First of all, a minor complaint. My name is Charlotte and there is no way in hell that Arlo is short for Charlotte. I’m sorry but this is not a viable nickname. This is a completely different name.

Now that’s out of the way, I enjoyed a lot about this.

Both women are unlikable and messy and the author doesn’t try to make either of them redeeming or the hero. As a person with an excellent therapist, I questioned if I do in fact have an excellent therapist or if some of Arlo’s (sorry it makes me cringe) approaches are actually done by licensed professionals?! Even the questions she asked before she even knew about Mickey and the money were unprofessional.

I had to suspend a lot of disbelief as the book went on. Adam’s decision making in the first place, Evie’s blackmailing, Mickey sudden and overwhelming alcohol dependence seemed to come from nowhere. I’m still not completely convinced someone would steal and pawn a cat.

I found Tom a wholly confusing character whose place in the narrative didn’t make a lot of sense to me.

A lot of the characters felt strangely one-dimensional - Evie, Chris, even Deborah at times. I also wanted to know more about Arlo’s divorce which didn’t come into it until right at the end, Mickey’s sculptor friend and especially Arlo’s Mum. I felt all these characters were underwritten.

But I did really like this. I liked how awful both the sisters were. I loved Mickey’s relationship with Ian. The writing was great and I loved the dual narrative.

I’ll definitely be keen to read whatever Morgan Dick does next.

I enjoyed the imperfections and flaws of both characters. Both Arlo and Mickey felt human and 3D. One of my fave parts of this book was how the writer echoed phrases and events between both sisters. First time it happened, I thought it was de ja vu or I’d accidentally reread the same bit! But it was genius and loved seeing the sisters’ lives entwine together.

I normally don’t like open endings, but for this novel it felt so apt. Loved the hope.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Favourite Daughter is a family drama that’s light hearted but moving and deals with some heavy issues (addiction, grief, and family struggles).
It follows step sisters Mickey and Arlo who have never met. Mickeys father walked out on Mickey and her mother when she was young and Mickey has no contact with her father. The father becomes wealthy and Arlo his daughter from his second marriage wants for nothing.
When her father dies he leaves his fortune to Mickey but only if she attends therapy—with Arlo as her therapist.
Arlo and Mickey are both beautifully drawn characters as both come to terms with the problems in their lives.
A really good read that I highly recommend.

“Eventually they reached a place where the path turned boggy, a mire of roots and muck, and they clung to each other to get through.”

Arlo and Mickey are half-sisters who have never met, sharing a father who caused them both damage in different ways. Their father did damage to Mickey with his absence, having abandoned her and her mother when Mickey was a young child, and to Arlo with his presence, relying on Arlo to quite literally clean up all of his messes all while she placed him on a pedestal. He casts one final blow upon his death by removing Arlo from his will and giving the $2.5m instead to Mickey, on the manipulative proviso that she completes seven sessions of therapy first. Mickey is no stranger to constant self-help attempts so sees this as a minor hurdle but there’s just one small hiccup - the therapist in question is Arlo, with neither sister recognising the other when Mickey first steps through the doors of the office.

Favourite Daughter explores a lot of really important themes; addiction, mental health, multigenerational dysfunction and trauma, and also found family. While Arlo and Mickey, and indeed their respective mothers, were all deeply unlikeable and flawed characters, they were easy to feel sympathy towards at parts. Favourite Daughter was really compelling at parts, witty and a really interesting premise however sometimes it felt quite jolty. However it is a debut and a pretty solid debut at that and one I devoured in a couple of sittings. Thanks to Penguin/Viking and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Unfortunately this fell slightly short for me. I enjoyed the first few chapters, but then I felt like it spiralled further and further from what it was supposed to be.
Neither of the FMCs were likeable (like, at all…) which I found totally frustrating.
Chris was my saving grace. He gave me hope throughout - saving this from 2 stars. Apologies - not one for me.

Quite a different concept of a book this one was to what I’d normally read. I found bits that I really enjoyed (Mickey and Arlo eventually realising who the other was) but at the same time the book did seem to drag on in directions it really didn’t need to and for too long too.

I enjoyed the dual perspective of the same events while Mickey and Arlo didn’t realise they were sisters following the death of their father, but found the “will they or won’t they find out” went on a bit long at the expensive of seeing more of their eventual relationship, or their relationships with others.

A sliding doors sort of story as two very different parallel lives are portrayed of adult sisters. With no connection other than the very different impact their father had on them as children and growing up, a combined future starts to grow. Often dark yet also humorous, there is an underlying sense of hope for the future.

Wow! I loved every part of this book! What amazing writing, I was hooked from the first sentence and each time I picked up the book, I did not want to be interrupted! I needed to keep reading and ride alongside the characters to experience what happened next. The book was filled with unexpected twist and outcomes that shocked me profoundly.

I would gladly read more from this Author. It is abundant with magnificent writing and this book truly packs a punch!! It sets the scenes with ultimate perfection, honestly the writing is exquisite.

I usually find alcoholic storylines so uncomfortably hard to read, yet the author managed to interpret the journey so eloquently, with excellent execution that I enjoyed every moment of it.

The characters are wonderfully developed and the whole book felt so realistic. I felt empathy for all of them and their own personal journeys were shared with a balance, complimentary to the storyline.

This is an emotive read and I highly recommend it. If you’re looking for a heart felt book with beautifully, descriptive writing, with true grit, that fully absorbs you, then this is the one. I even loved the acknowledgements!

Thank you so much to Rachel Quin, NetGalley and all involved in my having an ARC copy of this beautiful book for an honest review.

. Mickey is left a sizeable inheritance by her estranged father on the condition she attends a number of therapy sessions at a designated clinic. Arlo is Mickey's therapist and also her half sister. Both are unaware they are related, however, they start to connect with each other during their sessions and it's this developing dynamic that really drives the story. What unfolds is a gritty family drama which is darkly funny and deeply felt. Told from alternating POVs, it explores how the two girls were shaped by their relationship with their father. It also explores addiction and grief. The journey takes some unexpected turns, features some fabulous side characters and is hugely entertaining despite tackling heavy issues. For me, the humour, flawed but likeable characters and family drama struck a winning combo and the fact it was full of feeling only elevated it further. I absolutely loved every minute of it.

This was an enjoyable read filled with flawed and frustrating characters. It was interesting to explore how their father's alcoholism affected their lives in very different ways - they were both messy and dealing with some serious issues and it was interesting to see how they were trying to rebuild on that.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

When I described this book to a friend after I had just finished it she thought it sounded really interesting. However my feelings about it are not so favourable. It’s complex and dark with the two lead characters spectacularly great at making appalling decisions. This would make a very good book group discussion so for that reason I will recommend it to my book groups but still cannot rate it highly as I didn’t enjoy the read.

I really enjoyed this. The characters are fun and engaging. You do have to accept the main premise - one which is totally unrealistic and would never happen - but if you just let that go, it's a great read.

This was so hard to put down but at the same time something was missing for me — I think a sense of deeper connection to the characters would have helped. Every character was really multilayered though, so that got me through my favourites' less likable moments (I'm specifically thinking of Mickey here) – it was clear a lot of care went into the portrayal of addiction and the effects it has across multiple generations of the same family. And without giving anything specific away, I thought the ending was really satisfying too!

An emotional and disturbing family drama. Michelle ‘Mickey’ Morris is a kindergarten teacher. She is also an alcoholic and is in financial difficulties. Arlo is a therapist, although she probably could do with visiting one herself. Mickey and Arlo are half sisters, although they don’t yet know it! A well written, character driven novel.

Briefly, when Arlo and Mickey’s father dies, after Arlo has nursed him for many months, both are shocked to find that his will leaves everything to Mickey, with one proviso. Mickey has to attend 7 therapy sessions! You’ve guessed it, with Arlo!

These are two flawed and rather complex women. Both have had bad times with their father, who was an alcoholic, but both have good memories of happier times when he was sober. This is a dark story but with humour to counter some of the darker moments. A tale of abandonment, grief and addiction but also about healing, family and love. A good debut novel.

Mickey Morris has just learned that her estranged, now deceased father has left her his entire fortune. It's substantial, to say the least - Mickey is set to be a multi millionaire. But it's conditional: she must attend seven therapy sessions with Arlo, her father's chosen therapist Mickey isn't in a good place: she's not doing well at work, her personal life is a mess, and she's becoming increasingly more dependent on alcohol to get through her days.

Arlo is spiralling - she has just found out that the father she adored has cut her out of his will, and she is determined to get to the bottom of where exactly her fortune has gone. She's also dealing with the repercussions of something that happened to a client, but she won't let that get in the way of treating her new patient, Michelle "Mickey" Morris.....

I absolutely loved this. Mickey was an absolute mess, but Arlo wasn't too far behind her - both women had a lot to work through, and both had more in common than they thought. The writing style reminded me a lot of Catherine Newman, and I absolutely loved the sharp wit that cut through the more serious themes. Yes, it's a novel about addiction, loss, and grief, but it's also a novel about sisterhood, love, and closure.

The lawyer character added a layer of (darkly) comic relief (I imagined him as a Sam Rockwell type) and I enjoyed his interactions with both women. The side characters didn't overpower the main storyline, they enhanced it.

I didn't expect to love this as much as I did, but it ended up being one of my favourite reads so far this year.

I really enjoyed this title, very likeable characters, and I will definitely be recommending. I look forward to more from this author.

I recently finished Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick, and I genuinely enjoyed it. It’s a sharp, emotionally layered story that blends dark humor with some very real, raw moments.

The novel follows Mickey, a struggling kindergarten teacher dealing with alcoholism and financial stress. When her estranged father dies and leaves her a sizable inheritance, there’s a condition: she has to attend therapy sessions. What she doesn’t realize is that her therapist, Arlo, is actually her half-sister—who, in a twist of fate, received nothing from the will.

The dynamic between Mickey and Arlo is what really drives the book. Both are flawed, complex characters trying to navigate their grief and family baggage. Their therapy sessions are uncomfortable, funny, and at times, incredibly moving. Morgan Dick does a great job exploring themes like addiction, estrangement, and forgiveness without ever feeling heavy-handed.

The writing is sharp and engaging, and while the plot had a few slightly far-fetched moments, I didn’t really care—I was too invested in the characters and the emotional payoff makes it worth it. It’s a character-driven story that strikes a good balance between being entertaining and thought-provoking.

An involving story of messy family relationships. This got better and better as it went along and I felt more and more invested in the characters as it went. Great authentic portrayal of addiction with all the dark humour of real reactions.
I loved it.

This debut novel had me hooked with its messy, emotional family drama. It follows Mickey, a kindergarten teacher in her 30s with a complicated past. By day, she’s a dedicated educator, but when the final bell rings, she turns to vodka to quiet her troubled mind. Her father walked out when she was just seven, leaving her with a lifetime of unresolved feelings. When Mickey stumbles upon his obituary, long-buried memories resurface—not just of his chaotic, alcohol-fueled outbursts, but also of the dad who made her laugh and swung her around like Tigger.

Then, out of nowhere, Mickey learns she’s the sole heir to her father’s estate—but with one catch: she has to complete seven therapy sessions, already booked in her name, before she can claim the money. Enter Arlo, her half-sister, a psychologist who spent her father’s final months caring for him and naturally assumed the inheritance was hers. Now, the two estranged sisters, both scarred by the same man, are on a collision course, forced to confront their messy pasts.

This novel dives deep into the complexities of grief, addiction, and sibling rivalry, capturing the chaos and unexpected connections that come with confronting long-hidden truths. I listened to the audiobook, and the performances really brought these characters to life. A solid, emotionally charged read that kept me invested from start to finish.