The Good Daughter (Review)

The Good Daughter

(Brennan Sisters, #2)

By: Jane Porter

Release Date: February 5th, 2013 

Genre(s): Adult Women's Fiction/Chick-Lit

My Review: (4.5/5 stars*)

Fantastically written The Good Daughter is just as beguiling as The Good Woman. Kit's story is poignantly realistic and riveting. Emotions are taken to another level, and Kit's life proves more complex than her sister Meg's. Their is a lot of women's issues addressed and they are done so with great wisdom and insight. The problems aren't tip-toed around; these struggles are faced every day in real life and Porter tells it like it is. The main character Kit faces her own morality just as we all do. There are many relatable concerns brought up that all women deal with at one time or another and it's revitalizing to read about them interwoven into the story. Kit Brennan is brave, flawed, and kind-hearted and I felt at times like I was reading about myself. As well as being able to really connect with the characters in the story it's very entertaining and totally engrossing. Each sister in the Brennan family has some skeletons in their closet, regrets, and are emotionally wounded but somehow they find their way in a world that seems at odds with them.

 
The Good Daughter is the second book in the Brennan Sisters Trilogy. It focuses on the middle daughter and fraternal twin Kit who is introduced in The Good Woman as Meg Brennan's younger sister. Kit Brennan has always been the peacemaker between her sisters, the compassionate one—always putting everyone's needs before her own. Kit is just about to turn forty and she realizes how lonely her life has become. Previously having broken up with her good-for-nothing boyfriend of 10 years who wouldn't even commit to her, she's now living alone as a high school teacher trying to find Mr. Right and move forward with her life. Unfortunately for her she runs into a bit of a problem when Mr. Right turns out to be Mr. Wrong. To make matters worse her new student Delilah keeps acting strange and leads Kit to question the safety of this young girl's home life. Meanwhile Kit's juggling men, work, and her mother's health which is deteriorating rapidly.

I have to say I really enjoyed Meg's story in The Good Woman for its happy yet emotional tone, but I liked the darker side of things in Kit's story. It had a lot going on and I loved the depth and unraveling layers of the characters. It's a winding emotional roller coaster. The romance is slow but develops nicely at the end. Jude is far from perfect but he somehow manages to fit into Kit's life and he makes it interesting. I love how Kit really challenges herself and finally goes for what she wants and needs. All her life it has been about pleasing everyone else but now she's in control free to do what she wants and not have to be the good daughter. There were some great little twists thrown in that really changes how you view some of the characters which I found intriguing. Overall Kit's story drew me in and never let go! I'll definitely be waiting for the last Brennan Sisters novel to release titled The Good Wife.

Synopsis:

Love was given to all, except herself . . . Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself . . . A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight . . .

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Click here to read my review of The Good Woman (Brennan Sisters, #1). 

"The Good Woman is heart-gripping, real, and moving on so many different levels. It sheds light on the real-life struggles women face and it's extremely relatable."