McMahon has written a creepy demon book that you just can’t put down. I felt Alison’s loneliness and isolation throughout, which made it all the more engrossing. If you can get past the demons, this is well worth the time.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon.

TW; CW: child abuse.

When Alison finds out that her mother is sick with advanced pancreatic cancer, she is shocked, and conflicted. Her mother could sometimes be supportive, fun, and loving. But her mother has also been abusive, and inflicted terrible pain in Alison's childhood. How could she possibly allow this woman back into her life, and home, where her husband and two daughters live. But her husband insists, and now they begin this new normal.

Initially it goes great, Alison's mother especially connects to the youngest girl, and Alison finds herself wondering if this could be a really good thing. But it doesn't take long until her mother starts moving around late at night, saying strange, and foreboding things, for Alison to know that things aren't okay. Who is the woman that Alison brought into her life, and how safe are they really?

This had a strong start, but stayed slow for a bit too long for my taste. Ultimately, I expected more, it wasn't really my style, but it was compelling enough to continue.

Total miss on my part. Wasn't a fan of the demonic possession aspect and it felt cheesy. Also the blurb on the front cover is definitely a spoiler....

If you need something to get into the creepy vibes, this is your book. This is the perfect mix of psychological thriller, family dysfunction, and slow burn suspense. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys those categories. I've read Jennifer McMahon in the past and she does not disappoint.

Do you enjoy holiday books that are on the dark side?

I have long been a fan of @jennifermcmahonwrites and have devoured everything she has ever written. She is easily one of my favorite authors and her newest novel, My Darling Girl is the perfect example why.

Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. Growing up in a household with an abusive mother, all the cozy comforts of the holiday are something she just can’t comprehend. But now the winter solstice is looming and her mother is dying and Alison has agreed to bring her into her home for her final days. At first her mother seems different, the parent she always wanted, and Alison is happy for her family to spend time with her. But slowly something evil begins to show itself and Alison must find a way to keep it from destroying her family.

This is the perfect novel for people who revel in all things dark to ring in the holidays. McMahon does a good job of letting the story gradually build. And what starts off as an almost cozy psychological thriller gradually becomes darker until it tiptoes into the land of horror. And from the evil rat king of The Nutcracker to the legend of the Krampus, McMahon uses holiday traditions to creatively evoke the creepy side of Christmas. There is something about the short days and endless dark nights of December that invites the belief in the supernatural and this novel wonderfully conjures that atmosphere.

As with most of McMahon’s novels there is a psychological element that keeps the reader off kilter about what is real and what is imagined. So what is actually going on is never perfectly clear. This generates a wonderful atmosphere of suspense that kept me swiftly turning the pages. I did guess one of the twists but it didn’t deter my enjoyment in the least. I wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes an annual holiday real for me. Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for this arc.

Allison has to take in her dying Mom who has demonic powers Allison is an accomplished author with a family that love’s Christmas. She has her Mom in hospice at home and things begin to happen. Allison is determined to kill the spirits before something happens to her daughter. A page turner that will be hard to put down.

TW: Language, drinking, toxic family relationships, abusive relationship, alcoholism, drug abuse, death by suicide, cancer, death of parent, physical abuse, gaslighting, smoking, death of an animal (descriptive)

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.Mavis, Alison’s estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother’s alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she’s always dreamed of.But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis’s arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family.
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 320
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Writing style flowed
2. Story was enthralling
3. Gave me the serious creeps
4. Queer rep
5. I liked that it was real at the ending

What I Didn't Like:
1. Some parts felt slow
2. Fucking Mark

Overall Thoughts:
This book was very focused on Christmas, so if you're a person who loves thrillers and Christmas then this is perfect for you.

I swear to God the more books I read that have teenage daughters in it makes me so happy I don't have daughters(kids).

Stupid Penny believes in guardian angels and rock power but she stops believing that demons are really real and can take over someone's body. So in her world an angel can protect you BUT a demon can't hurt you.

By the 40% mark you kind of catch on that Mavis is staying with her daughter to possess one of Alison's daughters. I knew it wouldn't be Alison because she was too old and she wasn't after the other daughter because she is too young; so naturally it would be Izzy she wants. I just felt like once you get to this point you're just wanting for Alison to cat h up to what's happening.

Wish we could have dug more into why Izzy feels the need to show little kids things aren't always so perfect. Like why isn't Alison questioning why izzy gets so much enjoyment from showing kids this. I find it funny because Izzy is an entitled teen so she has zero idea what it means to really understand what the real world is like. This was also another reason I knew that Izzy would be the one the demon wants.

Mark is over reacting. He sees some books & drawings and suddenly he's saying she's losing it. It was weird. He already wants to send her away to get "help". I found Mark very weird toward Alison. They have both had issues with Mavis and witness her not being nice but rather than standing by his wife and telling her that they can put Mavis in hospice because clearly Alison is feeling overwhelmed, he decides that it's better to send Alison away. It made zero sense to the plot because the whole reason that Mavis is even staying with Alison is to say goodbye while she dies, so what's the point of Alison leaving her own home.

Omg omg Mark saying that she is crazy is making so mad. Why would she think just because she has a video and had books on possession would mean they would commit her??? You need way more than that. At this point she hadn't threatened anyone. I'm just so mad that Mark sided with Mavis.... Mavis whole cut up her children's backs so badly; that her own son won't even acknowledge her existence nor upcoming death. These should all be signs to Mark that maybe Mavis is the problem not Alison.

I hated the stupid ending. Izzy being the piece of shit daughter all so she can be controlled by a demon that will give her everything (fame) she wants. Alison you should have thrown that daughter in a river when she was a baby.

Final Thoughts:
At first I was mad that they were going the usual - "She's crazy and she's imagining everything." so I was happy to see that everything was real. I was glad that Alison stuck to her guns and went to do something rather than let them lock her up.

I struggled with what to rate this book. On one hand I enjoyed the writing style and how the story ran. I was never bored and I liked Alison as a character - I hated everyone else. Men like Mark make me think of men like Guy from Rosemary's Baby so yeah I wanted to punch this fake character.

This was an excellent thriller that kept me guessing the whole time! It was unexpected and fresh. I would definitely recommend this book!

Exactly the kind of spooky, well plotted, surprising novel I've come to expect from McMahon. She will always be a must read for me.

While I enjoy McMahon's books and writing, this one just didn't connect for me. As much as she tried to build out a family and the world they lived in, I feel like there was a lot of connection missing.

Jennifer McMahon is such a captivating writer! This story is no different. It's a monster in the house horror novel in a different way. Any tale that makes me wonder if the protagonist is crazy and wounded versus experiencing haunting events has me at go. This is a perfect read for Christmas if you dig darker books around the holidays.

I love Jennifer McMahon. I don't even have to read the description of the book to know I'm going to love it.

This is her scariest book to date. I'm talking you will have nightmares scary. It is not gory but there are some incidents of violent death, a mention of suicide, and one episode of animal abuse. Did I mention it was scary? Because it is really scary.

If you like horror books that are not slasher/gory, then you will like this one.

MY DARLING GIRL by Jennifer McMahon
Publication Date: October 3, 2023 by Scout Press
Page Count: 320


A chilling psychological mystery thriller with a supernatural element and dark humor. This creepy tale has a Christmas theme, but is perfect for a Halloween read. Alison O’Connor is a successful children’s book author featuring the family pet Labrador, Moxie … she is in a writer’s block for a second offering. She lives in a beautiful historically renovated Vermont farmhouse with her adoring husband, Mark and two daughters …. Olivia aged six and her goth, moody, sixteen year old, Izzy. Mark is all about Christmas, and is fully absorbed in the festivities involved in the holiday. He would fit perfectly in a Hallmark movie … Alison, not so much. She is a product of a traumatic childhood at the hands of her alcoholic and abusive mother, Mavis. She and her brother Ben, to this day, still bear the physical and emotional scars. Her mother is dying of pancreatic cancer and wants to make amends during her final weeks of life, and wants to come live with Alison and her family. She reluctantly agrees with a great deal of trepidation. Maybe this will help heal past wounds. Alison remains suspicious of her motives.
At first Mavis is pleasant and charming to everyone, and wins over the trust of Mark and her two daughters. Olivia is captivated and loves her “Grandma Needle” and even the reluctant daughter, Izzy … who initially thought she was “creepy” , warms up and involves her in new “film venture” … and starts a series of on camera interviews. However, when Alison is alone with Mavis, a glimpse of the “abusive mother” rears its head … she taunts Alison with past childhood events and secrets , that nobody could possibly have known about. Alison is haunted by past childhood memories and is deeply concerned of the significance of a “special rock” that her mother keeps at her side. Alison is seriously concerned that her mother is under demonic possession. Mavis proves to be manipulative and scary. She must unravel her mother’s secrets, and at the same time protect her daughters.
McMahon proves to be a masterful storyteller as she weaves a twisted and chilling narrative together with escalating suspense and intrigue. This creepy, atmospheric tale is told in two timelines by Alison… present day and flashing back to her childhood. Themes of childhood abuse and mother-daughter relationships are expertly explored with chilling effect. This character driven tale explodes into an unexpected and twisted denouement.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scout Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review of this 4 Star gem.

This was a great read. I was gripped from the first chapter, and was eager to read more. The plot was quick paced and the characters felt real and relatable for the most part.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. Opinions are my own!

My Darling Girl is the first book of Jennider McMahon's that I've read and it certainly won't be the last. Intense and creepy, this one had be captivated from beginning to end!

I absolutely devoured this book! I love this author and her writing style. This is one you won’t be able to put down. It’s creepy and sinister, with evil lurking. It showcases mother-daughter relationships that are unhealthy and unstable. It has some seriously shocking twists that will have you reeling. It had the perfect amount of tension, suspense, and sense of dread. It is seriously intense, very character-driven but with a fast-paced plot. It’s both psychological and paranormal. This just had everything I could have wanted in a story like this. I will read anything McMahon writes. Honestly, I think her books just get better and better each year. This is my favorite one to date. I also listened to the audio and I thought it was well done. Definitely a five-star experience for me. Highly recommend this book to all mystery, thriller, and horror lovers. It is a must read!

This novel was absolutely terrifying - definitely falling more into the horror genre than a thriller. The premise: Christmas in a small New England town...and also demonic possession. I can't say more than that without giving away major spoilers, but this one has it all: demons, an unreliable narrator, TW for child abuse. It was absolutely riveting and - I can't say this enough - so scary. Absolutely amazing twist of an ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Absolutely riveting novel. Just the right mix of spine-tingling suspense and supernatural, and the juxtaposition of light and dark (a demonic possession set during Christmas) was a fresh twist.

I didn't love this one as much as others McMahon has written, but I read it quickly and was invested in the story. However, parts of it were slow and repetitive and I was waiting for something to happen already! Overall a good read but a little disappointing. I did like the ending!

Alison O’Conner survived an abusive childhood to become an author-illustrator with a bestselling book, a loving husband and two thriving daughters. Her husband Mark is obsessed with Christmas, which Alison indulges because it makes her feel like a normal person in the exact kind of normal family Mark himself grew up in. Their teenage daughter Izzy has just entered her rebellious phase, shutting out the mom she was once so close to, while their younger daughter Olivia is six and totally mad about ballet.

When Alison gets a phone call telling her that her own mother, renowned artist Mavis Eldeen Holland, has only weeks left to live, she isn’t sure whether this isn’t one of Mavis’ personal assistant’s periodic attempts to reconcile the two. Paul means well, but Mavis has held Alison at arms’ length ever since Alison was old enough to leave home and escape the abuse Mavis inflicted on her. But a visit to the hospital shows her that her mother really is dying:

QUOTE
Part of me wished I could backpedal, scramble out of the room, pretend I’d never gotten the call from Paul. But another part of me longed to be there, to make my mother see that I would do anything for her. To show her that I’d forgiven her for the terrors of my childhood.

I remembered all the times, when she was drunk and angry, that she’d called me a worthless girl. Maybe I was there to prove I wasn’t so worthless.

If she acknowledged I was worthy, would that deep feeling of worthlessness inside me stop sucking everything up like a black hole? It was what any therapist worth their salt might say.
END QUOTE

It’s in this frame of mind that Alison agrees to let Mavis live out her last days in the O’Conner home. Everyone else in her family is suitably wary. Mark knows about the abuse but is willing to go along with Alison’s assessment of the current situation. Izzy and Olivia are mostly confused about the sudden presence of a grandmother who’s shown very little interest in them to date, but adapt easily enough to her moving in. Alison is actually taken aback by how quickly Mavis adopts the role of good grandmother, even as glimpses of the abusive monster who hurt her become more frequent through the facade of the weak, elderly woman.

But it’s only when strange things start happening to the household that Alison begins to wonder whether there isn’t a literal monster lurking inside her mother. Flies and rats evoke terror, even before people start dying. Driven to dig into her mother’s life with the free hand that Mavis’ infirmity finally gives her, Alison discovers much more about her mother than she’d expected. The insight into Mavis’ past brings an unexpected amount of sympathy, even as Alison questions the rationality of her growing belief that Mavis has been somehow possessed by a demon. Isn’t it just as likely that Mavis’ cruel behavior is a continuation of her abuse?

QUOTE
I thought of my girls, of what would happen to them if I wasn’t me anymore, if I became someone–something–else. I stopped the thought because it was absurd. I was playing right into my mother’s hands. For surely she was not truly a demon named Azha but my mother, playing the cleverest and cruelest trick, one final terrible game to leave me reeling while she died. I remembered what she used to say to me when I was little: <i>You need to be a little less gullible. You can’t believe everything you hear, Alison.</i>
END QUOTE

Torn between reason and fear, Alison has to decide just how far she’s willing to go to heal the rift between her mother and herself, while still preventing any harm from befalling her own daughters. But Mavis isn’t quite as helpless as she looks, and is willing to use any weapon at her disposal to get what she needs.

My Darling Girl deftly explores the impact of lifelong abuse, and that liminal space between harm and healing where confusion reigns. It’s honestly one of the best arguments for keeping toxic people out of your life for good, especially when your wounds haven’t yet fully healed. Under her mother’s pernicious influence, Alison is driven to lie and hide things from the people she loves the most, even as she questions her own motivations and even sanity. The ending twist isn’t entirely unexpected, but is a chilling reminder that even the best intentions stand little chance against determined malevolence, human or otherwise.