Book: Playing Nice by JP Delaney
Read From: 28th November - 3rd December 2021
Rating: 3/5 stars
Summary: When Pete answers the door one morning, he's greeted with a parent's worst nightmare. On this doorstep is Miles, who breaks the news that Pete's two year old Theo isn't his real son - their babies got mixed up at birth. The two families agree that they'll find a way to share the boys. But a plan to sue the hospital unearths disturbing questions about what happened the day the babies were switched.
I think the reason why domestic thrillers are my favourite kind is that they can sometimes be ridiculously believable, and Playing Nice took that to a new level. As I type this review, I’m literally in the middle of learning about care proceedings for my family law module at uni. If I wasn’t already adamant that I don’t have the mental strength to practice as a family lawyer after studying just the legal framework, I think this book would have done the trick. Although some aspects are clearly exaggerated in the name of fiction (i.e. it’s probably not the most believable that two neonates could get switched in an NICU), a lot within this book won’t be THAT far fetched from the realities occurring behind the closed doors of the family court.
I did have a few minor issues with this book which I’m going to jot down now because I hate ending reviews of books I’ve genuinely enjoyed on a bad note. Firstly, whilst the premise itself was really interesting the way it was executed initially was a little… odd? Considering someone had just turned up at Pete’s doorstep and told him that the child he’d been raising for two years wasn’t actually his (biologically), once he got past the initial shock (as well as realised it wasn’t as the result of an affair) he seemed pretty accepting? You do you Pete, but if I were in your shoes I’d have needed a lot more time to stew on that information. Saying that though, I do appreciate that it may have been done this way deliberately to prevent the pace being too slow!
There were also a few sentences randomly dotted throughout that were quite frankly unnecessary and just felt so… strange? Not to mention the use of the R-slur which in my opinion is NEVER needed. Oh and there was a REALLY unnecessary sub-plot (if you could even call it that, it was very brief) about child pornography that went absolutely no where and I still don’t really understand why it was included.
Whilst some people may feel those issues were relatively minor (and in the grand scheme of things, most of them were) it’s definitely worth pointing out in my review because it did affect my enjoyment at times. Other than that, this book was ADDICTIVE. I’m talking HUGE tension, literally everything at stake for these characters, that ‘just one more chapter’ kind of vibe. It’s hard in thrillers to get the right amount of character development but this book had me seriously rooting for a particular couple (read it for yourself, I’m not saying any more).
Would I recommend this? Yeah, for sure. Especially if you love domestic/family-centred thrillers. I can guarantee this will be a sensitive read for a lot of people though so be sure to check the trigger warnings and make sure you’re in the right headspace before reading because whilst it will keep you hooked, the content is heavy.