The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith is a diabolically twisty psychological thriller

What if your sister disappeared one summer night—and then walked back into your life sixteen years later? The Wrong Daughter by Dandy Smith takes this premise and spins it into one of the most anxiety-inducing psychological thrillers I’ve read this year.

The story follows Caitlin, whose older sister Olivia was abducted when they were children. When a woman claiming to be Olivia suddenly reappears, Caitlin should feel joy. Instead, her carefully rebuilt world begins to unravel piece by piece. The tension comes not only from the mystery of whether this is truly Olivia, but also from the way she manipulates every situation to Caitlin’s detriment.

Smith excels at capturing the “crazy-making” effect of gaslighting. As readers, we see the subtle ways Olivia twists circumstances to make Caitlin look unstable, and we feel the frustration and helplessness when no one else seems to notice. It’s a masterclass in psychological suspense, creating a visceral sense of unfairness that seeps into your subconscious and keeps you on edge.

The novel also introduces a side thread involving Heath and Elinor, siblings raised in near-isolation in an isolated family manor. Their story has strong Flowers in the Attic undertones, complete with a menacing uncle and disturbing power dynamics. While some readers on Goodreads have bristled at the incest element, I think it’s important to note that it isn’t gratuitous—it’s disturbing because incest is disturbing. Literature often exposes uncomfortable truths, and here Smith forces us to reckon with a form of abuse that’s too often silenced. Rather than dismissing it with an “ew,” I appreciated how the book sparked reflection on stigma, secrecy, and victim-blaming.

One of the novel’s darker undercurrents is its portrayal of the men in Caitlin’s orbit. From her gaslighting father to her selfish boyfriend, they embody entitlement and self-centeredness in ways that contrast sharply with the vulnerability of Caitlin and Elinor. And Heath—perhaps the most chilling of all—demonstrates how abuse can perpetuate itself in cycles of control and cruelty.

If you enjoy thrillers that immerse you so completely in a character’s unraveling that you feel it in your bones, The Wrong Daughter is for you. Dandy Smith blends psychological intensity with gothic overtones to create a story that is both compulsively readable and deeply unsettling.

Have you read The Wrong Daughter? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

An advance reader copy of this book (ARC) was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Related Content

• Interview: Dandy Smith (Crime Fiction Lover)
• The Perfect Match by Dandy Smith (Trusty Water Blog)
• Meet thriller writer Dandy Smith (Good Reading Magazine)
• Blog tour review: One Small Mistake – Dandy Smith (Jenny Lou’s Book Reviews)

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Now that Jack has been forced to reflect on everything he has to lose, he resolves to do better. He’s determined to spend more time at home with his family and repair the relationships that have suffered over the years while he’s been so focused on work. But as Callie’s behavior becomes increasingly bizarre, Jack realizes he has a lot more room to improve than he realized – and it might be too late to save his daughter after all.

For fans of We Need to Talk About Kevin, The Push, and Baby Teeth.