Claire, Darling
Ratings2
Average rating4
She’s been ghosted. But she won’t be forgotten.
Claire is excited to drop off a surprise workday lunch for her fiancé, Noah. It’s their anniversary, after all. But when the receptionist tells her that no one with Noah’s name works there, Claire thinks there must be a mistake.
Noah isn’t picking up her calls. Her texts go unanswered. It turns out Noah has a different life . . . one with a beautiful girlfriend, a beautiful house. Claire was never really in the picture.
Desperate to speak to Noah and convince him to return to their dream life, Claire plunges into a nightmarish journey of obsession that submerges her deeper into the murky waters of her own past—a past dominated by a manipulative mother who shattered her sense of self.
Will Claire break free from the ghosts that haunt her? Or will they become more costly than any of Noah’s lies?
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This book started slow and I almost put it down. Glad I didn't. It got much better as the twists and turns took you one way and then another. I read this in one evening!
I received an ARC from Netgalley.
Compelling Psychological Thriller, Almost Perfect
Lately, I’ve been so busy that I forgot how enjoyable getting lost in a good book can be. This one reminded me. With my background in psychology, it felt like diving into a fictional case study that kept me hooked.
Claire’s life takes a devastating turn when she discovers that her fiancé, Noah, has been living a double life with another woman. This revelation sends her spiraling into a search for answers, forcing her to confront a traumatic past shaped by her manipulative mother. As Claire’s obsession grows, she becomes tangled in a dangerous web of deceit, where the lines between reality and delusion blur. Kazumi expertly weaves themes of love, betrayal, and unresolved trauma into a gripping narrative that keeps readers on edge until the final page.
I devoured this book in a single day—I just couldn’t put it down!
The mystery kept me guessing, and the twists had me second-guessing every theory I came up with. The characters were well-developed, and the pacing was fast, making it an engaging read. However, I gave it 3 stars because the “unreliable narrator” trope, which is central to the plot, felt underwhelming. It’s a device that’s been overused in recent thrillers, and this version didn’t bring much new to the table. That said, the mini-twists at the end helped redeem it, adding extra layers of surprise.
One thing that stood out was how well Kazumi handled the flashback scenes. Claire’s relationship with her mother was given a strong foundation, showing a realistic portrayal of how childhood trauma can impact mental and emotional well-being in adulthood. It was done with sensitivity and depth.
Despite its flaws, this book was a wild ride, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching everything unfold. For those who have experienced trauma, though, a trigger warning might be appreciated.
