The Book Nerd Mom

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

I received a free ARC of The Perfect Daughter thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I saw this book all over and the description was so enticing. A thriller about a girl who may or may not have multiple personalities and may also be a murderer? Sold. I was lucky enough to be approved to review an advanced copy and let me just say, this was a treat.

We follow Grace as she tries to prove her daughter Penny is innocent regarding the murder of Penny’s biological mom. There was plenty of evidence but no motive and Penny can’t seem to remember what happened. Grace also needs to find a doctor who agrees that Penny has Dissociative Identity Disorder, or they will say Penny is lying about her multiple personas. As Penny spends her time in a psychiatric hospital under the guidance of Dr. Mitch McHugh, new information comes to light. And this new information could change everything Grace thought she knew about Penny.

The Perfect Daughter: Why I Loved It

Y’all, this book was good. It had me staying up until 3AM just to find out what happened.

I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator and we got that with Penny. Which persona was telling the truth? Were they real or was she deceiving everyone? Just from the synopsis I knew this was going to be a great element of the novel if executed well, and Palmer pulled it off.

Although I enjoyed the whole book, the parts of the book where we see Dr. Mitch counsel Penny were my favorite. I liked that he used different techniques to appeal to the different personas. I think he was my favorite character.

And that ending! It shouldn’t have been such a surprise in hindsight, but then again, hindsight is 20/20. It was a shock and I loved it. Basically, y’all need to just read this book.

This was my first D.J. Palmer book but it definitely won’t be my last. Pick up your copy of The Perfect Daughter today!

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

I received a free e-ARC of The Mary Shelley Club thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I got the email that I’d won an arc of this book, y’all, I was so excited. The synopsis for this sounded so good and I’m always down for a good thriller-mystery.

In this book we follow Rachel, new to Manchester Prep after an attack at her home leaves her needing a new start. Struggling to fit in, she finds herself drawn to the mysterious and secretive Mary Shelley Club, where members find pleasure in scaring others. But as these members soon find out when they become the target of the pranks, alls fair in pranks and fear.

The Mary Shelley Club: The Nitty Gritty

I really enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and I enjoyed the journey we took throughout the book. I would have liked to get more character background on a few of the characters in the story, but overall what we were given was sufficient.

Moldavsky did an excellent job showcasing the dynamics of the different members of the group, as well as the different members of the school. We can see how socioeconomic status impacted various interactions and consequently the group and group members’s agenda.

The ending was not quite what I was expecting. I didn’t see part of it coming–which isn’t a bad thing, it just surprised me a little. It was sort of open-ended, which left room for a possible sequel. I think a sequel to this book would be interesting.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, horror movies (or not—I don’t and still enjoyed this book!), and books where you don’t know who you can trust.

The Mary Shelley Club is available for purchase, so hurry to get your copy today!

The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky

Zara Hossain Is Here by Sabina Khan

I received a free ARC of Zara Hossain Is Here thanks to Edelweiss and Scholastic (Trade Publishing) in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. When I sent in my request, I figured it was a long shot, but I just sent so many hopeful vibes out into the universe. You can’t even imagine my excitement when I got the email saying that I’d been approved to read it.

Y’all, this book lived up to my expectations. It is SO good. It’s timely and poignant. I had so many emotions while reading this.

We follow Zara who gets targeted at school because she is a Pakistani immigrant. When she stands up for herself things get worse, for her and her family. Things come to a head when an act of vandalism ultimately ends in violence. Because she dared to stand up for herself and speak out against those targeting her, her family may lose the chance to obtain their green cards. Zara is forced to fight to stay in her community, her home, despite the hatred she’s experienced, or face going back to Pakistan, a place she doesn’t remember but where she wouldn’t face racial and xenophobic hatred.

Zara Hossain Is Here: What I Liked

There are so many things to unpack in this story. So many important issues were brought up in this book and I love that Khan didn’t shy away from any of it just because it is targeted for a teen audience.

The characters were likable and the events that happened pulled at emotions, investing the reader from the very beginning. Our MC had supportive friends, which I appreciated, and they were written well. There was nice representation of bisexuality and supportive parents, as well as non-supportive parents for the love interest. There was a clear message in this book: racism and xenophobia have no room here.

I encourage everyone to pick up Zara Hossain Is Here. Please read this emotionally charged book.

She’s Too Pretty To Burn by Wendy Heard

I received a free ARC of She’s Too Pretty To Burn thanks to the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

When I read the synopsis, I was hooked. It sounded super intriguing. I’ll be honest, I’ve never read The Picture of Dorian Gray, so I’m not sure which aspect was done for the retelling or whether it hit the mark.

This book is interesting, to say the least. We have a trio of characters, two of whom are artists, and one who is a lifeguard. Veronica and Nico are artists and best friends, and Veronica meets Mick, a lifeguard and the object of Veronica—and soon to be Nico’s—affections.

She’s Too Pretty To Burn: My Thoughts

The dynamics of the main relationship did not feel healthy. I had warning bells going off during some scenes because of the way Veronica was acting around Mick and the things that she said. She didn’t listen to Mick when Mick said no, and she would say creepy things to her. It felt very possessive and toxic.

The parental presence was lacking. Even when there was a parental figure in the storyline, the actions did not seem as that of a typical adult/parent. As a parent myself, I kept saying “That’s really all her mom is going to say?” or “Really? That’s her reaction?” It felt unrealistic that there was such little parental influence during all this time, especially with Veronica’s mom. I won’t say more because I don’t want to slip into the spoiler zone.

I kept trying to understand the motive or the point to much of what happened in the book but I couldn’t.

Heard’s writing kept me intrigued, though, and I couldn’t put this book down. I still can’t stop thinking about it, despite the few hangups I had. I recommend checking it out—publication is set for March 30th.

She's Too Pretty To Burn ARC cover title page

Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

I received a free e-ARC of Firekeeper’s Daughter thanks to Fierce Reads in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

I absolutely loved this book. I’d been anticipating this book since I found out about it’s existence, so when I found out I won an ARC, I was so excited.

Let me tell y’all, it lived up to the hype. I still find myself thinking about this story, Daunis, and the cast of characters we journeyed with even after the last page has been turned.

Firekeeper’s Daughter: Strengths

I’m a huge fan of strong female protagonists, and Boulley hit the nail with Daunis. She is biracial and a product of teenage pregnancy. Neither side of her family really embraced her, but she is heavily involved with both. She feels like an outsider but is trying to find her place.

I loved the insight to the Ojibwe community that Boulley weaved into the story. The language and traditions that we learned about was such an important inclusion into the story and an important piece of Daunis’s identity. Another aspect that we see is loyalty. Loyalty is shown in many different ways in this book, but we can see it throughout. Women were loyal to each other during a specific tradition even if they didn’t want to participate. Later, toward the end of the book, we see the elders being loyal to Daunis; I won’t say more as it would be a spoiler. Throughout the book, we see Daunis being loyal to her community during her time with the FBI as she’s constantly wondering whether she should tell Jamie and Ron or keep something to herself for a while.

The storyline itself is so powerful. It covers a plethora of issues including violence (gun, domestic, etc.), drug addiction, grief, sexual assault, racism, unfit parents, corruption, and greed. What starts as an investigation into a drug-operation turns into an eye-opening experience for Daunis into the lives of those around her. We’re taken on a thrilling, dangerous, hope-filled ride as we search for answers with Daunis.

Boulley’s masterful telling of Firekeeper’s Daughter is one that won’t be forgotten. I highly recommend this book. I’ll be keeping Boulley on my radar.