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The Favorite Girl

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Every family has secrets—dark ones, twisted ones, ones they hide. The Ivory family is no different. From the outside of their gated estate, one would see a beautiful, wealthy family. But the more perfect they seem, it only shows how many imperfections they are trying to bury. When Demi Rao, a young woman is at her wits’ end and on the run from escaping her captor, she comes across an employment ad from the Ivory family, looking for someone to help maintain their elaborate estate. Although the ad is strange with meticulous directions to wear all-white, no makeup and speak quietly, Demi applies. With no choices, Demi gets and accepts the job and when she does, she quickly realizes she’s not there to clean, she’s there for a purpose. They picked her. They chose her. They’ve always known her. Behind the doors of the pristine estate lies secrets, a lethal human experiment and Demi’s entire life planned out for her.

The Ivory’s have picked a favorite girl.

And it might just be her.

This novel is a dark thriller that has content that may be intense for some. Please check the author's website for warnings and/or message her if you have questions or concerns.

404 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 14, 2024

7539 people are currently reading
54180 people want to read

About the author

Monica Arya

12 books1,691 followers
Monica Arya is an Amazon Top 35 bestselling and award winning author. Her books have been #1 bestsellers. She is a multi-genre author, writing both thrillers and romance. Monica resides in the Carolinas with her husband and two children. She loves to connect with readers and you can find her on social media @monicaaryaauthor or www.monicaarya.com

IG : @monicaaryaauthor

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Website

www.monicaarya.com

TikTok : @monicaaryaauthor

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5 stars
12,579 (29%)
4 stars
14,125 (33%)
3 stars
9,781 (22%)
2 stars
4,206 (9%)
1 star
2,022 (4%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,970 reviews
Profile Image for LoveBooks2119.
642 reviews17 followers
June 26, 2024
This is the first and last time I’ll read anything by this author. It is poorly written and UNEDITED. The inconsistencies, repetitive use of words and phrases is mind numbing (several examples below). The stupidity of the main character is unrealistic and exhausting. I forced myself to finish because I paid for this nonsense. It’s unfortunate because the plot premise had potential.

Examples of the lack of editing:
•Demi meets the Ivorys. The description of Mrs Ivory: “blond hair was cut in a short, neat bob. At dinner hours later: “her blonde hair was down in shiny loose curls”, “I didn’t realize her hair was that long when it was pinned up earlier.”
•Upon entering the dining room, Demi describes it “The room had gold walls…”; when seated at the table “A door on the opposing wall that blended into the dark, navy walls swung open”
•Demi meets Conrad and he has “whiskey colored eyes”; farther in the book she says to him “Your eyes aren’t green.” “You have light brown eyes.” “Why do you wear green-colored contacts?”
•No shoes allowed in bedrooms yet keep putting on shoes in bedroom.
•Overuse of:
pinching lips to the side
rolled lips together (who even does that?). Someone either rolled their lips or eyes 39 times.
nails digging into flesh
splattering spit
the word slammed
•How many times does the reader need to be told Demi killed her sister?
•Demi says “Were they watching me in here? No, they must not have cameras in Bradley’s room, considering we had sex in here.” Minutes later she says “…quickly remembered Bradley said his room didn’t have cameras.”
•Mrs. Ivory tells Demi she was once a caged girl and Demi is shocked. Earlier in the book Bradley told Demi that Mrs. Ivory was one.
•How did they kill themselves if their arms were tied together above their heads??
•Demi & Conrad’s wedding: (Bradley told Demi that he would spike Conrad’s whiskey). Conrad tells Demi to get him his whiskey & she thinks “Was it laced?”. Later she’s now with Bradley & he says to Demi “The pill you gave to Conrad …”.
Back to back sentences: “I was standing there in my white lace dress full of hope.” “I brushed my hands against my pants before sitting down”. Well is Demi wearing pants or a dress???
What a disaster!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kail Lowry.
74 reviews63.5k followers
August 8, 2024
2 stars for the entertainment aspect. The entire story & plot were so far fetched, it just wasn’t for me.
Profile Image for luv2read .
927 reviews949 followers
July 18, 2024
If plots could earn stars alone, this book would be a five-star masterpiece. It kicks off with a bang, gripping you right from the start. At 19, Demi is barely getting by and lands a job as a cleaner for the mysterious Ivory family. Right away, things feel off with creepy rules and strange events that keep you on edge.

The story had so much potential. The idea behind it is fantastic, and I was eager for the chills and thrills. Unfortunately, the execution fell short. Despite the promise of disturbing moments, only a couple of scenes really delivered. My heart never raced like I hoped it would.

While I enjoyed the concept and the intriguing plot, it needed more darkness to truly shine. It’s a good read, but it left me wanting more of that spine-tingling fear. 3.5 stars rounded up for the great idea.
Profile Image for Katie.
234 reviews5 followers
July 11, 2024
I can’t y’all, I just can’t. This was so bad I actually have no words. It has robbed me of all my snark and wit. If I were to point out everything that made this book terrible it’d be longer than the book itself.

And why didn’t I just DNF you ask? Because I’m an idiot. Because as bad as it was I couldn’t look away, I needed to see just how badly it ended. And I rode that train right off a cliff and exploded into a pile of flaming garbage.

When will you learn Katie, when will you learn. If a book is super hyped up on the book pages and BookTok it means it’s probably terrible. I know this and yet my fomo is too strong to fight.

To all the people that recommended this book - go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done.
Profile Image for STEPH.
518 reviews59 followers
June 6, 2024
Hmm. I've read books that are far more disturbing than this so the two trigger warnings are completely nothing for a splatterpunk freak like me. Haha.

Also, no offense but although the Ivory family's deepest secret is somewhat inhumane, I would've like to read more of their brutality rather than following Demi's cart while she cleans and scrubs the floor, like, her inner thoughts are heartbreaking enough but I don't want to be reminded of it every second of every chapter. No character development is a waste of a good character.

I did enjoy the first couple of chapters but it became too repetitive for me, I was promised a VERY dark novel, yet, this didn't deliver.
Profile Image for Shawnaci Schroeder.
448 reviews3,612 followers
January 20, 2025
4/5 ⭐️

- This book kept me guessing from start to finish. If you like Freida McFadden’s thrillers, you’ll really love this one because it was SUCH an easy read and so fast paced. Reminded me of the housemaid in a way because the fmc didn’t have anywhere to go other than the job she applied for and that storyline felt so realistic.
- The favorite girl is my first book by this author and wow!! What a ride! If you’re looking for a fast paced story that doesn’t have super intricate plot lines, you have to pick this one up.
- This book actually made me sick to my stomach. It is twisty, fast paced, and sickening. You’re in for quite the ride with this one, but you won’t want to put it down.
Profile Image for Nichole Jones.
36 reviews2 followers
June 18, 2024
Hated this book. I’m sorry. Just didn’t appeal to me and Demi was so annoying along with the family making threats She broke all the rules and nothing happened to her. What was the point of signing the contract? I skimmed through the last few chapters.
37 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2024
This is unequivocally and emphatically the worst book I have ever read, and possibly the worst book ever written. The only reason I finished it was to be able to write this review, to hopefully save you the time and brain cells that I scarified to this frankly embarrassing ode to the dangers of self-publishing and a social circle that refuses to give one the honest feedback that, perhaps, one should stick to their day job.

The writing is bloated and juvenile. It’s reminiscent of the entries I thought were profound in my 8th grade journal, but worse. The premise is both boring and offensive, done a million times better elsewhere (your 8th grade journal, perhaps?). It makes attempts at shock value but only succeeds in stirring feelings of mild embarrassment for the author whose terrible judgement not only thought this utter garbage was worth writing down, but worth releasing publicly for others to encounter.

I also want to emphasize that one of the last books I read was Ice Planet Barbarians. A book about getting kidnapped by aliens and then fucking giant blue horned creatures on what basically amounts to Hoth. So lest you think “I love a garbage book, this snob just doesn’t appreciate lowbrow literature” trust me when I say I do. This pile of ludicrous dog shit is not what you’re looking for.

If you are still considering reading this book, I highly recommend you take a moment to consider how fleeting the moments you have on this planet are and consider spending them literally any other way than investing a moment of your brief, precious life in this complete betrayal of the achievements of human ingenuity and imagination. ZERO STARS!!!!!
Profile Image for Alright Hey (Matt).
167 reviews3,639 followers
February 11, 2025
this was… one of the wildest rides.

I saw this book take the psychological thriller Facebook groups by storm over the last few months of last year and was very excited to tackle it in 2025.
I should have checked the trigger warnings, not cause anything would trigger me, but because I just wish SOMEONE GAVE ME A HEADS UP AS TO WHAT THIS BOOK WAS ABOUT.

A broke young woman applies for a housekeeping job in an affluent suburb, only to find the house is not as pretty on the inside. This is a really unsettling book, full of really dark scenes. The book begins with self harm, describes multiple rapes and centres around human trafficking.

I absolutely loved it.. but I'm not sure I can recommend it. Would hate to recommend this book and it be read by someone who isn't prepared to read what's inside it. So please check the trigger warnings.

The writing style is fine, the book moves along quickly enough and was engaging. There weren't any real huge plot twists that were good enough to blow my mind, but none the less I was still hanging onto every word - it was so interesting and I was always ready to hear what was going to happen next. So much happens in this book, a lot of it quite farfetched, a bit sickening. But it's a book I will never stop thinking about. The main character is your typical, annoying thriller MC. She got too many chances in my opinion LMAO. "Be quiet or they will kill you" had to be told to her like 40 times and she kept yelling and screaming at people. DUMBASS.

It's a mess. The book is a mess. Read it if you can handle it.
Profile Image for Kylee Abrams.
8 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2024
A bunch of interesting plot twists and ideas mod-posted together with half-dead masking tape and dried sticky tack. Stellar game of the plot is lava.

Characters fell flat, zero character development. Honestly felt like this was written by a 4th grader. Very poorly executed, awful writing style. Inconsistent, confusing, and downright anxiety provoking.

1 star for creativity, but GURL, you don’t have to put ALL your ideas into the same book! And PLEASE, PLEASE … hire an editor.
Profile Image for Kim Hess (kims_killer_reads).
299 reviews85 followers
May 8, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Ummm hello!! Calling all my dark thriller readers! This one is definitely for you! This book was crazy off the rails good!! Like wtf did I just read?? I feel like every time I read a @monicaaryaauthor book, I am asking myself that same question. I mean I just don’t understand how she comes up with this dark ass shit that is in her books. 🤯
I am VERY fortunate to be on Monica’s ARC team and was so lucky to have been able to read this book earlier than the general public. But that means that I get to SHOUT it out earlier than release day, “If you have not read a book by this author yet, YOU ARE SLEEPING ON HER!!” What are you waiting for?? I can’t be the only account that you have seen raving about this author’s work!! I just can’t be. I myself, am seeing more and more people reviewing her books and just loving them like I do!! I still have more of her backlist to read and I can’t wait to get to all of her books. This particular book however, comes out in just two short weeks!! You must grab your copy ASAP! You won’t regret it.
I’m not going to say much about this book at all. Other than you DON’T want to be The Favorite Girl. Trust me. You’ll have to read the book to find out why. Or read the synopsis as you add it to your tbr on Goodreads. 😜
But I say go into it blind. There are a ton of trigger warnings though, so be sure to check them out beforehand. But all in all, this was another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!! It was just so great!!
Pub date: May 14, 2024
Stop sleeping on her and go grab your copy today!! (Pre-order)
Profile Image for Marggie Duncan.
8 reviews1 follower
September 27, 2024
*Spoiler ALERT*

Unpopular opinion: this book was ridiculously STUPID.
I’m actually annoyed at the ending. Seemed like she couldn’t think of anything and had no time. Rushed and not creative at all.
All the twists were odd and some didn’t make sense. The one that really bothered me was Becca’s. That was supposedly when she realized that Layla sent her there and she was actually in love with Trent. She realizes that she never actually saw Layla being raped by him. Yet, in an earlier chapter it talks about how sometimes she would watch as he brutally beat and raped her and Layla would keep her eyes on Demi and mouth to her that everything was okay. So this made ZERO SENSE! Which is a huge writing error considering her sister was her reason for living.
I was hoping for some mind blowing reasoning to all of it. Turns out it was just some messed up people, nothing more. The connections that were the “twists” were so weak.
I had thought at one point that maybe she was the crazy one and she was actually in an insane asylum and didn’t realize it. That plot twist would have been more intriguing.
I don’t understand all the hype. I rarely give five stars but it’s even less often that I give two or less. I gave this a two. It did keep me reading hoping for a big twist!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alexandra.
125 reviews12 followers
June 21, 2024
I do not use one star ratings lightly but this may just be my least favorite book I've ever read. I guess the twist at the end was decent, but yikes. I almost DNF this one but forced myself to....however now I wish I could get the time back 😒
Profile Image for Mariah.
67 reviews2 followers
June 3, 2024
*sigh* another what did I just read and why.

Just read through and seriously do not understand the 5 star reviews. It started good, but the two trigger warnings are so uneccessary. It's somehow repetitive and inconsistent at the same time. Lastly, the twist is boring, predictable and dumb. Don't waste your time.
Profile Image for Pamela.
436 reviews13 followers
June 4, 2024
Just so bad. Totally implausible and not suspenseful. No likable characters, and the main character has zero common sense.

I see 100 red flags, but I need a job so….
They want me to get an IUD for my house cleaning job… weird, but I need a job so….
Profile Image for Courtney.
20 reviews12 followers
August 14, 2024
This book is literally insane... certainly not for the faint of heart
Profile Image for Vee.
15 reviews1,454 followers
July 28, 2024
This book made me sympathize with a character more than I ever have in my life. I felt like I was going through everything along with Demi. This book had me absolutely hooked from beginning to end, I just constantly was dying to know what craziness was going to happen next. Even though there were trigger warnings in the beginning there were some parts where I had to put the book down for a bit, though. It’s definitely intense and can be triggering. Other than that, great writing and I’m looking forward to reading other thrillers by Monica!
Profile Image for Cheyenne.
29 reviews
August 6, 2024
Around 60% of the way through, I realized this was one of the dumbest books I’ve ever read. Then it somehow got dumber. There was an insane amount of inconsistencies that made no sense, the “twists” fell flat because they existed for shock value yet made NO sense. I’m worried for the people giving this book 5 stars. Are y’all okay?
Profile Image for Alessandra Gonzalez.
73 reviews557 followers
July 14, 2024
Wow this book took me on a journey! The whole thing was wild from start to finish, the plot twist shook me. Def reccomend this book.
3 reviews1 follower
June 24, 2024
DNF at 62%. The author manages to torture the reader with this repetitive and immature story as the reader waits and waits for it to be worth their time. Cannot fathom how this has been recommended so many times or rated so highly.
Profile Image for Maddie Bsj.
12 reviews1 follower
August 8, 2025
I’m begging to talk to someone about the inconsistencies in this book.

She got a manicure but then in the next scene had dollar store nail polish on

She drinks alcohol, but then has never drank it later in the book.

She sees her sister raped, then doesn’t

Ian Ivory consistently talks about being with Demi after the wedding, but then immediately offs himself after the ceremony?

Daphne Ivory talks about watching Demi’s wedding night, but then they off themselves.

I’m pretty sure there’s more. I feel like a simple proofread could have caught these. I’m mad now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for adoseof.adri.
127 reviews326 followers
June 8, 2024
I just — 🫠 I usually don’t read trigger warnings but when I tell you, I got to one part and had to go BACK to that page that linked the trigger warnings cause I was appalled.

This was an incredible & unique thriller. I do wish we got more of everyone’s background (The Ivory’s, Demi & Layla’s, Bradley’s). I would’ve loved a longer book with those flashbacks weaved in!
Profile Image for Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste).
359 reviews106 followers
July 13, 2024
What the heck did I just read!!! Struggling to rate this one because I literally don’t know….i love a dark twisted book but this was so wild to me I don’t know how to feel about it! Like these things actually happen to people?? That’s the scary thing! Major Taken vibes with a dash of Romeo & Juliet. I’ll probably read the sequel because I’m intrigued about what will happen next but this was WHACKY.
Profile Image for Jessica  Williams .
857 reviews42 followers
May 22, 2024
One thing about my friend Monica is her mind works in twisted, miraculous ways. 🤭 It probably says a lot about me that I was captivated by a story that is SO unsettling and unhinged…but let’s not talk about that.

Demi is on the run after escaping her captor.
Tired of sleeping on park benches and eating leftovers from dumpsters, she applies for a housekeeping job with strange directions (wear all-white, no makeup and speak quietly.) Left with no choice, she accepts the live-in job in the gorgeous estate but quickly realizes she’s not there to clean, she’s there for a purpose. They chose her for a lethal human experiment. Could she be the next favorite girl?

The Favorite Girl is NOT like other thrillers; it’s unique and unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s horrifying because in some ways, it’s the reality we live in. The monsters are human. Monica has crafted the most compelling characters and shocking moments that’ll have your jaw on the floor.

Although bingeworthy and addicting, the content won’t be for everyone; it’s highly disturbing and DARK. There are **TWO TRIGGER WARNING PAGES - READ THEM**
and proceed with caution. If you can stomach it, I guarantee you’ll be shocked and terrified.

One thing is for sure, white rice, plain yogurt and peonies will NEVER be the same. 🫣

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Profile Image for Emily Rae.
134 reviews352 followers
August 9, 2024
2.5 ⭐️ First, Ms. Monica Arya, are you okay? This story was sickkkkk. There were parts that were very difficult to get through because I felt physically ill. 🤢 The plot was unique and twisted but some parts were WAY too wild in my opinion. I was on the fence with the rating because it did keep me wanting to read, but the ending was what really lowered the rating for me…I liked the final twist with Bradley but then it kept going and was just too much.
Profile Image for Jenn(ifer).
191 reviews1,001 followers
August 25, 2024
As Charles Barkley once said, “Turrible.” I can’t believe someone liked this dumpster fire of a book enough to lend it to me. “You’ll like it!,” they said. “You won’t be able to put it down,” they said.

I need men in black to come and do the light flash thingy, stat.
Profile Image for Meagan.
29 reviews25 followers
August 21, 2024
This book was crazyyy 🫣🤯 be advised of trigger warnings before reading
Profile Image for Danielle-Gemma💜.
448 reviews24 followers
July 1, 2024
If you aren’t used to reading dark stories I suggest you do take the authors advice and read the trigger warnings!

It feels weird to say I enjoyed this based on the subject matter but I really did. Reminded me of The Collector series that I’ve just finished. I kept wanting to read more and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Added her other books to my TBR!
Profile Image for Ashley Flippin.
348 reviews25 followers
August 9, 2024
What the heck did I just read?!?! This was the craziest thing I’ve ever read. I almost didn’t finish it, now I wish I hadn’t. This was the most unrealistic story I have ever read. And then the ending was also terrible. I never give 1 star but here it is
Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,970 reviews

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