Toni's Review of The Daughter She Used to Be by Rosalind Noonan ***5 Stars***

Scheduled for release - October 25th

In this emotionally charged and riveting novel from the author of One September Morning and In a Heartbeat, one woman is torn between loyalty to her family's ways and to her most profound convictions. . .

The daughter of a career cop, Bernadette Sullivan grew up with blue uniforms hanging in the laundry room and cops laughing around the dinner table. Her brother joined New York's finest, her sisters married cops, and Bernie is an assistant District Attorney. Collaring criminals, putting them away—it's what they do. And though lately Bernie feels a growing desire for a family of her own, she's never questioned her choices. Then a shooter targets a local coffee shop, and tragedy strikes the Sullivan family.

Anger follows grief—and Bernie realizes that her father's idea of retribution is very different from her own. All her life, she's inhabited a clear-cut world of right and wrong, of morality and corruption. As Bernie struggles to protect the people she loves, she must also decide what it means to see justice served. And in her darkest hour, she will find out just what it means to be her father's daughter.

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I was completely blown away from this amazing story by Rosalind Noonan. She captivated me from the beginning and kept me enthralled throughout the whole novel. I kept wanting to peek ahead to see what would happen next. This is storytelling at its very best!!

You would think that this story revolves around the daughter Bernadette “Bernie” Sullivan. In reality, I feel it revolves around every single member of the Sullivan family and even a few of the extended cast. Yes, Bernie held the limelight a bit more and it was her driving desire for honorable justice that propelled the storyline, but it was the whole cast of characters that made this story as strong as it is.

The Sullivan’s are a family of crime fighters. Either you are a cop, married to a cop or involved in the law. This is all they know. When tragedy hits close to home, their views and family ties are tested. Can this Irish Catholic family survive?

The book is separated into three parts; the buildup, the aftermath, and then finally the consequences. With each chapter I could feel the suspense growing. I could almost feel it in the air while I was reading. I had the expectation that something big was going to crash down on me and then I was still totally taken by surprise when it did. I was absolutely floored and my heart was broken.

During the aftermath I was still reeling from the tragedy and desperately trying to grasp and cope with my feelings. I felt all the emotions that every single character was feeling. Ms. Noonan did a superb job with her writing skills to make me feel my emotions so overwhelmingly.

The consequences were just as well written. Depending on how you felt about the issues that were being written about, I can see every reader feeling differently about this part of the story. There are a few highly controversial ideas and views brought up. I enjoyed how they were written, without feeling preachy.

It’s been a long time since I have had so many emotions ripped out of me; so many highs and so many lows. This was a journey of the soul. A deep look into oneself to discover what you are really made of. I highly recommend this book. While it is an emotional read it is extremely thought provoking and very well written. Be prepared for the emotional roller coaster. I laughed, wept, and even got angry. Along the way I learned a few things about myself and I’m a better person for it. This is an outstanding story!

Thanks for Reading - Toni