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Darling
Darling has its demons.
Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she is forced to return after her mother's death, Cherry and her children move back into her childhood home where the walls whisper and something sinister skitters across the roof at night.
While Cherry tries to settle back into a town where evil spreads like infection, the bodies of several murdered children turn up. When Cherry's own daughter goes missing, she's forced to confront the true monsters of Darling.
Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she is forced to return after her mother's death, Cherry and her children move back into her childhood home where the walls whisper and something sinister skitters across the roof at night.
While Cherry tries to settle back into a town where evil spreads like infection, the bodies of several murdered children turn up. When Cherry's own daughter goes missing, she's forced to confront the true monsters of Darling.
592 pages, Paperback
First published August 23, 2022
About the author
Mercedes M. Yardley
108 books332 followersMercedes M. Yardley is a whimsical dark fantasist who wears red lipstick and poisonous flowers in her hair. She is the author of numerous works including Love is a Crematorium and Other Stories, Darling, the Stabby Award-winning Apocalyptic Montessa and Nuclear Lulu: A Tale of Atomic Love, Pretty Little Dead Girls, and Nameless. She won the Bram Stoker Award for Little Dead Red and “Fracture.” Mercedes lives and works in Las Vegas. You can find her at mercedesmyardley.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 219 reviews
September 2, 2026
Thank you to Ruadán Books for the ARC of the revised version of this book. This was unique and interesting! There was just no putting this book down after a certain point. I love flawed main characters, so this was fun. It wasn’t really horrifying to me, but there’s plenty of heavy topics so check your triggers before reading.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
3.5! Thank you to Netgalley and Ruadán Books for the ALC!! This is to be released on September 8th! I have a feeling this might get a lot of love!
This was definitely SUPER interesting!! There was so many elements happening at all times I felt thrown around.
We have an "alive" town with a "serial killer" killing and taking children, our FMC has some super creepy things happening to her and the townspeople don't seem completely sane..
There was absolutely some twisted and creepy scenes in this story. I do think it was a little too long and drawn out at some points. I enjoyed the writing though, Yardley does a good job at describing this world, but she was also a little choppy in the flow of the book. Now, that may have been intentional.. but it felt like we would jump from one thing to another with ZERO transition. I had to really focus to figure out what the heck is happening now.
The twist at the end was pretty good and the conclusion was great. I definitely wouldn't want to visit this town. Everyone is looney.
I enjoyed the tiny other POV's we get throughout this book of other characters. Just to see where their mind was at.
All in all, I enjoyed this. I think a lot of others could find this unsettling but be prepared for a slightly too long book.
This was definitely SUPER interesting!! There was so many elements happening at all times I felt thrown around.
We have an "alive" town with a "serial killer" killing and taking children, our FMC has some super creepy things happening to her and the townspeople don't seem completely sane..
There was absolutely some twisted and creepy scenes in this story. I do think it was a little too long and drawn out at some points. I enjoyed the writing though, Yardley does a good job at describing this world, but she was also a little choppy in the flow of the book. Now, that may have been intentional.. but it felt like we would jump from one thing to another with ZERO transition. I had to really focus to figure out what the heck is happening now.
The twist at the end was pretty good and the conclusion was great. I definitely wouldn't want to visit this town. Everyone is looney.
I enjoyed the tiny other POV's we get throughout this book of other characters. Just to see where their mind was at.
All in all, I enjoyed this. I think a lot of others could find this unsettling but be prepared for a slightly too long book.
March 11, 2022
I’ve read the author’s work before and found it enjoyable, so I had some expectations going in. This proved to be a strange book, though, a book that tried to do too much, a book that didn’t know what it was or wanted to be. So much so that it ended up dropping steadily from 4 to 2 stars throughout the reading. And here’s why…
First thing first, Yardley can write, immersively and evocatively. The writing itself is fine. The plotting though left so much to be desired.
Meet Cherry LaRouche, the darling of Darling, Louisiana. A wild child who’s made every possible wrong choice in her 20some years that led her to the place she’s when we meet her…a crappy apartment with a lecherous landlord with two young fatherless kids, one with severe special needs, and a cleaning job that barely allows her to get by. Oh, Cherry. If only you had listened to your mother…or I don’t know, used protection.
Anyway, Cherry hated her mother, but now that mother has died and left Cherry her place – a ramshackle place that contains no good memories but it spacious, private, and paid off for five years. Cherry takes it.
Moving back proves surprisingly easy. Quite literally, the moment Cherry sets foot back on Darling’s soil, she is surrounded by fawning admirers. People are just lining up to feed her, sand her deck, watch her kids.
Why? All Cherry ever tells us is how evil Darling is. And yet…
And then, there’s all the romance. If there’s one single thing that drags this novel down it is that…the fact that it so desperately tries to be a romance novel, which is…you know…yuck. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, which doesn’t make it any less yuck but might make this more of the right choice for you.
As a teenager, Cherry hooked up with the most popular kid in Darling and vamoosed. The kid proved to be a royal penis and dropped her like yesterday’s trash the second their special needs kid was born, but that should give you some idea of Cherry’s taste in men. Also, the fact that her second child was created while she was prostituting herself trying to pay for the first one.
Now, that she’s back, all the men who missed their opportunity the first time around with Cherry and who apparently have just been waiting around this entire time, come flocking in.
She selects the hot one with a stupid name over her awesome brother-in-law with a strange name. (This is the South, y’all).
Then she proceeds to toil in this cheesily torrid love triangle.
Oh, also there is a serial killer around who seems to enjoy abducting, murdering, and dismembering small children.
Also, there may or may not be a supernatural angle to it all. This includes the father of one of the victims, another devastatingly handsome Indian man with liquid eyes - a description the author is such a fan of, she uses it over and over again in an almost fetishistic manner.
There’s also Cherry’s number one female friend, a blunt weirdo who lives alone with her mother in a distinctly Bates-ian sort of way.
And then, Cherry’s baby girl gets abducted, and things get even crazier.
So, what was the author trying to do here? Was she going for a Southern Gothic? (because she got there, again in a strangely fetishistic way). Was this meant to be a serial killer mystery? A romance? A tale of supernatural? Was the author, as a mother of a special needs child herself, writing an ode to moms such as her everywhere? Why is everyone so freaking handsome? Even the serial killer's nickname is Handsome Butcher? Seriously.
Because that’s a lot for a single novel. And while there might be a way to make all of it work, this book doesn’t find that way. It crams too much and muddies the waters, especially for the serial killer mystery angle. Ambitious, sure, but in the end, a flop. Not a terrible flop, a readable, even mildly entertaining one, but overall, it underwhelms and disappoints more than it entertains. The writing’s good but doesn’t distract from the strangely nuanced yet clichéd characters. Some readers might fall under Cherry’s spell, but this darling’s charms are not for everyone. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
First thing first, Yardley can write, immersively and evocatively. The writing itself is fine. The plotting though left so much to be desired.
Meet Cherry LaRouche, the darling of Darling, Louisiana. A wild child who’s made every possible wrong choice in her 20some years that led her to the place she’s when we meet her…a crappy apartment with a lecherous landlord with two young fatherless kids, one with severe special needs, and a cleaning job that barely allows her to get by. Oh, Cherry. If only you had listened to your mother…or I don’t know, used protection.
Anyway, Cherry hated her mother, but now that mother has died and left Cherry her place – a ramshackle place that contains no good memories but it spacious, private, and paid off for five years. Cherry takes it.
Moving back proves surprisingly easy. Quite literally, the moment Cherry sets foot back on Darling’s soil, she is surrounded by fawning admirers. People are just lining up to feed her, sand her deck, watch her kids.
Why? All Cherry ever tells us is how evil Darling is. And yet…
And then, there’s all the romance. If there’s one single thing that drags this novel down it is that…the fact that it so desperately tries to be a romance novel, which is…you know…yuck. Unless you’re into that sort of thing, which doesn’t make it any less yuck but might make this more of the right choice for you.
As a teenager, Cherry hooked up with the most popular kid in Darling and vamoosed. The kid proved to be a royal penis and dropped her like yesterday’s trash the second their special needs kid was born, but that should give you some idea of Cherry’s taste in men. Also, the fact that her second child was created while she was prostituting herself trying to pay for the first one.
Now, that she’s back, all the men who missed their opportunity the first time around with Cherry and who apparently have just been waiting around this entire time, come flocking in.
She selects the hot one with a stupid name over her awesome brother-in-law with a strange name. (This is the South, y’all).
Then she proceeds to toil in this cheesily torrid love triangle.
Oh, also there is a serial killer around who seems to enjoy abducting, murdering, and dismembering small children.
Also, there may or may not be a supernatural angle to it all. This includes the father of one of the victims, another devastatingly handsome Indian man with liquid eyes - a description the author is such a fan of, she uses it over and over again in an almost fetishistic manner.
There’s also Cherry’s number one female friend, a blunt weirdo who lives alone with her mother in a distinctly Bates-ian sort of way.
And then, Cherry’s baby girl gets abducted, and things get even crazier.
So, what was the author trying to do here? Was she going for a Southern Gothic? (because she got there, again in a strangely fetishistic way). Was this meant to be a serial killer mystery? A romance? A tale of supernatural? Was the author, as a mother of a special needs child herself, writing an ode to moms such as her everywhere? Why is everyone so freaking handsome? Even the serial killer's nickname is Handsome Butcher? Seriously.
Because that’s a lot for a single novel. And while there might be a way to make all of it work, this book doesn’t find that way. It crams too much and muddies the waters, especially for the serial killer mystery angle. Ambitious, sure, but in the end, a flop. Not a terrible flop, a readable, even mildly entertaining one, but overall, it underwhelms and disappoints more than it entertains. The writing’s good but doesn’t distract from the strangely nuanced yet clichéd characters. Some readers might fall under Cherry’s spell, but this darling’s charms are not for everyone. Thanks Netgalley.
This and more at https://advancetheplot.weebly.com/
October 15, 2022
DARLING from Mercedes M. Yardley falls short of its ambitious concept in which abused and forgotten Cerise/Cherry returns with her two children, Jonah and Daisy, to her hometown, Darling, which is itself evil and out to destroy her family. It will so accomplish in part through a twisted love triangle (square?) between her abusive estranged husband, Ephraim, his kind and passive brother, Mordechai, and "E's" childhood best friend, confident playboy Runner, all pursuing Cherry to the very ends of what seems like her life. Part horror novel, part thriller, part romance--this book has an identity problem.
It's likely this one just isn't for me.
It's still a largely entertaining read, if you're into chaos. If you can suspend your need for narrative logic and roll with the wild rope of seemingly unrelated character and plot information, you might still like this. It connects enough to make a rough kind of story sense all through, but I wasn't able to think too hard about any of it or it started to unravel.
I'm a little sensitive to these things, so I have to note the despicable treatment of the developmentally disabled character, Jonah. He was barely treated as a character, and more as a plot device, which is just so difficult to read. So even if I had liked this book, I would never have connected to the FMC or the narrator because neither of them humanized Jonah. If this is a triggering issue for you, you might want to avoid this book.
I've read quite a bit of work from this writer, so I can say this book is different from her typical work and though I wouldn't recommend this one, I do hope you'll check out Pretty Little Dead Girls.
Rating 2 stars
Finished October 2022
Recommended for fans of dark romance (maybe), serial killer stories, haunted house stories (maybe); I don't really recommend this selection from the writer's oeuvre
TW DV, SA, violence against children, child SA, incest, violence against women, mental illness, mental illness stigma, torture, so many more
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
It's likely this one just isn't for me.
It's still a largely entertaining read, if you're into chaos. If you can suspend your need for narrative logic and roll with the wild rope of seemingly unrelated character and plot information, you might still like this. It connects enough to make a rough kind of story sense all through, but I wasn't able to think too hard about any of it or it started to unravel.
I'm a little sensitive to these things, so I have to note the despicable treatment of the developmentally disabled character, Jonah. He was barely treated as a character, and more as a plot device, which is just so difficult to read. So even if I had liked this book, I would never have connected to the FMC or the narrator because neither of them humanized Jonah. If this is a triggering issue for you, you might want to avoid this book.
I've read quite a bit of work from this writer, so I can say this book is different from her typical work and though I wouldn't recommend this one, I do hope you'll check out Pretty Little Dead Girls.
Rating 2 stars
Finished October 2022
Recommended for fans of dark romance (maybe), serial killer stories, haunted house stories (maybe); I don't really recommend this selection from the writer's oeuvre
TW DV, SA, violence against children, child SA, incest, violence against women, mental illness, mental illness stigma, torture, so many more
*Follow my Instagram book blog for all my reviews, challenges, and book lists! http://www.instagram.com/donasbooks *
June 2, 2022
Darling has its demons. Cherry LaRouche escaped the claws of Darling, Louisiana at sixteen. When she is forced to return after her mother's death, Cherry and her children move back into her childhood home where the walls whisper and something sinister skitters across the roof at night. While Cherry tries to settle back into a town where evil spreads like infection, the bodies of several murdered children turn up. When Cherry's own daughter goes missing, she's forced to confront the true monsters of Darling.
I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book, but this novel is a prime example of how the ending can totally ruin an entire story for its reader.
Yardley’s feisty protagonist Cherry was interesting to read about and seeing her character arc develop throughout, the story was also full of tension, suspense and horror and dealt with poignant themes like family, home, community and poverty as well as delved into the darker topics of kidnapping, murder and mental health. But for me the ending was anti-climatic and too neat after everything that Cherry had been through which was disappointing. Yardley isn’t lost to me yet though, I’ll still check out future works.
I thoroughly enjoyed the premise of this book, but this novel is a prime example of how the ending can totally ruin an entire story for its reader.
Yardley’s feisty protagonist Cherry was interesting to read about and seeing her character arc develop throughout, the story was also full of tension, suspense and horror and dealt with poignant themes like family, home, community and poverty as well as delved into the darker topics of kidnapping, murder and mental health. But for me the ending was anti-climatic and too neat after everything that Cherry had been through which was disappointing. Yardley isn’t lost to me yet though, I’ll still check out future works.
July 27, 2022
Cherry left Darling Louisiana young and hopeful of a better life, with a husband-to-be, a baby bump, and zero regrets.
That better life didn't last too long or maybe never fully materialized. Now she is older but not a lot wiser, with no choice but to return to her childhood home with her two kids in tow.
This seems like a pretty bad move since someone is killing the town's children and it's not long before Cherry's own baby daughter goes missing, possibly taken by the killer.
I was fully engaged in the story even though it was difficult for me to like Cherry. On the one hand, she was a good mother but on the other hand, she made some pretty dumb decisions that grated on my nerves.
There is also some romance thrown in, by which I do not mean unrealistic gratuitous sex scenes that border on the grotesque as usually passes for romance these days. I mean literally, some things that were romantic until they weren't. And when the romance was over it stopped in a big way. It seemed odd to me that Cherry would want to involve herself in any romantic entanglements in this town. Considering what she had previously been through I expected her to be less naïve.
I won't say that the outcome of what happened with her daughter was entirely predictable, but I did have my suspicions early on, and they were mostly correct.
I'm not sure why I enjoyed this book so much, and yet I did. The town's people were alternately welcoming, and nasty, with such frequency to give me whiplash. I'm not clear on whether something supernatural was involved since it was never fully explained. Maybe I enjoyed shaking my head and rolling my eyes at Cherry while wishing she would make better choices. Still, I am going to give this a 4 out of 5 stars even if I am at a loss to explain what I just read.
My thanks to Black Spot Books
That better life didn't last too long or maybe never fully materialized. Now she is older but not a lot wiser, with no choice but to return to her childhood home with her two kids in tow.
This seems like a pretty bad move since someone is killing the town's children and it's not long before Cherry's own baby daughter goes missing, possibly taken by the killer.
I was fully engaged in the story even though it was difficult for me to like Cherry. On the one hand, she was a good mother but on the other hand, she made some pretty dumb decisions that grated on my nerves.
There is also some romance thrown in, by which I do not mean unrealistic gratuitous sex scenes that border on the grotesque as usually passes for romance these days. I mean literally, some things that were romantic until they weren't. And when the romance was over it stopped in a big way. It seemed odd to me that Cherry would want to involve herself in any romantic entanglements in this town. Considering what she had previously been through I expected her to be less naïve.
I won't say that the outcome of what happened with her daughter was entirely predictable, but I did have my suspicions early on, and they were mostly correct.
I'm not sure why I enjoyed this book so much, and yet I did. The town's people were alternately welcoming, and nasty, with such frequency to give me whiplash. I'm not clear on whether something supernatural was involved since it was never fully explained. Maybe I enjoyed shaking my head and rolling my eyes at Cherry while wishing she would make better choices. Still, I am going to give this a 4 out of 5 stars even if I am at a loss to explain what I just read.
My thanks to Black Spot Books
March 11, 2022
I received my very first ARC on 26th February, and I've been putting off writing this review ever since. I had mixed feelings about this book, and it took me a while to get them sorted before getting started with this review.
*Deep breath*
Darling by Mercedes M Yardley is a book that surprised me, and pleasantly so, but for all the wrong reasons. Before I get started on my long, warbling rant, here's the description of the plot:
At the age of sixteen, Cherry LaRouche escaped the clutches of Darling, Louisiana. Cherry and her children return to Cherry's childhood house following her mother's death, where the walls murmur and something horrible skitters across the roof at night.
The bodies of several murdered children crop up as Cherry tries to reintegrate into a town where evil is spreading like an illness. Cherry is forced to confront the true horrors of Darling when her own kid goes missing.
Okay, now that that's done, let's dive into the murky depths of this book. I went into this book expecting the same old dragged-out tale of a haunted house, but it wasn't that. At all.
The thing that struck me right off the bat was the character of Cherry. Despite having a rough life, she does everything she can for her children to have a good life. Yes, sometimes the choices she makes are questionable, but, it's inevitably plain that Cherry loves her kids and that she would do anything for them. This fact struck me because of the constant parallels that we get into how her mother used to treat her, and the way she treats her kids now.
Secondly, this book was slightly reminiscent of the novel IT by Stephen King. Before you say no, hear me out, okay? In IT, childhood friends return back to their hometown Derry, where evil has taken root again, just like it did when they were kids, to destroy it once and for all. In Darling, Cherry comes back to her childhood home to confront the terrors of her past, as well as the evil that resides in the town and its people. Both have a supernatural element in them. Both show a comparison between how we deal with trauma in our childhood and adulthood. Both show how evil simmers beneath a town, within its people, and bides its time until it can strike again. Both have monsters that prey on kids. However, the take on monsters in Darling was a very unique one. I've read a lot of books in the horror genre, and I don’t think any book had such a take on monsters.
Thirdly, it seemed appalling how literally every man in Darling had an infatuation with Cherry. I get that she's beautiful, but, the way men fell head over heels over her for apparently no reason whatsoever, was slightly jarring.
Fourthly, the ending seemed slightly rushed. The way it was written was beautiful, but, after the relatively slow pacing of the first three-quarters of the book, the ending seemed to come out of nowhere. And the way the book ended also seemed a tad bit anti-climatic.
Another teensy tiny complaint I have with the book is the name chosen for the child murderer. Why would you ever call someone who breaks children like dolls a "handsome butcher"? How does his being handsome even matter to the plot? How is it relevant? It made me laugh hysterically the first time I read it.
But, I have to give this book credit where it's due. It was entertaining and kept me guessing until the very end. The descriptions were just right and hit me right in the feels.
*Chef's kiss*
I'd rate this book a solid 3.5/5. If the author had decided to call him LITERALLY anything other than the "handsome butcher", it would have been a 4/5. I'm definitely going to check out her other books since I loved her writing style.
*Deep breath*
Darling by Mercedes M Yardley is a book that surprised me, and pleasantly so, but for all the wrong reasons. Before I get started on my long, warbling rant, here's the description of the plot:
At the age of sixteen, Cherry LaRouche escaped the clutches of Darling, Louisiana. Cherry and her children return to Cherry's childhood house following her mother's death, where the walls murmur and something horrible skitters across the roof at night.
The bodies of several murdered children crop up as Cherry tries to reintegrate into a town where evil is spreading like an illness. Cherry is forced to confront the true horrors of Darling when her own kid goes missing.
Okay, now that that's done, let's dive into the murky depths of this book. I went into this book expecting the same old dragged-out tale of a haunted house, but it wasn't that. At all.
The thing that struck me right off the bat was the character of Cherry. Despite having a rough life, she does everything she can for her children to have a good life. Yes, sometimes the choices she makes are questionable, but, it's inevitably plain that Cherry loves her kids and that she would do anything for them. This fact struck me because of the constant parallels that we get into how her mother used to treat her, and the way she treats her kids now.
Secondly, this book was slightly reminiscent of the novel IT by Stephen King. Before you say no, hear me out, okay? In IT, childhood friends return back to their hometown Derry, where evil has taken root again, just like it did when they were kids, to destroy it once and for all. In Darling, Cherry comes back to her childhood home to confront the terrors of her past, as well as the evil that resides in the town and its people. Both have a supernatural element in them. Both show a comparison between how we deal with trauma in our childhood and adulthood. Both show how evil simmers beneath a town, within its people, and bides its time until it can strike again. Both have monsters that prey on kids. However, the take on monsters in Darling was a very unique one. I've read a lot of books in the horror genre, and I don’t think any book had such a take on monsters.
Thirdly, it seemed appalling how literally every man in Darling had an infatuation with Cherry. I get that she's beautiful, but, the way men fell head over heels over her for apparently no reason whatsoever, was slightly jarring.
Fourthly, the ending seemed slightly rushed. The way it was written was beautiful, but, after the relatively slow pacing of the first three-quarters of the book, the ending seemed to come out of nowhere. And the way the book ended also seemed a tad bit anti-climatic.
Another teensy tiny complaint I have with the book is the name chosen for the child murderer. Why would you ever call someone who breaks children like dolls a "handsome butcher"? How does his being handsome even matter to the plot? How is it relevant? It made me laugh hysterically the first time I read it.
But, I have to give this book credit where it's due. It was entertaining and kept me guessing until the very end. The descriptions were just right and hit me right in the feels.
*Chef's kiss*
I'd rate this book a solid 3.5/5. If the author had decided to call him LITERALLY anything other than the "handsome butcher", it would have been a 4/5. I'm definitely going to check out her other books since I loved her writing style.
June 20, 2026
the review
This book gave me the creeps at 1am and I am loving it. Worldbuilding is fantastic
pre read
secured an arc! the first look: it is mysterious and might give us chilling relevations.
This book gave me the creeps at 1am and I am loving it. Worldbuilding is fantastic
pre read
secured an arc! the first look: it is mysterious and might give us chilling relevations.
March 18, 2022
3.5/5
Yardley's writing style is, as always, beautiful. She has a way with words that speaks directly to the emotions; I admire her craft.
Darling is many things: haunted house, love story, small-town horror, murder mystery, family drama, and more. But perhaps it tries to do too much for its own good.
It raises an interesting question about small-town horror - is the town itself the source of evil, or does it just strip the veneer away and let people become the monsters they have always been?
As much as I appreciate Yardley's writing style, I do not think Darling is her best work. It is perhaps the most intimate and personal book, but not the most compelling one. I liked it but I didn't love it as much as her other stories.
ARC through NetGalley
Yardley's writing style is, as always, beautiful. She has a way with words that speaks directly to the emotions; I admire her craft.
Darling is many things: haunted house, love story, small-town horror, murder mystery, family drama, and more. But perhaps it tries to do too much for its own good.
It raises an interesting question about small-town horror - is the town itself the source of evil, or does it just strip the veneer away and let people become the monsters they have always been?
As much as I appreciate Yardley's writing style, I do not think Darling is her best work. It is perhaps the most intimate and personal book, but not the most compelling one. I liked it but I didn't love it as much as her other stories.
ARC through NetGalley
September 4, 2022
3.5 Darling Stars
Cherry left Darling Louisiana when she was just sixteen years old with her boyfriend and their unborn child, hoping for a better life than the one they had growing up. After giving birth to a son with Special Needs Cherry soon found out that her dreams were not going to come true any time soon since her husband left her to raise their son alone as soon as he was born.
Cherry didn't have it easy that's for sure, now the mother of two (her daughter was conceived when Cherry was selling herself to make extra money to support herself and her son) was doing whatever she needed to keep a roof over their heads and food in her kids bellies when she receives a phone call letting her know that her mother passed away and left her the house she grew up in with all of the expenses paid on it for five years but she had to live in during that time before she could sell it. So back to the place she hated most she went.
I loved the writing of this story and it definitely has me wanting to read more of Mercedes M. Yardley work. As per usual I had some things figured out pretty quickly but I couldn't quite put my finger on who the Handsome Butcher was...yes you read that right. The killer was referred to as the Handsome Butcher, I disliked that name for soooo many reasons the main one being why would we refer to a person whom took children, killed, and dismembered them as handsome? Butcher I get, but Handsome???
I loved Cherry's relationship with both of her children especially with her son who has Autism. She loved him and did everything she possibly could to show him. It was a special bond that she shared with both of her children, and when the author gave us a few chapters from his POV it was precious.
I want to point out that this isn't a romance while there are some romantic aspects to it including a love triangle. This is a HORROR, I realize the majority of my reviews are for Romance Reads this one DOES NOT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. So if you enjoy Horror Reads then I would recommend this one to you but if you are looking for a Romantic Horror Read this isn't it.
Happy Reading!!!
Cherry left Darling Louisiana when she was just sixteen years old with her boyfriend and their unborn child, hoping for a better life than the one they had growing up. After giving birth to a son with Special Needs Cherry soon found out that her dreams were not going to come true any time soon since her husband left her to raise their son alone as soon as he was born.
Cherry didn't have it easy that's for sure, now the mother of two (her daughter was conceived when Cherry was selling herself to make extra money to support herself and her son) was doing whatever she needed to keep a roof over their heads and food in her kids bellies when she receives a phone call letting her know that her mother passed away and left her the house she grew up in with all of the expenses paid on it for five years but she had to live in during that time before she could sell it. So back to the place she hated most she went.
I loved the writing of this story and it definitely has me wanting to read more of Mercedes M. Yardley work. As per usual I had some things figured out pretty quickly but I couldn't quite put my finger on who the Handsome Butcher was...yes you read that right. The killer was referred to as the Handsome Butcher, I disliked that name for soooo many reasons the main one being why would we refer to a person whom took children, killed, and dismembered them as handsome? Butcher I get, but Handsome???
I loved Cherry's relationship with both of her children especially with her son who has Autism. She loved him and did everything she possibly could to show him. It was a special bond that she shared with both of her children, and when the author gave us a few chapters from his POV it was precious.
I want to point out that this isn't a romance while there are some romantic aspects to it including a love triangle. This is a HORROR, I realize the majority of my reviews are for Romance Reads this one DOES NOT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. So if you enjoy Horror Reads then I would recommend this one to you but if you are looking for a Romantic Horror Read this isn't it.
Happy Reading!!!
August 8, 2022
3.5 Darling Stars
Cherry left Darling Louisiana when she was just sixteen years old with her boyfriend and their unborn child, hoping for a better life than the one they had growing up. After giving birth to a son with Special Needs Cherry soon found out that her dreams were not going to come true any time soon since her husband left her to raise their son alone as soon as he was born.
Cherry didn't have it easy that's for sure, now the mother of two (her daughter was conceived when Cherry was selling herself to make extra money to support herself and her son) was doing whatever she needed to keep a roof over their heads and food in her kids bellies when she receives a phone call letting her know that her mother passed away and left her the house she grew up in with all of the expenses paid on it for five years but she had to live in during that time before she could sell it. So back to the place she hated most she went.
I loved the writing of this story and it definitely has me wanting to read more of Mercedes M. Yardley work. As per usual I had some things figured out pretty quickly but I couldn't quite put my finger on who the Handsome Butcher was...yes you read that right. The killer was referred to as the Handsome Butcher, I disliked that name for soooo many reasons the main one being why would we refer to a person whom took children, killed, and dismembered them as handsome? Butcher I get, but Handsome???
I loved Cherry's relationship with both of her children especially with her son who has Autism. She loved him and did everything she possibly could to show him. It was a special bond that she shared with both of her children, and when the author gave us a few chapters from his POV it was precious.
I want to point out that this isn't a romance while there are some romantic aspects to it including a love triangle. This is a HORROR, I realize the majority of my reviews are for Romance Reads this one DOES NOT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. So if you enjoy Horror Reads then I would recommend this one to you but if you are looking for a Romantic Horror Read this isn't it.
Happy Reading!!!
Find out more here ➡ https://bit.ly/NBReviewd
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with Books
You can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
Cherry left Darling Louisiana when she was just sixteen years old with her boyfriend and their unborn child, hoping for a better life than the one they had growing up. After giving birth to a son with Special Needs Cherry soon found out that her dreams were not going to come true any time soon since her husband left her to raise their son alone as soon as he was born.
Cherry didn't have it easy that's for sure, now the mother of two (her daughter was conceived when Cherry was selling herself to make extra money to support herself and her son) was doing whatever she needed to keep a roof over their heads and food in her kids bellies when she receives a phone call letting her know that her mother passed away and left her the house she grew up in with all of the expenses paid on it for five years but she had to live in during that time before she could sell it. So back to the place she hated most she went.
I loved the writing of this story and it definitely has me wanting to read more of Mercedes M. Yardley work. As per usual I had some things figured out pretty quickly but I couldn't quite put my finger on who the Handsome Butcher was...yes you read that right. The killer was referred to as the Handsome Butcher, I disliked that name for soooo many reasons the main one being why would we refer to a person whom took children, killed, and dismembered them as handsome? Butcher I get, but Handsome???
I loved Cherry's relationship with both of her children especially with her son who has Autism. She loved him and did everything she possibly could to show him. It was a special bond that she shared with both of her children, and when the author gave us a few chapters from his POV it was precious.
I want to point out that this isn't a romance while there are some romantic aspects to it including a love triangle. This is a HORROR, I realize the majority of my reviews are for Romance Reads this one DOES NOT FALL INTO THAT CATEGORY. So if you enjoy Horror Reads then I would recommend this one to you but if you are looking for a Romantic Horror Read this isn't it.
Happy Reading!!!
Find out more here ➡ https://bit.ly/NBReviewd
**I have voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book for my Blog, Nadine's Obsessed with BooksYou can find me here: https://linktr.ee/NadineBookaholic
August 31, 2022
As a pregnant teenager, Cherry/Cerise left her hometown of Darling with her lover Ephraim, vowing never to return. However, she finds herself returning several years later when her mother dies and wills her the family house.
Unfortunately and even though I was really excited about this book and the beginning was quite engaging, it ended up being a bit of a disappointment.
More than horror, you can expect a family drama with some thriller aspects to it. Nothing that you could really consider a real horror novel. I guess this is a big part of why I was disappointed.
The other thing was that the book started quite strong and then it ended up being a bit too repetitive for my taste and nothing much happened. I also did not really enjoy how our main character was treated by the people in town (specially by men) and even if this was the point of the story, it did not come across and it was just annoying. Our main character is a troubled girl that had to run away from home and had to be strong and independent due to her poverty and lack of help. However the woman we see as soon as she returns home is a wek, easy to manipulate submissive woman and I was not here for it.
Read
August 28, 2026DNF @ 40%.
When I saw the cover and read the description, I immediately wanted to give this a go, especially since I love gothic horror! But unfortunately it just didn’t land well for me and I decided not to complete the book.
I found myself getting a little bit confused about what was going on and it was hard to enjoy reading about the town of Darling. The men were all super yucky and Cherry was a little bit odd to me, but not in the fun weird girl way.
I think this book would be a perfect fit for people who love more ambiguous stories with small town vibes. This may not have been for me, but I truly believe that others will really enjoy this one! I will say, I did love the authors writing style though!
When I saw the cover and read the description, I immediately wanted to give this a go, especially since I love gothic horror! But unfortunately it just didn’t land well for me and I decided not to complete the book.
I found myself getting a little bit confused about what was going on and it was hard to enjoy reading about the town of Darling. The men were all super yucky and Cherry was a little bit odd to me, but not in the fun weird girl way.
I think this book would be a perfect fit for people who love more ambiguous stories with small town vibes. This may not have been for me, but I truly believe that others will really enjoy this one! I will say, I did love the authors writing style though!
June 17, 2026
4.25⭐️
VERY crazy ride.
Please check trigger warnings.
——
Read as a netgalley ARC
VERY crazy ride.
Please check trigger warnings.
——
Read as a netgalley ARC
Did Not Finish
August 24, 2026DNF at 29%. Unfortunately could not be bothered by the love triangle and the way that the FMC carries herself towards men.
A big thanks to Ruadán Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
A big thanks to Ruadán Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
September 3, 2026
I didn't know what to expect, but this was so so much better!
It was dark, unsettling and deliciously unhinged. An anciently toxic small town, weirdly whispering walls, something terrifying on the roof, multiple murdered children, complicated relationships, and a woman who has clearly been through it, having to return to it all? Mercedes truly said "Lets make everyone miserable" and I was fully seated.
The atmosphere was everything; oppressive, grimy, southern gothic, and deeply wrong. This book is emotionally heavy and gets brutal at times, but like a moth to the flame, I couldn't look away. The town's secrets, the family traumas, and the question of if anyone could be actually trusted kept me absolutely hooked. A few parts of the story didn't fully work for me, but the writing was gorgeous, the vibes were immaculate in the most cursed way and this horror had teeth.
If you like your horror messy, tragic, atmospheric, and full of people making terrible choices, Darling is worth picking up.
A massive thank you to Rudan Books and the author for gifting me this ALC through NetGalley. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my very own.
It was dark, unsettling and deliciously unhinged. An anciently toxic small town, weirdly whispering walls, something terrifying on the roof, multiple murdered children, complicated relationships, and a woman who has clearly been through it, having to return to it all? Mercedes truly said "Lets make everyone miserable" and I was fully seated.
The atmosphere was everything; oppressive, grimy, southern gothic, and deeply wrong. This book is emotionally heavy and gets brutal at times, but like a moth to the flame, I couldn't look away. The town's secrets, the family traumas, and the question of if anyone could be actually trusted kept me absolutely hooked. A few parts of the story didn't fully work for me, but the writing was gorgeous, the vibes were immaculate in the most cursed way and this horror had teeth.
If you like your horror messy, tragic, atmospheric, and full of people making terrible choices, Darling is worth picking up.
A massive thank you to Rudan Books and the author for gifting me this ALC through NetGalley. As always, the opinions expressed in this review are my very own.
March 15, 2022
This was the first time reading anything by Mercedes M. Yardley and after finishing "Darling" I'm not sure I can see myself reading another book of hers.
The book started off pretty good and I was enjoying the story and the writing. At the beginning of the book there were many descriptions I loved and Cherry was a really great character. About 15% or so into the book I started coming across awkward sentences and the writing started getting too "flowery."
Soon, the excessive use of character eye descriptions became torturous. "Her eyes flashed," "His eyes narrowed," "His glowing green eyes also caught the light of the Lousiana sky," "His eyes flashed," "His eyes were glass suns, intense enough to annihilate her. Sheer immolation." This is all just from one page. I found myself wishing the man's eyes had the power to annihilate Cherry just so the story would end.
This kind of thing happened for the entire book, which was distracting. "Pigtails like banners," "her white hands," "his bony body." Like, we get it. Please come up with something new instead of using the same phrases over and over.
I can't imagine myself recommending this book to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the DRC.
The book started off pretty good and I was enjoying the story and the writing. At the beginning of the book there were many descriptions I loved and Cherry was a really great character. About 15% or so into the book I started coming across awkward sentences and the writing started getting too "flowery."
Soon, the excessive use of character eye descriptions became torturous. "Her eyes flashed," "His eyes narrowed," "His glowing green eyes also caught the light of the Lousiana sky," "His eyes flashed," "His eyes were glass suns, intense enough to annihilate her. Sheer immolation." This is all just from one page. I found myself wishing the man's eyes had the power to annihilate Cherry just so the story would end.
This kind of thing happened for the entire book, which was distracting. "Pigtails like banners," "her white hands," "his bony body." Like, we get it. Please come up with something new instead of using the same phrases over and over.
I can't imagine myself recommending this book to anyone.
Thank you to NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the DRC.
April 8, 2022
As a pregnant teenager, Cherry/Cerise left her hometown of Darling with her lover Ephraim; vowing never to return. However, she finds herself returning several years later when her mother dies and wills her the family house. This is a deal she cannot pass up: Ephraim left her once their child—Jonah--was born with a genetic disorder. She is destitute and now has a second child to take care of: Daisy, whose father is unknown due to Cherry/Cerise having unprotected sex with her male clients when she prostitutes herself to make ends meet.
This may sound like the makings of a damsel-in-distress book: a young-women in need of a strong man to protect her and offer some romance. But then, it wants to also be an anti-damsel-in-distress book: a strong woman in peril who doesn’t want or need a strong man to protect her (romance is possible). As Cherry/Cerise navigates the threats to her family both imagined (supernatural?) and real, she waffles between these architypes—and two men--repeatedly spewing how she will always protect and love her kids. However, her behavior and actions are so antithetical to what she professes.
This may be explained by how she describes herself based on her name. She imagines Cherry as a happy person who see the world as being beautiful. This is the name the people of Darling use. Conversely, Cerise is someone who has always struggled; she has been abused, hurt, and deprived. This is the name she used when she left Darling, and the one she initially insists the Darlingites call her. But old habits die hard, for the townsfolk see and treat her as the golden child they knew before while also holding a grudge against her for taking Ephraim and leaving them behind.
There are too many plot holes and issues in this book for me to ignore and give it a higher rating. For example, after Daisy disappears, she Cherry/Cerise often leaves her disabled son alone in the car on several occasions. Not only is there an unknown child abductor out there, but her nonverbal son is experiencing the trauma of being separated from her. She also allows a new lover to spend nights in the home; a man who treats her son with distain.
Then there is the creepy scene at the end when she goes to the prison to speak to Ephraim’s father hoping to get some answers that may help find her daughter. She is very anxious and angry as he acts menacingly towards her. However, when he gives her the most disgusting information—which affects her—she is nonplussed.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This may sound like the makings of a damsel-in-distress book: a young-women in need of a strong man to protect her and offer some romance. But then, it wants to also be an anti-damsel-in-distress book: a strong woman in peril who doesn’t want or need a strong man to protect her (romance is possible). As Cherry/Cerise navigates the threats to her family both imagined (supernatural?) and real, she waffles between these architypes—and two men--repeatedly spewing how she will always protect and love her kids. However, her behavior and actions are so antithetical to what she professes.
This may be explained by how she describes herself based on her name. She imagines Cherry as a happy person who see the world as being beautiful. This is the name the people of Darling use. Conversely, Cerise is someone who has always struggled; she has been abused, hurt, and deprived. This is the name she used when she left Darling, and the one she initially insists the Darlingites call her. But old habits die hard, for the townsfolk see and treat her as the golden child they knew before while also holding a grudge against her for taking Ephraim and leaving them behind.
There are too many plot holes and issues in this book for me to ignore and give it a higher rating. For example, after Daisy disappears, she Cherry/Cerise often leaves her disabled son alone in the car on several occasions. Not only is there an unknown child abductor out there, but her nonverbal son is experiencing the trauma of being separated from her. She also allows a new lover to spend nights in the home; a man who treats her son with distain.
Then there is the creepy scene at the end when she goes to the prison to speak to Ephraim’s father hoping to get some answers that may help find her daughter. She is very anxious and angry as he acts menacingly towards her. However, when he gives her the most disgusting information—which affects her—she is nonplussed.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Black Spot Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
August 6, 2026
⌗ ──🦇🍋🟩🐈⬛ᝰ .ᐟ read.
the writing and the worldbuilding were amazing! i was really captivated by mercedes's writing style.
the story was interesting, but there was something that still didn't click for me. i'm still trying to figure out what it was, lol.
thanks to netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange of an honest review
the writing and the worldbuilding were amazing! i was really captivated by mercedes's writing style.
the story was interesting, but there was something that still didn't click for me. i'm still trying to figure out what it was, lol.
thanks to netgalley and the author for an arc in exchange of an honest review
November 30, 2022
Eh, not for me.
July 18, 2022
I snagged this ARC from @netgalley. I thought this would be great since Yardley is highly praised as a horror writer, however, I felt the book did not match the author’s hype. The concept of a town of horrors with frequent children disappearing was interesting, but I found the characters fell flat. Although I got a hint of their personalities, they all felt like they were shells of the people they were meant to be. I liked that she showed how cruel society can be towards a single mother, especially one with a special needs child, but I could not really empathize with the characters. I felt like the main issue with the town (will not further explain due to spoilers) could have also been fleshed out more, as it doesn’t really add substance to the story as it is. Overall, I was intrigued but disappointed.
March 3, 2022
Wow!
I read this book in one sitting. It sucked me in from the first page.
Cherry gets sucked back into the small hometown that she clawed her way out of so many years before. And like all small towns that you have to claw your way out of, it is crazy. The people are crazy. The events are crazy....
Much like my own small town that sucked me back in. All the crazy checks out. Humans are the real monsters.
POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD:
I loved everything about this book! My only *slight* complaint is that I knew about Daisy the whole time. But maybe we were supposed to? It was perfectly setup to know what was going on there.
Everything else was amazing!
I read this book in one sitting. It sucked me in from the first page.
Cherry gets sucked back into the small hometown that she clawed her way out of so many years before. And like all small towns that you have to claw your way out of, it is crazy. The people are crazy. The events are crazy....
Much like my own small town that sucked me back in. All the crazy checks out. Humans are the real monsters.
POSSIBLE SPOILER AHEAD:
I loved everything about this book! My only *slight* complaint is that I knew about Daisy the whole time. But maybe we were supposed to? It was perfectly setup to know what was going on there.
Everything else was amazing!
June 12, 2026
Small town horror with mysterious, eerie atmosphere that sucked me in right away.
I got a little frustrated by Cherry at first (like girl Mordachi is right THERE) but I ended up understanding her struggle as the the story goes. I also enjoyed every twists and turns, the whole mystery and "weird" small town vibes, also all the feelings and angsts.
That was eerily a lovely read,
I got a little frustrated by Cherry at first (like girl Mordachi is right THERE) but I ended up understanding her struggle as the the story goes. I also enjoyed every twists and turns, the whole mystery and "weird" small town vibes, also all the feelings and angsts.
That was eerily a lovely read,
March 19, 2022
Beautifully written but confusing at times. Was it paranormal or just cherry’s traumatized mind. The last few chapters were an explosion of violence and deeply dark. It was a page turner for sure.
Thank you NetGalley for this arc
Thank you NetGalley for this arc
September 12, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Ruadán Books for the ARC and opportunity to experience the revised version of Darling!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 rounded up
I am so thankful to have gotten the opportunity to experience the delightful torture of this audiobook because it was a non-stop rollercoaster of so many different feelings, emotions, and (outward, oops) exclamations that it kept me dialed in and ready for more with each chapter. There is something so deliciously satisfying about southern gothic horrors, and this book was true to that form.
“Darling had a way of tying itself to you, like a spider attached to a think piece of thread, and whenever you felt you were home free, the line reeled you back.”
The story begins with our main character, Cherry (now going by the name Cerise to reinvent herself and shed her past) gets a call letting her know that her mother had passed and the house she knew from childhood now belonged to her. With this news, also finding out that bills have been paid for the next five years prior to the death of her mother, she reluctantly makes her way back to her hometown of Darling, Louisiana, with two young children in tow, in desperate need of financial relief after being left behind by her husband. She fought hard to escape the grips of Darling, but tries to make the best of the situation as she, Daisy, and Jonah, walk right into the unfurled fingers of the town that welcomes her back in. From there we meet several characters that help establish the foundation of this story but also take part as building blocks that shape the mystery and truth behind this little town and the things Cherry wanted so badly to escape.
“The house was just like the town. It harbored something deep inside. Something dark. Something that roiled under the thin veneer of magnificence, something pulsing and veiny and ugly.”
The darkness of this town makes itself known right away, although it is one of the characters itself. It is first seen through the eyes of Cherry, who acknowledges its existence through her home when she arrives. I took this as Cherry attributing this feeling to her relationship she remembers having with her mother, which was far less than loving. The stifling and unkind relationship they had was one of the main reasons for Cherry wanting to leave, as well as one of the hardest parts for her to face upon returning. The description of the house and the setting of the town were two of my favorite aspects of this book. It is also one of the things I wish it had more of through the story. As more characters were added to the plot and more whereabouts were needed to be kept track of, the house itself fell to the background.
“Its voice was malevolence. It sighted down from the eaves and ran through the copper pipes. It infested its insulation and wiring. This house’s flesh was hung on bones of hatred, its skeleton strong and dark and gleaming.”
As I continued to listen, I got increasingly swept in and found the story penetrating my thoughts outside of when I was actively reading. There were times I was so frustrated with Cherry’s responses or actions, that I was skeptical of Mordachi , curious about the location of E, and I felt so much sorrow for the children. The pace of this story is what I would describe as medium, now slow or fast, and it kept a steady pace of intrigue the more chapters deep I got. There are several mysteries going on at one that slowly entwine themselves together as details are revealed and builds and builds with an explosive twist that had me standing in the middle of my kitchen, mid-dinner prep, staring into nothing and shouting profanities out loud.
I loved the audiobook and I am now the proud owner of a physical copy of the revised edition. So, if you’re a lover of deep, deliciously gripping gothic horror and have a predilection for good mysteries that keep you guessing, then this story is for you.
August 21, 2026
Deliciously dark. The atmosphere creep factor was perfect and the Southern Gothic elements really shined. As a lifelong Southerner myself, I equate our lifestyle with being laid back and possessing a thriving rumor mill. The plot pacing and characters within this book are on par with that. Yardley creates a small, haunted backwater town in Louisiana– complete with the maleficent personification of Cherry’s mother’s home– that has a prowler called The Handsome Butcher who is killing children
Our FMC Cherry finds herself inheriting her mother’s home and returning to her hometown after years away. Her standing with the townspeople is tentative at best because she left on bad terms stemming from her teen pregnancy. You could viscerally feel Cherry’s struggle to raise her children (one of which has a genetic disorder), and are immersed in her plight as she tries to find her daughter once she is kidnapped. Cherry is deeply flawed and has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth, but you will never doubt her ferocity and tenacity.
There is A LOT going on in this book, but Yardley generally makes it work. I was invested until the romantic subplots became more prominent than The Handsome Butcher. For me, the multiple men who were romantically interested in her detracted from the main plot for me because she is supposed to be freshly devastated that her daughter is missing. I know they lend to the bigger picture, but it just feels contradictory to the fundamental core of Cherry’s personality that was previously established.
Once we deviated from the romance and returned to the original storyline, there was so much chaos. I did not see the continuous plot twists coming. There was so much tension and hysteria. The town’s evil was palpable.
This book is so hard to rate because I felt so torn.
(Sidenote: the foreword says this is a new, expanded edition of the book which piqued my curiosity. Upon looking it up, it has nearly 300 pages of new content. Now I really want to know what’s changed!)
Be sure to grab a copy when it’s released on September 8, 2026!
Thank you to Mercedes M. Yardley, Ruadán Books, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing this ALC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Our FMC Cherry finds herself inheriting her mother’s home and returning to her hometown after years away. Her standing with the townspeople is tentative at best because she left on bad terms stemming from her teen pregnancy. You could viscerally feel Cherry’s struggle to raise her children (one of which has a genetic disorder), and are immersed in her plight as she tries to find her daughter once she is kidnapped. Cherry is deeply flawed and has a tendency to put her foot in her mouth, but you will never doubt her ferocity and tenacity.
There is A LOT going on in this book, but Yardley generally makes it work. I was invested until the romantic subplots became more prominent than The Handsome Butcher. For me, the multiple men who were romantically interested in her detracted from the main plot for me because she is supposed to be freshly devastated that her daughter is missing. I know they lend to the bigger picture, but it just feels contradictory to the fundamental core of Cherry’s personality that was previously established.
Once we deviated from the romance and returned to the original storyline, there was so much chaos. I did not see the continuous plot twists coming. There was so much tension and hysteria. The town’s evil was palpable.
This book is so hard to rate because I felt so torn.
(Sidenote: the foreword says this is a new, expanded edition of the book which piqued my curiosity. Upon looking it up, it has nearly 300 pages of new content. Now I really want to know what’s changed!)
Be sure to grab a copy when it’s released on September 8, 2026!
Thank you to Mercedes M. Yardley, Ruadán Books, and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing this ALC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
June 10, 2026
I started Darling with quite high expectations, especially because of the promise of a gothic, oppressive atmosphere and the mystery surrounding Darling. Unfortunately, my reading experience was disappointing.
Although the author tries to create a dark and unsettling atmosphere, she failed to captivate me. Instead of feeling tension or fear, many scenes seemed slow and repetitive, and the rhythm of the story had moments when it made me lose interest. The mystery surrounding the city's disappearances and hidden secrets seemed promising at first, but its development was not as exciting as I had hoped.
Another aspect that affected my reading was the lack of a connection with the characters. I couldn't get attached to any of them, and their emotions and motivations didn't convince me enough to make me invest in the story. Cherry had the potential to become an interesting protagonist, especially in the context of investigation and secrets from her past. However, every time I felt that the story was moving towards important discoveries and deepening the mystery, the attention shifted to romantic relationships, which diminished the tension I was looking for.
The ending was, for me, the biggest problem in the book. He felt rushed and insufficiently constructed, as if many narrative threads had been hastily closed. Some explanations did not seem entirely logical to me, and solving the mystery did not have the impact I expected after the entire construction of the story. Instead of providing satisfaction, the ending left me feeling that many elements did not find their place in the whole novel.
What disappointed me the most was the contrast between premise and result. The story promises a city full of secrets, mysterious disappearances and a suffocating Gothic atmosphere, but all these elements are overshadowed by a slow pace and narrative directions that do not lead where you would expect. Unfortunately, for me, Darling was one of those books that had all the ingredients needed to be memorable, but failed to use them to their true potential.
Although the author tries to create a dark and unsettling atmosphere, she failed to captivate me. Instead of feeling tension or fear, many scenes seemed slow and repetitive, and the rhythm of the story had moments when it made me lose interest. The mystery surrounding the city's disappearances and hidden secrets seemed promising at first, but its development was not as exciting as I had hoped.
Another aspect that affected my reading was the lack of a connection with the characters. I couldn't get attached to any of them, and their emotions and motivations didn't convince me enough to make me invest in the story. Cherry had the potential to become an interesting protagonist, especially in the context of investigation and secrets from her past. However, every time I felt that the story was moving towards important discoveries and deepening the mystery, the attention shifted to romantic relationships, which diminished the tension I was looking for.
The ending was, for me, the biggest problem in the book. He felt rushed and insufficiently constructed, as if many narrative threads had been hastily closed. Some explanations did not seem entirely logical to me, and solving the mystery did not have the impact I expected after the entire construction of the story. Instead of providing satisfaction, the ending left me feeling that many elements did not find their place in the whole novel.
What disappointed me the most was the contrast between premise and result. The story promises a city full of secrets, mysterious disappearances and a suffocating Gothic atmosphere, but all these elements are overshadowed by a slow pace and narrative directions that do not lead where you would expect. Unfortunately, for me, Darling was one of those books that had all the ingredients needed to be memorable, but failed to use them to their true potential.
September 30, 2026
⭐️ 2 / 5 stars
I received an ALC of Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley, narrated by Caroline Hewitt, from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The premise follows Cherry LaRouche as she returns to her childhood home in Darling, Louisiana, where the walls whisper, children are turning up murdered, and something evil seems to be feeding on the town’s misery.
The narration itself was absolutely amazing, and Caroline Hewitt did a fantastic job bringing this Southern Gothic setting to life.
Unfortunately, the story itself left a lot to be desired. We never get real confirmation of whether the town and house are actually haunted or if people are simply losing their grip on reality, even though multiple characters reference it as fact. The book never explains the history, motivations, or nature of whatever evil entity is supposedly behind everything, which made the central mystery feel frustratingly hollow.
The identity of the Handsome Butcher also stays hidden until the very end, and the story spends a lot of time instead on Cherry’s romantic entanglements and the repeated bad decisions she makes throughout. I’ll admit I was intrigued enough to keep going to find out what happened to Daisy and who the killer turned out to be, which is the only reason this gets 2 stars instead of 1. Though realistically, there was no way to guess the killer’s identity since he’s a random stranger who is never caught even until the very end.
As for the characters, Mordecai, Jonah, and Daisy were the only ones I actually liked by the end. Cherry was genuinely irritating for large stretches of the book, and most of the other town side characters were unbearable. Ironically, the more likable ones tended to get killed off fairly quickly.
Overall, the lack of explanation around the town’s lore and the serial killer’s motivations left the whole experience feeling unsatisfying, especially given how much narrative weight was placed on that mystery.
I received an ALC of Darling by Mercedes M. Yardley, narrated by Caroline Hewitt, from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The premise follows Cherry LaRouche as she returns to her childhood home in Darling, Louisiana, where the walls whisper, children are turning up murdered, and something evil seems to be feeding on the town’s misery.
The narration itself was absolutely amazing, and Caroline Hewitt did a fantastic job bringing this Southern Gothic setting to life.
Unfortunately, the story itself left a lot to be desired. We never get real confirmation of whether the town and house are actually haunted or if people are simply losing their grip on reality, even though multiple characters reference it as fact. The book never explains the history, motivations, or nature of whatever evil entity is supposedly behind everything, which made the central mystery feel frustratingly hollow.
The identity of the Handsome Butcher also stays hidden until the very end, and the story spends a lot of time instead on Cherry’s romantic entanglements and the repeated bad decisions she makes throughout. I’ll admit I was intrigued enough to keep going to find out what happened to Daisy and who the killer turned out to be, which is the only reason this gets 2 stars instead of 1. Though realistically, there was no way to guess the killer’s identity since he’s a random stranger who is never caught even until the very end.
As for the characters, Mordecai, Jonah, and Daisy were the only ones I actually liked by the end. Cherry was genuinely irritating for large stretches of the book, and most of the other town side characters were unbearable. Ironically, the more likable ones tended to get killed off fairly quickly.
Overall, the lack of explanation around the town’s lore and the serial killer’s motivations left the whole experience feeling unsatisfying, especially given how much narrative weight was placed on that mystery.
August 9, 2022
Thank you so much to Black Spot Books for the ARC of this novel that gives new meaning to the phrase 'you can't go home again'. Darling is anything but-- and I mean this in the vein of the story as well as the town it's named for. What Mercedes has created is an evocative peek into monstrous people and the places that make them. In these pages, we meet characters that pull your heartstrings; including some of the best representation I've seen for autistic children. We encounter broken people trying their best, and some who are trying to drag others down with them. There's bullies, first loves, mysteries, killers, and bystanders. At the center of it all, there's Cherry.
We meet our protagonist as she has received a haunting phone call from the city she grew up in, letting her know that her mother has passed away. This fact leaves Cherry unchanged; her maternal figure was unkind to her in her youth and they had not had a close relationship in some time. However, the news that Iris had left her daughter her childhood home rocked her world. Cherry has two children, and the house in Darling has been paid for in full (including all the bills) until five years time. She can't say no to this prospect of giving her kids a better life as they are barely scraping by. Cherry runs into old friends, old enemies, and haunting memories once she's back in Darling. The dark of the town doesn't take long to seep into every nook and cranny of her home as children are going missing from all over-- and one night, Cherry's daughter joins them.
This whirlwind of a tale has so much heart and ferocity. Cherry has teeth and claws, and it is her strength that drives the plot. She endures so much between these pages, and it is a testament to a mother's love, and the survival of spirit in the midst of trauma. Darling, the namesake, is a snapshot of how suffering can effect a person. Some, like Cherry, grow tougher for it. Others yearn for the taste of blood and to continue the cycle of hurt. In the end, it is those types that are the true fiends. I think that's what Darling, the book, showcases best. You are not your anguish, but your reaction to it. The infection doesn't waste any time infecting those around you.
We meet our protagonist as she has received a haunting phone call from the city she grew up in, letting her know that her mother has passed away. This fact leaves Cherry unchanged; her maternal figure was unkind to her in her youth and they had not had a close relationship in some time. However, the news that Iris had left her daughter her childhood home rocked her world. Cherry has two children, and the house in Darling has been paid for in full (including all the bills) until five years time. She can't say no to this prospect of giving her kids a better life as they are barely scraping by. Cherry runs into old friends, old enemies, and haunting memories once she's back in Darling. The dark of the town doesn't take long to seep into every nook and cranny of her home as children are going missing from all over-- and one night, Cherry's daughter joins them.
This whirlwind of a tale has so much heart and ferocity. Cherry has teeth and claws, and it is her strength that drives the plot. She endures so much between these pages, and it is a testament to a mother's love, and the survival of spirit in the midst of trauma. Darling, the namesake, is a snapshot of how suffering can effect a person. Some, like Cherry, grow tougher for it. Others yearn for the taste of blood and to continue the cycle of hurt. In the end, it is those types that are the true fiends. I think that's what Darling, the book, showcases best. You are not your anguish, but your reaction to it. The infection doesn't waste any time infecting those around you.
October 2, 2026
Bring on the Southern Small-town Gothic vibes for this spooky season!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🖤 Southern Gothic • 🏚️ Haunted House • 🌙 Magical Realism • 🔪 Murder Mystery • 🌳 Creepy Small Town • 👻 Supernatural Horror • 🩸 Family Trauma • 🧩 Missing Children • 🏠 Returning Home • 😈 “Is the town itself evil?” vibes
🎧 Narrator: Caroline Hewitt🔥🔥🔥💯A+
⏱️ 10 hrs 33 mins 🎧x1.25 speed
📖 Primarily follows Cherry/Cerise, with brief glimpses into other characters
🌶️ Not a romance/spice-focused book
⚠️ Definitely check trigger warnings
Some of the lower-star reviews genuinely had me wondering if we listened to completely different books. 😂 I’m not even sure what more I would want from a Southern Gothic thriller. You’ve got a creepy hometown you should probably never return to, a house that feels alive, murdered children, a missing daughter, messed-up townspeople (I mean next level cuckoo), family trauma, and that constant question of what is supernatural and what is very human.
Gothic horror/thriller isn’t even one of my strongest genres, and this still kept me entertained from beginning to end. It was dark, weird, unsettling, and unpredictable in exactly the way I wanted it to be. And Caroline Hewitt deserves some love here. 🎧 I think I still would’ve enjoyed Darling physically, but the way she narrated it gave me an extra appreciation for the storytelling, atmosphere and omg .... Don't forget to listen to what the author shares with us at the end about the inspiration of the book.
One of my favorite lines:
“Darling had a way of tying itself to you…” 🖤
Thank you to Mercedes M. Yardley, Ruadán Books, IBPA, and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. 🖤
🖤 Southern Gothic • 🏚️ Haunted House • 🌙 Magical Realism • 🔪 Murder Mystery • 🌳 Creepy Small Town • 👻 Supernatural Horror • 🩸 Family Trauma • 🧩 Missing Children • 🏠 Returning Home • 😈 “Is the town itself evil?” vibes
🎧 Narrator: Caroline Hewitt🔥🔥🔥💯A+
⏱️ 10 hrs 33 mins 🎧x1.25 speed
📖 Primarily follows Cherry/Cerise, with brief glimpses into other characters
🌶️ Not a romance/spice-focused book
⚠️ Definitely check trigger warnings
Some of the lower-star reviews genuinely had me wondering if we listened to completely different books. 😂 I’m not even sure what more I would want from a Southern Gothic thriller. You’ve got a creepy hometown you should probably never return to, a house that feels alive, murdered children, a missing daughter, messed-up townspeople (I mean next level cuckoo), family trauma, and that constant question of what is supernatural and what is very human.
Gothic horror/thriller isn’t even one of my strongest genres, and this still kept me entertained from beginning to end. It was dark, weird, unsettling, and unpredictable in exactly the way I wanted it to be. And Caroline Hewitt deserves some love here. 🎧 I think I still would’ve enjoyed Darling physically, but the way she narrated it gave me an extra appreciation for the storytelling, atmosphere and omg .... Don't forget to listen to what the author shares with us at the end about the inspiration of the book.
One of my favorite lines:
“Darling had a way of tying itself to you…” 🖤
Thank you to Mercedes M. Yardley, Ruadán Books, IBPA, and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. 🖤
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