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The Exes

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The Exes

By: Leodora Darlington
Narrated by: Amaka Okafor, Avita Jay, Leodora Darlington, Sebastian Humphreys, Yasmin Mwanza
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Unbearably tense and unmissably twisty, this is the outstanding debut suspense novel from the most exciting new voice in thriller writing, Leodora Darlington
Natalie chose James carefully, because he's different from all the men she'd loved before. Calm. Competent. Kind.

And there are three very good reasons she needs to be so careful. Their names are Marc, Luca and George.

Natalie prefers not to think about what they did to her. Let alone what she had to do to them.

Except now, on a night they are meant to be celebrating how happy they are together, Natalie and James are lying in separate bedrooms. She is asking herself how she could have been foolish enough to let yet another man hurt her like this.

Slowly, Natalie realises she’s already holding a knife.

But she's not going to do anything with it. She’s not.

Not again.

'An excellent read - entertaining, intriguing and exciting. Bravo!' LIZ NUGENT
'Set to be a breakout thriller big name with plot that constantly wrong-foots you’ STYLIST

Includes an author letter, read by Leodora Darlington.

© Leodora Darlington 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

 Domestic Thrillers Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths

Critic reviews

An excellent read - entertaining, intriguing and exciting. Bravo! (Liz Nugent)
This is the book I’ve been hungry for. Sharp and smart, The Exes grips with a well orchestrated story, while exploring deeper themes with a deft hand and underlying humour.
Beautifully written, and full of unexpected twists and turns, The Exes is a cathartic book for anyone with a terrible ex, with profound things to say about family and the lengths we'll go to protect the ones we love (Tasha Coryell)
Twisting and unexpected, Leodora Darlington is set to be a breakout thriller big name with a plot that constantly wrong-foots you.
This is such an assured debut, told in a gripping 'then and now' structure as we delve into Natalie's mind. Dark and twisty with a tinge of humour - thriller fans will love it
The Exes explodes out the gate and never lets up, delivering twist after shocking twist right up until its deeply affecting end. A razor-sharp debut about the secrets we keep even from ourselves (Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines)
A real wild, rollercoaster read. Such a great premise, executed brilliantly. Beautiful writing and great pacing. People often talk about ‘shocking twists’, but this thriller truly delivers – literal jaw drop! I absolutely loved it! (Shalini Boland)
I rarely get so excited by a book that I want to shout out loudly about it non-stop, but this one absolutely captured me from the off ... A tremendous read always leaves a happy afterglow for a few days. The Exes has left a burning fire as I still find myself still musing over the characters and such a clever plot. Readers will be completely satiated by this terrific read. (Carol Wyer)
An exquisitely written wild ride of a story full of complex characters, taut suspense and plot twists you won’t see coming (Jessica George, internationally bestselling author of Maame)
A brilliant and exciting new voice in thriller world. Deft, tense, and deliciously twisty. More, please, Ms Darlington, and soon (Anna Mazzola, bestselling author of The Clockwork Girl)
All stars
Most relevant
I knew Leo as an LSA in the secondary school where I worked.
I was delighted to read her book. Full of care and attention to the women she created,whilst also serving a brilliant twisting plot, narrated perfectly!
Cath Boyle

Wow

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I had high hopes for Leodara Darlington’s new novel, and it does start well. I was initially fully engaged with the characters, especially Natalie. Her string of failed romances felt authentic—until she starts killing her partners and faces zero consequences.

At that point, it felt as though the CID in her part of London had all resigned. While I’m happy to suspend disbelief, the author expects readers to overlook a glaring lack of police procedure and accept massive plot holes. There is no plausible way Natalie would walk free after so many murders, nor should she. As the twists became increasingly implausible, I lost all sympathy for the protagonist.

The subplot involving James giving Will £20K also jars. We are told James leads a wealthy lifestyle with private schools and holidays to Corfu, yet he is supposedly struggling for money and can’t afford IVF. It’s entirely contradictory. Furthermore, the "tracking app" plot point is weak; if you were genuinely running away, that’s the first thing you’d turn off.

With prose full of laughable phrases and dreadful editing, I’m honestly shocked this reached publication.

2/5

This one wasn't for me.

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