My Darling Daughter, J P Delaney

Susie Jones is contacted out of the blue by the child she placed for adoption 15 years ago. Anna is unhappy with her parents, Susie is convinced she needs help. But something much darker is at play here and Susie is drawn into something she can’t control.

This book deals with A LOT of themes and needs a few trigger warnings and I didn’t expect how much i’d have to say about it.

Firstly TW for miscarriage followed by SA, self harm, rape and more! The main bulk of this story is the theme of adoption and how complex and multi-facted this issue can be. This story from a famed and successful thrill writer obviously deals with the darkest possible outcome. It’s another turn from a writer who constantly spins his genre whenever he starts writing a new book.

I’m a self proclaimed J P Delaney fan. I really am, but the secondary storyline in this was not for me. The addition of the #metoo storyline was unneeded, lacked nuance and layers and was rushed. Being told by a man, through mostly the eyes of a man and being swept under the rug of male trauma just wasn’t good enough. It would have been better served out of the novel completely.

That aside, the rest of the novel was written with Delaneys usual skill and talent and was deeply engrossing.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Quercus books for my copy.

Another fantastic book by JP Delaney and one that I really enjoyed.
I was quickly engrossed in the story and raced through it. The plot and characters were engaging and there were enough twists that kept me guessing.
It’s an easy read and one that I’d recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the ARC of this book.
I love JP Delaney’s books and this one didn’t disappoint. Bit of a different subject and not exactly a thriller but a very good read none the less. The characters were easy to follow and , in most cases, like. I understood entirely why Sky was upset but to become so devious and nasty after Gabe and Susie welcoming her was not easy to read,
I read this book very quickly for me as I couldn’t put it down easily, kept thinking just one more chapter.
Looking forward to the authors’ next book.

Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago. They agree to meet up along along with Susie’s husband Gabe and it soon becomes apparent to her that Anna needs help. Anna paints a picture of he adoptive parents that worries Susie, so much that she decides to contact them. They are very dismissive of her advances to help which leaves Susie even more concerned.

Anna is not all she first seems and it is not long before trouble is on the menu with talk of abuse, deception, lies and accusations. The relationship is not going to prove all Susie hoped it would be.

Some interesting characters in this story and a lot of difficult topics are tackled throughout. Overall I did enjoy it but maybe not quite as much as other books by this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus books for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Deep and yet easy to read, Delaney uses his skills as a writer to totally absorb the reader into the often difficult world of losing children. Like his last book, Playing Nice, the characters face loss and the chance to rebuild their family.

A fifteen-year old child contacts her birth mother via social media. Her mother struggles with fertility and her husband lost his first child to illness and so both of them are keen to welcome the adopted daughter into their lives. But there are legal as well as other barriers that prevent this. Perhaps all isn't as it seems within this fantasy.

The story is simple and expertly told. Delaney is a very fine writer. However, at times it gets bogged down a little with the legal aspects and features of child psychology, which, while being interesting, could be reigned back a bit. Some points are repeated as well. It is told in short chapters from different perspectives, mainly the couple and the child. The husband's point of view is in the present tense, which does serve to differentiate him from the others but also to make his position immediate.

This is an enjoyable book, more of a domestic psychological suspense than a thriller, but the story is very engaging. I look forward to more work by JP Delaney.

I have absorbed all of JP Delaney's books as I love the fast paced, keep you guessing, different character perspective and can't put downable. My Darling Daughter was no different. It was current and relevant and I loved it. A must read.

Such a good read; very unique and thought-provoking.

The story tells of a young girl - Sky - determined to find her place and be where she belongs, no matter what it takes. Through the destruction she initiates we find out more about the past from all concerned and how it’s all too easy to end up in a shed load of trouble when events take a turn for the worst.

I found the narrative to be well explored and explained and it makes you really consider how each of the characters felt given their circumstances and the context of the story as it developed.

This was a hard read for me at times. Not because the book was a hard read all of the subject matter is quite close to home.

JP Delaney researchers the topics covered in this novel incredibly well and treats all characters fairly and honestly.

I don’t want to give spoilers however I give this book 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me access to an early copy in return for an honest review.

All I can say is WOW!!

What a phenomenal story, keeping you absolutely hooked in from start to finish about how and where this is going to end up!

A must read!

There's a huge emotional depth to JP Delaney's latest novel. The characters have such an authentic feel to them; almost too true to be the products of an author's imagination. The whole plot thrives on realism and the darkest depths of human despair. The dilemma of second chances is explored with razor-sharp precision. I must admit I could not have shown as much sympathy as Gabe and Susie did. Sky is an extraordinary character - toxic and troubled - and yet in a strange way her saving grace finally emerges with self-perception. Disturbing and thought-provoking.

My Darling Daughter by JP Delaney is breath-taking and a thriller that epitomises thrill. This is a deep and dark read at times and a brilliant story with twists and turns that kept me stopping to process what I had read.

Trigger warnings for this book are numerous, but these aspects of the story are needed to give a realistic look adoption, rejection, mental health crisis, self harm how these can occur and the shocking process of agency intervention.

I throughly enjoyed this book, it was beyond my expectations and will be high on the list for Thriller of the Year for me. Its astonishing how JP packed in so much to truly bring the story alive with feelings of anxiety and fear while reading.

Fantastic book, 5 stars. Must read for thriller fans.

#MyDarlingDaughter #JPDelaney #Netgalley #ThrillerFind #NewReads2022

I’ve loved previous books by this author but this one didn’t hook me in at all. I found myself being distracted easily while reading and putting it down and not looking forward to picking it back up; therefore, I didn’t finish it.

Susie is a singer, married to Gabe who was once in a boy band. They are happy except for one thing: they cannot have a child. Out of the blue, Susie is contacted by Anna/Sky who she gave up for adoption 15 years earlier. Sky tells them she is unhappy with her adoptive parents. The adoptive parents claim she is lying. Who to believe? Susie of course believes Sky and soon she is living with them. But Sky is a seriously damaged young person and before long they are immersed in all sorts of accusations from Sky.

I found this a difficult read. I worked for ,many years as an educational psychologist and recognise the type of behaviour Sky shows as being all too realistic of someone with reactive attachment disorder. It has clearly been very well researched. Did I enjoy it? Not really. It was just too close to my work to be enjoyable. Would I recommend it? I really don't know. It's well written, well researched and covers a little known condition with respect.. So... maybe.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I love all of JP’s books but this one didn’t have me quite as ‘hooked’ as previous books. Still a great page-turner but wouldn’t class it as a thriller. Would still recommend to others that enjoyed the authors previous books!

I receied this arc through netgalley and the publishers. Having read JP Delaney's previous books I was itching to read this one.

We meet Suzie who had her child adopted when she was 20 and as we follow the story we find out what happened in the years between Sky being adopted and her getting in contact with Suzie and her husband Gabe.

I found this book easy to read and the storyline flowed well, I would highly recommend this book it did not disappoint and I stayed up well into the night to finish it as I had to see what happened.

I have read all the books by this author as they are one of my favourites.
This book was amazing! As always the perfect thriller. Keeping you intrigued the whole way along. I always devour these books and love reading them.
Cannot wait for the next one

I absolutely devoured this one, and if time had permitted, would have done it in one sitting! I did however, manage 70% in one night 😂 It was gritty, dark and emotional with some killer twists thrown in and what a clever storyline! As always, JP Delaney delivers a fantastic book....thanks for the early copy! ❤️

#MyDarlingDaughter #NetGalley
Awesome.
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?
Loved it thoroughly. A fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an advance copy.

My Darling Daughter should come with a warning - do not start reading unless you have time to spare! I received my advance copy yesterday and absolutely devoured it in one sitting. JP Delaney is a master of web spinning and this latest offering is packed with lies, deceit and family secrets that hooks in the reader and keeps them engrossed whilst events (and the truth) unravels.

Gabe and Susie are happily married musicians, living a life of comfortable luxury in their beautiful country home and trying for a baby when the daughter that Susie gave up for adoption 15 years ago gets in touch and needs their help…

Anna’s arrival into the couple’s lives brings with it questions, drama and a whole host of issues that will test all that Gabe and Susie hold dear.

Told from the POV of the three main characters, ‘My Darling Daughter’ starts with an initial revelation on the first page and at no point does the pace drop. With plenty of twists and turns, this is a literal page-turner of a novel and I already can’t wait for Delaney’s next book!

Big thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy in return for my honest review.

I downloaded this early this morning and I have been unable to put it down since I opened it. This book is like The Perfect Child by Lucinda Berry… but on steroids. I have been so stressed over it, but in a good way. I’ve massively enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone!