The Secret Daughter

by Forest Sounds, Ellen Archer (Narrator)

Many adoptees dream of discovering that their birth parents are royalty, celebrities, or aristocrats. It’s the stuff of fantasy. But what happens when it could be a reality?

The Secret Daughter is the tale of Nikki Carlson, an adoptee whose search for her roots sets her on an unbelievable thrill ride and emotional odyssey that forever changes her. Adopted as a toddler into a big game-hunting Minnesota family and raised on the flat prairies of the Midwest, Nikki’s life is wholly unremarkable. Haunted by the mysteries of her origins, once Nikki comes of age, she begins to search for her biological roots. What she uncovers is more surreal and twisted than anything she could have imagined.

Her quest to understand her origins brings her into the world of New York high society and then in an unforeseen turn of events, across the Atlantic and into old Italian aristocracy. She unlocks these pieces of information one painstaking step at a time, with people trying to block her path at every turn.

The man believed to be her biological father is an Italian aristocrat, a staple of European gossip columns who hosted Jackie Kennedy in Rome, was rumored to have romanced Princess Margaret, and in his later years, lived a secret second life with his much younger male partner.

When Nikki eventually connects with the man she believes is her biological father, things take a tragic he’s just learned he’s terminally ill—which prompts a cast of characters in his life to stake their claims to his roughly €20 million estate.

Suspicions simmer around Nikki’s intentions, her timing and her place in the world of her purported father. What follows is a dizzying descent into deception, betrayal and high-society scandal. Throughout, questions Is Nikki a grieving daughter simply trying to connect with her heritage? Or is she a manipulative outsider exploiting an old man at the end of his life? Did this man want to leave her anything? Who did he want to have his riches and why?

There are accusations of fraud, whispers of art theft, and even suggestions that the funeral arrangements are a smokescreen to bar Nikki from the family. Tabloid photographers chase the story. Lawyers line up on both sides of the Atlantic.

More than anything, Nikki Carlson wants to know the truth about her origins. She wants answers and to deeply connect to who she really is. Will she unlock her true identity? Will she gain the resolution she’s sought her entire life?

The Secret Daughter is an unforgettable true saga that urges all of us to ask who we are and what it is we want.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Contemporary, Adult

Audible Audio

Published July 10, 2025

Reviews

[Brittany Watts · Rating 1 out of 5]

the amount of times they said "it's not about the money" yet it's legitimately ALL you're talking about was so annoying lol

[Maxine · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this a little irritating! I don't know if it was how it was narrated or the writing, but I'm afraid I did have the urge to shake Nikki and say get a grip.

I have never been the worlds most sympathetic reader, but I'm afraid this one pushed all the wrong buttons. I found the legal side of the book interesting, but the rest, with all of the awful characters, not so much.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Annoying "true" saga is a huge time waster. If that's what you need, then borrow this aubible.com freebie and return it as fast as you can.

There's more talk and descriptions about "the Italian summer nights" "the Italian food" the Italian clothes", etc...More FANTASY and WISH FULFILLMENT than actual story.

If this is a true tall tale, then someone ought to write a better story than this "All American who is the only person to save the Italian heirs in an Italian inheritance case". All hail the savvy American adoptee!

Oh and lets talk about the judges hair and demeanor, or the bloody tampons that was kept by the Italian dude, and the fact that she just flew to Italy without a DNA to confront her suspected "father" and eveyone is cool with it. Then "il babbo" dies within weeks of meeting his secret daughter and grandchild and BOOM, we also find out that "daddy" is GAY!!

The voice actors are definitely good, too good because real people would have been more authentic aka believable.

[Steph Gargano · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gives a little too much
."These Tangled Vines"
The podcasty vibe of the telling was annoying and if the Italians recognize a child as automatically getting half why is this still such a fight? Also, the way Nikis daughter talked about being so close with her grand parents is creepy since why in the hell did Niki entrust her child with a man who sexually abused her? And they were like sign these papers or we are going to tell everyone what you did...what? Insane behavior...from everyone.

Im from and live in Minnesota so I thought ok this will be cool..it wasn't.

[Taury · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret Daughter by Forest Sounds is a NF book about Nikki Carlson, an adoptee who spends years trying to uncover her biological roots and find where she really belongs. Her search takes her from the Midwest into New York high society and finally to Europe, where she learns her supposed father is a wealthy Italian aristocrat — but the reunion isn’t simple and leads to drama, betrayal, and a complicated fight over identity and a large inheritance. It’s emotional, intense, and makes you think about what “family” really means.

[Anisha Patel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐️ I’m sure this could’ve been good if I was actually invested in it. It took a bit to get into and then it all happened very quickly. Not my cup of tea

[Megan Allen Holloway · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh…it was an interesting story but the storytelling was not captivating.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting but the audio is read like a crime tv show

[Erin Cooper · Rating 1 out of 5]

This kind of just did nothing for me. It wasn't gripping or engaging, and I feel like as much as it was persistently said "It wasn't about the money," it quite OBVIOUSLY was about the money. An interesting story, but not presented in the way that it needed to be.

[Trublue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall: 4 stars • Performance: 5 stars • Story: 3 stars

[Stacy B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

Absolutely wild and crazy, true story about an adopted woman from Minnesota and her hunger to find her biological parents.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite interesting- all she had to go through to prove her parentage.

[Virginia Pillado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting….

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but I wouldn't recommend

[Tara Cignarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

--------The Secret Daughter was interest and twisty and had a lot of facts that held my interest.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why there seems to be so much hate for this book? It was a perfectly fine listen. Wild story, not always the most action-packed, but kept my attention just fine. The comments and interviews with the involved parties gave it a documentary sort of feel that was neat.

[Smooballs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this.

The one daughter kinda bothered me indulging in Mario’s gifts where her mom didn’t want to partake. I think if I was in Nikki’s position I’d feel the same way she did about wanting a relationship and not wanting to be perceived as a gold digger. …but I also know as a young adult like her daughter, I’d be stoked to find out I had an Italian Daddy Warbucks as my grandpa and not see a problem with developing a relationship and accepting gifts from a long lost relative. It also rubbed me wrong after Mario dies, her daughter is the one pushing her mom towards moving forward in the legal battles… which is exhausting. All Nikki wanted was a connection to a family. Going to court for a speeding ticket is stressful, I don’t know how you go years between continents dealing with it. The daughter also laments at some point how after Mario dies her dreams she had made of becoming a fashion designer and the money Mario said he’d put into her career died, because the money she was told she would get wasn’t coming. What were you planning on doing BEFORE you learned you had an extremely wealthy grandpappy? Then at the end they go to collect some Andy Warhol painting grand-dad left to a former communist leader, who agreed to give it up, and the daughter is stoked cuz she’s a socialist. You just spent years encouraging your mom to fight for a large inheritance, but you’re a socialist? I hope the daughter’s plan is that if she ever inherits the money she plans on handing it all over to the US Government for social programs.

I’m mixed on Nikki too, I understand this book wasn’t about the childhood abuse by her adoptive family, but it kinda got glossed over, which leaves it up to the readers imagination that it was absolutely horrific, or she was a damaged kid and interpreted feeling out of place as abuse. Especially since her kids still had a good relationship with her adoptive parents, which means, she brought her kids around them regularly.

I sympathize with the wanting to know who your bio parents are and finding an identity and I’m glad Nikki got to spend time with her bio dad before he died. If I were her, I’d have given up on the inheritance early on. That’s exhausting, and I think the cousins would have still been welcoming to her once biology was established and she had already put up a little bit of a fight for them. It seems like she’s fighting for it so she can redistribute to the nieces and nephews that seemed to be randomly cut out in a questionable revising of the Will, which is commendable to a point.

I don’t know, there’s two sides to every story, and there were a few people whose perspective I would’ve liked to hear that declined interview.

It was an interesting overall story, just some things that I was like “ehhhh, I’d like a little more insight on that detail.”

[IAmNotACentipede · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars

If I had to relate this to any other type of media, it just gives me the same feel as a quick 1hr YouTube video or an episode of crime reality show.
I don't want to say this is like true crime since there wasn't really a crime committed and there was no murder, but it does remind me of something you would see as quick documentary.

I think the reason I ended up rating this so low was because there just wasn't anything special about this and Mary/Nikki/Maria was so unhinged in some of her behavior.
I think another crazy thing that struck me was she basically tried to step into this upper class of people and didn't think of how it would effect her life.
Yes I know that several times it's mentioned that it wasn't about the money and while I think she wasn't trying to get ALL the inheritance, it was insane to me that she felt she could take on these huge names in the upper class and not have any retaliation. Like of course they are not going to take kindly to someone coming in and exposing a secret love child or a sole heir that would equate to millions of dollars.

The final thing that really upset me was that she keeps saying over and over again that she was just trying to find family, but she didn't even really seem to try that hard to connect. She has cousins in Italy that we get almost no discussion of meeting with for long periods of time, in addition it doesn't seem that she tries to make family where she can. We hardly get any discussion of her relationship with her adoptive brother and she only spends a few months at best with her father.
It just seemed overly performative to think that because you have Italian roots that you never knew about was the reason you named your children variations of family names you didn't even know about instead of just selecting them at random and because you liked them.

I honestly was somewhat entertained with this story even though I ranted a bit on it's flaws, I just didn't think it was something overly spectacular, but if you are someone who enjoys this style of fast documentary news content it might be more something for you.

[Sheryl Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

No adoption story is easy and this one fraught with more pitfalls than many, yet it is a good story to hear. While far more sensationalized than I like, the story brings up so many of the issues surrounding adoption.

The adoptee wants to know her bio family, which is a common theme in adoption stories and completely understandable. The book also brings out the question of the rights of the bio mom to relinquish the child and that be the end of it. It brings up where the bio dad fits in the picture and where the adoptee fits in his family and lineage.

Adoptees face not only acceptance/rejection by their bio parents, but also how the rest of the two families will accept/reject them. It affects siblings and extended family. It affects what people have always thought about the bio parents and how the revelation of a child relinquished in adoption challenges conceptions of a person.

Their is so much here to unpack, which is only complicated by the fact that another country becomes part of the legal wrangling of paternity and all that entails.

Seeing the searching of my high school best friend for her bio mom (reading the telephone book, driving around town examining faces) has me relating very personally to Nikki. Unlike Nikki, my friend did not discover her bio family and it lingers, wondering who she is and where she came from.

I've watched my internationally adopted daughter struggle with the same questions. It is an existential search for identity that never leaves, even after bio family is found. The what ifs are always just a blink away in the back of ones mind.

It's not easy being adopted and when unfortunate events surround the adoptee it can become their worst nightmare.

[Joanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Secret Daughter, as an audiobook by "Forest Sounds" and narrated by Ellen Archer, is a peculiar choice for a title. After listening, I can only assume the name "Forest Sounds" is meant to be a nod to the book's occasionally naturalistic and hushed tone, but it comes across as more of an oddity.

The biggest issue with this audiobook is the uneven narration. Ellen Archer has a pleasant enough voice, but her performance in this book is just not consistent. At times, she delivers the story with a compelling intimacy, but then she falls into a surprisingly flat, almost monotone delivery for stretches, which makes the more emotional or suspenseful parts of the plot fall flat. It's like listening to a story that keeps losing its rhythm.

The plot itself, about an adoptee's quest for her aristocratic biological father, has a lot of potential. However, it gets bogged down in an overwhelming amount of detail. The author (whoever they are behind the "Forest Sounds" pseudonym) seems to have thrown every possible scandal and twist into the mix—secret affairs, disputed wills, high society gossip, and a sick old man. The narrative becomes a dizzying list of events rather than a cohesive story. There's a difference between a complex plot and a jumbled one, and this feels like the latter.

While the premise is intriguing, the execution is hampered by both the unfocused storytelling and the narrator's inconsistent performance. It's a shame, as the core idea is a good one, but the final product is a messy and ultimately unsatisfying listen.

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Secret Daughter was one long ride on the “who’s getting the money?” carousel with a side of family trauma and emotional whiplash. The premise had so much potential: Nikki Carlson, adopted as a child, searching for her biological family and trying to piece together where she belongs. That should have hit hard emotionally. Instead, the story kept circling the same points over and over like a GPS trapped in reroute mode.

And Nikki? Whew. I tried. I really did. But for a nonfiction story centered around someone’s real-life journey, there has to be something that pulls the reader toward them. Sympathy. Connection. A crumb of emotional glue. Instead, Nikki came across as exhausting, self-centered, and strangely fixated on money at every turn. By the halfway point, I felt less like I was reading about healing and identity and more like I was sitting through an awkward inheritance argument at Thanksgiving dinner. 🫠

The saving grace here was the narrator. The narration added life and emotion that the actual storytelling struggled to deliver. Without that performance, this probably would have been a one-star experience for me.

Final Verdict:
A fascinating concept buried under repetitive storytelling and a main character that was harder to root for than a raccoon stealing fries in a parking lot. The narrator carried this book on their back like an exhausted marathon runner. ⭐⭐

[Karen Valenzuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an overly dramatic tell of Nikki Carlson's story.
She was adopted by a family in Pennsylvania when she was a toddler, and even though she had a normal life and was loved by her adoptive family, she always felt as if she didn't belong. When she was of age she started her journey towards learning who her biological family was. She found her mother, who didn't want anything to do with her. 10 years later she found her father who is an Italian aristocrat who has ties to Princess Margaret and Princess Diana. But her father has cancer and dies shortly after.

This is an ongoing legal battle still, so there is no real ending to the story.
I liked it because it was told like a very dramatic soap opera, so it was even funny to listen to.But to be honest, in this story Nikki comes out looking very unlikeable, and I just don't trust her.

I can understand that an adopted child feels the strong sense of wanting to know where she comes from. But, where does the rights of the bio parents come into place? When they gave up their child to be adopted doesn't it mean they want nothing to do with said child? Why are the chldren given their information?

This story in particular has a lot of inconsistencies.

[Kelsea Bates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think a lot of readers are misunderstanding what this story is really about. This was never about greed or chasing money. it was about identity and reclaiming truth. The inheritance was incidental. Even if she never received a cent, she still wanted the truth acknowledged, and she was clear that the money could go to the cousins. At its core, this is a story about belonging and origin. She did come from that family, whether people are comfortable with that fact or not, and dismissing it ignores the emotional weight of discovering who you are and where you come from. Let that concept sink in before judging her motivations.
Coming from a middle-class background also shaped her perspective differently than the rest of the family, and that contrast added depth rather than entitlement. I found the story compelling, emotional, and brave. It takes courage to stand up for your identity when others would rather deny it. Overall, an incredible and thought-provoking story—and I applaud her for telling it.

[Chidimma Ozor Commer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title + Author: The Secret Daughter — Forest Sounds
Format: Audiobook

Why I picked this up:
The title struck me. Reading in the description that this was about adoption piqued my interest because some of my research is on the impact of adoption, especially transracial adoption.

What it’s really about:
The book reframes identity, connection, and family in the context of adoption.

What stood out:
The constant disrespect that adoptees / adopted people are met with. Even within the reviews, there's this idea that adoptees should be "grateful" for being adopted. Throughout the podcast-like book, Nikki Carlson, now Maria Nicoletta (Nikki) d'Urso, was treated incredibly disrespected for daring to look for her natural (or first) family - the people she is connected to biologically and genetically.

Who this is for / not for:
Great for reflective readers; the format might be jarring or annoying for others.

Bottom line:
It felt like I was listening to a podcast, more than a book. At any rate, I was intrigued, and largely because of my interest in adoption.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 📖: 2.5/5 stars
Audiobook 🎙️: ⭐⭐

What a weird story. Normally I wait a while to figure out a rating but I had to get my thoughts down while they are fresh. In general the story was quite interesting and I liked hearing some of the factual stuff about adoptions in the 70s. I guess I just wish the chapters were more robust? We got one side of the story (Nikki's) and there were plenty of other people, including her own daughters, that I would have liked to get more of their perspectives. 

I think my biggest qualms was that Nikki and the narration itself (since it derives from her perspective) is unreliable. While intentions are being told at us, keen listeners can tell there's more being left out or unaddressed which counters these said intentions. Like a lot of people I couldn't help but side eye the claims made in this story. 

I think overall the story was fine but it was the execution and story building that was left wanting. Also the narrator sounded like AI which really bothered me. Apparently she may not be, but it adds to the bizarre listening experience. 

[Jami Brouillette · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this story did seem a bit far-fetched at times, that’s also what made it intriguing. While I was not a fan of the narration, I felt the other reviews were rather harsh and generally lacked compassion. As someone who grew up without a relationship with my biological father and later found out that I had been lied to about who my father was, I could completely relate to some of the feelings expressed by Nikki that may see odd or irrational to readers who haven’t experienced anything similar.

The book did a good job of illustrating just how much not knowing your true identity affects every other area of your life- especially your sense of self worth and belonging (or lack thereof). I wish Nikki and her family nothing but the best and I hope she is able to get a final resolution regarding the will soon- not for the financial payout, but so that she can hopefully find a sense of closure and be at peace.

[Sonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It appears that this was a podcast limited series that got turned into a book? Ok, great. Many of those would make good books. But the formatting didn’t change. All they did was take out commercial breaks and space between episodes.

Aside from the formatting, I found it very hard to believe that Nikki’s intentions were as altruistic as she claimed. I applauded her effort to try to claim a family space for herself, but at no point was I convinced that she was going through all that effort *only* for the family space. It kept getting harder and harder to cheer her on as the effort kept doubling down.

That doesn’t make it a bad story. It was enthralling. It’s enchanting to think that this happened to someone in real life. Marketing the same exact thing as both a podcast and a book was a turn off. Painting the main character of the story as such a wholesome character was unbelievable. Those things made it less appealing than it probably would have been otherwise.

[Jami Martin · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was never about the money... but let's be honest here. That's all this entire thing seemed to revolve around.

I don't know what I expected with this, but a podcast style, badly narrated audiobook wasn't it.

This almost 4 hour listen took me 3 painstaking days to finish because I couldn't stand to listen to it for more than a few minutes at a time.

Nikki's story was... a story. It comes off that all she wants to do the entire time is prove she is this man's daughter so she can get control of his estate after he dies. She keeps saying it wasn't about the money, but the ENTIRE listen all they are talking about is the money, the estate, and who gets it. It quite frankly annoyed the hell out of me.

If you're looking for something that makes okayish background noise, this would be it.

[Georgiacyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a podcast with all episodes combined to form a "book." Meh. Not that interesting. I found it difficult to empathize with the "heroine." I kind of felt like telling her that lots of people are abused. Looking for your birth family as a way to become a part of a different family doesn't seem like a great path to go. She was not willing to admin any financial motives, when clearly she had some. Her one daughter was clearly supporting her for the financial gain. It would have been interesting to hear the thoughts of Nikki's therapist, assuming she has one, regarding the issue of someone with dissociative identify disorder seeking to uncover a secret life. All the "players" in this story seemed dysfunctional and self-centered.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't a great presentation and it felt unbalanced. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to take away from the storyline. It was very scattered and contradicting.

I simply felt bad for most everyone involved. One night of partying led to an ugly and sordid mess over 50 years down the road no one knew about. Nothing malicious was done on purpose. Mario didn't even know what happened. Now, Nikki is his secret daughter in America he knows nothing about who lands in his life as he is dying.

The story reveals a large cover up. A hidden love. A hard fight. Many secrets. Lives ruined. Years lost. Hearts broken. And much, much more. All this over a one night fling and a birth Mario was unaware of.

Deception, decit, greed. Money became the devil. Sad.