Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this early!
This book is one of my favorite kind of thrillers- I psychological suspense about a mother and child where they are trying to prove the insanity defense. This book is about Grace. One day she gets a call that her daughter, Penny, is in jail and is being accused of murdering her biological mother. Penny suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID- Also known as multiple personality disorder) and has no recollection of the event. DID is a controversial disease and many think that it is not valid and instead of truly having multiple personalities, they are sociopaths that do terrible things and then use the different manifestations of their personality as a defense. I don't explain the controversy nearly as well as it's done in the book, but it had me wondering the whole time-- did she do it? Is this all a show? Who can we trust? Was someone else involved?! I had so many questions. I think around the 3/4 mark the book slowed down a little and could've used some editing to prevent repetitiveness, but my biggest complaint about the book was how quickly and neatly the ending wrapped up. Often times in thrillers you get a wham, bam, thank you maam ending where its all spelled out for you and while I don't mind that necessarily, this one almost felt comedic because it was so dramatic and fast. I did not see the ending coming and I was satisfied for the most part, it just wasn't the best ending in my opinion.

SPOILERS AHEAD:
At the very beginning, Grace gets hit in a fender bender by a lawyer. He feels terrible and offers his services any time she needs it. Now months later her daughter is accused of murder so she calls him. That should've been a big tip off, but it wasn't. Most of the book is Grace and Penny's therapist, Mitch, trying to find a way to prove the insanity defense or maybe even prove that penny didn't do it. Penny has a personality named Eve who has a prior history of deviant behavior, namely setting fires and killing cats. Eve is the one present for most of the book and its easy to believe she did it because she's so nasty. However in the end it all comes out that the lawyer was actually Penny's father and he was very abusive to her and her mother. Her mom left him alone at first but then came to him for money and he threatened that her because he didn't his reputation to be ruined by his illegitimate child. Long story short, he killed her and framed Penny. Penny gets to go home and they all live happily ever after. There is a bit about her crazy brother, Ryan, who is one of Grace's biological children and that was simply thrown in for a red herring and the explanation of his jealousy and subsequent stalking was really unsatisfying to me.

I thought this was an engaging book and I found the story interesting. However, I didn't love the ending. I was mostly ok with the who did what and how. I even thought the pieces overall came together well. The main issue I had was with how the pieces were exposed. It just seemed a little too unrealistic, convenient, and maybe even rushed. Aside from the last 5% or so, the rest of the book was excellent.

I enjoyed Palmer's writing style and the story kept me wanting to come back to it. I had thoughts about how it might turn out and I was wrong. This is the opposite of the previous book I read by this author where the reader knew exactly what was going on and the MC didn't have a clue. I much prefer this type of story and generally liked our MCs.

I read the Kindle and listened to the audio version narrated by Dan Bittner & January LaVoy. I thought the narrators did an excellent job and I ended up listening to more of the story than I read on the Kindle. The narrators suited the MCs perfectly.

I will look forward to reading more of Palmer's work in the future.

I liked it, but would have preferred a story without a mental health condition at the center. I also struggled with the twist at the end because it required a significant suspension of disbelief. Those things aside, I really enjoyed the suspense & enjoyed the different perspectives.

Thank you so much Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for this Alrc!

This was an interesting read about a teenager with DID who has been accused of murder. The book seemed very well researched and at times for me read like non-fiction.

Grace is determined, as Penny’s Mom, to devote her life to making sure her daughter doesn’t go to jail. She is certain that Penny did not commit murder, but did one of her alters? The Doctors and legal system think Penny may be faking her DID and may actually be a psychopath.

I did appreciate the effort Palmer put in to writing about DID without sensationalism but I did wish for more perspective from Penny herself, I felt like she was an exhibit vs a character and I would have loved to feel more connected to her.

There were so many times in this book that I was going completely down the wrong path, lots of false leads which was fun! I did have to suspend disbelief over some events at the end as it most definitely veered away fro the non fiction angle and landed in fiction but also did enjoy how the action picked up at that point.

I thought this audiobook was really well done, I love having multiple narrators in a book and I really felt the characters’ personas come through their voices and it rounded out the story for me really well! The pacing was amazing and I could feel the stress in their voices at the right times

As a Mom, Grace drove me a bit crazy lol! But 🤷🏼‍♀️ I still appreciated her tenacity! I’m not sure I felt all of the different POVs were needed and I did have some unanswered questions and moments of ‘what happened with that?’ but all in all I really enjoyed the read!

Wow, what a ride. Highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller with lots of twists. Well developed plot and characters, highly recommend.

This book is about Penny. She is found with blood all over her and is taken to a psychiatric hospital for those with mental issues. She is the believed killer of her birth mother Rachel.

This book blew my mind! I enjoyed the side stories of each character and the way the story unfolded itself! I felt so bad for Grace and the loss of her husband, for Dr. Mitch, and the continuous relapses of his son. I felt bad for Penny's adoptive brothers and for the loss they felt of their father. There are so many threads woven together and I do not want to give much away. The narrator was brilliant and the book was a fantastic read! This is a must-read for those that fancy psychological thrillers!

It’s #pubdaytuesday for this courtroom drama that was gifted to me by @stmartinspress. Penny is rescued by her adoptive mother, Grace, who finds her abandoned at a local park. Fast forward to Penny’s senior year and Grace is shocked when the police show up at her door in the night and inform her that Penny’s been charged with the murder of her biological mother. Grace speeds to the police station to find that it isn’t Penny waiting for her arrival, but Eve. Penny has Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder) and often relies on her several personalities to help her cope with her life. Eve is tough, witty and vindictive. Grace knows they have a long road ahead of them after Penny is admitted to a hospital for the criminally insane with no end in sight until her trial.

The beginning of this one had me hooked! The concept of DID is always so fascinating to me and I actually wrote a couple of papers on it in university. As soon as I saw the premise, I knew I had to read this one. There were some great twists near the end that I didn’t see coming and I thought Grace was a total badass. There were lots of supporting characters to pump up the story and I enjoyed how their personalities meshed with the plot. I did want a little more from Ryan and Penny’s character arcs. I wanted more concrete info about Penny’s upbringing and more about Ryan’s motives. I thought the focus on Dr. Mitch was kind of unnecessary and I thought the epilogue should have been about Penny and not him. I could totally see this being an engrossing and riveting movie, hoping it gets picked up for one soon!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this book, all opinions expressed here are my own.

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer was the first book I have read by this author and I was not disappointed! I listened to the audiobook narrated by January LaVoy and Dan Bittner which I highly recommend doing as they both did a fabulous job. January in particular is one of my favourite narrators.

In The Perfect Daughter we see sixteen year old Penny arrested for murdering her birth Mum. But did she do it? Or did someone else? The problem - Penny has DID (Dissociative identity disorder) and can’t remember what happened. Plus when we first meet Penny, we meet her as Eve, one of the alters.

This is a well written book with interesting characters, a fascinating storyline and a twist I did not see coming. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading it. A fabulous 4.5 star read.

Reading Between the Wines book review #49/115 for 2021:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book 🎧: The Perfect Daughter
Author: D.J. Palmer
Genre: General Fiction (Adult)
RELEASED on April 20, 2021!!! Get your copy!!
Recommended to readers who like a psychological thriller about dissociative disorders/multiple personalities.

Sipping thoughts: Multiple personality disorder, split personalities, or dissociative disorder-however you recognize it-has been one of my favorite psychological disorders that can be written about or made into film. It is so interesting to me and the polarizing views on whether it is a true disorder, or some made up phenomenal makes it that more interesting. Following Penny on this journey to see if she is a murderer who made a mistake or a psychopath faking her disorder (ala Primal Fear) was such a thrilling ride. I thought I knew where the story was headed but Palmer throws not one but two late twists in the mix that had my jaw dropping. You are going to want to add this to your immediate TBR today!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley, @MacmillanAudio, and @djpalmerauthor for an advanced copy of @ThePerfectDaughter

#ThePerfectDaughter #MacmillanAudio #DJPalmer #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThriller #GeneralFictionAdult

After Grace discovers an abandoned 4-year old girl in a park, she knows the little one is destined to be her daughter. Grace fights hard to foster the girl and ultimately adopts her into the family. Grace and her husband, Arthur, have two boys, Ryan and Jack, but Grace has always wanted to mother a daughter. That relationship is just so special.

As it turns out, mothering this particular little girl, named Penny by her older brother, Jack, is more challenging than Grace initially anticipated. Penny, due to trauma in her early life, has suffered a schism within her psyche, outwardly displayed as a case of Dissociative Identity Disorder, or DID.

Once known as Multiple Personality Disorder, Grace and the rest of the family are slowly introduced to Penny's alters, Ruby, Chloe and Eve. When Penny is accused of killing her birth mother, caught red handed at the woman's apartment, Grace knows there has to be another explanation. Her sweet Penny would never be capable of such violence. But would one of her alters? Would Eve, the most aggressive and openly hostile?

Penny gets arrested, and subsequently committed, to Edgewater Psychiatric Hospital for care and treatment prior to her trial. It is there that she comes under the care of the perceptive, Dr. Mitch McHugh.

The Perfect Daughter is a fast-paced and intriguing Psychological Suspense novel. Palmer did a great job of keeping the tension high throughout the story. I was constantly questioning who, or what, to believe. I know that mental health and disorders can be a complicated topic to write about, but I never felt icky about this. It felt like Palmer handled the topic with care, never demonizing Penny simply because she suffered from DID.

In signature Palmer style, this did get pretty wild towards the end, but it was a heck of a lot of fun to read. He definitely has a brand and style he keeps returning to, and you know what, it works for me. It may be a little far-fetched, but it keeps me coming back every time!! The audiobook is fantastic, highly recommend that medium, as the narrators truly sweep you up into the story!

Thank you so much to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies of this to read and review. In my opinion, this is Palmer's best work yet, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with next!

I was thrilled to try this one as an audiobook! The narrators did a great job and none of the voices were annoying or distracting.

I can honestly say that it took me 3/4 of the book before I could even start guessing the twists! There were some really great surprises that were not predictable, and that is rare for many books.

This was 4 stars for me because it was a bit too long. Some of the side stories felt a bit unnecessary. But, the book hooked me from start to finish.

Penny has Dissociative Identity Disorder. Which is so fascinating to learn about. She finds herself being charged with manslaughter, but did she really commit the crime. Will one of her personality confess? It had me guessing until the very end. I love the view points from many of the characters as well!

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an advanced ecopy of The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer. I just finished this COMPLETELY addictive thriller and switched between Kindle and Audio for an ideal experience. I first read DJ Palmer last year when I got an ARC of his last book, The New Husband. I learned at that time that DJ Palmer writes childrens' POV really well. In The Perfect Daughter, he has only gotten better at writing unique POVs. This book is written mostly from the perspective of a mother as well as the Psychiatrist of a teen who has been diagnosed with Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder. The teen has been accused of a gruesome murder. The mother is determined to save the daughter from a life in prison as she feels the girl could not be held accountable for her actions even if she did the murder based on her psychiatric problems. She also holds out hope that her daughter might not have even been the person who committed the murder despite overwhelming evidence.

We learn that DID is still a very controversial condition that not all psychiatrists even believe is a real condition. Meaning, using that diagnosis as Penny's sole defense is not an option. The novel is spent between the mother trying to find out what really happened-either what caused Penny to murder or who might have been responsible if not Penny- and Penny's new Psychiatrist in the Prison Psychiatric Hospital trying to get through Penny's personalities to determine whether she actually has the condition, and if so, did one of her alternate personalities know who did the murder or the motive.

In addition to the mother's rabid quest to save her daughter, she is also dealing with her two sons who have always experienced the side effects of their mother's devotion to such a troubled daughter. They are in turns loyal and resentful of all Penny's problems have caused and how much of their mother they lost due to her devotion to Penny. A portion of the novel is written from the perspective of the younger of the two sons, who is close to Penny's age.

Getting to the resolution of the mystery was really entertaining. I enjoyed learning about DID. I enjoyed exploring what a potential family dynamic would look like if one member of the family had such a mental disorder, particularly if that member were adopted as an older child. There was quite a bit of misdirection at times, and a few surprises along the way. The book was not predictable and didn't stretch belief enough to be annoying. I would definitely recommend the print or audio versions of The Perfect Daughter to any of thriller lover. DJ Palmer is definitely a new must-read author for me after enjoying these first two I have read.

I’m not a big audio book user, but I’m glad I gave this a try! It’s everything I hoped it would be! Lots of great twists and turns to keep you guessing.

The best psychological thriller I have read in a long time.

Penny murdered her birth mom. Her adoptive mother, Grace, was told Penny was found holding the knife, covered in blood. But things are not what they seem- Penny has multiple personalities (aka Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID). Grace knows Penny would never murder anyone, but fears one of her alters, namely Eve, is capable of murder. Eve had even written out a hit list with her birth mom on it.

Penny is held in a psychiatric hospital leading up to her trial. Grace is determined to figure out what really happened and gets Penny's therapist, Mitch, to help her untangle everything. Unfortunately, Eve, who is the most defiant of Penny's alters, seems to be present. Mitch and Grace try to find ways to reach Penny and her other two alters- Ruby and Chloe- in order to figure out what happened that night. Each alter seems to give a clue, but they are running out of time.

I listened to the audiobook version. There are two narrators- January LaVoy and Dan Bittner. January LaVoy narrates the majority of the book and does a good job. She mainly narrates from Grace's POV, but it also switches to other POVs- including Mitch. Dan Bittner narrates Jack's POV. Jack is Penny's older brother. While the narration is not bad, I felt like I lost connection with the book. Since January LaVoy narrates multiple POVs, it just seemed to break the rhythm when it switched to Jack's POV. I think either everyone's POV should have had a different narrator or the entire book should have had only one narrator. But, just my opinion. The narration is clear and paced well.

I definitely recommend. Especially with the aspect of DID and Penny's alters, it made it even more interesting- you never knew who was going to show up. I had many, many theories about what happened, but I did not figure it all out until just before the climax.

I received a copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

The twists and surprises were unexpected yet perfect.
The Perfect Daughter is a deep insight into the mind of mental illness. And Palmer covered it perfectly!

Read this because you won't be disappointed.

This was a great story! I really enjoyed learning about D.I.D. This is a disorder that I truly didn't know much about, and I liked the way the story focused on it. It was a bit heartbreaking honestly. Reading about the emotional struggles that the family goes through was hard. The thriller aspect of the story was great as well! I loved the secrets, and the big reveals. It was well thought out, and I did not know where the story was going to go until it happened!

I highly recommend this for readers that enjoy thrillers with a legal aspect. I listened to the audio of this book as well as reading the e-book. I enjoyed the narrators! They did an excellent job!

Content warning: Child abuse.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Sixteen years old and Penny is a murderer. She had an unusual relationship with the victim and was found in her apartment, holding the murder weapon and covered in the woman’s blood. And Penny seems to have more than one personality hiding inside her mind. Her mother Grace is desperate to save her daughter from a life behind bars while at the same time trying to find out what’s wrong with the child. Is an insanity defense the only answer? With the help of psychiatrist Mitch McHugh, Grace begins the agonizing journey for her daughter’s sanity and freedom. A terrifying read

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer was a thriller that kept me questioning what I thought I knew till the very end. The narrators on this audiobook were so good and gave such life to the characters. I really liked hearing from the different points of view on this one and think it really enhances the story. A quick, enjoyable listen!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

Reading this book made me think that I should probably read some nonfiction about DID, former known as multiple personalities, because the novels I read featuring this disorder all seem so contrived and over the top. Maybe it’s actually these books that have it right, with each different “alter” seeming more like a cliche of a personality, and I’m the one who doesn’t have a clue? Anyhow...
Throughout most of the story, I was thinking I’d give it three stars. It was entertaining enough, even though there were things that bugged me, like:
1. see above
2. the way characters would give long, Scooby Doo explanations that were unnecessary, I assume as a way for the author to over explain things to us dense readers
However, the last quarter of the book, specifically the courtroom part, got so preposterous that I had no choice but to drop a star. I mean, it was baaad. I don’t want to give any spoilers, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.
Thanks to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for this ARC of #theperfectdaughter in exchange for an honest review.