Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel
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Book Summary:
Mothers never forget. Daughters never forgive.
For the first eighteen years of her life, Rose Gold Watts believed she was seriously ill. She was allergic to everything, used a wheelchair and practically lived at the hospital. Neighbors did all they could, holding fundraisers and offering shoulders to cry on, but no matter how many doctors, tests, or surgeries, no one could figure out what was wrong with Rose Gold.
Turns out her mom, Patty Watts, was just a really good liar.
After serving five years in prison, Patty gets out with nowhere to go and begs her daughter to take her in. The entire community is shocked when Rose Gold says yes.
Patty insists all she wants is to reconcile their differences. She says she’s forgiven Rose Gold for turning her in and testifying against her. But Rose Gold knows her mother. Patty Watts always settles a score.
Unfortunately for Patty, Rose Gold is no longer her weak little darling…
And she’s waited such a long time for her mother to come home.
Publication Date:
March 17th, 2020
Genre:
Psychological Thriller/Domestic Thriller
Purchase Your Copy:
Amazon Link | LibroFM Bookstore Link
My Review:
Today is my stop on Berkley Publishing’s Blog Tour for Stephanie Wrobel’s debut novel Darling Rose Gold!
Sometimes I just want to get lost in a totally engrossing and twisty read and Darling Rose Gold was the perfect fit. Told in dual point of view and alternating timelines, author Stephanie Wrobel takes on a dark and complicated mother and daughter relationship similar to that one of the real-life Gypsey Rose Blanchard case.
Munchausen syndrome by proxy plays a starring role in this novel that dives into the troubled duo whose lives continue to intertwine even after mother Patty has served time for the severe mistreatment of her daughter Rose Gold. While this has nods to Gypsey Rose Blanchard, even if you are familiar with that case, this story of revenge will keep you turning the pages and guessing what will happen next until the very end.
While each of these characters has villainous and unlikeable aspects, they are also humans who have gone through heartbreaking circumstances. I appreciated that while Wrobel presented a fascinating reading ride, she also was respectful of the emotional and psychological issues that are a deep part of these troubling situations. Who is lying and who is telling the truth (or is anyone??) Part of the appeal of this book for me was navigating the unreliable storytelling as both Patty and Rose Gold have so many shades of gray.
While I wouldn’t call this a total thriller, I did find it compelling and engaging until the very end. It had so many twists and turns and was full of dysfunction and if that is your thing, I think you will really enjoy this one!
Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an advanced copy and inviting me to be a part of this blog tour. As always, all opinions are my own.
Disclosure: Some of the links above are Amazon affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase, I receive a small commission that helps support this blog at no cost to you. Thank you!
