The Perfect Daughter is a twisty thriller that is heart wrenching, compelling and pulled me in immediately. Is Penny guilty of a unspeakable crime, or is one of her many alters responsible? Does Penny actually have D.I.D., or is she a skilled actress trying to get away with murder? Is she ill or evil? This character driven thriller broke my heart and intrigued me simultaneously. My heart went out to Grace. Seeking justice for her daughter leads Grace into dangerous territory. Is it possible to both love and fear someone close to your heart? The ending was shocking and surprising! Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC.

A mother's belief in her children is a powerful thing. When Grace is faced with her adopted daughter's murder charge, she goes to great lengths to find the truth. She found Penny abandoned when she was 4 years old. She was unable to tell anyone who she was and where she came from. She had gone thru so much trauma that she developed multiple personalities to cope. Grace had the perfect daughter in Penny and with the help of Mitch a doctor that was assigned to Penny before she goes to trial must discover her other personalities and what they know of the murder and Penny's past.

A thriller of a mother's determination and how the mind copes. Many rabbit trails with this read but it ultimately led to a surprise finish.

A special thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

DNF. The Perfect Daughter was a jaw-dropper of a book, but it had some sections that I struggled with, primarily because of my own history with some of the topic matter. The writing is fast-paced and detailed and D.J. Palmer shines at this style of page-turning suspense. I loved The New Husband and still plan on picking up Palmer's next read, this one just didn't totally work for me personally.

Thank you as always to the publisher for the gifted copy and for my chance to read and review this book.

I absolutely loved this one! It grabbed me from the very first page and didn't let up. The book had me guessing the entire time. Can't wait to read more from the author.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so let's start with the first two books written by D.J Palmer
. Saving Meghan was a book full of twists and turns that left the reader doubting their own reader's instinct on just where the story was headed. The plot kept you glued to the pages thinking and rethinking about Meghan's illness, was it real and if it wasn't who was causing it.
The second delivery by this author, The New Husband, was just as engaging but had, for me, a more predictable plot although still entirely enjoyable.
The Perfect Daughter was missing something for me, still can't quite pinpoint it, and left me wanting more. I put this novel down several times hoping that when I came back to it, I would feel more drawn to the storyline. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, with what I thought was the one big twist being a bust for me as I had already figured out the ending.
Still an enjoyable read but a bit of a let down compared to his earlier works.

Had a hard time getting into this book. It didn’t grab me like I had hoped it would.
Not my favorite read

DJ Palmer is an author to watch out for! The Perfect Daughter is a twisty, fast-paced thriller that takes a deeper look at mental illness. There are twists and surprises abound! The story is told from multiple perspectives - the mother Grace, the brother Jack, and the doctor Mitch. Although the story is about Penny following the murder of her birth mother, Rachel. The thing is: Penny has DID which is a mental illness where she has multiple personalities. Which personality killed Rachel? The characters are extremely well-written. One thing is for sure - DJ Palmer will be on my must-read list from here on out. Highly recommended!!

This book was amazing. One of my very favorite of all time. It had me wondering until the very end and was on my mind for a long time afterward.

Wow this book really amazed me! I was not really familiar with someone with multiple personalities ( DID) This book really opened my eyes. It was an easy read and kept you interested in the storyline. Just when you think you know who the killer is there is a major twist! Characters were well developed and one felt like you were right there with them. A definite thriller to the end.

4.5 stars. This was an intense, intriguing and captivating read. Grace's daughter, Penny, who she found abandoned in a park when she was much younger and adopted into their family, has multiple personality disorder. A brutal murder is committed and Penny is at the center of it all. Though Penny was found at the murder scene, with blood covering her and the murder weapon in hand, Grace takes on the battle of trying to prove Penny is either not guilty due to insanity or perhaps she wasn't guilty at all and there is a different explanation altogether. It was fascinating going into the world of DID, psychiatric facilities, the complexities of the case and the legal implications a psychiatric disorder has, and learning that there are more secrets that lurk behind all that went on. I was glued to the pages and exhausted by the time I made it to the end.

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer is a suspenseful family drama. Grace’s family is in turmoil: Penny, the sixteen-year-old daughter, has been found at the scene of a vicious murder. She suffers from a multiple personalities disorder and has been admitted to the state psychiatric hospital until her trial. Grace must hire a lawyer and get to the bottom of how her child could possibly have found herself in such a situation. Penny’s multiple personalities complicate the case because each one is unaware of the existence of the others. The mystery is off to a good start but it begins to lag in the middle. There are sub-plots that seem unnecessary and add nothing to the story. However, there is an unpredictable and surprising ending which more than makes up for the length of The Perfect Daughter. The author’s use of multiple personalities disorder adds an original and interesting angle and gives the reader an opportunity to learn about the trauma of such a disorder. This is an intense family drama. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won't be the last. I really enjoyed this book and couldn't swipe through the pages fast enough to see what would happen next.

I've never read a book that incorporated Multiple Personality Disorder so that was pretty interesting to read about. I also enjoyed that there were different point of views.

The pacing was a bit slow at times, but other than that, this was a great read.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital ARC (Advanced Reading Copy) of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A shocking story with the main teenage girl character suffering from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and accused of murdering her birth mother and the efforts of her adoptive mother to find out what happened that fateful night.

This book was a lot!

In the first paragraph of the book, we find out that Penny is in jail charged with murdering her birth mother while the police visit her adoptive mother Grace to give her the news. We also find out right away that Penny suffers from DID (Disassociate Identity Disorder,) and one of her alters, Eve, has taken over as the main personality. We learn about Grace finding Penny alone in a park when she was only four-years-old, and the events leading to her adoption. And we also get glimpses of Penny's alters which started to manifest as a young little girl throughout her teenage years.

The plot starts slowly by building up to the narrative of the murder. We are introduced to the main characters right away, so we know from the getgo that both Penny and Grace will be the main people to keep an eye on as the story develops. We are also introduced to Grace's other children, the lawyer she hires to represent Penny, and the doctor in charge to diagnose Penny at the mental facility she's been held at. All of these characters have a prominent place throughout the book and aid to neatly tie everything together at the end.

A lot of the book is spent narrating the different occasions in which Penny's alters manifest, and how the family came to figure out what was happening to her. We learn that Grace's husband died at their family pizzeria and Penny was there when it happened, which has caused a rift between her and her older brother Ryan. We also find out that one of Penny's alters, Eve, had already gotten in trouble with the police a few years before and had made death threats against her birth mother. We are also introduced to her other alters Ruby and Chloe, and we learn how the different personalities behave and differentiate from the others.

At first, I thought the book was dragging the whole DID conversation and felt that so much didn't even matter in the great scheme of things, but every single part fits neatly once the story ends. By the end, I was grateful that the author goes into detail about DID because I had a better understanding of Penny's character and her actions. I didn't know much about this disorder so it was great to have some background information about what the disorder entails and how the abuse she suffered caused Penny to split her personality to protect herself.

Grace's character is great. She's a mamma bear trying her best to defend her daughter. She is sure that Penny has not hurt anyone, and she spends a lot of time in the story trying to find a viable suspect to get her daughter out of jail. However, she acknowledges she can't be sure that any of the other alters, Eve in particular, are not guilty of the murder. Her previous interactions with Eve and the other alters make her unable to stand for them but she knows she doesn't have any other choice because all of the personalities live within Penny.

Dr. Mitch's contributions to the explanation of the disorder were fantastic. I also enjoyed the side story with his son Adam because it gave a better idea about his choices regarding Penny's treatment. I was engrossed by the scenes in which he gets Eve to allow the other alters to manifest. These interactions made me doubt the DID diagnosis, which I'm going to assume was the author's intention. He connects everything at the end in a way that explains so many other details we found out early in the book.


I did not figure out the main plot twist until a couple of pages before it happened, so that was a great surprise. I was glad it doesn't come until the end because it gave the book a strong ending. Overall, a great thriller.

This was interesting and very well researched! I had a hard time putting it down! I’d also like to note this is the first book By this author that I’ve enjoyed.

This was a very interesting read! Powerful written, an entertaining thriller outside the usual box: I didn't read many books about multiple personalities yet. The story is told by several characters, good to follow along in my opinion. There is already said lots about the plot which is sad in my view: the reader should be left with a "this is a thriller" and then go into the book without anything else, if possible. I'm sure they wouldn't be disappointed....

Thanks so much to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the copy!

Grace Francine has always wanted a daughter but had two sons. When taking her son to the park, she finds a little girl who is crying but won’t say anything. She goes to the police for help finding the girl’s mother but no one ever claims her. As time goes by, Grace decides to name the girl Penny.. Grace and her husband decide to adopt her. Penny is sixteen years old when she’s arrested by the police for murdering her birth mother. She is covered with blood and holding the knife. The police comes to Penny’s home to tell Grace that Penny has been arrested for murder and bring a change of clothing to the police department as they have questions that Grace needs to answer too. When Grace arrives, she discovers that it isn’t Penny but Eve who is “in charge.” Eve scold her mother for using the wrong name plus more. Grace ends up telling the police she has multiple personality disorder. The police don’t believe her. She gets an attorney that she knows from work. He learns about Penny’s disorder so has her have a psychiatric exam to find out if she is insane. He is able to get Penny into a mental health prison to stay in while awaiting for her trial. Did Penny/Eve kill her birth mother? Why is Eve so sarcastic, mean and unfriendly?

This thriller starts off slow becomes very intense. The different flashbacks and points of view gives the reader a chance to see how they see Penny besides how they live their lives. I gained insight by seeing their thoughts and feelings making them seem like “real” people. There are several twists and turns in the story and unexpected surprises. The book mainly takes place in the mental hospital/prison. It’s a story I won’t forget!

This was a wonderful book!! VERY VERY CRAZY book! I love books that involve personality disorders so this one was quite interesting. It was a bit long but I still enjoyed the story. I was definitely shocked by the end to see who did it and yeah, just wasn't expecting that and there was huge scene at the end that was just insane and crazy and so much action was involved I was like whoa that came out of no where!
Definitely a good book, I would recommend this one to others to read especially if they are looking for a good psychological thriller.

I struggled to finish this as the multiple personalities got to be somewhat confusing for me. There were so many secrets, lies, and motives that made the ending too twisted. Grace was a very strong character that was determined to find the truth.

I did not finish this. I gave up as soon as I heard the premise that the daughter had split personality.

Multiple personality disorder was the core of the book. Grace got the shock of her life when the cops called her about her adopted daughter’s arrest for murder. How could her innocent child murder her birth mother? Which of her personalities killed her?

I loved the slow built up of suspense it made my pulse spike, my scalp pricked, and all I needed was the truth. The book was my solemn focus where I didn’t want to miss out on a single point.

The entire focus of the main portion of the book was on Penny’s defence when a broad minded psychiatrist was called in along with a lawyer ready to advocate for this child.

Each page unfurled tiny secrets. There were different points of focus. I loved the POV of Jack, one of Penny’s elder brother. He stood by her as she was family. It melted my heart that this family never gave up on her even when evidence mounted up.

In the last 70%, the author raised his pitch, and his words added a darker slant to what happened that night. And I had to walk through those parts as there was simply too much stress in me. Needless to say, an explosive finish. Wow!!