A KINDERGARDEN teacher with a drinking problem, a psychologist in over her head could not have less on common, apart from one thing – their recently deceased father.

Mickey is a dedicated educator, devoted to her students, a perfect example of a teacher in every way but one. It is the end of a school day coming up to the Christmas holidays, and she is waiting with the last of the kids in her care to be collected. Her principal has told her to call the authorities if his mother doesn’t arrive in the next half hour, but Mickey knows that that could cause open a major can of worms for the little boy’s family.

Instead, she makes the rash decision to drive him home herself, going against school policy, a choice made not only out of a sense of responsibility to her student, but under the influence of a motivating gulp of vodka, swilled in secret in the school’s toilet facilities.

Meanwhile, therapist Arlo is grappling with the death of her father. His carer in the last months of his life, Arlo is devasted by her loss. She is also just emerging from a temporary suspension from her job, while an investigation into her practices takes place.

While Arlo is grappling with her grief, Mickey’s is kept at arm’s length. She is Arlo’s older half-sister, estranged from their father since she was seven years old. He walked out on Mickey and her mother and never returned, and upon meeting Arlo’s mother began a new family and a successful business, leaving an inheritance of over five million dollars behind.

It is no spoiler to reveal that all the money is bequeathed to Mickey, leaving a stunned Arlo with nothing to show for her devotion. Mickey is unsure what to do with this windfall which comes with a catch – she must complete ten sessions of therapy before receiving it. At first, she wants nothing to do with it, but is then encouraged by her father’s estate lawyer to give it a go.

In a twist that will surprise no one – and isn’t exactly intended to – Mickey has been signed up to receive her therapy from a newly re-instated Arlo. With neither having met before and both going by nicknames and having different surnames, they are both unaware of each other’s true identities. It’s more plausible than it sounds and is really only a small part of the story, which is mostly concerned with generational trauma, relationships and addiction.

Told from both sisters’ alternate points of view, the denial of each of their problems and unravelling of their lives and realities as they know them comes to the fore. Mickey convinces herself that her drinking is normal, even though it is far from it, as apparent from the very beginning.

Arlo loves the problem-solving aspect of her profession but her moral commitment to it is coming more ambiguous. When the pair begins their sessions, an interesting dynamic appears, both from the development of the characters, including their dawning introspection, but also from a narrative perspective.

The first-person shifts from one character to the other, revealing the opinions of one another over the lines of questioning, as well as the conflicting rating of the atmospheric temperature of the room. It is a good device that works well.

Tone wise, it reminded me of a Lianne Moriarty novel with added bite. Moriarty has made a career out of deftly exploring domestic dramas in a signature witty, generally unsentimental voice and Canadian writer Morgan Dick comes hot on her heels with this impressive debut.

While it is very much the story of Mickey and Arlo, the supporting characters are more fleshed out than strictly needed. There is Mickey’s self-assured neighbour, the lawyer whose presence and influence grows as the book goes on and the family of Mickey’s student, which plays a substantial part in her journey towards recovery. While both sisters tumble towards rock bottom, they catch glimpses of the support and opportunity that is right in front of their eyes. A darkly funny and heart-wrenching read, surprising, hopeful and raw, like its protagonist Favourite Daughter isn’t perfect, but its writer’s potential is clear to see.

This book follows two sisters in the wake of their alcoholic father dying. You see both sisters dealing with complex feelings about him and each other, whilst also dealing with their individual feelings. The story itself was very slow and I did feel myself losing interest several times.

Hmmmm..... this one is so tough for me. I really loved the sound of it and was looking forward to reading it, but I found it pretty difficult to read. Slow to get going with no relatable characters, plus I was constantly thinking something else was about to happen. Disappointing sadly

A compelling contemporary fiction novel that explores the complex dynamics between two half-sisters, Mickey and Arlo, who have never met. Narrated through dual points of view, the story allows readers to intimately understand both characters. Mickey's life has been marked by abandonment and isolation, while Arlo has struggled with her father's vices despite a more secure upbringing. The portrayal of alcoholism and its impact on both sisters is particularly poignant.

As therapy sessions progress, Mickey and Arlo's relationship evolves from professional to deeply personal, leading to revelations that challenge their perceptions and force them to confront their shared past. The emotional journey is heart-wrenching, especially as they grapple with their father's control over their lives.

While the story is engaging and the characters well-developed, some moral issues and plot points may feel slightly implausible, which might detract from the overall believability for some readers. Despite this, its a thought-provoking read that explores themes of family, forgiveness, and self-worth.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishing house for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The story of Mickey and Arlo wasn’t as ‘darkly funny’ as I expected and I’m glad of it. There wasn’t exactly too much fun in the lives of the two sisters. Mickey, who was left by her father at the age of seven, and Arlo, who nursed her father in his last months, bot have different thoughts and feelings for him. Although he was an alcoholic, Mickey still remembers him as the father who read her stories and took her to fun places. Arlo remembers him as the alcoholic who build an imperium and taught her valuable lessons – at least that’s what she believes.
Both sisters are in for a big surprise when Mickey is left a lot – and I mean a lot – of money although this has to be kept a surprise for both of them till a later stage. Mickey is a very dedicated kindergarten teacher and Arlo became a psychotherapist but during the story they both have to really think about the choices they made in life. Mickey even more than Arlo because Mickey is an alcoholic too. A real one, and not just one of those young women who drink too much in the weekend. It was very painful to read how Mickey tried to fight her illness and it was also rather painful to read how Arlo was fighting her own demons.
An original story with good, although not very sympathetic characters and sometimes a bit slow, but a very enjoyable debut.

I wanted to enjoy this but I'm not sure I did! the premise was good, it had the potential for a brilliant story, but there were no likeable characters and there were elements of the story that I thought were completely unnecessary. Readable but disappointing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a great read and I enjoyed it. Mickey and Arlo are both sympathetic characters and I was intrigued to see how the story would go. Parts of it are really dry and funny - laugh aloud funny - be careful if you read it on the bus or train. I especially liked the first therapy session when we see the session from each point of view with the women actually having similar reactions and using similar language in their heads - we know who they are but they don't. Even the descriptions of the Dad's alcoholism are darkly funny and some of the situations Arlo remembers him getting into turn out to have been replicated by Mickey.

Arlo starts to remember/admit to herself things about her Daddy, that make her realise he was not the perfect Daddy she insists to herself that he was. This is very well done, quite moving and again, darkly funny.

As is befitting a book about therapy, Mickey, Arlo and even Tom find things out about themselves and try to resolve or at least manage their issues.. Read the book to find out to what extent, if at all, they succeed!

I felt that the characters were realistically drawn, their problems and issues are believable and their interactions are authentic. The pace is good, the minor characters contribute to the story and I liked the ending.

This darkly funny debut throws you headfirst into the messy lives of half-sisters Mickey and Arlo, who are strangers until their problematic father's death. Mickey, abandoned years ago and harbouring a deep-seated resentment, is stunned to inherit his fortune - with the bizarre condition that she attends therapy sessions. Unbeknownst to her, the psychologist her father handpicked is her own half-sister, Arlo. Arlo, who devoted herself to her father in his final days, is blindsided to discover she's been cut out of the will. Determined to uncover the truth, she agrees to treat Mickey, unaware of their familial connection.
What unfolds is a compellingly awkward dance between therapist and patient, two unlikeable yet undeniably watchable women circling each other. Mickey is a trainwreck you can't look away from - a flawed kindergarten teacher with a seemingly good heart constantly sabotaging her own life. Arlo, on the other hand, feels almost too perfect, her curiosity about the will outweighing any apparent anger.
While the concept is intriguing and the plot moves swiftly, the sheer number of coincidental character connections felt a little too convenient. The lawyer, a particularly unsavory character dabbling in both meditation and dubious dealings, and a potential romance with a student's uncle add layers that the novel doesn't fully explore. Despite these sprawling threads, the sharp dialogue and raw emotions kept me hooked, even if I didn't particularly root for anyone. This is a book with a promising premise and enough dark humour to keep you turning the pages, even if you find yourself observing the chaos from a distance.

So this book started with a kid named Ian, which was kind of confusing because as far as I am aware there are no children named Ian in Britain, only men over 50.

Jokes aside I really enjoyed Favourite Daughter. It is a fun, lighthearted read with an interesting storyline. I really liked that the chapters are split between the daughters, so we see their dual personalities and the way they have grown up with/without their father and without each other. For Mickey life has been tough and she’s always been with just her mother, apart from a few years her dad was around, but he was a drunk. For Arlo, it seems Perfect Dad has always been around. Their livelihoods shape them into who they become as young women, and how one mans will suddenly throws them unexpectedly together.

The sisters are completely different. Mickey is humble, frightened, Arlo is privileged and pretty insufferable. It makes for a great parallel as the book goes on, both sisters seem to unravel after the news of their father’s death and the reading of the will. The book builds towards a car crash style catastrophic event, and eventually it becomes pretty clear that their father has not only messed up Mickey, but Arlo and her mother have their own demons.

The story line with the lawyer was kind of weird and felt forced, like he was really just a filler character for plot gaps?

Kindergarten teacher Mickey finds out about her estranged father’s death in the obituary in the newspaper.
She finds he’s left her a substantial inheritance, but wants her have 7 sessions with a therapist before she can access the money.

Her half sister Arlo nursed her beloved father to his last only to find out that she has been cut out of his will.

The two sisters are in for more shocks and are forced to face some home truths as they deal with the aftermath of their father’s death.

An emotional and well written book that kept me engrossed to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy to review.

Mickey's father deserted her and her mum many years ago leaving them destitute and in debt. He moved on,got married ,had a daughter,Arlo and made a fortune. All that didn't stop him being an alcoholic who needed people to clear up after him and put up with his abusive behavior.

Mickey's father has died and he has left her his fortune. Arlo's father has died and he has deleted her from his will.
I did really enjoy this book although it's not a bundle of laughs. The two women in the story don't realise how alike they both are and how they both have suffered damage at the hands of their father. The book shows us how an alcoholics behaviour affects his whole family and has long lasting damage.
No more spoilers. This is an interesting book and it's hard to put it down.

Favourite Daughter by Morgan Dick

Mickey and Arlo are half sisters from their dad's two marriages. When their dad dies, he leaves his fortune to Mickey on the condition that she attends therapy... with psychologist Arlo! He leaves Arlo nothing, despite the fact that she nursed him to the end, and despite the fact that he had no real relationship with Mickey!

I loved everything about this book. The characters, the issues it deals with, the humour despite the grief and the terrible behaviour of the dad... everything! I couldn't put it down and could imagine it as a Netflix series as it was so vivid. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

ARC REVIEW - FAVOURITE DAUGHTER BY MORGAN DICK

"It isn't my fault that I'm like this but it's my job to get better"

Firstly, I can't believe it's a debut, it's impeccably written, touching so sensitively but accurately on raw and taboo subjects.
So, let's get into it. Mickey is an alcoholic kindergarten teacher in denial. Estranged from both her parents, her father when she was a little girl and her mother some years later when she couldn't cope with the toxicity Mickey brought to her life. Mickey's life remains toxic. Alcohol fuelled drama, along with isolation from everyone except her drinking buddy neighbour. Mickey learns from the newspaper obituary that her father has died. Drowning any possible feelings that might surface with this news in the bottom of a vodka bottle, Mickey then discovers that he's left her alot of money, over 5 million dollars. However, her inheritance comes with conditions.
Arlo is Mickey's half sister although the two have never met. Working as a psychologist, she soon learns that the father she regarded so highly, nursed to his death and covered up many of his own alcohol fuelled mistakes, has been left nothing. This uncovers feelings for Arlo that her father did not always deserve to be placed so highly on the pedestal she saved just for him.
No spoilers here, but this book is as raw and real as they come. Morgan has clearly researched these topics or has had some sort of encounter with them as the relatable accuracy is immaculately served to us with expertly crafted characters and feeling.
The denial Mickey displays with her addiction does not over shadow her deep passion for her job. We are witness early on to the devotion she
has for the children in her class, even though one might wonder how the two can safely and adequately mix.
Tackling the issue so sensitively of abandonment, Morgan displays the generational curse so often handed down to children of addicts but also flips the script and shows us, as with Arlo, that this is not always the case. Abuse, addiction, grief, abandonment, validation, trauma, this book has it all & I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy.

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ is not enough.

This was a fun read! Two sisters who are complete strangers, unknowingly brought together by their shared father after his death. It deals with some pretty deep content (addiction, poor mental health, grief, complex family dynamics) in a way that doesn’t feel preachy or too dark. Most of the characters are chaotic but quite likeable, the storyline moves along at a good pace so it’s very easily readable, it’s definitely worth the read!

A story of two sisters who don ot know each other, both grew up in widely differing home lives and are so different. The story deals with so many emotions in a very clever way, death of a parent, addiction, alcoholism, mental health issues to name just a few. The story is full of humour at the same time as dealing wih these serious issues and has a good pace. I did not particularly like the characters or identify with them but they were very well described. I loved the way that the sisters and their family and friends were so well intertwined. A book that I did not want to put down as I wanted to know the final outcomes of all the issues that had been discussed in the story.

I loved this book 🥺

Mickey & Arlo, half sisters but with completely different upbringings. One being daddy’s little girl and the other spiralling out of control after being abandoned by him when young. They are unknowingly threw together as part of their dad’s dying wish despite not knowing each other, spoken or met. Arlo being his daughter who looked after him on his final days and devoting her life to him learns she is no longer part of his will. And Mickey, who has been granted a whole chunk of money as long as she goes to therapy. The therapist being Arlo. They meet, get under each other’s skin and work through their lives despite not knowing the half of it.

This book is a special one and I feel like it will be for a lot of people. Mental health is a recurring theme throughout and shown in many different ways. As a reader, I felt like I was really put into the shoes of the characters and that their struggles were also mine. There’s some happy times, devastating times, emotional and some questionable choices in the characters come across, but I feel like it really touches on the seriousness of how mental health can be. A story of chaos, love, demons, moral dilemmas that is full of raw emotion and honesty.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin UK for the opportunity to read this brilliant book!

Brilliantly chaotic, totally absurd yet very readable. The depiction of addiction was spot on and the characters annoyingly likeable in a weird way.

I will admit I struggled with this book but it may have been because I haven't read a book like this in a long time. It was a nice story about 2 sisters who didn't know each other and alot of other subjects I.e death of a parent and alcoholism and how their problems brought them closer.

“Eventually they reached a place where the path turned boggy, a mire of roots and muck, and they clung to each other to get through.”

Arlo and Mickey are half-sisters who have never met, sharing a father who caused them both damage in different ways. Their father did damage to Mickey with his absence, having abandoned her and her mother when Mickey was a young child, and to Arlo with his presence, relying on Arlo to quite literally clean up all of his messes all while she placed him on a pedestal. He casts one final blow upon his death by removing Arlo from his will and giving the $2.5m instead to Mickey, on the manipulative proviso that she completes seven sessions of therapy first. Mickey is no stranger to constant self-help attempts so sees this as a minor hurdle but there’s just one small hiccup - the therapist in question is Arlo, with neither sister recognising the other when Mickey first steps through the doors of the office.

Favourite Daughter explores a lot of really important themes; addiction, mental health, multigenerational dysfunction and trauma, and also found family. While Arlo and Mickey, and indeed their respective mothers, were all deeply unlikeable and flawed characters, they were easy to feel sympathy towards at parts. Favourite Daughter was really compelling at parts, witty and a really interesting premise however sometimes it felt quite jolty and seemed to jump around quickly. However it is a debut and a pretty solid debut at that and one I devoured in a couple of sittings. Overall I would say this one was a 3.5 to me! Thanks to Penguin/Viking and Netgalley for the advanced readers copy of this one.

Drama and bittersweet sadness in a 'hidden identity' emotional family crisis.

4.5 stars

This all started with one man, who has died before the story begins. Father to two girls by two mothers, years apart, an alcoholic, but remembered fondly by each girl, now grown.

But the father's effect on both their lives becomes ever more obvious as the plot unwinds. The plot is contrived, but has to be to have the two meet without knowledge of the identity of the other, to allow us to see the differences and how the same man has had almost two completely different lives.

Mickey's father has just died and left her 5 million. But only if she goes to see a therapist. Fuming at this, decades after he left her and her mother with debt, the secretly-alcoholic kindergarten teacher resolves to go through with it.

Arlo's father has also just died. She spent months nursing him before his alcohol-fuelled demise. Never having wanted for anything, her father had made money and lavished it on her and her brand-covered mother. Arlo had wanted to be the psychologist she now is since the age of 10. And now she has a new patient. And found out she's been taken out of her father's will, for someone else.

The stage is set for therapy sessions that the reader anticipates. Much comes out about both the half-sisters, their father and how his parenting has affected them from childhood to adulthood, in different ways - though not always so different.

I found the portrayal of Mickey's relationship with alcohol realistic, it felt the author knew what this might be like, it was upsetting to see a dedicated teacher of young children putting herself in this position and unable to stop herself.

Eventually of course, we expect the sisters to find out who the other is. But what will happen when they do, with a doctor-patient relationship, $5 million in the mix and two mothers both grieving/reeling?

Unusual premise, but I did like the delving into the psyches of both women. With a few helpful forays into friendships and mother-daughter relationships with both mums and a charismatic neighbour of Mickey's providing lighter moments and insight.

There are also two male characters, both potential will-they-won't-they love interests as well as professional/parenting storylines that bulk the book out with subplots that fit well into the main narrative. I liked them both, to be honest.

This felt quite honest and did keep me reading - I needed to know how the sisters would eventually reconcile or otherwise.

Interesting plot and one for fans of delving into psychology.

With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample reading copy.