My Daughter's Boyfriend by Daniel Hurst
Narrated by Harrie Dobby, Tamsin Kennard

This was one of those fun stories where I'm yelling at the movie in my head and throwing buckets of popcorn at the screen. How many times did I mentally yell, "don't do it" and then they did it? I lost count...ha ha.

Dawn has been worn down by life and her daughter Ellie. After losing her husband several years ago she is still grieving and things have been difficult financially. She gets no help from her twenty four (going on fourteen) year old daughter. Ellie, is immature, rude, irresponsible, blames her mother for everything, and contributes nothing while letting Dawn shoulder the rent and other expenses, including food. Ellie spends all her time wallowing in her room when she's not waitressing at a job she hates. She doesn't lift a finger to clean up after herself and she'll blow into a rage if her mother even dares to speak to her. Sounds like a pretty miserable existence to me and some of the blame has to land on Dawn for not drawing the line at what she allows her daughter to do and not do.

Finally Ellie has an online boyfriend but he lives in the US. Since Ellie's fare had been paid for to fly to the boyfriend's home, Dawn takes her first vacation in years and tags along. No way is she going to let Ellie fly so far away to meet up with a guy she's known only a few weeks. There is no way Ellie will listen to anything Dawn says so off they go with common sense taking its usual vacation where Ellie is concerned. Once again, typically practical Dawn allows herself to be emotionally blackmailed so that Ellie can have her way.

The new twenty four year old boyfriend, Daryl, lives with his dad in a lovely LA mansion, complete with a pool. It doesn't take long for Dawn to realize they may have made a big mistake (I told her so). There is even a basement in this mansion. No sane person would go down there but guess what? Yeah, it happened. Lots of twists and turns which I pretty much figured out before they happened but it was fun watching Dawn and Ellie make so many wrong moves. What could go wrong? Lots!

The narrators are great for this story. Ellie's narrator sounds very young but that fits with the spoiled, emotionally stunted character. Both women narrated the men's parts very well, too. The story is not rocket science and you can count on the women making the wrong choice over and over but it's great buckets of popcorn fare.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was gripping and I loved the use of online dating in this mystery. Ellie is an annoying and immature adult who makes bad decisions by deciding to date Daryl when she knows so little about him. This was a quick and exciting thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to listen to this book.

I really enjoyed this book. The perfect amount of suspense and small twists. The epilogue was great! The twists were a little predictable but it was a fun, fast paced read. I like the alternating points of view from mother and daughter. It really brought the characters to life to understand what they were feeling.

Dawn just realized her daughter, Ellie, thinks she found the love of her life, Daryl. The thing is, he lives in LA when they are in England. When Ellie asks her mom if they can meet in real life, Dawn accepts on one condition: she has to come along. When they get there, Ellie and her mother meet with Daryl and his dad, with whom they will stay during their visit. But one morning, Dawn discovers something horrible in their basement, realizing Daryl has been lying all along and that her daughter is now in danger.
Once again, a quick, thrilling and entertaining read! The story is told in dual POV (mother/daughter). In the audio book, I think maybe the narrator played a role into me thinking Ellie was an immature 18 year-old, but her actions are more immature then her voice is, so probably not... she is 24, but acts/talks/thinks/is treated by her mother like she is 14... The final twist wasn't up to Daniel Hurst usual standards, I saw everything coming from very early on, so it didn't blow my mind, I kept on waiting for everything to turn around at the last second, and even though it did, it was far from being mindblowing. I racked my brain through the entire book, trying to figure out how much more twisted the conclusion could be, because my first guesses seemed too predictable, but it turns out I was right. Was that disappointing? Yes. Did I still enjoy the ride? Absolutely.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

My Daughter’s Boyfriend is a psychological thriller that was predictable in almost every turn it took. I listened to the audiobook with two compelling narrator’s. TBH, if I was reading it, I would not have finished. However, earbuds in and gardening, it was acceptable.
Ellie is a 24 year old UK girl who is spoiled, lazy, babied, and disrespectful. Her mother, Dawn, enables Ellie’s behavior with eye rolling excuses.
Ellie meet an American guy, Daryl, on line and develops feelings for him. Daryl invites Ellie to LA and she graciously accepts. She travels abroad to met Daryl in person and explore her feelings. However, Mama Dawn accompanies her. 🙄. This is where I would have given up if I was reading the book.
However, Once in USA, everything is going as well as expected in an awkward situation. (Daryl 24, still lives with his Dad too).
Then Dawn discovers an earth shaking picture that makes zero sense. They have been lied too. Then she discovers another lie in the glovebox. She grabs Ellie in the middle of the night to get out of dodge. How far will a parent go to protect their child? Half way across the globe and maybe further.
Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture audio for advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

My daughters boyfriend

When your daughter meets someone online.. how well do you handle it?
This one had me hooked from the beginning! There was no slowing down on this 📖 book. Definitely one to read in one sitting. I had the audio alc & I was finding chores to do just so I can keep listening.
Dual pov of mother and 24 yr old daughter.
True thriller had me super hooked on the story. Daniel hurst is one to definitely keep reading it’s my second book by him and I loved this one so much more.
My thoughts throughout the book were “gosh I hope my daughters aren’t this naive when they get older”

The narrator did such an amazing job!

4.5 ⭐️

Ellie & Daryl meet on a dating website and quickly fall in love. One problem, they don't live in the same country. Ellie is in England & Daryl is in LA. ( Daryl doesn't really say LA to me but what do I know. )

Ellie decides to go to America to meet Daryl in person, but her mother insists to go with her to make sure she is safe. but one night her mothers discovers a terrible secret... Daryl has been lying to us from the start.

Honestly, I seen just about everything coming. The twist wasnt twistin my guy.
Thanks NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for this ARC.

My Daughter's Boyfriend
by Daniel Hurst
Narrated by Harrie Dobby, Tamsin Kennard
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Pub Date: 03 Jun 2023

My Daughter’s Boyfriend was a quick but enjoyable listen. The story centers around mom Dawn and daughter Ellie who travel to California to meet Ellie’s online boyfriend. From there we’re taken on a chilling yet realistic ride with our characters. While the plot was predictable at times I still thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Thanks NetGalley and Daniel Hurst for the audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

While I didn’t dislike this novel and was curious at the beginning I found this book to be very predictable. The writing and storyline was decent- I just think this might not have been the right book for me.

Dawn’s daughter Ellie meets a guy online that she has fallen for and decides to meet. The hitch in that plan is that Darryl lives in a different country. Dawn realizes Ellie will go regardless and decides to join her on the trip to LA and staying with the kids and Darryl’s father. I struggled a bit with Dawn essentially needing to know where her 25 year old daughter was all the time. It felt a bit over the top.

I did, however truly enjoy the epilogue. Hearing that chapter from the “villain’s” perspective was great! I wish we would have had that voice throughout the whole novel.

But the book was narrated brilliantly and I do think I want to try another one of this author’s books. Solid 3.5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley and #BookoutureAudio for giving me the pleasure to read and review #MyDaughtersBoyfriend by #DanielHurst. This book was amazing. Ten 🌟 if I could. It was suspenseful, dark and loved the relationships with the characters. I cannot say enough about Daniels books.

I loved this twisty thriller. I’m sure we’ve all chatted with someone online and wondered if they were really who they say they were. This story is told through the POVs of the mother and daughter. This book has good dialogue, suspense, and such good twists! I enjoyed the narration of this book and finished it within a few hours. I did feel that the 24 year old daughter was very childish but I don’t care. It was a fun read to listen to.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audio book in exchange for an honest review. This was narrated by Harrie Dobby & Tamsin Kennard, both of whom did a fantastic job! Highly recommend the audio version!

If your daughter met a man online and was "in love" after 6 weeks of online dating, would you agree to go to LA, Ca from the UK so that she could meet him in person? And if so, how do you envision that playing out? This is the plot of this story and as far as spoilers, I am not giving anything away here as the story is very set up in the first few pages. I admit that I struggled with a UK mom going with her daughter all the way to LA to meet the man of her dreams and stay with his father in their home. I just had a hard time buying into that line of thought. But, this story was so fast paced, such a slow burn, that I decided to buy in and see where it went.

While I pretty much guessed each of the twists, I have to say that it was a fun, fast paced read. If you like twisty slow burns that have a fast pace, with a little mystery and suspense thrown in, then I recommend this for you. The audio was very engaging too!

My appreciation for Hurst's work grows as I continue to experience it. Despite my familiarity with this author's work, he captivated me again from the initial chapters. With intriguing characters, a captivating plot, and a chilling conclusion, the narrative concludes with an epilogue that will leave you speechless. This author's writing style has notably improved, and the multiple perspectives added to the fast and engaging flow of the piece.

The only criticism is that Ellie's character seems immature, and some might speculate that she is in her late teens, rather than a 24-year-old woman. Also, there were certain sections that were too predictable in my preferences.

Though it's not perfect, I'd still give this read 4-stars. If you're into this author or genre, you should definitely read it. It is highly recommended to pre-order this new release in any available format!

I kinda got the feeling for what the twist was going to be in this story, but true to Daniel Hurst fashion…there was one final twist that I didn't bank on! Great solid mystery thriller! I give this a 3.5 stars rounded up and the narration was great!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Omg Daniel Hurst never disappoints. A fairly simple story told through the points of views of mother and daughter. The daighter has fallen in love with someone she has never met on the other side of the world. So begins the story full of twists and turns. I love the way the narrative focuses on the relationships between the characters. I really felt for Dawn the mother and I was hooked as a simple story as always expanding into so much more.
Al the right length and pace this a must. Read. Highly recommended 5 star read. Thank you net gallery and bookculture audio for my arc audio version.

A struggling widow is concerned about her 24 year-old daughter's internet American boyfriend. The pair take a trip to America to meet him and find themselves wrapped up in a no good situation. What lengths will a mother go to in order to protect her child?

I wanted to like this book so much. I've heard such great things about it, but I found it fairly predictable and overall just not that stimulating. If you're looking for a comfortable, predictable thriller - then this is a good fit, but if you want something twisty that will keep you guessing this might not be the book for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest thriller by a favorite, Daniel Hurst, and wonderfully narrated by Harrie Dobby and Tamsin Kennard - 4 stars!

Ellie is living at home with mom, Dawn, and is not happy at work or socially. So when she meets handsome Daryl online and they form a quick attachment, she won't let the fact that she's in the UK and he's in America stand in their way. She convinces Dawn to let her fly to LA to visit and Dawn agrees only if she can go along. Daryl lives with his dad, Harvey, in a huge house with a pool and both mother and daughter are smitten. Until Dawn discovers a photograph in the basement that shows Daryl is lying about a missing young woman.

This audiobook kept me on the edge and I liked the alternating viewpoints of both Ellie and Dawn. Having two different narrators made things easy to differentiate. While I thought that Dawn was a bit overprotective of her 24-year-old daughter, parents can totally relate with trying to keep their child out of harm. Another great book by this author and loved the ending!

Title: My Daughter’s Boyfriend
Author: Daniel Hurst
Format: Audiobook
Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📚Thoughts/Reflections:
If you are a fan of Hurst’s other novels, his newest release, My Daughter’s Boyfriend, is yet another gripping and engaging read that had me turning page after page. Time and again, I’ve found myself easily sucked into Hurst’s novels in part because of the quickness with which the action starts and also because of the short chapters that wrap up with cliff hangers.
With this particular read, the villain is quickly and easily identifiable however, I often enjoy that because it allows me to sit back and enjoy reading how the events will unfold. For me, suspense is added and heightened when I know something is horribly wrong before the characters and I greatly enjoy authors who use that format.
If you enjoy domestic thrillers then I would highly recommend this!
✨I will mention that, upon further reflection, I did remove one and a half stars due to the seemingly childish relationship that existed between the mother and her 24 year old daughter. It seemed both were emotionally immature and that somewhat bothered me. Having daughters myself, I felt the actions of Ellie reflected those of someone aged much younger than 24. I also found it beyond frustrating that Dawn, Ellie’s mother, allowed her to behave and speak to her in the manner she did. That could be nit-picking but I felt it was worth mentioning.

📚Synopsis:
Dawn is a widowed, single mother living in England with her 24 year old daughter Ellie. Having recently had a coffee date with her friends and hearing the success their adult children have found, Dawn feels it’s time, once again, to ask Ellie about her goals and ambitions in life. But Ellie is content living at home, rent and bill free, while waitressing part time. That changes however when she meets and American, Daryl, through an app that connects members with other like minded individuals. The two bond over the death of a parent; Daryl lost his mother while Ellie lost her father. Life is looking up for Ellie especially when Daryl suggests they meet in person, offering her to visit him in LA. Dawn, an understandably overprotective mother having lost her husband and having no one else, is beyond hesitant until a video chat with Daryl. He seems nice enough and doesn’t appear to be posing as someone he isn’t. So she agrees to allow Ellie to travel to LA under one condition; Dawn will be going too.
Once in LA, Dawn meets Daryl’s father and they too bond over having lost a spouse. Despite that, Dawn senses something is off especially when she wakes up to find Ellie and Daryl gone; Ellie would never leave without telling her, especially in a foreign country. With Ellie gone, Dawn makes her way downstairs, trying to find a snack to calm herself when she happens upon the basement door. What will she find down there? And what will Daryl’s father do when he realizes someone is walking around downstairs? Is Ellie safe? Is Dawn safe? The book is scheduled to be released June 3rd.

📚Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture Audio, and Daniel Hurst for the opportunity enjoy the audio version of the novel ahead of its release in exchange for a candid review!

This book was an easy listen as we follow Ellie who meets and falls in love with a man online, who lives on the other side of the world. Ellie's mother accompanies her along when she first meets him in order to make sure he is decent and in the process, she meets his very single father.

I enjoyed the narration of this book, listening to the whole story in one sitting. While it was a predictable storyline, it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book. I am keen to read more by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for a complimentary copy of this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie has been talking to a man online, she wants to meet him but he lives in LA, she lives in England. She “loves” him and after Dawn, Ellie’s mother finds out about them and after talking to Daryl she agrees to Ellie visiting him in LA, on the condition that Dawn comes too, to make sure she’s safe.
As soon as they arrive Dawn is wary and it isn’t long before the wariness turns into red flag central.
This is told from multiple points of view.
First things first, Ellie, What? Snoozefest Suffolk, I have to disagree coming from Suffolk myself!
Ellie seemed a lot younger than her 24 years, the things she said often made her sound like a 15/16-year-old and naïve.
I did like Dawn, she seemed very level-headed and she did look out for Ellie a lot.
I had guessed what was going to happen and had an idea about the twist before it happened, I still liked the book even though I saw what was coming.
I have devoured several of Daniel Hurst’s books over the past few months and I am really enjoying them. This one was fantastic.