My Darling by Amanda Robson

I’ve become a big fan of mysteries and thrillers since the beginning of the pandemic. My Darling is my latest read in this genre and certainly proved to be the perfect read for escapism.

The book revolves around four central characters – Emma and her boyfriend Alastair, and Emma’s new neighbours Jade and Thomas. When the two couples gets together for drinks, Jade discloses to Emma in private that Thomas has a penchant for other women and has already had several affairs. Emma is quite surprised by the woman’s candour – after all, they’ve just met. By the end of the visit, both Emma and Thomas consider Jade to have some mental health issues evidenced by some bizarre conversation. Soon after this visit, it is disclosed that Jade believes Thomas and Emma are having an affair. What the reader soon finds out is that Jade is not the only one who could be considered unstable.

This is a gripping story of deception, full of twists and turns. Through a series of “memories” Emma’s personal history is revealed and cleverly intertwined with the present. Without giving too much away, the professions of the main characters play a significant part of the storyline. The character development is very well done and the reader is therefore engaged from the beginning to the end of the book. It should be noted, however, that there are triggers of physical and emotional abuse within relationships in this book which may not be suitable for all readers. These moments are short and are completely relevant to the storyline. In fact, my only criticism of this book is that it just felt a little over the top – too many things happened to so many unhealthy characters to make this book believable.

I listened to the audiobook edition of the book which was narrated by Laura Costello and Matt Addis. These characters are very well cast and their performances are exceptional. I especially appreciated the cadence provided by Ms Costello – the matter of fact thought processes which were particularly well articulated. I would definitely choose the audiobook edition of the book as the narration enhanced an already great story.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins Audio UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for the honest review provided here.

My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.