I have read other books by this author and this book was the one I liked the least. It made me wonder did the author actually write the book or was it ghost written? Not in the same league by any means as her other books. Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest opinions abou the book. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.

This was not my favorite Joy Fielding book. It had a mystery but I guessed the bad guy easily. It also dragged a bit for me. I will continue to read the author because most of the time I really like her books. This one just wasn’t for me. Thank you to net galley for a copy.

I have not liked the last couple of Joy Fielding books I've read, which is a shame. In The Bad Daughter, I could not stand Melanie and her constant sarcastic and rude remarks, and Robin was given the most ridiculous occupation based on how she is written - she's a psychiatrist who has panic attacks and constant emotional difficulty.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book, I thought it was a well written, suspenseful and addictive book.
I would definitely read another book by this author.

I have been reading Joy Fielding's books for a long time and generally enjoy them. It was a good story and a fast engrossing read. However, the main character is a psychologist who seems unable to cope with life in general, and was not very smart when it comes to reading someone's true character. If you want a good fast read I would recommend this book.

Joy Fielding is always suspenseful without giving too much away and always manages to surprise me. I've enjoyed reading her books for decades and will continue to look forward to every title.

A dysfunctional family, sisters and suspense. The Bad Daughter fits the Joy Fielding light suspense mold. I think it was good escape reading. I was entertained but not blown away. The twists and turns were not surprising but every once in awhile that's exactly what I want in a simple entertaining read. Strong character portraits, crisp dialogue, and a well paced novel are what I expected and what I received.

Robin, who is a therapist, is working with a patient when she gets the news that her dad, stepmom and stepsister have been shot in a home invasion. She goes back to her hometown where she meets up with her sister but they have had a long-time contemptuous relationship. Lots of old memories come up as they try to figure out what happened to their family. There are also a lot of gossipy biddies in this novel, which made me laugh a few times.
This is a great quick read that I couldn't put down. Joy Fielding is always one of my favorite authors and this one didn't disappoint.

This story kept me intrigued, enthralled, and excited from the start. I wasn't sure what I was going to read or what twists and turns would appear within the book. Brilliant and full of so many surprises. Thank you for allowing me to write about it.

Wow, I was surprised by this one, I did not guess at all what the outcome of this one was. The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding is a suspense mystery that had me thinking about it when I was not reading it, I needed to know what happened. This is the story of a likely home invasion that leaves a step-farther, mother, and daughter in critical condition. Robin, the main character, has not had contact with her family for six years, but this event brings her back home to Red Bluff from Los Angeles. As far as the characters were concerned, I really did not care much for any of them. Robin annoyed me with her relationship with Blake, her fiancé. I felt Blake was a genuine good guy, yet Robin just could not see that. Robin's sister, Melanie, was just a miserable human being. Cassidy, the step sister of Robin and Melanie, seemed such a bizarre character to me. She is twelve, but the way she acts and things she says do not go with that age at all. This all aside, the book had me hooked from the beginning, the storyline grabbed me quickly.

Robin cut communications with her father and her best friend when they married after the death of her mother. Upon receiving news from her seldom-heard-from sister that her father, his wife, and her twelve year old daughter have been shot, she returns home. Family is family. Robin is now a therapist, engaged to a successful attorney, whom she believes is about to end their relationship.

There is no lack of suspects. Her nephew, her brother, and others all had reason to be angry with her father and his wife. Robin doesn't know who to trust or who to believe. Robin tries to support those who need it while trying to protect her own emotions. Fielding throws in a couple of plot twists that invite readers to see the title in a different light.

This wasn't my favorite Joy Fielding. I felt I had to suspend disbelief a bit more than I would like in my thrillers. However, the plot was intriguing and I can see others liking this. I think it was a case of it's me, not the book.

Did not enjoy this book, and I don't like giving negative reviews. I just couldn't get into this one.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review,

2.5*
Oh my! This didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. This was my introduction to Joy Fielding, who’s been on my radar for several years. I have a few of her books on my shelf, but had yet to open one and dive in. Until now. Well...maybe this just wasn’t the right one to start with.

Robin receives a phone call from her estranged sister Melanie. Their father, his new wife Tara and Tara’s daughter Cassidy were all gunned down in what looks like a home invasion. Robin quickly returns home to support her family and find the animal responsible for these horrendous murders. Was it a simple robbery? Or was it so much more personal than that?

Told from Robin’s POV, she has her own inner dialogue throughout. Normally I love this in a book. It adds to the character’s depth and is typically done with a sense of humor that gives me some chuckles while I read. But for me, that formula just didn’t work at all. It added nothing to Robin’s character or the storyline. In fact, I just started to find it somewhat annoying.

On the positive side the storyline had a few great twists that surprised me along the way. (which is always good!)

I hope if you give this one a try, you’ll enjoy it…this just wasn’t the best fit for me. It was just…ok.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, and Joy Fielding for an ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Haunting read with an ending that stunned!! great story and well written.

This book grabbed me at page one and held me captive to the end! Highly recommend!

THE BAD DAUGHTER is a mystery about a dysfunctional family. Robin has left home and established her own life as a therapist. Melanie has stayed in Red Bluff because she became the caretaker for their mother when she got cancer and she also had an autistic son to care for. Melanie seemed to need whatever little support their father provided for her. Their brother Alec left home and has not returned, even when a home invasion leaves his stepmother dead, his father on the brink of death and his stepsister Cassidy clinging to life. Of course, he has a good reason to be angry with his father since his dad married the woman he was engaged to. Talk about dysfunctional families! Melanie shoots barbed insults at Robin constantly, and it was somewhat irritating that Robin never stood up for herself. As a therapist, Robin should have known that the insults would only escalate until she said something to stop them; instead, Robin continued to retreat and have panic attacks. Although the plot was slow-moving at times, the book kept me interested because I wanted to find out all of the secrets of the family, and they were revealed methodically throughout the book. This book is a mystery in that you don’t find out until the end of the novel who attacked the family and why. There are a lot of suspicions, but I, for one, could not figure it out and was surprised at the end, but in a way that I kind of said to myself, “Oh, yeah, that makes sense!” The novel is well-written, with characters that are appropriately developed and realistic. Some characters are more likable than others, but all are sympathetic characters once their past is revealed. The only character that I really did not understand why he was there other than as a foil was Landon, Melanie’s autistic son who falls under suspicion just because he is a loner. All in all, the book was enjoyable and I look forward to the next twisty mystery from this talented author.

The book starts with an interesting premise: Robin left her hometown and dysfunctional family years ago and has been estranged from her family ever since. She gets a call from her older sister and learns that her father, his new wife and her child have all been shot in what is suspected to be a home invasion. Even given the seriousness of the call, Robin debates with herself momentarily as to whether she should return. There were good reasons why she left, and going home won't be easy.

The book keeps your attention and has the usual twist at the end, but the story it's self was a little hard to believe. Robin's best friend, Tara broke off her engagement to Robin's brother Alec, and married Robin's father months after his wife's death. Her sister has an autistic son, which is also
not well written about.
The book held my interest until the end, but is not one of Joy Fielding's best (or better) offerings.

I have read Joy Fielding's past books and loved them but unfortunately I was disappointed with this book. It didn't keep my interest, The writing was not her best work so many holes in the plot.. I struggled to get thru this book. There wasn't enough mystery and suspense. I hate giving bad reviews but I read a lot of thrillers and this book almost seemed like she wrote it in a quick weekend. Very disappointed!

Joy Fielding is known for her skill in grabbing the reader and make them keep turning page after page. The Bad Daughter is no different in that aspect.

The book starts with an interesting premise: Robin left her hometown and dysfunctional family years ago and has been estranged from her family ever since. A call from Melanie, her older sister, says "Call me." When Robin does, she learns that her father, his new wife and her child have all been shot in what is suspected to be a home invasion. Even given the seriousness of the call, Robin debates with herself momentarily as to whether she should return. There were good reasons why she left, and going home won't be easy.

Where the book fell short for me was the unusually flat one-dimensional characters, and the soap-opera like sub-stories (Robin's father is now married to Robin's childhood best friend, a friendship that ended when Tara broke off her engagement to Robin's brother Alec, and married Robin's father months after his wife's death. You can almost hear the music in the background, can't you?)

The book held my interest until the end, but is not one of Joy Fielding's best (or better) offerings.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.