Welcome friend! In Favorite Daughter, when their father leaves his fortune to the daughter he hasn’t seen in decades, Mickey and Arlo are pulled into each other’s lives in ways they never expected. Therapy, grief, and buried truths collide in this layered story of what we inherit—and what we must learn to release.
I enjoy dark stories with humor and Favorite Daughter treats grief, estrangement, addiction, recovery, dysfunctional families, broken marriages, ethical dilemmas, and second chances with softness. If you love character-driven stories that dig into messy families, big decisions, and tender hope, this one absolutely delivers. Read on for my thoughts!
Morgan Dick | Goodreads
A darkly funny debut novel about two estranged sisters who are unknowingly thrown together by their problematic father’s dying wish
Mickey and Arlo are half sisters. But they’ve never spoken and never met. Arlo adored her father—but always lived in the shadow of his magnetic personality and burdensome vices. Meanwhile, their father abandoned Mickey and her mother years ago, and Mickey has hated him since. When she receives news of her father’s passing, Mickey is shocked to learn that he’s left her his not-inconsiderable fortune. The catch: Mickey must attend a series of therapy sessions before the money can be released.
Unbeknownst to either woman, the psychologist Mickey’s father has ensured she meets with is her half sister, Arlo. Having cared for her beloved father on his sickbed, Arlo is devastated to discover he’s cut her out of his will. She resolves to learn where the money went and why.
Working together as therapist and patient—with no idea that they’re in fact sisters—Arlo and Mickey soon get under each other’s skin. Arlo, eager to outrun a mistake in her professional past, is keen to redeem herself with her new client. But Mickey is far from the model patient. As Mickey’s personal and professional lives spiral out of control and Arlo uncovers the truth about who her new patient really is, the sisters find themselves on a crash course that will break—or save—them both.
Favorite Daughter – Book Review
Father-daughter relationships are at the heart of Favorite Daughter. Mickey and Arlo share a dad but have never met each other. He left Mickey and her mom when she was maybe seven years old and started a brand-new life with Arlo’s mom. Arlo was his primary caregiver in his last days. And yet, he died leaving over a million dollars to Mickey, who he hadn’t seen or talked to in over two decades, with the consideration that she go for therapy.
Told from two perspectives, Mickey and Arlo, I found the approach to both these characters quite interesting.
Mickey is a kindergarten teacher with a drinking problem. She is estranged from her mother and doesn’t have any friends. The challenges in life are more obvious for Mickey, though their extent isn’t revealed till later in the book. She becomes close to Ian, one of her students, and his uncle when she drops him off after his mom does not pick him up after school. However, this ends up being a mistake— taking a kid off school property, even home is not allowed. Mickey loves kids and her classroom and finds it very hard to be put on leave until an investigation is completed. Her other choice would have been to call the police, but she did not want Ian to go into foster care, and her decision to help the mom backfires. This is such a tough situation and really speaks to the moral dilemmas that a teacher may be confronted with. Mickey adored her father, and his abandonment left deep scars. But living pay cheque to pay cheque and then without any money at all because of the incident with Ian, she is forced to accept his terms and go to therapy.
Arlo is a therapist who was on leave from her job due to a court case when a young girl in her care committed suicide. Arlo has spent the time away with her father, but after he passes away, she returns to her job, finding Mickey as a new patient. She doesn’t know that they are half-sisters. Arlo is so consumed by work and grief that her character unfolds more fully in the second half of the book. Like Mickey, she adored her dad, despite his drinking problem. But it was extreme for her because she would drop everything to please him, and maybe her codependence on him had something to do with him altering his will.
He sets up a situation, not a legally ethical one at that, to bring his two daughters together in a therapist’s office. To get them to talk about him and work through the damage he did to both. He was far from perfect, and yet he was deeply loved by both his daughters.
I enjoyed the other characters in this book. From Mickey’s neighbor to the lawyer handling the will, to Ian and his uncle, the supporting cast felt distinct and well-developed—even without their own points of view. Ian, being five, definitely melted my heart. Mickey and Arlo’s moms also play an important role in the story as they work through their individual griefs of losing their ex/husband.
There were so many angles to explore in this novel, and you know how much I love that in books! Favorite Daughter is a layered exploration of grief, estrangement, and the complicated choices families make in the name of love. With flawed but unforgettable characters, Morgan Dick pulls readers into ethical dilemmas and emotional reckonings that linger well after the last page. I couldn’t put it down, and I’m excited to dive deeper in my upcoming interview with the author—stay tuned!
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Also check out: Well-Behaved Indian Women
Thank you for reading my thoughts. 🙂
See you tomorrow!
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