This book is about an Amish woman named Emma. Emma has always felt that she didn't fit in with classmates and her mother. On her birthday, her mother was always sad, because it was the day her mother's sister died. On her 22nd birthday, Emma finds out that her parents are not hers. She is angry that they lied to her, and she discovers that her birth mother is the aunt that died. Her birth father is English. Somehow Emma must figure out which world she belongs to. She also needs to get to know her English family. In the end, she must choose whether she is English or Amish. I found myself routing for one side, but then I would rout for the other. I can't begin to understand all that she felt. It was a great story. I will be reading more from Laura Bradford in the future.

An Amish family novel with some mystery thrown in
"A Daughter's Truth" is the new book by Laura Bradford, a national best-selling author of various mystery series and women's fictions which was published by Kensington Books.
Twenty-two year old Emma Lapp seems to lead a normal life as a young Amish woman in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania, although she is striving a lot to please everybody. Until now she is convinced that her Mamm's sadness was linked to the fact that Emma was born on the day that Mamm's sister Ruby died. Then she discovers a secret that rocks her world, brings many questions, anger, challenges, and might radically influence her future. The answers and her decisions might have serious consequences for the people she knows and the ones she is getting to know and a Happy End seems out of reach. Will Emma be able to "think before you do" and what will be the consequences of her acts?
This is the first book by Laura Bradford which I read and I finished it in two days. I highly recommend it to readers who love Amish stories and a little mystery. The book is great, clean and wholesome with profound questions and well developed characters. I also appreciated the included reading group guide which can also be used for personal reflection. The only thing that I found strange (maybe because English is not my mother tongue) is Brad's repeated use of "kiddo" when talking to Emma, considering the fact that she is not a small child but a twenty-two year old woman.
The complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley free of charge. I was under no obligation to offer a positive review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#ADaughtersTruth #NetGalley

A Daughter's Truth was a deeply riveting story. The themes of secrecy and mistrust were intertwined with acceptance and truth. A young Amish woman Emma Lapp, longs to feel that she is a loved member of her family. However, she only sees sadness on her Mamm's face when she looks at her. Emma realizes that deep secrets were buried with her aunt who died the day Emma was born. On Emma's 22nd birthday, the secrets are revealed and she is faced with answers that send her searching for the truth.
This is a powerful novel. It shows what can keep a family together and what can tear it apart. I highly recommend this book.

Powerful Story!
This wonderful bit of Women's Fiction is about many people making decisions and the consequences of those decisions. The characters were presented as real people with real motivations and realistic reactions. Awesome! This is the first book that I have read by this author. I will be looking to read more of her work. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

When the life you live, is suddenly upended and you are left wondering what is real, what has happened, who is lying, who is true.....you are immediately put in a turmoil of great proportions. This is where Emma Lapp found herself. Not only did her life take a turn that she never expected but she was then thrown into a life where the anger, and judgement were overruling her faith. This is the journey that will allow us to experience the true journey of being able to overcome the wrongs we feel have been done to us and to actually, truly forgive. I found this to be a wonderful book. I liked the premise of the novel and think that many will find it's journey one in which they, themselves, have walked.

A Daughter's Truth by Laura Bradford
Emma Lapp tries to be the perfect daughter, to earn the loving embrace of her family and her Amish community in Pennsylvania. Yet she can’t quite win her mother’s smile—or her forgiveness for a transgression Emma can’t quite place . . .
Emma knows she’s a reminder of her mother’s greatest sorrow, having been born on the same day Mamm lost her beloved sister. The one bright spot has been the odd trinkets anonymously left at her aunt’s grave each year on Emma’s birthday—gifts Emma secretly hides because they upset her parents. But the day she turns 22, a locket bears a surprise that sends her on an unexpected journey . . .
Searching for answers, Emma travels to the English world and finds a kinship as intriguing as it is forbidden. But is this newfound connection enough to leave behind the future she’d expected? The answers are as mysterious, and as devastating, as the truth that divides Emma from the only family, and the only life, she’s ever known . . .
Emma savored the lightness the images afforded against the backdrop of an otherwise dark, lifeless day and quickened her pace. All her life, her birthday had been a day to hurry through in the hope Mamm’s pain would somehow be lessened. There was always a cake with a handful of candles, but it was set in front of Emma with little more than a whispered happy birthday. There were presents, but they were always handed to her quietly, without the belly laughs and silly antics that were part of her siblings’ birthdays. And when the sun sank low at the end of her day, she, too, was glad it was over.
But this? This stop at the cemetery had become the one part of her birthday she actually looked forward to with anticipation each year. Because even while she knew it was wrong to be drawn to a material object, the very act of guessing what it might be felt more birthday-like than anything she’d ever known.
Sliding her focus to the left, she surveyed the long, winding country road that led farther into Amish country, the lack of buggy traffic in keeping with the hour. Morning was a busy time in the Amish community. It was time to tend to the animals and get about the day’s tasks. In the spring, summer, and fall, those tasks entailed work in the fields for those, like Dat, who farmed. In the winter months, as it was now, there were still things that needed tending—fences that needed reworking, manure to be spread in the fields, repairs made to aging structures, and assisting neighbors with the same.
A glance to her right netted the one-room schoolhouse where she’d learned to read and write as a young child, and where three of her younger siblings still went. At the moment, there was no smoke billowing from the school’s chimney, but she knew that would change in about an hour when the teacher arrived ahead of her students.
Seeing nothing in either direction to impede her adventure, Emma stepped around the simple wooden fence separating the cemetery from the Grabers’ farm to the south and the Fishers’ farm to the north, eyed the gravestones in front of her, and, after a single deep breath, made her way over to the second row. She didn’t need to read the names on the markers she passed. She’d memorized them during her visits there with her parents, when, as a new reader, she read everything she could.
I am looking forward to reading more books by Laura Bradford.
I highly recommend reading.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
A Daughter's Truth by Laura Bradford is a wonderful well written 5 star book.
more books by Laura
The Amish Sweet Shop
Just Plain Murder
(Amish Mystery
A Daughter's Truth
A Killer Carol
(Amish Mystery, book 7
Amish Mystery
1. Hearse and Buggy
2. Assaulted Pretzel
3. Shunned and Dangerous
4. Suspendered Sentence
5. A Churn for the Worse
6. Just Plain Murder
7. A Killer Carol

The author has given us a story about a young Amish woman whom has always felt out of place in her family. Just like in all families with more than one child, sometimes you feel that one is favored more than others, but is it real or imagined?
Then on top of everything we soon find out that there have been deep family secrets kept here.
I soon wondered if everything I was reading or feeling was what really happened? Yes, all answers are here, and some are a bit scary when you think of an Amish family ending up in jail, but you will need to read right to the end to find out all of the facts and what happens to these folks.

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Kensington, and was not required to give a positive review

Laura Bradford’s newest story, A Daughter’s Truth, is absolutely delightful. I remember when I read the first book in the series, I messaged Bradford and said I was sad to see it end and wished there could be more about the family from that story. She told me not to worry, that I would love Emma too, and she was completely right. Emma’s story is beautiful and sad and heartwarming and loving. Emma is 22 and every year on her birthday, she finds a gift on her aunt’s grave. Her aunt Ruby had died on Emma’s birthday and it always seemed to pain Emma’s mom to find the gifts there. She started hiding them away as a small child, hoping to spare her mom any more hurt. But the gift she discovers on her 22nd birthday will change everything: her sense of self, her thoughts of family, and her plans for the future. Will Emma be able to find herself again? And, If she does, how will it change her world and the people around her? You must go pick up this book and read it! You don’t even need to read the first, although you should! As I cried through the last two pages, happy tears mind you, I thought to myself, I sure would love to read more about Emma! I guess I’ll have to ask Laura to write me another!
I received a free copy of this story from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I had planned on giving this book 3.5 stars but decided to go ahead and give it 4 stars. It is a good book with a very interesting storyline but for me, I didn’t find it to be a great book. I think it was a little slow and somewhat disjointed at times. It is an Amish story with Emma as the lead character. I didn’t connect with any of the characters so much ~ no, I’m not Amish and no, I haven’t been through the life changes that Emma has been through. The storyline is a little convoluted but it was what kept me reading. And since I don’t want to give that away, I’ll just say...As much as I enjoyed reading this book, it was just another book about the Amish. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Laura Bradford definitely tells a story that got me hooked from the start!



Not only do you get to see the growth of the characters throughout the story, but you're left with just enough room to keep wanting more. This book started me off with wanting more and ended with yours truly in tears.



I loved Bradford's writing style and how well she told the story of Emma Lapp and her mysterious upbringing. You feel angry and shocked right alongside the characters in the story, but are also left wondering what's to come next and why. I didn't feel frustrated with the characters as I often do in other books I've read, as I found the pace of the characters developing stories to be just right.


I truly loved this story and how it was told. The only thing I found offputting about the book was how the Amish characters spoke so properly. Perhaps it's because of the district they live in (I know Amish traditions/speech/rules vary a lot from district to district) but I wish their speech would have flowed more freely. For example, instead of "We are going to go to the store..." I prefer to read "We're going to the store..." I just found the characters' words to be overly proper. Luckily, the story takes over that and I never wanted to stop reading it.


A highly recommended read for certain, especially if you're an Amish fic fan.

Emma, the oldest in her family, lives an Amish life in a tight-knit community. Emma has always struggled on her birthday, knowing that she was born the day her aunt died. As her family visits the graveyard each year on her birthday, mysterious items are always present at the grave site. Emma seeks the person who provides those gifts and develops an unexpected relationship in the process. This book includes many unexpected twists and turns from typical Amish romance novels. Great read!

Laura Bradford has written a book of Amish Fiction that had me gasping in shock at times, and crying in heartbreak at others. A Daughter's Truth brings the characters of Emma, Levi, Wayne and Rebeccah, and a few others together to tell Emma's tale.

Emma never looks forward to her birthday because her maam, Rebeccah, is always sad. The sadness stems from the fact that Rebeccah's sister died the day Emma was born. Rebeccah withheld the truth from Emma that her sister was really Emma's birth mother.

The only thing Emma looks forward to are the little trinkets that are left on her mother's gravestone. The last one was a locket with her mother's picture inside. It was like looking at herself in the mirror, she resembled her mother that much.

Finding out who put the trinkets there became Emma's mission. Levi, who has loved Emma for forever, told her he saw a man in a truck leave the trinket. Levi helped Emma find the man and find out who he was to her.

Emma's actions set her family into an uproar, but it also gave Emma a chance to speak her mind about how she'd been treated all her life--as though she didn't quite belong. So now her life stretches in front of her with her being more confused than ever before about who she is and where she belongs.

This is a five star book, with two thumbs up, and a life that is a puzzle.

My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley.com for allowing me to read and review this book.

Emma visits the gravesite of her aunt on her birthday. Her Mamm is always sad when they visit and this is all Emma sees. Each year she tries to get there before the family to retrieve a trinket that is left every year. This year is a locket. In this locket is a picture that looks a lot like her. She has a lot of questions that need to be answered. She turns to her best friend Mary for support. She confronts her Mamm about the locket and finds out a secret that has been kept her whole life. Now Emma must seek out her true identity. She struggles with answers she has gotten. Mary's brother Levi is able to help her with the identity of the person leaving the gifts. The aunt in the grave is actually her birth mother and the person leaving the gifts is her English father. Now she must figure out where she belongs. In the Amish world or the English world. Learning the truth or versions of the truth are hard for her to digest. Between Levi and the English lady named Ms. Lottie she is able to come to a place she is comfortable with in her life. She learns she has always been loved and always will be loved and accepted no matter where she is.

A very well written book. I enjoyed the plot and the well developed characters. I always enjoy this author’s books.

Emma is twenty two years old. Emma felt all of her life growing up that she didn't fit in. She didn't fit in with the family or her other siblings. She always felt that her siblings were treated better than she has been. Emma knows that her birthday is the same day her mom lost her sister. Emma feels that is the reason she has always been treated differently. One day Emma visits her aunts grave site. Like she has since she was seven years old. Only this time she finds a locket and opens it and sees a picture inside.

Who are these people in the picture? What connection do they have with her aunt? Will Emma ever find out why she has been treated different than the others all these years?

This is a wonderful book, I was hooked from the start. I couldn't put it down. Make sure you grab your copy on release day. You will be glad you did.
I received a copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed A Daughter's Truth. I believe this one is among my favorites I have read by Laura Bradford. I give this one five stars.

A very emotionally story! This is not the typical Amish story of close-knit families. It's hard not to feel empathy for Emma since she never felt like she belonged. Torn between truth and deception, Emma had a hard choice to make. The stories about the little gifts left by Brad were very meaningfully. It's hard to review this book without giving away the story. Highly recommended!

A Daughter's Truth is a book that is hard to put down! From the beginning chapters, you are drawn into the story! when Emma finds her gift in the cemetery at her aunt's burial place, she begins to ask questions about her aunt, to know more about the mysterious woman. The answers she finds are not at all as she expected..as she meets new people, and learns new secrets that have been kept from her for 22 years, Exciting story! I loved it!

A Daughters Truth is not a typical Amish story. This book is very emotional. I was hooked from the first word. Some times I guessed what was coming next and other times I was surprised by a twist in the story. Laura Bradford has another hit with this one. Thank you netgalley for gifting me with the arc of this book. The review is my opinion.

Laura. BRadford writes such comfortable, easy books. I lovemaking the Amish settings she chooses. A Daughter's Truth introduces Emma, who has always felt out of place. One day Emma discovers the truth about her heritage and turmoil ensues. She spends much of the story angry and resentful, while being pressured by her birth father to abandon her culture. Levi, a love interests, exhibits the utmost patience while waiting for Emma to decide. The ending is rather cliche, but it is appropriate. I love the cover too.