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A review by sharada_mohan
My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney
5.0
Rating 4.5 stars rounded off to 5
Well, that was one of the best and most well researched psychological thrillers I’ve read!
I had read The Girl Before by this author years ago and loved it. So when I saw his new one, I just had to grab it.
Thanks NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC. Apologies for the delay with the review.
Synopsis -
Susie gave up her baby girl for adoption 15 years ago. Now a teenager, Anna contacts her birth mother on social media. But their reunion is far from perfect. Concerned with Anna’s dubious family life and her strange ways, Susie and her husband Gabe gear up to be there for her as her support system. Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they seem.
Review -
I loved how natural and utterly human every character Delaney pictures in this book is. Susie, Gabe and Anna are all flawed. None of their pasts have been easy - the trauma and damage as a result, are like a shadow to their personalities.
The multi POV approach and short punchy chapters worked so well. We have the narratives of all of the three and this helped understand each of them, knowing their deepest thoughts and hidden secrets they are running away from.
Furthermore, it’s how a 15 year old girl cast in a sinister role that steals the show here. Delving deep into the psychological aspects of a teenager who’s been adopted, the author explores the struggles of adoptive parents and adoptee with attachment disorder, as well as the kind of distress and anguish, the birth mother might go through under the circumstances.
Although there is not much action, what shocked me the most was the amount of evil and mind games at play here. By mid-way, the plot’s complexity increases, as multiple threads are conjoined cleverly, making it an all-consuming read until the very last moment.
I appreciated the author’s notes that outline his insights behind the adoption theme, the data that was gathered via research and interviews along with the imagination and creation of these characters.
Highly recommend this gripping and suspenseful read to psychological thriller fans!
Well, that was one of the best and most well researched psychological thrillers I’ve read!
I had read The Girl Before by this author years ago and loved it. So when I saw his new one, I just had to grab it.
Thanks NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC. Apologies for the delay with the review.
Synopsis -
Susie gave up her baby girl for adoption 15 years ago. Now a teenager, Anna contacts her birth mother on social media. But their reunion is far from perfect. Concerned with Anna’s dubious family life and her strange ways, Susie and her husband Gabe gear up to be there for her as her support system. Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they seem.
Review -
I loved how natural and utterly human every character Delaney pictures in this book is. Susie, Gabe and Anna are all flawed. None of their pasts have been easy - the trauma and damage as a result, are like a shadow to their personalities.
The multi POV approach and short punchy chapters worked so well. We have the narratives of all of the three and this helped understand each of them, knowing their deepest thoughts and hidden secrets they are running away from.
Furthermore, it’s how a 15 year old girl cast in a sinister role that steals the show here. Delving deep into the psychological aspects of a teenager who’s been adopted, the author explores the struggles of adoptive parents and adoptee with attachment disorder, as well as the kind of distress and anguish, the birth mother might go through under the circumstances.
Although there is not much action, what shocked me the most was the amount of evil and mind games at play here. By mid-way, the plot’s complexity increases, as multiple threads are conjoined cleverly, making it an all-consuming read until the very last moment.
I appreciated the author’s notes that outline his insights behind the adoption theme, the data that was gathered via research and interviews along with the imagination and creation of these characters.
Highly recommend this gripping and suspenseful read to psychological thriller fans!