In Her Defense by Philippa Malicka

Lately, I’ve apparently developed a habit of choosing books based almost entirely on whether the cover catches my attention, which every lifelong reader tells you not to do. And yet, somehow, it keeps working out for me. In Her Defense was another one of those impulse picks where I knew almost nothing going in outside of the fact that it had been selected as a Reese’s Book Club pick earlier this year.

The premise immediately pulled me in, though. The story centers around a famous television star who takes her daughter’s therapist to court, accusing her of being essentially a cult leader masquerading as a mental health professional. According to her, this therapist has manipulated her daughter and other young women, turned them against their families, and implanted false beliefs into their heads for personal and financial gain.

If you know anything about me, you know I was immediately interested.

When it comes to documentaries, books, podcasts, basically any form of media, I will almost always gravitate toward stories involving cults, manipulation, groupthink, charismatic leaders, and the psychology behind why people buy into certain belief systems. There’s something endlessly fascinating to me about the way perception and influence can completely reshape someone’s understanding of reality.

That’s really where this book shines.

Because while the courtroom drama itself is compelling, the deeper focus is actually on perspective and bias. The story constantly forces you to question who is telling the truth, whether anyone involved is fully reliable, and how much our own loyalties influence the way we interpret situations. It explores the lengths people will go to in order to protect the people they love, even when their understanding of what’s actually happening may be flawed or incomplete.

I thought that aspect of the story was incredibly interesting because it never feels completely straightforward. Everyone involved believes they are right. Everyone believes they are protecting someone. And depending on whose perspective you’re reading, your understanding of the situation keeps shifting in subtle ways.

It creates this constant tension where you’re never entirely sure whether you’re watching someone expose a manipulative cult leader or destroy someone who may genuinely be trying to help vulnerable people.

One thing though is that I really wish the book had leaned even further into that ambiguity.

My biggest frustration with the story was that I wanted significantly more insight into the therapist herself. We spend so much time hearing about her through the perspectives of other people that I found myself desperate to understand what was actually happening inside her own head. What did she truly believe? Was she intentionally manipulating people? Did she think she was helping them? Was there a point where good intentions blurred into something darker?

The book hints at those questions constantly, but I never felt like it fully explored them in the depth I wanted.

Which is probably why, while I enjoyed this book quite a bit, it didn’t end up becoming a top read for me personally.

That said, I still found it incredibly compelling because it felt different from most of the things I’ve read recently. A lot of thrillers and courtroom dramas rely heavily on twists and shock value, but this one felt much more interested in psychology, perception, and emotional loyalty. It’s less about proving one side right and more about examining how messy truth becomes when emotion, trauma, family dynamics, and influence all collide.

I also appreciated that it never turned the subject matter into something cartoonish. Stories involving cult dynamics can sometimes become exaggerated to the point where they stop feeling grounded, but this one keeps things rooted enough in reality that the emotional stakes continue to feel believable throughout.

Overall, while this wasn’t a five-star read for me, it was definitely a memorable one. If you’re someone who enjoys books about manipulation, complicated family dynamics, psychological influence, or morally gray situations where nobody feels entirely trustworthy, I think this is absolutely worth picking up.