My Daughter's Revenge
By: Natalia Simmonds
Pub Date: 8/14/24

Stars: 4
Synopsis: Nothing like a good revenge plot after heartbreak, Amiright? And what lengths will a mother go to protect her daughter? This dual POV between Leah (daughter) and Jules (mom) was interesting. Reading the alternating views on various events was so fun and had me constantly re-evaluating my feelings.
Format: Audiobook (Loved the Narrator…I would listen to anything from this Narrator)
Review: Oh, how I love a suspenseful thriller. This book hooked me early, and I greedily devoured every twist and turn. I am always first in line for lies, deception, and naughty behavior.
Pros: Starts with a bang, and the twists keep coming. I loved this read, and honestly, this mother-daughter duo is SOMETHING ELSE!!!! A wild ride.
Favorites Moments: LOVED the Kandid "true confessions" app…reminded me of Whisper, and I always find that space so intriguing.
Recommend (Yes/No/Maybe): Yes! I will be adding this author to my list to look for…I need more.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for allowing me to review the title.

This review is for the audio version. I found this book to be exasperating. It could have been half as long if the redundancies were cut. The characters made the dumbest illogical and unlikely decisions all seemingly driven by the need for sex, attention, greed and revenge. I'm no prude but I don't know anyone who thinks about sex as much as these people. There were a few unexpected twists which saved it from being a total flop, but it barely cancels out the annoying and unlikeable characters. The narrators did a good job...I think the flaws are with the writing. My thanks to the publisher for providing the audiobook for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Absolutely brilliant story!

"His death is reported on the morning news. The man my daughter’s been dating. Dead. Gone…" I was sold on the story just from this one sentence. I went into it with zero expectations and just let the author take me away and control the narrative of my thoughts; I really enjoyed it! The story makes you feel what the characters feel, makes you question everything, and makes you sympathize (even if it's a tiny bit) with the actions of mother and daughter. The dual POV was executed brilliantly by the two narrators! A well-written book that I highly recommend and I HIGHLY suggest you go into it blindly to not be swayed by the reviews beforehand.

Huge thank you to the author, Netgalley and Bookouture for accepting my request to review the book in advance. I will be picking up Natali's other book now too.

My Daughter’s Revenge started out as this delectable popcorn thriller. I enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed the predictability, because the writing was crisp. But then, oh then, comes the twist and I audibly gasped. It was so unexpected and so, so good! The author led us around this metaphorical trail and we lap it up, until suddenly we veer off a cliff. It was brilliant. I had such a blast with this book!

Leah is enamored with a man who breaks her heart. Her mom, Jules, is disillusioned with her marriage, job, and life. The path both of these women are on will have you on the edge of your seat in this revenge thriller. I don’t want to add anymore of the plot that’s that bc I think it’s best to go in with only that little bit and be blown away by the rest.

This story is told in dual POVs from the mother and daughter. There were many great twists, most of which I didn’t get ahead of time. The characters had me yelling at them at times, but glad they weren’t listening because it made for a more interesting story. It did have a little more spice that I like in a thriller. The narrators did an excellent job!

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture audio for the advanced audio copy of this book!

Secrets and lies are the name of the game in My Daughter's Revenge. This book centers around a mother and daughter, the secrets they have, their feelings, their need to feel love, and their feelings about being betrayed.

Jules is the mother and has been married to her husband for quite some time. She feels that they are going through the emotions, and he has been distant a lot lately even staying out all night after drinks with work colleagues. Leah is Julies' teenage daughter. She is growing up and keeping secrets from her parents. One of those secrets involves a much older man.

This book looks at marriages, relationships, obsession, jealousy, lying, revenge, hurt, friendship, and betrayal. This psychological thriller does a good job at showing the vulnerabilities in people, the dysfunction in others, and the nastiness in others. The author also did a fine job showing both Jules and Leah's thoughts, feelings, and emotions.

I found the plot to be intriguing but wished the book had moved at a slightly faster pace. Some parts felt slow, and I wondered when things were ever going to pick up. But I was patient, and my patience paid off. Things ramp out toward the end of the book, and everything does come together.

*I listened to audiobook and thought that the narrators did a fantastic job.

This is my first book by Natalie Simmonds, and I look forward to reading more of her work.

This was outstanding! I’m a bit mind blown.

A disturbing domestic thriller, I was absolutely gripped. The dual telling of the story from both mother and daughter was super smart. The majority of the story is really the build up to the blurb, but the unfolding events have you completely riveted in a way that almost makes you forget that fact.

A blow by blow shocking storyline with killer twists that I did not see coming, and a phenomenal jaw drop ending!

The dual narration by Izzy Meikle-Small and Claire Storey was amazing, both added drama suspense and believability.

My thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ELC.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrators were amazing! The book was easy to listen to and it held my interest from beginning to end. I loved all the twists and turns. Highly recommend this one!

A spicy revenge thriller with plenty of twists and turns to maintain interest throughout.
Lies, manipulation, secrets, drugs, obsessions and family dynamics are all key themes in this slow burning thriller which was very well narrated.
I am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this enjoyable audiobook.

Last year I read this authors debut novel Good Girls Die Last which I thought was brilliant. So when i heard there was a second book I couldn’t wait to read it. And this one is even better. From the start I was completely and utterly gripped and after only a few chapters I knew this was going to be a five star read for me. I just love when a book completely pulls you right in from the first chapter and this certainly did that for me. Each chapter is told from the perspective of either Jules the mum or her daughter Leah and I found each equally as good to read. A book that is packed with lies and revenge and that ending was one of the best I’ve read in a long time. A brilliant audio book with great narrators .

Title: My Daughter’s Revenge
Author: Natali Simmonds
Format: 🎧
Narrators: Izzy Melkle-Small and Claire Storey
Genre: Family Drama
Publisher: Bookouture Audio
Pub Date: August 14, 2024
My Rating: 3 Stars
Pages: 368

Story is told mainly from the POV of Jules and her daughter seventeen year old Leah.
Jules has been married 25 years and is her later forties. She and her husband Adam have two children- college student Reece and Lolita –oops Leah.

Julies is feeling ‘Old and unappreciated’.. The spark is gone in her marriage, children are ready to move on, and things are so-so at work.
She decides to try having some fun via a ‘dating app. She found she liked the attention as it was flattered when the men were flirting with her.
Daughter Leah believes she is the only virgin in her class and so wants that to change! She also uses a app. She soon is excited about meeting Dylan. (We find out that Dylan is her teacher as well as a jerk.)

The Prologue and this sentence got my attention.
“His death is reported on the morning news.
The man my daughter’s been dating. Dead. Gone…”
Also the blurb . . . . A Totally gripping psychological thriller packed with nail-biting twists’.

Hmmm
I am a big psychological thriller fan and often see promos like this which I take as a challenge.

This was not my typically psychological thriller; but I was curious so hung in there.
On the positive side the narrators both did a great performance of the characters.
The ending was satisfying.


Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for this audiobook.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 14, 2024.

My Daughter’s Revenge was an engaging, psychological thriller. It was filled with twist and terms that kept me listening until the very end.

Sixteen year old Leah looks older than her age. And she is determined that she's had enough of being a virgin. So, the opportunity for a casual hook up at a music festival is something that she has decided to move forward with. What she doesn't expect are the consequences that result from that impulsive decision.

Meanwhile, Leah's mother Jules has problems of her own. An inattentive husband, a rebellious daughter and an absent hedonistic son combine to make her feel utterly redundant in the lives of the people she loves the most.

So when she is given an unexpected opportunity to bond with her daughter, Jules seizes it with both hands - and to hell with the consequences!

This is a compelling, well told story, which effortlessly weaves darker undertones into its moreish storytelling. Well worth checking out for lovers of domestic thrillers in particular, this gets 3.5 stars.

This was definitely my type of book. I love ❤️ when I am hit from every turn with a plot or twist that I didn’t see coming. I loved this book.

This pov actioned packed domestic thriller was a real binge listen. The story felt relatively short. The narration was good it kept me invested in the characters. The story felt very real. The inner monologue of mum kept you hooked as you realised she could be the voice of any mother feeling underapreciated and unloved but determined to protect her daughter.
The burb was cleverly written as it set my expectations to be something different but I eas blown away by the plot. I did gueese bits. Loved the red herrings and the ending was awesome. It blew me away as the dark horse emerged.
Thank you some much to netgallery and publisher and author and narrators for this 5 star listen.

OMG this book is soooo depressing, everyone in it is unhappy Jules thinks her husband doesn't like her any more, Leah her daughter wants love but can be quite unhealthy about it, her husband would rather hang out at his allotment and their son is just mentioned occasionally but he was my favourite character but its hard to pick out anyone likeable as everyone is so dysfunctional through all this I found myself shouting at the book, just talk to your husband, it was so frustrating. The best bit is the ending but it was hard work getting there. So if you like dysfuntional families and unlikeable characters this is the book for you. The only saving grace to this audiobook was the narrators Izzy Meikle-Small (leah) & Claire Storey (Jules) they did a great job with what they had.

3.5 stars! Written in first person, in dual pov (mother and daughter), this book is filled with twists. The narrators are absolutely amazing and I think that’s a big + for this book. I really like the writing style. At times, it was a little predictable but I still enjoyed it and would recommend. What I was missing was the development of the characters, but it was really enjoyable and easy read.

Having just finished my first read by Natali Simmonds, my mind is thinking ‘Wow!’

My Daughter’s Revenge is a book about two women, Mum and Daughter, Jules and Leah. Women who are looking for external validation, women who are not happy in their lives, not comfortable in their own skin.
As the synopsis explains, the book starts with Jules’ realisation that her daughter, Leah, has become involved in a serious situation. She has found herself backed into a corner, to the point where she felt she had no other option. The book then backtracks by 4 weeks, as we learn how the story starts and unfolds.

I’m sure some would consider this to be a slow burn, as the first 60%/70% is spent in laying the foundations, but it is anything but a slow burn for me. We get to know both central characters extremely well, getting inside their minds, learning their fears and fallibilities. With each chapter, the slow burn smoulders, building up the heat and intensity.

Jules feels very authentic. She represents that generation who are sandwiched between the needs of their adolescent children, and the care needs of declining parents. The brunt of which falls firmly on women like Jules. I think many readers will identify with her character. Leah is a classic teenager, trying to be old before her time, rushing to grow up, to show the world how mature she is, but just proving how juvenile she still is.

I listened to the audio version of the book. The narration by Izzy Meikle-Small and Claire Storey was fabulous. The voices were pitched perfectly, the weariness of Jules and the changing emotions of Leah shine through, adding intensity to the well written words.

I can’t say that I’ve read many revenge thrillers, but maybe I should, as this is an absolute fire cracker. It is utterly gripping, impossible to put down. Whatever I was doing, the audiobook was playing, even if that was just a few minutes snatched here and there. I loved this book, it’s a 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ highly recommended read.

How come I never heared of Natali Simmonds before? This book blew my mind!!!
We get to know Jules and her family, mainly Lea, her daughter. I could immediately connect with Jules who has to come to terms with being "middle aged". It is not so much about herself but about the people around her.
She can very well remember the times when she was a teenager, just like her daughter is now.
But this story is not about the whining of a woman. Far from it!!! Just go on a wilde ride with this family and enjoy!
I could not stop listening to the book narrated by zzy Meikle-Small and Claire Storey and flew through it!
Thank you #NetGalley #Bookouture Audio for one of my most favourite books

This book had a lot of twists and turns in it. And even while some of it was easy to say coming I still couldn't wait to see how the story went. I found myself drawn into the character and rooting for the main characters even if maybe I shouldn't have been. I thought I knew how it was going to end and was truly surprised by it and it was just beautifully done. If you're looking for a thriller with a touch of revenge I would highly recommend giving this book a go.