I received a complimentary copy of Daughter from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Wow. I have imagined what it must be like for the family members of serial killers before, but never this vividly. As far as I can tell, Kate McLaughlin nailed it. I felt compassion for the wife and daughter, as well as disgust for the actions of the man himself. This novel was well written and multi-dimensional. A great book for such a dark topic!

WOW!! What a story!! Suspenseful, haunting, thrilling story that will leave a lasting impression. If you like any or all of the words used to describe this story then you will love this book. You will not soon forget this story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

A strong novel about a young women discovering her father is a famous serial killer. We follow her shock and horror at the news and being outed in the world. She visits him in jail per the FBI's request as he promises to give up names of his other victims if she does. While a lot of the book focuses on her reactions and her growth. It is weakened by giving her too many easy outs, a ready made family/friends/and true love in the town near the jail. While those all made the book sweeter, it took away from the levels of horror she had to deal with

This was fun. I'm not the biggest fan of the cover, but I genuinely liked the story and was in it. I was able to read this over just a day or two. Definitely immersive.

I absolutely LOVED this book. The characters were on point and it was so easy to fall into their world and feel like I was actually in the story. I loved the bit of a love story added in. The story line was so creative and well done. This book was horrifying and funny and sweet all mixed up. So much suspense. I was sad when I got to the last page. These characters were so perfect I actually miss them. This was a must read. Absolutely amazing

I absolutely adored What Unbreakable Looks Like so when I saw the author had another novel on NetGalley, it was an instant request.

Daughter was much different, but it was still a fun read. It reminded me a lot of Prodigal Son, but had its own flair. I struggled a bit with the side plot but I feel like I would have ate it up if I were a few years younger. It was still great and I highly recommend it!

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

If you like the show The Prodigal Son, then you will like this book. It has all the same psychotic family drama.

Great read!!! Great concept and great telling of the story and I mean, damn! It felt like a true story!!! Truly. I am a huge fan of true crimes shows and documentaries, so this book had me at “a girl finds out she is the daughter of a convicted serial killer.” And it delivered in spades. Loved the MCs, the secondaries and all the rest, as each was fleshed out and real in their own right. I am especially a big fan of Agent Logan. I wish I knew him. And Maxi. Love them. Can’t wait to get this book for my library and recommend the crap out of it. 💜💜💜💜📚

Great characters (realistic and believable) and involved storyline. Grabbed me fairly quickly but did slow up a bit in the middle.. picked up agsin snd I couldn't put it down. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was definitely a different type of book, it has a very unique storyline. I don't think that I have ever read a book quite like this one but, it was worth a read!
Scarlet is your atypical teenager, she is being raised by her really helicopter/overprotective mom. While Scarlet seems to be your regular teenager with regular problems her mother has been keeping a very big secret away from her! Scarlet finds out the reason for her mother's overprotectiveness when the FBI shows up at her house, and Scarlet finds out her father is a notorious serial killer and he is losing his battle with cancer. To make things more challenging about turning the life of Scarlet, since her father is losing his battle with cancer he has agreed to tell the names of his victims only to his daughter. Her father is Jeffery Robert Lake, a serial killer who had the total Ted Bundy vibes. He is a necrophile who kidnapped, raped, and murdered numerous women between 1990 and 2006. While he was only charged with 14 murders because their bodies were found on his property, the authorities are convinced that there are soo much more and they want to get those families some kind of closure.
All of this information is a lot of pressure and turns Scarlet's life upside down and she has to make the decision whether or not to meet with him and get the names or not to. Now, while the whole thing of finding out who her father was isn't as bad as when her identity is revealed and everyone starts looking at her in a different light.
OMG, this is the first book that I've read by this author and while I do realize that it is a young adult book, it never seems like it throughout the whole book. This is definitely a psychological thriller and a book that keeps you on your toes! I would definitely recommend it for any true-crime fans (even though it's fiction) and anyone who loves books like Alice Feeney's books! I will definitely look for more from this author!
Thank you Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the extraordinary opportunity to read and review this one!

Daughter- 2 stars
By- Kate McLaughlin

Daughter tells the story of Scarlet Murphy, a typical high school senior with an overprotective mother. One day her world is turned upside down when she finds out she is the daughter of serial killer, Jeffrey Lake. Scarlet's mother divorced Jeff when he was on trial and left with their daughter...assuming a new identity in New England. Jeffrey is dying and in exchange for seeing Scarlet he is willing to give up the names of more of his victims. Scarlet decides to see her father and try to bring justice to the families of his victims.

This book was painful to read. I feel like the author made a cartoon version of a serial killer and then crafted a haphazard story around it. I know this is a young adult book, but I felt like it was geared towards an audience much younger. Everything was explained to death and the plot felt so contrived. Most of the characters were completely one dimensional...they had no development and the ones who did have development were changed SO MUCH and SO QUICKLY that it felt unbelievable. Several parts of the book made me cringe, but I think the worst part was trying to insert a love story between Scarlet and the FBI agent's son. It felt so inappropriate for a book like this. I would give this one a pass.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I wasn’t sure why I had this on my TBR list..
But it turned out to be a great read!
As a high school guidance counselor, I do read a lot of YA books. I like to know what my students are reading and also make suggestions.
When I started this, I thought ~ Oh no is this going to be a typical teen sex, and nasty language story?
Nope, not typically at all!
I know there are teens who have a horrible past in which they have no control.
Nature or nurture!
Will inherited past make who we are now or will nurture make a difference?

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press ~ Wednesday Books for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for an honest professional review.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 8, 2022

Book: Daughter
Author: Kate McLaughlin
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC.

This is the second Kate McLaughlin book that I have read. While it didn’t have the same punch as What Unbreakable Looks Like, it still hit me pretty hard. Here we follow a teenage girl who learns that her absent father is indeed the infamous serial killer, Jeff Lake, and that the peaceful life she has known is about to change. We get to see her try to make sense of what has happened and to bring justice to those who her father has killed. Scarlet just isn’t her father’s daughter; she is the only one who he will tell where the remaining bodies are located. You see, the FBI still hasn’t recovered all of the bodies of the girls that Lake has killed nor do they know for sure just how many he killed.

From here, we start to see the effects that Lake has had on those around him. Scarlet’s mother has gone as far to take both her and Scarlet away from the area where Lake is believed to have done most of his killing and has given them both new names. We also see her mother trying to hold it together as her past is brought up and trying to deal with the horrors from all those years ago. We see the FBI side of things as they are work on trying to find the rest of the girls and bring them home. Then, there’s Scarlet. She is the only one who Lake will even talk to. She has to not only deal with the fact that her father is Jeff Lake, but face the monster-even though she doesn’t want to. She sees this as her chance right his wrongs and try to give the girls families a little peace of mind. We see her in this deep shock and this shock goes on for much of the book. Seeing her reaction and the way she acts adds a human element to her. It makes us really stop and think about what our reaction would be if we had just gotten this kind of news.

The way the story is presented just leaves you in an emotional state. It makes you wonder what you would have done if you were in these characters situations. We get to see the press and family reactions as well as getting to see the family of the actual killer. So many times the press focuses on the family of the murdered. Here we get to see that all of those who were affected are the victims. By taking this angle, it really gives us a different view of how things are and gives a chance to see everyone as being human. Now, I'm not saying that Jeff Lake is Mr. Nice Guy. What I’m saying though is we get to see a more deeper understanding into the lives of the people who we usually see on TV. It gives us a chance to see the other side of things. We have a chance to see the other side of things.

Now, if I gave this book a four star rating. I’m not going to lie. There were so parts that I thought were rather drug out. I thought they could have been made shorter or something. I just felt like there for awhile the book kind of lost some of what it was trying to do. I guess that what I’m getting at is there are parts that I would have liked to have seen done better.

Anyway, I do have a very copy of the book so this may change in the final copy. We are still many months out and things may change.

This book comes out on March 8, 2022.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/o1vTwAZCEvw

Loved it. The storyline was ramped with energy and suspense. Hard to believe this was a YA novel as it read so well with strong emotional characters and gripping plots. Really enjoyed from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Daughter by Kate McLaughlin is such a fantastic YA book. I really did not know what I was in for and I was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around a teen that finds out she is the daughter of a famous serial killer. He is dying and agrees to tell her where more bodies are located if she meets with him.. The characters are very well-written. The main character comes across as real and likable. The plot is pretty unique, I found it fascinating. Really, can you imagine not knowing your father and that have it come to light he is a monster? It is really a great story and one of the better YA books this year. I look forward to reading more by this author.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
Wow - this was another excellent novel from Kate McLaughlin. She has a way of writing that even though it has a YA main character that I don't feel like I'm reading a teen novel.

This book has a unique (to me anyway) storyline - I can't recall reading a book with this synopsis before. The main character - Scarlet is your typical high school teenager - raised by a single mother who is a majorly overprotective. Mom has a good reason though - its just Scarlet doesn't learn about it until the FBI shows up at her door one day. It seems that Scarlet's father is a notorious serial killer and he happens to be dying from cancer. He has agreed to tell the names of some of his victims but will only give those names to his daughter who he hasn't seen since she was a baby.

This turns Scarlet's life upside down as she learns her real identity and has to decide if she's willing to meet the man who she's only known through his horrendous reputation.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and found it quite intriguing. The author has a knack for writing about young characters in intense, serious situations. Last year I read What Unbreakable looks like by this same author and loved it so I have found a new favorite author!

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book even though it started like a typical YA.

I am glad the author did not go down the cliche path of portraying Jeffrey Lake as anything but a psychopath serial killer. I am glad she didn't add scenes where the father- daughter reunions were suppose to tug at your heart strings. He was and always will be an irredeemable monster.

Good book.

Mind blowingly good! Amazingly written, with such superb character development and a chilling, unique storyline! Kept me in completely suspense and shock throughout! Fast paced, unputdownable, and captivating! Cannot recommend this one enough, will absolutely blow your mind! Don’t delay, grab today!

HAPPY MONDAY! 🎃
BOOK: Daughter
AUTHOR: Kate McLaughlin
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RATING: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 🌟/5
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SYNOPSIS: Scarlett has lived her whole life under a helicopter mom in a quaint town...until the FBI shows up. Now Scarlett is faced with the reality that she is the daughter of a serial killer. 🔪 Her dad has so many victims that he’s willing to take to the grave. 🪦 If the FBI wants the names and burial sites, Scarlett is the answer.
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PROS: YALL this book kept me on my toes and I DEVOURED IT. The mixture of the plot lines and “news articles” set the tone for a true crime feel. This one definitely gave me Silence Of The Lamb vibes so if you love that book/movie duo, this is for you!
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CONS: There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about the book! I loved it!

5 stars

Holy serial killer Ted Bundy! This book was so good. This is the 2nd book I’ve read by this author and the 2nd home run for her. She definitely knows how to write some messed up stories. I loved all the characters in this book, even Jeff Lake(as a villain of course, not a morbid groupie!). I would even be interested in a follow up story to see how it plays out with the films, the mom, the guy, and the crazies. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my free copy in exchange for an honest review.