My Darling Girl

By: Jennifer McMahon

Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Kitty Hendrix

Length: 10 hrs and 12 mins

Publisher's summary

The New York Times bestselling author of the “otherworldly treat” (People) The Drowning Kind and The Children on the Hill returns with a spine-tingling psychological thriller about a woman who, after taking in her dying, alcoholic mother, begins to suspect demonic possession is haunting her family.

Alison has never been a fan of Christmas. But with it right around the corner and her husband busily decorating their cozy Vermont home, she has no choice but to face it. Then she gets the call.

Mavis, Alison’s estranged mother, has been diagnosed with cancer and has only weeks to live. She wants to spend her remaining days with her daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters. But Alison grew up with her mother’s alcoholism and violent abuse and is reluctant to unearth these traumatic memories. Still, she eventually agrees to take in Mavis, hoping that she and her mother could finally heal and have the relationship she’s always dreamed of.

But when mysterious and otherworldly things start happening upon Mavis’s arrival, Alison begins to suspect her mother is not quite who she seems. And as the holiday festivities turn into a nightmare, she must confront just how far she is willing to go to protect her family.

©2023 Jennifer McMahon (P)2023 Simon & Schuster Audio

Demonic Grandma Thriller

IF YOU LOVE - Insidious, The Skeleton Key, Hereditary, Relic, Flowers in the Attic - you might like this.

OVERALL - 4/5, i dont think i would revisit this, but it is a suspenseful read and pulls you into its world. would probably recommend to thriller fans, not horror though.

horror - 2/5, definitely not a horror book. there are disturbing moments and the author does an incredible job building tension but its not "scary" so to speak.

characters - i enjoyed the main character for the most part. sometimes it was frustrating as events unfolded and you want to yell out "just communicate, tell the truth!" but thats kind of the point. the family members had their moments but were lovable and generally realistic. hard pass on the demon grandma though.

spice - 0/5, not a mention of anything spicy and thats perfectly okay. it works for some stories but this plot is driven by other factors and spice would have thrown that off.

plot - 5/5, now i know what you're thinking, how is the plot 5/5 but i have it overall at a 4/5. the plot, while not completely unique was a great premise. the book explores mother/daughter relationships and their intricacies, these kind of cyclical or hereditary issues. the lack of outward horror ( in what is being promoted to readers as a horror novel ) i can ignore for this horrible looming sense of unease. i can appreciate a subtle approach and that the horror is in this gradual descent into madness. i have a problem with the lack of resolution. unless this is meant to be a series, authors please give your readers a conclusion. you have as many pages as you would like to resolve the conflict, i don't feel like having questions about the ending (and not philosophical questions about the meaning of life, i mean actual questions about the characters and the story after you finish the last page). its juvenile and cliffhanger horror/suspense happens way too often for this to be a "unique touch" from the author. ruined the aspect of a reread for me, but for anybody that this doesn't bother i would say its worth your time.

narrator - 5/5 both narrators, though we spend more time with the main character, did a fantastic job.

Jennifer delivers

I love all her books and this one did not disappoint good twists and interesting characters

Loved it!

No spoilers, but the ending was great! Will definitely search out more titles by this author.

Fantastic!

Gripping and spooky! One of my favorite Jennifer McMahon books to date. This book will leave you feeling unsettled and on edge! Great ending as well.

was not for me

I found this book very annoying. The characters frustrating and unlikable. I almost didn't even bother finishing it.

Did not disappoint!

I've read several of this author's books and I've really enjoyed all of them! This one was right on par with the others. I loved the characters and the Narration was fantastic. Started off a tad slow, but once it picked up I couldn't stop reading. Loved the twist at the end. Highly recommend!

Not a favorite

Not sure what I didn’t like. Just glad it’s over. Maybe the narration. Too much focus on younger daughter in the beginning.

Creepy and scary!

I love the author and she didn’t disappoint with this one. Great book and narration.

I did t want this to end! Loved this so much !!

Not what I expected and so enjoyable. Im going to search for more books by this author !

One of Her Scariest Plots Yet

This book has you guessing until the very end. Its characters and events are somehow so realistic despite the unexpected turns they take. I was scared every step of the way, and I rooted for the main character Allison more than any other character in Jennifer McMahon’s books.