My Darling Girl

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Children on the Hill, a psychological thriller “that delivers both chilling scares and genuine emotion” (Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author) 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’s family. 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 in this “twisty, propulsive, character-driven, and hair-raisingly scary” (Nick Cutter, author of The Troop) novel.

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317 pages

Average rating: 6.73

116 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Lotusbookworm247
Mar 30, 2025
6/10 stars
This book was different but still a good read
Bookswithmybeanjuice
Jan 07, 2025
5/10 stars
You can kind of guess the direction the story is going, but I loved how the author ended it. I recommend as a December read. A story that is familiar to many who are taking care of an elderly parent who has fallen ill. The author did a good job keeping the story both suspenseful and light. Drinking and cancer can feel like a demonic presence upon a sickly parent, but Ali uncovers some other curses lurking around mother Mavis’s heart. 🫀👯‍♀️🎄
ManekaMonetté
Mar 17, 2024
5/10 stars
The ending very much surprised me and kept me on my feet. Definitely a dark story. I just felt it dragged on a little bit.
nansorella
Mar 06, 2024
9/10 stars
I'm still rattled by the twist.
DonnaD
Feb 02, 2024
2/10 stars
Warning: Spoilers ahead. I would give this book 2 out of 5 stars. Although I wanted to enjoy it, it felt like a strange mix between a poorly made Hallmark Christmas movie, The Exorcist, and a Brady Bunch episode where they visit Hawaii and take an idol from a sacred land. The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked growth, and some of them didn't even seem to belong in the story. The main character, Alison, was having a nervous breakdown, but her husband ignored it, and her best friend the therapist overlooked it completely. If my mother had been abusive towards me, I would never have allowed her to come to my house. Mavis's demon seemed to have a bipolar personality, being nice to everyone but Alison. I have so many unanswered questions. The ending didn't shock or surprise me.

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