Tag: reader

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 Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer

Mid-November Check In

Hey y’all. I’m sorry I’ve been a bit MIA the last few weeks. I just wanted to touch base and do a little mid-November check in. Unfortunately, I’ve found myself in a bit of a reading slump. I’m not sure when it started. I surmise that it was because I’ve read too many mediocre books and books that I’d hyped up and which ultimately let me down. I’ve been struggling with this slump for a few weeks. Although I had a rather hefty TBR for this month (7 books!), I’m sadly unable to get in that reading groove.

On top of my reading slump, we had quite a week with the US Presidential elections. I spent the week extremely anxious, glued to the news, casting my reading to the side. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was unable to focus much that week.

If I’m being honest with myself, I’m going to guess that the rest of the year won’t be too prosperous reading-wise. With all of the holidays coming up plus some things going on in my personal life, I don’t expect to go crazy with the amount I’ll be able to get done. That’s okay, though. I typically plan for that.

I’m trying to be gentle with myself and give myself grace. It’s been an extremely difficult year. Not just now, but especially now, I think it’s important that we remember to take the time to care for ourselves when things are hard. We need to remember to take breaks when we need to, whether it is mentally or physically. And while there is so much sadness and negativity going on in the world, we need to remember to do something that makes us happy and keeps us positive.

Mid-November Check In: Focusing On the Positive

Which brings me to the holidays! I’ve always loved Christmas. I know, I know; we still have to celebrate Thanksgiving. Don’t get me wrong, I love to eat, so an entire holiday dedicated to that is awesome. I will always love Christmas more, though. And I am thankful and grateful, but we should be thankful everyday, not just on one specific day. So, with that being said, what better way to cheer up and get out of my reading-slump-funk than by decorating for Christmas?!

Yup, that’s right, it’s officially Christmas in our house. We’ve got 2 trees up–one for me and one for my son. His windows are decked out in Christmas themed window clings, and we’ve even started putting them up on the bathroom mirrors. We’ve been watching Christmas movies and singing Christmas carols and I’ve been drinking hot cocoa like I’m Mrs. Claus. We’ve only just begun! I can’t wait to get this place the rest of the way decked out for Christmas. The only thing missing is the snow.

Stay happy and healthy my friends.

  • Decorated Christmas Tree - mid-november check in
  • Mini Christmas Tree with Books - mid-november check in