I had to take breaks while reading this, yet I still finished this book within two days. Loss of potential and resentment of failed ambition, core elements of The Original Daughter, just happen to be the themes that devastate me the most. By starting in the aftermath before the reader can understand, then going back in time to see it play out, Wei masterfully bookends Genevieve and Arin’s coming of age with the present day.

Tension is built up in a way that gave me actual chills, as the prose made me stubbornly hope that Genevieve would choose any other path than the hardest and worst possible decision she can make. Simple details, beautifully realized, would sting my eyes with tears. To me, Ma is the central character of this story. Her quiet suffering mattered to me much more than even the bond between Genevieve and Arin.

The Original Daughter is a book that will stay with me for a while.

Genevieve unexpectedly gains a younger sister Arin from her grandfather's second family. Gradually, the two
establish a strong sisterly bond, with Genevieve the leader. Genevieve has always done well academically
until she enters the universiy. There the life she planned falls apart, while Arin is on a more successful path.
When Genevieve feels that Arin betrayed her in an essay she wrote, the bond is severed. The estrangement
will have a huge impact on family dynamics.
#TheOriginalDaughter #Doubleday #NetGalley

This book sucked me in and really pulled on my heartstrings, as the reader you feel like you're part of the family. Such a strong debut, I'll read anything from this author.

Overall Rating 4/5

Novel Concept: 5
Novel Execution: 4

Title: 5/5
Characterization: 4/5
Dialogue: 5/5
Plot: 3/5
Atmosphere: 5/5
Theme: 4/5
Prose: 4/5

Does this pass the Bechdel Test: Overwhelmingly Yes

Title
The Original Daughter refers to Genevieve Yang, who's life is changed when Arin is brought into her family's life, the second "daughter." I love that this title draws into Genevieve's flaw, which is envy. She sees herself as the original daughter, and in a way, sees Arin sometimes as this interloper who is unbelonged to Genevieve's family. This is also wrapped up in her justifications at the end of the novel. Why should she have to deal with Arin, when she herself is the original daughter? The only daughter who matters.

I think it's really great when the title gives us an insight into the personality of the protagonist.

Characterization
I must admit there is a level of predictability in the plot line. Of course the gifted child burns out while the Type B child reaches a level of success that Child A is shut out of due to that burnout. I was sort of expecting Genevieve to eventually fail since we focused so much onto her successes in school.

Genevieve is unlikeable in the best way. At first I was conflicted about her character--she seemed like an uncouth hypocrite with a polarizing personality that never seemed to be consistent. Then it hit me, perhaps halfway through the novel, that Genevieve's major law was her envy, and then suddenly Genevieve was like, a fantastically written character once that clicked. As a person who struggles with envy, it can feel very polarizing to want to support but also at the same time do not want others to succeed as much as you because it might mean you're inadequate. It's complicated and difficult to manage but entirely possible.

Genevieve doesn't handle envy well. This entire novel is her struggle to control her envy of others success. And when Envy is not managed well, it can evolve into the paranoia we see Genevieve display. That everything her mother does is a mind game of playing favorites between her two daughters, even when we the reader know it's not that deep. Her struggle through this causes most of the plot progression, as Genevieve is propelled into many directions in an attempt to carve a life out for herself that she is satisfied with.

Arin and Genevieve's family dynamic was at times, a struggle to buy into. I really bristled at this idea that Arin was testing to see if Genevieve would make sacrifices for Arin the way that Arin did for Genevieve when it came to Arin stealing Genevieve's assault narrative for the film she was making. This is just virtue signaling. Arin's whole, "I would do anything for you and I just wanted you to do something for me," makes it seem like Genevieve is supposed to be characterized as a bad person, but just because you suffer for someone and are willing to put your whole life on the line for them does not mean they have to do it in return. Selflessness with an expectation of reception is selfishness, because when you do not receive what you have put out, you then punish the person and they're supposed to feel bad that they have boundaries you don't have?

It's a complicated thing and I wish that we would have explored more into Arin's virtue signaling and entitlement. I don't think Arin with this characterization is bad--I think it's great--I just wished we really acknowledged this. Genevieve is a much more forgiving person than I could ever be, because if my siblings tried to profit off of my trauma behind my back, I'd never speak to them again. Ever.

Genevieve's and Arin's mother is an interesting woman. I love that we don't really know what's true about her, since we're stuck in the lense of Genevieve's unreliable narration (which I love and unreliable narrator). I don't think the mother was perfect by any means--sending that email was a terrible thing to do--but I don't necessarily think she's a bad person. I think that she has always wanted what was best for her daughters, even if it's misguided. I think Genevieve's reactions to her are perfectly reasonable even if her mother felt she was acting out of love, it still did damage. We are free to choose, not free of consequence.

Genevieve debates if her mother is punishing Genevieve by making her call Arin, and I don't really think that's correct. The book leaves this somewhat ambiguous but I feel it leans towards that her mother understood the rift between sisters, and her bringing Arin back into the fold too early wasn't something she was willing to do. It had to come from Genevieve. It's also the mother not taking responsibility for her children's estranged relationship. She's refusing to let her deathbed save Genevieve or Arin from having to make contact and deal with their shit. They have to do it themselves. Genevieve's mother has always been characterized as a woman trying (not always succeeding) to step out of the way so that Genevieve and Arin can have control of their own lives, and this last act of refusing to call Arin felt apart of that desire. Mom won't be able to patch up their holes anymore--they have to do this themselves.

Also fuck the dad. Good character. Well, bad guy but well written. Hope he rots for walking out on his kids over some rumors. Cry me a river and then drown in it.

Dialogue
The Dialogue sounded natural and flowed well. I never felt like I was locked in an exposition dump.

Plot
So this is where I had to admit that I did consider DNF-ing the book. I bring this up in the plot section because there is a significant portion of this book dedicated to the slow rise and very long and drawn out fall of Genevieve's academic career. And I really felt like this part took far too long. I am a voracious reader but I have to admit I was never really desiring to pick this book up to figure out what happened next. Things started picking back up when Genevieve gets to Christchurch, but getting to that point was a bit of a struggle.

I think it's also because the academic burnout arc was the most predictable narrative of the story and I was sort of waiting for her to claw her way out so we could go back to doing something interesting. For a while it was this back and forth of Genevieve failing and Arin becoming an internet sensation but it felt like I was hearing the same story back to back.

Atmosphere
I felt the world was believable and I could feel the emotions at play. Genevieve's academia life is strict and competitive, because these grades dictate a student's future. It was easy to see the world of Badok, Singapore come to life with the Ixora flowers, the shops, aunties, and more. Genevieve's struggle with her own emotions is felt on every page.

Theme
So Genevieve fucked up immensely, but so did Arin. That's the alternate title of this book. I think Genevieve being able to recognize how difficult it is to manage her own envy. A quote from the end of the book is, "How long will I be doomed to stand in my own way?" And I think it's referencing her envy and the way it causes self-destructive patterns in her life. But she's more self-aware of it now, and she feels hope that despite it being bad between her and Arin, they still have so much life left to live, and there might be a road of amends sometime down that line. Genevieve hopes, but we don't know if she ever gets that repair with her sister. It's probably the best ending that we can get out of a story like this.

Look, sometimes you make mistakes and even if people can stand to forgive you, they don't always have to let you back into your life. You can reach absolution, but depart from each other's company. People must protect their peace. Now, the mistake I think Genevieve made was not calling Arin when their mother's illness became terminal, not the stuff about Arin stealing Genevieve's assault story. Genevieve is painted somewhat as the bad guy in that because it's connected to her not calling Arin about their mother, but I stand by the fact that Genevieve was in the right. That's the hill I'm dying on. What an absolute fucked up thing for Arin to do.

But using that as an excuse to deprive Arin of a goodbye from her own mother? Equally a fucked up thing.

Controversially, I really thought the book was going to end at chapter 83 with the line, "I stayed in that driveway for a long time. And then, slowly, painfully, I turned and made my way home." I really thought that's where we were ending it. While I understand the reasoning of going for one more chapter, I do kind of wish we just ended it here, with Genevieve really having to contemplate the consequences of her actions alone. Definitely not as feel good as the actual ending, but the impact would have echoed.

Prose
The prose is easy to read and I never felt like I got lost in the narrative. I feel there's some pacing issues when it comes to the academic burnout section of the novel, because that part seemed to go on forever and I never felt like we were saying anything new in this academic burnout narrative.

But something interesting I liked about this novel is the way that there are implied conversations between Arin and Genevieve, perhaps implying that they do end up making amends. Genevieve will say something like, "Later Arin would admit that I just stared at her." Or something to that effect. We get these moments of other people's view on the event, but still through the lens of Genevieve.


Conclusion
This was a good novel and I was glad to be apart of the ARC Team. I am glad that I pushed through the section I thought I would DNF because the story really started falling into place after when I really started to consider Genevieve's major flaw being envy. And I wouldn't have gotten there if I had stopped reading that early in.

Here’s my review as a Singaporean:

The Singapore that everyone knows today is actually vastly different from how it was in the 90s. Then, it was a tiny country whose economy was just starting to boom. There was a trickle-down effect. People saw the potential and opportunities to break out of the lower/middle class. That opportunity was often associated with what comes after graduating from the top schools. Spots are limited, so staying ahead of the curve becomes a priority. Even I remember being taught 3rd grade math in kindergarten!

Being raised in the Singapore education system of the 90s + 00s, it wasn’t uncommon for people to adopt a zero-sum mindset (I believe Gen did too)— and what should only be ONE part of your life ends up wholly consuming you for more than a decade. Intense focus on grades and an emphasis on “being the best” often made environments like schools that were suppose to be nurturing feel incredibly competitive, with no room for error. That kinda stress and obsession completely warps any young person’s world, and can also leave certain emotional/social skills underdeveloped.

The tunnel vision on following a very narrow definition of success also meant not being able to see opportunities that are just outside that small field of vision. Some may end up thinking of everything as competition- even amongst family, even amongst sisters, even in life outside of academics. This context might provide more insight and explanation to Gen’s behaviour and resentment.

Tbh, it’s so hard to believe that this is a debut novel! Some of the scenes of this dysfunctional, co-dependent family were so raw, so real, that it feels like you’re sitting in the middle of their living room, watching their most intimate, intense family dispute unfold. It feels so intrusive, so uncomfortable, so confrontational!

It also really transported me right back to growing up in Singapore as a 90s kid! The sights, the sounds, the culture… I was so happy to bask in the nostalgia of the little things (yakult aunties, HDB estate photocopy shops, ZAM BUK, Milo and butter cookie tins for storage, the dreaded ten-year series, etc). I personally feel like Jemimah Wei did a really good job with authentically reflecting attitudes and struggles of the time!

An absolutely beautifully written book, the characters are so believable. One is in the mist of a family who places achievement at a high price. Conflicts arrise and Genevieve and Arin must choose between their academic ambition versus meeting the outside world.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @DoubledayBooks allowing me to have an advance review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This Original Daughter explores the themes of family bonds, abandonment, estrangement, resentment, guilt, and dysfunctional relationships.

The story is set in modern-day Singapore, with Genevieve Yang, (aka the original daughter) finds out her mother has terminal cancer with only a few weeks to live. Genevieve not only has to deal with her mother's impending death but also relives all of her relationships with her family, past and present. She is estranged from her famous sister, her father left the family, her mother is dying, and she is struggling with her own life and future.

Throughout the book the characters work through many emotions and life experiences. For me, I felt Genevieve was a self-indulgent, selfish brat and had a hard time empathizing with her. However, the author does a great job painting a very realistic picture of family dysfunction as it does in fact take on many shapes and sizes. I had originally put my rating at 2 stars immediately after I finished the book; however, in retrospect I changed that to a 3-star rating as books and those characters within don't always have to be likeable to earn a good rating. #TheOriginalDaughter #NetGalley #familyrelationships #fiction

This is the story of an "original" daughter who feels like she is second-best to her mother, but it's more than that. It's a coming-of-age story in the midst of a complicated family dynamic and amid familial pressures. I enjoyed the complexity of the characters and that I didn't know where the storyline was going. In that way, it felt like a memoir more than fiction.
The first third of the book was slow for me, and it took longer than I wanted for the story to move along, but I was in by about halfway through the book. I would buy copies for my store when it comes out.

Started off with good subject matter and held my interest until about halfway through. Too much detail and back and forth with the "sisters" in second half.

Do not recommend.

I really loved this. A character being their own downfall in so many ways. The ways in which we sabotage ourselves. The way jealousy takes hold of us and doesn't leg go. This is a good one.

Genevieve (Jen) is an only child living with her parents and grandmother in a one room flat in Singapore. They live in poverty and barely make enough to scrape by despite how hard they work.

One day they discover that the missing, long presumed dead husband of Jen’s grandmother has resurfaced. Not in a good way….he has recently died. During his long absence he had fathered another family. Arin is the youngest child of this family. The family contacts Jen’s grandmother and asks for them to assume custody of Arin for financial reasons. Out of duty to her husband the grandmother agrees and Arin comes to live in an already crowded, financially strapped household where she isn’t especially wanted.

The two girls relationship grows from resentment to devoted sisters in the years that follow. They are competitive, loyal, smart, and devoted to each other. When one experiences more success than the other, jealousy and resentment consumes and destroys their relationship.

Jen and Arin must navigate the loss of family and each other. The final undoing comes at the loss of their mother. I began the story really liking Jen. As the story unfolds I wanted to scream at her to grow up and stop thinking only of herself. Life is short and selfishness holds many regrets. I really liked Jen’s mother’s character. She had an additional child forced on her without any say in the matter, she still gave generously of herself and unconditionally loved Arin. She never once played favoritism.

Great book that leaves you with lots of emotion and lessons on hind sight.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday Books for allowing me the privilege of an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Original Daughter is an admirable debut novel. I look forward to future books by Jemimah Wei.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The Original Daughter is a fascinating, yet at times difficult to read, story about sisterhood and how envy can completely destroy a person. Told primarily in an extended flashback, this centers around Genevieve and how her world completely changes at 9 years old when her family takes in an unwanted daughter, Arin, a relative of the grandfather Genevieve's family thought abandoned them decades ago. After a rough start, Genevieve and Arin form what they believe is an unbreakable bond of sisterhood until their lives finally and irreparably take different courses.

What was incredibly interesting about the background of this book is much of it takes place in 1990s/early 2000s Singapore which I am not that familiar with, however it's clear that Singapore is a rapidly changing and modernizing city and poorer families such as Genevieve's are struggling to keep up economically and find success. Her father is a taxi cab driver and her mother is a librarian who was never able to advance her education and thus gets stuck trying to invent her own underground ways of surviving after she is laid off from her job because despite her intellect, she can never get ahead without the ability to receive formal qualifications.

Genevieve and Arin's whole life revolves around education in order to hopefully rise above this, yet it's only Arin who finds wealth and international celebrity, not through her smarts, but through her acting abilities. Genevieve becomes completely unhinged with jealously and resentment since as "the original daughter" she believes she is entitled to not be left behind because she struggled both academically and when she tried her hand at acting.

This book was hard to read in parts because it was clear how angry and resentful Genevieve was and that manifested in how awful she treated not just people around her, but also herself, such as allowing herself to be tokenized by Westerners when she briefly moves to New Zealand. Many people do treat her with kindness and attempt to take her under their wing, yet she doesn't seem to realize it allows her envy and self hatred to guide her interactions.

I appreciated that this book didn't sugar coat the consequences of Genevieve's behavior and while she wasn't a completely horrible person, a lot of what she experienced was understandable to an extent, the problem was how she inflicted her feelings onto other people and their reactions to her largely were realistic and made sense.

Some of the middle dragged on a little bit and seemed like it was just a slog through Genevieve's anger and self loathing, however overall this is an excellent book and excellent exploration of this topic. This is a great debut and I would read a future book of Jemimah Wei's.

Many thanks to Doubleday and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

I could hardly tell that this was a debut, as the relationships and threads of this book were so layered, complex, and nuanced. The sister relationship at the core of the story held me fast in its grip as a reader, from shared victories to taut tension. The framework of the novel, as well, worked beautifully, tossing the reader into the future to then walk backwards in the past to understand the estrangement, the shift in the familial dynamics. I can't recommend this book enough.

Genevieve and Arin become sisters in an unconventional way. The Original Daughter is about their relationship from young girls to adults. We experience their ups and downs through school, their family relationships and careers. High expectations are a theme throughout the book, whether its what the expect from themselves, or everyone else. In the end I felt the stab of regret as they try to come to terms with things they said and did to each other. 3 stars because It moved slow for my taste. For a debut, I think Jemimah Wei did a solid job. Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC of this book.

Well written and engaging from page one. This was a great book that I could not put down. I loved everything about this book.

Before Arin, Genevieve Yang was an only child. Living with her parents and grandmother in a single-room flat in working-class Bedok, Genevieve is saddled with an unexpected sibling when Arin appears, the shameful legacy of a grandfather long believed to be dead. As the two girls grow closer, they must navigate the intensity of life in a place where the urgent insistence on achievement demands constant sacrifice. Knowing that failure is not an option, the sisters learn to depend entirely on one another as they spurn outside friendships, leisure, and any semblance of a social life in pursuit of academic perfection and passage to a better future.

When a stinging betrayal violently estranges Genevieve and Arin, Genevieve must weigh the value of ambition versus familial love, home versus the outside world, and allegiance to herself versus allegiance to the people who made her who she is.

This is a powerful, well-written family saga that is set in Singapore. Jemimah Wei brings a level of reliable understanding with the themes found in this book. I love that I get to learn more about the Asian / Southeast Asian cultures. This may well become a classic family saga. It's that good! 5⭐

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

If you suddenly became a sister to someone only a year younger than you and not an infant, you might feel a way too. Gen and Arin genuinely come to love each other, to root for each other, to want the best for each other. But childhood pacts are broken when the drudgery of adulthood seeps in. I really enjoyed this for the exploration of their relationship, and their refusal to talk to one another. That felt very true of many sister relationships. There is a thread of jealousy that runs through their interactions as well, even as they try to keep it within healthy bounds. The writing, the setting, the pacing, all contribute to an excellent read.

This story broke me into tiny pieces. It broke me because I have a very shaky relationship with my sister and I saw a lot of Arin and Genevieve in us.

Gen lives with her parents and her grandmother in a tiny apartment that barely fits the four of them. When a relative drops off Arin because they can no longer care for her, the family accepts her and they do the best they can. It takes Arin a long while to warm up but Gen doesn’t give up on her. They have a relatively strong bond, though their relationship is very complex. When Gen decides to move away, Arin becomes, at least in Gen’s eyes, the favorite daughter. And when tragedy strikes for Gen, it is Arin who rescues her from her self-inflicted prison of loathing and hatred for everyone and everything. But why did Arin come to her rescue when Gen was so awful to her?

The plot is fraught with emotion, the characters are very real and complex, and the family dynamics are confusing, which all makes for a fantastic story. This may very well be one of the best books of 2025. Thank you, NetGalley and Doubleday Books for the advanced reader copy.

So enjoyed this tale of sibling rivalry, coming of age, growing up in Singapore and end of life. The writing was powerful and transported me from their little home, their work places, even McDonald’s at midnight and the smell of French fries. The tortoise and hare aspect of the ‘daughters’ relationship was beautifully portrayed, and realistically frustrating. The ‘failure to launch’ trajectory of the original daughter, along with the sexual assault plot line, though important to the overall story, dragged for me. The coming together of the ending was very satisfying. I hope for good things for Jemimah Wei, her star will be fun to watch.