Multiple POVs and timeline lines are some of my favourite structure styles for family centric mysteries. It worked well for this book as we got to see different perspectives as the mystery unfolded.

Solid read and I will read more by the author !

Recommended for readers who like family drama with a bit of mystery wrapped in.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC to read and review.

An interesting book of family secrets working well being told by the povs so that you get the full picture and plenty of twists to keep your attention

As the stories weave a picture of how a young woman and her family travel into the middle of a mystery, another family sets the present story to finally get what they want. Multiple views give you an overall picture of the mystery but how it ends will keep you guessing until the last chapter.

I enjoyed this, but I didn't find myself as connected to the characters as I wanted to be! The writing overall is great though, it definitely made my flip through this quickly.

This was a great read to start the new year. It is poignant and emotional but never depressing. Written over two timelines, in the 1970's and present day, we follow the story through the eyes of three women: Sylvia, Annabelle and Willa. Willa finds herself facing issues over her early adoption and there is much to say about the mother/ daughter bond and the pull of past secrets on the present.

I was kept guessing throughout as parts of the past gradually became clearer. It was Willa's story which I found the most affecting as she tried to learn to live with a recent tragedy in her life. There is also an interesting tension between the sisters, Annabelle and Sylvia which has a few surprises. This is a heart-warming read nevertheless and I would love to find out what happens next for the three women.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book.

I read The Daughter's Promise in only a few days, and though I was intrigued and interested, I wasn't connected to the story and characters enough. The summary of the novel drew me in and I thought I would end up enjoying the book more than I did. That being said, the writing itself was impressive and I would definitely read another novel by this author.

This was definitely a lot different than I normally read, as I don’t think I would call it a thriller, but more domestic suspense/drama. It was well written and done in a manner that let you really get to know the characters and see how well they were developed. I connected with one really well and it helped me get through the story quickly. I do recommend to those who like books that have that domestic genre feel, with some hidden secrets/suspense underlying the layers.
Will make sure I buzz this book up on different platforms.

The Daughter’s Promise by Sarah Clutton. 4* Willa has come from Australia with her son and husband to live in Oxford after suffering a personal tragedy. Early in the novel, Willa receives a letter informing her that she has inherited a house in Tasmania, Australia, from Lillian, a woman she’s never heard of. Intrigued, Willa travels around the world to see the house, which she is immediately captivated by.

Willa was adopted and begins to suspect that Lilian may have been her biological mother. The book evolves from a grieving family in England haunted by a shocking death two years prior, to a story of deceptions and secrets in Tasmania. Willa starts to solve the mystery surrounding her relationship with Lillian, and the reason she’s been left this property by exploring photos and papers she finds in the house and by speaking to other town folk.

Complicating matters, the neighbours, Annabelle and Dan, are vying to buy Willa’s inherited property. Annabelle’s and Dan’s daughter, Sylvia was Lillian's goddaughter. The points of view are from: Willa, Sylvia and Annabelle; variously in the present and in the 1970's.

The Daughter’s Promise delves in small town life, where secrets are never concealed. The author slowly reveals the motives of Annabelle, Sylvia and Dan, creating twists and turns and emotional resonances. The mystery, when revealed, is satisfying.

I enjoyed this poignant book, full of grief and love. The characters were complex and believable. It is not a quick read, but rather one to savour. The author takes time to describe the characters and setting of northwest Tasmania. I would like to read further books by Sarah Clutton.

#TheDaughtersPromise #NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley, Sarah Clutton and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review. This review also appears in Goodreads.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com

Since I failed to get this read until after the publication date (and there are plenty of other reviews floating around now), I'll make this one pretty brief. I normally really like a book that's told from multiple points of view, but something about this one made it a little hard for me to follow initially, and it also made it difficult for me to connect with the characters. About the time I'd start to get interested in a character/storyline, we jumped to a different one. Ultimately, I didn't dislike the book, but I didn't like it as much as I probably could have with a few tweaks.

This story was told from several viewpoints - Willa's, Sylvia's and Annabelle's - and with oodles of drama and an ominous vibe. It gripped right from the start, I was totally caught up in the drama of it all. There was interesting tension between the sisters, Annabelle and Sylvia which held a few surprises. You will laugh, cry, and root for Annabelle and Willa. I felt like with Annabelle, she was a character I could finally relate to. She wasn't the usual gorgeous and skinny heroine - she had insecurities and was self-conscious about her weight. It was nice to be able to connect with a character like that. I highly recommend!

Family secrets can only be kept for so long, and there are a lot of them hidden in this book. I thought the author did a good job of keeping the three main women sympathetic (for the most part) while also highlighting the actions that contribute to the secrets…well, except for Willa. She is the catalyst for all of it. Ultimately, it is an interesting look at the perceptions we have of family members, and how skewed those perceptions can be. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.

This deeply evocative read will take hold of your heartstrings and lead you on a slow burn journey of loss, grief, trauma, recovery, and incredible resilience and discovery. Grab the tissues, your favourite cozy blanket, and a bottle of wine because this one needs to be read in a single sitting.

This is not the kind of book that is filled with seat gripping action scenes and swoon worthy romances, if you want to be thrilled into adrenaline overload look elsewhere. What The Daughter's Promise offers is realistic and complicated relationships, fully developed characters, and intricately intertwined storylines that all come together into one epic and heart-wrenching conclusion. It's full of mystery, suspense, and just enough drama to leave you angry when the story is over. That, and desperately wanting more.

And did I ever want more!

Although, that might have had something to do with the fact that I love it when a book starts in the aftermath of a major loss. It's the perfect setting for some deep character discovery and allows ample space for a little suspense and thrill to seep into even the most emotional plots. Now add in two absent actors that do a fabulous job of driving the plot along and you have the perfect recipe for an exceptional read.

I'm not going to lie, in the beginning I had a hard time connecting with Willa's character. But I'm going to chalk that up to the fact that Willa begins her journey completely incapable of connecting with herself. If you don't immediately feel for her, give her time (and I promise it won't take long)! As her story progressed I found myself  magnetically drawn to her journey of healing as she worked toward managing the grief that had held her hostage since the loss of her daughter while simultaneously exploring her mysterious connection to the Old Church and seeking out her birth mother. Ever page I turned drew me in a little closer, and before I knew it I was hooked.

However, I found sisters Sylvia and Annabelle compelling from the start. At first blush they present as the perfect dichotomy - one sister a healthy, minimalistic free spirit living a nomadic life and the other firmly rooted in a fancy house and set on perfecting her gardens. But there is so much more to both of them than the stereotypes that they present as. Both women are complicated, flawed, and stubborn toward each other in the way that only sisters can be. You feel their grudges and shared histories just as strongly as the love and protective instincts. Their dynamic was my favourite to read, especially Annabelle's tool of a husband comes into play. If you want your drama, this is where you find it. Wowza!

Told in varying perspectives and frequently flashing back to major moments in the past, this dynamic tale will keep you on your toes. Clutton takes on some heavy topics but balances them beautifully with moments of horticultural splendour and perfectly timed humour. The writing is exquisite - it's full of empathy, free from judgement, and expertly paced. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will probably fall in love with Tasmania.

The Daughter's Promise is an absolutely astounding read, I can't recommend it highly enough!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This was the first book I have read by this author. I like her style of writing, it was descriptive and enjoyable, I could almost smell the flowers in the gardens of Merrivale. An interesting and heartbreaking/heartwarming story of friendship and family. Will definitely be watching out for this author in the future.

Wow, what a fantastic read. This was such a great book with relatable people. Heartache, romance and mystery keep you on the edge of your seat. The author grabs your attention at page one and keeps it all the way to the end. This is such a page turner that you can’t put down. If you haven’t discovered Sarah Clutton, I highly suggest you read this book, and I assure you that she will be one of your new favorite authors!!

This is one of those book that makes you feel send when you read the last page.
I loved this story, engrossing and entertaining, and loved Annabelle, Willa, Sylvia, and Indigo.
It's a gripping and engrossing story, heart warming and heart wrenching at the same time.
I was hooked since the first pages and turn pages as fast as I could because I wanted to know what what going to happen and delve into the character's stories.
There's a lot of character development and there's an interesting path to healing and changing.
All the female characters face life changing events and they grow becoming stronger and happier.
I also fell in love with Tasmanian and spend to book wishing to be there as I loved the vivid description of the places.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
It was an excellent and poignant read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

OMG! OMG! OMG! What a marvelously brilliant book. I don’t want to write a review. I just want to bask in the warmth of the story. Secrets and deaths, lies and misconceptions of past and present, intertwined in the lives of three women Willa, Annabelle, and Sylvia. But binding them all was LOVE and FORGIVENESS.

Willa was bequeathed a property in Tasmania by Lillian. Sisters Annabelle and Sylvia were her neighbors. Dan was husband to Annabelle. Secrets ruled their lives. Arrival of Willa caused that can to open and worms to come out… And boy, were some of them slimy!!

My second book by author Sara Clutton, I resisted the book’s lure for a long time, even when it kept beckoning me. I knew I needed the perfect time to read and savor the words. And I was right! The author brought the story alive with the strength of her pen, showing me the scenes like a three dimensional movie. I couldn’t stop reading it, feeling it. The gossamer of its threads wrapped me in its loving arms keeping me anchored to it.

The ladies weaved their charm on me. I felt I was a part of their lives. Their emotions blew mine apart. I had a lump in my throat knowing what was to come. I read the book through a film of tears at certain points. At times, I had to bang my kindle trying to force these ladies to talk to me.

Do I really need to say anything more?

I loved the book, and the book loved me back so much more!!!

When I read the blurb for this novel, I was intrigued by the storyline premise.   Lots of potential here for a gripping page turner.  The story itself is that.   Intrigue, secrets long hidden, and truths that are maybe years too late in arriving.   Lots of twists and turns, and unexpected happenings. As well as an ending that surprised me. For this alone, I can recommend the book.

However, I found most of the main characters hard to like.  It gets better once you're past the preliminaries, but they never became endearing to me.  I was never really able to become invested in their outcomes. Perhaps that's how they were intended to come across?

[I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley, and am leaving an honest review of the book.   The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.]

Sarah Clutton writes a hugely engrossing and entertaining novel awash with betrayals, harboured secrets and lies. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed her previous novel, Good Little Lies, I grabbed the opportunity to read this one, The Daughter's Promise, with both hands. I am so pleased I did as there were no disappointments here!

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Family is everything to Willa. Adopted at birth, her loving husband and son are her safe haven, and the ones she has clung to while numbed by the pain of a recent loss. When a letter arrives, it opens a path for Willa to re-engage with life: she has inherited a house halfway across the world, in a town she’s never heard of, from a woman she doesn’t know. Her only guess is that Lillian Brooks could have been her birth mother.

Travelling to the inviting shores of Sisters Cove, Willa in entranced by the dilapidated old house she now owns, perched high on a windy cliff within the Merrivale Estate. But as she begins to look amongst the dusty photos and sealed boxes of papers left to her, it becomes clear that the truth about who Lillian really was is not at all what Willa expected.

At Merrivale, social butterfly Annabelle is intrigued by Willa’s arrival. Unable to have children herself, she feels drawn to this fragile, younger woman and is inspired to help her mend the cracks in her heart. But as a friendship grows between the two, the dark truth that connects them is exposed, and both are forced to make choices about the risks they’ll take for family, love and forgiveness.

MY OPINIONS: This story was told from several viewpoints - Willa's, Sylvia's and Annabelle's - and with oodles of drama and an ominous vibe, I really enjoyed reading it. It was evenly paced and skilfully told, the narrative pulling in all of the different strands, resulting in an extremely interesting tale. Split over two timelines, in the 1970's and present day, I could relate to the character of the spirited Annabelle and her admirable exuberance, but not so much to Sylvia, who frankly I despised. For me, Sarah Clutton has done a superb job in making her characters all believable, and as I delved deeper into the story, I appreciated how well they had been brought to life.

Gripped right from the start, I was totally caught up in the drama of it all. There was interesting tension between the sisters, Annabelle and Sylvia which held a few surprises. I was kept guessing throughout as parts of the past gradually became clearer and the narration and the plot had more than enough about them to make me want to keep reading. This was a heart-warming read and a compulsive story and I really hoped that things worked out well for the characters, having lived in their pockets throughout their respective journeys. Very highly recommended.

Sarah Clutton certainly has a style all of her own and I look forward to many more books from her.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel, at my request, from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

This book I wanted to love but it just jumped all over the place. This one told in three POVs wasn't done very well in my eyes. I felt like each chapter took me out of each story and then trust me back into each one. I wished that it would have only been maybe two POVs at the most. But as its written it just didn't work for me. I had issues remember what had happened in one POV by the time I had gotten back to the first one.

Overall, if multiple POVS don't bother you then check this one out!


Go Into This One Knowing: 3POVS, Confusing

EXCERPT:...he said, 'I was thinking about the house in Tasmania.'

'Me too,' she said.

'I was thinking about who the woman might be.'

Willa could hear the hint of forced cheer in his voice.

'Yes, me too.'

'I...I know you won't want to hear this, but I think there's only one person who it can be,' said Hugo. He turned and looked at her, and Willa looked back. She could see his love, his open trusting heart, but beneath all that she could see a hint of fear, and she almost couldn't bear it.

He squeezed her gloved hand.

Willa was holding the coffee cup with her other, bare hand and focused on the warmth of it in her palm, the cold air against her knuckles. She reached down and placed it at her feet.

'Yes,' she said. 'I suppose you're right.'

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Two years after a family tragedy, and still consumed by her grief, Willa receives a strange letter from halfway across the globe. She has inherited a house in Australia, in a town she’s never heard of, from a woman she doesn’t know…

Following the mystery to the inviting shores of Sisters Cove, Willa is entranced by the dilapidated old Chapel House she now owns, perched high on a windy cliff within the grounds of Merrivale Estate. As Willa’s suspicions grow about her connection to the place, she begins to look amongst the dusty artwork and sealed boxes of papers left to her, and it becomes clear that the truth is not at all what she expected.

At Merrivale, social butterfly Annabelle is alarmed by Willa’s arrival. Why did her old friend and confidante Lillian leave her home to this stranger? As the two women’s lives intersect in the small, insular world of Sisters Cove, neither realises the dark truth that connects them until it’s too late. And when that terrible secret is exposed, it could destroy the lives of everyone involved…

MY THOUGHTS: What begins as a quietly charming read about a family still devastated by the unexpected death of their teen aged daughter two years previously, slowly turns into a slightly darker read when secrets, lies, betrayals and worse are brought to light by Willa's presence in Tasmania.

I enjoyed this book. It was touching, sad and heartwarming. There is a lot of grief in this book, beyond the obvious. And yet it is not a depressing read. There is also a lot of love, not of the sickly, romantic kind, but a deep enduring love. The characters are well portrayed, all of them with multiple layers, hidden depths.

The story is told from multiple points of view - Willa, Sylvia and Annabelle - over two timelines, currently and the 1970's.

This was not a quick read, it is one I lingered over, enjoying the author's depiction of the characters, her descriptive prowess. I did not enjoy Sarah Clutton's first book, Good Little Liars, but I could see that she had talent. She has proved that with The Daughter's Promise. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us next.

The Daughter's Promise is due to be published January 8, 2020.

****

#TheDaughtersPromise #NetGalley

A few of my favorite snippets from The Daughter's Promise:

'Kilometers made so much more sense. There were more of them for a start, so you felt better about how much exercise you'd achieved.'

'Stars were sprinkled through the sky like powdery gems, and out to her right, the ocean was a black mass of nothingness.'

'She'd always liked the French attitude that her mother had explained to her as a girl - one's appearance was a favour to other people. They were the one's who had to look at you, so you should make an effort as a sign of courtesy.'

THE AUTHOR: Sarah Clutton is an Australian author and former lawyer who writes suspense novels packed with drama and nuanced characters. Having majored in psychology in her original degree, Sarah is fascinated by people. How does the past shape us? Can we can learn empathy? What determines the outcomes when moral and legal boundaries collide?

Sarah's work earned her the Dymocks/Fiona McIntosh Commercial Fiction Scholarship in 2018, a national award run by one of Australia's most successful commercial fiction authors and sponsored by one of Australia's largest book chains. An alumna of the Australian Writers' Centre novel writing course, and with a mostly-finished Master of Arts (in Writing) that she has no interest in finishing because she prefers making stuff up, Sarah lives with her family in the very pretty tourist town of Bowral, near Sydney. She has lived all over Australia, and if she didn't live in Bowral, she would live in Hobart, the most beautiful city she knows.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of The Daughter's Promise by Sarah Clutton for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon and my webpage.