The Good Daughter

As an English teacher from a close Catholic family, I expected to enjoy reading Jane Porter’s The Good Daughter, but I didn’t expect it to resonate with me in such a powerful way. I loved reading this book which perfectly blends the reality of being a high school English teacher with the challenges of being part of a big family. Kit Brennan is an English teacher at a Catholic high school and is nearing 40. She has resigned herself to the fact that she will not meet a man, yet wants to pursue adopting a child on her own. After a series of horrible dates, Kit becomes more determined to begin building a family, but, as a good daughter, doesn’t want to isolate her traditional Catholic family (especially her mother who is battling terminal cancer). Kit decides to escape the chaos of her life by heading down to Capitola for a weekend away with one of her best friends. In the midst of some quality girl time, Kit runs into a mysterious biker who is everything that she needs to stay away from, yet she finds herself strangely drawn to him. Leaving him behind, Kit is certain that their chance encounter will fade into a distant memory, but when a troubled young student is enrolled into Kit’s English class, she has no idea that she will cross paths with the mysterious man once again. Kit must work hard to save her student, savor the remaining moments with her mother, and complete her adoption application all while dealing with a situation that she never expected. The Good Daughter is a great read with an engaging plot and strong characters. I also loved the details Jane Porter has added which helped me to visualize the story as it unfolded. Well worth adding to your spring read shelf!