The Wrong Daughter

You know those horror movies that make you scream and slap some sense into the characters? Yeah, those characters jump straight off the screen of a B-grade movie and land in this book. How are they all so stupid? The parents, the police, the friends, the fiancé, and the two leading ladies, Caitlin and Olivia – I can understand missing a few clues, or trauma affecting your empathy or emotional perception, or common sense slipping after a harrowing week. But these guys are Kevlar-proofed against intelligence and perception. It feels like the entire Arden family’s genetic pool traded their brain cells and IQ for Olivia’s overpraised looks. The main character, Caitlin, doesn’t hesitate to call out garden-variety misogyny, but, yes, there’s a but: only when she’s drunk or enraged. She’ll tolerate it only until it no longer benefits her. I don’t know if this is the effect the author intended for the readers, but if not, that’s a shame. I can’t understand why anyone would write over 350 pages filled with ridiculously daft characters and expect them to make sense. The only characters I was able to empathize with to an extent were Flynn and Elinor. TW: I’m not appalled by the author including the incest plotline. Yes, it’s disturbing, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. That and many other horrible things happen in real life, and that definitely wasn’t the biggest problem in this book. Props for maintaining the suspense, red herrings, and misdirection for at least half of the book, if not more - the only significant standout. Overall, there’s a salvageable story, and it could have been told in 150 pages or less.

I did not see the plot twist coming at the end. My heart breaks for Caitlin throughout the book. The only thing I did not like was the relationship between Elinor and Heath…that was a bit disturbing.