My Darling Girl

Alison barely survived a traumatic childhood with her unpredictable, alcoholic mother, Mavis. Mavis now has terminal cancer, and it is with a great deal of trepidation that Alison agrees to bring her home to die. Paul, who is Mavis’ longtime assistant, seems agitated when they arrive at Alison’s Vermont farmhouse...but when he leaves, the two women appear to settle into an uneasy truce, and Mavis begins to engage with Alison’s two daughters, especially the 6-year-old, Olivia. The other one, Sixteen-year-old Izzy describes her grandmother as “creepy,” but soon, she is joining Mavis for tea and asking her questions for a school project that she's working on. I found Mavis to be beyond "a little" strange, especially with the rock show more that she insists on keeping with her all the time, it seems to be her favorite possession. Alison thinks that she is the only one that is suspicious of her mother’s motives for coming to Vermont, but the rest of the family sees nothing wrong and has been more than charmed by her. Then Olivia begins to have nightmares, and Mavis taunts Alison with some of her childhood secrets that no one could possibly know. Then Paul, the assistant, comes for a visit but runs out of the house after only a brief exchange with his employer...frantically finds Alison, and tells her “THAT IS NOT MAVIS!!!” What follows is both chilling, and terrifying. Alison has to unravel her mother’s secrets and begins to realize that her mother has suffered more than she was ever aware of, and perhaps, it was in part driven by her mother's desire and need to protect her. There is a clear and logical explanation for all the mystery, but it’s not one that any other person in Alison’s life can understand or accept, so she finds herself alone, losing the trust of her loved ones as she fights to protect her young daughters. It seems to be common in horror stories for the characters to cling to a more “realistic” explanation, like mental illness or trauma. It's easier to accept than the glaring, in your face evidence of the supernatural being something real. It was somewhat discouraging to see this happening here. Alison’s strength deserved a better outcome even if the ending proved how evil can, and sometimes does, triumph. Throughout the story I just wanted to shake the characters and shout "listen to the woman...and Believe her!" show less

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon might occur over the winter holidays, but it is the perfect spooky read for October. The trace of otherworldliness existing at the fringes of Mavis' relationship with Allison is enough to give you goosebumps. Meanwhile, the lingering questions about Mavis' true identity will haunt you long after you finish it.

One of the reasons Ms. McMahon is one of my go-to authors is how well she leaves her stories unanswered. She is a queen of creating doubt within her readers. Most of her novels have elements of the supernatural in them. Except, you never know if they are truly supernatural in nature or a figment of an unreliable narrator's imagination. The doubt she creates sets Ms. McMahon's novels apart from show more her fellow writers.

In My Darling Girl, that doubt exists from the moment Mavis arrives at Allison's house. After all, Allison is the victim of childhood abuse, and she still seeks approval and love from her abuser. It would be easy to excuse what she sees as nothing more than PTSD. As her husband and friend suggest, the trauma of having her abuser in the house after all these years is a tremendous strain, and we know Allison never obtained the help she needs to heal from her past.

Yet, in Ms. McMahon fashion, Allison is a little too believable when it comes to her suspicions. The arguments she makes internally are good ones, convincing ones. You see what she sees, and what she sees is downright scary.

I love Ms. McMahon's novels, and My Darling Girl is no different. It has the right balance of creepy and sweet, surety and doubt, to leave you guessing. As for what the right answer is, that is up to each reader. But I would love to discuss it with you! show less

My Darling Girl by Jennifer McMahon is a very highly recommended psychological horror. I was afraid to keep reading but more scared not to find out what happened. This one had me start biting my nails.

Alison's mother, Mavis, could be loving but was also an abusive alcoholic and she still has the physical and mental scars to prove it. It is early December and the family is decorating the house when Mavis's assistant Paul calls to let Alison know her mother is dying from cancer and only has weeks to live. Despite her childhood trauma, Ali is cautiously optimistic that Mavis really wants to try to have a relationship with her family and say good-bye, so she agrees to open up her home to her mother. It quickly becomes clear that her mother show more is not always who she seems to be and Ali may need to protect her own family.

That Alison would open up her home to her mother after the horrific childhood experiences she endured, is amazing and commendable. Then, when she didn't immediately ship her mother off to a facility when odd things begin to happen is shocking, more so after she begins to suspect what is happening. Clearly Alison is a complex, fully realized character. Once she begins to suspect demonic possession is stalking her family, all bets are off.

The writing is obviously excellent, compelling, and engaging. (Picture someone reading peeking between their fingers, scared, but still actively reading because they need to know what happened next.) The story is chilling and heartbreaking. Alison must unpack her mother's secrets in order to understand what is happening and then she will also know what her response to it will be. But her mothers behavior and words are bone-chilling frightening and her true self, or the evil side, only seems to come out when Alison is around.

The pages fly by in this totally engrossing, eerie foreboding narrative that will hold readers complete attention throughout. Well done, Jennifer McMahon you've proven yet again that you are an exceptional writer!
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Gallery/Scout Press via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2023/09/my-darling-girl.html show less

Jennifer McMahon’s “My Darling Girl” is the story of Alison O’Conner, whose mother, Mavis Holland, is terminally ill. Alison has traumatic memories of the psychological and physical harm that she and her brother, Ben, suffered at the hands of Mavis, who could be kind or sadistic, depending on her mood. Out of compassion and a desire for reconciliation, Alison and her husband, Mark, agree to take Mavis into their home, with the help of hospice nurses and other support staff. At first, Mavis smiles and doles out praise to her grandchildren, sixteen-year-old Isabelle (Izzy) and six-year-old Olivia. However, before long, Mavis’s dark side begins to emerge.

In this chilling novel, McMahon vividly describes her characters’ traits show more and close relationships. (A notable exception is Paul Deegan, Mavis’s long-standing assistant, about whom we learn very little.) As for Alison, she is a bundle of nerves and fails to react prudently when there are clear signs of danger; Mark is a sweet and gentle man who prefers to think the best of everyone; Izzy is a rebel with a taste for the macabre; and Olivia is adorable and affectionate. As Mavis nears death, bizarre events in the O’Conner household become more frequent. Strange creatures, such as a large rat and swarms of flies, appear out of nowhere, and Mavis’s behavior and remarks escalate from concerning to threatening, especially when she is alone with Alison.

In vivid flashbacks, we get a grim picture of Mavis’s closely-held secrets, and we also observe Alison’s efforts to put the past behind her. Integral to the plot are unnerving supernatural elements that set our teeth on edge. Is a malign being responsible for the book’s eerie phenomena or is Alison’s fevered imagination working overtime? “My Darling Girl” is a riveting study of the profound psychological harm that malevolent abusers inflict on their helpless victims. This is an intense and engrossing thriller in which the forces of goodness and reason are pitted against those of malice and madness. show less

Alison’s mother has been diagnosed with cancer. She wants to spend her last days with Alison and her family. Alison eventually says yes, but with an extreme amount of hesitation. There is so much trauma from her childhood and her abusive mother, Alison is torn on what is the right thing to do. And can she actually trust her mother to be around her children?

Well! My October has started strong! This book kept me on my toes! Let me tell you! Now, it is not going to be for everyone. And I am not a huge “horror” reader. I would not necessarily classify this as horror…I mean it is but it isn’t. You will have to read this to find out. I have read every single one of this author’s books and I have loved them all. She always has a show more “borderline” horror feel to her reads. So to say she is suspenseful is an understatement.

When this story started out, I was afraid I could not read it. It has some triggers that set off some childhood issues. But, as the story unfolded…I could not put it down. And the ending…GEEZ! Not to mention…THE DEMON! You heard me! THE DEMON!

Need a story that will rock your world…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less

The only reason I'm giving this book two stars and not just one is because, unlike other negative reviews, I did not find it boring. In fact, I found it so interesting that I read it faster than any other book I've read before! (though I am just getting into reading)
Despite some eye-roll worthy moments, and a couple mistakes that I couldn't believe had been missed (Alison closes her laptop right before Mark closes her laptop...), I was really looking forward to where this was all going to go.
Which makes how it turned out all the more infuriating. I'm so mad I read this.

Dumb decision making by all, a disturbing lack of communication, little threads and tertiary characters that go nowhere, and a deeply unsatisfying ending (maybe horror show more just isn't for me).

I never thought I could be so let down by a book, but felt the dread, knowing I would be, as I got closer and closer to the end, realizing there's no way for it to end well with so little time left.
So upset I read this. Hate that I bought it because I saw the ratings on here and the blurb caught my interest enough that I thought there was no way I'd regret spending money on it. Live and learn I guess. show less

This is actually a 3.5 for me.
I did enjoy this book, a bunch of the characters were very interesting and I would love more time with them. I thought the brother was an a$$, and yes I understand the reason for his attitude, but, his lack of support for his sister when she was just calling and asking for information was gross. She was only telling him what was going on and asking him questions, she wasn't asking him to physically come help her or to take over etc... so I thought that was unacceptable. I loved the daughters, their unique personalities reflected their age difference perfectly and they were very well written. The husband was an interesting character, I liked him at first, then his complete shift was unexpected and show more unexplained which felt odd to me. I loved the neighbor friends, they were a fun pair and I would love a whole story around them honestly. I did think Allison was too easily gaslit and that didn't feel super believable, I really thought she was being set up to be stronger smarter than that; instead she just easily rolled over and did what everyone else wanted her to do in the situation even though she knew that wasn't the right thing. I mean, yes you have to suspend a little belief, but if you really believe something is happening, you have to investigate and see it through, even if you have to do it alone and she did, but she also didn't, if you read it you'll see what I mean. I do hope there is a sequel though, that would be very interesting and fun! show less