5⭐️s. Thanks to #netgally #djpalmer for this ARC #theperfectdaughter (comes out 4/20/21) I am definitely fascinated by mental health as i suffer from depression so this book hit all the marks. “Altering” personalities provide cover for trauma but who is the real person!!

I know in this pandemic we all have had to find new ways to keep ourselves happy, entertained, and connected to something as we have endured an ever changing way of life, sometimes it’s felt like an everyday change. One thing that luckily hasn’t changed is the creativity and quality of novels being released this year.

Well, here’s one to add to your April 2021 reading list! Another brilliant thriller novel waiting to fracture you with its twists and turns.

We all have those little quirks, voices if you want to call it, that allows us to slip fluidly from one situation to another, being funny and outgoing, shy and demure, wild and crazy, or just calm and relaxed as the situation calls for, but stop and think for a minute what would happen if for each change in mood or affect, you ended up with “blank spots.” Each part of your personality taking on a life of its own, never to share its experiences with the other personalities, not in thoughts or in deeds. Now take that one personality is found with a dead body, covered in blood, holding a knife, and no clue how they got there. Oh boy, you now have The Perfect Daughter. Only this daughter has such a troubled back story that while reading the book, you alternate between sympathy for her and fear of her. Can any one person be that out of control?

Author D. J. Palmer has done an outstanding job incorporating both the mental disorder of dissociative identity disorder, (formerly multiple personality disorder,) with a tightly woven legal thriller.

This was a journey that was surprising, thrilling, and a blast to read! Not only did Palmer meet a thriller lovers expectations, he exceeded them. This is a great way to sit down and lose yourself in a wild mouse ride of lies, betrayals, and of course a gruesome murder. Get your copy preordered today for it’s APRIL 20, 2021 release now! You won’t be sorry you did, just be sure to bring some really good super glue to put yourself back together with... no one likes a missing or rogue personality out there. Enjoy my friends! 😁

I would like to offer my most sincere thank you to NetGalley, D. J. Palmer, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me an ARC in exchange for my unbiased and honest opinions.

Lastly, for me, when I look to a review I have already read the description and have my curiosity peaked and am looking to see whether I get that final push to spend my hard earned money and purchase the title or should I wait and get on the long list at the library to borrow it. This is definitely one I’d slap the card down for no problem. However, if you haven’t read what this novel is about, there’s no better person to turn to than the publishers themselves. So here is what they wrote:

“Meet Ruby, who speaks with a British accent.
Then there’s Chloe, a perfectionist who strives for straight A’s in school.
And along comes Eve, who is spiteful and vicious.
All of them live inside Penny…
Or do they?

Penny Francone, age sixteen, is a murderer. Her guilt is beyond doubt: she was found alone in the victim’s apartment, covered in blood, holding the murder weapon. The victim’s identity and her secret relationship to Penny give her the perfect motive, sealing the deal. All the jury needs to decide now is where Penny will serve out her sentence. Will she be found not guilty by reason of insanity, as her lawyer intends to argue? Or will she get a life sentence in a maximum-security prison?
Already reeling from tragedy after the sudden passing of her beloved husband a few years before, now Grace is on her knees, grateful that Massachusetts doesn't allow the death penalty.

As Penny awaits trial in a state mental hospital, she is treated by Dr. Mitchell McHugh, a psychiatrist battling demons of his own. Grace’s determination to understand the why behind her daughter’s terrible crime fuels Mitch’s resolve to help the Francone family. Together, they set out in search of the truth about Penny, but discover instead a shocking hidden history of secrets, lies, and betrayals that threatens to consume them all.

The perfect daughter. Is she fooling them all?”

2.5, such a good book, a four star book, until the end where it quickly devolved into a crazy, non sense, maybe 1 star read. So disappointing. Honestly can't even pinpoint how/where such a well written book went so wrong so fast. The best summary I can give is, a great book with an absolutely terrible, complete and utter nonsense of an end, bad enough to ruin the whole thing for me. There was not a single portion of the ending that was even somewhat plausible. It felt like someone else wrote the end. I'm sorry. But thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for this honest review.

Good murder mystery involving mental illness and a mother who won't give up. Lots of twists and turns. Engages reader early on and doesn't turn them lose until the very end.

This was a wild ride. This could have went in so many directions yet I was still shocked by the ending.

THE PERFECT DAUGHTER takes a look at the diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), more commonly known as Multiple Personality Disorder. When Grace found four year old Penny abandoned in the park, she immediately saw in her the daughter she always wanted. As soon as she can arrange it, Penny joins Grace and her husband and two sons.

In the present day Grace opens the door to police officers who report that her teenage daughter has been arrested for murder. Penny was found covered in blood at the scene, so her guilt isn’t much of a question. Problem is, Penny has been dealing with DID for most of her life, so which of her very distinct personalities committed the crime? Or, as some believe, is Penny just lying? Penny (or Eve as she’s currently presenting) is committed to a state psychiatric hospital for further evaluation.

Working in the field of mental health myself, this book had me absolutely intrigued and it definitely lived up to my expectations for a twisty read! We are getting multiple perspectives going back and forth in time to flesh out Penny’s story. This included her time with her family when they were first starting to recognize Penny’s personality and voice shifts as something more than quirks to her time in the mental hospital with her new doctor trying to determine her true diagnosis and engage her alters and her memories to find out the truth of what really happened before Penny goes to trial. The author really did well at giving Penny’s alters distinctly different characteristics while still leaving room for the reader to doubt whether Penny was accurately diagnosed or whether she’s manipulating everyone.

One of the perspectives we’re getting is from one of Penny’s brother as he’s working on a film project about his sister’s case. This is written in second person perspective and for me it felt a little unneeded and it tended to take me out of the narrative a bit with the sudden shift to second person. It didn’t overall detract from the book however.

This one ends with some big twists and the author did a fantastic job of springing some surprises on me that I didn’t see coming until the final moments. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it for the thriller fans!

I am a big DJ Palmer fan! The Perfect Daughter didn’t disappoint me! Penny was found abandoned as a young child in a park. Grace immediately felt bonded to the child and convinced her husband that they should adopt her bring her home to raise alongside their two sons. From early on Penny has some concerning behaviors that Grace either ignores or blames on trauma. Eventually though her odd behavior can’t be ignored and it becomes evident that something more is going on. She is diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder or what we know as multiple personality disorder. When Penny’s biological mother shows up brutally murdered and Penny is covered in blood at the scene it is let yo Grace to help her daughter prove that she alone did not commit this terrible act. This is an excellent read and I love the psychology behind all of this ...so fascinating!!!

So this was pretty interesting. A girl with multiple personalities accused of murder, and this whole story is the unravelling of the case, focussing on her and the people in her life, all leading to the big reveal. The twist at the end surprised me, I didn't see it coming at all! I appreciated her mom's fierce fight to defend and protect her. And the different personalities and memories were varied pieces to a puzzle. I did start to feel this was a little long, but the second half picked up. Less of a scary story, more of a mystery to solve.

<i>I would like to thank the publisher for giving me an ARC through Netgalley.</i>

The beginning was solid—Grace's adopted daughter Penny gets out of their house one night, taking their car without permission, and when she's found, there's blood all over her body, and she's become the prime suspect of the murder of Rachel Boyd, who turns out to be Penny's birth mother. Soon, it's revealed that Penny actually has a dissociative personality disorder.

The novel takes through a series of police and law procedurals as well as medical explanations on the vague nature of DID. Does it exist or could the person be just faking it and could have an antisocial personality disorder? There's a lot of discussion going on how to prove the existence of different personalities. Where it come from? How to control the switch? Does a particular smell, sound, or image trigger the memory and its subconscious for another alter to appear? Can a person shut it off deliberately? Can another persona be aware that she's an alter? Those sorts of questions. I really like the medical explanations because in a way (as a biology degree holder), I know some information about the complexity of brain functions.

In terms of being a well-crafted story, this is where this book suffered a bit for me. The writing is okay, although I find the alternating chapters between the 3rd person omniscient POV and the 2nd person POV jarring, the story still managed to grip me up until end.

For characters, Grace is the only one interesting for me. She's very determined to prove that Penny is innocent, and that there was someone else on the crime scene that night who actually murdered Rachel. She is a loving mother and I just love her dedication to keep her family intact. Penny (and her alters) are a little flat for me. I didn't care, I feel like all of them were just caricatures. Eve, the protective one so she has to be edgy and bitchy. Chloe, the perfectionist and an art enthusiast who sounds like a child. Ruby, the Harry Potter fan who speaks with pretentious English accent, and of course, Penny, the sweet, kind-hearted, <b>PERFECT</b> daughter. Then Penny's brothers Jack and Ryan who have very little personality on them. I mean, I get it—this book is NOT character driven, in fact it's actually plot-oriented. There's a lot of suspenseful scenes and intriguing clues laid down so I'll give the author some claps for that.

So if you've reached this part of my review, you might be wondering why I gave this book 2 stars. Well, it's actually the big reveal that ruined the whole book for me. I can forgive the lack of character depth and the writing style, BUT I could not accept that BIGGEST reveal.

There are two mysteries on this book. 1.) does Penny really have a DID? and 2.) what happened that night on Rachel's apartment? In my opinion, the reveal on Penny's true condition was okay. Not mind-blowing but acceptable. It's the second reveal that actually grated my nerves. The reveal on what happened on that murder scene was <b>SUPER DISAPPOINTING.</b> If you know me, you know that I don't like it when a reveal has no proper build up. Only after that biggest reveal did some of the information appeared, which should have been scattered prior to that scene. That's all I'm gonna say since this is an ARC. No spoilers, obviously.

I could've settled on three stars but that climax scene (the court scene—a little spoiler, yes) left a bitter taste in my mouth that would be hard to sugarcoat by the rest of the 'perfectly fine to mediocre' elements of the book.

PS: I am not telling you not to read this book because I think it might work for you if you like some law procedural, medical explanations, and just a suspenseful book. If you like the DID trope, you might wanna try this. But sorry, it's not for me.

This is another amazing thriller by DJ Palmer. This will keep you on the edge of the your seat and unexpectedly has a twist at the very end.

Grace comes home to find her daughter, Penny, has taken the car without permission. Grace soon gets a phone call the her daughter has been found at a murder scene. Grace and her two sons have always experienced strange happenings with her daughter. This story is a twisted tale of a daughter with DID, her multiple personalities, and how they find out the truth.

I recommend this book if you love thrillers!

This was my first D.J. Palmer novel and WOW! I was hooked from the first page! I thought that the mental health aspect that was a major theme is so very important!! I had no idea that the ending was going where it went! Loved this one!!

The Perfect Daughter is the story of Penny...and her alters, as she has Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID). The book starts with Penny's mother learning that she was just arrested for the murder of her birth mother, where she was found covered in blood and holding the murder weapon. It is also the story of her family and her therapist, as they all come together to try to figure out what really happened that night, since Penny had no memory of the events.
This book introduced me to DID and showed just how difficult it can be to have, or love someone, with DID. It also kept me in suspense of whether or not we would learn what truly happened, and it had a twist at the end that I did not see coming.
I will say the book moved a bit slowly in the beginning and seemed to drag out a bit, which is why I wouldn't give it 5 stars, but overall it was a great read!

Penny, Eve, Chloe, or Ruby....which person was she today and which personality murdered her birth mother?

Penny was abandoned by her mother when she was five, and Grace and her husband adopted her.

She was the sweetest child, but she did suffer from the trauma of her years with her birth mother. This caused mental issues called DID (dissociative identity disorder) which caused Penny to have multiple personalities. What a devastating illness.

We follow the attorney Grace hired and the doctor from the hospital where Penny was until the trial as they try to put a case together.

While awaiting the trial, Grace tried to carry on, but things happened and the cost of the attorney was quite expensive.

As the trial approaches, everyone is doing his/her best to find anything that could help Penny.

As the trial gets even closer, dangerous men tried to keep Grace quiet.

Will these men get charged with intimidation?

What will happen next?

Will Penny be acquitted?

We find out the answer to all these questions in the surprise ending.

Mr. Palmer did extensive research on this mental health topic and will keep you on your toes.

I have to say THE PERFECT DAUGHTER could have been shorter, but it is very enlightening. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A true roller coaster ride, is this book! I found myself frequently changing who I was rooting for throughout the story. Suspense up until the surprise ending.

I got this for am honest review....

There were a lot of twist an turns and was unexpected. Very good read

Wow! This is a book that draws you in and doesn’t let go from the very start. I love when an author gives you an unreliable narrator written so well, you can’t trust what you’re reading. Because Penny suffers from DID, she can’t be entirely sure of her actions because she has multiple alters. Her mother, Grace, is doing what mothers everywhere do. She’s fighting to get to the truth, to free her daughter from the psychiatric hospital.

I didn’t really care for Grace, and I think Palmer wrote her unlikeability (which isn’t a word but should be) extremely well. Penny’s doctor, Mitch, must evaluate penny to decide if she even has DID, a diagnosis often disputed by many of those tasked with diagnosing it. If he can help Grace and Penny figure things out, Penny’s court case might go in a better direction. The Perfect Daughter is a thrilling and addicting read. Thank you, St. Martin’s, for sending this along!

An interesting story about DID, aka Multiple Personality Disorder.

Grace Francone is insistence that she and Arthur adopt the abandoned 4 yr old girl she found in the park with her 8 yr old son, Jack. Jack named her Penny when the child was unable to talk or respond because of suspected abuse. Now 16, Penny has been arrested and sent to a psychiatric hospital for assessment after being found at the scene of her birth mother's murder.

The drama centers on Penny's DID. Unravelling Penny. Eve, Ruth and Chloe to find the truth of the past and present was a fascinating process. A surprise father reveal exposed earlier clues easily passed over.

Another DJ Palmer success.

THE PERFECT DAUGHTER by D. J. Palmer is an alright thriller. It’s about a teenage girl accused of murder but she has a multiple personality disorder so it’s never clear if she did or didn’t do it. I liked the concept but the execution felt a bit lacking to me. I felt the pacing kind of slow with this one and it took me a while to read when I usually fly through thrillers. The point of view would switch between the mother and brother which usually would keep things interesting but the brother would use second person narration speaking directly to his sister and recounted the events that took place. It seemed quite redundant and not a natural voice at all. I liked his other books better. I’d still be interested to read his next book.
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Thank you to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer was a most compelling and brilliant psychological thriller with an element of mystery attached. I was drawn into the plot immediately and had a hard time putting this book down. The characters were complex and so well developed. Every time I thought I had things figured out there was a new twist or development. The Perfect Daughter addressed a form of mental illness called DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder. The author’s extensive research about this disorder was evident throughout the book.

Grace Francone had the perfect family. Her husband, Arthur, was the love of her life and they had two sons, Ryan and Jack. The Francone family lived in a small town In Massachusetts called Swampscott. Grace had always wanted a daughter but she resigned herself to the fact that this was not to be. One day, Grace had taken her son Jack to a park on the way home from school. Suddenly, Grace and Jack heard the unmistakable wail of a child. Close to the slide that Jack had wanted to go on was a little girl of about four years old. She was wet from the rain, abandoned and crying. Grace believed that it was destiny that she and her son Jack had gone to that park at the time they had and found this poor little girl. Eventually, it was discovered that the little girl was Isabella Boyd from Lynn, Massachusetts. The little girl’s birth mother, Rachel Boyd, later admitted to have abandoned her child at the park. Rachel Boyd had a drug habit which hampered her parenting abilities. Shortly after discovering this information, Grace and Arthur Francone became the little girl’s foster parents and a little while later legally adopted her. Isabella Boyd became Penny Isabella Francone. Grace finally had her “perfect daughter”.

Penny was now sixteen years old. Grace’s husband had passed away from a heart attack. It was 8:30 in the evening and Grace’s life along with Penny’s was about to be turned upside down. Police cars were parked on Grace’s driveway. Penny was not at home when Grace got home. Grace did not know where her daughter had gone. One of their cars was missing, too. Grace was about to find out that Penny had been arrested for murder. Penny was being accused of murdering her birth mother, Rachel Boyd. She was found covered in her blood and holding the knife they believed had killed her.

Over the years, as Penny had grown up in the Francone household, she began to exhibit signs of mental illness. Penny had been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), also referred to as multiple personality disorder. It was no wonder, then, that the officer who came to tell Grace about Penny’s arrest also told her that Penny had told them her name was Eve and that she did not remember anything about what occurred at the home of Rachel Boyd that night. Penny would be placed at Edgewater State Hospital which was part of the Massachusetts Department of Corrections. During her time there, her doctor, Dr. Mitch McHugh, got to see the transformations of several different alters, or alternative personalities. Eve was the most prevalent and the darkest and most verbal but there was Ruby, the stylish British girl who spoke with a British accent, Chloe, the perfectionist and Penny, of course. The alters started to relive and remember fragments of what occurred that awful night. Penny remembered that someone else was there and she was sure she did not do it. Would they be able to prove that in court though? Would they have enough time to prove Penny’s innocence? Could a diagnosis of DID help her case?

The Perfect Daughter was one of the best psychological thrillers I have read in a long while. It explored mental illness and drug addiction and the impact they can have on their family members. I did not see the ending coming. It totally surprised me. The Perfect daughter was the first book that I have read by D. J. Palmer. I am glad I started with a real winner! I would recommend this book very highly. The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer will be published on April 20, 2021.

Thank you to St. Martins Press for allowing me to read the ARC of The Perfect Daughter through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Saint Martin's Press for an advanced copy of The Perfect Saughter. I have been a huge fan of JD Palmer since his first novel Saving Meghan. This book lives up to all my expectations. He is the master of writing psychological thrillers.

This book follows Grace whose adopted daughter Penny was found covered in blood holding the murder weapon while standing over the body of her birth mother Rachel.

Penny has a history of DID and she does not remembering killing her birth mother.
Penny is arrested on murder charges and placed in an institution while she awaits trial to determine if she or one of her alters premeditated the murder and knew what they were doing.
Doctor Mitch is a new doctor the institution who is dealing with his own depression and his son's addiction to heroin however he vows help Grace as much as he could to determine if Penny really has multiple personalities or if she is a psychopath pretending she has DID.

Her attorney Greg Navarro, who her mother had met when he accidentally hit her cat in a fender bender, tried to prepare Grace that the jury will most likely convict Penny and she will be sent to jail for the rest of her life. Even when new memories come to Penny that she was not alone, he says it was probably an alter and Grace should not count on this to change anything about the case.

Grace does not want to accept what he is telling her so she does what any mother desperate to protect their child would do, which is to stop at nothing to find out the truth about what happened that night.

I stayed up late to finish this novel since I could not put it down. There are twists and turns and you are never able to fully trust anyone.   Highly recommended for thriller lovers. 5 stars