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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a review, however all opinions are my own.
This book is dark. I'm just throwing out this warning. It took me awhile to get through, mostly because of how many different aspects there are to this novel.
But the fact that I can't say that this book was unputdownable does NOT mean that it wasn't good. In fact, that book was really fantastic.
All the evidence points to Penny having murdered her birth mother, Rachel. She was found in Rachel's apartment with a knife in her hand and Rachel blood all over her. It should be an open and shut case, right?
Except Penny has DID, a disorder that causes her personality to be splintered. Could it have been one of Penny's alters that murdered Rachel? Or was there someone else in the apartment with Penny?
Or is Penny just really good at faking her disorder?
Penny's mother Grace is out to prove that Penny didn't do it. And she believes that none of her alters did either.
So who killed Rachel? Grace will stop at nothing to find out.
This book is dark. I'm just throwing out this warning. It took me awhile to get through, mostly because of how many different aspects there are to this novel.
But the fact that I can't say that this book was unputdownable does NOT mean that it wasn't good. In fact, that book was really fantastic.
All the evidence points to Penny having murdered her birth mother, Rachel. She was found in Rachel's apartment with a knife in her hand and Rachel blood all over her. It should be an open and shut case, right?
Except Penny has DID, a disorder that causes her personality to be splintered. Could it have been one of Penny's alters that murdered Rachel? Or was there someone else in the apartment with Penny?
Or is Penny just really good at faking her disorder?
Penny's mother Grace is out to prove that Penny didn't do it. And she believes that none of her alters did either.
So who killed Rachel? Grace will stop at nothing to find out.
This book dragged on for me. I can’t really put my finger on what I didn’t enjoy, it just was a struggle for me to read. The writing was good, the story was solid, there is a good collection of good characters and bad characters, but I just didn’t ever connect with it.
All the evidence points to Penny Falcone as the killer of her birth mother Rachel Boyd. But did she do it? Was it one of her alternate personalities – Eve, Chloe or Ruby? Her loving mother Grace, who found Penny abandoned in a park when she was four, will go to any length to help prove her daughter’s innocence even though she was found at the crime scene covered in blood with her fingerprints on the murder weapon. As Penny awaits trial in a psychiatric hospital, her first doctor is convinced that Dissociative Identity Disorder (DIS) is not a real disease and her alternate personalities were conjured up as the convenient excuse of a cunning psychopath. Her second psychiatrist is more open-minded and wants to give her case a fresh look.
The Perfect Daughter is a fast-paced, easy reading thriller which held my interest until the end. It was an interesting look into the mind of a young woman suffering from mental illness. I particularly liked the character of Jack, one of her two brothers. While in college, he is developing a documentary on his sister’s case and his is one of the book’s three points of view. Grace and Mitch, the kind psychiatrist, are the other two.
I found the book to be worthwhile however, I found some of the actions of a few of the characters a bit far fetched. Also, there is a scene involving violence to a cat, so you may want to pass over that part. I recommend checking out this book. While not a perfect thriller, it’s a good one.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, author D.J. Palmer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Perfect Daughter in advance of its April 20, 2021 publication.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
The Perfect Daughter is a fast-paced, easy reading thriller which held my interest until the end. It was an interesting look into the mind of a young woman suffering from mental illness. I particularly liked the character of Jack, one of her two brothers. While in college, he is developing a documentary on his sister’s case and his is one of the book’s three points of view. Grace and Mitch, the kind psychiatrist, are the other two.
I found the book to be worthwhile however, I found some of the actions of a few of the characters a bit far fetched. Also, there is a scene involving violence to a cat, so you may want to pass over that part. I recommend checking out this book. While not a perfect thriller, it’s a good one.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press, author D.J. Palmer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Perfect Daughter in advance of its April 20, 2021 publication.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Very interesting with a different perspective than your typical mystery. I had a hard time tracking the narrator's in the beginning but it does settle into a routine. it does settle into a routine.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was an excellent thriller! It had a twist at the end that I did not see coming AT ALL! I had two possible theories that I thought would play out at the end, and both were wrong.
I was hesitant about this title for some reason, but it sure delivered! The writing style was very easy to follow and the author did a great job of pacing the story to keep you interested without giving away too much along the way. The writing style was easy to read, and the author did a great job of setting the scene with their descriptions without being overly descriptive. I really enjoyed the scientific and neuropsychological aspects of the story as well, since I am studying some of this in my current course for my Masters degree and it was really neat to see some of the things I have been learning used in this context. The author did a great job explaining complex psychological and neurological topics in an easy-to-digest way so you fully understood what the characters were talking about which I really appreciated.
This novel was very, very good and I highly recommend it!
I was hesitant about this title for some reason, but it sure delivered! The writing style was very easy to follow and the author did a great job of pacing the story to keep you interested without giving away too much along the way. The writing style was easy to read, and the author did a great job of setting the scene with their descriptions without being overly descriptive. I really enjoyed the scientific and neuropsychological aspects of the story as well, since I am studying some of this in my current course for my Masters degree and it was really neat to see some of the things I have been learning used in this context. The author did a great job explaining complex psychological and neurological topics in an easy-to-digest way so you fully understood what the characters were talking about which I really appreciated.
This novel was very, very good and I highly recommend it!
What an excellent book! This was my first book by D.J. Palmer and I think I will be reading the rest of his books.
The premise is excellent. Grace finds a little girl alone at a park and feels a connection with her. Her family formally adopt her and name her Penny. The girl's name is Isabella but she doesn't respond to that name.
As time goes by, Penny starts showing other personalities. They are completely different from Penny and behave strangely. Grace's family takes her to different psychologists until one finally diagnoses her condition as DID (dissociative identity disorder). But when the family finally has something to move forward with, Penny is discovered at a murder scene, covered in blood and with the murder weapon in hand. There is no doubt that she is the murderer but there is no motive. And Penny seems to have disappeared completely, only her alter ego is present now.
The whole novel shows us glimpses of her therapy and keeps us guessing - does Penny have DID or is she a sociopath? Was she so abused in her former home that she created multiple personalities simply to deal with it all?
The author has done a ton of research on the topic and there are no loose ends and no jarring loopholes. The characters are excellent, especially Penny.
Must read of 2021.
4.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
The premise is excellent. Grace finds a little girl alone at a park and feels a connection with her. Her family formally adopt her and name her Penny. The girl's name is Isabella but she doesn't respond to that name.
As time goes by, Penny starts showing other personalities. They are completely different from Penny and behave strangely. Grace's family takes her to different psychologists until one finally diagnoses her condition as DID (dissociative identity disorder). But when the family finally has something to move forward with, Penny is discovered at a murder scene, covered in blood and with the murder weapon in hand. There is no doubt that she is the murderer but there is no motive. And Penny seems to have disappeared completely, only her alter ego is present now.
The whole novel shows us glimpses of her therapy and keeps us guessing - does Penny have DID or is she a sociopath? Was she so abused in her former home that she created multiple personalities simply to deal with it all?
The author has done a ton of research on the topic and there are no loose ends and no jarring loopholes. The characters are excellent, especially Penny.
Must read of 2021.
4.5 stars.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.
I finished this book in one day. I love a book that keeps me going this way. I feel like the ending could've been stronger, but otherwise it was very good. Multiple personality disorder has always interested me and that is why I picked up this book in the first place. it never lagged, kept me thinking, and was the best I've read in a long time.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes