Friday 31 July 2015

Book Review - A Daughter's Secret by Eleanor Moran

Amazon UK
Title: A Daughter's Secret
Author: Eleanor Moran
Format reviewed: Ebook
Source: Netgalley
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Publication Date: 30th July 2015
Rating: 4 Stars


Mia is a high-flying child psychotherapist, hoping to be made partner in the thriving practice where she works. But then she takes on a case which will change her life for ever, and bring back the past she has done her best to bury. 

Thirteen year old Gemma was the last person to see her father before he went on the run, fleeing from a major criminal trial. The police are desperate to track him down, pressuring Mia to tease the information out of his angry and reluctant daughter. But what does Gemma really know and how hard can Mia push without betraying her?

Both are hiding devastating secrets. Both need the other to survive. Will they learn to trust each other before it's too late?

There seemed to be almost three stories going on simultaneously in this book. Mia's present day with her current romantic involvements, Mia's past going from childhood until late teens, shown to us in small segments, explaining her troubled relationship with her own father, and then Gemma, Mia's latest 13 year old patient. 

Gemma, is potentially the key witness in a criminal case, where she is the last person to have seen her father before he disappeared. In her therapy sessions with Mia, we see one confused and angry child, who may or may not know the truth. 

Mia in her dealings with Gemma, has to confront her own past issues, and it soon becomes apparent that the professional boundaries between Mia and Gemma are conflicted, and possibly crossed. It seems as though they bond on an emotional level that I'm not sure I fully understood, and were using their sessions as a crutch almost. 

The insights into Mia's own childhood were fascinating, and made me feel very sorry for her, especially with her relationships to Lorcan and Jim. 

It is the present day current up to date Mia's story that I also really enjoyed, as she tries to make a go of things with her current boyfriend, but not everything happens as it should. 

I found A Daughter's Secret to be an interesting story,  but at times I felt slightly confused by it all. I think the premise of the book was amazing and carried it quite well, and the whole way through my main thoughts was what does Gemma really know, and will she tell anyone. 

The book is leading up to an emotional finale, one that I definitely wouldn't have been able to predict, occurring as it did.  I really enjoyed A Daughter's Secret, and think it is definitely worth a read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this review copy. This was my honest review. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...