There are so many layers and hurdles thrown at the begging of the book it’s hard to see where the story is going.
Great idea for a story - but for this reader it was a lot to take on all at once.

Morgan Dick’s Favourite Daughter is a beautifully crafted novel with complex family dynamics and emotionally resonant with almost everyone. Well… don’t we all face family drama at some point?

Meet our two main protagonists, Mickey, a kindergarten teacher who loves her career but suffers from alcohol addiction and Arlo, a psychiatrist by profession, who’s severely grieving from her father’s death.
Arlo’s grievance multiplies when she finds out that her beloved father, whom she took care of in his last days, whom she dearly loved and admired, has not left a penny in her inheritance but has generously given five million dollars to her half-sister, whom she’s never met.

Mickey, who grew up with parental abandonment, absolutely loathes her father. She has no remorse for losing her father since he left her when she was a child. Mickey has recently lost her job, is facing charges, and her alcohol addiction has no limits. She desperately needs money to survive. In her direst time, when she receives the news of her father’s death, who has left five million dollars for her, Mickey has no choice but to follow her father’s orders to attend therapy sessions in order to get the money released.

With her sharp, lyrical prose and an unflinching eye for human complexity, the author weaves a story that is both intimate and universal.
The story deeply explores family complexities, identity, childhood grudges and the fragile ties that bind us. The relationship between the protagonist and her family is drawn with such authenticity that it feels immediately relatable, layered with tenderness, resentment, guilt, and hope.

The author does an exceptional job of capturing the quiet, often unspoken moments that define familial love — the small betrayals, the longings for approval, and the unshakeable bonds formed through shared history.

One of the novel’s greatest strengths lies in its character development. Each character feels fully realized, with flaws and virtues that make them achingly real. The protagonist’s journey — navigating expectations, secrets, and her own self-discovery is portrayed with remarkable sensitivity and depth. We also see the flashes of dark humour that lighten the heavier moments without diminishing their impact.

The novel is a powerful reminder of the messy, beautiful realities of being a daughter, sisterly bonding and simply being human.

Highly recommended for anyone who loves character-driven stories rich with emotional nuance.

Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

4.5 stars - I loved it!

📖 Told in two POV’s - Mickey learns that her dad who abandoned her decades ago has left her with more than generational trauma and addiction, but also his entire estate. The catch? She must attend 7 prepaid therapy sessions with a therapist of his choosing to try to clean up the mess he made of her.

Meanwhile, Arlo (a psychiatrist)- the younger daughter that he had after Mickey, learns that after caring for her father most of her life and during his final days, has been left nothing. 📖

I couldn’t put this book down. I loved that the reader understood the two protagonists connection to each other and watched as they slowly figured it out. I found it so interesting to study how two girls “raised” by the same dad at different times could be impacted differently but negatively all the same. I loved the dark humour the author used to lighten some heavier themes and issues. Honestly, no notes - I just really enjoyed this one and highly recommend it.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Morgan Dick for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Morgan Dick has an addictive, snappy writing style and from the onset, this book has a very interesting premise. After starting the book and reading some of the trigger warnings, I don’t think this book is right for me at this time. I’d be interested to come back to it in future or read other books by this author.

A strong Canadian debut about two half sisters who don't discover the other exists until their father dies and makes it a stipulation in his will that his youngest alcoholic daughter undergoes six therapy sessions with his other eldest daughter. This was full of ethical quandaries, messy family drama, excellent mental health rep (burnout, addiction and therapy rep) and was also good on audio. Highly recommended for fans of books like The bright years by Sarah Damoff. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @libro.fm for an early ALC in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to the Penguin Randomhouse Canada and Net Galley for the advance copy of Favourite Daughter.
This book was a page turner, I enjoyed coming back to it each opportunity I had to read.
With half sisters who did not know each other having their lives converge, it sets the scene for the story to develop.
Touching upon family issues, substance abuse and relationships, this book had a realistic theme. Its strength was the realistic struggles of the main characters, as their difficulties were real life concerns people have.
The story is not fast moving but the length and plot were perfect.

Emotional
Engaging
Well Written
Enjoyable Debut
At times lost myself in the reading and could not stop


Thank you Penguin and Netgalley

Such a messy family drama. Mickey and Arlo are estranged sisters. Their dad abandoned Mickey and her mom and started a new family, doting on Arlo. But as the story unfolds, the parallels between the sister’s lives are revealed and even though, at first glance, it seems their experiences are vastly different. Neither sister is necessarily a “good person”, but I was really rooting for both of them by the end of the book. It may have been a slow start for me, but I’m really glad I stuck with it. There was so much empathy, grace and tenderness folded into the difficult experiences for both characters.
A solid 4 stars for me.

Half-sisters, Mickey and Arlo, share the same father. Following his passing, they end up in a therapy room together for seven sessions, one is providing the therapy while the other is receiving. They don’t know that they are half-sisters… that is, until one figures it out.

A fantastic debut for Canadian author, Morgan Dick. The concept of favouritism and its ability to limit beliefs is ever present in many relationships. There is much that resonantes for me in this book including the role of the therapist, a daughter, and a friend. There are also accurate portrayals of the nuances of grief, dependence/addiction, and trying to find meaning and purpose in life. There is much to learn and gain from reading Favourite Daughter such that it opens your eyes to see and understand the forest for the trees.


“…everybody’s got problems. Even the people who seem like they have it all together.”


Thank you to Penguin Random House, Doubleday Canada, and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a lovely book this was. Morgan Dick’s “Favourite Daughter” is a story of overcoming and how loss and grief can look different for different people. You follow Mickey and her half sister Arlo (full name Charlotte) as they work through their family relations in a way that is just so raw and realistic. I appreciated the writing style as well, and the way we are carried through the story, I truly felt like a fly on the wall while it was all happening. To feel present in a book is a gift in itself. As someone who has struggled with my relationship with my own sister, watching these two work together to find what they individually needed to heal, was healing for me. This book does touch on some difficult subjects, but they are handled with the care they require. Thank you Morgan Dick and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review! Mark your calendars because this book releases on April 29th!

I tried for months to get into this book and I just don’t think it’s right for me. I know another type of reader will enjoy it though!

Mickey is a kindergarten teacher, who loves her job, but is a damaged soul. She grew up living with her single mother, after being abandoned suddenly by a father who she remembers worshipping before he just left. Her relationship with her mom is strained. She lives paycheque to paycheque.
Arlo is a psychologist who is experiencing the loss of her father after a prolonged illness. She was his primary caregiver once he got sick, and she worshipped him. She grew up with the best of everything as her dad was rich. Her relationship with her mother is not great – her mom most interested in spending the money of her wealthy father.

Where do these stories intersect? Mickey and Arlo are half-sisters – they share a father. A father who dies and leaves most of his fortune to Mickey, the daughter he abandoned, and he cuts Arlo out of his will entirely. The only condition that Mickey must fulfill to cash in on millions is that she must attend counselling with – yes, you’ve got it – Arlo. Unbeknownst to either of them that they are related at the beginning, the story goes from there. Will they find out, how will they react, what will happen?
I really appreciated the concept of this story. The book got off to a great start, focusing on Mickey and her life; she is an unlikeable character, very flawed, but seemingly has a heart of gold as she is a kindergarten teacher. Who seems to be well loved by her students – if she could only keep her personal life straight. You can’t help but feel for her as she was abandoned at a young age – but she keeps on spiraling, even as she has this fortune sitting in front of her.

Arlo as a character seems just too good to be true – are psychologists always at the ready to try to fix/help people? She seems to accept the fact that she is cut out of the will with more curiosity rather than anger. At least that’s the way I read it. I couldn’t sympathize with her much either based on her actions.
All of the characters seemed too closely knit, and kept showing up in each other’s lives so randomly, with paths crossing so conveniently (the sisters, the ex, the neighbour etc..). It helped move the story along, but I didn’t really engage with any of the characters enough to feel for any of them. Especially the lawyer, gross guy, into meditation and therapy but then brokering the deal/will between both sisters. And the romance thrown in there for Mickey as possibility with her student’s uncle. A lot of different paths for the story to take, probably too many, and not enough novel to explore all of them that effectively.
The writing of the dialogue and emotions were good, and the plot line had promise. A solid 3- it is worth a read. Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

If you like books with unlikeable characters and some pretty questionable ethics, which I do, this book is for you.
Kindergarten teacher, Micky, is fine. She is living her solitary life just fine. Until she gets a call that her estranged and absent father has died and left her a large inheritance. To claim it she needs to attend seven therapy sessions he has prepaid for. She would like to say no but some unfortunate events at work means she really needs the money.
Arlo is still reeling from her beloved fathers death. His ex wife showing up and causing a scene at his funeral brought up some uncomfortable thoughts about the half sister she has never seen. And finding out her father completely cut her out of the will, after she cared for him in his last days is eating away at her. But a new client at her practice is proving to be a challenge and hopefully can keep her mind off recent events.
This is definitely a dark humour kind of book. I enjoyed the dynamic between Arlo and Micky as it develops through the story. I was also a big fan of how @morgandick_author kept shifting each of the main characters footing and power as the book went on.
Thank you to @penguinbooks and @netgalley for letting me have an advanced copy of #favouritedaughter for review. Look for it May 1 2025
#bookstagram #bookworm #bookrecommendations #bookreview #readersofinstagram

Mickey is a mess, estranged from each of her divorced parents and on a path unbecoming a kindergarten teacher, she learns, via an obituary, that her father has passed away. His lawyers seeks her out and tells Mickey that in order to receive her inheritance she must go to therapy (7 sessions) with Arlo. All paid for by her dad’s estate. A great story unfolds and I loved how the characters grew from beginning to end. Really enjoyed this book!