The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . . .

Out of the blue, Susie Jukes is contacted on social media by Anna, the girl she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago.

But when they meet, Anna’s home life sounds distinctly strange to Susie and her husband Gabe. And when Anna’s adoptive parents seem to overreact to the fact she contacted them at all, Susie becomes convinced that Anna needs her help.

But is Anna’s own behaviour simply what you’d expect from someone recovering from a traumatic childhood? Or are there other secrets at play here – secrets Susie has also been hiding for the last fifteen years?

I was excited to see another book released by J P Delaney as I enjoyed The Girl Before so much, but unfortunately this one was just an ok read! I didn’t get that ‘couldnt put it down’ feeling with this one – which was a shame because i’ve been on a pretty good reading streak lately – I suppose it had to come to an end some time! Don’t get me wrong – this book isnt bad (at all) it just failed to excite me – and towards the end I was just wanting to get the book finished. I’m sure others will feel differently.

My thanks to the author and Quercus for my advance copy to review via Netgalley. Available to buy now!

⭐⭐⭐

Three ‘I liked your other book better’ stars

Wow just wow!!!!
Having been a JP fan ever since I could not wait to read this!
Like with all his books some serious topics are touched but in a way that shows he really cares!
The characters are so authentic and human that you can not decide if somebody is good or bad, they are all just human!
The story itself is a veeeeeery twisted one and you certainly never get bored. In fact I didn't want it to be over, but the end was just perfect
Thank you so much for this intensive reading experience!
Thank you #Netgalley #Quercus Books

So, let me start by saying I've previously only read MY LOVELY WIFE by Delaney, which left me with super mixed emotions. I loved it, was invested in it, was engaged with the writing, but the ending left me absolutely mind-boggled, and I've yet to brave another of his books - so of course I requested this on Netgalley without even reading the synopsis. 

Short, snappy chapters, a multi-layered plot, characters with depth, and a serious topic at the heart of the book; this was engaging, thought provoking and gripping. Perspectives switch between Susie and her husband Gabe, and Sky/Anna, the daughter Susie gave up for adoption fifteen years earlier. It was interesting to have the multiple points of view from these characters, but it did minimise the shocks and twists throughout the plot - which I have to say, I personally thought were few and far between. 

After MY LOVELY WIFE, I had immediately penned Delaney as a writer I could rely on for huge twists and revelations, but this felt more like a sprinkle of thriller in a family drama recipe. Having said this, this didn't take away from my enjoyment, I shouldn't have assumed mega twists in every book, the adoption aspect of the plot was really interesting, and obviously well-researched, and Sky's manipulative, cunning character was brilliantly written. I am excited to read more of Delaney's books, would recommend it and flew through the pages!

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮) 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦.

𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐞𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 - 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐨𝐰𝐧.

Told from the point of view of Gabe, Susie and Anna (Sky) this is a story which tackles many difficult subjects - an inability to carry a child to term, adoption, rebuilding a relationship with an adopted child, poor decisions in youth and how your past can come back to haunt you. This is sensitively handled and a compelling story which portrays a full characterisation of the three main characters.
Many thanks to Netgalley/J. P. Delaney/Quercus Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I raced through this book wanting to find out what happens, this book is seriously creepy! I really enjoy his style of writing and this is a must read for anyone that enjoys thrillers.

Compelling although at times unsettling.
Told from three different viewpoints with short chapters this book flows well.
It is a real page turner with lots of secrets and twists.

My Darling daughter is another cracking nove by J.P Delaney

Tense and well written, I very much enjoyed this

What I loved most about Darling Daughter is how swiftly it challenges the norms and how it looks at themes that I don't think many people acknowledge or accept in fiction. I've read plenty of 'difficult child' novels following adoption but this is a deeply evocative novel that explores the depth and detail of such a situation.
Each character is instantly real, relatable and interesting. I didn't find myself on anyone's side, though my allegiances switched from time to time, and it left me wondering what do you do when love isn't enough? What is it exactly that makes a parent?
A thrilling, beautiful, heart wrenching and heart warming novel that I'm so pleased to have read.

My Darling Daughter | JP Delaney
My Darling Daughter is the latest standalone psychological thriller by author, JP Delaney. This is my second novel by this author.

Told in alternating POV, the story follows Susie and her husband Gabe after they are contacted by Anna, the daughter that Susie gave up for adoption 15 years prior. As the couple get to know Anna and hear about her home life with her adoptive parents, something doesn’t seem to add up. Susie wants to protect and make up for the past but there is more at stake here as secrets come to light and relationships are tested.
I went into this expecting a thriller, but instead found a touching, deeply complex and moving story about trauma and relationships. As a Psychologist myself who works with children with attachment trauma, I found this book extremely realistic and I could tell the author had done their research. You can really feel for each of the characters in the book and I loved that the POV shifted between them so we could get a deeper understanding of each person’s inner world and thoughts.

I really enjoyed this easy to read page-turned and read it over two sittings. JP Delaney is an author to watch and I look forward to seeing what else they come up with next.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a ARC of this novel.

The child you’ve never met, knows all your secrets..
Susie is befriended on social media but the daughter she gave up for adoption 15 years ago and after meeting her and er husband begin to worry about Anna’s safety. What secrets are they both keeping?
Told from the 3 main characters perspectives in alternative chapters, this was an easy read. There were the inevitable twists and turns and some of these were unbelievable. I felt both Gabe and Susie were very naive and trusting and at times the story was a little predictable
I did however enjoy it and as I said it was an easy to pick up and put down book.

First of all, this book contains a trigger warning for miscarriage. I won’t go into too much detail, but if you would like any more information, please dm me
This book is told from three different viewpoints, Susie, Gabe and Sky.
The chapters were short, snappy and addictive. It was ridiculously hard to put down, despite having to go to work.
Sky is one messed up character. I literally had so many emotions towards her. I felt so sorry for her, so angry at her, disappointed with her, but I think I actually despised her.
Susie was such an irritating and frustrating character. There were so many times whilst reading the book, I literally said out loud “what are you doing?!”
The frustration I had for the characters only made me enjoy the book more, as I really wanted to read on and see which route they take!
The author took us on such a rollercoaster with Sky
It really opened my eyes however, how one little lie can spiral and ruin lives
As with all this authors work that I’ve read, I really did enjoy this book and reading about the dysfunctional family drama
This dark domestic noir and its finest and is highly recommended
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a gifted copy and inviting me to be part of the tour

The child you never knew
knows all your secrets . .

Susie Jukes and her husband Gabe Thompson are successful musicians, she is a singer in a band, he used to be in a band but now writes songs for others. When Susie is contacted on social media by a young girl called Anna, she doesn't dare to believe this could be her baby girl, Sky that she gave up for adoption fifteen years ago, and now Anna is asking for help. Instinctively Susie reaches out to her daughter, but the events that follow could change all their lives forever...

My Darling Daughter is a multi narrated story told mainly by Susie, Gabe and Anna/Sky. It's a tense, rollercoaster ride of a read, with the author covering some very delicate subjects, which he does with integrity and sensitivity. The plot is well crafted, the chapters are short and flow seamlessly, the characters are depicted perfectly. I have to say, as much as I loved how Susie was trying to make up for the last fifteen years, I was inwardly screaming 'you need to have some basic ground rules, woman!' This is a fast paced read, which I was totally invested in from the start, with some interesting twists along the way and kept me wanting to read 'just one more chapter' every time I had to put it down. If you like a story that has you on the edge of your seat with your heart racing throughout, then I highly recommend this.

I'd like to thank Quercus Books and Netgalley for the approval, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

Susie is a happily married, successful music artist whose life is disrupted when her daughter, who she gave up for adoption many years ago, suddenly contacts her out of the blue. We can guess from the title how things will evolve, but nonetheless the subject of fostering, adoption and the surrounding legalities are very well researched and I felt better informed after reading the novel. I would not really classify the book as a ‘thriller’, more a family drama. An entertaining, well-written, page-turner.

Susie Jukes gave her baby daughter up for adoption when she was young and still blames herself years later. Now living with her husband Gabe, and having had several failed pregnancies, she is stunned to be contacted by her 14 year old daughter, Skye.
Skye is in trouble, apparently her adopted family are abusing her and she desperately needs help.
JP Delaney has put some serious research into this book, and has some big concerns about the adoption system and how police and social services deal with young people when they start making accusations. However, as this book veers off into more of a domestic drama/thriller it rather undermines the points she is making. It certainly rattles along but I think her interesting observations get pushed to one side as Skye becomes more out of control and involves herself with more dubious people. I did enjoy it but there seemed to be a more serious book buried under the page turning thriller that JP Delaney is known for. I think I’d like to have read that book.
My thanks to #netgalley and #quercusbooks for sending me this ARC

As an adoptee I read this with some trepidation as the adoptee experience is rarely represented authentically. And it isn’t in this case either. But it does raise the problem of attachment disorder and the damage done by removing a child from its mother.
Nevertheless as a story this grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let up until the last. I devoured it. It is an extreme case and both the biological and adoptive parents make stupid decisions but given the context, they can be understood. Unfortunately there are far too many adoptees who have been subjected to abuse of one kind or another. The author does explain the research that went into this book at the end and the exposé of ‘holding therapy’ was enlightening. It points to the fact that therapies developed without the engagement of those who it is intended to help, should not be practised on children or indeed, anyone. It also illuminates the often ridiculous practices of the social welfare system.

This is another page-turner of a book from JP Delaney and with short chapters so you’ll fly through it. I didn’t feel I particularly engaged with any of the main characters but I was still gripped by the story. Lots of secrets here and some quite questionable behaviour but altogether a great piece of fiction.

This was not one of my favourite books by this Author .,the story is told through the three main characters Susie ,Gabe and Sky. Susie gave up Sky for adoption 15 years ago and now she has contacted her on Social media asking to meet .A decision that nearly destroys her and Gabe .I felt that they were very naive and Sky was not what she seemed .The story is well written and I did prefer the second half .Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC.

This was another strong book by J.P. Delaney and what I particularly like about all of his books is that they're all very different. This book focuses on the difficult relationships that happen after option. It's clearly a very complex situation and one that I probably hadn't thought about in as much detail. The characters were, as always, incredibly detailed and lifelike and I love that everyone has flaws.

What I also really liked about this book is it faced difficult questions about people's past actions and the idea of cancel culture. This added another layer of complexity to the book and made it even more relevant in todays world.

The twist and turns as always kept you on your toes and made it a very enjoyable book to read.

A brilliant read! (4.5 stars rounded up)

Susie has never forgotten her baby Sky whom she had to put up for adoption 15 years ago, so when a girl called Anna gets in touch saying that she is Sky; Susie is elated that she might actually get a second chance with her daughter.

Concerned by things that Anna reveals about her home life with her adoptive family, Susie and her husband Gabe decide to try and help Anna. Big mistake! What on earth have they invited into their home? 😬

What a great read this was! I have to say I love a psychotic character and this book serves up one in the shape of a 15-year-old 🤣 I can’t quite believe some of the things that happened in this story, it’s quite scary to think someone so young could be so clever and conniving.

Susie is a sweet character who’s clearly learnt from her past mistakes and wants to make amends and do the right thing, but jeez I wanted to shake her a few times! I think her guilt from giving up Sky as a baby meant she couldn’t possibly reject her again now, but she’s a stronger woman than me, I’d have sent the girl packing after some of the things she did! Also, how Gabe didn’t lose his s**t more than he did, I do not know!

What a rollercoaster ride Anna/Sky takes everyone on! Whilst a lot of what happens is totally crazy and entertains us as the reader, It is also quite thought-provoking as some of the issues Anna/Sky had are a real thing, so potentially could happen in real life! It highlights the importance of giving the correct help and support to children who are fostered or adopted.

Whilst this isn’t a book full of twists it is certainly one full of shockers! The story is multi-narrated, which I enjoyed as you get to read from more than one perspective. The only slight negative I’d say is that the end felt slightly rushed for me. I had 16 minutes left to read on my kindle and I still had no idea how everything was going to wrap up. Having said that I really liked the ending and would happily read about these characters again in another book!

Full of secrets and lies and one crazy ass teenager! I definitely recommend giving this one a go!

Thank you to JP Delaney, Quercus and NetGalley for my copy of this book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the chance to read this arc.

This book was superb . I just couldn't put it down . Highly recommended thrilling to the end. 5 ✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️