Hoped for something much better-just disappointing

I usually love JP Delaney, well having said that I adored "The Perfect Wife" and "The Girl Before" but returned "Playing Nice" and this seems - as far as I can recall to be a little similar in that it is firstly all about children and secondly, more specifically about children and their birth parents v non biological children.

Sigh ... domestic dramas are not my thing and it has to be a really excellent thriller for me to get onboard for endless parenting be it toddlers or teens or anything in between.

Sadly, though it began in an intriguing way - interesting enough for me to mention the premise to my husband who immediately guessed the twist - it soon became far from enjoyable and as predicted by my husband's prediction ... very predictable.

I imagine parenting a teen is very challenging. I read for escape. relaxation and fabulous twisty plots that get my mind whirring and I can really get absorbed by. This was just wearing and seemed endless. I listened but it was more like some poor friend pouring out their woes than a thriller.

Plus hated the way the dog was referred to as a rescue "mutt". Though of course better than the endless books of people wanting a dog and then running out and buying one while so many fabulous dogs in shelters are literally dying for a loving home.

Anyway, I digress, but yes I found myself tuning out and chapters rolling by as I mused on more pleasant and entertaining topics. I also am not keen on men writing endlessly and in details about women's reproductive issues as find it just a bit creepy.

I don't know what happened to author JP but I fear we are just following their life ... first off single girl - then wife - next toddler - now teen - maybe I will wait until the interest in child rearing days and domestic drama is over and tune in again for midlife crisis and perhaps the elder years but this is just a penance to listen to.

I did not hang about to discover what happened in the end, so many pregnancies/miscarriages, drugs, runaways, school stuff, safeguarding and social workers, I tuned out and decided to practice "Safeguarding" myself and return the book as soon as a pet rabbit's hutch was burned presumably with the rabbit in it though that was never mentioned one way or the other which although of course fiction, seemed rather callous - but then what would I expect from an author who refers to dogs as mutts.

Please JP, revisit your earlier work, get your mind off parenting and dishwater dull domestic settings and give us some of the fabulous fire and twisty, dark plotting of yesteryear, "The Girl Before" was a showstopper and one of my top 5 favourite books of all time - "The Perfect Wife" really was an amazing triumph, mind expanding and totally thrilling but this does not even feel like it was written by the same person :-(

Returning.

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21 people found this helpful

Interesting, compelling but full of holes

Have to begin by saying that this is a compulsive but exasperating listen. The premise is good and it is undoubtedly the case that many women who give up their children/or have them taken away, face a future of remorse and guilt and a longing for reconciliation once the child they lost reaches out. So far so plausible but this child and this mothers story truly annoyed me. 15-year-old Skye is an arch manipulator and throughout the novel, she wreaks havoc in all directions whilst her hapless mother and would-be stepfather, seem powerless to address the situation. They make excuses for her when she needed to be brought to heel - just as any parent would be forced to do in such circumstances. They do not and the scheming teenager continues on her path of destruction without pause. Teenagers push buttons and despite their history, I find few reasons to ignore or excuse their behavior. Allowing guilt or remorse to obscure how one is being manipulated by a child one has never known, is (to me) ludicrous, and that is the seat of my exasperation. You might not agree - and that is your prerogative - and throughout, my attention never wavered despite my desire to shake the mother until she rattled and, at times, throw Skye under a bus! What an appalling thought but have to admit that it did cross my mind more than once!!!

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9 people found this helpful

Really enjoyed this

Never normally write a review but I was gripped by this story. Excellent narration and well written with an unusual plot line- don’t understand some of the poor reviews.

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3 people found this helpful

Disappointed.

All characters are intolerable. It started strong but went downhill FAST. I'm slightly disappointed because I really liked JP's other work, but this ain't it.

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2 people found this helpful

what a excellent book

it's a long since I've given a book 5 stars. The writers books just ger better and better

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1 person found this helpful

Page turner

I liked the book and story overall. This book touches on an important topic. I did not like male reader.

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1 person found this helpful

Couldn’t stop listening!

Thoroughly enjoyed this and after a few dull listens it was a relief to find something so binge worthy! The story itself is super fast paced with some great twists and turns throughout. The characters are so well written, I had a clear picture of them in my mind almost as if I was watching a movie and although it’s written from 3 POV,
please don’t let that put you off because it’s very easy to follow which I think shows a real talent of the writer’s part, Such an enjoyable listen and very well researched. Oh, and the narration is just outstanding! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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1 person found this helpful

Terrible don’t buy

I spent the whole of this book waiting for it to get going!

I would not recommend it at all.

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Gripping

This was a very good read lots of twists and turns
I would highly recommend this book

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Highly recommended

An excellent read with brilliant narration. I did feel irritation towards Suzie and felt she was acting out her guilt on Sky therefore making it all about her feelings and not her daughters. Typical narcissistic behaviour, but that was what the author probably wanted to portray. The author’s research and writing was spot on as I knew someone whose story was very similar. This is another excellent book from Delaney.

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