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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
Ugh. Listening to this felt like trying to find a single strand of spaghetti in a huge pot of spaghetti where all the noodles are tangled together. It was a great premise but the author just made it all too confusing. The narrators were good.
medium-paced
This book was a very Meh read. I can't remember if I listened to the audiobook for this or not.
The mental illness aspect was interesting and the protectiveness of the mother was great as well, the mom was so convinced her daughter did not do it. This one girl had 4 different personalities within her and that is so interesting yet frightening having to go through life not being able to show your true self because your trapped by the different identities.
This book was compelling but not something to seek out and buy.
The mental illness aspect was interesting and the protectiveness of the mother was great as well, the mom was so convinced her daughter did not do it. This one girl had 4 different personalities within her and that is so interesting yet frightening having to go through life not being able to show your true self because your trapped by the different identities.
This book was compelling but not something to seek out and buy.
Tbh I want to get away from one-star books because it's like, why do I torture myself? But I finished this because I was interested to see how DID was presented and I plan on reading another book that tackles the same topic, so I wanted something to compare it to.
SYNOPSIS
17-year-old Penny is about to go on trial for the brutal murder of her mother, Rachel Boyd—but is Penny truly responsible, or is it one of her DID alters? Racing against the clock, her adopted mother Grace and her brother Jack, try to figure out if Penny is the greatest actress alive, or her DID is to blame.
MY OPINION
L M F A O. Right away I knew the writing was ass so my only hope was a bomb ass plot. Unfortunately there was no plot to be located. Here's some examples of the asstastic/strange writing:
After her bath, Penny came downstairs damp, still wearing her bathrobe, nose in a Harry Potter book. She was entering adolescence and all that came with it—new places for hair, menstruation, buds for breasts. She was reading book four in the series, The Goblet of Fire." HOLD TF UP LMAOOO did the editor accidentally paste that sentence about adolescence in there... what is the correlation between breast buds and Harry Potter? And why was this told from the mom's POV.
As she layered pizza sauce on dough, she layered the guilt on herself. BOOOOOOO
SYNOPSIS
17-year-old Penny is about to go on trial for the brutal murder of her mother, Rachel Boyd—but is Penny truly responsible, or is it one of her DID alters? Racing against the clock, her adopted mother Grace and her brother Jack, try to figure out if Penny is the greatest actress alive, or her DID is to blame.
MY OPINION
L M F A O. Right away I knew the writing was ass so my only hope was a bomb ass plot. Unfortunately there was no plot to be located. Here's some examples of the asstastic/strange writing:
After her bath, Penny came downstairs damp, still wearing her bathrobe, nose in a Harry Potter book. She was entering adolescence and all that came with it—new places for hair, menstruation, buds for breasts. She was reading book four in the series, The Goblet of Fire." HOLD TF UP LMAOOO did the editor accidentally paste that sentence about adolescence in there... what is the correlation between breast buds and Harry Potter? And why was this told from the mom's POV.
As she layered pizza sauce on dough, she layered the guilt on herself. BOOOOOOO
Alright, true story. I had a bit of a fixation on "multiple-personality" books and films when I was a teenager. Just one of many fixations I had. You know how it is...maybe.
The book opens with Grace being informed that her adopted teenaged daughter, Penny has been arrested for stabbing her birth mother to death. In the past, Penny has been assessed by psychiatrists to determine if she has multiple personality disorder. She says she doesn't remember anything from the time of the murder and is confused by what is going on. Penny is whisked away to a decaying state mental hospital where she is put under observation to determine if she is fit to stand trial and if she does indeed have a multiple personality disorder or if she is just a dangerous young woman putting on an act. Grace works with Penny's attorney and new doctor to try to find a way to defend her daughter and not get her locked away for murder.
This was a wicked ride (I can say that because it was set in Eastern Massachusetts) that helped me get my fix. It was a fun thriller to break up some of my more serious or fluffy reads of late. I liked that it wasn't super predictable, and of course the multiple personality disorder angle. We as readers were left wondering did Penny commit the crime as one of her personalities? DOES she have multiple personalities? Was her trouble-making friend there that night and had something to do with the murder?!? This is the first book I've read by DJ Palmer and I see that we graduated from the same college (Go Terriers!). I will try to check out some of his other books when I am looking for another thriller. I listened to the book on audio and I liked that it had multiple narrators for the various parts such as Grace, her son, and the doctor.
Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook.
The book opens with Grace being informed that her adopted teenaged daughter, Penny has been arrested for stabbing her birth mother to death. In the past, Penny has been assessed by psychiatrists to determine if she has multiple personality disorder. She says she doesn't remember anything from the time of the murder and is confused by what is going on. Penny is whisked away to a decaying state mental hospital where she is put under observation to determine if she is fit to stand trial and if she does indeed have a multiple personality disorder or if she is just a dangerous young woman putting on an act. Grace works with Penny's attorney and new doctor to try to find a way to defend her daughter and not get her locked away for murder.
This was a wicked ride (I can say that because it was set in Eastern Massachusetts) that helped me get my fix. It was a fun thriller to break up some of my more serious or fluffy reads of late. I liked that it wasn't super predictable, and of course the multiple personality disorder angle. We as readers were left wondering did Penny commit the crime as one of her personalities? DOES she have multiple personalities? Was her trouble-making friend there that night and had something to do with the murder?!? This is the first book I've read by DJ Palmer and I see that we graduated from the same college (Go Terriers!). I will try to check out some of his other books when I am looking for another thriller. I listened to the book on audio and I liked that it had multiple narrators for the various parts such as Grace, her son, and the doctor.
Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook.
The Perfect Daughter is where “Split”, “Case 39” and “Before I Go To Sleep” meet. It tells the story of Penny, a girl that has Dissociative Identity Disorder – DID, who is arrested for a brutal murder. Due to her condition, parts of her memory are missing, because what she lives as one alter/persona, she doesn’t remember when she’s her main self or when she’s another alter/persona. Now her family has to fight to prove her condition and for her not to go to prison for the rest of her life or maybe, just maybe, for a not-guilty verdict.
Plot: ★★★★
You can tell the author did an extensive research and treated the mental condition very respectfully, making us understand why all the challenges that DID brought on the trial and defense of Penny were not such a stretch of reality. I liked the sensitiveness while approaching the adoption subject also. The red herrings were very well inserted in the story to keep you guessing about everything up until the few last chapters, but I think maybe it was one too many. The plot twists were not completely shocking, but they are very well delivered - one in particular you can guess while it is being played out, but it surely doesn’t stop you from wanting to scream while it happens.
Structure: ★★★
This is what I liked the least about the book, I really think that Penny’s brother’s POV was unnecessary and kind of boring. It’s not slow paced but also not a book impossible to put down, is there a medium-paced category? What I can say is that the doubt whether Penny did it or not, whether she was mentally capable or not lingers until the very end and curiosity fuels up the read. ““Are you ill...or are you evil?” aaaaaa
Characters: ★★★★
I can’t really tell if I liked some of the characters but I can definitely understand them and their actions, and to me that’s what’s more important, not likeability. Grace’s character could have been more developed, falling a little flat and unrelatable. On the other hand, Penny’s character is simply perfectly elaborated.
3,7 ★
This is a very good psychological mystery, if you love exploring the human mind while enjoying a good thriller, it’s definitely worth the read!
Thanks NetGalley for this Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review!
Plot: ★★★★
You can tell the author did an extensive research and treated the mental condition very respectfully, making us understand why all the challenges that DID brought on the trial and defense of Penny were not such a stretch of reality. I liked the sensitiveness while approaching the adoption subject also. The red herrings were very well inserted in the story to keep you guessing about everything up until the few last chapters, but I think maybe it was one too many. The plot twists were not completely shocking, but they are very well delivered - one in particular you can guess while it is being played out, but it surely doesn’t stop you from wanting to scream while it happens.
Structure: ★★★
This is what I liked the least about the book, I really think that Penny’s brother’s POV was unnecessary and kind of boring. It’s not slow paced but also not a book impossible to put down, is there a medium-paced category? What I can say is that the doubt whether Penny did it or not, whether she was mentally capable or not lingers until the very end and curiosity fuels up the read. ““Are you ill...or are you evil?” aaaaaa
Characters: ★★★★
I can’t really tell if I liked some of the characters but I can definitely understand them and their actions, and to me that’s what’s more important, not likeability. Grace’s character could have been more developed, falling a little flat and unrelatable. On the other hand, Penny’s character is simply perfectly elaborated.
3,7 ★
This is a very good psychological mystery, if you love exploring the human mind while enjoying a good thriller, it’s definitely worth the read!
Thanks NetGalley for this Advance Review Copy in exchange for my honest review!
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Grace’s 16 year old daughter Penny is accused of murdering her biological mother, Rachael. Penny suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) but it is a diagnosis that is difficult to confirm . Does she truly suffer from multiple personalities or is just a brilliant psychopath ?
A compelling page turner The Perfect Daughter by D.J . Palmer is an interesting take on Dissociative Identity Disorder . Definitely recommend to all who love psychological thriller genres
I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This book is so full of mystery, suspense, multiple personality disorder and how little we know about mental illness.
Penny is a 16 year old murderer (or is she). Is she going to spend the rest of her life in a mental health facility or prison?
Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. This book released in April 2021.
Penny is a 16 year old murderer (or is she). Is she going to spend the rest of her life in a mental health facility or prison?
Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for this advanced readers copy. This book released in April 2021.
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