Thanks net galley for allowing me to read this absolutely a.corker of a book, it’s uncovering how damaging social media can be ,and also a damaged child.
Susie gave her baby up for adoption and has never really forgotten her darling daughter.
Fifteen years when Susie was happily married, but finding it hard to carry a baby through pregnancy she found out information about the baby she had given away,
Wanting to meet her daughter caused terrible problems as her daughter had mental problems and is angry at the world.
By posting information. On social media she caused trouble nobody could have realised.
This was a terrific book and deserves more than five stars.
Read it.

I really enjoyed reading My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney. It was a gripping read and I highly recommend it

Just like everything else JP Delaney has written, I adored Darling Daughter. I loved the twists and turns the book took, not all of which I saw coming.

I also loved the amount of love that was shown by the characters in this book, when many wouldn’t have bothered or would have given up.

A harrowing story of an abused unstable teenager, a married couple dealing with hidden secrets from their past compounded by the tragedy of multiple miscarriages. The catastrophic results when previous actions and current circumstances implode on everyone involved towards an inevitable conclusion that will affect and cause damage and danger to everyone involved. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for ARC.

Wow - I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have loved all JP Delaney’s books having read them all. Every book is different, every story line original and this is another example of a great story written exceedingly well with characters that are relatable and true.

Highly recommend.

Exquisitely dark and thrilling. This story takes on some brave and raw topics such as a child being taken for adoption and the long lasting after effects for both them and their birth parent psychologically. It also explores some dark Underworlds such as county lines, sex work and sexual exploitation within the music industry.
The tension in this book builds slowly and stealthily at first and I was really drawn into the characters and their lives. I felt I was on an emotional rollercoaster along with them and took the blows of each twist and turn to whiplash proportions. Thoroughly enjoyable and I’d definitely recommend.

Thank you to the publisher for this ARC copy of My Darling Daughter.

Susie and Gabe appear to have it all. Successful music superstars, the lifestyle and friends to match. Behind closed doors they’re desperately trying to become parents. With a string of miscarriages leaving them deflated they almost give up hope when Susie receives a letter from her long lost daughter Sky.
Immediately they hit it off and help Sky to escape a troubling situation - but what if Sky is the problem?
As stunning revelations come to light Susie and Gabe struggle to hold on to all they’ve built and everything they hope so much to have. Can a blast from your past really end your future?

I loved the character of Sky. She was devious and calculated yet somehow likeable and well formed. The story was gripping and twisty in a family drama scene. JP Delaney fans will be thrilled with this!

I binge-read this one in two sittings!

So engaging, kept you wanting more. Chapters are short so it makes it easier to read.

There has been lots of research done on adoption and attachment, but I found the characters to be quite plain and simplistic, quite unrealistic, all avoiding the massive red flags from the beginning.

Susie had her child taken from her and put into adoption. Said child shows up 15 years later and things get messy.

Is not one of my top books from this author but still a good read. It can get heavy at times so check the trigger warnings!

Addictive and intriguing

I really like this author's books, and I wasn't disappointed with this one. It was a good quick read. Intriguing, unpredictable, and you just have to keep on reading. So who is lying?

It's fiction, yet of course could happen. I tend to prefer to read true stories and this is a fiction book you can lose yourself in, feel for the characters, and really believe what they're going through. Well-written, and easy to read.

Written from Gabe's, Susie's, then Anna's point of view, alternates between the different characters in short segments which moves it on quickly.

His books are addictive, I've read every one, and can't put them down. I just felt it lost a bit of momentum near the end, and then picked up again for a satisfying conclusion.

JP Delaney a master of the quick, page-turning chapter and the multi-POV - this was no exception! I'll read anything he writes, but add this to your Autumn reading list ASAP.

I love JP Delany's books so couldn't wait to start this one. It wasn't as good as the previous books but it was still engaging. As a mum I find Susie was quite immature herself and struggled to set boundaries and also forgot her priorities along the way. After Sky's accusations, Gabe was still holding on which I found quite unrealistic. I can't believe that they couldn't see the red flags and put their relationship to the test. I was also waiting for some kind of twist in the story but none came. It is completely different from the previous books which is why I probably did not get totally bowled over but it was still a nice story.

This is a tale of an adoption reunion that has gone wrong. It’s my first J.P. Delaney read and it sure made an impression on me!

Completely out of the blue, Susie is contacted by her long-lost daughter, Anna, who was put up for adoption fifteen years prior. For context, Susie is now an accomplished singer and is married to fellow rockstar, Gabe. Both of them have been earnestly trying for a child for several years but they were never blessed despite their numerous attempts. Understandably so, as soon as Susie heard from Anna for the first time, she was strongly keen to welcome her only child back to her life — especially after having recently discovered that Anna is “desperately unhappy” with her life in her adoptive parents’ home. When details of Anna’s traumatic childhood start to emerge, Susie is determined to release Anna from her adoptive parents’ grip.

Deception is in the air and there are lies to be exposed. Who is telling the truth?

Things I enjoyed in My Darling Daughter:
- Short chapters and good writing style - Reading this was a breeze, with its bite-sized chapters, combined with the author’s no-nonsense writing style.
- Deep and well-researched - Serious topics like adoption jn the UK, trauma, infertility/childbirth, abuse were effectively unpacked from a psychological POV, as well as a legal POV. In his note, the author mentioned that he has used details from memoirs, first-hand testimonials, and interviews. No wonder the novel seemed really authentic! There is much to learn about psychology and UK law from this novel.
- Relationships and emotions - The ups and downs in the relationships between Susie, Gabe, and Anna were beautifully portrayed in the story.
- The suspense of what [insert-character-here] is going to do next!

5 SOLID STARS! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me access to an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐️

A gripping page turner!🔥📚

I really enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting. I liked the unique plot and how each short chapter was told from a different characters perspective. 📚

I really sympathised with Susie and Gabe and was frustrated with the unfolding events throughout. I was practically shouting at the book. However, this frustration enticed me to read on and I believe that Delaney cleverly makes the reader feel this way.

I don’t want to talk about Anna too much to avoid spoilers, but she definitely gave me Violet vibes from The Push. 🔥

This read had me hooked and was a lovely easy read. I definitely feel like there could have been a more powerful and WOW ending!

Many thanks to JP Delaney, NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC!

I definitely recommend this read that will be published on 15th September 22!🔥📚

⚠️ Check out the trigger warnings for this read!

This is a fascinating tale about a mother who gave her child up for adoption and who now is living a completely different life with her husband. Then, the adopted daughter makes contact and wants to meet as, she's not 'safe'. What follows is a really good read about trust, lies, secrets and family and it's a good one!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to preview and wishing the author every success with this interesting dramatic read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Susie and Gabe are married musicians who are having trouble having a baby when the 15 year old daughter, Anna/Sky that she put up for adoption as a baby comes back into their lives claiming she is being abused by her adoptive family. Of course Susie and Gabe jump in to help but soon things take a turn for the worse.

Unfortunately this was my least favorite book by this author. I got bored with Sky's antics and if I was Gabe, I would have left that situation early on. I am not a parent, but Susie seemed to have blinders on about Sky. I felt like this was a family drama and I just didn't find it that compelling. The ending also didn't do much for me. I will still read more from this author because I have really enjoyed other books.

What an interesting read!

This book shines a light on the complex and difficult world of adoption, fostering and looked after children and the levels of trauma this marginalised group of young people experience. A great read in that respect. However, I came here expecting some sort of unexpected twist or some shock value that I have seen before in Delaney’s stories and felt slightly let down not to have more of that.

All I camn say is "wow Thisbook is like "Long List Families" on steroids! Suzie and Gabe are successful rock stars with glittering careers and all the trappings that go with it. When Suzie was a young girl she was involved in a bad relationship which resulted in pregnancy and subsequent adoption of the baby.

Roll on 15 years and out of the blue, Suzie is contacted on social media by a young girl claiming to be her daughter. After investigating further it seems that the claims are true,. Skye who has now been renamed Anna eventually meets Suzie and Gabe and they are both upset to learn that the adoptive parents are abusive towards Anna and she is desperate to escape. After a legal battle, the adoptive parents wash their hands of Anna and she comes to live with Gabe and Suzie. Suzie has been struggling for a while to carry a baby full term so the return of her Kong lost daughter seems like the answer to their prayers. Or is it?????

Be careful what you wish for as you may get more than you bargained for,

I love JP Delaney and have enjoyed all his books to date - even my perfect wife which was very odd.

This is yet again a completley different style, definitely fast paced and suspensful but without any real crime or thriller aspect. It is really an exploraiton of the adoption process in the UK and the psycholigcal damage that can be attributed to it by way of attachment disorder and is probably in similar style to Playing Nice.

Told from multiple POVs the only character I really cared for was Gabe and I would have liked to see his character and backstory developed more - particulalry with the #metoo allegations and his dealing with the fall out when they arise. While I could sympathise with Susie I found her irrational and self absorbed- and obviously Skye/Anna is a complete sociopath but her chapters were interesting enough if not a bit shallow.

All in all I raced through the book and I really really wanted to love it, but I guess I am still longing for a return to The Girl Before success of his first book as I just couldn't give it a hugher rating. A solid 3 maybe 3.5 stars from me and a huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been a huge fan of JP Delaney’s thrillers since I stumbled across his amazing book, Playing Nice.
And so I’ve been eagerly anticipating his latest novel, My Darling Daughter and was fortunate to receive an advance copy.
My Darling Daughter is probably most similar in its premise to Playing Nice, than any of JP Delaney’s other works, in that it takes what could be a realistic life dilemma you could imagine happening and dives into the detail with forensic-like authenticity.
In Playing Nice, we’re asked to imagine a scenario in which a couple with a young son discover their child has been accidentally switched at birth in the hospital and now the parents of the child they are raising as their own are demanding his return.
In a similar vein, My Darling Daughter is the story of Gabe and Susie (told from their alternating perspectives) who receive a letter out of the blue from 15-year-old Anna, who claims she’s Susie’s daughter who was put up for adoption when she was a baby.
In the letter, she appeals to the couple for help, claiming that she’s in real trouble and doesn’t know where else to turn.
When Gabe and Susie investigate, delighted that Anna’s reached out to them, it appears her adoptive family have been subjecting her to appalling controlling abuse.
But this is a thriller. Things are never quite as they seem and this story is no exception.
Through every page, the reader is asked to question the truth and who’s lying, while posing the thought in your head ‘what would I do if I was in their shoes.’
Although an exceptional story, beautiful well told, it’s not quite on a par with Playing Nice.
Its strength is its realism. It’s clearly been incredibly well researched. The hoops and challenges Gabe and Susie are put through by social services and the authorities feel genuine and have you at times pulling out your hair in frustration.
And because of this, it becomes more than a simple thriller, and something of a critic of the way adoption and family legal matters are dealt with in the UK.
The only criticism I have, from a story perspective, is that while in Playing Nice I could totally identify with the main husband and wife character, in My Darling Daughter, Susie and Gabe and both famous musicians.
In fact, Gabe was in a boy band and they now live in a fabulous house in the country with all the trappings of wealth a successful career brings.
Unfortunately, for most people that’s a lifestyle we can only dream of, and makes it more difficult as a reader to slip into their shoes.
However, it doesn’t distract from a brilliant, rich, clever story. And if you love a good thriller with complex characters, I highly recommend My Darling Daughter.

To categorize this book as a thriller or mystery is not correct, it is more of a family drama. Susie Jukes a successful singer in her early 30's is happily married. Out of the blue her 15 year old daughter, whom she gave up for adoption as a teenager herself turns up. The whole family dynamics changes from this point. Not the best book by JP Delaney that I have read but an interesting one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus for the advance copy of this book