Oh my god. Liz Nugent has done it again. As soon as I started reading this book I was just drawn to Sally Diamond - the protagonist of the book. 'Strange' Sally as they call her, has two adoptive parents, but she can't remember any childhood memories before the age of 7. She doesn't know why. She has been bullied at school, has no friends, and pretends she is deaf to avoid contact with anyone other than her parents.
Suddenly, her father dies, and makes a quip about putting him out with the trash when he dies, and that's just what Sally does. This creates a whirlwind of attention around poor Sally who doesn't know what she did wrong? Her father did say she was 'socially deficient', so this is exactly what Sally replies with when she is unintentionally rude.
The story really begins with her father leaves her a series of 3 letters - to each be read one week apart. The letters detail just how Sally came to be a member of the Diamond family, and it is not what she imagines at all.
The rest of the story takes a remarkable host of twists and turns that you couldn't imagine, and I won't spoil it for you. But I will say that this book is well worth the read.

I absolutely loved this book. As with Liz Nugent's previous books it immediately draws the reader in with a shocking premise and bit by bit the character's tragic start in life is revealed and we meet her brother and birth father also, following them from Ireland to New Zealand. Modern day references to social media and ancestry DNA are woven into the storyline so you literally feel the net closing in. This book kept me awake long into the night and I highly recommend it!

Sally lives in a small village in Co. Roscommon. She is reclusive and odd. Liz Nugent tells us why Sally is strange and it is a twisted tale.

Sally Diamond’s father tells her to put him out with the rubbish when he dies - so she does as she’s told. Sally is seen as strange and different and doesn’t think the way that others might do. Why? Well, that would be telling. Then the stuff hits the proverbial fan and Sally finds herself in the headlines - again. To say that chaos ensues is a distinct understatement.

Well, all I can say about this amazing book is that is has been well worth waiting for as Liz Nugent has knocked it out the park again. This is a brace yourself, buckle up read, at times it’s absolutely heartbreaking, at others there’s bone chilling horror and then there’s joy and laughter. I love the light and shade of the different tones in the storytelling though I’m not going to pretend it isn’t shockingly dark black at times though it is never overblown.

The total standout for me in the utterly compelling and immersive read is the memorable character of Sally. She feels so read and authentic that I just want to protect her and be her friend. All the characters are superbly portrayed and you can visualise them jumping from the pages. Sally’s unfiltered honesty is brilliant and she makes me laugh and at other times when things get too hard for her you want to take her pain away.

This is a book that will take you through a whole gamut of emotions, it’ll make you gasp at times yet warm your heart too. In my opinion this is an author at the top of her game and she’s a must read writer for me. The writing flows and rises and falls as it twists and turns to an excellent ending. An outstanding read and I’ll never forget Sally.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Penguin General UK for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A likeable protagonist ! Who could have guessed ?

It’s been three long years since Liz Nugent published her last novel but it was worth the wait .

Strange Sally Diamond is dark ,compelling and beautifully crafted .

“ Put me out with the bins” . When its discovered that Sally Diamond followed her deceased fathers request quite literally ,when he died peacefully at home, the local villagers of Carricksheedy become suspicious that something is not quite right. Rumours of a traumatic childhood ordeal resurface and the past continues to unhinge an already unstable Sally Diamond . Clues to her past are unveiled upon reading her fathers letters . If only she had opened them before she had disposed of his body . How was she expected to know otherwise ?

Clever ,twisty and unsettlingly . Very true to Liz Nugent ‘s unique style . I could not put this down . I really hope we don’t have to wait as long for her next book and wish her every success with this one .

My sincere thanks to NetGalley for an Arc . Sally Diamond is due for release March 2023.

Wow, this well-written book really packs an emotional punch. Initially "strange" Sally Diamond just seems to be an oddball quirky character but as the story progresses we learn why she is the way she is, and cheer her on in her development. There is some very disturbing content here and I really sympathized with the main character. This book will stick with me.

Another page turner from Liz Nugent. Sally is different and lives a secluded life with her father, from the start it appears she may be on the spectrum but as the novel unfolds the horror of her early life is unravelled. The book takes you through Sally learning to live in a world that is new to her, making friends and finding her way while also dealing with finding out about her early life and history. A bit different from Liz Nugent previous books but an addictive page turner.

A well written story by Liz Nugent. This book kept me engrossed from start to finish with
many interesting twists and turns. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

Love love love Liz Nugents’ work this book was extremely difficult to read in parts but her writing skills keep you transfixed.
Sally Diamond is the main character and her life story is enough to break the hardest of hearts. She endured so much trauma from childhood continuing into her adult life and this is her story.
I think I went through the whole spectrum of emotions during this journey and I loved every word.
Highly recommended 5 star ⭐️ read for me.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book. This story was absolutely brilliant. The storyline and the characters were fantastic. Only thing is I need more. I think more of Peter/Steve in the future. That would be a fantastic read. Great writing. I look forward to more books from the author.

A young girl abducted leaving no trace . A woman with young child found locked in a cabin brutally abused. Two medical experts intent on undoing the catastrophic damage inflicted . A harrowing storyline of an unhinged pedophile inflicting untold atrocities and defilement on his victims and the slow tenuous path to potential salvation for those surviving imprisonment and abuse. Post traumatic stress outlined in graphic detail as an innocent claws her way back towards a goal of normality in a confusing and often dangerous situation. Always a difficult subject told with sensitivity, humour and pathos. The protagonist reliving her past whilst struggling to comprehend the enormity of existence in a world that for her is an alien environment. A riveting conclusion as traumatic as suspenseful from a difficult plot line expertly written with enormous sensitivity . Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for ARC.

An enticing opening and the narrative just flows along from there. Plenty of character development so that we are really invested in all the decisions made - poor or otherwise.
Disturbing content handled exceptionally well.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this opportunity to review this book.

Strange Sally Diamond, the latest novel from Liz Nugent, really packs an emotional punch. Nugent's main characters are often unlikeable, but Sally is something quite different. We meet her at the death of her adoptive father, as she tries to incinerate his body in their home incinerator, believing herself to be following his instructions.
Sally has known for years that she was adopted, but it is not until the death of her father (her mother has been dead for some years when we meet Sally) that the true horror of her past and the reasons why she is 'socially deficient', as she describes herself, begin to reveal themselves.
This is a very dark story, but as always, Nugent provides us with enough humour to help us through, and Sally's initial lack of any sort of filter is the main source of levity, as she says exactly what she thinks without any thought for the consequences.
Along with the very sinister and damaged characters we meet, there are also some wonderful people who help and support Sally through her journey, but I was left with a profound sense of sadness at the end of the novel.
I found it a really compelling read; I flew through it, and if I had any slight issue with it, it was that it maybe moved a little too fast in places - the intervention of the podcast team seemed a little sudden to me - but overall, this was a fantastic story and I'll be haunted by Sally Diamond for a while!

Hooked from the start! We follow sally through what appears to be a misunderstanding due to autism, we’re quickly told by her psychiatric father that she’s not autistic which furthers confusion at first as he labels her as socially deficient. Through the story we learn more about sallys issues, her past, her upbringing, her adoption, and eventually her family both biologically and adoptive. Sally makes great progress in learning these things and changing her life for the better, therapy leads to some amazing goals and realisations and she tries to use these new skills to lead a better life for herself, alas the tragedy of her past comes back, starting with a teddy bear and ending with her spiralling back to old habits. We meet her brother who she never knew and realise just how far the trauma as kids went and how it still impacts them today. My only issue with this is I hated the ending, it was well done but I felt after all sally had been through she’d of got a happier ending,

I’ve missed Liz Nugent as she hasn’t released any books since 2020, however she’s back with a bang with this one. What a book!
It’s one of those stories that will hit you with a range of emotions; sadness, happiness, laughter, shock. I wish I could go back and read it all over again. It will stick with me for a long time and I find that I keep talking about it to friends.
I loved it and will continue to recommend to anyone.

Wow. First off many thanks to #NetGalley for an advance reading copy of #StrangeSallyDiamond. Reading this book had me gripped from the get-go. I genuinely couldn't put it down, and devoured it in one sitting. I wish I could erase it from my memory and reread it. All I can say you lucky people who have yet to read it. If it could give it more than 5 stars I would.

Well Sally Diamond has not had the best start to life infact the hardest or worse of the worse it's fair to say.

If Your mother has been kidnapped several year before your birth and the capturer was your Dad and well what more can be said. This is how Sally life began and it was several year before she was rescued the damage is great. She is adopted by a Physiotherapist and a gp and their goal in life you will read about

This is a deep story one of healing as much as can be lots of discovery about life and it is real as in very realistic as can be. No one could real know what it whittle be like but I believe this which is what the author needs and the reader wants, in my case that is and hopefully yours. Sally is damaged goods it could be safely said but intelligent and excellent muscian.

So that's the long winded background but why do I give 5 stars? There are a lot of reasons and without giving anything away I found the story and the ending so powerful and hope you get to discover why. The ending is worth 5 stars alone but there are other reasons as well. I want to say that this sort of novel/thriller can be so badly let down but the ending that is writings Liz needs acknowledgement and honor for getting in my view such an incredible and realistic storyline.

So I recommend this a great storyline from beginning to the end and I don't think You will be disappointed.

Another absolute cracker from Liz Nugent! Great story, loved the characters and so well written it kept me turning the pages. Well worth the wait from her last offering in March 2020. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Penguin UK and Netgalley for the advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Another excellent read from Liz Nugent. I found it difficult to read at first as the characters and the description of their situations and justifications of their actions was quite harrowing. Like all of Liz Nugent's books there comes a stage where there is hope of redemption and happiness (for some) before leading to the inevitable disturbing end to the book. Very well written and researched book

Sally Diamond is a straightforward talking type of gal. I was worried it was going to be another ASD narration but as the tale unfolds it becomes apparent that there are far more sinister reasons for her abruptness and desire to minimise social contact.

The plot and timelines all work together well. There are some likeable characters and some deeply disturbing characters. I have mixed feelings about this book; I whipped through it and wanted to know how things were going to pan out. But I also felt uncomfortable about gaining 'pleasure' from the terrible situations described in the story. I don't know why I felt this more with this book than say another book in which people are liberally murdered. However if you were happy reading 'Room' then you will be fine.