Book: Darling Rose Gold
Author: Stephanie Wrobel
My Rating: 3.5 Disturbing Stars
Hey bookworms! Have you heard the story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard? Or really any story of Munchausen by proxy? This book is fiction, but it is definitely inspired by real life stories. As the true crime lover that I am, I was intrigued immediately. In the book, Rose Gold and her mom bear a striking resemblance to the real life tale of Gypsy Rose and Dee Dee Blanchard. And I have watched more than one documentary about that crime, so I was easily spotting the similarities.
Patty Watts has just been released from prison after lying to everyone about her daughter, Rose Gold’s, illness for 18 years. With nowhere to go, Rose Gold surprises everyone by welcoming her mom into her home right away. And from there, this story is a psychological thriller at it’s finest. There are so many mind games going on it’s impossible to keep up with the deception. This definitely wasn’t what I’d call predictable.
I’m not usually into such complicated and character driven stories. So, parts of this dragged for me, but for the most part this was a page turner. I was baffled at the entire character of Patty, how she could be so “caring” and so malicious at the same time. She was immediately the one I pegged as the “bad guy” but as I read on, everyone had a similarly gray moral compass. It was frustrating and compelling all at once.
The ending was a bit lackluster in my opinion. And part of that is due to the fact that by the end I couldn’t pick out any character as the “hero.” I pretty much thought everyone was the worst. But I also found the ending just hard to believe in general. However, I can’t explain why without giving some major spoilers, so you’ll have to either read it or take my word for it.
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every other Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.