📚 Book 19/52 of 2024 📚
⭐️ 3/5 stars!

GENRE: contemporary mystery thriller suspense
SUMMARY: “When Hazel Sharp, daughter of Mirror Lake’s longtime local detective, unexpectedly inherits her childhood home, she’s warily drawn back to the town—and people—she left behind almost a decade earlier. But […] as the water level in the lake drops, long-hidden secrets begin to emerge…including evidence that may help finally explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance.

Received as an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts are my own. Thank you Megan Miranda, Simon & Schuster Canada, and Netgalley for my complimentary copy of the book!

🍑 PEACHES & PITS (likes and dislikes) 🍑
peaches:
- experienced some chills/goosebumps in the intense moments, which is always nice when you’re in a thriller mood
- I liked the final resolution between characters
- use of the drought was interesting to increase intensity

pits:
- the formatting of my copy made it challenging to read at times
- I honestly felt really lost for a lot of the book plot and wasn’t as involved/drawn-in to the experience as I can be for suspense reads —> this subsequently impact a lot of the plot twist moments for me, as they didn’t feel shocking for me because I already didn’t know what the heck was going on anyways 😂
- overall the quiet tense-ness was hard for me personally to get into

Daughter of Mine was definitely a 5 star read.

When Hazels dad passes away and she returns to her small town for his memorial, the tensions and family dynamics are palpable. As the story unfolds, more mysteries and questions come to light as a drought is uncovering long lost secrets that have Hazel second guessing everything she knows about family and her moms disappearance 13 years prior.

Overall, the book has a feel of a slower pace yet somehow has you captivated and sitting on the edge of your seat wanting to know what next! The suspects are a plenty and your opinion changes throughout the book as to who could be the villain. Because of this, i found myself taking the same emotional ride as Hazel. From the shadows, feelings of people in the house, extra noises, lights turning on creepiness to the whole who is responsible has you fully in suspence the whole book.

I have enjoyed several Megan Miranda books and this one is no exception. Definitely a recommended read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Megan Miranda and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

There’s something about small town thrillers that just get me!!

Hazel arrives back home after the sudden passing of her father, around the same time the area is going through a drought and the lake is revealing its secrets.

Daughter of Mine is slow burn, but at the same time edge of your seat? I was so invested in this plot and all the townspeople; it was secret upon secret upon secret. Megan Miranda did some awesome work with her intense family dynamics and atmosphere. It feels like you’ve been living in Mirror Lake your whole life. I also thought there was JUST enough subplots to keep the reader guessing and in suspense.

Definitely a great thriller to pick up, this was my first Megan Miranda and I had a blast!

Megan Miranda has been on my radar for a while, but this was my first book by her and what an amazing, creepy read!

This book gave me full-body chills so many times! I read at night a lot, before bed, and I was truly too afraid to go to sleep sometimes. I also didn't want to stop reading, I was OBSESSED.

I loved everything about this thriller: the small town in the middle of the mountains setting, the creepy atmosphere, the pacing, the complex characters and relationships! A lot was going on at the same time, this was unputdownable!

I loved the small-town/family drama, how everyone is like family to each other, having grown-up together, so how can you believe one of them could do horrible things? Who do you suspect?

Honestly, I can't recommend this book enough! If you're a fan of suspenseful, atmospheric thrillers, then this is for you!

I loved all the twists in this one! Everytime I thought I had the answer, a new suspect would pop up!

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada + Megan Miranda for providing the digital ARC before its release!

Confidently giving this 5 stars because dang this thriller kept me hooked until the very end. All of the twists and turns made it hard to put this down. Hazel’s story is a roller coaster because I was SO on edge the entire time, constantly second guessing what I thought I knew.

Disappearance after disappearance turned into murder after murder. I thought Hazel’s mom was perhaps accidentally killed by Gage and Caden as children (in a fit of rage?) and that Holt covered it up. Then I thought Caden killed Jamie and her mom, because we were made to hate Caden. Then I thought maybe Nico did it and was playing the good guy to suck Hazel in. LITTLE DID I KNOW OR SUSPECT THAT IT WAS UNCLE ROY. (But was also quite happy it wasn’t Nico because I loved what him and Hazel had going on, until for a split second we thought it was Holt that did the killings, deliberately). The fact that she was left the house and its assets (or what remained) by Holt after he died sparked everything for me, because I thought, maybe this was his way of saying sorry? But it also didn’t make sense to me that he would leave his own sons with nothing, despite Hazel being the “I’ll know what to do” child (again, part of the guessing game which kept me on my toes!)

I felt for Hazel in SO many ways. The poor girl loses her mother, then her father, her one brother hates her, her best friend married that same brother and is now a total jerk to her, she has to come to the realization years and years later that her mother was murdered, things aren’t as she thought, and her whole world crumbles. At NO point in this novel did I think it was too predictable (like some thrillers can be) nor did I find it unrealistic - I mean, if you live in a woodsy lake town, it is believable people would dump cars in the lake, I’ve seen it done in way more populated urban areas. Her gut feelings kept telling her otherwise and it’s not often that you see a female protagonist persevere with cold cases and GET the answers herself.

TL/DR: 5 star 10/10 whodunnit thriller that will leave you guessing until the end. Oh, and don’t trust your uncle.

I used to devour Megan Miranda’s books when I first got sucked into the rabbithole of suspense thrillers. Some of them I love, others were just ok for me. Then I read The Only Survivors. That one was so good that when I got the ARC of Daughter of Mine, I jumped for joy!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

I just read a fast-paced thriller so the slowburn from this book is a welcome respite. I loved that the author used the drought as the starting point where long-buried secrets surface… especially love the book cover where the car emerges from the lake! So eerie right? I so enjoyed the atmospheric setting, the family dynamics between Hazel and her brothers, and of course, THE PLOT TWIST/s! My only issue is about the reveal.. I still had some questions! I want more explanations lol!!! Mind you, this is a me problem — I always want a “clean” ending 😁 I still would recommend this book of course, especially for those who love slowburn suspense thriller.

This is my favourite Megan Miranda story yet. Megan always has a way about creating a small town that I feel like I’m a part of. The setting is always its own character in one of her novels, and Daughter of Mine is no exception. The small town of Mirror Lake is where Hazel Sharp spent her life from when she was 8 years old until she headed to college.

Her mother left her when she was only 14 and her father, Detective Perry Holt with the local police department, raised her as his own since. After he suddenly passed from a heart attack, Hazel comes back to Mirror Lake for the memorial. She learns that she has solely inherited her father’s home, leaving her two brothers Gage and Caden (also cops) with only his financial assets.

Mirror Lake has been experiencing a drought for the last two months. The lake’s water level is slowly lowering and a car has been found in the water. Days later, another appears. As news spreads around town, people start to go missing.. Hazel starts putting her nose in other people’s business: however, we find that people are tight lipped and keeping secrets. In a small town, everyone is friends with one another.

As Hazel stays in her new home, she finds things are not as they seem. Lights are on when they shouldn’t be, mud is tracked through the home, windows are left open. What is happening? Will she be safe? What does her father want her to find in the house? Why did he give it to her and not the boys? What was he telling her?

This was a fantastic read and I devoured it. I usually take longer to read Megan Miranda books as they can be slow burns but I really loved this one.

Happy publication day! I finished this ARC just in time. Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada and Net Galley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this read. I find recently that Megan’s book start of slow or rather that I feel I need to adjust to her writing but as it gets going and picks up it is always a rollercoaster ride. This book was quite wild and made me keep pushing though.

If you think to give up, I say don’t! This is quite good and had a good ending as well.

When her father passes away, Hazel returns to the small town of Mirror Lake, nestled in the mountain where she grew up. The town is experiencing a drought, as the water is receding old vehicles are being discovered in the lake. Hazel starts to question her mother’s disappearance when she was only 14.

This is a slow burn thriller, usually not my favourite as I don’t have the patience for the slow part! But I did find this to be well paced. The way Miranda used the family tension, untrustworthy characters and the creepy atmosphere Hazel experienced all lead to an ending I wasn’t expecting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy.

If Megan Miranda writes it, I’m most definitely reading it. My level of excitement at diving into the world of Daughter of Mine, matched the speed with which I read it! If that pesky thing called sleep didn’t interfere, it easily would’ve been a one sitting read, instead of two.

Hazel reluctantly returns to Mirror Lake after her dad passes away and leaves her their family home. Her return coincides with long time drought which has brought dark secrets buried in the depths of the lake. Hazel’s search for the truth might lead her down a dangerous and lonely path…

I love the way Megan Miranda transforms small, tight-knit communities into something much darker and more sinister. The isolated location of Hazel’s childhood home also added to the creepy vibes. And I was wholeheartedly there for it! Her complicated relationship with her brothers, her past, her first love, the town itself, had me hungrily flipping pages! I love these kinds of thrillers - atmospheric, dark and secret driven.

I anticipate seeing this gorgeous blue cover everywhere this summer! Highly recommend it!

A huge thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada, Marysue Rucci Books and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 stars

It took a bit for me to get into this one, but oh man!! I couldn't put this down for the last half of the book. It's been a while since I've read a mystery that had me so stressed and on the edge of my seat!

The characters were all so untrustworthy and honestly that ending I didn't expect at all - I had a totally different thought!

This is one of Miranda's best yet!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to @simonschusterca and @netgalley for the arc of Daughter of Mine by Megan Miranda in exchange for an honest review. This publishes April 9/24.
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Hazel Sharp inherits her father’s house after he has passed away. She is back in her childhood neck of the woods with all the townsfolk she grew up with. The town of Mirror Lake is experiencing a drought and as lake levels drop, there are new revelations to be made about circumstances that happened years ago - all of which affect Hazel and her family.
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My first book by this author, and I quite enjoyed how quickly I became absorbed into Hazel’s story. It starts off the typical thriller way of having that unsettling feeling and you know that with this many characters the possibilities of the person responsible for causing havoc is going to keep you guessing. Not a typical thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat- more of a suspenseful mystery, where you’re always trying to connect the dots between characters and events. A bit slow for my taste, and not one I will likely remember, but a decent choice for an easy read. Overall - fine!

DNFed/paused at 15%

Starting off so slow and I can see the whole suspense of the events up until this point but I just have zero connection to any of the characters so far.

Mirror lake holds many secrets and as the town undergoes an extreme drought the lakes secrets are revealed.
I love a good mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, the clues keep piling and you still can't guess it. So good. The suspense just keeps building and building and I loved that high tension thrill.
Can you solve the mystery? I couldn't. That last chapter 🫣

Alright, obviously, if Megan Miranda wrote it, I'm going to pick it up and read it. I have yet to be disappointed by anything of hers. This book is no different.

We have a family brought together by their grief at losing their father, and the only daughter, also the only one who left their hometown, is brought back to the people and family she left behind. But there is something calling out to her from the small town. People and places that she can't seem to let go of, or they can't let go of her.

I love the way that this book is written, we have clues dropped along, floating in the story, and each piece can be interpreted in a different way, depending on your perspective. Our characters are secretive and don't want to disturb anything that has been left to lie.

I really enjoyed this read and of course will recommend to anyone who wants to twisty thriller. Remember, the lights Hazel!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster CA for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review. Daughter of Mine will be available to purchase on April 9 2024. This title will also be available to purchase from most major book dealers and at your local library soon.

✨ Publication date: April 9, 2024✨

Daughter of Mine is a psychological matter thriller by Megan Miranda. This is my first book by this author but definitely not my last!

Hazel Sharp returns home to the small town of Mirror Lakes to bury her father, the beloved Chief of Police. Hazel left years ago only coming back grudgingly for family obligations.

Hoping to leave Mirror Lakes and the past behind, Hazel gets dragged back again after finding out her father left her the house. Not to her and her two brothers Gage and Caden, but just her.

As Hazel tries to figure out the cryptic messages her father left behind, the two and half month drought is sending its own messages. After two cars are pulled from the lake in Hazels back yard, pieces keep falling into place.

You see, Hazel is not Gage and Caden’s sister by blood. Her mom married their father and took off a few years later. So why did she get the house? And why is the car her mom was meant to leave in at the bottom of the Lake?

This is a sllloowwww burn, but totally worth it! The chapters are structured around the date, time and drought details which adds to the anticipation of the story. The story is also structured in such a way that the culprit could be multiple people individually or working together.

I really liked this authors writing style, this is a 4+ star for me and I highly recommend adding this to you tbr!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #meganmiranda #daughterofmine

Suspenseful with unexpected turns and twists.

This book was full of secrets hidden for years that were beginning to come to light. Every time I believed that what Hazel was discovering might point to a suspect, I found myself lost again in the pages that followed. The plot focusing on the Holt family was very engaging and intriguing.
 
Perry Holt, a father and respected detective, dies. His death brings his daughter back to town after many years of absence. To the family's surprise, it is Hazel who inherits the family home. And she wasn't even his daughter. Why did he leave this house to her and not to his sons? The climax begins when a second car is found in the water behind the Holt’s family home. It belonged to Hazel's mother, who left Hazel behind with the Holt family.
 
This book surprised me. I was intrigued with the plot, and constant suspicions, drama and secrets. The pacing was perfect, and it was hard to put this book down.

This book had the makings of a good plot but I am not a fan of amateur detective and that's what this became at a certain point. I felt like the plot moved along really nicely to a point and then it became quite chaotic and at a certain point I wasn't sure which realizations were happening and felt almost "too stupid" to understand the connections. Perhaps I wasn't able to keep the multiple characters separate in my mind and that was the issue but it became offputting to finish the story out.
As a big Megan Miranda fan back in the day I just feel the books are all following this type of experience lately.

It’s been a few years since I last read a Megan Miranda book (since I predominantly read fantasy these days) so I was curious to see how it would go switching gears. I went into Daughter of Mine blind, and now having read the plot summary, I would highly recommend doing so as well. I think this one was best to go in with zero plot expectations to just let the story unfold. As it is a thriller and deals with some darker subject matter do be sure to review the content warnings on Storygraph if you have any concerns.

I was instantly intrigued by Daughter of Mine and while it is a slower paced thriller, I couldn’t put it down. I really enjoyed the family dynamic in this one which was definitely one of the standouts to the plot. As secrets and truths start to reveal themselves I found myself needing to know more. The family dynamics and relationships are much more complicated than they initially seem. Hazel was an interesting main character and I enjoyed learning more about her as the story unfolded.

I really loved the setting of this one. I really could picture the Holt family home on Mirror Lake. Weather plays a fairly large role in the story. I loved how the drought and the number of days that passed added tension to the story until the rain finally came. It really added to the atmosphere of the story.

I really enjoyed this one. It is definitely a slower thriller but one that I also found to be quiet and tense which was just as powerful.

Thank you to @simonschusterca & @netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. Daughter of Mine is out May 9th!

⭐4/5 stars⭐