Darling in a couple of days; told by two unforgettable female narrators, it's urgent, original and genuinely unputdownable’ Clare Fisher, author of All the Good Things

‘Dark, provocative and a refreshing take on the psychological thriller genre. Darling and Lola are both brilliant creations’ Emma Curtis, author of One Little Mistake

What listeners say about Darling

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Riveting listening

Plot really good and the reading was just perfect. Spent hours at a time engrossed.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Wow, didn't see that coming.

I purchased both audio and kindle version. I loved the format and Storyline of this book. I was kept intrigued and enjoyed the twist and conclusion. Over all brilliant book.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Highly contemporary

Mostly excellent narration-
story of a complex family living in post- Brexit vote Britain. I didn’t radiate towards any of the characters but this didn’t detract from the story. The style of narration for both Darling and Lola was knowledgable and mostly believable. There seemed some gaps but overall the story unravelled well, but left a disappointment ending.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Wasn’t for me... Couldn’t keep in engaged.

I was pretty excited to read this book. But that quickly changed to disappointment.

A few chapters in and I’m finding it pretty boring. Nothing about it prick my interest to keep going with this book.

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Poorly written story and poorly narrated.

Despite the bad reviews I thought I'd give it a go.
I really wanted to like this book but it lacked a good storyline, at times it felt like I was listening to a cookery book.
The narration was really flat and hard to listen to. The characters didn't come to life for me.
I feel like this could have been a draft copy waiting to be developed into a proper book.
Not at all engaging.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Lots of twists but not enough to keep you interested

Overall a boring book, nearly gave up on it many times as I was waiting for something to happen. What’s with all the food references? It could be mistaken for a cook book.

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