Trigger warning: physical, emotional and sexual abuse.

The good daughter jumps between present day and the past.

Penny has been chosen for jury duty and gets the shock of a lifetime when her abuser is the one on trial. She conceals the fact that she knows him and sets about trying to convince her peers that he is guilty and wants to see the book thrown at him.

This was a little bit of a hard read in certain spots but still a really good thriller.

This book starts off with a rape. It is a uniquely written story. Great character development. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

A good read
Slow at first
But got into it and really enjoyed it
With some twists in it as well
Thanks Netgalley

This one was a rough read. It didn't hold my attention but I was interested enough to want to finish it. 3 stars.

The start to this book was perfect.
It set the right tone and mood while gripping me in.

Mother Daughter flop in the story was stellar.

This book truly opens your eyes to more about the court system.

It’s definitely an emotional read between the past and present.

Highly recommend.

A well written drama which, although a bit slow to get into, it did pick up and I couldn't wait to see how it all panned out. Definitely a one to read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Good Daughter by JA Baker is a gripping and emotional journey that kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-developed, and I loved how the author brought out the complexities of their relationships and struggles.

While the pacing was a little uneven at times, the twists and revelations were totally worth it. If you enjoy family dramas with mystery and a lot of emotional depth, this one is definitely worth checking out!

Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Penny Collins has tried to forget the rape she endured as a teenager. Now as an adult, she is called for jury duty and the accused is her attacker...
The Good Daughter is a psychological thriller with an added layer of courtroom drama.
TRIGGER WARNING: this book begins with a rape and the court case also concerns another rape.
The book is written in two timelines: the present day to show Penny's experience of the being a juror and dealing with her mum's dementia, and the past where her mum Connie is unhappy about their living conditons and an unpleasant neighbour.
Penny is called up for jury service and recognises the defendant straight away as the man who attacked her years ago. She is determined to see justice even though her presence jeopardises the case itself. Can she convince the other jurors of his guilt so he is convicted at last?
The tone of this book is very dark and foreboding as events in both timelines progress. There are some big emotional issues which are sensitively but overtly depicted and the author doesn't shy away from the darker aspects of the plot. However, this does slow down the pace of the book whilst giving us insight into the characters.
The Good Daughter is a tense yet slow burning novel about revenge and being haunted by the past.

Fans of Frieda McFadden should be flocking to JA Baker. Her writing style seems to be pretty similar, and she seems to have a hefty backlist of thrillers (may or may not be adding them to my TBR as we speak). This book was giving *Runaway Jury* which I honestly loved. I liked the premise and plot, but I failed to connect with this book in a meaningful way.

I thought there were a lot of plot holes that the reader (me, at least) had to set aside in order to advance the plot (ex. the Plaintiff didn't recognize his victim...?). And in general, something about the pacing didn't hit for me. I kept finding myself being bored, and felt like this should have had me on the edge of my seat.

Content warning: SA. Takes place on page, early on in the book, but the book really centers on this event. Survivors, stay strong and protect yourself.

I liked this book but I can't say I loved it. It was repetitive in places, and I found it hard to connect to Penny. It was a really slow burner, but please give it a try this is my opinion, and you may very well like it.

This was entertaining and the ending was good. I had a hard time putting this down! Although this is fast paced, the characters are really well developed. If you enjoy thrillers, I would recommend this! Special Thank You to JA Baker, Boldwood Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for allowing me to read this book in advance.

I really enjoyed this book. It was gripping for the most part and I found myself cheering for the main character at the end. A difficult read as it deals with issues like sexual abuse and death and house fires but felt certain bits dragged on.

Would recommend.

A full review has been left on Goodreads

The Good Daughter is immediately immersive, I was saddened and shocked by the attack.

I am glad Penny cared for her mother. This is an immersive, well-written novel that shows what it really means to
be a good daughter.

5 stars

Thanks to J.A. Baker and Boldwood Books for my eARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Thank you Net Gallery for the book. It was very enjoyable, very entertaining, lots of twists and turns. I loved the characters. The only bad thing I have to say about this book is that it kept me reading way past midnight, I couldn't put it down! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐒𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝...𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧. 𝐀 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞. 𝐀 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭.

Opening with a shocking, deeply unsettling sexual assault on a minor, THE GOOD DAUGHTER is the story of Penny, the good girl whom no one believed when she said someone was watching her. So after the assault, she told no one, fearful of not being believed.

Twenty years have passed, and Penny still tries hard to be good. She cares for her mother, who is being consumed by the ravages of Alzheimer's, and tries not to think about the past. But her mother is lost in two world, the present and the past, and when her mother inexplicably brings up some things that happened the night Penny was assaulted, she wonders if her mother knew more than she let on.

Penny's ethics are tested when she's called for jury duty and comes face-to-face with her attacker, accused of the very same crime. One look at his smug, arrogant face, and she knows she will do anything to sway her peers into finding him guilty. This good girl will have vengeance one way or another.

I found this to be a compelling read with a sympathetic main character that I absolutely rooted for and cheered on. She wasn't one of the unhinged, bloodthirsty MCs that are so popular right now, but she was someone real, whose pain could be felt through the pages. She most definitely was a victim, not just of a brutal crime, but of the justice system and the loved ones who fail these women and victimize them all over again. Highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the early read. This book published April 5, 2025.

I couldn't finish this. I'm not sure why but at the time I just really couldn't get into it which was depressing g to me. I am going to try to read it again next month. I'm not sure what the deal was but I just wasn't hooked from the beginning.

The Good Daughter by J A Baker is another chilling story that took me on a wild ride.
A slow burn suspense filled with twists that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
An intriguing story with characters who draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.

Huge thanks to Boldwood Books, as well as to NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of Hush Little Baby!!

This books opens with a harrowing SA which is difficult to read.

Moving on from that I found the story line to be gripping but fairly difficult to stay on top of as it’s dual POV and dual timeline.

That said the actual plot is very clever and I found it to be very unique to anything I’ve read before. I very much recommend it to those that feel they can handle the potential triggers. But note this is a dark emotional book.

Thank you Boldwood Books, Netgalley and J A Baker for the e Arc of The Good Daughter.
Narrated by Melanie Crawley

Ooo this book packed a punch! J A Baker is a new author to me and she has a writing style that draws you in straight away. There are some triggers and some deep subjects that have been written about within the plot line. I felt that this author wrote about these in a sensitive but realistic way. Our characters and especially Penny , our MC was very well built and my heart. went out to her a lot.

The pacing of the plot line was constant with a few twists and the direction is pretty clear from the off. The finale is bitter sweet but a good one.
Melanie Crawley Narrated this book and found her voice really suited this sort of psychological thriller.

4 stars

A slow start to this book and quite distressing at times but it developed into a gripping story . Well worth a read.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC