If you followed the insane story of Gypsy Rose or watched the Hulu series called The Act, then you’re familiar with the premise of Darling Rose Gold. Although the book does not make mention of directly correlating to the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, it is nearly identical.

The Act on Hulu fascinated me, as did the entire true story of Gypsy Rose. I’m not sure why, but Darling Rose Gold just didn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if my familiarity with the general story is to blame or that I thought the true story was much more engaging, but I was slightly disappointed.

However, if you’re wondering ‘who the heck is Gypsy Rose?’ or ‘I don’t have Hulu’, then you may really love this book! It’s an extremely disturbing story of an inhumane, sick, and manipulative relationship between mother and daughter. It shows how powerful minds can be, twisting and turning words and thoughts to convince another human they are sick, disabled, etc.

There may be trigger points throughout this book as it’s very frustrating, odd, and at times, hard to read. While I hate to say this book was entertaining due to the sensitive content and graphic nature, it did keep me wondering what else was hidden between the pages.

Because I watched an in-depth TV series on the same subject, I thought the book was lacking detail and depth. We graze the surface of the physical and mental abuse that Rose Gold experienced by her mother, but we don’t delve further. Personally, I like books that get messy and deep and fully commit to the subject at-hand and unfortunately I just didn’t feel that with this one. I would still recommend Darling Rose Gold if you’re looking for a different read or you’re interested in the subject!