A tale of two sisters who do not know they are sisters (well half sisters to be exact) until a good chunk of the way through the book, both being manipulated by their now dead father.
The plot got a bit too twisted for me in places and I found it difficult to believe that neither woman worked out the truth sooner or at least suspected there was more to their relationship than counsellor and client.
There were also several sub themes in the book that I would have liked explored better- Ian's mum for one- vanishing and returning and noone battling an eye!
A readable book but perhaps needed a bit more depth to the characters.

Arlo and Mickey are half sisters who are unknowingly thrown together following the death of their father. Mickey drinks. Arlo is a therapist.. Her therapy has not prepared her for grief. She loved her dad. She is unsure how she will live her life without her dad in it. Mickey has agreed to attend mandated therapy as a condition in the will to inherit from her father.. Arlo is at a loss. She has not been left anything in her dad’s will. ‘Favourite daughter ‘ is beautifully written. It is a tender, funny novel about to people who have only one thing in common - their father.. Morgan Dick’s debut novel is brilliant.

Morgan Dick’s debut book, Favourite Daughter, is a darkly funny and compelling tale of estranged half-sisters Mickey and Arlo, whose lives collide due to their late father’s manipulative final wishes. Combining sharp wit with emotional depth, this story is an engrossing exploration of family secrets, betrayal, and the possibility of redemption.

Mickey and Arlo could not be more different. Mickey has harboured resentment towards her father for abandoning her and her mother years ago, while Arlo cherished him, despite his flaws. When Mickey learns of her father’s death and discovers he has left her his considerable fortune—with the condition that she attends therapy sessions—her world is upended.

Unbeknownst to both sisters, the therapist Mickey must see is none other than Arlo, who has her own reasons for agreeing to take on this mysterious new patient. Recently cut out of her father’s will after caring for him in his final days, Arlo is determined to find out what has happened to the inheritance.

The double perspective, alternating between Mickey and Arlo, adds significant depth to the narrative. Each sister’s point of view reveals their complex emotions, motivations, and past traumas, keeping readers second-guessing their actions and decisions. This narrative device cleverly builds tension as the truth of their connection inches closer to discovery.

The plot is fast-paced and full of twists, with the sisters’ sessions veering from poignant to combative. As their secrets come to light, both women are forced to confront not only each other but also their complicated relationships with their father and their own identities.

One of the standout features of Favourite Daughter is its setting, which provides a fresh backdrop rarely seen in modern literature. The dynamic between Mickey and Arlo, coupled with the sharp dialogue and moments of dark humour, keeps the book engaging and impossible to put down.

If you enjoy stories with layered characters, unexpected twists, and a touch of humour amidst family drama, Favourite Daughter is a must-read. It’s a brilliantly executed exploration of sibling relationships and the messy legacies left behind by flawed parents.

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I could not decide what I thought of this book - I found it absorbing but was not sure that I enjoyed it.

Two sisters are manipulated by their alcoholic father who died in his early 60s - in his will he disinherits one and the other has to undergo therapy before receiving her share. Therapy provided by her sister to undo the damage he caused by leaving her.

Both sisters have been profoundly affected by his behaviour and his death but neither wants to admit their failings. Both of their professional lives and personal relationships have been profoundly affected by their experiences.

The novel explores their struggles to accept what has happened to them and to find a way forward.

I found this book a hard read - the themes are traumatic - but ultimately it is a hopeful book.

One Father, two siblings who are unaware of one another. Depression, alcoholism and familial dysfunction. When the Father dies he leaves his wealth to one daughter, but not the caring one. But conditions of the will bring them together and a story of a family upended because of strange wills ensues.

I feel icky about giving such a low star rating, because I haven’t written a book and I am conscious that the author of this one might read this review and it will be a horrible start to their 2025. I’m sorry :(

This book made me feel as icky as leaving as 1 star rating makes me feel. Maybe I took it all a bit too seriously, but so many things which maybe were intended to be sweet or funny left a gross taste in my mouth? The conduct of Tom, Arlo and Mickey in their various job roles was horrible. When Arlo nicked the cat I felt really, really sad. Things seemed to happen at breakneck speed without the necessary character development that would result in me caring/believing, eg. Chris and Arlo’s ‘romance’, Arlo’s weird birthday event, Arlo taking Ian home, a small child even being called Ian?! I sound very miserable about this book, and I really am sorry for it. The premise was great and the author can clearly write, but this all felt like a half-realised idea which could have been executed a lot better.

Absolutely brilliant, loved it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me an advance copy, I will definitely be recommending.

Ah, "Favourite Daughter". I thought it would be an easy, funny story about two siblings finding each other (in more ways than one) in unusual circumstances. Sadly, it was not. The story was messy, disconnected and uninspiring.

I expected something completely different from this book, certainly not a narrative of a 30-something loser alcoholic making random awful life choices throughout the story. None of the characters were likeable or interesting enough, the story was very slow-moving and seemed to be going nowhere. I found actions of the two main characters (two sisters) completely random and bizarre, even worse was the lawyer in the story - I cannot believe how unreal his behaviour was! All in all, a very depressing book with, in my opinion, quite poor attempt at humour. I didn’t enjoy it at all.

No twists. Just depressive story about family trauma, alcoholism, abusive relationships and abuse of client confidence in various professions.

I am grateful for the opportunity to review the book.

3.5 🌟
• It's messy but is lacking in heart. I never felt connected to the story or felt for our characters beyond a basic human level. For all the emotions on display here it still somehow felt detached. I had the same level of personal interest as when reading a thriller, I was there for the ride but afterwards I'm not going to think about this very much.

• It did show the damage that is still present even years down the line when someone is raised by an emotionally abusive parent, I just hoped it would have delved a lot deeper into that. I wanted a lot more internal reflection and emotional depth. I'm chalking up my disinterest to the style in which it was written, it made use of that dry british prose (even though it was set in the USA) that I've always found to be devoid of emotion. I'm disappointed because it had potential to be more than what it was. The synopsis over promised because that's what I expected going in and instead I got this. Considering how the plot went maybe this would have worked better as a thriller?

Cw: alcoholism, parental abandonment, suicide, emotional abuse.

I really don’t like the cover; the colours, graphics and whole appearance I find offputting. Which, of course, confirms the ‘don’t judge a book’ adage. The rather infantile and YA look of the cover belies the content of this original and unusual story. Morgan Dick’s debut is a masterpiece of observation and comment about so much. It’s not packed with action, but there’s plenty of emotional drama as themes of depression, alcoholism and familial dysfunction are explored. A nasty father dies and leaves unexpected wealth to one of his daughters. It’s life changing. The other, doting caring daughter is left out. From these pieces of lives destroyed and reconstructed comes a tale of unexpected depth and warmth. Very refreshing, totally engaging and a surprise. I really enjoyed it.

A mag mixed up book that covers such hard topics as families breaking down alcoholism and life just being really really tough. Two sisters that don’t know each other are united when their dad dies and yet only one knows about their relationship.. the author and picks the wounds bruises and damage that alcoholism does to relationships especially family ones in a sensitive way. The book also focuses on the little things in life that are just so hard to do when alcohol is a crutch or when money is tight or when life is just a huge huge struggle.. the issues of mental well-being are dealt with delicately and ultimately the message here is Hope despite things being so hard.

This book was fascinating- the dad definitely had some issues, to be manipulating his estranged daughter to spend time with his disinherited daughter from beyond the grave was quite something but I disliked him from the beginning after disinheriting his doting daughter without warning- so sad for her to question everything she had done for him while grieving. I thought this book wrote beautifully about addiction, depression and the complicated relationships that come with these issues. I was utterly absorbed and really liked the sisters, would definitely recommend.

Don’t be fooled by the cover! Two women struggle with their mental health; one with an alcohol addiction, the other obsessed with her career as a psycho therapist. Unbeknownst they are related to each other, having the same father and it is not until his death they are brought together. This is a tough take on mental health issues, with its impact on relationships and the frequent spiralling out of control. Mickey and Arlo, lead separate lives until they are thrown together by the conditions of their dead father’s Will.

I found this novel intriguing in the way there were no clues as to the finale. Written with empathy and a knowledge of suffering, the characters of Mickey and Arlo come to life upon the pages. An enjoyable, but disturbing read.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Penguin for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Mickey is left a sum of money by her dead father - the only term to accept the money is she must receive therapy.
The book is dually pov’ed with the therapist (Arlo’s) point of view. Neither characters know they are more connected than they think.

The book touches on emotional topics yet I felt the writing lacked the depth I usually look for in books. The characters felt flat at times and seemed selfish and one sided at times.

This could’ve been a powerful story if it had more emotional depth when touching on emotional topics such as grief and addiction and family secrets.

This was a vey good debut. The characters were believable and interesting. The story flowed very well. I will look forward to more from this author!

thanks to Netgalley and the publisher!

I really enjoyed the themes in this book and the different approaches to the portrayal of grief, which I thought the author handled well. I also thought the author approached subjects such as addiction very well.

This was unlike anything I'd read before, and I really enjoyed and appreciated the idea behind the narrative, with two bold characters with very different backgrounds, and the upset that is caused through their fathers death, unbeknown to eachother. Whilst I did enjoy the idea behind the story, I did find myself struggling to connect to both of the main characters, and found myself also having to suspend belief occasionally with plot elements I did find to be a bit unrealistic, hence me deducting some stars from my overall rating. Despite this, I did enjoy this debut and would definitely read what the author decides to write next.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for my ARC of this book.

Gently funny, but sad too.

There are bright and funny moments, surrounded by mild misery and a general struggle to just live. Not a tremendous amount actually happens, certainly what I wanted didn’t transpire, with the most unsatisfying ending. Several characters have had, or are getting, or need to get - therapy, it’s a major theme. If the book was an advert to promote therapy, it fails spectacularly.

This book follows the story of two sisters who reunite after their father's death, after he leaves his wealth to only one of them, in the hope that the other one will seek help with her addiction. The theme of the story is grief, sibling struggles and addiction and it covers it well. Highly recommend

This was a slightly tragic story of two sisters, grieving the passing of their alcoholic father, whilst working through their own issues.

This quote sums up the book perfectly: "Two sisters, messed up in equal but different ways, hoping they might mend each other's wounds and therefore rectify his wrongdoings."

It was a solid 3 star read, but honestly it just lacked emotion, considering the serious topics involved. It was also extremely unethical, and I just feel like there was no real resolution to conclude the story.

Favourite Daughter follows sisters Mickey and Arlo, brought together after their father’s death. He leaves his fortune to Mickey, but only if she attends therapy—with Arlo as her therapist.

The book explores addiction, grief, and family struggles. it’s a heartfelt look at forgiveness and healing and is perfect for those of us who enjoy emotional family drama reads.