Review: The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided a copy of the audiobook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. I loved Saving Meghan, and this has a very similar structure and characters to that book. The plot develops in much the same way, you aren't quite sure if Penny's medical condition is made up or all in her head. We also have the strong-willed, devoted mother character who wants to advocate for her daughter and we have the doctor who has some of his own struggles. There is some family drama that takes you off the scent of the case and throws you for a loop. What I thought was different and and an interesting choice was to narrate the book from the perspective of the older brother Jack and the mother Grace. Jack is a film student and using his sister's story as the basis for the movie he is writing. I felt that both of the narrators did a wonderful job with the book. January LaVoy is an outstanding narrator and amongst my favorite audio narrators. She did a wonderful job with the characters, giving voices and accents to each one as appropriate. She always give such emotion to each scene. Dan Bittner was a great addition to Jack’s chapters; his chapters genuinely felt like he was writing letters to his kid sister through the entire ordeal. You could really feel the emotion from his vantage as Penny’s case developed.

I've always been quite fascinated by the multiple personality or disassociative identity disorder diagnosis after having watched Sybil many years ago. It makes for a great plot device in books and movies, but I do know that it is still a very controversial diagnosis amongst actual professionals. I thought it made for a great basis for this medical thriller, especially if you are looking for an unreliable narrator character in a murder investigation. I thought the mental health aspects of this book were portrayed respectfully and well researched. I can't speak to how realistic it is, I'm sure some things were fictionalized to keep things moving in the book. I also thought the author did a great job with the reveal at the end. I didn't see it coming until it happened. I love that in a thriller. I was thoroughly convinced several times that I knew what the ending was going to be, despite the fact that those endings would have been predictable and unsatisfying. I was pleasantly surprised when we were led down several different paths meant to mislead and confuse the reader.

I loved the audiobook version of this. I had a hard time taking my headphones out while I was listening to this. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next in Penny's case and if she really had DID or if she was making it all up. I also wanted to know if she was innocent or if she couldn't remember committing this horrible crime. If you liked Saving Meghan, I think you would like this as well.

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Review: The New Husband by D.J. Palmer

The New Husband by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This was just OK.  I won't rehash the synopsis because lots of reviewers have already done that.  I found this very predictable from the first chapter, and I never felt connected with the main character Nina.  When I read a thriller, I want my heart to race and I want to feel compassion and anguish for the main character.  I didn't get that from this.  The pace was too slow, and I felt like Nina was missing the obvious clues and letting all of this happen to her.  I guess that was the point though, Simon was so perfect and so good at manipulation that she didn't even realize it was happening.  Nina was a bit of a contradiction for most of the book, she'd do something independent then feel bad about it and do exactly what she said she wouldn't do.  It made Nina, a woman who is portrayed as intelligent and self sufficient, appear very dumb and weak.    I'm not a fan of characters like this, but again Simon's manipulation of her was a big part of the plot.  Maybe this is realistic, but the way it happens was almost too over the top for me at times.

I liked the addition of Maggie's perspective.  Her interactions with her friend Ben were the best part of the book.  Maggie, as a social outcast befriends a socially awkward boy at school and together they begin to uncover some of Simon's secrets.  Of all of the characters, she showed the most character development and growth.  When Nina finally realizes what is going on and the plot finally starts to unfold, the pace starts to pick up.  There are a few twists, but again I found it very predictable and I didn't feel the suspense.

I loved Saving Meghan, and while this wasn't my favorite thriller I am looking forward to Palmer's future works.

I was provided an ARC via the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  This came out on April 14th.


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Review: Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer

Saving Meghan by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was crazy. It kept me guessing the entire time. I wasn't sure who to believe or what to think. The end was completely unexpected. You really couldn't tell if Meghan was really sick or if it was all in her head. This book will take you on a medical mystery adventure filled with family drama and psychological suspense that you won't soon forget. I don't want to give away too much of the plot because thrillers such as this are best discovered as you read.

This is told from multiple perspectives, Meghan the daughter with the undiagnosed ailment, Becky the devoted mother who has all of the makings of Munchausen's by Proxy, and Zach the doctor who is caught in the middle trying to save Meghan but also has his own baggage. The characters are all very well developed and they all have so many things going on that you aren't sure what to believe or who is at fault. Who I thought was at the center of the whole thing was not the culprit at all, they turned out to be just another victim of the true criminal mastermind. Each of the characters and all of their emotional baggage have a very specific role to play in this story. All of the characters were well developed, and came with their own backstory. You can tell that D.J. Palmer did his his homework and researched the medical aspects of the story. I very much enjoyed that there was just enough medical terminology but not too much that I needed to google things to understand what was going on in the book.

I was provided an advanced copy via the publisher in exchanged for an honest review. My head was spinning the entire time I was reading this, and I highly recommend it.

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