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Skylark Child Abuse True Stories #1

Daddy's Wicked Parties: The Most Shocking True Story of Child Abuse Ever Told

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The second of Kate Skylark's co-written true child abuse stories. Steve Gilbert is a charming, clever man. Lucy is his ten-year-old daughter. Lucy loves him to bits, just as all little girls love their daddies and she is delighted to hear he has organised a special party for her. After all, little girls love parties. But Steve Gilbert is also a sociopathic, manipulative sexual predator. Brainwashed into accepting her father's twisted view of the world, Lucy trusts him implicitly. Daddy will keep her safe; he will keep her happy. Daddy would never betray his little girl, would he? But as time goes on, Steve Gilbert's evil manipulations escalate and following a shocking string of events, Lucy's innocent young life turns from simple happy childhood to an abusive nightmare. Only one person can save her now. Lucy Gilbert and Kate Skylark are friends and confidants. They wrote this book together to help raise money to help children in danger. For every book sold or borrowed, a donation will be made to the NSPCC WARNING: This book is based upon a true account of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.

146 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2015

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Kate Skylark

7 books34 followers

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5 stars
951 (51%)
4 stars
520 (27%)
3 stars
270 (14%)
2 stars
65 (3%)
1 star
54 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
Profile Image for Jen.
85 reviews10 followers
December 13, 2018
Very disturbing book. It was supposed to be a memoir but the writing style is so disgusting I almost think it’s child porn smut in disguise of a memoir. Reads like the sick fantasies of a pedophile rather than a true account.
Profile Image for Lauren Hopkins.
Author 4 books233 followers
June 22, 2016
I have no idea how I found this or why I decided to read it but it's disturbing af so there's that.
Profile Image for Cyndi.
75 reviews
July 17, 2015
How devastating for this child. A children we should always be able to look up to our parents as our protectors and the ones who know right from wrong. Even though the mother was having a hard time with her husband I still can't help but put some of the blame on her for not protecting her daughter. If it was my child I would have died trying to save her from the very first time she walked in and caught her husband in the shower with her child. Hell I would have put a stop to it long before. How a mother can leave a child in a house even without the sexual abuse with knowing knowledge of the photo albums and videos this man had in his night table. How could she allow a man to continue to wash her daughter when the child was ten years old? At some point all kids learn how to wash. Way before the age of ten.

As for the father, I hope to this day he is still living in hell for what he put his daughter through. I hope when his end comes he pays for each sin that was pushed against this child. Nothing, no matter the extent can take away the wounds he has committed to his daughter
2 reviews
August 10, 2022
daddy’s wicked parties

I had a very strong idea what the book was going to be about, but I never expected I’d become so engrossed with the very fluid and engaging storyline that I would easily finish it in less that 2 hours.
I could feel how Lucy was feeling… the fear, disgust. mixed messages, manipulation and lies.
I cried, sobbed to be honest, hearing little Lucy graphically tell her story and believing, ( just as I did having been a victim “now a survivor “ of early childhood sexual abuse by a family member) that it was normal.
I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling to devictimize the past abuse they endured and also to those responding and interacting with the children and/or adults that have reported but still feel stuck.
Lot’s of triggers but with empathy I believe they’re ones that help in the healing process.
Thank you Lucy and Kate for this awesome and tear jerking book. You have an even stronger follower here! Keep them coming!
Profile Image for Devyn Waldecker.
15 reviews1 follower
February 26, 2020
This book was seriously gut wrenching.
The things that she went through at such a young age...I just can't imagine.

Her dad makes me sick! It's so sad that this is reality for some children.

She is such a brave person and her mother is a strong and intelligent person for how she handled getting her out of the situation.

I like that Kate wrote it the way she did. Keeping it in the first person view of a child and just putting in notes at the end of each chapter that captured what the victim was feeling as an adult was very immersive.

I had a weird feeling the whole time reading, like it was wrong that I was reading but I couldn't stop.

Overall it was very well written and captured what she went through in a thorough but not overly graphic way.
Profile Image for Ariel Rose.
30 reviews
April 29, 2020
Honestly this book was atrocious - like an earlier review said the book is classified as a memoir but it’s almost like a book about child pornography. The way it is read/written makes it almost worse.
Profile Image for Vesra (When She Reads).
177 reviews25 followers
December 27, 2017
*gasps*

That was unexpected read. Poor kid had some sort Stockholm syndrome at first but it ended up good. Annoyed it was kinda short though. But God bless
Profile Image for April Cox.
Author 10 books41 followers
February 17, 2019
It’s ok

The story is shocking and I’m glad the ending was a happy one. It’s good that someone is telling these stories.
Profile Image for Karen Bullock.
1,236 reviews20 followers
July 16, 2017
Disgustingly heartbreaking!

I have given this memoir a 4 star rating because it was well written & no questions as to what was happening. The author did not use inflammatory remarks or heavy descriptions to tell her story.
Remarkable account of a true life event(s) that was shocking & horrific to read/absorb.
Mr. Gilbert was a horrible person whose diseased perversion should have been investigated long before Lucy became trapped.
I was surprised that England's approach to reported child abuse was not fully investigated.
Profile Image for Sara.
35 reviews
April 27, 2019
This is the book that really rekindled my interest in reading.

It is the most disturbing story I have ever read, but I couldn't put this one down. It is well written, I love that Skylark tells the true story as it is, not elaborating and adding in unnecessary words and details. She simply just tells you what you need to know.

It was so good, I read the other stories of hers fairly quickly also, but this one was my favourite, because it is so messed up and unbelievable.
Profile Image for Pattie.
7 reviews
August 7, 2018
Short, sad and well written

This book it pretty short. More like a novella, really. As is the case with all of these books, the story is beyond tragic. What amazes me, is how does the author find all of the people she writes about? Im not saying that the books are fictional, but do they come to her or does she find them? Is England the paedophile capital of the world?
Profile Image for Jamie.
156 reviews5 followers
October 8, 2019
I found this book through a web article involving disturbing books. This book was horrifying and made me want to throw it across the room. My heart breaks for this author and any children treated even a fraction of this way. Well written, but really tough to read. Not sure if I'll read more by this author...
460 reviews4 followers
March 6, 2020
Pretty awful what happened to her. I did feel very angry but mostly at this girl. I shouldn’t it isn’t fair. But she seemed to be mentally so young. 10 yrs old? Like I get manipulation but this did not seem like the mentality of a child that age.

I’m glad she never saw her father again. So disgusting.
1 review
July 18, 2020
A story of triumph

Being a survivor of sexual abuse myself, what was said in the beginning about the need to connect with other survivors was profound to me, so true. I read this book in one sitting. Absolutely appalling what this little girl was put through. What an amazing ending though. I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for nick ruiz.
14 reviews1 follower
July 26, 2017
Wow read this book in two days sad that this happens to kids sick people out there. You must read

Wow read this book in two days sad that this happens to kids sick people out there. You must read
Profile Image for Debra Barstad.
1,388 reviews13 followers
December 29, 2018
This book is about a sick twisted man that sexually abuses his 10 year old daughter. Men like this make me sick and wonder what would make a person do things like this. God help the children that have to go through something like this.
4 reviews
March 17, 2019
This book is sick, but it tells what is going on there in homes we know nothing about, I can hardly believe this man actually tried to convince his daughter this was ok. I hope he was hung by his balls
98 reviews1 follower
March 2, 2020
Daddy’s wicked parties

Did not really like how the author wrote the story. It was like she was telling a bad fairy tale story and did not make the story seem real. I will check out her other books but if they are written like this I will not be buying her books.
Profile Image for Samantha Layne.
1 review
March 23, 2020
❤️

It’s very sad that this kind of stuff happens and I can’t express enough how sorry I am that it happened. Yes everyone hurts in their own ways. So many people can relate in one way or another. Thank you for sharing your story.
Profile Image for Devon Miller.
11 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2020
This book took me less then an hour to read... very fast pace. Such a sad story, but quite repetitive.. not sure if an entire book needed to be dedicated to this. I liked the transition between 10 year old point of view and current adult point of view.
1 review
January 18, 2021
Tense

This book made me angry and had tears knowing what children go through and wishing I could do more in my job to save children's from evil , the ending was great and was so happy to see a ring of paedophiles off the streets
2 reviews
April 5, 2023
Truly heartbreaking that this kind of stuff happens, I'm sure, all the time. I listened to this on audible, and whoever the reader was, was very very good at it. My heart raced for her to get out from under her dad's spell, and I'm so glad it ended the way it did.
5 reviews
February 23, 2024
Heartbreaking

Well written and easy to read but horrific it will make you angry. How any father can be so cruel is beyond me..... horrible horrible man hope there's a place in hell for him
225 reviews1 follower
March 9, 2024
I somehow stumbled soon this book. I found this story harrowing.The recount of this via the daughter is heart wrenching. To think that this goes on everyday around the world breaks my heart. Abuse levels are shocking today.
2 reviews
Read
September 8, 2025
Well told horrific tale.

Many thanks to the two writers. You retained the feel of the innocence of childhood, while recounting a story of horror and abuse. I am glad to see a happy ending after such monstrous villains had so much power over you for so long.
65 reviews2 followers
December 22, 2025
Chewing through nails

Oh my f####g god! I was hoping she would shoot him and his friends! I could have chewed through nails while reading this story. It is the most tragic, heartbreaking story of this sweet baby. Only read if you have a strong hold on your emotions!!!
2 reviews1 follower
January 30, 2017
Didn't put it down.

Amazing brave lady.. Well told and well written account of how strong and honest a person Lucy is. Real inspiration.
16 reviews1 follower
May 30, 2017
A very disturbing story. How can anyone do that to a child, I just don't understand. I don't ever want to read another like it either.
444 reviews3 followers
August 22, 2017
Unbearably sad

It is almost unbelievable that people like this exist, these are the monsters that hide in the darkness not vampires.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews

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