Jessica lost her 5-year-old daughter Beth in a playground accident seventeen years earlier. She's never really come to terms with what happened despite moving on with life and starting a new family. But now her past has come back to haunt her. Someone's determined to make her suffer and Jess is convinced it's connected to events from all those years ago. When weird things begin to happen in her home, Jess realises someone is out to make her pay for past mistakes.

I thought The Daughter was an excellent psychological thriller. It had me so engrossed I really didn't want to put it down. There were plenty of wonderful twists and turns; just when I thought I had it all figured out, another spanner was thrown into the works - brilliant! Exactly the sort of book I love to read. Jessica's loss of her daughter was expressed beautifully and handled with great sensitivity. It was simply heartbreaking.

What more can I say? An excellent plot with a spectacular ending. Buy the book, sit back and be prepared to be chilled and thrilled!

* I received an Advance Reader Copy. My thanks to NetGalley, Lucy Dawson and Bookouture.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to have an early copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was excited to have been approved for this latest offering from Lucy Dawson, having read a couple of her books previously.

I was certainly not disappointed with this book. It must be the most emotive book I have read for a very long time. I found the initial chapters totally heartbreaking. I don't often shed a tear when reading but the hospital scene really got to me.

Lucy Dawson is brilliant at drawing out the suspense in this book and the reader is constantly looking for clues as to who is behind all the events which are occurring. There were a couple of people who were on my radar as potential suspects. My only gripe is that I couldn't believe Jess was so dense to have not seen what I could see. However Jessica was not a highly likeable character in my opinion. I felt that she could have handled the initial events a lot better and perhaps avoided a lot of what came afterwards. While no mother deserves to have gone through what she suffered, I would have liked her to have had some sort of comeuppance in the end.

Other than that, this was a fantastic read. I loved it!

The Daughter is an interesting book with an interesting premise, but I don't think you can call it straight up a straight up suspense thriller despite there being moments where it does follow the pattern. It's a novel filled with emotion, and decisions that no one should be forced to make especially after losing a child. When you have a book like this it's easy to latch onto a specific theme to hook your readers, and toward the last half of the book we find Dawson switching gears a bit and hit us with an interesting twist. Of course at the forefront the drive, and motivating force is all about the emotional impact key decisions cause.

While I did enjoy The Daughter, there are certain things that really made me roll my eyes. The thing is, I get the why, but it just doesn't come off as believable. Case in point the scene in the restaurant in which Jess tells Simon good-bye. While it shows the anguish Simon's wife is going through, it just isn't realistic or even possible. When you get to the scene, you'll know what I mean, and time wise? There's no way it could ever happen. Despite that, and a few other minor issues, it's still a great book. Dawson knows exactly how to pace the novel so you read it not knowing what's going to happen. From the premise we know something's about to happen and when it does, it's really shocking because it's unexpected and adds to the tension of the story.

Jess shouldn't be a character we like, but you can't help it given the fact that she just lost her daughter. We know she's made some mistakes, but Dawson gives her a vulnerability that makes you almost forget what's she's done. It's Simon's wife who is the villain in all of this. Sure, she has a reason for being angry, but she comes off as totally insane, which would make a lot of sense given the circumstances. These are all great characters that really propel the story along. No one sits in the background, not once. They all add something to the arc of the story and as the novel concludes, these are more than just characters. These are people you've come to know, and can't help but wonder how the story ends.

It's an excellent book full of twists and turns. It has just about everything you could want in a thriller without being totally predictable. It has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing which is exactly what a suspense thriller is supposed to do, and there's that whole emotional aspect which some people will become attached to. The thing is, it feels like a story that could really happen even with the moments that cause you to roll your eyes.

Enjoyed this book so much. This is a fast paced roller coaster of a story that keeps the reader guessing right until the heart stopping end! Will deffinatly be watching out for more by this author :)

This book starts well and has some good twists and turns, but, even with the dramatic end twist, it just didn't hold my attention sufficiently.

It's a great start - A young mother loses her daughter, she's had an affair (unknowingly) with a married man, is the daughter her husband's? Then...17 years later, the story picks up again....with threads from the earlier relationships becoming intertwined.

There are some really good elements to the plot and storytelling. However, it's also long and drawn out and despite huge sympathy for the main character, she did irk after a while.

Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Daughter by Lucy Dawson is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Synopsis:

Jess has made some mistakes, but she has tried to move on. After the death of her 5-year old daughter Beth, Jess left her husband, her home, her family, and the father of her dead daughter. Although the decision to leave wasn’t strictly hers, she was young, and felt she had no other recourse. She started fresh, and now, 17 years later, has a new husband, son, home and family. But the memory of her daughter has never left, and the lies and secrets sometimes they come back to haunt you. Although Jess has a new life, events are unfolding which can only relate to back to Beth. As much as she tried to keep her secret so many years ago, everything starts to unravel. Someone knows about her past, and is taunting Jess relentlessly.

My Views:

Really enthralling read. I didn’t necessarily like all the characters, even Jess annoyed me at times. However, overall, this was a really amazing book. Dawson made you really feel the loss of a child. She introduces you to characters filled with heartbreak, with love, with fear, with hatred. You feel their pain. She made you suspect everyone. She put in red herrings, and then snatched them away. My mind suspected one character and then another, and another…but I was wrong. I absolutely loved that surprise twist. The writing was wonderful, and the plot great, and I loved it!

This is the first book I’ve read by Lucy Dawson, but I don’t think it will be the last.

Definitely recommend this one.

This is my first book by this author. Overall, I liked it. It was just okay. It was too slow for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Excellent book with a brilliant storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.

See link to goodreads review

Thanks so much for the advanced copy. I loved this from the very first few pages and right up to the end. All the characters were well written, believable and relatable. Jess was a very complex person which I can relate to. If you had a difficult childhood or some kind of traumatic event you will likely relate to some degree. If you had a lucky but rare peaceful childhood and adult life firstly huge congratulations and secondly you might think she’s a bit cold and reserved. So many things about Jess are easy for me understand which made this a powerful read for me. The scenes when Beth dies are harrowing but the funeral was read in a blur of tears. The early parts of the book had to be read in smaller chunks as it was a bit hard to deal with. The second half was just the right balance of family drama, friend dramas, twisty turny scary events and nail biters. Loved how the reveals were spread out just enough that you have to read just one more chapter before bed. Loved Ed and Jess’s Dad, both loyal, strong and adorable! Don’t want to spoil anyone’s read by talking about other characters but wow there are some big surprises. This one will stay with me for a while! Highly recommended and will seek out other titles from this author.

My first book by this author and I enjoyed it. Great read while on vacation with suspense, good characters, drama, and the chance to guess who was responsible. A few F-words but otherwise clean.

seventeen years after losing her daughter, Beth, in a tragic playground accident and suffering from the subsequent guilt surrounding a mistake she made, Jess has tried to move on with her life but her pass keeps coming back to haunt her and make her pay.

this book was incredibly sad and it’s hard to give too much detail without giving away the plot. i would say it is more a suspense story than a thriller. it is strange how you can dislike a character but then feel empathy for it as the storyline develops!

i would definitely recommend this book if you want a break from the usual thriller/murder type books. certainly an author to read in the future.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I was fully engrossed throughout this book and never guessed the twist at the end which I usually do. I would definitely recommend this book and thank Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

I was given an ecopy of this book by Kim at Bookouture in exchange for an honest review. This is something I'm more than happy to do.

Oh my giddy aunt - what an addictively captivating book, I read this on the last day of 2017 and was totally gripped, so much so I kept delaying getting ready to go out and celebrate the New Year. Just one more chapter......, the pages practically turned themselves.

Lucy Dawson certainly knows how to grab your attention. The story begins with a gut wrenching tragedy, how do you pick yourself up from a situation that would be every parents living nightmare?! The storyline literally explodes off the page, leaving so much debris in its wake - sifting through the remains is gut wrenching and sheer torture. Jess and husband Ben are plunged into an abyss and Jess in particular can't seem to find a way to crawl out. It's not the first trauma she's had to endure and the sheer pain and tragedy of this story are palpable as the past meets the present. Strange things keep happening but who was responsible and why? These are the questions I tried to second guess.

The twists and turns of this story are like shooting stars, one after another exploding across the pages as I gasped at the sheer horror, torment and reality as Jess tries to pick her way through the debris of her life as bit by bit she is sent mad with torment.

I formed opinions and ideas about each and every character and tried without success to second guess how they all fitted together in this maze of hurt, anger, deceit, revenge love and hate. This is a book that will touch your heart, will make you gasp and cry out, the sheer tension and emotion fizzes from the pages.

Overall this is a good story. I just feel that it was too long. I was not totally convinced that Louise was that threatening. How many of us would leave when confronted like that? I think that the plot was obvious but still good.

The Daughter
by Lucy Dawson
Bookouture


General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 24 Jan 2018


I am reviewing a copy of The Daughter through Bookouture and Netgalley:


Seventeen years ago Jess lost her daughter, something that still turns her blood cold. Jess has tried everything she could to make peace with that day and the part she played in what happened. She will pay a lifetime of guilt for a brief moment of desire.


In order to distance herself from the mistakes of her past, Jess moved away and attempted to rebuild her life. But soon terrifying things start happening at her new house that could very well have a connection with Beth. Jess soon realizes her past has finally caught up with her. Someone feels that Jess hasn't paid enough for the sins of her past and is determined to make her pay for the secrets she kept all these years.


I give The Daughter five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

I wanted to like this book but unfortunately I didn’t. I just found myself daydreaming instead of concentrating.

The Daughter by Lucy Dawson is a psychological thriller. However, when purchase there should be a Warning for you to Purchase a box of tissue's. This book is extremely captivating and very emotional. It will keep you gripped and guessing right till the end of this brilliant book.
It will be hard to put down.

📖 The first few chapters of this one book will take you to back in time when Jess is happily married to Ben, and they have a beautiful daughter called Beth. (You will need Tissues so have them ready!) 🤧
Jess enrol's Beth into their local school and bumps into a man called Simon, who Jess had an affair with him, works there she loved him when she was nineteen and is the father of Beth. This will open lots of shocking secrets and will follow her for many years to come. Beth is in shock seeing him. Then, she gets a phone call every parent dreads, her daughter has been rushed to hospital.
Jess world comes Tumbling down around her, when Beth dies from a freak accident in the playground.
😲 How can she tell Ben that Beth is not his and Beth's father works at the school she goes to. She is going to break Ben's heart whatever she does. What should she do? The only way out Jess see is for her to leave Ben! and take the secret with her.

📖 The second part of the book Jess is remarried to Ed and has a 2 year old boy called James. Life is perfect for Jess. But her whole world is about to come crashing down around her. Her past of lies and secrets are coming out and Jess doesn't know where to turn.

This is a brilliant Book and had me gripped from the first page. Yes, this book made me cry and it takes a lot for that to happen. So glad hubby didn't see me! 💜 My heart went out for Jess. I love the way Lucy Dawson writes. This is the first book I have read from Lucy and wont be the last. This is a book I will read again and will tell others to read. Just an amazing book and it will keep you guessing right till the end. It will have you shocked who it is. So be aware this book will catch you off guard, toy with your emotions and will have creepy aspects to it throughout. It will have you turning pages. So turn off your Phone and get comfy and open The Daughter. You will be stuck to your chair.

Would I recommend this Book! Oh, Yes! and 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me. A must read

Thank you to Bookouture for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

Review left on Goodreads, Amazon UK and my FB page. Friends and family will be told to read this brilliant book.

Wow!! This book was so so good. We meet Jess and find out that her daughter, Beth, was a product of an affair with the school’s headmaster. Then tragedy strikes and Jess uproots her life in order to protect her lie. But then, her new life and family are threatened and the past has caught up with Jess.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is the tragic story of Jess,who loses her young daughter, Beth, in a heartbreaking tragedy. .The first part of the book describes the accident and its aftermath whilst the second part takes place seventeen years later when strange things start to happen to Jess, Events which she believes are related to her former life and to her daughter.
This is an excellent story which is well written and reaches and amazing conclusion. I couldn't give the book 5 stars, purely because I felt the first part of the book, which deals with the tragedy surrounding Beth is overdone. It is incredibly sad and shows the impact of such a horror on a family but I do wish that it had been more concise and that we could move on to the heart stopping and gripping part two of the novel sooner.