I have been so excited about this book. Natali's previous thriller, Good Girls Die Last, was so intricate and interesting that I was looking forward to her follow up. Second books are often quite a struggle, and many readers find they don't live up to the first, but I think this is actually better.

I had just finished an amazing book (A.J West's The Betrayal of Thomas True if you're interested), and I was worried that any book I read next would be victim of the book hangover. But then Natali commented on my Tweet about the aforementioned book, and I thought that was a sign that I should read her new one.

It has great storytelling, well-written characters - some "goodies" and some "baddies - but all fabulous creations; it's fast paced but not rushed, and touches on some difficult conversations.

There are 76 chapters, which I know sounds like a lot but I liked it because they were all relatively short, and I do enjoy a short chapter. It helps add to the choppy thrill of the story.

There is absolutely no hanging about; the first chapter, bam! We're on the ride!

There's a number of characters and so I won't go into them all, but our main ones are Jules and her daughter Leah. We see the whole story through their alternate points of view, and I thought that was a great thing to do. They live their own separate lives but by chopping and changing the POVs, it means we get to see what the other is doing/thinking at the same time, we even get to see their own takes on the same event, which was interesting.

This is a thriller yes, but as well as the traditional thriller elements, there are a lot of other familiar things, such as the fear of your children growing up, your daughter becoming a woman, abuse of power, your children attracting romantic attention, drugs, bad friends, withering relationships etc.

It isn't a thriller in the sense of car chases and murders and frights. It's a subtle thrill, a quieter one. Suspect notes, lies, things hiding in plain sight, obsessions, feeling like life is falling about, about missing things, missing people. You know it's all building up to something major, but it's a creepiness that gets under your skin and makes you cold, more than one that has you looking over your shoulder. And I thought that way of telling the story really worked in this instance.

It never lost pace. It was slow enough to suck you in, get you familiar with all the characters and emotions and whatnot, but it's fast enough to provide that thrill and that unsettling, unnerving feeling it gives.

On a side note, I do like it when a book mentions Stevenage. We're not always talked about in the positive, but this year I've read a few books that mention us, which makes me inexplicably happy.

I read it in one day. Once I started it was so hard to stop. I even read it whilst I was watching the Wimbledon and EURO finals, it was that gripping.

My Daughter’s Revenge tells the story of Jules, a married mother in her forties, and her teenage daughter, Leah. Although I really enjoyed the plot, I didn’t warm to either of the main characters, particularly Jules, whom I found immensely frustrating with her poor-me, negative outlook. As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, I wasn’t surprised by the twists (although I expect many readers will be) but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the various curveballs throughout the second half. The story really picked up pace in the last quarter and I raced through to the end. Overall, I found the writing to be excellent and the storyline engaging.

Thank you to Natali Simmonds, Bookouture and Netgalley for my early copy.

"My Daughter's Revenge" by Natali Simmonds is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The story revolves around Jules and her daughter Leah, whose life spirals into chaos after the death of Leah's boyfriend, Dylan.
As secrets unfold, Jules struggles with her own midlife crises while trying to protect her increasingly obsessive daughter.
Readers are treated to a rollercoaster of emotions and unexpected twists, with a cast of complex, often unlikable characters.
The author masterfully crafts a tale of deceit, manipulation, and revenge, making this novel an unputdownable read for thriller enthusiasts.

As a mother of a teenage daughter, this novel really resonated with me. It's well written and really explores the fears of growing up today, from a parent's poit of view. That said, it lacked something at times, Im not sure what! Overall it was a a great read that I enjoyed and I'd like to read more from Natali.

Jules and her husband Adam are going through a difficult patch and Jules is feeling vulnerable. Her teenage children, Reece and Leah are becoming independent and Jules doesn't really know what is going on in their lives.
Leah goes to a festival with Reece and meets the charismatic Dylan, she lies about her age, and they start a relationship, until they meet unexpectedly in shocking circumstances.
Dylan's not all that he seems and causes problems for the family, but he doesn't realise who he is up against and how far Jules will go to protect her family.
Really good plot, with some great twists.
Recommended.

This book has serious promise but it was too full of woe is me. You could skip almost half the book and still get the storyline. With some editing it could be a 4 easily. The characters are good and ending will shock you.

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyable book by another new author to me, again the beauty of Netgalley.

An array of characters that come together to provide a fabulous thriller, ferocious in its intensity that take us on a thrilling ride. Jules is at that stage of life in her early forties where she is struggling, she feels she is no longer appreciated at work and life has become predictable regarding her relationships with her family and her husband, a family that all have major problems and personalities that leave a lot to be desired. Her daughter Leah is madly in love with a man she has met named Dylan, but then there is a new twist as he becomes one of her teachers and this then sets up the plot which is quite dark but very compelling.

Secrets and lies are rife and these egotistic and self-centered characters really bring this story to life. Disloyalties and revenge are off the scale, all providing the reader with a very entertaining book. I do not want to say anymore about the plot as this is one of those books the least you know the better. An explosive ending that was extremely well thought out by the author and a credit to her.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an advanced copy, all opinions expressed are my own.

My first Natali Simmonds book and I read it in a day.

I was absolutely gripped at the story of a forty-something mum navigating parenting to teenagers and the need to protect your brood whilst losing your own identity by day!

It all starts when her daughter, determined to lose her virginity meets Dylan at a festival and lies about her age. She’s still in school but when he turns up as her new art teacher he is horrified. But Dylan isn’t all he seems and he has no idea the lengths a mother will go to, to protect her own.

Really enjoyed.

Thoroughly recommend, thanks to the author and published for an advanced copy.

Jules is in her late forties, she's married with two kids but both her husband and kids have stopped paying attention to her for a long time. Feeling like she's also getting sidelined at work cause she's getting "too old" she also has to deal with her daughter having really bad boundaries when it comes to love, and by that I mean that Leah becomes a bit obsessed with her love interests and not in a cute way. When Leah meets Dylan who turns up to be her teacher, things get really weird.

Jules is easy to love as a protagonist, she just wants to be loved and appreciated by her family and that makes her make all the wrong choices. Like decided to let men flirt with her on an app that's all about the secrets of the neighbourhood, when the only man she wants attention from is her husband.
Leah is harder to love but maybe because I'm not a teenager anymore and I forgot what it was like to be 17. I also think that the "the poor adult was being seduced by the Lolita" trope is one that needs to go, but it turns out that the poor adult may not be that innocent so I'll let that one slide.

The big villain is really good because I didn't see him coming but I didn't see him as an innocent party either, the big twist is how bad he actually is when you spend the entire book just thinking he's a little creepy and stupid. Well, one of the big villain, cause the actual one is even more of a surprise.

So I feel like some characters could have used more fleshing out, I enjoyed this a lot nonetheless

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I went into My Daughter’s Revenge expecting to read a thriller that called back to many others with similar titles and blurbs - still enjoyable but with my being able to guess the plot trajectory and ending. What I ended up reading blew me away!

The daughter in this story has some serious issues but so does the whole family. After a hook up at a festival the pre-disposed to get obsessed Leah naturally gets a little obsessed with her lover, Dylan. Maybe more so when he ends up being her new art teacher. But what makes this plot bonkers (in the most enjoyable thriller way) is that Mother Jules is dealing with her own issues and gets caught up in the Dylan drama. And Dylan? Massive jerk.

I can’t reveal more without spoiling a stellar plot, but pick this one up if you’re a fan of thrillers - especially off the walls you can’t figure out what comes next ones. It’s a psychological thriller dealing with obsession and with the most delicious family dysfunction.

Fast paced, thrilling and darkly emotive. I raced through this brilliant psychological thriller.

Both Jules and Leah are multi layered characters with unique and distinct voices. Jules thoughts are raw and uncensored and a certain demographic including myself will relate to her. While Jules is every wild child craving to be seen. Some of their decisions are crazy but somehow you find them believable. Probably due to the fact that they both have a vulnerability that makes the reader understand their motives and care what happens to them. The same can't be said about the teacher but he does make a great villain!

Accomplished prose, meticulous plotting and twisty narrative lift My Daughter's Revenge high above others in its genre. Highly Recommended.

ARC Rating 4/5 ⭐️ This was a really good psychological thriller, and I really liked the twist and turns. It was just like a car crash that you can't stop watching. Everything just kept imploding.

The main characters are so so so terrible and unlikable, especially at the start - the mother and daughter are both barely hanging together. They are bundles of self-consciousness, anxiety, and self-absorption. Everyone is just in their own bubble and are so unaware.

Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture, and Natali Simmonds, for sending this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.

Jules is a woman in her 40s who feels underappreciated by her husband and children. Her daughter Leah is turning 17 and becoming more distant from her mother. Leah meets a boy and falls hard for him but he's not suitable for her. Keeping this secret, she begins acting out and is determined to get revenge. I don't want to give away any more as the twists are what makes this book. I thought this was completely gripping and I loved it. I finished it in just over a day.

This is the first book I’ve read by Natali Simmonds and looking forward to more!
This is a dark thriller with a fierce plot. The main characters are a dangerous combination of insecure, self-absorbed and obsessive. Both were willing to do anything to satisfy their urges and fulfill their desires. The ending was phenomenal…What a great read!!
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I am new to this author, and I hope to read more by her in the near future. The novel is a very dark and complex story with characters who are also rather villains who do vile things. Such issues as lying, betrayal, mind games, and revenge are among the components that the author uses to create this tasty plot. Just saying this is a wild rollercoaster journey does not even come close to what it actually was. With characters you will love to hate and superb writing, I highly recommend this heart-stopping read.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a rollercoaster of a read.
So many twists and turns.
A great thriller which I loved and would recommend it to others

Great dark thriller. Plenty of twists and turns. You will feel as if you are on a roller coaster ride. Looking forward to more by this author.

A deliciously dark novel full of bad deeds from despicable, lost, and morally questionable people. I didn't like any of the characters but that kind of felt like the point. You don't have to view characters in books as your best friend to know they're well written. I like how the plot strands were woven together. That ending... I wasn't expecting that!

This author is new to me and it's always existing to find out what she will have in store for me.

She most certainly does not disappoint and she treats us to a splendid book. Lies, deceit, manipulation and revenge are a few of the ingredients the author uses to concoct this delicious story. 

Does anyone ever deserve to die? No, I don't think so, because death is to easy. Spending the rest of their lives behind bars is a much better punishment, but on the other hand there are people I would not shed one single tear for if they should stop breathing. I would be utterly shocked by the early demise of others though...

The author left me nodding form time to time when somehting I hoped for happened indeed  and sometimes she left me flabbergasted.

I loved this book very, very much. Looking forward to more books by this writer. 5 stars

Thank you