This a a very strong first novel written by an author who has all the right tools in her kit; insight to human nature, crisp narration, and dialogue that is sharp and particular to the person speaking. The characters are well defined, the plot compelling, and the action and pacing are first rate. I think that even if it were her fifth book, it still stands as an excellent read. It's a mother vs. daughter story, with the mother being a sociopath and the daughter trying to recover form her tormented childhood while bearing the guilt of her failure with her own child. This pulled me in, and I found myself internally confronting Vivian several times. That's not schizophrenia, that's just what a compelling book does to me.
My only complaint, and it's a small one, is the use of religion to further vilify the mother. It's a common enough trope, one that Stephen King put to good use in Carrie, for example, but it seemed superfluous in this instance. The mother, Vivian, doesn't really exhibit any religious tendencies outside of reading the bible, and forcing her grand daughter, Danlyn to read it silently. It's not present in her thought life, she doesn't use it to justify her actions, by misquoting or taking verses out of context, for example. It's just kind of... there.
That being said, it does give the book a nice dose of irony, in that Vivian doesn't want Laura and Danlyn to be with Jackie and Steve, Laura's old friends from high school. She thinks they're vile, yet it's they that show our protagonist true Christian agape/sacrificial love, by taking her in and bearing her sorrows.
Even so, this doesn't affect the power of this book, and the climax is worth the read. It does not disappoint. I loved the resolution, and the epilogue teases us into hoping for a series or at least a sequel.
Keep an eye out for more from Sloane, she's on the rise.