The Adopted Daughter by J.J. Burgess
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 8th August 2023
Published: 6th August 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
She says she’s his daughter. But what does she really want?
Alice and Richard are happily married and about to achieve their lifelong dream – giving up their jobs to sail around the Mediterranean on their own boat.
But shortly before they are due to leave, a young woman, Sally, appears on their doorstep and says she is Richard’s daughter, given up for adoption by his former lover.
After he gets over the shock, Richard is welcoming to Sally, but Alice is unsettled. Discovering that Richard is a father is a painful reminder of her own desire for a family and her inability to conceive.
But is this what makes her wary of Sally, or is her intuition trying to warn her that something much darker is happening here?
When one suspicious incident follows another, Alice starts to dig into who Sally really is and why she has suddenly come into their lives. What she finds is something she could never have imagined in her wildest nightmares…
MY THOUGHTS:
She says she’s his daughter. But what does she really want?
Wellll...this is NOT the Bristol Lizzie Lane writes about...lol But boy, is it ever entertaining?!
Alice and Richard have been happily together for the past twenty years and are about to embark on their dream to sail around the Mediterranean for the next few years. They both took early retirement from their jobs at Bristol University and have just celebrated Richard's leaving do. With just over a week before they are due to leave, the couple are counting down until their new lives begin.
The following morning, as the couple are packing the doorbell rings, presenting a young woman named Sally who purports to be Richard's daughter from a fling he had with a previous lab assistant. Alice is immediately suspicious particularly when Richard uncovers some disturbing information about Sally. And the more she digs, the more unsettled she becomes. Because what she uncovers she would never have imagined happening in her wildest dreams. Who is Sally and what does she really want with them?
I really can't say much more without revealing spoilers but one thing is for certain - Richard is hiding a lot of secrets but Alice is not to be outdone either. It soon becomes clear about halfway through the direction the story is taking and where each person's loyalties lay. Part two is a little repetitive in its retelling of the same scenarios but through slightly different eyes...and it is very revealing.
It's hard to review this book...seriously. Let's just say it's a little less to do about an adopted daughter than we all first thought, and more about...well, I'll leave you to discover what. But you will totally love to hate Richard. The guy is a snake. And Alice? Well, she was a surprise and she will have you cheering her on as she learns to sail and uncovers the truth about Sally and thensome. I was totally invested in where this tale was going. I wanted to see Alice sail into the sunset and reach the Mediterranean. And I couldn't wait to see how it all unfolded.
But...and it is a big but. The ending. It just sort of petered out. The last two chapters (when I look back on it) just felt like fillers, fluffed out to make the word count. I felt a little deflated by the ending and it's for that reason I've totally dropped a star from my rating because aside from that, up until the end, it was totally going to be a 5 star read. But I was disappointed by the ending. Still, it was a good solid and entertaining ride that was fast paced throughout.
I would like to thank #JJBurgess, #Netgalley, #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #TheAdoptedDaughter in exchange for an honest review.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
When he isn’t writing, he is usually running through the woods around Bristol, thinking of new characters and dark plots.
This is his second psychological thriller with Inkubator Books.
Social media links:
Twitter | Goodreads
Thank you so much for kicking off the tour today with this fab review x
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