I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

WOW what an amazing debut. I'm speechless, it is not often a book surprises me. Well this one certainly did and I just simply loved it and couldn't put it down!!!

Paloma Evans is thirty years old living in San Francisco. She had been living in a Sri Lankan orphanage until the age of twelve when she was adopted by an American couple, The Evans.

The Evans are a wealthy couple who take Paloma under their wing and give her the opportunity to start again in the USA with open arms.

Now she is being blackmailed by her flatmate Arun who has discovered her darkest secret, and is demanding money in exchange for him to keep her secret. Before she can pay Arun she finds him face down in a pool of blood. She flees the scene but by the time the police arrive there is no body - and no evidence that Arun ever existed in the first place.

The story goes back and forth from the past and present.

This is such a gripping read, full of jaw dropping twists and the ending made me fall off my sofa in surprise!!! I'm still shaking my head in wonder at how great this book is!!!

This is such an impressive debut, it is exceedingly well written and the pace was fast. To be honest I cannot stop talking about how amazing this is and it's easily my favourite book of 2023!!

A must read!!!!!'

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

Paloma certainly makes up for her dire beginnings after she is taken from an orphanage into a rich and lavish existence. she could want for nothing. but now at the age of 30, she is out of the family wealth and decides to sublet her apartment to Arun. BUT, arun finds out something juicy about Paloma, something that is worth blackmail and money! but before Paloma can deal with this little discrepancy herself, she finds him in a pool of his own blood. With no guilt on he rpart, she phones the police only to have them turn up to a room with no body and no signs of murder at all.
This review sounds exciting, unfortunately the plot was slow to actually get here,
the pacing was slow for me, and the characters unlikeable.
For someone who reads thrillers and mysteries this plot would be too predictable and easy to see the twists coming from a mile off, however, the setting and descriptions in the book were the winners of the 3 starts that I am giving here.
so, yes, i would probably read from the author just one more time, but i would seek out to purchase a book from her.

I wasn't a fan of the alternating timelines as it felt extremely slow and the final twist was not that mind blowing. I feel like it needed to choose a lane and stay in it.

Paloma has moved from Sri Lanka to live with her adopted parents, but she’s disappointed them so deeply that their relationship will never be the same! Struggling to cope with a dark secret from her past will a dead body turning up being to life the secret she’s trying so hard to escape.
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I found this such a quick easy read (which is saying something with a newborn baby!) The story flits between past and present practically every chapter with is imperative to the understanding of Paloma! This book includes a plot twist which I didn’t see coming and one that I managed to guess right before it happened! In my opinion this is well worth a read!

This one will keep you on the edge of your seat guessing what is going to happen next. It is filled with a great storyline, wonderful characters and a host of clues that come together at the end.

Thank you Hodder & Stoughton and netgalley.
This was really a surprising reading and so many surprises. Guessing all the time. Could not put it down

Wow, wow and wow again - I could not put this down. So different and unique. I highly recommend everyone reads this book

Loved this book, full of thrilling twists and turns. Just when you think you know where it’s going……..it takes you in a different direction.
Loved it!

Nothing is as it seems in this thrilling read. Just as soon as you have something figured out, you are surprised. Is there a body, was there even one to start with. This was really an entertaining read, will read more by the author.

What a ride!!! Thoroughly enjoyed this book! Highly recommend for psychological thriller fans. I wish I hadn’t put it off for so long.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I thought this book would be right up my street based on the synopsis and while it definitely had strong points, overall I wasn’t completely taken by the story. I wasn’t too impressed with Paloma as a main character and found her quite irritating which didn’t really bode well for my enjoyment of her narration. The main twists were pretty predictable so I didn’t find myself completely wowed at any point however on a positive note, the dual timelines were written well and flipped between smoothly so were an aspect that I enjoyed.

Overall this is a written well novel but it fell flat in places for me and wasn’t to my taste.

A twisty and addictive novel told by an unreliable narrator. A magnificent debut that had me hooked from start to end. Cannot wait to read more by the author.

My Sweet Girl is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended!

Loved this thriller! Most of the book has you wondering whether Paloma was going mad or whether some of the characters really were disappearing/being murdered! I also wasn't sure about the character of Mohini, I liked that I couldn't tell whether she was real or a ghost until the end!
The book was a little more spooky than the typical thrillers I read but I really liked that element. I also liked the dual timeline, alternating between present day in America and Paloma's childhood in Sri Lanka.
Looking forward to reading more by Amanda Jayatissa!

A brilliant debut - I couldn't see the twists coming, which is a rarity for me - I'm excited to read her next!

I did not like this book. The main character Paloma was unbearable. It was badly written; I hated the writing style and the swear words on every page. The plot was far-fetched and quite simply, ridiculous.

It was wonderful to read a book that is set in Sri Lanka.
This story had so many twists and turns and kept me guessing right up to the end. And the ending... wow talk about unexpected!
Definitely a good read and I am looking forward to the next book!

Rating: 3,5 stars

This was a read-now on @netgalley (thank you) that I couldn't refuse. Apparently my friend Sharada couldn't either, so we ended up reading it together! 😜

I think it's fair to say that neither of us were particularly impressed with it, even though the premise was enticing.

I don't usually notice swear words or cursing in books. I mean, if it serves the purpose, is effective or just fits the bill, the f*** word is more than appreciated. But this book, man, was so full of it that it started to distract me from the actual plot.

But that's not why I'm giving it 3.5 stars, no. The beginning of the book had me yipping with my fist raised, thinking I had a 5 star read in my hands, but then the MC's behaviour started to grate on my nerves and I felt that what had started with a bang started to gradually deflate.

The twist was rather predictable, not to mention the big revelation at the end, which was very hard to believe compared to the facts the reader was given throughout the book. But I suppose I could let that pass as the “unreliable narrator" trope.
That's all I can say without giving away the plot. Better go into it completely blind!

On a positive note, however, the partial setting (Sri Lanka) was great to read, as were the Sri Lankan voices of the characters. It is a pity that the two main characters were rather unlikable.

There were some great creepy moments in this book, which I really enjoyed, so if you’re into that, give it a try!