Unbeknownst to them, Mickey and Arlo are half sisters brought together by their father’s death. Poor parenting has impacted on both daughters and their father bizarrely bequeaths his estate to Mickey, the daughter he abandoned to marry Arlo’s mother and hasn’t seen since. Even more bizarrely, to receive her bequest, Mickey must undergo a programme of counselling and the counsellor her father has chosen is Arlo.
This unlikely scenario had comic potential which sadly went unexplored. Instead, ‘Favourite Daughter’ is much more about Mickey’s mental health issues as her professional and personal lives spiral out of control. The author hints at using the novel as a way of coming to terms with her own struggles and I hope she found the process useful. Unfortunately, from a reader’s perspective, it doesn’t make for a satisfying experience. I became increasingly frustrated with the self destructive tendencies of the two main characters whilst the supporting cast consisted of unrealistic stereotypes - the creepy solicitor, the self obsessed mother and the hapless uncle among others. There was a lot of therapy speak and the whole thing seemed increasingly dull - not recommended.

So well written so involving. I really enjoyed the characters from the opening pages to the end .A unique storyline an author I look forward to reading more from.#NetGalley #penguinviking

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s very well written even though most of the characters are unlikeable. I liked how grief was portrayed and also growth. I’m not sure I liked arlo or mickey, and mickey felt more real with edge compared to arlo. I’m glad they found their way back to each other in the end. I found this easy to read despite some heavy moments and like I’ve said before unlikeable characters!

Deliciously chaotic and diabolically brilliant, FAVOURITE DAUGHTER is the story of two women on the brink who find themselves connected by one thing: their father. The problem is, neither of them actually know it. Dick writes with humour, skill and authenticity on many serious topics (death, grief, addiction) and so, manages to deliver a truly page-turning read. An extraordinary debut that everyone should be reading in 2025.

I thought that this was paced really well, I found it an easy read.

There were a LOT of business conduct issues and blurred lines from a professional point of view.
There were a lot of things that irritated me but they’re all spoilers so I’ll keep them off of here.

This was a good look at addiction and how it can affect you and those around you. But some things were too ridiculous and too convenient imo. And really neither of the sisters are likeable which made this a harder read - there wasn’t enough of a relationship or steady growth between them for us to really understand and empathise with their situations.

I loved the different scenery of the book than we are normally presented with in modern literature. I really enjoyed the plot throughout - it kept you on your toes and second guessing actions of each of the characters.

The double POV (one from each sister) was very clever and made the story even more enjoyable! I couldn't put it down. I must say I much preferred Mickey as a character than Arlo. Mickey had that realness to her - it was the way she dealt with her mental health struggles that felt so real. You could see her intentions were to get better no matter what but just the fact we're human and life gets in a way, it wasn't straight forward for her. Arlo on the other hand lost her way with being entitled and that made me not like her for quite a chunk of the book - her intentions perhaps were not where they should have been. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the therapy side to it and thought that that side of the plot was very clever and intriguing - specially seeing it from both sides of the story.

Really good ratio of dialogue to character's thoughts to descriptions of scenes and places. Overall a very enjoyable read that I would be recommending in the future to other readers.

I appreciated "Favourite Daughter" mainly as a realistic portrayal of alcohol dependence. It was so well-executed that it was quite easy to suspend the disbelief when it came to other topics that this novel explored.

It was quite a challenging read, written from the perspective of two daughters of the same man, manipulated by him from beyond the grave. The reunion, orchestrated by the deceased father, seams not only cruel but also deeply unethical as one daughter is set up to seek therapy from the other, her half-sister. And that's not the only aftermath of this man's actions and choices... It's also quite hard to believe this encounter was orchestrated in a good faith, considering how big an inheritance is at play.

At times this novel reads almost like a telenovela with some twists and turns and would definitely survive without some of the dramatisations as the main plot already feels quite loaded.

Still, it left me curious for what's about to come and how would the story end.

This is a wonderful book. Unique. Compelling characters. I would recommend. It has a pleasing neatness and symmetry which makes it a satisfying way to spend your time.
It raises important questions about love and loyalty and, if day the patriarchy and the way the father figure can achieve greater importance in daughters’ lives than it should. I read it in almost one sitting.

This was a really great story that was being told however there were parts where it became quite slow and unnecessary, could have been a 5 star if it had kept the momentum up.

This is an example of a book that I found quite slow at the beginning and wasn’t sure about but by the end it had totally changed to me really liking it!

I liked the way the story unravelled and the way we were able to learn a bit more about both of the girls. I liked how their stories began to intertwine. Some parts felt a bit far fetched in the beginning but I can totally see why they were included. I also liked that it was quite an easy book to follow and read in general! Love when a book feels straight to the point and an easy read.

I liked the way mental health was addressed as well as addiction, grief and different family dynamics!

I’d recommend this book!


*Thank you very much to @netgalley and @penguinukbooks / @vikingbooksuk for this proof copy!