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A review by reads_eats_explores
Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick
3.5
#netgalley
What if your inheritance came with a side of mandated therapy… led by your half-sister… who doesn’t know you exist? That’s the deliciously dysfunctional premise at the heart of Favourite Daughter, a twisty story soaked in grief, vodka, and complicated family ties, underpinned by daddy issues galore.
Mickey, a jaded kindergarten teacher with a taste for Russian Standard and a streak of self-destruction, learns she’s been left $5 million by the father who walked out when she was five. But there’s a catch: she must complete seven therapy sessions to unlock the cash. And the therapist? Arlo, her half-sister, utterly unaware of the connection, who adored the very man Mickey loathed.
It’s messy. It’s murky. It’s morally dubious. And honestly, it works—to an extent.
This isn’t sharp satire or slick thriller; it’s more of a poolside read with a darker emotional pull. Addiction, abandonment, and inherited trauma bubble beneath the surface, wrapped in sharp dialogue and unexpected tenderness. Mickey’s voice is unfiltered and painfully honest. Arlo’s grief is complicated, blurred by professional boundaries and personal blind spots.
Does it land the emotional punch it promises? Almost.
The premise is strong, a dramedy - fresh, clever, full of promise, but the execution doesn’t quite deliver the emotional depth it reaches for. It’s grand, in that very Irish way: solid, engaging, just shy of something special.
Overall, a debut with bite, booze, and a bruised heart. If you like your fiction messy, complicated, and lived-in, this one’s for you.
Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read via NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own. Favourite Daughter is available now.
What if your inheritance came with a side of mandated therapy… led by your half-sister… who doesn’t know you exist? That’s the deliciously dysfunctional premise at the heart of Favourite Daughter, a twisty story soaked in grief, vodka, and complicated family ties, underpinned by daddy issues galore.
Mickey, a jaded kindergarten teacher with a taste for Russian Standard and a streak of self-destruction, learns she’s been left $5 million by the father who walked out when she was five. But there’s a catch: she must complete seven therapy sessions to unlock the cash. And the therapist? Arlo, her half-sister, utterly unaware of the connection, who adored the very man Mickey loathed.
It’s messy. It’s murky. It’s morally dubious. And honestly, it works—to an extent.
This isn’t sharp satire or slick thriller; it’s more of a poolside read with a darker emotional pull. Addiction, abandonment, and inherited trauma bubble beneath the surface, wrapped in sharp dialogue and unexpected tenderness. Mickey’s voice is unfiltered and painfully honest. Arlo’s grief is complicated, blurred by professional boundaries and personal blind spots.
Does it land the emotional punch it promises? Almost.
The premise is strong, a dramedy - fresh, clever, full of promise, but the execution doesn’t quite deliver the emotional depth it reaches for. It’s grand, in that very Irish way: solid, engaging, just shy of something special.
Overall, a debut with bite, booze, and a bruised heart. If you like your fiction messy, complicated, and lived-in, this one’s for you.
Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read via NetGalley. As always, all opinions are my own. Favourite Daughter is available now.