Playing Nice

This book started off slow and I wasn't sure about continuing, but I stuck with it. I'm glad I did, because after the 30-40% mark it really picked up and I ended up enjoying it.

The story was well written, as were the characters, who were very realistically written.

I did think it was more a family drama rather than a psychological thriller. I do admit to despising Miles from the off, especially when he pretty much sounded overbearing and controlling from the moment him and Lucy are introduced to us.

Thank you to NetGalley and PJ Delaney for the chance to read this book.

4.25

Playing Nice or just Playing?

J.P Delany books are one of the few books on any book platform that I recommend to anyone without even needing to think. If You love thrillers or an outside of the box concept these books are truly for you. I started my reading love with The Girl Before and never really stopped. Now lets talk about Playing Nice. The story begins with Pete and his partner Maddie have an adorable and precocious (get into everything) son named Theo. Pete is a stay at home dad after his job as a freelance reporter disappears. Miles and Lucy Lambert are the wealthy parents of little David, not precocious, in fact barely aware of his surroundings. Pete and Maddie don't believe any of this until they decide they go to the home of the Lamberts and meet David.
After meeting they make a pact not only to try and have a good relationship for the sake of the kids but also to make an alliance against the hospital who made the mistake. The more pages I turned the more I realized that I wasn't sure if the hospital had made a mistake or there was another evil entity that is at play here. I love the couple dynamic that occurs with Maddie and Pete. I also have a soft spot for both kids they are innocent in this whole story. This was a very good slow burn book for me. It gave me the creeps and was layered with deception and questions all the way through. I want to apologize to NetGalley and everyone involved in my delay with this review I did actually finish it in July just never realized my review never went through. Hands down a five star review I can not wait to see what is next.

Pete and Maddie are a normal, middle-class couple living in London with their rambunctious 2-year-old son, Theo. Then one day Miles Lambert shows up on their doorstep with evidence that Theo is actually his son and that David, the son that Miles and his wife, Lucy, are raising is actually Pete and Maddie's. The babies were both preemies, born on the same day, and were apparently switched when they were taken to the local NICU. Miles' news sets off a chain of events that neither Pete nor Maddie could have predicted, and what begins as an amicable relationship between the two families soon turns tumultuous.

** Possible Spoilers Ahead **

I went into this book expecting a straightforward, family custody drama (a lá “Switched at Birth”), but it soon turned into a wild, edge-of-your-seat thriller as Pete and Maddie are pulled deeper into the fight for custody of Theo and start to figure out just how far Miles will go to get his son back. As new things are brought to light and they become more entangled in the custody battle, I found myself more and more enthralled and literally did not want to put this book down. I actually found myself saying “Oh no! Oh my god!” out loud a few times. I could almost envision this as a movie because of how well the plot moved along and how well-developed the characters were.

This is my first J.P. Delaney novel and I absolutely loved it. His writing style makes it easy to place yourself into the story as an unseen observer and really become engaged with the characters and their story. I will definitely be seeking out more of his books for future reading.

If you're looking for a fast-paced book with a lot of unpredictable twists, this is NOT your book. However, the premise is unique and the story was well executed.

Only reasonable, be it because of the lackluster characters or the far fetched story.

The way this book is written is that it is an absolute nightmare, but it's so realistic, set in a very realistic world, with very real life plots. It was incredibly slow paced in my opinion, but i enjoyed it. I was rooting for the characters, and i was feeling real frustration, which i think is great that a book can make you feel such complex emotions.