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.

Published on September 15 this very much asks the question: what would you do? How would you react if, like Susie Jukes, you’re contacted on social media by Anna, the girl you gave up for adoption over a decade ago. Would you, like Susie, want to meet her? Know her? Explain to her why things were the way they were? You’d certainly be interested in how she’s getting on, even if her home life sounds less than ideal, as it does to Susie and her husband Gabe. Why are Anna's adoptive parents unhappy that she’s contacted Susie? Very quickly it’s clear that Anna needs some help, leading to Susie and Gabe to act in what they hope is her best interests. It may not be in their best interests though, as Anna is far from a model teenager. She’s not the only one with secrets though, and sure enough, the odd little trio’s revelations will all cause a stir…

A fantastic story with lots of different twists and turns. The characters are developed really well with the story told from the 3 main ones. Short chapters so easy to read would really recommend

You know when you pick up a book by this author you are in for a treat ! If you love your twists and turns , great characters and never knowing what is coming next this one is for you .

Really enjoyed this book. Brilliant style of writing and kept me engaged the whole way through. It is one of those books that keeps you turning the pages to find out what is going to happen.