Strange Sally Diamond is an unsettling read with a premise that immediately grabs your attention. Sally, a socially isolated and literal-minded woman, follows her late father’s instructions to the letter—putting his body out with the rubbish—and instantly becomes the focus of public scrutiny and hidden dangers from a past she doesn’t remember.

Sally’s unique perspective and her gradual journey into the world she’s long been shielded from is compelling. Watching her navigate relationships, misunderstanding social norms, and piece together her traumatic past is both heartbreaking and fascinating.

However, the story shifts in tone and pacing throughout, and not always smoothly. The blend of psychological thriller, dark humor, and emotional trauma occasionally feels jarring, and certain plot threads—particularly the sinister elements from Sally’s past—could have been more fully developed. The book raises disturbing questions, but some are left hanging or resolved a bit too conveniently.

This book is so good, yet difficult to describe. Sally Diamond has always been a little strange but has never understood why. Throughout the book we learn that her adoptive parents kept a lot of secrets from her about her past. There's not really anyone in this book who can be trusted for one reason or another. With Sally, it's her intense anger outbursts, with others it's secrets and lies. There's just not really anyone likeable in the story, except maybe a side character or two we don't really know well.

This is not the type of story where everything gets wrapped up. It's actually quite frustrating, but it's so good! I ended up reading this in a single day. I just couldn't put it down. Was it perfect? Not even close. But it was binge worthy, frustrating and quite the ride.

This book greatly reminded me of the book The Room by Emma Donoghue. I really enjoyed Sally's character and completely understand why she was the way she was. I wish there was a better conclusion to her brother, maybe being caught but I suppose leaving it open ended like that makes it that much more unsettling. It really makes you think about how we don't know anything about the people we meet everyday and how unsafe the world really is.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this arc!

Complex Trauma and Resilience

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent is a gripping mystery thriller that tells the story of Sally Diamond, a reclusive woman who attempts to incinerate her dead father's body, leading to a media storm and a chain of events that force her to confront dark secrets from her past. Sally, who has spent most of her life isolated and detached from society, begins to uncover horrifying details about her childhood, which are intricately tied to themes of abuse, abduction, and manipulation.

Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent is a powerful and disturbing novel that explores the depths of human resilience and the shadows of past traumas. With its complex characters, dark themes, and compelling writing, it is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers who are prepared for a challenging and thought-provoking journey.

3.5

I meant to read this for the longest time, but life got in the way, so I had to put this on hold.

But when I finally got the chance to read it, and it was an absolute page turner. It was my very first Liz Nugent book, and I was very pleased to say that it did not disappoint. Loved the story, the way it was told, the character development, especially Sally’s.

My main beef with the book was the last few pages. I didn’t get the closure that I was looking for. I kept turning the pages, hoping that I find more answers, but nope. I was left with more questions.

It has really dark theme, don’t let the premise fool you. There were references of rape, and abuse so it’s definitely not for everyone.

Liz Nugent has a very distinctive voice that I look forward to reading more of in the future. Sally was a unique character that I loved, and I did not expect the ending at all!

I've been sleeping on reading this for far too long! Lately, my last few thrillers have been average and not too memorable. This has changed all of that!

You've got fast short chapters with a good pacing. This book is a mix between The Quiet Tenant with a quirky main character from The Maid or The Indicent of the Dog in the Nightime. The plot made me a bit uncomfortable at times with the subject matter but I kept picking it up because I needed to know the ending.

It's creepy, eerie and chilling. Suspense perfection! Would make an awesome movie!

I am sorry that I left this book sitting in my TBR file for so long! It was a dark and gripping read that kept me listening (I borrowed the audiobook) through the pages. I was very into the story until the last 10% of the book. This is when my slow like and empathy for Sally slipped away and any character growth disappeared and left me feeling so disappointed. I spent 90% of this book enjoying to being frustrated with the author for not giving an ending that Sally deserved.
I have no regrets reading this book and would still recommend it if anyone asked but my rating leaves me just midway through the stars.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity!

This is my 4th Liz Nugent and I was thrilled to receive an eARC from the publisher on @netgalley. As a mood reader, I hadn’t felt in the mood to read it in…

Strange Sally Diamond has received a lot of praise and I hadn’t heard or seen much from this author on bookstagram despite being familiar with her work myself.

Finally picked this one up and couldn’t barely put it down. I was so intrigued and invested. It was quite dark, as Nugent’s books typically are. I went into SSD blind and I’d recommend that.

Lots of trigger warnings for this one, please look them up if you have triggers.

4⭐️

Strange Sally Diamond was unlike anything I’ve read. It’s dark (check content warnings), surprising and intriguing. I loved Sally as a character and was fully invested in what was happening. I thought the writing was atmospheric and suspenseful.
The ending lost a little bit of steam for me. It began to feel a bit repetitive with the same info from both POVs and more telling than showing. That’s the only reason it didn’t get a full five stars from me.
Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for a review.

5 stars!

2023 Favourites List! 🏆

Sally Diamond has a troubled past even she doesn’t fully understand. After Sally’s father dies, she is left alone to navigate through the world with her quirkiness and very few friends.

I loved Sally! She is one of my most favourite characters of 2023! She is quirky, unexpected, honest and unapologetic. This book reminded me of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine (which I loved!) but with a creepy mysteriousness to it.

There are letters scattered throughout the novel from Sally’s late father. These were a brilliant addition to the storyline to provide glimpses into Sally’s family life.

The narrative switches timelines and perspectives and each equally kept me engrossed and intrigued. I loved the way this story unfolded and kept me curious until the very end.

A favourite read of 2023 for me! Finishing off the year strong 🙌🏻

The author's writing style is both descriptive and suspenseful, effortlessly setting the stage and creating an atmosphere of intrigue. With vivid imagery, readers are transported into the peculiar world of Sally Diamond, where nothing is as it seems. The narrative particularly excels in slowly unraveling the layers of mystery, providing carefully crafted twists and turns that keep readers guessing until the very end.

Sally Diamond herself is a fascinating character. Her odd behavior, sharp wit, and underlying vulnerability make her an enigma to those around her, as well as to the readers. Uncovering the truth about Sally's identity becomes the driving force behind the story, as readers are led through a labyrinth of secrets and unexpected connections.

This book was not what I expected and I found that I really enjoyed it. While the description is accurate, it took a different turn. I would recommend reading trigger warnings/reviews before reading as some content could triggering for some readers.

I loved following Sally’s journey and the stories of those in her life and related to her. Part of the novel was told between past and present different POVs which I felt enhanced the feelings and storytelling. I felt like I couldn’t stop reading at some parts because I needed know what was going to happen next.

While I did enjoy a majority of the book, I’m not too sure how I felt about the open ended ending. I understand why it was that way. I’m sure more could have been written to help conclude the stories but I think it did work for this book. Unfortunately.

Overall I was surprised with the turn this book took after reading the description and I very much enjoyed it. Definitely an interesting read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

I had put off this book for a while, and I'm not sure why. Strange Sally Diamond was everything I could have wanted in a thriller. This book is dark (super dark), which I loved, and found the title of the book so fitting for what you're reading.

Sally has always been told what to do in life and lives by routine. After a (huge) misunderstanding Sally finds herself caught in the crossfire when she does as her father requests and throws him in the rubbish once he dies. Sally considers herself "strange", she leads people to believe that she can't speak because she chooses not to, and often misses social cues. After reading the plot I had my suspicions as writers often poke fun at the neurodivergent character, but I loved watching Sally grow throughout the book.

Just when you think it can't get weirder, it does. We learn that Sally was adopted by a husband and wife team of doctors, she also learns the tragic history of her life and why she may not remember her earlier years. We learn that Sally's birth mom was kidnapped and kept in a locked room for years where she eventually gave birth to Sally. Hearing the backstory was one of the most upsetting parts of the book, but it added another layer to the story and took it in a way that I couldn't imagine.

This story is told in multiple POV's and without spoiling too much of the book, Sally starts to receive gifts from her past life - pushing her into a further investigation of who kidnapped her mom long ago.
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I would like to thank NetGalley, Sandycove, and Liz Nugent for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book was published on July 13th, 2023.

Due to the content, I was unable to finish this book.

In greater detail I found that as I read the book, the content of the plot was a little too triggering, thus I was unable to finish reading the book. It was well written and Liz Nugent was able to make the story come to life (just a little too much for me).

Thank You to Liz Nugent and Simon & Schuster Canada, for the digital ARC provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

When I read the description and started this book, I believed it to be a story of a quirky, peculiar woman. What I got was so much more. It reminded me very much of my true crime reading days. I may even feel compelled to pick up one of the ones collecting dust on my shelves.
After the death of Sally’s father and the odd farewell that she gives him, secrets of her past begin to unravel. Sally knew she was different, but there was so much this woman - who could remember nothing before her seventh birthday - didn’t know about herself.
The story starts off from Sally’s point of view, but shortly begins cycling back and forth between hers and Peter’s. We get the point of view from two of Conor Geary’s victims.
This tale is not for the faint of heart as the reader experiences the growth of both characters. Sally goes from awkward and socially deficient to independent, but surrounded by friends. The growth she experiences is genuine and time consuming, taking over two years to form - friendships and therapy guide her through every sharp turn her story takes. The reader follows Peter from young boy to middle aged. He grows for naive and fearful to something more. You’ll have to read to find out more. This was a truly compelling read.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital arc of the book. The opinions expressed are honest and my own.

This book was so interesting. I loved the complexities of the main character. I couldn’t put it down!

I enjoyed this book, it was well written and intriguing. I normally can figure things out pretty fast in these kinds of stories but this one had me guessing the whole way though. It was a wonderful change from the usual stories out there.

This book was the strangest book that I have ever read, I really wanted to love it since I had heard such great things about it, but for me it really didn't WOW me and make me want to read it again and again, for me that's what a great book is one that you want to read over and over again.

Sally Diamond sure had her struggles growing up and leads a very complicated adult life, this book is the story her life takes on after her father dies and what she does with him and the people who come into her life after.

This book was not the greatest but for the strange factor alone, its worth reading once

*4.5 stars*

A chilling, dark, unforgettable story…

Have you ever read a story that pulled you in and wouldn’t let go? Sally’s story was wildly entertaining, surprising me at every step…

This novel followed Sally as she navigated life’s challenges with her own unique take on the little and mundane to the emotionally catastrophic. Told from different perspectives, the voices of the characters were open, honest, chilling and, surprisingly at times, even funny. From a wild opening to the last page, I was surprised over and over by the originality and honesty that poured out of the characters.

The storyline was a distance in time and travel as years spanned decades in both Ireland and New Zealand. It covered very real struggles – with mental health, with trauma and abuse and its aftermath. It was family at its most complex, covering the mundane conflicts to the life-altering choices that affected everyone…

Secrets, revelations, honesty and lies – it was all here in a story that was written deceptively quietly and simply yet packed such a punch! Highly recommend and can’t wait to catch up on all this author’s titles.