Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Good Daughter

˚✧⁀➷ 4 stars

this is one of the hardest reads i’ve had in a long time. karin slaughter does not hold back any gory details in this tragic story about two sisters. one ran and one got left behind.

sam and charlie are both such complex characters, learning about their trauma page after page was so gut wrenching. the entire story had me hooked, although i will admit that i was far more invested in charlie and sam’s backstory and dynamic than i was about the mystery subplot involving kelly and the school shooting. the reveal for that one was quite underwhelming and i still felt really bad for kelly. however the other reveal caught me completely off guard.

to find out who huck really was and the role he played in their tragedy came as an absolute shock to me.

i don’t normally read a lot of mystery/thrillers, but I really enjoyed this book! i want to read more of slaughter’s work, but definitely not anytime soon.

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juniorgoldengirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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jesscoast's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Another complex, meticulous, layered mystery from Slaughter. Though her books can be a little "American patriotism propaganda" I've come back to her writing a few times because I know i can rely on her for smart, female centred mysteries that resolve satisfyingly. The storylines form a tapestry of the complicated lives and intertwined lives in small town America. This was no different. Though I'd hesitate to recommend it widely, it was a compelling read that kept me guessing, with twists around every corner.

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bobinsbooknook's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book felt so difficult to rate as there is just so much to process whilst reading. A much heavier book than I had initially thought and very much an ‘everything-but-the-kitchen-sink’ type story so definitively check the content warnings if you’re looking to read.

Karin has done a fantastic job at setting the darkness and raw emotions throughout the story with some fantastic characters. The relationship dynamic between the sisters Charlie & Sam and how we can see them develop as people from their respective trauma.

There was a lot to unpack throughout the story which did make it tricky at times to follow as an audio book. I think where the book falls slightly short, is that by trying to balance so many heavy themes

E.g. School Shootings, Rape, Murder, miscarriages and Suicide

that it becomes over saturated and leaves a sense of numbness to some of the shock value these moments perhaps were meant to deliver. Ben

Whilst I did enjoy this book in various ways, I am not sure I’d read this again just for how heavy the book was but will be looking to listen to the shorter prequel as I did enjoy the writing style.

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rsagarin's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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