If you want a book with twists, turns and a surprise ending, you will enjoy this one. Rachel Boyd's teen-age daughter, Penny is arrested covered in blood and holding a knife over the body of her birth mother. Was it Penny, or was it Eve, or maybe it was Ruby. Penny suffers from DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder and has multiple personalities. Penny is sent away to a mental hospital. I am not a big fan of stories dealing with multiple personalities and I felt this story was a little convoluted and confusing at times. Otherwise, it is a very well-written book and I always enjoy D. J. Palmer's books.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent read for me. The mental illness aspect was very interesting and dealt with in a respectful and realistic manner. I was completely engaged through at least the first half. The second fell a little flat for me. The expected last minute character twist was not stunning but the overall story was still good.

*Thanks to NetGalley and publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer is dark, disturbing, and brilliant. The reader cannot help but be drawn in to the mystery of who killed Rachel Boyd. The only thing the reader knows is that sixteen year old Penny Francone was found at the scene covered in blood and that Rachel was her birth mom. The reader has to decide if Penny is the victim with a sad history of mental illness derived from childhood trauma or is she faking the more serious symptoms to help get her aquitted from cold blooded murder? I came to this novel having already completed a lot of psychology courses and almost every episode of Law & Order: SVU so this book was right up my alley. I have studied dissociative identity disorders (DID), more commonly known as multiple personality disorders. Penny was a fascinating and complex character. Palmer is a master at crafting each of her alternative identities “alters” from the young child named Chloe, the perfectionist, Ruby with the British accent, and fearless, outspoken Eve that seemed to manifest and take control whenever Penny needed protection. As the doctor stated, “what a horribly disorienting, isolating, and confusing condition it must be” to suffer from DID including the loss of place and time when she switches to alters. I enjoyed the sessions with “Penny” at the Edgewater hospital because I was intrigued with how her mind worked and what things might trigger her alters to emerge. I loved the other flawed characters like Mitch and Adam and other secondary characters like Vince and Maria that could be potential suspects in the murder. The reader is constantly guessing, who do I believe? Who has something to gain by lying? I enjoyed the way the author incorporated the perspectives of other family members and how they served as ally and amateur detective to try and find the truth. I appreciated how this book included honest conversations and portrayals of both mental illness and addiction to help people truly understand the impact of the disease on the person and the impact of the anger, grief, helplessness, and hope experienced by the people who love them. Some readers may think this book is a slow burn at times, but I would ask them to keep reading until her case goes to trial. I thought I knew the direction things were going, but it was an absolute rollercoaster at the end and I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, I still have questions and cannot wait to talk to my book club friends. Highly recommended! Thank you to #netgalley and St. Martin’s Press #ThePerfectDaughter

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy. I was initially fascinated by this book, due to my long interest in multiple personalities and how memories are compartmentalized. I was particularly intrigued by the theory that children have multiple personalities as they are growing. - I have always wondered about memories where I can 'see' myself in the memory. I. was interested in the efforts of the mom and the doctor to bring out the alter personalities to get to the truth, The multiple points of view worked with the vibe of the story. I figured it out shortly before the reveal, so no bombshell moment for me. I thought the courtroom scene was over the top. I gave this four stars due to the strong first half of the novel.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer has once again greatly satisfied my reading experience.
Mr. Palmer has once again written a brilliant and compelling novel. He has researched his subject material thoroughly. A+, Mr. Palmer.
Multiple personality dissociative disorder is a disorder characterized by the presence of two or more personalities. Normally caused by trauma each personality may exhibit a unique identifying name, history and certain identifiable characteristics.
Do you believe it’s real or not? Whatever your belief is will keep you turning the pages.
As a nurse for over 40 years... I can assure you it’s a true diagnosis.
Thank you to DJ Palmer and St. Martins Press for a digital ARC.
Congratulations, DJ Palmer.

I enjoyed the author's other book, The New Husband, and thought I'd give this one a try. At some points I felt like I was getting a medical lesson in DID (dissociative identity disorder) but it was also interesting at the same time and you can tell the author did a lot of research. It was a fast read and I couldn't wait to get to the end. The author did a good job of making it exciting and introducing an element of fear in it as well. I do wish there was more explanation of the ending from the POV and motivation of the villain. Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy!

D.J. Palmer has crafted another bombshell!!!! A nuclear bombshell!!!

I have been waiting patiently for this book and it did not disappoint!!

I'm not going to reiterate the synopsis but state how this book affected me.

The narrative is told via several POVs. The characters were so lifelike and relatable even though they are flawed. Compassion was felt for many of the cast members to the point that my heart was breaking for them. The suspense was taut with heart-pounding moments. A definite white knuckle read!

And then WAIT!!!! WHAT?? Did I just read that? I had to read the sentence three times to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding who the murderer was!!!! A jaw-dropper that I did not see coming nor was it on my radar!!!

A read that will transport the reader into the story without knowing what is going on around them.

And now the BIG question. When will the next novel be published so I can put it on my calendar?

GR: 01/26/21
Instagram: 01/24/21
Blog 04/21/21

Wowza, this was one heck of a chilling, thrilling ride! The author really did some amazing writing on mental health issues, which us evident from his writing. It would be impossible to do such a phenomenal job, without knowing or learning vaste amounts of information on the subject! It was so well written, character development was done superbly, and unputdownable! I think there was some real issues, written in ab fashion that was realistic and unique! Highly highly recommend, but prepare For a thrill ride, full of twists and turns, chills, and shocks!
Will buzz around platforms and use low Amazon reviewer number on release date!

This was such a great psychological read. I could not put it down from the very beginning. The plot has many twists and turns and keeps you guessing throughout the entire book. I can typically figure out who did it early and it took my much longer than I expected!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a copy to honestly review.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy for review.

I've been a Palmer fan since Saving Meghan, so it's always a joy when offered the newest book.

What I liked: the story is well built, and so well detailed. Palmers ability to build a scene and story is uncanny, and really has the ability to bring you into the story. The detail is meticulous and well researched, with great vocabulary and well plotted characters.

What I disliked: I felt it was a bit repetitive and I found myself skipping through, because I felt that I had read it earlier. The chapters were quite long as well, and I don't know why but that's a book turn off for me. Although this wasn't my favorite Palmer novel, I did enjoy it.

Palmers writing is beautiful and hypnotic.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am not really sure why it is called, The Perfect Daughter, because she is anything but perfect, but well neither is anyone else. One day Grace and one of her sons are out walking and they come upon a little girl who wont' speak or can't speak, and it is pouring down raining, so Grace goes through the process of reporting it and the little girl goes into a hospital to make sure she is alright. Since she won't speak no one knows what her name is. Grace goes to visit her everyday and at some point they call her Penny. Before long Grace and her husband Arthur adopt the little girl.

At some point Grace and Arthur know that Penny is not really normal, so they take her to different psychologist trying to get help for her. One psychologist diagnosis is that Penny has DID which is Disassociative Identity Disorder, which is having several people living inside the same brain together. It is often cause by severe childhood abuse.

One night Penny is found in the house of her birth mother, Racheal, and Penny is covered in blood, and she is believed to have stabbed Racheal to death. Soon Penny is under the care of Dr Mitch McHugh and he starts trying to figure out just what is wrong with Penny and if she did in fact murder Racheal.

It is a fairly quick read and I really enjoyed all the mental health mysteries and issues.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Let's start with the cover. The simplicity works.

This author is talented. D.J. Palmer NEVER disappoints. Every book is a surefire hit.
Their writing style is great.
The storyline flowed easily and was easy to follow.
The plot idea was fairly unique. I personally haven't read anything like it.
The characters were well-developed and easy to relate to or like.

I'll definitely be looking out for other work by this author.

The Perfect Daughter is by far the best psychological thriller I’ve read in years!! I was so fascinated by the main character’s daughter Penny and her mental illness. The twists and turns along the way were so unexpected, I stayed up until 2 am finishing the book. I will be telling everyone about this book and reading more by DJ Palmer!!

The Perfect Daughter is a classic mystery/thriller in that: 1) there's a murder; 2} the evidence overwhelmingly points to one suspect and 3) one character believes in that suspect's innocence and fights against all hope to prove it.

But the wild card in this one is the suspect is a young woman who has DID, dissociative identity disorder or split personalities and the character fighting for her is her adoptive Mother, Grace. For most of her life, she's lived as Penny, but occasionally other personalities have popped up: Eve, sullen, sarcastic and tough; Ruby, who speaks with a perfect British acccent; and Chloe, the intense perfectionist.

After Penny is found covered in blood at murder in their small town Maine home, cops and psychiatrists along with Penny's own brothers start to question if the DID diagnosis is real or are they dealing with a true sociopath.

The story is told from the vantage point of Penny's Mom Grace who staunchly believes that the little girl she found abandoned in a park when she was four-years-old is innocent and will go to any length to prove it; Mitch, the psychiatrist assigned to Penny at the state mental hospital where she awaits trial and her brother, Jack - a film student documenting the case and bringing his own memories and theories to the surface.

This is an absorbing story from start to finish - fans of classic did they/didn't they do it murder mysteries will love the ride, the twists and big reveals.

Oh, and did I mention the murder victim is Penny's birth mother? Let the twists begin....

I devoured this book! Seriously so good! I didn’t completely understand how the adoption came into play, but I loved Penny/Eve and the complexities that she holds. It kept me guessing! I can’t wait to get my hands on this book!

Wow! This was such a great mystery/thriller! Penny is accused of murdering her biological mother Rachel, but she has no memory of doing so. Nor do any of her other personalities- Eve, Chloe, Ruby, and possibly a fourth. Penny suffers from DID, dissociative identity disorder. But not every doctor believes the diagnostic. Grace, Penny’s adoptive mother, is determined to help Penny stay out of jail and get to the truth. And the truth... omg absolutely shocking! I did not see the ending coming AT ALL! I thought I had it figured out pretty early on. I went back and forth with believing Penny and then thinking maybe she was making it all up. But the ending, never had that guess in the back of my mind. I definitely recommend for anyone that likes a good psychological thriller with a splash of court room drama!

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of The Perfect Daughter in exchange for an honest review.

Penny Francone was found alone in a park when she was about 5 years old. She was adopted by Grace and grew up with 2 brothers. Nobody knew her history and she Penny was unable to tell anyone her story. A few years after she was adopted, it was discovered that she had Multiple Personality Disorder. Eve, the roughest of the alters, takes care of things when Penny cannot. There is also Chloe and Ruby.

When Penny is 16, she is accused of killing her birth mother, Rachel. Shes is found in Rachel's apartment covered in Rachel's blood, holding a knife. Because of her age, she is placed in a mental health facility until her trial. Her adopted mother is doing everything she can to find out the truth about what happened, and when Penny begins being treated by Dr. McHugh, interesting things start coming to light. But can they get to the truth before it's too late?

This was a very interesting story and I did not see the end coming. Very thorough and the information on DID was very interesting.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Let me start by saying this book has multiple glowing five star reviews and I knew this prior to starting it. It would seem I'm in the minority when I say I struggled to see past a 3 star rating so I think perhaps I had set my expectations too high?! 🙈

Whilst I enjoyed the storyline / subject matter and found myself drawn into the narrative rather quickly, The Perfect Daughter turned into quite the slow burner and felt rather repetitive in some parts. At times I found I was reading it simply because I wanted to know what the ending was going to be rather than because I was actually enjoying reading it, if that makes sense?!

The plot twist was a total WOW I DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING and if I'm completely honest, I don't think ANYBODY could have actually guessed what was coming.. Game changer! 😱 Outrageous and probably hugely farfetched but rather enjoyable all the same. Just about pulled a 3 star to a 4 star by the skin of its teeth for me.

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martins Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review 📖

I enjoyed the plot line of this book very much but just found it a bit repetitive. I never felt a huge connection to any of the characters either. Maybe if I would have know more about them before
Jumping right into the main story? And then the ending still left me feeling a bit blah? Although I am sure this will be a huge hit, it just didn’t do it for me.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4.5 stars
The Perfect Daughter
DJ Palmer
Publication date 4/20/21
Put this one on your to read list!! DJ Palmer does it again with a thriller that will keep you up late at night to finish. I was hooked from the first page and was so intrigued with Penny - was she insane or does she really have dissociative identity disorder. There is Penny, Ruby, Chloe and evil Eve- could one of these personalities of killed her birth mother??? You will be guessing until the very end....

Sending a sincere thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of The Perfect Daughter for my honest review! Can’t wait to see what comes next!!

Review posted on my Instagram blog and Goodreads.

www.instagram.com/donnasnotsosecretbookdiary

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12409011-donna-beiderman

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