My Darling Girl
By Jennifer McMahon
Pub Date- October 3, 2023
Gallery
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
* horror, thriller mystery
I have loved McMahons previous books, however, this one felt flat to me. Quick and well paced novel. There are some loose threads that I felt needed a firmer conclusion. I also wish the characters were fuller.
This was not a hit for me, but I look forward to her next book.
3 stars

This is the second novel I read by Jennifer McMahon and unfortunately this one fell a little flat for me. I was intrigued by the fact that Alison and her mother (also her brother Ben) had an incredibly strained relationship. The level of abuse they suffered as children led to not much contact, but when her mother's caretaker contacts her she knows something is up. Her mother is dying, and one of her last wishes is to try and mend the broken relationship they have.

Alison has two children and both of them seem excited to have their grandmother coming to stay. And, initially things seem to be going well and Alison thinks maybe her mother has changed. But soon, she starts to see things that make her think that nothing is different, and when Paul comes to visit and makes a startling statement, Ali begins to question everything. Much to the dismay of her family.

It held a good pace but I felt that it had an ending that I didn't care for and felt rushed.

Jennifer McMahon is a must-read for me and I was excited to get my hands on this one early. I would describe it as a domestic suspense thriller, perhaps, and one that has tremendous potential but also struggles to figure itself out. There are numerous plot holes that drove me crazy, and while the suspense is layered and seems to be building to something that you're certain will be explained, it really isn't. McMahon is a master at evoking family tension and portraying realistic sibling dynamics to the point that you feel that you really know these people or might even be one of them yourself. That part of the book works just fine and rang true for me as usual, but rest of it was too much of a Hereditary-lite mess of childhood trauma and supernatural suggestion. All of this has no bearing on my adoration for McMahon. I will certainly read her next book, I'm just left frustrated and underwhelmed by what this could have been. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this early review copy.

Book Title: My Darling Girl
Author: Jennifer McMahon
Publisher: Gallery Books Gallery/Scout Press
Genre: More Psychological Horror than Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: October 3, 2023
My Rating: 3.5 Stars – because I love this author
Pages: 320

I am a big Jennifer McMahon fan ~this is my eighth ~ Read seven and they were great ~ oops wait actually one didn’t work for me! To be truthful there were six that were absolutely awesome!
My favorite was " The Drowning Kind".
I have been looking forward to another ghostly supernatural tale from one of my favorite dark creepy writers!

Alison has a wonderful family -a husband and two daughters she loves dearly.
She gets a call from that her mother Mavis who is dying of cancer and wants to spend her last weeks with Ali and her family with hospice care.
Although Ali’s brother begs her not to do it Ali believe it is time for to heal and allows her mother to move in.
Mavis has been a cruel abusive mother to Ali and her brother all their lives,
However she appears kind and a sweet little old lady in front of Ali’s family. When alone with Ali, Mavis is a nasty person. At first Ali makes the excuse her mother is ill; then realizes it is more than that.
Ali’s husband, children, and best friend think the problem is Ali, not her mother, and no one believes Ali!

Paul was an interesting character and certainly knew more than Alison about what was going on.
When he said “Not Mavis” I knew he was right. I honestly didn’t get why Alison didn’t accept the round the clock care that her mother could afford ~ yep made me curious about Ali.

I love her Ms. McMahon’s dark creepy stories but this was a tough read for me. I haven’t read a demon possession story that made me this scared since [book: The Exorcist] ~ this story sure had those vibes.

Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books Gallery/Scout Press for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 3, 2023

I just finished this and I HAVE CHILLS!

I'll admit this author is hit-or-miss for me, with her last book being a miss, but My Darling Girl is a full on five star read!
Right from the beginning I was hooked and had to know who was evil and wtf was going on! Pretty sure my jaw fell open at the end.

Fans of How to Sell a Haunted House, Darling Rose Gold and The Exorcist will love this because this book is a mash up of those.

Crystals creep me out now. This book got to me in the day it took me to read it and I'll definitely be rereading it this Fall when it released because it's so unsettling!

I absolutely love Jennifer McMahon's book and was so excited to get a copy of her new novel. What a wonderful read!

In my opinion, My Darling Girl is one of Jennifer McMahon’s best. She twists the supernatural into each of her novels, but the demonic element in this story was both terrifying and addicting. I was horrified by Mavis’s behavior and felt both Ali’s desperation and paranoia as the threat to her children loomed closer, especially when her husband could not see the truth. Actually, the only negative was his syrupy sweet love of all things Christmas although it contrasted nicely with the darkness of the novel.

I really enjoyed this book! It had me rethinking all my theories and I did not see the final twist that happened. It read it over a few days and it was a quick read with great characters. A little messed up, a little thriller, and family drama.

Jennifer McMahon is probably my favorite author, and this book did not disappoint. This book definitely had a little bit of a supernatural element, but it was not in your face.

I love Jennifer McMahon very, very much. Her books are always stellar and this new one My Darling Daughter is an excellent addition. Christmas but make it spooky? Oh yes please. I love horror as a vehicle for important topics like relationships and family trauma. Jennifer McMahon is a pinnacle of elevated horror. Highly recommend. Had me racing through and clinging to the very last pages for a resolution.

This is such a great book. I loved every creepy scary inconceivable page of it.
This is not my normal genre but I highly recommend this to everyone. I can't even begin to explain the feelings about this book.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity. This review is my own opinions.

McMahon is the master of suspense and overall creepiness! This book checks off every box: family drama, holiday stress, and oh yeah demon possession. This wild ride keeps you guessing until the very last page! Highly recommend!

Jennifer McMahon knocked it out of the park with this unsettling tale of possession and spells. I devoured the book in one sitting as she’s an author I just can’t get enough of. True to her style, she saves the best twist for last which had me absolutely gobsmacked. I cannot recommend this title enough!

An interesting and disturbing horror story. It kind of ticked me off and made me anxious, so I guess it did its job. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Man, I love this author but I was kind of disappointed in this one. I couldn’t get past the feeling that the lead character made such bad choices for her girls. I know this isn’t a well written review. I usually quit reading something if it bugs me too much but I kept reading to see if there was a reason the author made these choices. Nothing. But it is an interesting premise and I think many will enjoy it if they aren’t as picky as I am about parenting.

Jennifer McMahon has truly perfected the genre of suspense/thriller/horror. While Gone Girl may have resurrected the genre, it's McMahon that's keeping it going. She has a perfect blend of characters you care about, suspense, potential horror elements, and tense, nail-biting moments. Her books deliver 100% of the time and she never fails to surprise me. A definite read for fans of the genre!

I enjoyed this dark and disturbing story by Jennifer McMahon! I was turning pages late into the night trying to figure out what was going on with this abusive mother. The ending was super creepy and left me feeling very unsettled. 4 stars.

Thank you to Galley Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I am usually a big fan of Jennifer McMahon books, but this was definitely not a favorite of mine. It felt a little slow in relation to the pace of her other books. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic. I was very positive that I knew how this book would end half way through and I was right on the money.

Thank you to Galley Books and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

McMahon's best book yet! McMahon has perfected writing about a normal family and turning it into a horror novel. Great character development introduces you to a family at Christmas. You live right along with Allison as she struggles with her abusive childhood. Then her dying mother comes to live with them and, page by page, the tension and horror begins to build as Allison's mother is so completely different whenever someone else is in the room. She slowly reveals her own story as Allison learns the truth about her childhood. Just keep reading as Allison's life and sanity starts to unravel.

Not my favorite by this author, but an interesting read nonetheless. The characters never felt fully realized. Thank you for the ARC.