A gripping tale that reiterates the say Be careful what you wish for. Although Susie was overwhelmed to get Sky - the baby she had adopted 15 years ago- back in her life, things soon get very complicated. Very quick read as the pages keep turning.

Delaney delivers another thoughtful and gripping psychological family drama based on social services and adoption / fostering cases.
Susie is contacted by her teenage daughter, who wants to re-unite with her after she was removed from her care as a baby due to her drug lifestyle. Sky makes accusations against her adoptive father, who she claims has been controlling and inappropriate. Susie, along with her new husband, support Sky and after some confrontations, the Mulcahey family wash their hands of her, saying she can stay with Susie and Gabe. A bit too eagerly.
It soon becomes clear Sky has deep psychological issues about abandonment and anger management problems, as she gradually turns Susie and Gabe’s idyllic life into a nightmare.
Delaney’s compassion and experience shine through. After incidents that many other parents might write their child off as beyond hope, his characters cling to redemption and a positive resolution.

Thank you netgalley for a copy of My Darling Daughter in exchange for an honest review.

I need to start this off with I love JP Delaney's work, he has a brilliant mind and writes a really good thiller.

Whilst this one was different to his normal style, and I'm not the biggest fan of the problem daughter trope, or the domestic thriller category in general (give me a cat and mouse or murder!) I think Delaney did a good job in keeping me hooked throughout. As always he has a writing style that you can't help but devour, and I really enjoyed the jumping through different character points of view.

All kinds of emotions were bought of of the reader in this book, and it was another of his that I just burned through in one sitting. I liked how it unfolded, it kept the tension throughout, it had me shouting at my book in frustration at parts too.

Overall a really strong book, better for those who prefer a less gruesome tale. Perfect for any Delaney fan!

Another enthralling JP Delaney novel on families, this one focusing on the theme of adoption and past mistakes. Susie and Gabe, a successful musician couple have their marriage turned upside down when Susie's long lost daughter contacts her out of the blue. It's a tense read with allegations left right and centre and its never certain howzanything will be resolved. I think anyone who has had experiences with fertility, miscarriages, fostering /adoption or county lines may find it emotionally draining. It was a one day read for me, I really cared about the characters and was rooting for Sky the whole way through.

Another triumph!

Deleaney certainly doesn’t shy away from difficult and complex topics. My darling daughter is a complex look at an extreme situation.

As a Social Worker, there are minor mistakes in some of the terminology or procedures (most strikingly that a record would forever be kept as “unborn Thompson”!)

Part of me feels bad about writing about someone who is care experienced as such a negative character, although this book does a good job of showing the complexities and not showing people as outright good or bad. However, it also highlights the real difficulties of the system, made worse by child exploitation and county lines.

I loved the characters, they were real, exceedingly flawed, and yet no one was shown as good or bad.

The situation, while not (sadly) beyond belief, is the extreme end of reality (thankfully), but many of the issues covered are common for care experienced people and adoptees.

A brilliant work of fiction that I devoured.

As always JP Delaney knocks it out the park! A gripping read and a fascinating brief look into the adoption and foster world that many have no clue into. I loved reading this book and was gripped to see what happened to each character. Thank you for letting me read an advanced copy!!

Susie is contacted by the daughter she gave up 15 years ago and this is only the beginning. A powerful story of family, secrets, lies and danger. Sky the daughter is damaged, volatile and has an agenda and will do whatever she can to get what she thinks she deserves. Each chapter is given over to one of the three main characters, this is a psychological thriller with bite, full of heart stopping moments, fast paced and impossible to put down. Another triumph from this very talented author loved it!!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

When Susie is contacted by the daughter she gave up for adoption 15 years ago, she is sure that the girl is in need of her help. Together with her husband Gabe, they do their best to help, but what follows will test their relationship to the max. A story of secrets, family and danger. A good read that keeps you turning the pages. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.

When Susie is contacted by the daughter she lost 15 years previously, she feels the missing piece is finally coming together. But Susie and husband Gabe soon realise not everything is as it seems with Sky, and that there are issues deeper than they could ever realise...

J.P. Delaney always writes absolutely fantastic stories, and this is another brilliant one. I was completely gripped the whole way through, desperate to find out the ending. This is going to be incredibly popular, and a favourite for J.P. Delaney fans!

It started with a message. Susie gets a lot of messages, especially when her band played a big show or had a new song come out. But this one changes everything. It's from Anna, who 15 years ago was Sky, the baby Susie gave up for adoption and is desperately unhappy at home with the man she calls the Monster.

Susie and her husband Gabe can't deny the fact they need to reach out to her - it's clear something strange is happening, that Anna and her adoptive family are hiding secrets but they're not the only ones. And once those secrets come out, they could burn down the lives of everyone who hears them.

"A therapist once told me that the pain of loss doesn't shrink, but sometimes we're able to let our lives expand around it, the way a tree can grow around a nail. I think that's what happened with me."

My Darling Daughter is a dark, gritty tale about the harsh hidden underbelly of the most seemingly normal lives and the secrets we keep. Immediately, Delaney starts crafting out complex characters that easily recognisable - all of them deeply emotive and moving, in their struggles and desperation for love and family no matter the cost.

From the first few pages, we're instilled with a feeling that something isn't right - an unease, a worry, a fear that something is waiting in the shadows. Each little thing, each small detail in the scenes of domesticity and normal life set of quiet alarm bells as well as deafening ones.

This story moves slowly, each seemingly meaningless interaction or task building the story and creating a bigger picture you didn't see coming. Each story stands out on it's own merit, but they gradually weave together and morph into something totally different.

This story is the very definition of a rollercoaster book - twisted and thrilling, with turns that leave a sinking feeling deep in your stomach.

When Susie receives a message from a teenager saying she is the baby that was given up for adoption Susie is overjoyed to meet her daughter.
This encounter will have far reaching consequences for Susie and her family that she couldn’t have imagined.
I enjoyed this book and was engaged in the story from the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Palpable Suspense…
When Susie Jukes is contacted by the daughter she gave up for adoption many years ago she is keen to get to know her. She could never have foreseen the events that would transpire. After meeting Anna, something feels wrong to Susie. Does Anna need Susie’s help? Amidst a gathering momentum of tension, secrets may out. The author succeeds again in a tale well told, difficult issues are handled with care and empathy and the suspense is often palpable.

A thrilling read from JP Delaney. The subject of adoption handled sensitively but exciting enough to keep me reading.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

J.P Delaney does it again. This was gripping and thrilling from the first page. The pacing was perfect, and the little twists and turns had me devouring this in 2 sittings (would have been 1 but I needed sleep!). The different character perspectives were wonderfully written. Fantastic read

I never repeat the blurb. Thoroughly enjoyed this. Not only is the issue of adoption handled really sensitively, but the thriller/whodunit factor kept me gripped and guessing to the end.

You know you're in safe psychological thriller hands with JP Delaney - previous books have covered a range of domestic thriller areas which have always been good to read. My Darling Daughter moves into a new subject area , when Susie is contacted by Anna, the daughter she gave up for adoption as a small baby. Susie has been desperate to hear from Anna. not least because she has never managed to have another child- and she forms a strong bond with Anna immediately, against the wishes of Anna's adoptive parents. Their relationship is almost one of sisters, though Susie doesn't want to say no to Anna in any way, trying to fill the gap left by 15 years away from one another.

I found the story utterly gripping, bouncing from believing one character's motivation to totally changing my opinion in the next chapter. Susie obviously wants to be the mother she couldnt be for Anna, and Anna is desperate to find acceptance and understanding as well. The story sensitively handles the some of the issues that might arise through the adoption process, for the child, the birth parent and the adoptive family. it certainly opened my eyes to issues i'd never thought of before, and gave me a lot to think about, as well as being a page-turning whizz of a story,

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for the chance to read the ARC, I cant wait to see it on the shelves!

I'm not a fan of domestic thriller but the blurb sounded great and I was right as it's a twisty and complex thriller that kept me on the edge.
There's plenty of secrets and twists, you don't who is the victim and who the culprit till the end.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I was expecting mystery and suspense, and this is more of a psychological thriller. While some secrets from the past are revealed, a few questions are answered and there are twists and turns, this book is much more in line with the recent trend of domestic thrillers or psychological thrillers.

Susie and Gabe have been unsuccessfully trying to conceive a child for some time. They even consider other options when they suddenly come into contact with Anna, the daughter Susie gave birth to long ago, in a different life, and whom she has given up for adoption. It seems that a teenager did not find love in her new home, and adoptive parents may abuse her. Susie, feeling remorse for abandoning her child, gets involved in helping the girl. But we soon find out that there is something strange about the whole case and everyone have some secrets.

I liked the idea for this story. While I'm usually not a huge fan of stories in which we wonder if there is something wrong with that child, or if the adults are wrong or up to something, it all worked out fine in this case. J. P. Delaney is able to develop a complicated psychological story well and build complex and multidimensional characters, which he perfectly demonstrated in this book.

It wasn't exactly a story for me as I would prefer more mystery and suspense than a psychological game, but I think this is a good book for people looking for a story like that. It certainly held my attention.

My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney
Published by Quercus
Publication Date 22/9/22

No Spoilers

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Good psychological thriller with plenty of twists and turns.

Well this was hard to put down, a definite page Turner from start to finish, a great storyline told very well, loved the facts along the way, great read