Many thanks to my friends at @simon.audio for the #gifted free audiobook. 

SO STRANGE. But SO GOOD! An absolute standout and favorite read of the year. 

The opening scene: Sally incinerates her recently deceased father and has no understanding why the town is in an uproar. 

Me: SOLD! And from that point forward, I couldn’t listen fast enough. 

Dark. Disturbing. Riveting. This is an unsettling look at abuse and trauma that begs the question: Can brokenness be healed or only endured? 

Brilliantly executed from beginning to end, Nugent delves into the deepest recesses of the human psyche creating a narrative as unique as it is bingeable. The storytelling is crisp, wasting no words. The plot is meticulously layered; a slow release of the truth that builds both tension and atmosphere. But it was the rich characterization that stood out most for me. 

Sally completely won me over. She’s both eccentric and exasperating. Her directness often provided well timed laughter. But ultimately, it was the stark reality of her situation, having endured what no one should, and how that affected her everyday life that held me enrapt. I found her character arc fully authentic and sadly believable. 

I love books full of gray areas. And Nugent excelled at creating a haunting portrayal of monsters, some easily identifiable and others hiding behind elusive veils. It’s a harrowing reminder that no one is purely good or evil. 

Worth noting: US readers get an additional chapter at the end. However, my dark heart much preferred the more realistic, albeit bleaker, UK ending.

WHAT A BOOK! I’ll be thinking about Strange Sally Diamond for a long time to come. 

🎧 This audiobook is already being lauded in the Top 20 Best of 2023, and I absolutely agree. Narrated by Jessica Regan, Stephen Hogan, and Sara Lynam, this was a performance in which I could not stop listening. was held completely captive, unable to push the pause button. Impeccable!