My Darling Girl

By Jennifer McMahon

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Children on the Hill, a chilling psychological thriller “that delivers both chilling scares and genuine emotion” (Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author) about a woman who takes in her dying, alcoholic mother—only to fear that something far more demonic has come home with her.

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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Published Oct 3, 2023

317 pages

Average rating: 6.79

131 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

ChrissyB
Aug 03, 2026
10/10 stars
Couldn't put it down

Great read! Loved the characters! Great story! Unpredictable! It's not my normal genre but it drew me in right away
Bosky
Dec 30, 2025
6/10 stars
Creepy from the beginning. While you could kinda predict the basics of the whole book, it still creeped me out. McMahon does a great job describing her characters. The main character Alison is a relatable mother of 2 daughters, who hates holidays. She fears her mother, Mavis, but remembers the good times over the many bad times. Mavis is creepy. The next door neighbor couple Penny and Louise were cute with their baked goods. The daughters were distinct. Overall, enjoyable book but a little too predictable.
literarily_occupied
Aug 12, 2025
8/10 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 4 stars

A toxic mother-daughter relationship isn't as straightforward as it seems in this suspenseful story of possession with a twist ending that left me reeling.

The audio was an enjoyable listen and this book is a perfect read for spooky season!

Thanks to the Libro.fm Librarian ALC program, Simon & Schuster Audio, and the author for this complimentary Audiobook Listening Copy.
Anne-Marie Eberhardt
Jul 02, 2025
10/10 stars
Brilliant and supremely creepy!
Lotusbookworm247
Mar 30, 2025
6/10 stars
This book was different but still a good read

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