Perfect Daughter

Amanda Prowse

(Review written on 05/05/2020)

What a beautifully told story Perfect Daughter is. I have thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in Jacks’ and Pete’s story.

When we first meet Jacks, in the prologue, she has just married Pete. However, the story is set nineteen years later when Jacks’ life is nothing like the life she envisioned.

I had conflicting feelings about Jacks throughout this book. Don’t get me wrong, she is a very likeable character and I could totally understand her frustrations. She’s only in her late thirties and has lost herself to her demanding lifestyle which mostly involves looking after everyone else. She has a heart of gold and a strong sense of duty but is also quite resentful at times which I imagine is only natural given her circumstances. She is living in an overcrowded house with Pete and two children, one now an adult, as well as her aging mother with every increasing personal care needs. No disposable income to speak of and no time to herself.

We all tend to sometimes want what we don’t or can’t have. Many people wonder what if? It’s human nature. I really felt sorry for Pete though as he seems to suffer the brunt of Jacks’ frustrations and often can’t seem to do anything right despite being a hard working husband and father doing his best to provide for his family having lost the chance of a footballing career due to injury. I warmed to Pete straight away and he grew on me more and more as the story progressed. He has very different fears to Jacks when it comes to their daughter and my heart went out to him.

I do think we’re all guilty of not appreciating what we have right now instead of focusing on what we don’t, and this made Jacks very real and believable. She has a lot on her plate, and I can totally understand her fears for her daughter and not wanting her to struggle in life as much as they have. There is a lot to be said for love and happiness though, far more important than money. As many would say around here, you can’t take it with you! (I won’t attempt to write the potteries slang version!)

I could talk about this book for ages, but I don’t want to give too much away. I very much recommend you read it for yourself.

A very powerful family drama full of love, commitment and sacrifice. It is so full of emotion and I’m sure most readers will relate to it in one way or another. It has a very positive lesson for us all also.

We all find our way in the end and this story certainly ends on a high which left me crying happy tears.

I LOVED it!