Review | Playing Nice by J.P. Delaney (ARC)

When Miles Lambert appears on the doorsteps of Pete Riley’s house and announced that Pete’s two-year-old son is actually his, Pete finds his life forever changed. His real son is with the Lamberts – the babies were switched at birth at the hospital. Pete and his partner Maddie are faced with the fact that they can lose the boy that they have raised since birth. While both families initially settle on a compromise, their decision to sue the hospital leads to hostile circumstances. Pete and Maddie will have to do everything they can to keep their son and hold their family together.

Something about the way he said it – fond, almost proprietorial – made me realise that, despite the surreal calmness of this conversation, I wasn’t just making small talk with another dad at a party. I was talking to my son’s father. His real father.

Playing Nice is a fast-paced thriller that asks the question – what would you do if you find out your child is not actually yours? I thought the book handles the idea deftly, balancing the seriousness of the issue with enough juicy drama to keep the plot moving. It brings up questions of nurture vs nature, and the legality and morality of taking away a child from his family based on biological reasons.

Pete and Maddie are interesting protagonists, looking like ordinary parents on the surface yet there’s something darker hidden underneath. Pete is a stay-at-home father and freelance journalist who suffers from a lack of motivation and ambition. Maddie is a high-flying advertising executive with an ability to compartmentalize the areas in her life. Both are hiding secrets from each other, but they are united in their fight to keep their son, Theo. While they are flawed people, I find myself rooting for them to win.

Miles Lambert and his wife Lucy are the other couple who have raised Pete and Maddie’s biological son, David. They are now seeking to be part of Theo’s life. Miles has a strong and intimidating personality, and his decisiveness is the main source of conflict. Lucy is shy and quiet, yet it is clear that she loves David and wants the best for him. The book shows both couples dealing with the painful possibility that they might lose the only child they have ever known. The scenes of Pete and Maddie dealing with an investigation into the hospital and the custody of their son are frustrating to read! It’s sobering when you realise that these cases happen in real life.

The book feels plausible for the most part and it’s obvious that the author has done his research. However, I thought the ending is too neat and wishful. There’s a psychological aspect to the story that I didn’t find thoroughly convincing. I also thought Theo comes across as much older and I found it hard to believe the way he behaves at times. But overall, Playing Nice is a thrilling family drama that asks interesting questions on what it means to be a family.

I received an advanced copy from Quercus Books and Netgalley for review purposes. Playing Nice is out in ebooks on 28 July and in hardcovers on 6 August!

About the author: JP Delaney

Photo by Aditya Romansa