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

My Darling Daughter by J P Delaney
I have read other books by J P Delaney such as The Girl Before and Playing Nice. This author also writes under pseudonyms as Tony Strong and Anthony Capella. This novel is all about Susie Jukes, a musician and her husband Gabe who was once a member of a successful boy band. They bonded over their losses, she a baby she gave up for adoption and he a child lost to leukaemia.
They have the seemingly perfect life apart from the fact that they are unable to have a child. She has suffered numerous miscarriages and they have almost got to the point of giving up trying. Then they are contacted by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption 15 years before. They agree to meet up with her for a coffee and the story she tells them of her life at home seems worrying. They believe she is the victim of coercive control.
Despite the fact that she is not old enough to leave home she comes to stay at their house and there is a difficult altercation when they are accused by the police of her abduction. Alarm bells ring about Anna from the outset and her version of events does not seem to fit with the facts. Anna’s relationship with Gabe and Susie quickly becomes extremely difficult. How can they resolve the problems which have developed over the previous 15 years.
It is an interesting story but I did not find it as gripping as others I have read by the author. I felt like shouting at Susie, “What on earth are you doing! Don’t believe everything she tells you!” on many occasions. I would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this novel in return for and honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book.

J P Delaney has done it again. This book us an absolute page turner that keeps you gripped throughput.

The book focuses on Susie & Gabe - they are a glamorous couple who have everything they want except for a child.

Suspect hears out of the blue from the daughter who was placed for adoption 15 years ago. What follows is their reunion with all the highs, lows and everything in between that you would expect.

3.5 stars rounded up. As with the former books this is a well written page turner but I didn't like it as much as his earlier books, mainly because I found all the characters slightly off-putting. The amount of lying and subterfuge that goes on makes it hard to sympathise with either Susie or Anna. The story is well crafted and the characters are believable and it exposes sides of the adoption process that are definitely worth knowing about. It's a good book, it just gave me a bad feeling but that's on me and not so much on the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book

When Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by a girl named Anna her whole world changes. Anna is now 15, and was given up for adoption by Susie when she was just a baby.

Anna reveals that her current home life is difficult and proceeds to continue to turn up at Susie and her husband Gabe’s house.

Anna however, is not quite the innocent she portrays herself as and as her relationship with Susie develops, she begins to destroy the relationship between husband and wife.

While I enjoyed this and it was an easy read, some of the storylines seems
A bit far fetched tor me.

Worth a read if you’ve enjoyed previous from this author as I have

I had to DNF this book because of the constant self-back-pats of the author when they brought up divisive political talking points; the basic, predictable plot; the embarrassingly amateur prose and worst of all, the boring, stupid characters which I neither liked nor cared about.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with a free copy in return for my honest review.

JP Delaney does not disappoint! I had a chance to previously read 'Playing Nice' and this is the second book I had a chance to read. Whilst it wasn't as thrilling as the first title, I enjoyed it nevertheless.

Out of the blue, Susie Jones is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago.
But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.
But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here - secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?

What I love about JP Delaney's stories is that they're focusing on issues that could literally happen to anyone. They cover justice system and loopholes that, if abused, can lead to very tricky situations. I also loved how educational this particular book was on adoption in the UK, certain psychological aspects and more. And whilst the story didn't go where I personally hoped it would I still had a great time and I can't wait to read more books of this author.

Thank you Netgallery and Quercus for giving me a possibility to review the book before the release.

I've been looking forward to this one from JP Delaney. He never lets us down. This is another great read. Can't wait for more!!

A very gripping thriller from start to finish! The multiple POVs of Susie, Gabe and Anna/Sky gave depth to the story, and some interesting issues were tackled well. I was thoroughly engaged from start to finish!

I have always been a fan of JP Delaney’s books and this one definitely did not disappoint. It is one of those books that you just need to keep reading to see how it all ends. I almost felt like I knew the characters in the story and felt empathy for their situation. Definitely recommend.

Thank you for this ARC for an honest review. I really liked this book and how each chapter was based on a character. The story about adoption and the expectations sought and not reached at first was very compelling, and made you want to keep reading. I devoured the book in a few days. Would thoroughly recommend to others.

The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . . .
Out of the blue, Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago. 
But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.
But is Anna's own behaviour simply what you'd expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?
Wow truly gripping I read this book in one sitting totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Quercus Books
I just reviewed My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney. #MyDarlingDaughter #NetGalley

I’ve read a few of JP Delaney’s books now but I really think this one will turn out to be my favourite.

Susie and Gabe are happily married, have incredible jobs and a fantastic lifestyle. The only thing missing is a child of their own. So when Susie receives a letter reportedly from the baby she gave up for adoption at birth, she just has to find out more to see if Anna is her daughter. When it transpires that Anna is in fact baby Sky all grown up, Susie and Gabe have to contend with introducing a teenage girl to their lives. A teenage girl who says she can’t live with her adoptive family any longer. A teenage girl who hints at abuse at home and coercive techniques meant to keep her in line. A teenager girl who wants to know more about Susie and Gabe, and is just about ready to do whatever that takes…..

This book made me gasp in places as the story twisted and became more and more horrifying. I really couldn’t see how it could all be tied up before the end but that’s the beauty of a great writer.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review. Would highly recommend.

This was a fascinating read depicting the reunion between a mother and the child she was forced to give up for adoption fifteen years ago. I really liked how cleverly and sensitively the author wrote about attachment disorder and other issues that face children in care. The plot was well developed and full of interesting twists. A really great read!

An interesting story about adoption and many more secrets. I didn't feel it resolved neatly but I guess that was the point. Pretty well written and an engaging enough read.

Out of the blue, Susie Jones is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago. But when they meet, Anna's home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna's adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.

I have to say this was not my favourite book by JP Delaney but I still enjoyed it, I have read many by this author and they have always thought highly of them, this one just did not grab me as his others have. The story is told by three POV's of the main characters, Susie, Gabe and Anna. The story moves at a reasonable pace and as it progresses we learn more about each character and gain insight into their personalities. None of them are particularly likeable and I did not find myself being invested in them, but I kept turning the pages as I wanted to know how this dysfunctional family would resolve the situation they found themselves in. The book covers some sensitive subjects but JP handled them well and had obviously done his homework into how lives are affected by topics such as child abuse, mental health and adoption. Do not let you put this off as it really is the back bone of the story.

I will still always be looking out for books by this author so thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Sure, a gripping novel, but - not unlike the particular daughter - a bit haphazardly, the whole of the story depending on her. Lots of themes that were sort of loose ends at the end, but perhaps I simply had too high expectations after reading JP Delaney's The Perfect Wife

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of the book.