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Dear Darling
Not yet published
Expected 9 Apr 26
He is going to prove he loved me. I am going to prove he ruined me.
For those who loved My Dark Vanessa and Three Women, DEAR DARLING is a bold, beautiful and unflinching story about the crossed borders of desire – and one woman’s path to retribution.
Lauren Tan has waited for this day for twenty years.
The day she’d receive the letter saying he was out of prison.
The day she’d abandon her husband and three-year-old daughter, leaving her pretend life behind.
The day she’d look into the eyes of Daniel Prior – her first love, mentor and stepfather, the man she had sex with when she was fourteen years old.
The day she’d make him atone for everything.
Explosive and uncomfortable, beautiful and provocative, DEAR DARLING cuts to the heart of some of the most complex issues of our age.
Lauren Tan has waited for this day for twenty years.
The day she’d receive the letter saying he was out of prison.
The day she’d abandon her husband and three-year-old daughter, leaving her pretend life behind.
The day she’d look into the eyes of Daniel Prior – her first love, mentor and stepfather, the man she had sex with when she was fourteen years old.
The day she’d make him atone for everything.
Explosive and uncomfortable, beautiful and provocative, DEAR DARLING cuts to the heart of some of the most complex issues of our age.
Kindle Edition
Expected publication April 9, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
Dear Darling is contemporary literary fiction for fans of Half His age and My Dark Vanessa, and it's, as you can imagine, quite emotionally devastating.
It's set in London and written with a sharp voice that works well for a story that's difficult to tell (due to the heavy topics), yet compelling to read. There's themes of grooming, exploitation, power, and the murky definition of consent, especially when it's being viewed through memory. this isn't a story that offers comfort but one that feels relevant and both needs and deserves to be told
Ella's writing kept me glued to the pages despite the heavy subject matter. Her prose is thoughtful and never sensationalises or romanticises what happened to Lauren but instead lets the weight of everything that's happened in the past slowly settle.
Overall, this was emotional and poignant, definitely a book that sits with you, asking uncomfortable questions about love and harm and who gets to define these terms.
It's set in London and written with a sharp voice that works well for a story that's difficult to tell (due to the heavy topics), yet compelling to read. There's themes of grooming, exploitation, power, and the murky definition of consent, especially when it's being viewed through memory. this isn't a story that offers comfort but one that feels relevant and both needs and deserves to be told
Ella's writing kept me glued to the pages despite the heavy subject matter. Her prose is thoughtful and never sensationalises or romanticises what happened to Lauren but instead lets the weight of everything that's happened in the past slowly settle.
Overall, this was emotional and poignant, definitely a book that sits with you, asking uncomfortable questions about love and harm and who gets to define these terms.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“Dear Darlin’, please excuse my writing’ Olly Murs, 2012
Why has Lauren left her much loved husband Kit and little daughter Millie, leaving behind just a brief note of apology? It’s hard to say when the whole thing starts, perhaps it’s when Daniel invites her to the Natural History Museum to see the Lepidoptery collection as a teenager. Perhaps it’s the letter starting “Dear Darling” he writes to her shortly afterwards. Whatever and wherever it starts Lauren knows it’s all her fault, she starts it 18 years ago and now 18 years on will she finish it?
This is far from an easy read, but oh boy, is it a compelling page turner and I find it hard to put down. There is such obsessive intensity between Lauren and Daniel. It’s perhaps as destructive as a hurricane in several different ways. There’s a lot of pain here, there’s the pain of loss, the pain of Lauren leaving Millie and Kit whose heartbreaking notes to Lauren both show his love for her and how tortured he feels. There’s the pain of the realisation about Daniel via #MeToo and that hits her like a ton of bricks. There’s the pain of the whole thing and the impact it has on Lauren’s life since it all begins and we witness that by her dark, heart aching but honest recollections. Some scenes between Daniel and Lauren are so intense, so gripping, so emotional and almost overwhelming at times that I can scarcely breathe.
Their story is told in some terrific settings such as Cornwall and the Natural History Museum and the Lepidoptery/Botany elements are truly fascinating. They provide a stark contrast to what unfolds between Daniel and teenage and adult Lauren. From this emerges several mysteries, such as what has Lauren planned on leaving Kit? That is so tantalising.
Overall, yes, this is difficult at times but these stories are important and this one is told so powerfully well and there’s very clever play on Lauren‘s name too.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
Why has Lauren left her much loved husband Kit and little daughter Millie, leaving behind just a brief note of apology? It’s hard to say when the whole thing starts, perhaps it’s when Daniel invites her to the Natural History Museum to see the Lepidoptery collection as a teenager. Perhaps it’s the letter starting “Dear Darling” he writes to her shortly afterwards. Whatever and wherever it starts Lauren knows it’s all her fault, she starts it 18 years ago and now 18 years on will she finish it?
This is far from an easy read, but oh boy, is it a compelling page turner and I find it hard to put down. There is such obsessive intensity between Lauren and Daniel. It’s perhaps as destructive as a hurricane in several different ways. There’s a lot of pain here, there’s the pain of loss, the pain of Lauren leaving Millie and Kit whose heartbreaking notes to Lauren both show his love for her and how tortured he feels. There’s the pain of the realisation about Daniel via #MeToo and that hits her like a ton of bricks. There’s the pain of the whole thing and the impact it has on Lauren’s life since it all begins and we witness that by her dark, heart aching but honest recollections. Some scenes between Daniel and Lauren are so intense, so gripping, so emotional and almost overwhelming at times that I can scarcely breathe.
Their story is told in some terrific settings such as Cornwall and the Natural History Museum and the Lepidoptery/Botany elements are truly fascinating. They provide a stark contrast to what unfolds between Daniel and teenage and adult Lauren. From this emerges several mysteries, such as what has Lauren planned on leaving Kit? That is so tantalising.
Overall, yes, this is difficult at times but these stories are important and this one is told so powerfully well and there’s very clever play on Lauren‘s name too.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HarperCollins, HarperFiction for the much appreciated early copy in return for an honest review.
December 6, 2025
Ella King’s Dear Darling is a bold, unsettling, and beautifully written exploration of desire, betrayal, and retribution.
At its core is Lauren Tan, a woman who has carried the weight of her past for twenty years. The day she learns that Daniel Prior—her former mentor, first love, and stepfather—is released from prison, she abandons the life she has carefully constructed: her husband, her young daughter, her veneer of normalcy. What follows is a confrontation not only with Daniel, but with the trauma and tangled emotions that have shaped her since she was fourteen.
King’s prose is elegant yet unflinching, capturing the contradictions of love and ruin, intimacy and exploitation. The novel doesn’t shy away from discomfort; instead, it leans into it, forcing readers to grapple with the blurred borders of desire and the devastating consequences of abuse cloaked in affection. Lauren’s determination to make Daniel atone is both harrowing and cathartic, a journey that feels as much about reclaiming her voice as it does about vengeance.
What makes Dear Darling so powerful is its refusal to simplify. It’s provocative, layered, and deeply human, a story that resonates with the complexity of memory, trauma, and the longing for justice. For readers of My Dark Vanessa and Three Women, this novel offers a similarly fearless examination of power, desire, and survival—one that lingers long after the final page.
With thanks to Ella King, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
At its core is Lauren Tan, a woman who has carried the weight of her past for twenty years. The day she learns that Daniel Prior—her former mentor, first love, and stepfather—is released from prison, she abandons the life she has carefully constructed: her husband, her young daughter, her veneer of normalcy. What follows is a confrontation not only with Daniel, but with the trauma and tangled emotions that have shaped her since she was fourteen.
King’s prose is elegant yet unflinching, capturing the contradictions of love and ruin, intimacy and exploitation. The novel doesn’t shy away from discomfort; instead, it leans into it, forcing readers to grapple with the blurred borders of desire and the devastating consequences of abuse cloaked in affection. Lauren’s determination to make Daniel atone is both harrowing and cathartic, a journey that feels as much about reclaiming her voice as it does about vengeance.
What makes Dear Darling so powerful is its refusal to simplify. It’s provocative, layered, and deeply human, a story that resonates with the complexity of memory, trauma, and the longing for justice. For readers of My Dark Vanessa and Three Women, this novel offers a similarly fearless examination of power, desire, and survival—one that lingers long after the final page.
With thanks to Ella King, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was different and it certainly kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen. Lauren's character was well formed and it was easy to connect with her. There were plenty of twists and turns and emotions in this book and I really enjoyed the author's voice and style of writing. The pace moved at a perfect pace and the story unfolded really well.
It's a character driven story that grips you from the first page and delves deeper into the topic as things unfold. We follow Lauren as she struggles to deal with her past with Daniel a man she loved even though she was fourteen. As she grapples with her feeling and emotions and the understanding of what really happened to her as a young teenager, the story unfolds and delves deep into an emotional depth of vulnerability.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to adding it to my bookshelves when it releases.
It's a character driven story that grips you from the first page and delves deeper into the topic as things unfold. We follow Lauren as she struggles to deal with her past with Daniel a man she loved even though she was fourteen. As she grapples with her feeling and emotions and the understanding of what really happened to her as a young teenager, the story unfolds and delves deep into an emotional depth of vulnerability.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and look forward to adding it to my bookshelves when it releases.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I could not put this book down. The writing is absolutely gorgeous - lucid, and lush. I loved the gradual unravelling of both the plot and the characters, the dark descent and then the eventual rising. The backdrop of the coast, the blue butterflies, the boarding school…the impossibly tangled and complicated relationships… the way something so troubling was so deftly, beautifully handled. There is nothing I didn’t love about this book - an absolutely perfect novel. This author is going straight on to my “will read anything she writes” list.
Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who gave me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who gave me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a hard read due to the nature of the story, however it was compelling too. Daniel groomed Lauren when she was 14 years old, she thought he loved her, she thought she was special. Fast forward 18 years and Daniel is out of prison, he wants to meet, is now the time to get some closure?
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews