I've had her picture in my head all day: DARLING ROSE GOLD.

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

My rating: 3.75 of 5 stars


Rose Gold Watts was sick for the first eighteen years of her life. In and out of the hospital, she used a wheelchair and stopped attending school at a young age. Her entire world revolved around her mother, Patty, who was her caretaker and only advocate. Neither Patty nor the doctors could figure out exactly what was wrong with poor Rose Gold. But suddenly, things change, and it's revealed that Patty has been making Rose Gold sick. Patty is put on trial and sentenced to five years in prison. Rose Gold has a chance to start her life over anew, without the (literal) poisoning influence of her mother. But when Patty is released, she has nowhere to go. She pleads with Rose Gold to take her back, and everyone is shocked when she says yes. Patty promises she wants to make amends, but Rose Gold isn't so sure. And the more time Patty spends with Rose Gold, she isn't so sure her daughter is the malleable little thing she once was...


Riddle me this: if I spent almost two decades abusing my daughter, why did she offer to pick me up today?


I'm going to keep my review short to avoid spoilers. This is an extremely readable and engrossing book. It's dark and twisted, and yeah, wow! I'd heard it was shocking and it certainly has its moments. I thought I saw where it was going, and I definitely got some of it right, but not all of it. It some ways, it was a fun little journey; in other ways, a bit terrifying. The perspectives alternate between Rose Gold and Patty, with some looks into the past as well. It's very effective, and one of my favorite parts was that your loyalties shifted between the two. Did Patty hurt Rose Gold? Is Rose Gold as despicable as her mother? Is there anyone we should be rooting for here? The book leaves you with a lot to think about.

I'm glad I read this one. It might not be a light and happy read, per se, but it's a compelling and twisted one. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here.

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