Great thriller with interesting plot! Loved the insight into mental illness and multiple personalities. Kept me guessing until the end! I look forward to more from this author!

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer is a perfect storm waiting to be opened. Grace is a good mom, trying to get help for her adopted daughter who is being accused of murder. I was drawn to this story because of Ruby who is the accused and has also been diagnosed with Multiple Personality Disorder I can tell that Palmer really did the research necessary on learning more about Multiple Personality Disorder. That impressed me as I felt I came away learning more about the disorder and treatment plans.

I did not guess who the murderer was and it really stunned me when I read about it. The whole book just really had my attention... and the characters with their different points of view just really resonated in as authentic to me. When you read a book that is seriously good you want to share it with the world! This is seriously a great read...engages the mind and the heart and is fast paced!

Thank you to NetGalley, author D.J. Palmer and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and enjoy this book that really impressed me! As always, my opinions are mine and mine alone.

This book had be riveted and guessing from start to finish. Without getting into details because there are twists and turns I will say it does a good job of portraying the uncertainty of each of the characters as to what exactly is going on. I didn't see the ending coming, but the author did a good job of piecing the clues back together after the big reveal. Even though this book was dark and even gruesome at times, it had much needed underlay of hope, with some good characters trying to do the right thing and a mother at the center of this story that drove the plot with her unrelenting pursuit of the truth and unshakeable faith in her family.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 Stars!

This right here is a super cool adventure into the world of dissociative identity disorder. (DID) Penny the adopted daughter of Grace is accused of murdering her birth mother. She was found at the scene of the crime, covered in blood, with no recollection of what happened.

The entire time you will be on the edge of your seat. Bouncing between the conversations with her doctor, who is unsure of the DID diagnosis to conversations with the defense attorney, who isn't sure of Penny's innocence. You will be chomping at the bit until almost the last page.

I can't wait to check out what else D.J. Palmer has in their library!

A special thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and D.J. Palmer for providing me with an ARC..

I received a free ARC of The Perfect Daughter thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I saw this book all over and the description was so enticing. A thriller about a girl who may or may not have multiple personalities and may also be a murderer? Sold. I was lucky enough to be approved to review an advanced copy and let me just say, this was a treat.

We follow Grace as she tries to prove her daughter Penny is innocent regarding the murder of Penny’s biological mom. There was plenty of evidence but no motive and Penny can’t seem to remember what happened. Grace also needs to find a doctor who agrees that Penny has Dissociative Identity Disorder, or they will say Penny is lying about her multiple personas. As Penny spends her time in a psychiatric hospital under the guidance of Dr. Mitch McHugh, new information comes to light. And this new information could change everything Grace thought she knew about Penny.

Y’all, this book was good. It had me staying up until 3AM just to find out what happened.

I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator and we got that with Penny. Which persona was telling the truth? Were they real or was she deceiving everyone? Just from the synopsis I knew this was going to be a great element of the novel if executed well, and Palmer pulled it off.

Although I enjoyed the whole book, the parts of the book where we see Dr. Mitch counsel Penny were my favorite. I liked that he used different techniques to appeal to the different personas. I think he was my favorite character.

And that ending! It shouldn’t have been such a surprise in hindsight, but then again, hindsight is 20/20. It was a shock and I loved it. Basically, y’all need to just read this book.

This was my first D.J. Palmer book but it definitely won’t be my last. Pick up your copy of The Perfect Daughter today!

I really enjoy D.J. Palmer’s writing, and the newest one does not disappoint! I kept flipping the pages to find out what was going to happen next. I love books that draw you in and make you keep guessing, and this one did just that.

I really love the psychology included in this story! It felt like a roller coaster at times thinking I had it figured out, then I didn’t!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

A main character with Multiple Personality Disorder? Sign me up. I really liked this book up until the last 3/4, at which point I thought it dragged on a little too much. I didn't love the ending, it felt a little rushed and unbelievable. While there were several red herrings, they could've been a little better developed as possible suspects. I could've done without Frank's perspective and would've enjoyed the narration from just the perspectives of Grace and Dr. Mitch. Speaking of, I really loved him. He was a fantastic character and contributed a lot to the storyline. Overall I found this book entertaining with several small twists along the way, I just felt it could've been a little bit tighter.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest feedback.

The Perfect Daughter is a psychological thriller. Mental illness is a difficult topic to read about, but Palmer does an excellent job tackling this issue. Palmer had me guessing how this story would end,

When I saw that D.J. Palmer had a knew book I immediately had to read it. I love D.J. Palmer's work. He writes psychological fiction that is gripping, propulsive, and shocking. The Perfect Daughter was no exception. I enjoyed the pacing and character arcs. I couldn't stop reading and didn't want to be interrupted. I can't wait to read another one of D.J. Palmer's novels!

I don't know why the writing style wasn't up to the mark. I went in with a lot of expectations but I am not happy how the book turned out.

WOW! Just WOW!

I remember watching YouTube videos of persons with DID and wondering if there's any book which dealt with a person with DID. And my oh my, this book!

Let's start with the basics...

Years ago, Grace and her son Jack, find a little, sweet girl abandoned in a park. After finding that she has no one, Grace yearns to make that sweet little being her daughter. They found her, picked her up, and named her 'Penny' as she had been their good luck.

Cut to now, Grace finds out that her daughter, Penny has taken her dead father's car from the garage without informing her (which was the rule). Then there comes a police officer to inform that her daughter has been arrested for committing a murder, that too, her birth mother. But Penny, or rather Eve, doesn't remember anything about a murder.

When the people and the judicial system don't quite believe that Penny has DID, Dr. Mitch McHugh comes in to their lives and tries to find the answers to their questions, but their presented only with more questions.

The story alternates between the narrative of Grace and Jack (Penny's brother).

As Jack says, is Penny ill or evil? Are all these alters only a pretense to stay away from being held accountable for her actions or are they real? Did Penny commit the murder and conveniently forget the memories?

This book truly kept me thinking all round the clock as to what really happened, and the ending just blew my mind.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

The Perfect Daughter written by D.J. Palmer, narrated by January LaVoy & Dan Bittner

16-yo Penny is found confused, drenched in blood at the scene of her birth mother’s frenzied, brutal murder & holding the knife. She is the only suspect but she doesn’t remember a thing. But let’s backtrack…

Grace Francone and her family adopts a 4-yo girl who was abandoned at a local park. Grace welcomes her into the family with open arms and sees her no different from her biological sons. Now, Penny has been awaiting trial for the murder of her birth mother and has been institutionalized over the past 1.5 years. A few years back, she was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. The prosecution will claim she’s murderer who killed in cold blood., intentionally and planned. Grace believes in Penny’s diagnosis of DID and thinks it may be one of her other alters that committed the crime or that she may have not even committed it at all.

We follow the story through 3 POVs – Grace, her brother Jack & psychiatrist, Dr. McHugh who uses different techniques to draw out the alters such as tactile materials, smells, etc although he’s not entirely convinced she’s not just a psychopath who knows how to lie.

I really enjoyed learning about DID and the different alters that make up Penny. It is thought that DID is a type of defense system that happens after a traumatic event to a young child. The mind breaks up the personality to use it in different situations, at least in Penny’s case. She had an alter that was fierce, angry, defensive so this was who we saw in the psych ward. She had an alter that was a perfectionist, budding artist and another that was fun-loving, carefree and confident. But when one alter is out, the other one loses time – when they resurface they feel disoriented. But was there a 4th alter hiding that may have committed this murder?

D.J. Palmer writes a compelling, suspenseful domestic psych thriller and I thought the DID was well-researched and presented respectfully.

I alternated between the audiobook & reading the ARC. Thank you @anyplayfm for the audiobook & @netgalley @stmartinspress for the ARC!

D.J. Palmer has crafted a tightly plotted, nuanced read that kept me engaged through every chapter and surprised me at the end! I thoroughly enjoyed the way each character was developed throughout the story yet ultimately remained true and believable. I wish to thank #netgalley and the publisher for this ebook of #theperfectdaughter to read and review.

While playing at a local park with her youngest son, Jack, Grace Falcone finds a young girl who won’t speak or communicate in an other way. Jack names her Penny and soon they find out she was abandoned by her birth mother, Rachel, determined to give her a better life. Grace convinces her husband, Arthur that Penny was meant to be part of their family. They adopt her and live more or less, happily as a family of five, including oldest sons, Ryan, until Penny is 17. Penny, arrested and charged with the murder of her birth mother, Rachel, is confined to Edgewater, a state run mental hospital, to be evaluated for the diagnosis of DID, dissociative identify disorder. Penny has shown at least three other alters over the last few years, but none have been violent. With the help of Penny’s doctor and her lawyer, Grace sets out to prove her daughter is innocent if all charges.


I loved DJ Palmer’s last book, The New Husband, so I was excited to read this one, The Perfect Daughter. However, I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the other. It was slow for me and didn’t get suspenseful or enjoyable until the last 40% of the book. Grace wasn’t sympathetic or endearing, and I almost felt like she encouraged the problems. Overall, the twist at the end redeemed the book in my eyes and made it worth reading.

Having never read a book like this, I was excited for the plot. But I have to say, it was amazing! The characters were well developed and the communication the author provided on mental illness was fantastic. This thriller was one I read in a. afternoon and could not put down. It had so many ups and downs that I am excited to look at other work DJ Palmer has written after reading this. Thank you to netgallery and St Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

In my eyes, DJ Palmer can do no wrong.
I loved The New Husband and Saving Meghan, and The Perfect Daughter is no different. It was so good!
Something I think the author does well is educates her audience on mental illness, I went into this book not knowing very much about DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and I feel like I got sort of a general understanding of it when I finished.
Did I finish this book being afraid of people with this disorder? No. If anything, I was more intrigued by it. I would love to meet somebody with this disorder IRL. I found it fascinating and pretty logical that the little girl in the park, before she was Penny, ended up being an alter. Was “really” Penny.
You started off hating Eve, but she definitely grows on you throughout the book and you understand her protectiveness.
As for the twist at the end? I honestly didn’t see that one coming. I had it in my head that it was the brother. VERY surprising!

What a great read!!! The Perfect Daughter is the story of a girl with dissociative identity disorder who is a suspect in the murder of her birth mother. So who did it? One of her personalities? How will her family cope and help her through this? Will it shatter what is left of it or will it bring them together?

There were a few parts that dragged a tiny bit, but I was so hooked on trying to solve the puzzle that it kept me reading. The book was hard to put down! I enjoyed the characters, including their background stories and the epilogue.

Definite plot twist!!! I did have an idea about it just before it was revealed, but until that point I wouldn’t have guessed it.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer is a study in strength and horror. The book contains hard information about dissociative identity disorder (DID) and the conditions of a state run facility. Where this diagnosis is controversial, the pain for the family and the patient is clearly evident. However, this book also contains a mystery and a couple of amazing twists that really play with your brain. The story is written in the present with flashbacks about various scenes in their lives.

In the past, Arthur and Grace adopted a four year old girl that was found abandoned in the park. Grace felt so attached and needed by the little on. She did not answer to her name, so she was named Penny. As time went on Penny’s parents realized something was not quite “right” and searched out various doctors etc for help, especially after she got into serious trouble with her friend.

In the present, Penny is accused of killing her birth mom in a horrific bloodbath and has been remanded to a hospital for the criminally insane run by the state. Grace believes her daughter has DID as did some of the doctors. Penny’s lawyer is willing to take some chances and find ways to help Grace. The new doctor at the institution is willing to try to help. Only secrets lead to more secrets and more confusion.

The book was not an easy read, but it was fascinating. I found that I struggled to put the book down especially as the book got closer to the end. The twists and turns of the case and the determination of Grace held my attention totally. The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer was a twisted psychological thriller with secrets...

The latest book of DJ Palmer takes you in a psychological rollercoaster of emotions with lots of twists and turns.

The book keeps you completely engaged in the story until the end where the author delivers a shocking twist.

I was very engaged reading about the DID, Dissociative Identity Disorder. Can the main host personality be acquitted of murder of the act was committed without having recollection of the act, by one of the other personalities?

I recommend this book to anyone who likes psychological thrillers and people who are interested and/or intrigued by mental disorders.

DNF @20%

I am just not enamoured by this book at all. The plot is slow moving and the characters are really boring. Not for me.