Once again Liz Nugent offers us a dark tale of the human condition, with a divisive, oddly likeable main character, a twisted darkly observant storyline and an ending that will keep nagging at you in those early sleepless hours.

Honestly the quality of this writing is second to none. The plotting is always superbly realistic, eminently readable and hugely thought provoking.

Bravo.

What a good read this is! I found this book refreshingly different to others that are out there at the moment. Sally is a woman is her fourties’ she lives with her adoptive father and has always been a little strange. The story starts with her dad dying and she literally “puts him out with the rubbish” This turn of events brings closer inspection to Sally and she begins to learn the truth about what happened to her as a child that made her the way she is. Although this is quite a dark story and touches on some pretty sinister subjects I also found it heart warming and sometimes even humorous, this is definitely one I will remember and recommend.

Liz Nugent is an automatic buy author for me. So I was delighted when I was approved for this eARC!

Sally Diamond is dark, sad, moving and occasionally funny... it has all the hallmarks of a bestseller. I will be very surprised if this is not one of the most popular books of the year!

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do, to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Now at the centre of media attention, she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood and learn about a past she can't remember.

Spanning dual timelines and told from two perspectives, this one had me hooked from the beginning. It's a dark and heavy read but completely gripping. I stayed up far too late each night, desperate to find out how things were going to pan out. As is often the case with Nugent, her characters are unique and complex - I was never sure how I was meant to feel about each of them as the story was unfolding. Ultimately, Sally stole a piece of my heart. A wonderfully written protagonist who will stay with me.

‘Strange Sally Diamond’ is how she in known in the small Irish community she lives in. She is socially awkward and has trouble recognising sarcasm, so when her father dies, she assumes she is doing nothing wrong by following his wishes and ‘putting him out with the bins’ as he told her to. However, once her actions are discovered, her quiet, monotonous life is turned on it’s head.

I have enjoyed all of Liz Nugent’s previous books, but none as much as this one. Imagine a book that is half ‘Room’ by Emma Donoghue and half ‘Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ by Gail Honeyman. It’s hard to imagine, but I’m going to quote Marian Keyes here “It transcends genre...it defies categorisation”.

You will sympathise, empathise, gasp, laugh and possibly even cry.

I don’t have any doubt that this will be one of the biggest books of 2023.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow what a way to start the year. Ive loved Liz Nugents previous books so grabbed this one without even reading the blurb.

Sally Diamond is somewhat strange. Adopted when she was 7 with no memory before that, she has led a totally sheltered life in the midlands in Ireland. In her 40s, she lives with her father(her mother is deceased)and rarely leaves the house. She is socially awkward and has no filter at all when she talks and she takes everything she is told at face value.

When her father dies in his bed she does what she thinks is fulfilling his last wishes when he said "sure when I die you can throw me out with the rubbish", so thats exactly what she does. She brings him out to where they put the rubbish in their incinerator and tries to burn him. This of course leads to the police being involved and soon it becomes national news.

This series of events leads to stories surfacing about Sallys past and when she starts receiving stuff in the post from the other side of the world she knows it is related to her early years but can she remember what happened to her and why her early memory is gone?

This was an utterly captivating read. Told from different perspectives, this is a heartbreaking tale of abuse and the minefield of damage it leaves in its wake.

Sally is a real curiosity but you will be rooting for her all the way. Although the subject matter is grim, very grim in fact, there are also many laugh out loud moments. The cast of characters are beautifully realized. from "villain" to "hero" and everything in between, you will be engrossed in their world from the first chapter.

There is something about Nugents writing that just sits right with me and makes it imminently readable. The story feels both other worldly and as real as it gets at the same time. A strange combination of both that make this book a gem.

An easy 5 stars from me. Get your hands on this as soon as you can and enter the world of Strange Sally Diamond.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

This was everything you need for a thriller and crime story. It is not as black and white as you first think and like most typical thrillers, is full of twists.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words some text written has been typed in red and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Sally Diamond is far from neuro-typical and takes things literally. So when her father requests that she should put him out with the bins after he dies, being a dutiful daughter, she does just that. She can't understand what she has done wrong, but not altogether surprisingly suddenly becomes a person of interest to the local police - and subsequently, the press.

Sally has no memory of life before her seventh birthday, but has never realised that this is unusual. She has always known that she was adopted: her adoptive mother a GP, her father a psychiatrist. But no-one ever told her about her birth parents and she didn't think to ask about them. Letters left by her adoptive father bring to light the shocking existence Sally, then known as Mary, and her birth mother, Denise, endured before being rescued from the clutches of the monstrous Conor Geary. Sally's true identity, as the child of Denise Norton, a high-profile child victim of kidnap many years earlier, thrusts her into the public eye. There are those who are sympathetic to Sally's plight, but many are not so kind. The arrival of a teddy bear, sent by the mysterious 'S' from New Zealand, triggers a long-buried memory in Sally. Could the sender be Conor Geary - and could she be in danger? As the reader is introduced to Peter as narrator and more background about Sally and her mother's grim past experiences, all begins to fall into place.

Sally is an endearing, quirky character and the story is fast-flowing and compelling. I read on for far longer than I should have into the night to find out how things would pan out for her. Whilst dealing with some very unpleasant and disturbing issues, there is humour and warmth woven throughout. Sally undergoes therapy to help her deal with the outside world from which she has been sheltered for so long and finds a supportive group of friends who accept and guide her. But when she eventually meets Peter, things take a dark and unexpected twist.

The ending was not what I would have hoped for Sally and I felt sad for her. I won’t elaborate further but hints of what may have been yet to come were undeniably chilling and left me with a sense of deep unease.
Overall, I found Strange Sally Diamond to be an incredibly moving and thought-provoking novel which will stay with me for a very long time. A well-deserved 5 stars from me. Highly recommended.

This was a fantastic book to read! I loved the character of Sally, her thought processing and dialogue. It was great to read the other perspective as well. Love love love it, strong 2023 book.

If you read anything this year make sure this is the book!! I couldn’t put this book down. The dark humour, found family and small town setting drew me in and didn’t let me go. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

The first Liz Nugent's book I have read and I'm really impressed with her work. Definitely it was one of the best books of the same genre I had a chance to read so far. Each story line and each character atracts you and doesn't let you go until you finished.

This is tipped to be one of the most popular releases of the year, and it’s easy to see why. The protagonist, so-called strange Sally Diamond is different to other people. Not very sociable, emotionally detached and reclusive, she takes everything very literally, so when her elderly father says “when I die, just put me out with the rubbish”, when he passes away she does exactly that and thinks no more of it.
When Sally’s actions are discovered, it understandably causes an uproar, but the chaos comes not only from her literal way of following her father’s instructions but sets off a spiral of investigations that unravel everything Sally thought she knew about herself and her family.
Sally’s life as she knows it turns upside down, as the media and police attention uncovers secrets from her past that even she didn’t know about.

I absolutely loved this book and raced through it in just a couple of days, desperate to uncover the secrets and get to the bottom of the mysteries that kept popping up! With twists at every turn, this is a thrilling read that will have you hooked, but it’s also full of warmth and depth of character, as we get to know Sally and learn more about her unusual circumstances, you can’t help but love her.

Skilfully written, the secrets kept over generations gradually come tumbling out. Sally as a character is especially readable, and I was reminded quite a bit of Molly from The Maid, another very strong female neurodiverse voice with a certain vulnerability and an unusual family background.

The book is coming out in early March so I was thrilled to get hold of an advance copy from Netgalley!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

Wow this is an incredible read. It is also a very difficult read that tackles very dark and sensitive subjects so I urge caution before starting. But if you do read this you are in for a treat. I was completely addicted to this book and read it in nearly one sitting whilst also not wanting it to end. Sally is a truly endearing character with an incredible story. I really felt for her and wanted her to do well throughout the book. Along the way, Nugent introduces us to a range of characters, some with good intentions and some with bad. All of them bring something to this darkly comic, quirky read and they all enhance the book in some way. This book is a tough read but there are also moments of dark humour and I found myself grinning on more than one occasion. I was also completely immersed and interested where Nugent was going to take the plot next.
I am going early but 'Strange Sally Diamond' is going to be one of my reads of 2023.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin General UK for an advance copy.

I seen someone describe this as Room meets Misery and they definitely hit the nail on the head.

Meet Sally she's done nothing wrong only put her dead father out with the bins but sure that's what he told her to do when he died wasn't it?

Liz Nugent has an amazing ability to write the most horrible characters, however Sally is far from her usual norm. You can't help worrying for her, having empathy for her and pitying her, all while rooting for her. Some of her socially awkward and blunt moments will have you laughing out loud.

I have absolutely devoured all of Liz Nugent's previous books. She is one of my auto buy authors and I have to say I'll be sad I've read this already when release day comes.

Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin, Viking and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Strange Sally Diamond is available to preorder now and will be released on 2/3/2023

An easy 5⭐️ rated read
A harrowing read that literally kept me awake all night! I definitely wasn’t expecting this story to unfold in that way when I first requested the book. If you are looking for a story with sunshine, rainbows and happy endings, this is not the one 📚

After Sally‘s father dies, she makes headline news because of her “home burial”. What unfolds next is the harrowing, disturbing and heartbreaking story of her birth and circumstances around how/why she is the person she is today.

The story looks at the events that took place from a variety of angles and we get to witness the actions and consequences of other peoples’ decisions and the long lasting and life changing damage it causes their families and loved ones. I don’t feel that I can provide more details without ruining the story.

I have read a variety of books that cover a range of storylines but I haven’t been this affected by one in a long while. After finishing the book in the early hours of this morning, I find I’m still thinking about the characters in the book, in particular Peter. I also find myself reflecting on the victims surviving devastating similar true life events that take place today.

I know this reads like a cryptic puzzle however, I feel that you should read the book yourself and not have me spoil the experience for you. I am now off to read a light hearted story full of sunshine and rainbows to take my mind off the trauma of this compulsive, but dark read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin General UK - Fig Tree, Hamish Hamilton, Viking, Penguin Life, Penguin Business, Sandycove for early access to this thought provoking read.

My first read from Liz Nugent, and definitely not the last. This was absolutely fantastic and raced to the end. I will definitely be recommending this book and I will be reading all of Liz Nugent books now.

When Sally Diamond’s dad said “when I’m gone just leave me out with the bins, Sally took him literally so when he dies that’s what sally does which then brings then brings the spotlight on her from police and the local community which sally really does not want. Great read which will keep you invested in the book.

What a great novel - a neurodiverse main character who delves into her past and finds her place in the world with humour. Honestly, this makes me laugh, cry and feel frustrated at some of the choices made but, all told, this is an easy book to recommend. Reminds me a little of Eleanor Olyphant so, if you enjoyed that novel, give this one a go.

Sadly this wasn't the book for me. I can appreciate it and there were some dark comedy moments but I just couldn't get on board with the character and plotline. Maybe a case of wrong book at the wrong time?

Strange Sally Diamond is the latest from Irish author Liz Nugent; known for her unlikeable characters and dark thrillers. I think this is her usual style, but on steroids (that’s a good thing).

Sally Diamond’s dad has just died. She’s been minding him in his final days but now that he’s gone she gets his body ready to pop in their trash incinerator out the back of the house. Well her dad did say “when I’m gone just leave me out with the bins, sure”.
Sally *may* have misunderstood the joke at the heart of his words; she has a social deficiency, as she would say herself. Her father’s death and subsequent “removal” puts an unwanted spotlight on Sally and ends up revealing a lot more about her early life than she could ever have imagined.
This could be the start of a new life for Sally, but there’s also the risk that her dark past could destroy her and the community she’s started to build around herself.

This book goes to some really grim places. I’ve seen it described as having shades of both Room and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I’d definitely agree with those comparisons.

It’s such a well crafted and engaging read; I was absolutely glued to it and raced to the end, desperate to find out what was going to happen.

While there are plenty of those darker moments, there’s also some black humour. Sally is an unusual character to say the least, both loveable and completely exasperating. I was so sad to say goodbye to her when I finished her story, I would have happily read more.

This is a weird, twisted little book and I loved it! I recommend it 100%.

With huge thanks to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks @vikingbooksuk @penguinbooksireland for the opportunity to read this brilliant book! It’s out on the 2nd of March.

#bookstagram #IrishBookstsgram #StrangeSallyDiamond #LizNugent #Books2023 #NewBooks

Strange Sally Diamond has been described as a mix of Room and Eleanor Oliphant and seeing as both of these are stand out books for me, I was very excited to delve into Liz Nugent's latest work. Sally's adoptive father passes away, and as she is quite the literal thinker, she decides to do exactly what he had told her to do and disposes of his body with the rubbish. Needless to say, Sally finds herself in the height of trouble for this, but in her innocence is unable to see what the fuss is all about. She's always been a little bit strange, but now that she's on her own, she has to overcome her issues to learn how to fend for herself. Sally's past is drip fed to her in letters from her father and, with the aid of her local GP, Sally figures out just what happened to her in her past and why she is the way she is.
This book was amazing. I loved Sally's story but I also loved how it was broken up with Peter's narrative - each character had every second chapter. I found both characters fascinating as they, alongside Sally's mother, depicted the many different ways in which someone can be subjected to abuse. The descriptions left little to the imagination but were tasteful enough that you don't ever have to put the book down or look away. Peter's storyline became the far more gripping one for me towards the end however but I feel that it was a natural journey as his life took a bit of an unexpected turn. I thoroughly enjoyed both characters, and I loved Liz's ability to tell such a difficult yet riveting story.