Daughter
Kate McLaughlin
Synopsis: Scarlet’s life is pretty average. Overly protective mom. Great friends. Cute boy she’s interested in. And a father she’s never known – until she does.
When the FBI show up at Scarlet’s door, she is shocked to learn her father is infamous serial killer Jeffrey Robert Lake. And now, he’s dying and will only give the names and locations of his remaining victims to the one person, the daughter he hasn’t seen since she was a baby.
Scarlet’s mother has tried to protect her from Lake’s horrifying legacy, but there’s no way they can escape the media firestorm that erupts when they come out of hiding. Or the people who blame Scarlet for her father’s choices. When trying to do the right thing puts her life in danger, Scarlet is faced with a choice – go back into hiding or make the world see her as more than a monster’s daughter.
My Rating: 3.5 stars – rounded up to 4 stars.
cover 2; characters 4; plot 3; pace 4; writing 3; enjoyment 4; cry*
My Review: DAUGHTER was not exactly what I was expecting. I was expecting more of a mystery/thriller vibe based off of the description. And while there was definitely murdery aspects, it felt more of a romance/coming of age story about a teenager girl (and her mom) finding herself and learning how to overcome a really tragic family history.
I liked it. It definitely hit me in the feel quite a few times (I lost count of how many times I cried), seeing the interactions between the daughter of a serial killer and the families of the victims was just this deep dive into the way people work. Which I think is part of the reason why people can be so obsessed with serial killers in the first place.
This would have rated higher, but that cover is an utter atrocity.
I do recommend this if you like that deep dive into the inner workings of the human condition and are okay with the teenage drama/romance aspect as well.
I received an eARC of this book via Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To see more reviews & purchase links, check this book out on Goodreads.
To see more of my reviews, head over to the reviews page on my website.