My Sweet Girl is a twisted psychological thriller that had me guessing all the way to the end. I love a good psychological thriller, and if you do too--this is a novel for you.

The novel follows the life of Paloma, a 12-year-old girl adopted from a Sri Lankan orphanage and brought to America by loving and perfect parents. Despite her seemingly perfect life, Paloma remains haunted by memories from her past. Was the evil spirit she remembers from her orphanage real? What truly happened to her childhood best friend? When Paloma finds her roommate murdered in her own apartment, she turns to the police for help and to alcohol to block out her memories.

Is she losing her mind? What is real? How far must a person run to run away from the past?

4,5 ⭐️

When a few weeks back Abby from @crimebythebook named My Sweet Girl as her favorite debut of 2021 I knew I had to read it. I had never heard about it but it immediately went up to the top of my TBR, so when a few days later I was offered a widget I was over the moon.

Sometimes it takes me several days to write a review, trying to find a way to convey my thoughts, but with My Sweet Girl I’ve found myself writing it the minute I finished it. It writes by itself! 2021 is being a year of phenomenal debuts and My Sweet Girl is now part of that list.

I went in almost blind and that was such a wise choice. You just need to know that the MC is Paloma, a 30 yo girl from Sri Lanka who was adopted by a wealthy American couple when she was 12. Now, 18 years later, some secrets from her past are about to come to light but she will do anything to prevent it.

Paloma was such an interesting character. Her belligerence and abrasiveness, alongside her permanent anger with the world prompted some funny moments among all the paranoia surrounding her. She’s also an unreliable narrator and I love when you can’t fully trust your narrator cause that usually means lots of surprises ahead.

The past timeline offered glimpses of her life as a child in an orphanage in Sri Lanka and I loved reading it. It’s the first time I read a story set in Sri Lanka, so it’s nice to see some different scenarios in the psychological thriller genre. I visited the country a few years back and fell in love with it. The Sri Lankan folklore and ghost tales were a nice touch and added a fantastic creep factor.

I became so engrossed from the first page that I actually missed my train stop. The positive side was I had longer to keep on reading, and you won’t want to stop reading once you’ve started.

The only reason this was not 5 stars is because I called the twist early on, but that did not detract at all from my enjoyment.

Qué será, será
Whatever will be, will be
The future’s not ours to see…. But it is! And I predict a future where My Sweet Girl is a huge hit!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve been trying to diversify my reading and a thriller from a Sri Lankan author seemed the perfect fit. The book starts out with a bang with a scene in a bank. Paloma is trying to withdraw money to pay off her blackmailing roommate, but is reminded by the bank that she’s been cut off by her parents. When she reaches home, she finds her roommate is dead. Now I haven’t spoiled anything as all this happens in the first chapter. What we don’t know is why her roommate was blackmailing her, who killed him, and why she’s been cut off.

We, the reader, spend a lot of the book not knowing who to trust and this includes Paloma. She is on medication and while she shouldn’t, she is also drinking quite heavily. The book alternates between when Paloma as a child in a Sri Lankan orphanage and present day in America. The book is very character driven where we live in Paloma’s brain as she is just trying to figure out her place in the world. She’s playing a part to be nice and fit in, but as she struggles with life, we can see that it is an act. Paloma isn’t always a likable character but she is very compelling. I was really drawn to young Paloma and her place in the orphanage. And I was very interested to see how the sweet young girl at the orphanage developed into the present day adult Paloma.

The book holds back details about the past and Paloma’s current life, which allows for many surprises as these details eventually unfold. Some were small and I easily saw them coming, but others were much larger and caught me by surprise. This is definitely a slow burn story, but you are rewarded for investing the time.

If you like character driven, slow burn, psychological thrillers, you will unquestionably enjoy this book.

I'd like to thank Berkley Publishing for including my in their blog tour for the book.

I saw this book a few times at Netgalley before I requested it. I wasn't sure if it was really a book I would like. But I eventually gave in to FOMO and I'm so glad that I did. It was so good.

An unreliable narrator is a pretty standard trope in the suspense genre. However, the main character is one of the best-written unreliable narrators that I've read in quite some time. Pretty quickly the reader begins to think that the character might be mentally ill - there is definitely some mental illness. But then you start to suspect something else - something more sinister.

The twists aren't curve balls that come out of nowhere. Some of them I suspected and spent several chapters going back and forth on and would just settle that what I suspected must be true a few pages before it was revealed one way or other.

If you have been reading Girl Who Reads for a while you know I've been trying to read more international authors. It was partly why I decided to read My Sweet Girl - I figured if I didn't like it I would still be happy that I added another country to my reading. Amanda Jayatissa is from Sri Lanka. It is a small island country in South Asia. I actually have met someone from Sri Lanka - the camp counselor assigned to my cabin when I was in sixth grade was from Sri Lanka. He shared a bit about Sri Lanka but I don't remember much about it.

In My Sweet Girl, we get a glimpse of the culture in flashback chapters where Poloma is at the orphanage. As the flashback chapters are limited to just the month or so prior to her adoption and the girls rarely leave the orphanage we don't see much of the country. It was still interesting.

I read this book in big chunks because I wanted to know what was going on. I wanted to know what was true and what was possibly a result of mental illness (the main character is in therapy). And when I finished it all I could think was WOW. It definitely didn't end the way I thought it would (though I don't know how I thought it would end) but it was a fitting ending.

There is definitely a lot of layers to the story and the characters. It would make an excellent book club read as there is so much that could be discussed. I can almost guarantee this book will be on my best of 2021 list.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Tuesday at 11:30 am EDT - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/09/2-new-suspense-novels-to-read-now.html

"There's a special place in hell for incompetent customer service agents, and it's right between monsters who stick their bare feet up on airplane seats and mansplainers."

From the very first sentence, I knew I was going to love this book. My Sweet Girl tells a dual timeline story of Paloma Evans; her past experiences as a little girl growing up in a Sri Lankan orphanage and the present as an adult who's trying to get her crumbling life together in the U.S. The theme of the thriller also follows the Sri Lankan lore of Mohini – a ghost of a woman who has the power to make people lose their minds or die of fright. As children, Mohini was the scary bedtime story you told during sleepovers, and it seems Paloma carried that myth with her to the U.S.

As an adult, Paloma is a mess. She is this quiet yet feisty drunk that is right up my alley of no fucks given. But she also got issues. Boy, does she have problems! It was entertaining to see how she dealt with them with a plastered smile on her face.

It did start to get a little slow in the middle. For a second, I didn't think things were going to come to a head. But then OMG, the reveal! The unveiling of it all will knock you off your feet, help you get back up, then trip you again. READ THE BOOK!

What a cover amirite?? I have to admit this cover was probably the main reason I requested this book from Netgalley. Mystery is not really my main genre of choice (I mean it’s pretty clear that is actually fantasy books). But I couldn’t resist a book with that cover, and featuring a person of color as a main character.

This was an entertaining book. The mystery was pretty good, and it has a nice twist at the end (don’t worry no spoilers), but I think the main reason I gave it 3 stars was I just didn’t like the main character much. She was ok. Just not very likeable, though I don’t think she was meant to be. She is a very unreliable narrator, and I was picking up on that I’m sure. I just have trouble connecting with books where I don’t really have anyone I can root for. That is not a fault with the book, more with my own attitudes toward it.

But like I said, entertaining and I had no desire to step away from the story at any point. I was very interested in finding out who did what to whom. If you’re a fan of thriller/mystery type books then this will be a good one for you.

Eighteen years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Evans, a loving, philanthropic couple from America visit the Little Miracles Girls’ Home in Sri Lanka to adopt one of the young children. The girls all hope they will be the lucky one chosen. Mrs. Evans is enchanted by young Paloma who is reading Wuthering Heights, a favorite book of hers. She sees it as a sign that she has found her new daughter. In present day, Paloma is not living her best life. She drinks too much and is delusional. Her roommate Arun learns a secret from Paloma’s past and blackmails her. When Paloma discovers Arun murdered in her apartment, there are no signs of him once the police arrive. No traces of any foul play appear on the building’s security tapes. Paloma decides to get away and spend some time at her parent’s house while they are traveling. Even more incidents start occurring that have her doubting everything. And will the secret from her past remain hidden?

My Sweet Girl is a tense, haunting psychological thriller told in alternating timelines - the present in San Francisco and in flashbacks at the orphanage in Sri Lanka. Paloma is a classic unreliable narrator. She’s racked with guilt being the one who was chosen to leave the orphanage and she’s grown into an unpleasant, bitchy young woman. (Some of her snarky thoughts are quite funny.) She’s living a nightmare that we’re brought right into.

Author Amanda Jayatissa has created a dark, suspenseful story with some very effective twists and turns.
An impressive debut!

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4/5 stars

My Sweet Girl is a dark, twisty, and disturbing thriller centered around Paloma, a women who was adopted as a young child from an orphanage in Sri Lanka. Now, 18 years later, her adoptive parents have found out her devastating secret and her life is in shambles. After a night of drinking and mixing alcohol with medication, Paloma comes home to her roommate’s dead body. The roommate who earlier that day was blackmailing her after he also discovered her secret. Police are called, but when they arrive, the body is gone and Paloma begins to doubt everything around her, even her own mind.

This one starts with an intense scene featuring the very complex, very unreliable narrator. It all builds to huge twists that make it impossible to put down. I easily finished this book in a few hours. Paloma has a strong voice and, while not the most sympathetic character, you cannot look away from her. I loved the multiple timelines and the spookiness sprinkled throughout. This is an excellent debut novel and I cannot wait to see what Jayatissa comes up with next.

Overall, My Sweet Girl is a compelling, well-written page-turner that is perfect for Fall TBRs!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

My sweet girl was a very tense book and it was pretty creepy too. The book was a bit slow for my liking but filled with spookiness. I read it in a couple of sittings. I loved that fact it was about a Srilankan girl and written by a Srilankan woman. As a Tamilan, I feel Srilankans are my kindred brothers/ sisters. So this book will always have a special place in my heart.

The book was focused around a the lore of Mohini which was based on Srilankan Myth. But actually even in our Tamil lores, we do have the same ghost of Mohini, it was pretty cool to read about it. The writing was articulate and the tone of the book was scary. I would say this book is a combination of horror and thriller. It was unexpected in many ways but also predictable at times.

The book revolved around Paloma who was an orphan from an orphanage in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. Her best friend was Lihini and they were inseparable. They were few of the oldest girls there and they would soon be sent to a new home if they aren't adopted run by a very strict nun. One fine day, The Evans visit the orphanage and are besotted by Paloma. This sets off a series of events, more on that later.

The timeline was in the past and the present. Paloma is currently in USA. She is a complete mess and so many strange things happen around. Then she suddenly starts seeing Mohini again and everything shatters. Will Paloma be able to face her past? Read to find out.

I personally didn't like Paloma much, she was too fickle and was not likable. But the story was engaging nevertheless.

This psychological suspense thriller has a lot packed into the pages and just might keep you guessing as to what is going to happen next.

The story alternates between 2002 in Sri Lanka at an orphanage where our main character, Paloma, resides, and 2020 in California. Paloma is in the home after being given up by her mother at birth. She is 12 and has basically won the lottery when a family comes in to visit the home and decides to adopt her and take her back to California to live with them. I enjoyed the back and forth because it gave us an insight into Paloma as a child and where she is now 18 years later. I'm just going to say I don't think she is in a very good place in the present. She has taken in an undocumented man to help pay the rent until he discovers a secret of hers and blackmails her to keep it quiet. She is worried about how to handle the situation and it only goes from bad to worse when she finds him dead in the apartment and there is no evidence as to who did it or where his body went. The story gets wackier from there when a neighbor goes missing, the woman across the street seems to be stalking Paloma, and Sam, who seems like a good guy but is he?

There were so many surprises that were dropped on us throughout the book. Some I guessed, some I was quite surprised, others had me flabbergasted especially the ending! I think I probably saw that coming but you really don't know until that last scene. I felt for Paloma because it felt like she was being gaslighted and she was to a degree. I can only imagine how Paloma felt and if she was going crazy especially considering she was on medication and drinking alcohol. That could make anyone second guess their actions. But it also made her unreliable as a narrator because we didn't know if we could trust what she was saying or doing at various parts of the book.

Overall, a good read from a debut author. If you like suspense/thriller books you just might like this one.

We give it 4 paws up.

Ohhh where do I begin? Let’s start with Paloma. Paloma is a mess. She’s an alcoholic, unreliable, emotional mess. She’s honestly exhausting. The flashbacks to Sri Lanka and the orphanage saved me from dnf’ing. The twists while unsuspecting where moot after having to put up with Paloma for hundreds of pages. An interesting debut but I just cannot handle protagonists like Paloma. Been there done that.

MY SWEET GIRL By Amanda Jayatissa
Thriller fiction
384 pages

In this debut novel we meet Paloma Evans, an orphan from a little village in Sri Lanka. Ever since she is adopted and brought to America she has had the best of everything. Great parents, rich childhood, but something won't let Paloma be happy. A secret from her past that could destroy her life in America. Her recent roommate makes her believe that he knows her secret but what he doesn't know is that Paloma is seriously messed up in the head. She is an alcoholic who has bad issues and her past rearing its ugly head pushes her over the edge. What will Paloma do to keep her dream life? Well readers you will be as stunned as I was.

Dang this book is seriously wicked but oh so good!!!!!! This debut author will certainly go far in this readers opinion. The dark and twistyness of this book kept me reading on late into the night. I highly recommend this book thriller fans everywhere.

My Sweet Girl by Amanda Jayatissa

This dual timeline story introduces us to thirty year old Paloma, adopted daughter of wealthy parents, formerly a Sri Lankan orphan. Adoption gave Paloma everything that money could buy and she has tried her best to stay in the good graces of her adoptive parents. Paloma was willing to do anything to escape the Sri Lankan orphanage, the abuses there, and the possible worse abuses once she aged out of the orphanage.

Now her parents have cut her off, her roommate claims he knows her secret, and Paloma is going off the rails, mentally and emotionally. It doesn't help that she finds her roommate dead and then his body disappears. In fact, it seems several people in her life are missing and she can't find answers, especially because the police don't seem to think she's on the up and up.

Actually, Paloma is hiding a lot of secrets, one building on another. It won't help if her way of bringing in money is discovered...what she does for money puts her in contact with the dregs of society. She has even gotten a stalker out of her shady business dealings. She's getting professional help for her mental problems but the prescription drugs she takes don't mix well at all with all the alcohol she drinks. Then there are the hallucinations, unless the ghost is real.

On the surface, this seems like it could be an interesting thriller but I think it's more a character study of a possibly unreliable narrator. There is the supernatural element of the story but it all doesn't fit well with the rest of the story, which seems to have trouble finding it's identity. I wanted to sympathize with Paloma but she's such a critical, judgmental person and the more I thought I knew about her, the less I wanted to know her.

I think the cover of this book is beautiful and I liked being able to picture the main character because of it. The cover is what drew me to the book, as much as the synopsis. I know the story will appeal to a lot of readers even though it didn't click with me as much as I would have liked.

Thank you to Elisha, Berkley, and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Story: Paloma's roommate Arun discovers her darkest secret but before Paloma could pay him off, she finds Arun's body in their apartment and she flees. When the police arrives, they couldn't find his body or anything that suggests Arun's existence. Does this mean her secret is safe or is she now in greater danger?

My thoughts: Holy guacamole! What a twisty and dark psychological thriller! Okay, but first, I have to admit that I almost did not finish this one. Not because I did not enjoy it. In fact, the writing was absolutely engaging! I find that Paloma is a really unlikable character but as the story progresses, I begin to understand her more, and I am so glad that I continue reading it! The twist was so good and totally unexpected!

The story is told in dual timelines - present day in San Francisco and 2002 in Ratmalana, Sri Lanka. I absolutely loved how the mystery unravels gradually through these two timelines. It was well-done! I personally enjoyed the past timeline a tad more because of the Sri Lankan setting - a setting I've never read before.

I can't reveal much without any spoilers. All I can say is if you like psychological thriller, this is a must read!


Pub. Date: Sep 14, 2021

***Thank you Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this gifted review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.***

While this book was promising -- and I am always excited to read a debut! -- this one just did not end up working for me. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, parts of the story were either predictable and far-fetched, but the biggest turn-off for me was the unnecessary descriptions of fat characters. This book is receiving lots of positive reviews, so I am sure it will find its audience. I am just not it.

4.5 stars

Amanda Jayatissa hit it out of the park with this debut. This is a book that I did not want to put down. When I set it down after the first half (to properly participate in a first half discussion) I was tempted to blow through the stopping point because I had to know what was going on. I had so many questions and theories running through my head throughout this book.

This is a book that I do recommend going into without reading up on it too much. The synopsis does a great job of not giving anything away but I feel with more and more reviews coming forth I would proceed with caution. My brief write-up is spoiler free and is all things you will learn in the beginning of the book

Paloma was adopted, as a 12-year-old, from a Sri Lankan group home to parents who had it all. Now as a 30-year-old she is struggling to find her place in the world and make enough money to get by. She rents a room in her apartment to Arun to help make ends meet. Arun finds out Paloma's deepest secret from her past at the group home and threatens to expose her. When Arun turns up dead at the kitchen table....but the body disappears before she can call the police...and she starts seeing an old ghost, Mohini, from her Sri Lankan days. Suddenly Paloma's life is in a tail-spin and there is no one she can share the truth with.

In the alternating timelines we also see her days in Sri Lanka leading up to the adoption. We see Paloma as a young girl preparing to leave the only life (and friends) she's ever known for a new beginning. We see the girls life and relationships and hear much about Mohini the ghost who haunts the girls stories.

Ok ok okkkkkkkkkkkkk, DEBUT! I love reading debut novels because most of the time, they are such a pleasant surprise and it's so nice to see authors really kick it out of the ball park. Welcome to a dual time-line shown in two different countries that starts with Paloma's roommate's death, the body disappearing and Paloma waking up on the floor by her neighbor.... again. Jayatissa, you have got my interest!

Paloma is quite the unreliable narrator! Sometimes it was so frustrating and eye rolling to be inside her head and yet at the SAME TIME, I was having so much fun looking through her lenses. Admittedly, I did feel like after the first opening scene, it got a little stagnant but then it picks right back up and welcome to Twist City! Population, WHAT?! I do think maybe ALL the twists weren't exactly necessary but honestly, who cares because the ride was just so much fun. Throw your hands up and throw caution to the wind. There's also more to the story than just the usual twisty thriller drama... so pay attention and you'll see what I mean 😉. I appreciate the author incorporating some seriousness into the levity that is Paloma (at least she was for me!).

Listen, absolutely an impressive debut. I do think it'll be a bit of a hit or miss for readers as being inside Paloma's head can either be grating and draining or a bliss of pessimistic realism that I personally enjoyed ... most of the time. 😏 Will 100% be looking for her next release.

An incredible psychological thriller from debut author Amanda Jayatissa. My Sweet Girl is read in the present day in San Fransisco and in the past at a home for girls in Sri Lanka. The home is a place where every day the girls hope to be a adopted, so they can escape the torments of the staffers and a folklore haunting the halls.

The novel chronicles the life of Paloma who is adopted by an American couple. Grown, she finds herself low on money, estranged from her adoptive parents and harboring a secret that threatens her way of being. The duel timelines run fast full of suspense, menace and difficulty. Be prepared for a plot twist you don't see coming.

Thank you Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the complimentary copy.

#berkleybuddyreads #mysweetgirl #netgalley #berkleypublishing

Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the debut novel by Amanda Jayatissa - 4.5 stars rounded up for a book that will keep your head spinning!

Told through two different timelines and locations, we learn how Paloma was adopted out of a children's orphanage in Sri Lanka by wealthy American parents and moved to California. Now 30, Paloma has been cut off from her parents' funds, is making money in a sleazy way, and is drinking way too much. When she is threatened by her roommate to expose a past secret, Paloma arrives at their apartment to find him dead. But when the police show up, he's gone with no sign that he was there or killed. Is she hallucinating from drinking too much? Is her past coming back to haunt her?

This was a fabulous debut that I couldn't put down. Even though I guessed the main twist, there were plenty more where that one came from! The writing is fresh and captivating - I enjoyed getting back to both timelines. Don't read too much beforehand about this one - but be sure and read it! Can't wait to read more from this author!

Eh… I was not overly impressed. There is a lot going on & I found myself almost irritated with the back & forth timeline.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.