I really loved the first ~80% of this book, but the ending was a bit disappointing! That being said, overall it was one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
I look forward to the next book from Nugent.
Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for this ARC!
3.5/5 rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an a copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I cannot believe there isn’t more hype surrounding this book.

The book opens with Sally’s ailing father telling her (as a joke) that when he dies, she should put him out with the trash. Unfortunately he didn’t realize Sally would take this literally.

Sally Diamond is a ‘socially deficient’ 44 year old living in rural Ireland with her father until he passes. While it is clear to the reader that Sally is neurodivergent and may struggle with her mental health, her father has refused to acknowledge this so Sally has always just believed she’s ‘just a little odd’.

After her father’s death and the way Sally disposed of his remains, Sally ends up all over the media. Her father left her 3 envelopes to read each week and in the last one she learns the harrowing truth about her past.

The book follows two timelines and POVs - one of Peter in the past and Sally now as we explore the trauma both endured and how it affects them both differently.

This book has some very dark and disturbing content. Please review for trigger warnings if that might be a concern for you.

Sally's adoptive father dies and she puts him out with the trash - like he always told her - because she takes things literally. That starts a snowball of changes to her life. You start to learn why Sally is how she is. The story is told back and forth in time and from Sally's and another person's perspective. As mentioned, some challenging themes and uncomfortable material but in the end I enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Where do I begin with this one? This one took awhile for me to get through if I am being honest. Sally is a very sheltered woman even at the age of 43 yrs old. She lives with her elderly father and seldom communicates with anyone else. So the morning that she wakes up and finds out that her father has passed she does something quite out of the ordinary that brings a lot of unwanted public attention to her. As Sally starts to read the letters that were left for her by her dad, she starts to learn more about her past and how she became Sally Diamond. I am not sure how to feel about this story as once the story of Sally's life was told, I found that this is the type of story that I don't usually like to read but I do not like to just give up so I continued on reading. Some parts made me angry for what was decided and what should have been done instead but I just needed to keep reading to see what would happen in the end. Enjoy!!!

What a story! Almost like The Maid meets Room. The layers peel back so breathlessly that I read this straight through. My heart went out to Sally, her mother and Lindy. Given all that she went through, Sally was the least strange character of all. Uplifting, brutal, humorous and sad.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this book. I absolutely loved it, one of my favorite books of the year so far. It was dark, funny but also very sad. I felt for the characters and was rooting for Sally through the whole book.

The story is as much a psychological thriller as it is a novel about defining who you are and living your truth. Sally was strange, and hard to like, but also someone you wish you could have protected. I loved this book.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Sally Diamond is strange, definitely different. When her dad dies and she misinterprets his dying wish, Sally's world starts to change and she hates change. We follow Sally as she navigates this new world with new people and why she is the way she is. With alternating time jumps and povs, this story had me hooked right away. Short chapters and excellent writing, I flew through this book and read most of it in a day. I liked all the characters and I felt they were all integral to Sally's journey. I was rooting for Sally the whole way through. I will definitely be reading more from this author.

Sally Diamond has never been properly socialized, so she doesn't understand why others think she's so strange. Besides all she is guilty of is taking people literally. She spends her whole life living with her father, so when he dies she needs to start providing for and fully taking care of herself. She finds herself needing to make friends for the first time. But can they all be trusted, and taken at their word?

Well developed characters and a plotline that pulls you forward, with honesty reminiscent of Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

Refreshing. I was hooked from the first line. Sally was a delight. That's not me laughing at her, it's me completely engaged and fascinated by a complex and vulnerable character trying to find her way in a world that's been kept from her nearly her entire life. It was incredibly readable, I finished it very quickly, and intriguing as Sally's past began to overlap with her present, forcing all the secrets to come out.

This one was so good! I really enjoyed the pacing of it, keeping me interested without any super slow points. The cover really drew me in. Well done!

Thank you #simonschuster and #netgalley for this advanced copy of my first Liz Nugent book. This one is my favourite read of the year thus far. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the world from Sally Diamond’s perspective. That in itself would have been interesting but diving into her mysterious, suspenseful and often sad life events made this novel stand out. Highly recommend this book!

I devoured this dark & tragic tale. Sally is quirky, she’s strange. She pretends she’s deaf when she’s out in public so that she doesn’t have to talk to people. But as her story unfolds we gain some insight into why she is the way she is. Her unique, hidden childhood has shaped her odd ways. I loved how the chapters alternated POVs and how this book played out. As I said, it was dark, and sad, but not graphic and it was so good!

Her father told her to put him out with the trash, so that’s exactly what she did.
And now, from this one mistake, Sally Diamond is thrown into the spotlight. When she starts questioning her past, the truth about her birth parents will horrify her and quite possibly put her in danger.

This book is dark, and twisty and sometimes hard to read. There are some serious TW’s here, so make sure you check those out before picking this one up

This book had my favourite writing technique- alternating POV / dual timeline chapters.
Not always done well, Liz Nugent’s execution was flawless. The timelines came full circle and painted a thorough picture of the characters past and present.
While this is not the type of book I usually read I did really enjoy it.

Strange Sally Diamond is literal perfection and I CAN NOT recommend this book enough this summer!

There isn’t even a way to adequately explain this book. At my best effort I’d say it’s a tremendously unique character drama, with a dark and twisty and gritty thriller story as the undercurrent to the plot, with one of my favourite lead characters in any book I’ve read, ever, in my life.

I literally don’t want to even hint at anything beyond that because this book TRULY deserves to have readers come in utterly blind and get to experience the story fresh. I wish I could wipe my memory and read this one again, it’s that brilliantly done.

Just trust me on this one, and get it on your pile, stat. I promise promise promise you will absolutely not regret it.

Thank you @simonschusterca for the copy! And by god @liznugentwriter PLEASE never stop writing books. The world needs them.

Synopsis:

Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was putting her father out with the rubbish when he died. Now everyone's eyes are on Sally; the hungry media, the worried police and a sinister voice from the past she doesn't remember. As she learns the horrors of her childhood, Sally steps into the world for the first time; making friends, finding independence and learning people don't always mean what they say. When messages arrive from a stranger who knows more about her past than she does, her life will be thrown into chaos once again....

Review:

One word - wow. This was such a masterpiece of psychological suspense. The chapters were short and sweet and flipped between the past and present. I was 100% engaged throughout the entire book and to be honest, I don't think anyone can even fathom/think about what is coming next because you are just so engrossed in this story. Sally is a unique but likeable FMC, who is quirky and a product of a traumatic childhood. This book created AMAZING discussion in our chat about nature vs nurture, with me having an unpopular opinion as usual LOL. I don't want to spoil anything so message me if you've read it, and let's discuss!

Thank you Simon & Schuster for the eGalley!

YOU ARE MAGICAL: my DM to Liz Nugent after finishing her book Strange Sally Diamond.

I have literally no concept of how I am going to review this thriller... but this is not the typical Freddy The 13th style thriller, and instead is along the lines of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Room.

Let's give this a go.

I have VERY strong opinions towards this book; strong feelings of both love and hate. The parts of it that I loved are the reasons I hated; the reasons I hated it are what caused me to love it. I have such a mishmash of emotions towards this book, towards the people in it (and trust me when I say they are people - they are not characters).

I have to start with saying that to me, a stand out book is one that has a cast that I feel passionately about; is one that makes me think and question everything I thought I knew about what is right and wrong; makes my insides churn; and makes me feel strong emotions towards. This is exactly all of what this book is. And this is that book to the Nth degree!

I am just not someone who could devour this book. Instead, it took me a week-ish to read, as it was not one that I could sit and read for long periods of time. I needed breaks because of the content; the subject matter. It made my skin crawl, and my stomach was constantly twisted in knots thinking about these people.

I have a strong, strong emotional attachment to this book, to the person Sally is. This is the type of person I want to keep in my pocket and protect her at all costs. And it's making me tear up and cry thinking about her.

I want to use a word Nugent uses as she thanks other writers in her acknowledgments: Thank you Liz Nugent for writing a book that can revolt me, while simultaneously causing me to love it in equal measure. Thank you for writing one of my top reads of 2023, hands down.

Thank you NetGalley, Tandem Collective Global and Simon & Schuster Canada for the complimentary copies to read and review.

This is an extremely dark and entertaining thriller, that is still fun in parts because of the wonderful character of Sally. Her quirkiness and honesty prevent the book from being only a tragic tale and when she was the focus it gave you a break from the disturbing aspects of the story. This is the first book I have read by this author and I have to check out her others.

An excellent psychological thriller. Nugent's writing hooks you in and doesn't let go until she's ready. I loved the dual POVs because it really gave you every aspect of the story she was telling. I thought Sally was an excellent character and I enjoyed her progression throughout the novel. I liked that it kept me guessing, and while I some of my theories turned out to be correct, there were still twists I didn't see coming.
Read this thriller if you like fast-paced, short chapters, and great character development! 4.5 stars.