I didn't finish this so can't give it a rating. It was too confusing and too slow paced for me. Thanks for the opportunity, I apologize that this one just wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book is all over the place. The main story is Dahlia returning to her mother’s home in order to find answers about her childhood. She and her mother, Memphis, spent most of Dahlia’s childhood living and working in seedy hotels, on the run, but from what and why? It’s pretty easy to figure out why they were on the run, even if Dahlia can’t or won’t.

When Dahlia arrives home, she finds a woman left for dead in the woods. This adds some branches to the plot, but really none of them were intriguing enough to keep me interested. It’s slow-moving, and the author’s attempt to keep the truth hidden as long as she can convolutes the story. Plot twists are just manipulations to make everything fit. You know what’s coming, just not the specifics.

The characters are awful. Her mother is strange, and gets stranger as the book goes on. Dahlia is pretty dense as she can’t see what’s in front of her and why her mother never had “paperwork” to enroll her in school. Dahlia then spends 15 years in dead-end jobs that pay cash before asking her mother. Really, it took that long? The supporting characters are a bit exaggerated, such as the medicine woman in the woods with all sorts of crazy potions and cures, a “traveler” with a low IQ, the husband who blames the woman for his indiscretions, etc.

Pass on this one.

This book reminded me of the story of the blind men describing an elephant. Different characters take over the narration to describe events in both past and present that may or may not be related. Although the writing is clear and direct, the level of confusion stays high as the reader has to figure out how everything is (or isn't) related. Telling the story as history does not leave much room for suspense. The weird factor is high, but the people are just not that interesting to me, perhaps because of the decidedly female point of view.

This book was not for me. I found it slow, tedious, confusing, scattered, and more work than enjoyment. When I have to force myself to keep going, I know something's wrong. I finally decided that my time was worth more than the small satisfaction of completing this book, so despite all my efforts, I am a Did Not Finish on this one.

I do appreciate NetGalley and Berkley Books for providing me an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have reviewed "The Good Daughter" by Alexandra Burt for ReaderToReader.com where it will remain on site indefinitely. If there are any questions or concerns, please contact Vickie Denney at: Vickie@ReaderToReader.com.
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Dahlia Waller spent her childhood living in sleazy hotels or her mother's dilapidated car. The one thing that kept her engaged was an encyclopedia which she read to learn different things. She doesn't understand why they must keep running or why her questions aren't answered.

They eventually settle in Aurora, Texas, and Dahlia befriends Bobby, a policeman's son, and forms a strong, platonic bond. Dahlia now attends school and leaves after graduation only to return fifteen years later, finding her mother, Memphis profoundly confused. She searches for information, yet only gets gibberish.

After the two argue, Dahlia goes jogging and stumbles on a half dead woman in the woods. Terrified, she flees and falls into the creek hitting her head. She gets help for them both then strange spells and visions of differing scenarios envelop Dahlia. The doctor insists she is experiencing dangerous seizures and recommends surgery, but Dahlia refuses until she learns the identity of the victim and the secrets her mother is hiding.

As Memphis descends deeper into madness, she explains her past by piecemeal. Though crimes were committed, Dahlia struggles over exposing her. She feels intense hatred toward her mother but understands Memphis' rationalizations and a past where she believes her actions are justified.

Shocking and highly emotional, "The Good Daughter" is a multifaceted tale exploding with suspense and tension substantiating a woman's validation of righting a wrong.

This is not a quick book, its slow to build and a bit disjointed. You know something isn't right from the beginning, since Dahlia talks about not having the right paperwork for most jobs. The book picks up a bit around half way but still feels like its all over the place and not sure what it wants to be, is it a mystery, a thriller, a fantasy book? And it could be all of those if it was woven together a bit more. The ending wasn't completely satisfying. It felt rushed and off but most of the book felt off as well so I guess its fitting.

The story itself was pretty good, a bit repetitive and not woven as well as it could have been but it was an interesting plot. When Dahlia Waller finds a woman half buried in the woods you think it will be a main theme tying things together but it seemed to just be there not very necessary or important other than it spurs Dahlia into questioning her mother about the past and her mother being weirder than she already was. It just didn't seem necessary, more like a prop that once put out you're not really sure what to do with anymore.

I wouldn't say I hated this book but I also wouldn't put it in my loved it category. It was ok but there are so many more entertaining things to read out there.

2.5 stars

This is a story that begs the reader to have patience. The storyline itself is an incredibly slow build, and one that often gets lost among the atmospheric and sometimes overly detailed quality of the author’s writing. There are times it feels like a scattered mess. Trying to decipher how all of the random pieces fit together and what story the author is ultimately trying to tell is quite the task. One that demands the consumption of more than half of the page count before any sort of clarity becomes evident. And even then, I’m not sure the truth is worth meandering through this forest of disillusionment.

What starts with a woman returning home, after fifteen years, to confront her mother and learn the truth about her past, veers left and takes a detour. Out jogging, Dahlia stumbles across the body of woman. She’s alive, but barely, and no one knows her identity. From there, Dahlia sort of obsesses about this Jane Doe and having suffered a fall in the aftermath of the discovery is plagued by strange smells and episodes. Was she completely losing it or was it me, instead? Even now, I can’t figure out what Jane Doe’s purpose was. Her whole storyline felt like a waste of pages that culminated in a boring and predictable outcome.

Eventually, the author veers back to the initial course, Dahlia getting her mother to explain her scattered memories and the reason they spent her early childhood running from one place to the next. The truth unfolds through the eyes of four women and it’s slow, but sort of chaotic, if that even makes sense. With each change in perspective comes a different feel, wavering time period and my ever growing confusion. Akin to standing in the middle of an overgrown forest trying to trace each and every gnarled branch back to the trunk it stems from, it’s a tedious and questionable undertaking. For how hard the author seemed to work at keeping the truth obscured, I was disappointed to find out my theory was correct. Making the BIG revelation not so surprising.

Heed my warning - this is not a fast-paced, on the edge of your seat, flying through the pages, psychological thriller. So, if that’s what you’re craving, I would suggest picking up something else. With that said, there were times I was quite taken with some of Alexandra Burt's words. I just wish she had honed in on a more concise path.

Most of Dahlia Waller's earliest memories take place in her mother's car. They were constantly packing up and leaving in the middle of the night, driving to parts unknown. They would stay in the new place for a while, living in the cheap motels where her mother, Memphis, worked as a housekeeper and got paid 'under the table'. Dahlia knew they wouldn't stay long; they never did. Sooner or later they would leave, moving on to another motel in another town... it was an oft-repeated cycle that Dahlia was told had to do with Paperwork... which they didn't have. It was the reason Dahlia was home-schooled, instead of going to school like other children did.

After years of moving from one place to another, Memphis took Dahlia to Aurora, Texas... and they stayed. Dahlia was enrolled in school, and able to make lasting friendships for the first time in her life. Memphis never told Dahlia why she chose to stay in Aurora; she was an obsessively private woman who shared very little with anyone, including her daughter. Dahlia left when she was 18, and didn't return for 15 years—she wanted answers about her strange childhood, and Memphis was the only person who could provide them. To Dahlia's dismay, Memphis is as tight-lipped as ever, and seems to be teetering on the edge of madness.

Before Dahlia can attempt to get any answers, she discovers a woman who has been left for dead in the woods. This sets off a chain of events that apparently pushes her mother over the edge of sanity, leaving Dahlia to search for answers on her own... answers that are not only heartbreaking, but horrifying.

Intriguing right from the start, The Good Daughter is layer upon layer of mystery. What I've described above touches on only two of the characters in this multi-faceted story. There are several others we meet along the way—two in particular where we see the action through their points of view. I don't want to spoil anything, so I can't give any details other than to say they all have an important role in the overall story. It's puzzling early on, trying to figure out how all the pieces of this complex story fit together. Once everything starts to fall into place, you can't help but appreciate the skill it took for Burt to craft such a complicated story. This is the first novel I've read by Alexandra Burt, but it definitely won't be the last!

DNF so no resting. I tried to really like this book. It starts off promising but by the time I got to part 2 there was only one character I was interested in and she was only mentioned once. Part 2 started to show some cohesion but unfortunately I had lost interest by then :(

I could not get into this book at all. I read about 11% of it and was not really finding myself interested in it.

This was definitely a different book. At first, I couldn't tell who was crazier, the mother or the daughter. I started with the mother and why she kept driving around the country. Her poor daughter didn't go to school until the 8th grade. Then she didn't know her name until about that time as well. This poor girl had a strange life to begin with. And what was up with all the goings on about crickets?

Then after they got to Aurora and Dahlia had gone to school, had left Aurora for 15 years, came back and then she started smelling things and seeing things, then I thought she was going crazy.

This poor mother and daughter were spending their lives working for minimum wage under the counter cleaning hotels, houses or whatever they could find. This was all because the mother hated paperwork. Dahlia didn't even know whether she had a birth certificate or even a social security number. When she asked her mother about it, her mother would change the subject.

All Dahlia can remember from her childhood is leaving in the middle of the night to go to yet another motel, or living above a gas station, or car garage or living in the backseat of her mother's car. She remembers that her mother did buy her a Columbia Encyclopedia because she kept asking so many questions. She almost wore that thing out.

And then . . . after one tragedy after another, her mother sits her down and tells her the truth. It is unbelievable and shocking. Definitely one I did not see coming.

I found this be a highly entertaining and mesmerizing read. I really felt for the characters at least one point or another during my reading of this book. Sometimes more than one point. The author did a great job with the story and definitely with the ending.

Thanks to Berkley Publishing for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to like this book a little more than I did. Thebook was a little confusing at first, as it's told from several different points of views and at first, the reader doesn't know who these characters are. They do finally all come together by the end of the book and the storyline makes a lot more sense. This book was a gritty mystery, a little too gritty for my liking, and at some points there were plotholes that I couldn't really get past. Not quite my cup of tea.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm feeling really conflicted on his book. Was it entertaining? Yes... but it felt.. LONG. There were huge chunks of the story that didn't seem necessary. I wanted to finish because I needed to see if there was a big twist to make the book all come together.

All in all, it was an interesting read.

This book is on the dark side so it won't be for everyone.

The over all story I liked. It was confusing in the beginnig because of all the different point of views. Once you get to know the characters you understand the different point of views and why the author chose to tell the story this way.

The story is utimately about what lengths a mother will go to protect her child. Though I don't agree with how she did it.

It is a little unbelievable that in this day and time they could completely circumvent the system by not producing birth records and social security numbers. It would be very difficult to do. Dahlia would not have been able to attend school at all.

Quinn's contribution to the story is hard to read. She was gang raped and the details are very vivid.

If you like a dark mystery, suspense, you will like this book. I tend to like feel good stories.

Give this one a try and let me know what you think.

Okay story.. Revelation about where she came from and the consequences of previous actions.

So, I have to do it. I have to review a book that I am Not Really Into. When I saw the description for this book I was excited - as I have said before I am from Texas, and I still get lured by in by its mystique. I really wanted to like this book about a small town mystery. The book was just really hard for me to get into. I struggled to finish and it felt like a chore to read.

The story of Dahlia Ealler and her mother, Memphis, is actually interesting and I think there is a really good book in here, however it is hidden in a mess of a story with incredibly flowery language. There were times I would just skim a page because it contained so many metaphors and not much content. Dahlia's life is a mystery to her and her mother is going crazy, so she and her friend from high school, a policeman officer, team together to figure it out. But there are times where they miss big clues that left me frustrated, and I felt like I had it figured out fairly earl you on. There is also a side story of Dahlia finding a girl in the woods that seemed to have no relation to the main story whatsoever! I don't know why it's was there!

Alexandra Burt is clearly a talented author, and there is a great story hidden in this book - I just feel like it could use a heavy dose of editing before it is published. I wanted to be Really Into, and there were times where I almost was, but at the end of the day it felt like work to get through the book. But don't count it completely out, it may be something that you are Really Into - especially after it is officially published on February 7, 2017.

The Good Daughter is Alexandra Burt’s second novel and like her first explores motherhood and memory. This time the focus of the narrative is Dahlia, the daughter, whose relationship with Memphis, her mother, is complicated. She loves Memphis, but harbors anger and resentment over the many secrets her mother keeps and their effect on her life.

Dahlia’s earliest memories are of life on the road, a transient existence as her mom traveled from dead end job to dead end job, of being “home-schooled” with the Columbia Encyclopedia, of moving always onward but never forward. Her mother called her Pet until they moved to their final stop, Aurora, Texas. From then on they were no longer Mom and Pet but Memphis and Dahlia Waller. They stayed in Aurora until Dahlia left after high school, frustrated that she could not go to college for the same reason their jobs and lives were so transient. Paperwork. More precisely, the lack of paperwork that doomed Dahlia to low paid under-the-table jobs.

Determined to finally wrest her mother’s secrets from her, Dahlia returns to Aurora after fifteen years. Her mother seems to be coming undone. To add to the tension, while out jogging, Dahlia discovers a woman who had been left for dead. Her discovery saves the woman’s life, but arouses questions about a possible serial killer. Worse, she begins to have visions, hallucinations, or seizures depending on whom you’re talking to. They are either brought on by psychic ability, schizophrenia, or a blow to the head, again depending on whom you are talking to.

Meanwhile, Memphis is falling off the edge, but at least she begins to start talking, though not about Memphis and Dahlia. Instead she tells the story of a young woman named Quinn, her marriage and her friendship with a childlike young woman named Tain. There’s a lot of pain in those stories, those memories, but perhaps they will reveal more than Dahlia ever expects.

I very much enjoyed The Good Daughter. It explores how trauma can travel from one generation to the next and how far someone may go to protect their child–and how the bonds of mother love can be forged in steel. Burt explores many ideas. This makes for a richer story, but Burt wove in so many threads that some of them were tied off quickly and summarily, making me think they were not needed in the first place. For example, you could pick out and unravel the serial killer story thread and still have a whole cloth.

It is odd, but the character with whom I most identified is Quinn. She’s a bit ruthless, a lot damaged, and yet she perseveres. She has grit. Dahlia seems a bit obtuse at times. She’s looking at all the threads and never makes manages to loop them together. Solutions are handed to her by Bobby and Memphis while Dahlia refuses to let the penny drop. That’s the best interpretation and I will stick with it, because I think she is smart enough to have seen the penny, seen the direction it was traveling and known where it was going to land, but could not face the pain of it landing on her heart.

There is so much to think about in The Good Daughter. I imagine book groups across the country discussing Quinn’s actions, Memphis’ choices, Dahlia’s dawdling and how their stories come together from all sorts of perspectives. It’s just that kind of book, the kind you want to talk about. The main characters are deeply developed and we care about them. There is a curiously languid mood for the story. Curious because after all, there is a serial killer out there and Dahlia really needs to get a birth certificate and a social security number one of these days so she can get a real job. Nonetheless, I don’t know if it’s the Texas heat, the slow moving cycles of rural living, or just the pace of Memphis recollections, but there is this deliberate, unhurried, languor that only heightens the tension as Dahlia, slowly, slowly, slowly comes to understand her mother.

As a kid, Dahlia Waller remembers crossing state lines with her mother, Memphis, sometimes overnight, never staying in one place for too long. She doesn’t questions it or think it strange, because it’s the only thing she knows.

They finally settle down in the town of Aurora, Texas, where Dahlia eventually spends her pre-teen and teenage years, but as soon as she graduates, she’s out of there!

15 years later, she goes back to Aurora, only to find herself in the middle of a present-day mystery, and to find her mother’s mind slowly deteriorating and now, Dahlia wants answers. Where did she come from? Who is her father? Why did her mother spend all of those running away? What was she running away from?

Told in alternating POV’s, this story was full of suspense, family drama, and haunted farmhouses!

A solid 4.5 stars only because some parts seemed a little unrealistic as well as predictable, but still a quick and fun read!

ARC for review - expected publication date, February 7, 2017.

Dahlia is back in her small hometown of Aurora - she and her mother, Memphis have always lived an odd life, no Social Security numbers, no birth certificates, no identifying information at all. Her mother seems mentally ill, but Dahlia needs answers - answers to the story of her life and answers about the young woman whom she found nearly dead in the woods right after her return. So there are mysteries within mysteries in this book, but the reader always has much more information than the characters (in fact, one of the blurbs for the book gives an awful lot away) so we're really waiting for Dahlia to discover the truth.

Therefore the mysteries are few and far between, but they were enough to keep me interested. The main characters are well-drawn (the secondary characters less so - I had no sense of Bobby whatsoever) and Burt made me understand their motivations. I think a number of people will be drawn to this book.

I found this book very confusing and unrealistic. It's a type of book that readers will absolutely love or hate. It just didn't work for me.