Megan Miranda can always be counted on for a solid, immersive mystery and I really enjoyed this newest book. The small town setting and interconnected characters really set the stage and keep the story moving. I really enjoyed Hazel as a main character. She was tough but also mysterious in a way that kept me guessing throughout. I also really appreciate family drama and this group had plenty. I did figure out the ending before I finished but it didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the read. Thanks to Megan Miranda, Simon Element | S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Megan Miranda does it again! While I initially suspected a supernatural element to explain the drought, I was left completely satisfied as this thriller took place in 4 parts from 4 different points of view. I did my best to keep up, but was continually pleasantly surprised!

I loved the way this story started out with the mystery of the cars being found in the lake due to the drought dropping water levels severely. I was vested in the story and liked how many different people were under suspicion the whole way through. However, I found the characters and their stories boring and repetitive after a while and it was such a slow burn it was hard to keep picking up. The ending was abrupt after over 300 pages in and felt rushed. Overall it was just ok for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Element for my ARC of this story which published 4/9/24

This thriller was good, not my favorite. I did enjoy the ending and the last 80% felt the most intense. I even got a bit emotional at the very end.

Some things that bothered me was she responded to Caden especially being a jerk to her. I didn't enjoy her being his punching bag and saying to herself she was being a child when she finally would try to stand up to him. Why shouldn't she be able to defend herself? I just prefer the fmc to stand up for themselves more.

That being said, I did enjoy to suspense and the way the questions all came together in the end. I liked that Hazel didn't give up and just run away for good.

Spoiler:

I was hoping Keira and Luke would have shown up in the end. They first said they would show up if Hazel didn't come home, but then they weren't really mentioned again. I guess they did tell her to be careful in the rain, but I was kind of hoping they would have played a role in saving her from the person trying to kill her.

These were just personal opinions. Otherwise, I did enjoy this thriller and liked all the suspense and that we got all the answers in the end.

Megan Miranda is the queen of atmosphere! Daughter of Mine is full of dark secrets that keep me turning the page until I could find out the resolution of the mystery.

I think this was the best paced of MIranda's last several books but I also appreciated that it was more a book of family secrets, an angle that MM doesn't usually explore. I think this played well with her style of writing. You jump around a bit in the story and perspective but she never loses the thread and in the end, the payoff was worth it.

Another stellar installment by the best thriller writer out there. Grab this to snuggle up on the couch on a rainy summer day (you'll feel the heat from the pages) or stash it in your beach bag. You won't want to miss this one.

Her father was the town detective. Her mother its most notorious criminal. Now the secrets of Mirror Lake are coming to the surface - and changing everything.

This is an excellent mystery with lots of potential suspects and an ending that I didn’t see coming. The protagonist, Hazel, is a reliable narrator and I felt like I was unraveling the secrets right along with her. The beginning buildup is a slower pace setting everything into place, but stick with it because once it takes off you won’t be able to stop reading.

Thank you for the opportunity to read in advance!

Megan Miranda’s descriptive writing style really brought this book’s eery setting to life. The characters were well-developed and layered in a way that had me skeptical of each one. This was a very slow burn for me but the sibling dynamic and overall tension ramped things up. The pacing felt a bit off at times — some chapters were too long and then the ending felt abrupt. That said, it held my interest throughout and kept me guessing until the very end. Overall, I found this book interesting and well-executed. I recommend it if you’re into thrillers, small town mysteries, creepy settings and family drama.

4.2 rounded down to 4.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon Element for the arc.

I am a huge Megan Miranda fan and she's done it again! I loved reading this book and how she brings strong female characters to life on the page. Will recommend to anyone — along with the rest of her books.

Exactly the kind of thriller I have come to love from Megan Miranda, a slightly scrappy but badass heroine, a small town, and nature as a strong protagonist. This book delivered on all those expectations and was engaging and twisty, I loved my listening to this audiobook.

Rural North Carolina and the folks who have been living on a lake with secluded inlets are burying their beloved sheriff, when due to unforeseen drought and heat a car resurfaces, soon followed by a second car. What does this mean and what does this mean especially for the sheriff‘s stepdaughter who has been living convinced that her mother ran off and left her behind only to now rediscover her car, did she ditch her with the sheriff and his boys like everyone assumed or is there more behind the story ? When more people start disappearing or are in danger she needs to start moving quickly to unravel this mystery.
I enjoyed this book a lot and I hope you do, too.

This novel had a slow start with a pace that increased until the whirlwind climax. Even though nothing specifically intense happened for a long time, there was a dark sense of unease under the surface that made this book scary at times. By the end there were so many twists and turns that I was on the edge of my seat, waiting for the reveal I knew had to be coming. It did not disappoint.

The only aspect of this book that I didn’t care for was how quickly things were wrapped up. The epilogue was way too short. With the rest of the book being so detailed, I had been hoping for a bit more.

Thank you to #NetGalley for an eARC of #DaughterofMine by #MeganMiranda in exchange for honest feedback. 4.5 stars

This is the first book I have read of Megan Miranda’s. I am now a huge fan after reading this book and can’t wait to read more of her work. This captivating story drew me in with the intense family dysfunctional dynamic that you’re trying to figure out and the mysterious cars that start emerging from the lake. This is hands down one of the best 20 books I’ve read so far in 2024! Do yourself a favor and go grab it!

I enjoyed this slow burn mystery set in a small town packed with secrets and family drama. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator was great.

Hazel has returned to her lakeside home after her father passes away and discovers that he has willed everything to her, excluding his two sons. This causes drama among the family because Hazel wasn’t his biological daughter and her mother stole from them before disappearing and leaving Hazel behind. While inside the house a storm may be brewing, outside the drought is getting worse day by day and secrets once thought buried are being revealed. I found this to be a very interesting, atmospheric murder mystery with some good twists throughout. I thank Netgalley and Simon Element for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book is a must read and pulls you in from the beginning! When Hazel returns back to her home town after she inherits her childhood home, hidden secrets start to come out. There’s a drought in Mirror Lake making the water level low which is bringing evidence to explain the mystery of her mother’s disappearance. Slowly but surely secrets of the family start to be exposed. This book is one that leaves you guessing on what is coming next! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Element for the ARC.

Suspense and family intrigue in a mountainous setting. Hazel returns to her childhood home, much to the disappointment of her two "brothers". She's a unwanted (or so it seems) daughter of the town drama queen who disappeared years ago. Now, she has inherited the house of the man who took her in and no one in town wants her there, except her old flame. But there seem to be new clues and puzzles in the house that lead Hazel down a new path to solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance. Gripping.

It has been a long time since I’ve been legit scared while reading a book! I was reading this one at night and I was so creeped out I had to keep reading to get to a part where I didn't think someone was wandering around in my house without me knowing it...

There is a huge drought, and it has caused water levels to drop and things long hidden in lakes are being revealed. The funeral of Perry Holt is taking place in Mirror Lake. His two sons Caden and Gage are both police officers on the same force their father had worked on for his whole career. Daughter Hazel has moved away, but she's back for the service. A car is discovered in the lake, and it begins to chip away at the large number of secrets being held by the residents of the area.

I liked the atmosphere that the author created. Various secrets are revealed one by one, like pieces of a puzzle slowly coming together. She builds tension so deliberately and it feels ominous and filled with impending doom. There is a lot of exploration of family dynamics, and she doesn't reveal everything, but as with the mystery, we learn more about the family as more things are uncovered.

I can't say that the ultimate reveal is all that surprising, but in this book it is more about the journey to get there than it is about a big giant twist. I was never frustrated, the reader discovers things at the same time as the characters so the anxiety felt by the characters is also felt by the reader.

If you're looking for a suspenseful mystery thriller that creates an intense feeling of menace, you've come to the right place. I loved the way this book was laid out and the way it came together in the end.

Wow wow wow! Megan Miranda really did it with this one! Lots of characters in this town full of secrets, but easy to keep track of them all and some really excellent sleuthing by Hazel! I was on my toes the entire read. There's are so many underlying mysteries going on. This felt back to the excellence of All The Missing Girls. A true page-turning thriller. Highly recommend.

This was a great suspense thriller. I liked the main character and i liked how you suspected her brothers the whole time but it wasn't them in the end.

I had to DNF at 10%. I thought it was so boring and the writing style a little over done. I know this will have a lot of checkouts though I am not entirely sure I will be able to talk it up as I would another book.

Megan Miranda does it again! Megan’s novels are my favorite thrillers each summer and this one does not disappoint!

When Hazel heads back to her hometown she is in for more than she could have expected. What I love most about this novel is that not only is it a standard thriller/suspense, it also has some deep family dynamics that really draw you in! This book will keep unwinding and with each page you read you can’t help but keep reading to see what is around the corner!