Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Bad Daughter” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

The Bad Daughter

Joy Fielding

3.61 · Rating details · 5,494 ratings · 753 reviews

What first appears to be a random home invasion reveals a family's dark secrets.

A hostile relationship with her sister and a complicated past with her father's second wife have kept Robin estranged from her family for many years. But when her father's new family is attacked in their house, with her father and his wife in critical condition in the hospital, she returns home ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 368 pages

Published February 27th 2018 by Doubleday Canada

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Bad Daughter, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.61 ·

Rating details

· 5,494 ratings · 753 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Bad Daughter

Mar 16, 2018 Julie rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, e-book, overdrive, 2018, thrillers

The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding is a 2018 Ballantine Books publication.
I can’t remember the last time I gave a book a one -star rating. I HATE it so much I almost can’t bear to do it.
If this book had been written by a novice, if it was a debut, or independently, or self-published without the money for all the spit and polish the big five authors have at their disposal, I probably would have fudged the rating a little.

However, Joy Fielding has been a published author since the early seventies The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding is a 2018 Ballantine Books publication.
I can’t remember the last time I gave a book a one -star rating. I HATE it so much I almost can’t bear to do it.
If this book had been written by a novice, if it was a debut, or independently, or self-published without the money for all the spit and polish the big five authors have at their disposal, I probably would have fudged the rating a little.

However, Joy Fielding has been a published author since the early seventies. She has over twenty-five novels under her belt, making her a seasoned professional and a veteran author. Back in the nineties, the bulk of my reading material fell into the romantic suspense category and while JF may not have been on my top five list, I did read a fair amount of her novels. Which is why I know she is capable of doing much better than this.
Although I have been explaining to first time readers of JF, this book is NOT the best representation of her work, my husband and I had an interesting conversation about my disappointment with this book, as well as with several other recent releases by those ‘go-to’ authors I used to read so religiously back in the day. I wondered out loud which one of us had changed- me or them?
My husband’s theory is that maybe my memory is faulty. Perhaps those books written back in the seventies, eighties and nineties weren’t as good as I remembered. That’s an interesting point, so I may use that as an excuse to go back and re-read a few older titles to put his theory to the test. Part of me hopes he’s right because I hate to think these authors are phoning in, not putting in the same effort, or not writing to their full potential.
I have also mused over the rapid changes in writing styles and trends and wonder if that old school formula stands the test of time. I’m slow to accept and adapt to change and so maybe these veteran authors are struggling to keep up, believing it might be better to ‘dance with the one who brought you’ choosing to stick with the style they know, hoping their long -time fans will remain loyal.
But, I would rather not think any of that, and would prefer to just chalk this one up as a one off and believe with all my heart that JF will be back, better than ever, with her next endeavor.

Regardless, I can’t in good conscience recommend this book even to her most devout and devoted fans no matter how supportive or loyal you want to be. I also don’t want this book to be the first impression a reader has of this author. So, I’m recommending you give this one a pass. Try one of her older books or wait for her next one and go from there.
1 star
...more

flag 164 likes · Like · see review

Mar 20, 2018 Deanna rated it it was ok · review of another edition

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...

2.5 Stars

I started reading Joy Fielding's novels in my early twenties and have never looked back. A new book is published almost every year, and I’m always excited for it to be released.

Robin Davis is a therapist in the midst of an appointment with a patient when she feels what she thinks is a panic attack coming on. It’s been over five years since she’s had one, but she knows exactly what brought it on…the recent phone call ...more

flag 121 likes · Like · see review

Apr 27, 2018 Kaceey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

2.5*
Oh my! This didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. This was my introduction to Joy Fielding, who’s been on my radar for several years. I have a few of her books on my shelf, but had yet to open one and dive in. Until now. Well...maybe this just wasn’t the right one to start with.

Robin receives a phone call from her estranged sister Melanie. Their father, his new wife Tara and Tara’s daughter Cassidy were all gunned down in what looks like a home invasion. Robin quickly returns home to supp ...more

flag 109 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2017 İntellecta rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller

Since the author Joy Fielding has remained faithful to her spelling,
I could guess the perpetrator very early ... If you have also read many books from her
and know her writing style.Then you know where to find the culprit.

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Feb 22, 2018 Carrie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding is a bit of a slow burn mystery/thriller read that was full of secrets and lies surrounding the family involved. When first introduced to the main character, Robin, readers know her past holds a lot to uncover as she begins suffering from a panic attack from merely hearing her sister’s voice after a couple of years.

When Robin gets in touch with her sister, Melanie, she gets the horrific news that her father, his wife and daughter have been shot in what looks like The Bad Daughter by Joy Fielding is a bit of a slow burn mystery/thriller read that was full of secrets and lies surrounding the family involved. When first introduced to the main character, Robin, readers know her past holds a lot to uncover as she begins suffering from a panic attack from merely hearing her sister’s voice after a couple of years.

When Robin gets in touch with her sister, Melanie, she gets the horrific news that her father, his wife and daughter have been shot in what looks like a home invasion. All are clinging onto life at the hospital pushing Robin to return home to Red Bluff, California where she confronts her past to unravel the events of the present.

Now for anyone who follows my reviews one would think that my mid range rating for this one probably came from the slow pace/lack of action but for this one that wasn’t the case. I struggled with deciding how exactly to rate this book as it actually did a great job of holding my attention as I learned all about the family and what had happened that night.

However, as easy as this one was to become engrossed in while reading it also contained something that really for lack of a better way to put it just completely ticked me off. Possibly a mild spoiler but the author had included an autistic character within the story which had me thinking yay for the reality of today’s society where autism is prevalent. But then this was basically used as an excuse to throw suspicion of the character. Of course pretty much every character in a read like this is suspicious but it couldn’t help but grate at my nerves that nothing other than being withdrawn made that character questionable in the characters eyes.

In the end I also thought that the mystery of who had shot the family wasn’t really one that was too terribly hard to solve either but it may come as a shock to some. So while this held my attention rather well to keep the pages turning the things I came across lowered my rating of course.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/ ...more

flag 48 likes · Like · see review

Jul 10, 2018 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I haven’t read a Joy Fielding book before, so I was very excited to get this copy from netgalley in exchange for a review.

Robin a therapist is estranged from her family, but when her sister Melanie gets in contact to tell her that their dad has been shot she is forced to go home.

This is not you’re average family, dad married Robins friend Tara which was a bit twisted as she was engaged to his son Alec. Her sister Melanie is to put it politely a pain in the ass!! They say you can pick you’re fri ...more

flag 42 likes · Like · see review

Dec 23, 2017 Selene rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, slow-burn, first-reads, netgalley-arcs, crime-spree, suspense

3.75 stars

Robin is a thirty-three year-old psychologist and her life is uprooted when she has to return home to see her family. Feelings of anxiety and distress pick at her for the entire time she interacts with her older sister, Melanie. As if it’s not bad enough that her father’s life hangs in the balance, her relationship with her lawyer boyfriend also hangs by a thread.

I really enjoyed this author’s writing style! The complex and toxic relationships featured in this novel really made it a wo ...more

flag 37 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2018 ABookwormWithWine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: drama, whodunnit, made-me-chuckle, abuse, disturbing, crime, female-authors, physical-arc, contemporary, adult-fiction

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded down.

First of all, thank you to Ballantine Books for sending me a review copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

The Bad Daughter was my first time reading Joy Fielding and I have some mixed feelings I need to talk out. The Bad Daughter focuses on what I would call a broken family. The mom passed away from cancer, the dad is a philander who married his daughter's best friend, the brother was always put down by the dad so he runs off to San Francisco, and the two sisters just ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 rounded down.

First of all, thank you to Ballantine Books for sending me a review copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

The Bad Daughter was my first time reading Joy Fielding and I have some mixed feelings I need to talk out. The Bad Daughter focuses on what I would call a broken family. The mom passed away from cancer, the dad is a philander who married his daughter's best friend, the brother was always put down by the dad so he runs off to San Francisco, and the two sisters just can NOT get along. But when the main character (Robin) hears her dad and his new family are in the hospital she goes home and ends up dealing with a bunch of past issues, plus dealing with the search for who put her father, his new wife, and his wife's child in the hospital. Nothing is as it seems, and suspicion is thrown on almost everyone in this book. Including an autistic teenager which may or may not bother some people.

Even though the premise of the book sounded intense, a lot of this book moved pretty slowly in my opinion. This book is really more of a mystery than a thriller. There was a little bit of suspense, but most of the book was Robin and her sister arguing and dealing with past issues between themselves. I was so irritated with Robin as a main character. She and her sister Melaine have never really liked each other, and have quite the turbulent relationship throughout the book. The biggest issue I had with Robin is that she just couldn't stand up to her sister. Melanie would say incredibly rude things to her and Robin literally seemed to have no backbone, and ended up having panic attacks instead of standing up for herself properly.

The ending was something else though. I was almost done with the book and still had absolutely no clue "whodunnit" so that is definitely saying something. I guess it might be easy for some people to figure out, but I didn't see it coming at all.

Final Thought: The Bad Daughter is not a bad book, not by any means. But between the slowness and my irritation with Robin this was only a 3.5 star read for me. The book left me wanting more than what I got, which is always hard for me. I would still recommend for lovers of a good mystery and people who enjoy reading about dysfunctional families. Just don't go into this book expecting a fast-paced mystery/thriller.

*This title was published on 27 Feb 2018* ...more

flag 31 likes · Like · see review

Feb 21, 2018 Louise Wilson rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A hostile relationship with her sister and a complicated past with her fathers second wife have kept Robin estranged from her family for many years. When her fathers new family is attacked in their house, with her father, his wife and young daughter in critical condition in hospital, she returns to await their fate and hopefully mend some fences. Is this a robbery that's went awry or something a little more sinister?

This is a well written and fast paced book. The plot line was quite intresting, ...more

flag 30 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2018 Kendall rated it liked it · review of another edition

3 stars rounded down for me.

First off, this was my first read by Joy Fielding. I have heard wonderful things about this author and overall, I wasn't disappointed but I wasn't overly impressed.

This was a very slow burning mystery that took me awhile to get into. I definitely wouldn't put this in the thriller category. I was bummed because I figured out who the killer was fairly early in but it still was a pretty entertaining read. I was a little annoyed because I felt like the author focuses so m ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

Feb 18, 2018 Rachel Hall rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Joy Fielding isn’t known as the queen of suburban angst without a very good reason and pretty much guarantees her readers an addictive and suspenseful dose of family drama. Whilst her stories might be formulaic with a heavy dose of saccharine sweet melodrama overlaid, they are effortless page turners scattered with clues and red herrings throughout. Whilst her stories can often be anodyne and a stretch for the readers imagination they are highly compulsive reads. Having enjoyed her previous rele Joy Fielding isn’t known as the queen of suburban angst without a very good reason and pretty much guarantees her readers an addictive and suspenseful dose of family drama. Whilst her stories might be formulaic with a heavy dose of saccharine sweet melodrama overlaid, they are effortless page turners scattered with clues and red herrings throughout. Whilst her stories can often be anodyne and a stretch for the readers imagination they are highly compulsive reads. Having enjoyed her previous release, She’s Not There, and some of her excellent earlier efforts, The Bad Daughter falls woefully below her usually competent standards, being merely efficient at best. With a cast of extreme characters who feel like one-dimensional stereotypes and stilted dialogue devoid of subtext and real emotion, Fielding resorts to telling over showing for the most part. Readers who have encountered her novels before will likely be adept at recognising her familiar attempts at misdirection which in this instance feel clumsy and a little too obvious and make spotting the guilty party disappointingly easy.

With a premise that is worthy of salivating over, Joy Fielding’s central character is thirty-three-year-old Los Angeles therapist Robin Davis. Billing $175 per hour to dispense advice yet suffering from panic attacks and estranged from her family that remain in her remote hometown of Red Bluff for the last five years following her father’s hasty remarriage to her former best-friend, she has a number of her own issues. So when her older sister of three years, the acidulous Melanie, calls to impart the shocking news that their father, wealthy local developer Greg Davis and his much younger second wife, Tara, and her twelve-year-old daughter, Cassidy have been victims of what appears to be a home invasion, Robin reluctantly returns home. With all three left in critical condition suffering from gunshot wounds, Robin is left to confront the complicated history of the Davis family and make peace with her dictatorial father and come to terms with his capricious affections towards the children of his thirty-four year marriage to their mother and his first wife, Sarah.

Leaving her shaky relationship with corporate lawyer fiancé Blake Upton behind with the nagging doubt that he is cheating on her, Robin is in no state to handle the emotional strain of an acrimonious reunion with her immediate family. The sisters fractured relationship dates back to Robin’s birth and the blatant favouritism of their now deceased mother shown towards her. With every sentence Melanie utters littered with a customary barb or a snide remark, she is an exhausting character full of slights and bitterness. Melanie is soap-opera bad, putting down her sister at every opportunity with catty remarks on her imagined superior attitude and she positively radiates hostility. Robin is on better terms with younger brother, Alec, whose former engagement to his father’s wife, Tara, appears to give him a motive for loathing his father, less so Tara and a twelve-year-old child and if so, given they married five years ago, why has he waited all this time to act? As the sketchy details Alec reluctantly offers up to Sheriff Prescott place him firmly on the radar as perpetrator, Melanie’s eighteen-year-old autistic and awkward son, Landon, and his nocturnal activities and strange friend, Kenny, leave his aunt Robin on edge. Given that Cassidy has just come through a narrow escape with a bullet she is an extraordinary precocious and makes an unlikely twelve-year-old, able to compartmentalise and at ease tackling death and popcorn in the same breath. Disappointing, Robin is ludicrously gullible and for having a Master’s degree in psychology from Berkeley she appears to walk around wearing blinkers and although she comes out with the required therapy truisms she is completely lacking in life experience, somewhat hard to believe given the family and town that she grew up as part of. She positively sucks up the obvious poppycock that she is told prima facie and is extraordinarily wet behind the ears.

So whilst the premise of The Bad Daughter is tempting, the poor mystery and soap opera characters makes the result feel neither wholly mystery or family drama, but I readily admit that the novel is easily readable and provides the required twists and turns, albeit they feel a little unconvincing. Admittedly not all the surprises are wholly transparent and the early encounters are encouraging but with repetitive instances illustrating certain attributes of characters the surprises quickly become predictable. The result is an overwritten novel with shallow characters and frequent episodes of eye-rolling with the most disappointing aspect being that the mystery is so sub-standard and the attempts by Fielding to conjure up motives and circumstantial evidence linking the locals and family to the crime feels like overreaching. In short, a disappointing but readable novel of family dysfunction and sordid secrets with a final gobsmacking disclosure to blow the novel out of the water. Regardless reading a Joy Fielding novel is always an undemanding diversion and walk down memory lane and I doubt that I would ever stop indulging in her work! So whilst objectively The Bad Daughter is far-fetched and might not win any literary prizes, this will be of less concern to Fielding’s regular readers, myself included!

With thanks to Readers First who provided me with a free copy of this novel in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. ...more

flag 27 likes · Like · see review

Feb 23, 2018 Shalini rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wanted to like this book more than I did. But I suppose 2018 has been this way, some very good books, some not so.

The story goes thus Robin a psychologist gets a phone call from her sister Melanie about a home invasion in which their Dad, step-mom Tara (who actually was Robin’s classmate and best friend and Robin’s brother’s ex-fiance) and her child Cassidy have been shot. She rushes home, has a lot of panic attacks, reacts in the story at the apt times, tolerates her sister Melanie’s snarky c I wanted to like this book more than I did. But I suppose 2018 has been this way, some very good books, some not so.

The story goes thus Robin a psychologist gets a phone call from her sister Melanie about a home invasion in which their Dad, step-mom Tara (who actually was Robin’s classmate and best friend and Robin’s brother’s ex-fiance) and her child Cassidy have been shot. She rushes home, has a lot of panic attacks, reacts in the story at the apt times, tolerates her sister Melanie’s snarky comments, brings Cassidy back home. Her lawyer boyfriend Blake also joins her, Melanie’s autistic son looks suspicious. And soon their brother Alec joins them. The entire family gets together after 5 years or so…. Around this shooting…

Another book by Joy Fielding, I have read some of her books, but this book was different, too placid most times till the last 20%, where the ending had the twists. The entire family and the extended family, all were dysfunctional, there were hardly any emotions. Robin was either having a panic attack or she was coping up with her sister’s rude remarks. Her face had a scrunched up look apparently — So she didn’t impress me

Her sister Melanie, was always angry throughout the book, she didn’t seem to care for anyone, including her autistic son, she seemed to be full of resentments — So she didn’t impress me.

Alec their brother, both the sisters don’t seem to know him, and neither did I get to know him — So I ain’t impressed.

Blake, the voice of reason, was the only one who impressed me. He hardly had any role in the book other than being a support to Robin. But he provided a certain aura of calmness to the story… But he was not part of the plot… So a good secondary character with no role…

The plot was a whodunit, who shot them all, revealed at the end with clues all over the book. The pace was good, slow at parts, as not much of a story did occur in the 2 weeks post shooting. The ending though dramatic was slightly unbelievable. But as I have been told, artistic license and all that…

I did read the book at one go, I skimmed over the parts where nothing happened, to leap over the ending.

But this is one of the rare times, I seem indifferent to the book. It took everything in me to write the review. My brain didn’t want to think about the book. So no idea if I liked the book or not…

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Bonnier Zaffre and this is my honest and unbiased opinion. ...more

flag 18 likes · Like · see review

Feb 08, 2018 Mandy White (mandylovestoread) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley

This is my second Joy Fielding book and the second that I have really enjoyed... why have I not read her books sooner!

This is a story of one dysfunctional family! Robin Davis has not spoken to her family in 6 years... ever since her father married her best friend... yep.. told you it was dysfunctional!! Then she receives a call from her sister to say that her father, her best friend Tara and her daughter Cassidy have been shot in what appears to be a home invasion and are all clinging to life.

T ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2018 Mackenzie - PhDiva Books rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Well, I think this one was a bad fit for me. I've heard such great things about this author's other books, so I do encourage readers (and I plan to do so myself) to explore some of her other work. In a prolific career, not every book will work for every reader.

Robin is a therapist who is estranged from her sister Melanie. But when Melanie starts calling her, she sets off panic attacks that Robin hasn't experienced for many years. However, Melanie called to tell her something has happened to thei ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Mar 15, 2018 Sherri Thacker rated it liked it · review of another edition

It started out great but about 1/2 way fell flat. I did keep reading and it did keep my interest. But I didn’t love it!

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jan 19, 2018 Marjorie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: librarything

Robin hasn’t heard from her sister, Melanie, in years so when she received a phone message from her, she knew it couldn’t be good. Robin gets panic attacks fairly often and the news that her estranged best friend, Tara, had been shot and killed and that Tara’s 12-year-old daughter, Cassidy, and Robin’s father had also been shot and were in the hospital in critical condition sends Robin into a tail spin. Though Robin has no love for her father, she returns home. There she tries to piece togeth Robin hasn’t heard from her sister, Melanie, in years so when she received a phone message from her, she knew it couldn’t be good. Robin gets panic attacks fairly often and the news that her estranged best friend, Tara, had been shot and killed and that Tara’s 12-year-old daughter, Cassidy, and Robin’s father had also been shot and were in the hospital in critical condition sends Robin into a tail spin. Though Robin has no love for her father, she returns home. There she tries to piece together what actually had happened. Was this a home invasion or was this personal? Was her brother Alec involved somehow? After all, Alec and Tara had been engaged at one time and Alec and Robin’s father had stolen her affections away from his son and married Tara himself. Quite a good motive, wouldn’t you say? But that had happened years ago so why would Alec suddenly seek revenge?

Joy Fielding has been writing psychological suspense since the early ‘70s. I was quite a big fan of hers back then but somehow I got away from her work. When I saw this book being offered to book reviewers, I thought it was about time I tried one of her books again. And I’m glad I did!

Ms. Fielding knows how to weave together a good story and how to keep those pages turning for her readers. The main character, Robin, is down to earth and likeable. I also really liked Melanie, as obnoxious as she was. Her witty barbs were entertaining, though not to those they were directed to. And the ending was quite a surprise to me though I should have seen it coming. I remember thinking at several points, hmm, that’s odd, but I never took the thought any further. Even after I learned the big reveal, I didn’t quite believe it. Very surprising ending indeed! I think this may be more of a mystery rather than suspense book as I didn’t personally find it suspenseful. And it's not the kind of book that I'll long remember. But I definitely had to keep reading to find out what had really happened and found it enjoyable. I think I’m going to have to go back and read those books of this author’s that I’ve missed.

Recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Feb 16, 2018 Charlie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, fiction

It's a good read but way too wordy for me. Gave it a 4 because it did read well and told a decent story. In order to give it the proper review - still a 4 rating - I need to think about what were the weak and strong points of this story besides being too wordy.
In a couple days I'll do that. I need a break.
Recent cataract surgery has slowed down my reading right now. Can't see worth a hoot.
BUMMER.
Final review.
It turns out to be a decent thriller. It is a WHO-DONE-IT thing. Lots of suspects. But ...more

flag 17 likes · Like · see review

Mar 02, 2018 Maureen rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: psychological-suspense

This book was an enjoyable read. Robin is a psychotherapist who suffers anxiety and panic attacks, and her anxiety is extreme when she receives a phone call from her sister telling her that her father, stepmother and daughter have been shot and are in critical condition in what seems to have been a home invasion. She immediately rushes home.

It soon becomes apparent it was not a home invasion and the investigation turns to the family members and acquaintances. The story moves slowly at times with ...more

flag 15 likes · Like · see review

Feb 13, 2018 Chloe rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: net-galley

Robin returns home after she gets a phone call from her estranged sister informing her that their dad , his wife Tara and her daughter Cassidy has been shot in a home invasion . Soon they realize that it was more of a personal attack and with no lack of suspects Robin and the Sheriff have their work cut out for them

A fast paced mystery with a dysfunctional family full of lies and secrets. It was easy to guess early on who the killer was but still an enjoyable read due to the compelling characte ...more

flag 16 likes · Like · see review

Jan 14, 2018 Sue Fernandez rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing/Ballentine for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I have read Joy Fielding for years, and I enjoy her books, so I admit I was looking forward to this one. A tough relationship between sisters (and honestly, one of them does seem like she's...well, not nice), brings them back together when their Dad, step mom and step sister are all shot. There is a really complicated messy relationship there as well. The plot was very inter ...more

flag 13 likes · Like · see review

Jan 31, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

Having read one of the authors other books and loving it, I couldn’t wait to read more. The Bad Daughter just sounded sooo good so was very much looking forward to reading it.

Admittedly to start with, I did struggle to get in to the book fully. Robin has a few issues and that’s before she finds out about her family. Her head is all over the place and it took a while to settle in but when I got settled, I couldn’t turn those pages quick enough!

Robin’s home town is one of those small ones where ev ...more

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2018 Liz Barnsley rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I love Joy Fielding's novels but have to admit to being not so fond of this one. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy aspects of it I did, the story is pretty compelling for the most part.

I liked the family dynamics portrayed here, especially the relationship between Robin and Melanie the two sisters, plus the small town vibe was beautifully atmospheric.

The mystery element though let it down I felt. The "bad guy" was so blatantly obvious from so early on that it just irritated me that the other cha ...more

flag 10 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2018 Maureen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, thriller

At the end of last year I read ‘She’s Not There’ by Joy Fielding. I really enjoyed that book, so when I was asked to review ‘The Bad Daughter’ I immediately said yes. And when I read the book description, I was really excited to start reading as soon as possible.

In ‘The Bad Daughter’ we meet Robin Davis. Robin is a therapist who seems to have her life on track, but when her sister calls who she hasn’t talked to in years, memories of her past come fast. And soon Robin is having panic attacks. Wh ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Feb 19, 2018 Jean rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, random-house-ballantine

The Bad Daughter is my first book by Joy Fielding. It was a simple read and I enjoyed it.

A hostile relationship with her sister, Melanie and a complicated past with her father and his second wife, has kept Robin estranged from her family for many years. But when her father's family is attacked in their house, with her father, his wife, and young daughter in critical condition in the hospital, she returns home to await their fate and hopefully mend fences. But what was first considered a home in ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Mar 27, 2018 Cynthia rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-read

I have been reading Joy Fielding's books for many, many years and have all of her older books on my book shelf. I really enjoyed her earlier books more than the later ones. THE BAD DAUGHTER had some suspenseful moments, the plot was somewhat interesting and there were surprises, however, there was a lot of rehashing which led to my kind of plodding along, waiting for something else to happen. I recommend her earlier novels. ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

May 02, 2018 Samantha rated it liked it · review of another edition

Gosh, what an unsettling book! I honestly can’t tell you if I enjoyed it or not. It left me feeling some what uncomfortable.

A break in occurs in a small sleepy American town and an entire family are shot. The family of the attacked all rally round in an effort to help solve this unspeakable crime. However, it seems each family member has their own secrets to hide.

It was an interesting thriller but I found all the characters a little ‘drab’. I didn’t like any one of them and found they all had ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 22, 2018 Melody McNamara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Rounded up to 3.5 stars. I've been a fan of Joy Fielding since the early 90's, although I haven't always loved her more recent books. This one was pretty good, though. A bit slow and repetitive in the middle, but the last half picked up and I admit to being surprised by the ending. Overall, a good and enjoyable read. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

May 21, 2018 Lori Peixoto rated it liked it · review of another edition

I wanted to love this book. I’m giving it 3 stars, but it might be a generous rating. I had predicted the outcome, sort of. It was just a little far-fetched. I didn’t love it.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Sep 13, 2018 Chris rated it liked it · review of another edition

Let’s see, who is the bad daughter? There are three of them. Two daughters and one stepdaughter.

Robin, the therapist, living in Los Angeles, who has panic attacks and is engaged to Blake. Robin has not been back home in years and is estranged from her snarky sister, Melanie. She loves her brother, Alec, but he can be rude and snarky just like Melanie. He ran away to San Francisco as he was in love with Tara (below) before she went and married their widowed father.

Melanie is a real witch. Smart Let’s see, who is the bad daughter? There are three of them. Two daughters and one stepdaughter.

Robin, the therapist, living in Los Angeles, who has panic attacks and is engaged to Blake. Robin has not been back home in years and is estranged from her snarky sister, Melanie. She loves her brother, Alec, but he can be rude and snarky just like Melanie. He ran away to San Francisco as he was in love with Tara (below) before she went and married their widowed father.

Melanie is a real witch. Smart ass comments spewing from her mouth throughout the book to anyone and everyone. A most unlikeable, undesirable character. She is the overprotective single parent of a young teenaged son who is autistic and they live in her original parents’ former home; her childhood home. Is she the bad daughter?

Cassidy, the youngest stepdaughter, lives with her Mom, Tara, and her stepdad and they just moved into a grand new home her Dad had built. Cassidy is injured in a home invasion that also leaves her Dad wounded and her young Mom shot in the face. This one midway through the book starts talking like an adult and spoiled child all in one. Is she the bad daughter?

This is family dysfunction at its best and I haven’t even revealed the rest of it.

I didn’t like Robin - she’s a therapist who’s supposed to be helping people and have her act together and she does not. She’s prone to having panic attacks, cannot approach her fiancée, Blake, about problems in their relationship, and can’t stand up to her horrible sister, Melanie’s, crude and rude talk. She hates her father. Is she the bad daughter?

Blake is an unlikeable character as well.
Him and Robin have an odd relationship with sexual and communication issues, but hey, whatever works for you. Robin thinks he’s having affairs. Hmmm, wonder where that comes from?

Alec comes under suspicion in this crime because of some volatile comments and impulsive actions on his part. I can only say I thought he was an idiot. I don’t care if it was explained his father thought he was too soft and was a wuss. I can’t imagine a widowed father taking up with and marrying a young woman who was: Robin’s best friend and Alec’s love interest for a few years and then her coming into this family as their stepmother.

Oh, and Tara brings along a child (Cassidy) to this marriage, whom she had with a handsome, but local thug she married too young and too fast. Did I mention he beat Tara and he also served time?

Did I mention that Robin, Melanie and Alec’s father constantly was having affairs his whole married life and pretty much everyone knew including his wife and family? From the married office manager at his business, to Tara, his own sons’ girlfriend, to many others. Wow. What a fool. What a father. What a role model.

There was a lot of redundancy in this book of Robin mostly surmising about people and situations over and over. It was a way for the author to make us lazily interpret Robins musings as our own. There are some situations in this book that were rather unbelievable/far fetched and were poorly thought out. There’s more dysfunctional behavior revealed at the end and I did easily figure out some things on my own. ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Mar 12, 2018 Debbie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, net-galley-books

This was another mesmerizing suspense by Joy Fielding. I have read several of her books and have never been disappointed. The same goes for this one.

There are so many suspects and I fell for all the traps.

A great read that kept me guessing until the end.

Thanks to Random House/Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Mystery

50 users

Thriller

47 users

Fiction

44 users

Suspense

24 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

12 users

Mystery > Crime

10 users

Audiobook

9 users

Adult Fiction

9 users

Thriller > Psychological Thriller

7 users

Contemporary

6 users

See top shelves…

About Joy Fielding

Joy Fielding

1,331 followers

Joy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last n Joy Fielding (née Tepperman; born March 18, 1945) is a Canadian novelist and actress. She lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, she graduated from the University of Toronto in 1966, with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. As Joy Tepperman, she had a brief acting career, appearing in the film Winter Kept Us Warm (1965) and in an episode of Gunsmoke. She later changed her last name to Fielding (after Henry Fielding) and began writing novels.
Fielding is also the screenwriter of the television film Golden Will: The Silken Laumann Story.

At the age of 8, Joy Tepperman wrote her first story and sent it into a local magazine, and at age 12 sent in her first TV script, however both were rejected. She had a brief acting career, eventually giving it up to write full-time in 1972. She has published to date 22 novels, two of which were converted into film. Fielding's process of having an idea to the point the novel is finished generally takes a year, the writing itself taking four to eight months. Joy Fielding sets most of her novels in American cities such as Boston and Chicago. She has said that she prefers to set her novels in "big American cities, [as the] landscape seems best for [her] themes of urban alienation and loss of identity. Fielding is a Canadian citizen. Her husband's name is Warren, and they have two daughters, Annie and Shannon. They have property in Toronto, Ontario, as well as Palm Beach, Florida.

Fielding had an interview with the Vancouver Sun in 2007, just after her publication of Heartstopper. She enjoys catching readers off guard with the endings of her stories, but insists that "[it] isn't what her fiction is about", but rather more about the development of her characters. Discussing her novels with the Toronto Star in 2008, she said "I might not write fiction in the literary sense. But I write very well. My characters are good. My dialog is good. And my stories are really involving. I'm writing exactly the kind of books I like to write. And they're the kind of books I like to read. They're popular commercial fiction. That's what they are."

Fielding has been noted as a novelist who is more popular in the United States and foreign countries, rather than in her native Canada. For example, the novel Kiss Mommy Goodbye was more popular in the States, and See Jane Run in Germany. In addition, she had an American agent and publisher, although she has now switched to a Canadian publisher. ...more