Book Summary and Reviews of Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

Darling Rose Gold

by Stephanie Wrobel

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Readers' Rating (7):
  • Published:
  • Mar 2020, 320 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

In her compulsive, sharply-drawn debut, Stephanie Wrobel peels back the layers of the most complicated of mother-daughter relationships.

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.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!
  1. Who is the victim? Who is the perpetrator? What does it mean to be a victim in the context of this story?
  2. Who did you most empathize with throughout the book? Did your sympathies change chapter to chapter? If so, how?
  3. Patty's actions are attributed to Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a mental health disorder. Should she have gone to prison if her behavior was caused by an illness beyond her control?
  4. Do Patty and Rose Gold love each other? How did your view of their relationship change throughout the book?
  5. Toward the end of the book, Rose Gold says, "Nobody wants to hear the truth from a liar." Did you trust either of the narrators? At what points, if any, was that trust shaken?
  6. What did you think of Rose...
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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Wrobel builds tension by tearing down and knocking away everything the audience believes they know...This thriller speeds toward its conclusion in true page-turner fashion, without feeling rushed." - Kirkus Reviews

"Propulsive pacing, a claustrophobic setting, and vividly sketched characters who are equal parts victim and villain conspire to create an anxious, unsettling narrative. Psychological suspense fans will be well satisfied." - Publishers Weekly

"Sure to be one of the most unique books of the new year." - Newsweek

"Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train...set to be next year's biggest thriller." - Stylist (UK)

"Sensationally good—two complex characters power the story like a nuclear reaction, and won't let you forget them. Wrobel is one to watch." - Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Darling Rose Gold is an absolutely brilliant book; funny, dark, authentic and a total page turner. I loved it." - Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

"It's rare for something genuinely fresh to come along in this genre, but this book has it all—a killer premise, twisty plotting, crisp writing and compelling characters. Dazzling, dark and utterly delicious." - JP Delaney, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before

"Two extraordinary narrators drive the nail-biting action in this sensational, compulsively readable debut. A tour de force of captivating psychological suspense." - Gilly Macmillan, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Nanny

This information about Darling Rose Gold was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own reviewwrite your own review

Elizabeth

Tense, chilling - Elizabeth @Silver's Reviews
For eighteen years Rose Gold was told by her mother that she was ill with some disease that no one could figure out.

Her mother, Patty, took her to many doctors and actually told the doctors what tests to try.

When a doctor got suspicious, she took Rose Gold to a different doctor.

Little did Rose Gold and the doctors know that her mother was actually poisoning her to make herself look like super mom who saved her daughter.

It all caught up with Patty one day, though, when Rose Gold figured it out, and Patty was put on trial and sent to prison.

Five years later, Patty is out of prison. Surprisingly Rose Gold picked her up and has her stay with her.

We follow the story line as we hear about Rose Gold’s childhood, the background of her mother, and present day.

What does Rose Gold have in mind by having her mother stay there with her and especially since she now has a child of her own?

Can she trust her mother?

Will she so easily forget what her mother did to her?

Can Patty forget so easily that her daughter sent her to prison?

Will the town forget what she did to her daughter?

The big question, though, is who is the better/biggest liar, the most dangerous, the most cunning, or the most evil?

DARLING ROSE GOLD is a tense, chilling book, but is very well written. You won’t want to put the book down.

If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy DARLING ROSE GOLD. This book was every bit a thriller as well as a read that will keep you wondering what these two characters will do next. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Sandi

open the cover and began to read, you'll be hooked...
I enjoyed this book better than I expected. I basically read it in one sitting.

Knowing that the plot of the story was going to cover Munchhausen Syndrome, I passed over the book a number of times for something not quite so serious. But once I opened the cover and began to read, I was hooked. Relieved to see that Munchhausen's, although always niggling in the background, was overridden with the story of Rose Gold and her mother, Patty.

I liked the twists and unusual happenings in the story and the strength that Rose Gold finally put forth. There were a few unexpected things that materialized, making the story that much better, because it was evident that Rose Gold had not had a good life. As far as Patty, sometimes we pay for things that we never did, in lieu of past errors that we did make.

This was my first Stephanie Wrobel book, but I will definitely watch for more of her books.

Thanks to Berkley for allowing me to read and review this book. Published March 17, 2020.

Betty_Taylor

One Twisted Story
What a twisted story! Patty, the mother, is sentenced to five years in prison for deliberately poisoning her daughter throughout her childhood. Then when Patty is released from prison Rose Gold, her daughter, allows Patty to move in with her. That right there is a bit strange. But Rose Gold, now a mother herself, has been eagerly awaiting her mother’s release.

The writing is good, but I thought the story was predictable. Neither of these women are likeable, and the only emotion I felt was disgust. I shake my head and think “like mother, like daughter”. But I give the book four stars because the “breadcrumbs” are dropped sparingly along the way, allowing the suspense to slowly build. The pace is excruciating but timed perfectly.

Thank you to Penguin Random House for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

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Author Information

Stephanie Wrobel Author Biography

Photo: Simon Way

Stephanie Wrobel is an international and USA Today bestselling author. Her debut, Darling Rose Gold, has sold rights in twenty-one countries and was a finalist for the Edgar® Award for Best First Novel. Wrobel grew up in Chicago and now lives in New York City.

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