My Sweet Girl is the debut novel by Amanda Jayatissa. You may have heard of or read You’re Invited which was a BOTM pick in Summer of 2022. There are similarities between these books, but by far I enjoyed My Sweet Girl the most. 

Paloma is an unemployed, mentally unwell thirty year old woman living in the Bay Area. She was adopted from Sri Lanka by white philanthropist parents. We read chapters from her point of view now and from her days in the orphanage. Jayatissa paces this book exceptionally well; I was sucked in from the beginning and never felt a lull. 

I did guess the main plot twist, but that made it no less satisfying or disturbing. This book has darkness- abuse, sexually uncomfortable content, alcoholism, and dead bodies to name a few. Jayatissa creates a vivid scene of life in the orphanage that fits so well with Paloma’s descending mental health in the current day. 

Does this book leak on an unreliable narrator? YES. If that’s a turn off for you, go pick a different book. If that works for you, this novel also speaks to the questionable ethics of both sides of the orphanage and foreign adoption. The Sri Lankan culture is also a shining star in this book, creating a believable culture clash between the Bay Area characters. 

So that’s enough rambling from me, I highly recommend this book.