A couple's pleasant little life is upended by the revelation that their son was switched at birth in this gripping psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before . Pete Riley stays at home; his partner, Maddie, is the breadwinner. He spends his days browsing parenting blogs, where no concern is too trivial, and pacifying their rambunctious son, Theo. Then, one day, a knock at the door. Miles and Lucy, a posh and near-perfect couple, tell Pete something shocking: Theo isn't his son ...
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A couple's pleasant little life is upended by the revelation that their son was switched at birth in this gripping psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before . Pete Riley stays at home; his partner, Maddie, is the breadwinner. He spends his days browsing parenting blogs, where no concern is too trivial, and pacifying their rambunctious son, Theo. Then, one day, a knock at the door. Miles and Lucy, a posh and near-perfect couple, tell Pete something shocking: Theo isn't his son. Their children were switched at the hospital. At first, the couples are determined to reach a mutual agreement. They're all nice, rational people--surely they can sort this out between them. But soon their precarious arrangement--of babysitting, play dates and shared parenthood--begins to erode under the weight of perceived slights, hidden anxieties and petty jealousies. It isn't long before Miles reveals himself to be cold, commanding and aggressive. When he brings a custody case against the Rileys, suddenly their parenting abilities are under suspicion and their private lives become ammunition. That's when their damaging secrets are exposed, their relationship tested to its breaking point. They might teach their son to share and behave, to say please and thank you, but when it comes to protecting their little family, Pete and Maddie are through with playing nice.
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Add this copy of Playing Nice to cart. $13.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Doubleday Canada.
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Having previously really enjoyed J P Delaney's 'The Perfect Wife' I was excited to get approved for the ARC for 'Playing Nice'. Whereas The Perfect Wife was more a sci-fi thriller this is a lot more of a domestic, psychological thriller and it really shows off the author's range. It's an interesting and terrifying premise - a family get a knock at the door to tell them that the child that they have been parenting for 2.5 years doesn't biologically belong to them due to a mix-up at the hospital.
What I really enjoyed about this book was just how well everything was planned out by the author. It's paced so well - everything is revealed slowly with the stakes getting just a little higher each time. There's a sinister undertone to book even from the initial few chapters and it pulls you in to wanting to find out more - I finished the book in just two sittings. It's also nicely researched and nothing felt over the top of out of the realms of realism.
The book is narrated in alternate chapters between parents Pete and Maddie. They both have secrets to keep and a lot of these are not revealed to the reader until further in the plot-line which makes them both feel like unreliable narrators at times. As there are only two narrators you really get a chance to get to know them and they feel well-rounded and grounded in reality. The ending of the book has a nice mini-twist and it really is a satisfying ending for a stand-alone thriller - it doesn't wrap up everything in a nice bow but leaves you with enough to not need more but to keep you thinking about it long after you put it down.
Overall Playing Nice is a great psychological thriller which is nicely plotted, well paced and has some seriously sinister undertones - highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
