Playing Nice

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while listening to this book - during a depressing walk-later during a pool soak ( less depressing - but still creepy as can be outside)....about switched births- Susy visibly relaxed. “Well, as you say, it is typical two-year-old stuff. I’m sure you know this, but it can help if you model the correct behavior. If he sees you getting cross or aggressive, he’ll come to believe that aggression is a legitimate response to stress. What about the TV programs he watches? I’m afraid even Tom and Jerry may not be appropriate at this age, at least not until the hitting stage is over. And if you play any violent videogames yourself—”

Once they enter the family court system, everything that once seemed impossible is now on the table, which gave me a glimpse into the terror that some parents must experience when they realize their child may be taken away from them. Could there be a worse fate for a parent? Deemed unfit to live with your own offspring? Granted, these are important laws we have, and they are meant to protect kids, but what if the judges get it wrong? Maddy and Pete are suddenly subject to intense scrutiny while Theo’s behavioral issues are deemed a sign of irreparable parenting missteps. Pete’s laptop is confiscated while Maddy’s wine intake is deemed unsafe, but I couldn’t help considering them the good guys, for the most part. As the investigation continues, one of the major themes of the book is the deliberation around ‘good parenting’ and what that really means. I appreciated Delaney making an effort to build serious topics like this into a book meant for entertainment.Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for sharing this fantastic ARC in exchange my honest review. Playing Nice is the fourth book by Anthony Capella, writing as JP Delaney. I’ve enjoyed them all, two of them garnering very rare 4.5 stars from me. ITV Drama Commissioner, Helen Perry, will oversee production for the broadcaster with Playing Nice premiering on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX. Also I find reading about mental health issues unsavoury as I am just looking for a thriller to capture my imagination and take me on a thrilling ride of suspense and mystery and bringing in the potential red herring of are they/aren't they insane just muddies the waters for me. ITV has announced a four-part series of JP Delaney’s best-selling novel, adapted by Malpractice writer Grace Ofori-Attah.

If you want to feel visceral frustration and anger towards almost every single secondary character's actions then this is the book for you. Very early on in the story Pete and Maddie find out that their son Theo was switched at birth (it's in the blurb) and then spend the rest of the time handling that situation. Which goes terribly wrong like 99.9% of the time with almost everyone set against them. After a while you just kept wondering what else could possibly go wrong, and then yet another thing would happen. It definitely set an anxious/ominous tone, but at the same time it got to be a little overboard towards the end.The scary thing is that a lot of what happens in this book could really happen. It's terrifying being a parent at the best of times, but I can't even imagine going through the things these characters went through. JP] Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review This is gripping, psychological, high tensioned family drama plays with your nerves, making you face with your insecurities and inner fears, nightmares! I was wearing gloves not to bite my nails during my reading so you may imagine I changed 6 pairs of gloves! I may have stress-eaten some of them!

I confess, after The Perfect Wife, a story of which I was NOT a fan, I honestly didn't have high hopes going in. However, since I really enjoyed The Girl Before, I was absolutely willing to give J.P. Delaney another shot. Swapping babies at birth has always been a huge fear of mine. I remember when I was young I used to ask my mother, “how could anyone know that they took the right baby home? I mean, what if something happened and your baby was swapped with another one?” She looked at me and said, “Oh things like that never happen!” What a nightmare! Pete Riley unknowing opens the door one and has everything turned upside down. Miles Lambert and his attorney inform Pete that his and Maggie's two-year-old son, Theo is not actually their son. That there was a a mix up at the hospital and that Pete and Maggie brought home, Miles and Lucy Lambert's son and they in turn took home, Pete and Maggie's, son who is named David. The Lambert's are suing the hospital and naturally want to get to know Theo, who is a rambunctious boy who gets in trouble at school for not getting along with other children, while David has developmental delays. A secretly carried out DNA test bears this out, not to mention the fact that Theo bears such a strong physical resemblance to Miles. The Lamberts are bringing legal proceedings against the hospital, which triggers an official investigation into what happened there. Initially matters are cordial as Pete and Maddie agree to the well intentioned and understanding civil decision for both couples and the children to get acquainted with and getting to know each other better. The couples are markedly different from each other, the Lamberts are wealthy, Pete and Maddie are more ordinary, struggling to make ends meet. Maddie feels a strong connection to David, her brain damaged son that the Lamberts have raised, a David that will need life long care. However, as it becomes clearer that the psychopathic Miles has every intention of getting hold of Theo, by any means, matters spiral into a living hell for Pete and Maddie. This would be the changing point of the entire book and the story of two sets of parents and two little boys who it becomes known were allegedly switched at birth. Miles Lambert is the person on Pete’s doorstep and he has come to tell him that Theo is actually his son and that Pete’s son has been living with Miles and his wife Lucy. There is a third person involved, Don Maguire, the Lambert’s lawyer, because they have already begun proceedings to sue the hospital for the mix-up and had taken a cup used by Theo and tested his DNA, he is definitely Miles’ son.Two families arrange a meeting at Miles’ big mansion, being introduced with David and they find out: little boy suffer from brain damage, introvert kid. They finally decide they are not gonna change anything with children’s life: they will live with the same parents but they also decide they’ll involve their biological child’s life like a family friend do.