Daddy’s Little Princess

by Cathy Glass

The latest title from the internationally bestselling author and foster carer Cathy Glass.

Beth is a sweet-natured child who appears to have been well looked after. But it isn’t long before Cathy begins to have concerns that the relationship between Beth and her father is not as it should be.

Little Beth, aged 7, has been brought up by her father Derek after her mother left when she was a toddler. When Derek is suddenly admitted to hospital with psychiatric problems Beth is taken into care and arrives at Cathy’s.

Beth and her father clearly love each other very much and Derek spoils his daughter, treating her like a princess, but there is something bothering Cathy, something she can’t quite put her finger on.

Meanwhile Cathy’s husband is working away a lot and coming home less at weekends. Then, suddenly, everything changes. Events take a dramatic turn for both Beth and Cathy and her family; as Cathy strives to pick up the pieces all their lives are changed forever.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Fostering, Abuse, Biography, Audiobook, True Story

315 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Cathy Glass is a bestselling British author, freelance writer and foster carer.
Her work is strongly identified with both the True Life Stories and Inspirational Memoirs genres, and she has also written a parenting guide to bringing up children, Happy Kids, and a novel, The Girl in the Mirror, based on a true story.
Glass has worked as a foster career for more than 20 years, during which time she has fostered more than 50 children. Her fostering memoirs tell the stories of some of the children who came in to her care, many of whom had suffered abuse.
The first title, Damaged, was number 1 in the Sunday Times bestsellers charts in hardback and paperback. Her next three titles, Hidden, Cut and The Saddest Girl in the World, were similarly successful, all reaching the bestseller charts.
The name "Cathy Glass" is a pseudonym for author Lisa Stone.

Reviews

[Liane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoy Cathy Glass books, but oh my days do I get annoyed by the woman! Its becoming a love/hate relationship! Beth's story is certainly interesting, my problems however are with the small things which repeatedly crop up throughout every Cathy Glass book.
Such as the excessive detailing which is unnecessary, for example "I used acetate on cotton wool to remove her nail varnish." REALLY???!!! Why would anyone say this?!! Surely "I removed her nail polish too, or, I was glad to take off her make up and nail polish."

I thought it was irresponsible to write about letting Adrian use matches to light the candles on his own birthday cake! The kid was supposedly 7 years old, even though she said he was supervised would you really let a child who was turning 7 that very day handle matches? And even if you would, would you publish the fact in a book when your career is meant to mean you are responsible for children and their well-being?!

However the most irritating thing I found with this book is the fact that it starts with Paula aged 2, and a couple of months from her third birthday, which coincidentally is exactly the same age as my daughter is now, yet some of the things that Paula is supposed to say is so unrealistic it just makes me question 'Cathy's' credibility as an author in general.

Paula is still having a mid morning nap (something my daughter has not done for about 9 months now) and is still so young that she has to go in the pushchair to school which is five minutes away, at the end of the book she says the table is "too big" without Beth, (which is exactly the kind of comment I would expect at her age) rather than saying it feels empty, yet she can assess a situation well enough to say "you look worried mummy."
More astonishingly, she can have a conversation with her mum, then retain the information and recall it well enough to say to her dad on the phone "Hello daddy, mummy has found your ring, so you can still worship her with all your worldly goods."

There are many many points throughout the book which are like this and maybe it's because of my daughters age that I can relate to it and it annoys me so much?

Or maybe it's just Cathy? If a woman called my house late at night while I were in bed and asked for my husband I would not be forgetting it anytime soon!? Yet Cathy never even questions it?! No wonder he had an affair and left her, she is obviously a very nice person but she is clearly somewhat naive and often dim as she said in her own words. (can you be at the hospital for 10am to participate in Derek's therapy? "yes, will Derek be there?" I asked... "Yes, it is his therapy you are joining" "of course" I said, feeling a bit dim..... -might not be word perfect but that was the gist of a conversation in the book.)

I do enjoy the stories and I admire her work as a foster carer but I do find her immensely frustrating! I will read future books of hers and any existing ones I might have missed, but I will never again buy a Cathy Glass book, just loaning them from the library.

[Kasia (kasikowykurz) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Czuję się oszukana tą książką. Nie wierzę, że mówią to odnośnie jakiejkolwiek pozycji Cathy Glass, ale tak jest. Nie wiem, czy od czasu ostatniej przeczytanej prze mnie jej książki tak drastycznie zmienił się mój gust, więcej zauważam, czy po prostu ta jedna pozycja jest tak źle napisana.

Nie chodzi mi o samą historię dziewczynki, chociaż przyznaję, że jest mocno chaotyczna... Chodzi mi o postać Cathy i o to, co ta kobieta wyprawia. Od samego początku wywołuje niepotrzebne napięcie i wprowadza nas w błąd. Wypowiadając zdania w stylu: "nic nie zapowiadało tragedii" oszukuje nas, twierdząc, że pobyt Beth wiązał się z tragedią, był trudny, bolesny - niepotrzebne skreślcie. Przykro mi to mówić, ale ta książka to nie jest historia Cathy, ale historia dziewczynki, której relacja z ojcem jest niepokojąca.

A ja tego nie czuję. Mam wrażenie, że cały czas wszystko kręci się wokół Cathy, a historia Beth to po prostu anegdotka z jej życia. jestem mocno zniesmaczona ta pozycją... I pierwszy raz tak mocno zawiedziona.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read about Child abuse and Neglect since I entered the academic field of Child and Youth work, keeping in mind that one day I will be responsible for Fostering kids of my own, most likely, I think it put a very different perspective on how to approach kids like these while also applying my own knowledge of how you would go about doing it now.

This book, though published in 2014, actually had taken place long before there were set rules about how to approach the kids you foster, which means Cathy sort of had to improvise and, all things considered, I think she did a great job! It's always humbling to me to hear a story of how kids are saved, especially considering the field I have entered.

This story revolves around a seven year old girl named Beth who has come to Cathy when her Father admits himself into the hospital for manic depression and suicidal thoughts. Though it is clear from the start that Beth is mature beyond her years and loves her Dad with a certain ferocity, Cathy keeps her like her own child.
But then she begins to notice things that seem out of place. The love that Beth has for her Father makes Cathy uncomfortable and she begins to wonder why.

I absolutely loved the story! It was a great story with a very happy ending, but I felt like the writing style could've actually used a bit of work. It got repetitive at some points and a little over zealous with details that I found myself skimming past some times, which is why I gave it three stars, but other than that! It was a great story!

[Naomi Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down. A few people have said this isn't her best book, I can't really comment on that as I have only read one previous memoir by Cathy Glass.

A really fascinating book, I am glad help was on offer to Beth's biological family. I feel Jessie the social worker could be far to abrupt! However I appreciate that the events of the book were from some time go, where luckily some protocols have changed. Cathy's family were indirectly placed in danger. Well worth a read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. Emotional incest is something I don't think a lot of people know about and I think through cathys story of Beth this will bring a lot more awareness to it. Cathy also tells us in this book of her and her husbands break up which all I can say is well done to her for being so calm as I very much doubt many women would have been so reserved. Great read.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

As you read the blurb of this book you feel a sense of foreboding about what is going to be behind Beth and Derek's relationship and you can't help but read on. Thankfully it wasn't sexual abuse but it was something which was emotionally damaging all the same and it was treated with the severity it needed. It wasn't dismissed because there were no physical marks or sexual abuse going on but it was treated as the huge red flag it was.

Derek is the father of Beth and while I didn't particularly like him throughout the book, even at the end, I did appreciate that he was given the help and support he needed to address the issues in order to get his daughter living with him again. I'm glad it was caught before anything irreversible happened.

What I found most interesting in this book was Cathy writing this book in the future. Several times she addressed practices that were unsafe or times she felt she was unsupported when she had concerns and she talks about how they have changed nowadays. I do like seeing how foster care would have worked in the past, if only to contrast to it today and see we are starting to get better, if slowly.

Also I really disliked her ex but I took that as a given.

3.5 stars!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all of Cathy Glass' books. This one was good, but it just didn't draw me in like her others. I do appreciate that we got a look into her personal life, and her divorce toward the end of the book.

[𝔅𝔢𝔱𝔥 ☽⋆ ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cathy glass books have always been my guilty pleasure. They offer great insight into the foster system and what it really takes to be a foster parent. I liked that this one had a more ‘happy ending’ so to say and that Beth (who seems like such a sweetheart 🥺) was able to go back to her family. I thought the topic of emotional incest was interesting in that I never heard of that term before and so learning about how badly it can affect the child/parent is something that should be discussed more. Overall a decent read but obviously with these type of books please check your triggers!

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven’t read many books on child abuse, yet I always go into such accounts with a feeling of trepidation. As a mother of two angelic boys – one being almost the same age as the abused little girl in this book – I started Daddy’s Little Princess with dread in my heart, and countless times reconsidered whether I should continue with it. But looking back, I’m really glad I didn’t give up on Beth’s story.

Emotional incest: although the term is new to me, I understood its significance and the implications very clearly when it was explained. Even though this isn’t the worst case of child abuse I’ve heard of, I can only imagine the long term effects it could’ve had on Beth as an adult had a caring foster parent and other concerned adults not stepped in when they did. Whether the abuse was intentional or not, I found it hard to believe that a father could blur the lines so easily. I’m a firm believer in allowing your child to be a child, and I have to admit that I had very little, if any, sympathy with Beth’s father.

I was instantly immersed into Beth and Cathy’s world. Cathy deals with this heartfelt story with sensitivity and empathy. She allows the reader into the heart of her household and makes us as at home as she did Beth. She also takes the reader through the step-by-step process on how the abuse was identified and dealt with. To compound matters, Cathy also had to deal with a marriage that fell apart without warning, but the way she handled everything just kept increasing my respect for her and her kids. Like she says: fostering involves the entire family.

Beth is such a lovely little girl and she crawls into your heart instantly. Her outbursts are typical of a child at that age, but she has so many other qualities, everything else is easily forgiven. How she reacts to her father – especially if you keep her age in mind – that was intensely disturbing. Every time she spoke to him over the phone, I felt uncomfortable (mostly at the beginning of the book). But for her, all of that was normal because that’s what he raised her to believe.

Anyway, before I say too much… The ending, well, let’s just say I wasn’t fully on-board with the ending. I kept asking, “what if…”. Realistically, no-one can predict the future and I guess we’ll just have to hope that the right decisions were made. Beth’s father dumped too much on his girlfriend’s shoulders for me to believe his sincerity, but like I said, we can only hope.

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Cathy Glass's books a lot. I love hearing how children come to her in distress as foster children and leave happy and hopeful. If this woman is for real, I wish there were many more foster parents like her.

But I struggled with this book to believe Cathy was, indeed, for real. Unlike her other books, this just didn't feel authentic. When the events of this book took place Cathy's biological children were 6 and 2 while her foster daughter, Beth, was 7. Beth had not been abused; she was in care because her single-parent father had a nervous breakdown and had to get help. But Cathy started to suspect that there was too much emotional dependency in the father-daughter relationship.

The plot was all fine; I believed that sort of thing could happen. But some of the details didn't seem to add up. The children all seemed wise and perceptive beyond their years, while the 2-year-old had the vocabulary of a school-aged child. There were characters who seemed to be created just to make a point, like the narrow-minded mother who told Cathy in the schoolyard that mentally ill fathers shouldn't be raising little girls. And the whole thing seemed a little too neat: the father's ex-girlfriend moved in and saved the day, fearlessly taking on a very needy man who just had a nervous breakdown along with his hostile 7-year-old daughter.

I'm wondering if after publishing 19 books, Cathy Glass has run out of material and has started borrowing stories from her fostering friends. I don't suppose anyone checks up on her to see if 20 years ago she did, in fact, foster a child who had these issues.

[Jenny Hayworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love reading a book that discusses a topic in a slightly different way. Cathy Glass's stories of children she has fostered nearly always touch on the tragedy of abuse whether sexual or physical or emotional. This story explores abuse of a much more insidious nature that is not immediately apparent but when it becomes obvious and explained it is quite horrifying and just as damaging and difficult for the little girl to recover from. This is also a story of the sometimes redemptive power of good therapy and therapists to enable a father and daughter to be reunited and to raise understanding that sometimes reunification is possible and people can turn their lives around and address the underlying issues that led them to become unfit for parenting at one time. I found this book engrossing, riveting, disturbing, enlightening and ultimately heart lifting.

[Annemariemcbrearty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this book. I did think the subject matter 'emotional incest' was very very interesting it's the first time I'd heard of it, however I thought the writing was very poor so was the editing it seems like very little care was put into this book and it was just thrown together quickly for publication. I also felt the overuse of the word love was really really annoying. I felt the book ended badly as well wasn't impressed that a book from another author was at the end...to make the book appear a bit thicker maybe?? Overall a bit of a let down

[Melanie Reid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of mixed feeling by people about this book. I thought it was really good! I read a few reviews by people saying there is no way Paula could actually speak the way she does, given she is only 2. But my nephew is 2 as well, and sometimes he said things that you wouldn't expect from a 2 year old. I'm sure that some of what Paula says, she doesn't necessarily understand. Children often repeat what they have heard others say. This book did keep me interested from start to finish. I look forward to reading more of Cathy's books.

[Rin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, another great book by Cathy
(What's new?)
This is another one of the firsts experiences of Cathy's, set around the time her a-hole ex pursued his 10 years younger beyotch of co-worker (pardon my language, dear dear Cathy).
The topic of this book is particularly important while still seen as taboo.
There are some things that makes this book a bit uncomfortable to read, maybe the writing or how Cathy's overwhelming sense and feelings? I don't know what it was, but I felt uneasy right from the beginning until the end.
Again, I hope they live happily ever after..

[SUSAN KEYS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic as always

Truly heart felt another classic by Cathy glass the woman deserves a medal for all she has achieved with the children she has helped

[Lesley Joy]

Another well written book about a foster child and the strange relationship she had with her father, alongside we see the breakdown of her own marriage.

[farahxreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daddy’s Little Princess is a story of a little girl named Beth who came under the foster care system and lived with the author which after some time the author finds herself seriously concerned that there is just something off about the relationship between Beth and her father.

It was an insightful reading as it addressed the issue of a lesser acknowledged form of domestic abuse, a kind of abuse that is in betweens: emotional incest and how foster care system works in the UK. The incest part was emotionally disturbing and very heart wrenching but I’m glad that I learned so many things from the book!

The reasons why the book lost two stars were mainly about the mediocre writing and its inconsistency. Other than that (re: incest & foster care system), it was a good read!

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a true story, it was very heart wrenching. I felt very sorry for poor Beth as well as Cathy, especially nearing the end of the story. I'm glad it had a happy ending though for Beth, not all children would be as lucky.

[Kim Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toujours un excellent livre de Cathy Glass.
Je l’ai peut-être moins dévoré car l’histoire est moins “rough” (shame on me), mais il reste très bon! Le sujet de l’inceste symbolique (je ne savais même pas que ça existait!) y est très bien démontré et on peut vraiment constaté qu’avec de bonnes thérapies et de la volonté, les adultes démunis sont capable de grandes choses.🤍

[Novelle Novels · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
This is one of the authors older books but still very good.

[Dana Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a little girl that has a broken home but doesn't realize it, being that she is only 8 years old. The main characters in this book are Cathy (the foster mom), Beth (the little girl) ,Jessie (the social worker) and Derek, (Beth's dad). Beth's dad is not mentally stable and he is admitted to a hospital and that's where Cathy comes in. Cathy is the foster mother who has fostered many children before Beth and loves what she does. Beth is not easy to deal with but Cathy is very good with her. Cathy has two children Adrian and Paula, they are both young children and Beth soon grows to love them. A big problem that comes up often is that Beth isn't allowed to speak to her father for quite some time and she ends up taking her frustration and anger out of Cathy and her family a lot. Cathy's husband, john, isn't home much. He works away from home and isn't actually a big part of the story. Beth is very affectionate, to men that she is not even familiar with, one of the big problems that come with how her dad had been raising her. Cathy was caught in some very tough situations, being that Derek, Beth's dad, didn't like Cathy at all. He seen Cathy taking his place in Beth's life. Beth had not had a mother present in her life since she was very young and that had created emotional and mental problems for both Beth and her father. Personally Cathy was my favorite character because of her willingness to do anything for children that were not hers and for children she didn't even know. She is a very strong individual that is willing to take on anything that comes in front of her. She ran into many problems along the way and was sometimes kept in the dark by the social worker, Jessie, and wasn't told information that would have been helpful for Cathy to know.
I have never been part of a family that had foster children in them however knowing the way Cathy felt about wanting to protect Beth and do what's best for her, I can relate to that. I have two little brothers and a little sister and I babysit a lot. I can truthfully say that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect my siblings or the children I babysit. There have been times when I knew I needed to take up for my little sister over things to an adult and that was an uncomfortable situation but I did it knowing it was the right thing to do. The children that I baby sit mean as much to me as my siblings, I love them just the same, and as I would my own brothers and sister I would protect them no matter the situation and how difficult it may be.
The book was written in first person point of view, and I really enjoyed hearing the story from Cathy's side. I would say that hearing it from her point of view showed the most about the story and had the most action. This book isn't for everyone but it was very heart felt and real. I generally don't enjoy books like these but this one was fantastic!
If someone is wanting a book to keep you on your toes but is also a sincere and sweet book this would be for them. Before I read this book my mother had read it and she loved it just as much as I did. A big reason I would recommend this book to anyone is that it shows a situation that is very real and happens much to often in our world, it isn't a book that you could never imagine happening its an incredibly realistic book with wonderful features!

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cathy Glass is a foster carer, and in her books we get the stories of the children she has fostered over the years (supposedly - I like to think it's true, because then there'd really be some good in the world). In this book, we get the story of Beth. Beth appears to have been well-looked after, but Cathy soon starts to suspect that something is not quite right in the relationship between father and daughter.

Now, firstly, I hadn't heard of emotional incest until I read this book. Judgeing from other reviews, neither had a lot of other people. If nothing else, this book has been successful in spreading the word about this little known condition.

Cathy's personal life was particularly prominent in this one, understandably, as her fostering of Beth coincided with her divorce with her husband John. To be honest, it was painfully obvious that John was having an affair from the very beginning (and she's stated as much in other books), so it was frustrating to see her go along with his lies for so long. I guess love has a way of blinding people. And I guess, writing in hindsight, these little signs seem much more prominent. I don't know. I just wanted to reach into the book and shake her.

Like other reviewers, I found Paula to be a little... old for her age. I feel as though Cathy's memory may be embellishing conversations that didn't happen. But then, maybe I'm wrong and Paula really was that insightful at that age.

That aside, however, this is Cathy Glass doing what Cathy Glass does best. It may not be her best book, but it tells the story of a child that needs help, and how Cathy helped her. If you like Cathy Glass, don't miss this one.

[Mallory Kellogg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Look, this woman did good work. But doing good work with kids is a lot different than doing good work with writing. She needs to work on sentence structure and dialogue. Kids don't speak like her 6 and 2 year olds. It makes it seem like she's making up what her kids say to make herself look better as a mom. Then there is the fact she forgets almost everything if she doesn't write it down, which she didn't do either. She claimed she did but it never really happened until someone told her to write down notes. So she's caring for a kid she knows is in foster care for a very mentally ill father and she doesn't ever think to make notes on the little girl's behavior at all. The kid smashed 2 picture frames and she still managed to forget to tell anyone until someone noticed they were broken. I believe the term for Cathy is "oblivious". So, poor writing and editing, a decent story, and a foster carer that I'm not sure should be caring for kids but definitely might want to hire a beta reader.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was thankful that this book didn’t quite go sown the road I thought it would. But it does speak about emotional incest - not a term I have heard of before. That’s when a child is treated as a partner instead of a child and usually replaces a missing spouse. It can be quite detrimental to the child and if caught in time can be reversed. It was sad reading about this topic but I was happy for yet another semi-happy ending. This also speaks of the break up of Cathy and Joe’s marriage. Which came along quite suddenly and unexpectedly for Cathy. From the sounds of it, she was much better off without him and his philandering ways.

[Demi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been two stars but the topic of emotional incest was interesting and not particularly something I have read about before. I cannot believe that a woman who could quite easily pick up on the emotional incest didn't realised her husband was having an affair!!! I just couldn't believe it. Again wrong was a bit pants and the voice of Cathy is over formal and irritating but I'm glad this highlighted a problem not talked about often

[Jeanine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this author's books; this one was a bit different. Interesting topic that I never heard of before and absolutely heartbreaking time for Ms Glass.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I doo love Cathy Glass books, but this one frustrated me a bit. Sometimes Cathy's methods really irk me. Surely no one can be as naive as Cathy is in some of these tales.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this for my book club. The fact this author has published multiple books including one about how to write a book and get it published disturbs me.

[readwithciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an eye-opener. At first, fostering is not something I appreciate or think of much because I am concerned about how hard it must be to form attachments with someone, and then let them go after some time. But reading this book made me realize it was in fact possible, and even life-altering if done right.

Also, it was highlighted how very challenging it is to build a family and raise children. Many families could not get it right, thus affecting the children in the long run.

So it always make me proud how people or children manage to get through difficult times in their lives. It was astonishing to witness how they try to cope, and be the awesome person that they are regardless of their past. I admire Beth's resilience and character. And I am very happy that they were helped out of that unhealthy situation. Abuse and manipulation are two things I hate the most, what more if children were involved?

And let's talk about John. How do men - alright, PEOPLE - have the audacity to cheat and then blame it on their partners? Why make them think it was just not working out when clearly you were the one who chose not to make it work because you're seeing another person? How can they cheat in the first place when it was apparent how their children dote on them, when their presence is very much anticipated, when they seem so perfect together as a family? How can they stomach being with someone else while their kids and spouse were at home expecting them? How can they fucking LIE for years? And to think this is a very common scenario is really saddening. The only comfort I have is there is divorce so they do not have to force themselves on each other when it clearly won't work which in most cases becomes really toxic for the children.

[sasha_ddm · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.

This was a very important book that raised awareness of a topic I think many of us know very little about.
However. The only thing that makes me not give it 5 stars is I thought Cathy in several parts went way too much into detail about things that didn’t need to be written so much about. Don’t get me wrong, I love how she writes about her everyday life, about the routines that her and her family follow and gives an insight into family life. But sometimes I feel she has a tendency to be almost too descriptive, which can be a little repetitive for me sometimes.
I also find it really hard to believe that a two year old child said some of the things Cathy claims that Paula said. Some of her dialogue was authentic (for example when she parroted her older brother), but I find it extremely difficult to believe that a two year old would say some of the things she said.
For example, there is a scene where John (Cathy’s now ex husband) forgets his ring at the house and phones to see if Cathy has it. Paula then asks to speak to her dad and says to him, “Hello, Daddy. Mummy has found your ring, so you can still worship her with all your worldly goods.” I’m sorry, what?! I know kids like to copy at that age, but I refuse to believe a two year old would ever speak like that. I’ve certainly never met a two year old who does, anyway.
But I really liked how Cathy raised awareness of a topic that’s not really spoken about a lot, I really liked how Cathy showed how the care system and fostering policies have changed over time (that was really interesting) and I really liked that Beth did get a happy ending after everything.