Ah, Liz Nugent! First page, and you already have this reader in Sally Diamond’s world!!

With each new work of Nugent’s, I know that I will be finding a new take on character development, even as I am propelled along a suspenseful plot. Her characters are slowly developed and fully voiced, in this instance by Sally and Peter.

Sally, of course, is the most psychologically interesting; her unique voice is pitch perfect, yet much of how we picture her, is not so much from how she sees herself, but rather from the interactions from the various members of her increasingly growing community. All these various members are likewise clearly drawn, with distinct personalities and responses to plot events.
I look forward to adding to this review with specifics once Strange Sally Diamond is out.

I very much enjoyed this novel and give great thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sally Diamond’s father tells her to put him out with the trash when he dies so she does what her father asks of her. Sally is seen as strange and different and doesn’t think the way that others might think it’s socially acceptable. Why you ask that would be giving away too much, Sally finds herself in the headlines and it’s not for the first time to say bedlam ensues is an understatement. This was the first book I have Read from Liz Nugent. I was spellbound by the utterly compelling and immersive storyline and authentic characters that left from the pages. This is a roller coaster read. It took me through a range of emotions. It will make you gasp in horror at times yet have you laughing to it is shockingly, dark and intense at times that it will break your heart, but there is hope in the story. It was told in a cleaver way via two POV and two timelines that will eventually collide into a shocking ending.
A fantastic read that I highly recommend. A special thanks to Simon and Schuster Canada and NetGalley for an arc of Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent, in exchange for an honest review.

What a surprising and engaging novel. I think the less said about the story, the better; the reader explores the world of Sally Diamond and joins her, step by step, as, after her father’s death, she moves beyond her sheltered life and not only meets new friends, but discovers more of her world, including hard truths about her past.

It is a heartbreaking novel, yet funny and hopeful. Definitely recommend.

Mark my words, by the end of 2023, this will be one of the most talked about books.
Right from the first chapter, this story excelled. Sally is the survivor of a shockingly disturbing story, and the twists and turns keep coming. Cleverly written with alternate POV’s and timelines (stretching over 40 years), this book told the fascinating story of our title character, Sally Diamond. Each chapter had you wanting more and more.
Throughout the whole story, you keep wondering if Sally can overcome such a horrific start to her life.
This book is executed so well, and it will have you addicted. Be sure to add this to your 2023 TBR. This book has trigger warnings that are also spoilers, send me a DM if you want to know what you are getting into.
I highly recommend picking up your own copy on July 18th, 2023. Mark your calendars!
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Liz Nugent is so good at creating unlikeable characters that I was surprised to find myself really feeling for Strange Sally Diamond. She’s odd and anti-social and best of all, says whatever is on her mind, with no filter. A lot of darkness surrounds her both in past and present, with much of the thriller aspects of this novel coming from flashbacks as well as Sally discovering hidden secrets of her childhood after the death of her beloved father. There is a lot of heart to Sally’s story, as her village rallies around her and she begins to explore a world outside of her routines. Add this to your TBR pile!

THIS BOOK!!!! I did not want this to end. This is definitely my favorite book this year and I think will be a book of the year contender. This was my first book I have read by Liz Nugent and I look forward to reading the rest, Every aspect of Strange Sally Diamond was amazing; If I could rate this more then 5 stars I would be! I will suggesting this book to everyone I know!!!!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for this AMAZING ARC.

This book was a true page-turner – I couldn’t put it down!

The story follows Sally Diamond, a grown woman learning to live in a world she was never fully part of. Her mother was the victim of abduction, rape, and torture. Her father was a pedophile that had no use for women, other than to fulfill his sexual needs.

What follows is told in dual timeline POV between Sally and a boy named Peter. We watch Sally navigate her community and the challenges she faces as a result of her captivity after her adoptive father dies. Her awkwardness and the blunt way she interacts with people is refreshing.

I loved the writing style of this author. The chapters were short and quick making it easy to “read just one more chapter”. I can easily see this book landing on many reader's favorites of 2023. This novel has a list of trigger warnings to be aware of: child abduction, rape, torture.

***Thank you to the Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC copy of this novel***

I read this in one afternoon, so I can definitely say that it pulls you in & the pace is very fast. It is a very engrossing yet sad/disturbing story. Sally is a fascinating character & the revelations along the way are filled with many surprises. Her awkwardness is endearing & you really root for her to succeed. The Peter chapters begin to unweave the story even more & I honestly couldn’t imagine what the conclusion of the book would be. It handles very unsettling subject matters but I appreciate that it wasn’t gratuitous for entertainment’s sake.

“Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.”

As soon as I read those lines, I knew I needed to read this book!

Sally Diamond is not like everyone else, she pretends she deaf when she doesn’t want to deal with people and her father refers to her as socially deficient. None of which is an issue until he passes away and she is left on her own for the first time at 40 years old. After the discovery of his body Sally becomes a media sensation and others try to understand her way of thinking.

After her father’s death she discovers three letters left for her to read. From these she learns how she came to be apart of the Diamond family and her early childhood of which she has no memory.

Strange Sally Diamond is a dark, twisty, suspenseful roller coaster of a read. Sally also offers at times a funny side, so I found myself laughing! I think this will be a popular book for 2023!

Content warnings include abuse of a minor, sexual assault and kidnapping.

Look for it July 18, 2023!

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

From start to finish, this was a wild ride! I was completely hooked, and could not put down this dark, suspenseful, tragic thriller.

Meet Sally Diamond, a 45-year-old woman living at home with her father. To say Sally is strange is putting it lightly, her father describes her as “socially defective”…. You’ll have to read on to see what that means. After her father dies, Sally “puts him out with the trash” as her father jokingly told her to do, and Sally doesn’t understand that when someone dies you can’t, just “put them out with the trash”. Once her mistake is discovered her life is thrown into a police inquiry. The police inquiry also brings Sally attention from the media, which intern, brings attention to a chaotic childhood Sally has no memory of. As the story continues, we get to learn the details of Sally’s forgotten past. It almost feels like a dark “coming of age” tale as Sally learns to live on her own.

The story is full of details and facts that made it believable and real. I really enjoyed how she explained everything and wrap things up at the end. I think this story would be great for fans of Lisa Jewell.



Content warning: minor abuse/rape, human cruelty.

Available July 18, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley, Publisher Simon and Schuster Canada and author, Liz Nugent for the advanced readers copy.

Strange Sally Diamond was a very interesting book for me to read. I was taken in by the title and never expected what I would find within the pages of this book. To say that Sally has reason to be Strange is the understatement of the century. Being shaped by the events of your life takes on a whole new meaning when you find out what happened to Sally.
I could not put this book down and found myself totally involved with Sally's life and how she related to the "normal" world that she, with her background would never be a part of.
Support systems become the only way that she will survive in a world that does not make too much sense to her. What we would see as a broken person, without any hope, Sally does not seem to understand how different she really is. A prisoner of her own upbringing and her reality, she must learn to navigate a world that makes little or no sense to her at all.
This was a very interesting book and I would highly recommend it to everyone who loves to see how people relate to each other and their circumstances.

I just reviewed Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
*********************************************************
Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died.
Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police but also a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say.
But when messages start arriving from a stranger who knows far more about her past than she knows herself, Sally's life will be thrown into chaos once again . . .

Oh, what a delightfully bizarre read. This Irish domestic drama-thriller was a delight to read: I inhaled it in one fell swoop. Just when you think that you have Sally and the plot line figured out, it goes elsewhere and astonishes you with what happens next. It is hard to write and not share all the delicious details! Pick up this book and some SPF100 and go to the beach, backyard, garden, or porch and spend some time with this weirdly awesome character and her exploits...you won't regret it.
#shortbutsweetreviews

Dark, emotional roller-coaster of a ride! Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent is told from 2 narratives, one past and one present and eventually the past catches up and crosses path with Sally's story. Both timelines are rich in content drawing you into the story.

This story is of socially inept Sally at age 43, who is forced to confront a traumatic past that she does not remember and forge a life on her own when her adopted psychiatrist father passes away. Sally has many coming of age moments, as she tries to fit in. This story will keep you guessing and reading until the ambiguous ending which felt a bit rushed in the telling. The characters are complex and are as compelling as the story. Although the themes of abuse, rape, and pedophilia are dark, this story does have light moments which help to balance the story.

Definitely, one to read in 2023. Available July 18, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent.

I loved this book!! I didn't know what I was getting into with this book and I was delightfully surprised. It turned out to be an exceptional character study of someone who was traumatized as a child and grew into a "strange" adult.

Nugent wrote Sally so dynamically, she simply jumped off the page. I couldn't stop turning the pages to read more about Sally's story.

It shows the best and the worst of human beings. It is a story that will shock you, delight you, and make you cry and probably make you cringe. It shows you the ugliness in the world but also shows how beautiful humans can be toward one another.

This book will be in my favorites list for 2023.

There is a abuse in this book so it could be triggering for some.

Thank you for the advanced readers copy for an honest opinion

This is a quirky ready about a woman named Sally Diamond, who is socially inept or what we call autistic.

In the first few chapters you get an understanding of how Sally thinks, how everything is taken literally. Her father has passed and while living had said to throw him out with the trash when he died. Well…that’s what she did.

It then came out that she had previous trauma that she’d endured.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s quirky, good.

Strange Sally Diamond was not what I was expecting. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting but it wasn't what I got.

This story is dark, and certainly could be triggering for some readers. Sally, and others, have suffered years of horrific abuse and are clearly (and rightfully) traumatized. Their stories are incredibly sad and complicated. Sally carries many lingering issues with her into adulthood, but is working on herself. She's definitely not "normal". Sally does show great character growth throughout the story and I found it was really well done and a bright point in the story.

If reading about abuse (rape, paedophilia -to name just a couple) doesn't cause you harm, pick up Strange Sally Diamond. It's an interesting book and you find yourself pulling for Sally to succeed in life. I think this one will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an advanced copy of Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent..

An exceptional book - Sally Diamond is a brilliant character and reads watch her grow up, understand her trauma, and live through the effects of it. Would recommend.

“𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚜 𝚂𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢.“

When the queen Lisa Jewell recommends a book, I will read it. And, I’m so glad that I did in this case! 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘋𝘪𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘥 by Liz Nugent was an absolute delight to read and I flew through it in a matter of hours.

“‘𝙿𝚞𝚝 𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚜𝚑,‘ 𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍
𝚛𝚎𝚐𝚞𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚢.“

When we first meet Sally Diamond, she has just put her dead father in a garbage bag, dragged him to the barn, and burned him with the rest of the household trash. This is no spoiler. It happens on the first two pages and, believe me, does not even touch what comes next.

“𝙸 𝚞𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚗𝚝. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚘𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑.“

I really don’t want to say too much because I think you should go into this one blind like I did. What I will say is that this read is bonkers & beautiful, disturbing & emotional. The writing is quick & clever with a story that is so unique, you will be thinking of it for days after you’ve finished reading. I loved Sally and I hope you do too!

“𝚆𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚏𝚎𝚕𝚝 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎?“

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this ARC. I liked this book more than I thought I would. The reason I say that is because it's labelled as a psychological thriller. Although there are many psychological aspects to this book, and there are definitely several mysteries to unravel, it was a slower paced book. I really liked the main character of Sally. I liked her neurodivergence and her uniqueness. She takes things quite literally and doesn't engage in small talk. She comes off as odd and she speaks her mind, regardless of how it sounds to others. We discover that Sally was adopted by a psychiatrist and his wife after a very traumatic childhood. She doesn't remember anything prior to this point. Eventually, her past is revealed bit by bit and she finds herself (very uncomfortably) in the spotlight. Strangers are interested in her past and her story and Sally herself is learning things about herself and her past that she never knew before. The book is told from the alternating perspectives of Sally herself, in present-day and a young boy named Peter in the past. We slowly unravel who Peter is and who Sally is/was and how they are connected. We discover the trauma and family secrets that Sally herself was unaware of and had basically blocked out. As things come to light, we watch Sally struggle with reconciling who she was then, with who she has become and even who she wants to be. She seeks out help and the company of others, which is unlike her, in order to feel a connection and to understand the world around her. At times sad and tragic, it was a story about perseverance and triumphing over what is in our genes or in our past. Sometimes we fail to overcome and sometimes we succeed. This book shows both sides of that coin. I was rooting for Sally and really felt a fondness for her as she moved through the story, trying to find out who she is and the terrible past that her adoptive father had been trying to shield her from. I'd give this one a 4.5.

Unputdownable. The story starts off with Sally remembering her father telling her when he dies she can just put him out in the trash. And so..when he dies at the beginning of the novel, she does just that. She puts him in a trash bag, pours on some gas and lights it on fire. And as a result becomes the talk of the village, as well as headline news. Suddenly she is in the spotlight with people everywhere wanting a piece of her story.

Sally thrives on order and routine. She struggles with social interactions and her reactions are sometimes abrupt and awkward to those on the receiving end. She is a character who is working through her trauma and mental illness. Trying to understand her upbringing and make sense of things after her parents have passed becomes her daily goal. So many amazing characters, many twists and unexpected evil. (This will not be a book for everyone.) Triggers warnings in comments. Sally is a vulnerable central character who you want the best for and although the story is implausible in parts, and uncomfortable at times, it is cleverly written.
It is action packed, keeps you on the edge of your seat and has great pacing between past and present. My only niggle is I felt the ending was a bit rushed.
4.5/

*Many thanks to @netgalley and @simonandschusterca for an advance reader copy of Strange Sally Diamond in exchange for an honest review. Strange Sally Diamond will be published July 18, 2023.*