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Like Mother, Like Daughter
A daughter races to uncover her mother's secret life in the wake of her disappearance in this thriller.
When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened.
But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose “out of control” emotions and “unsafe” behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks.
Kat has been lying. She’s not just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. She’s damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that’s far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past—all of which she’s kept hidden from Cleo . . .
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a thrilling novel of emotional suspense that questions the damaging fictions we cling to and the hard truths we avoid. Above all, it’s a love story between a mother and a daughter, each determined to save the other before it’s too late.
When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened.
But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose “out of control” emotions and “unsafe” behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks.
Kat has been lying. She’s not just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. She’s damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that’s far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past—all of which she’s kept hidden from Cleo . . .
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a thrilling novel of emotional suspense that questions the damaging fictions we cling to and the hard truths we avoid. Above all, it’s a love story between a mother and a daughter, each determined to save the other before it’s too late.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published July 30, 2024
About the author
Kimberly McCreight
14 books4,523 followersKimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of several literary thrillers including RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA, A GOOD MARRIAGE and FRIENDS LIKE THESE. Her next book LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER (Knopf) is forthcoming in July 2024. She has been nominated for the Edgar, Anthony and Alex awards and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her two teenaged daughters. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook and at kimberlymccreight.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,313 reviews
July 30, 2024
Cleo, a student at NYU, has been summoned to dinner by her Mom, Katrina, and although the two have been at odds for many years, she can sense that this request is important.
But, when she arrives at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds a chicken burning in the oven and green beans chopped on the kitchen counter but no sign of her mother, Kat.
UNTIL SHE FINDS HER MOM’S BLOODY SHOE UNDER THE SOFA
Katrina is a “buttoned up” patent attorney at Blair, Stevenson-what could have possibly happened?
As it turns out- a lot.
Kat isn’t just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: a cover up at one of her firm’ s most important clients-Darden Pharmaceuticals, demands for money from her unfaithful “soon-to-be ex-husband”, evidence that Cleo may have slipped back into a dangerous relationship and menacing anonymous messages that could be from her past…
The book is told from the alternating first person POV’s of both women, with news articles and transcripts from therapy sessions peppered throughout.
Opening with the DAY OF the disappearance, when Cleo arrives home, her chapters count the hours and days following her discovery, while Katrina’s chapters begin EIGHT DAYS BEFORE her own disappearance, with her chapters moving toward the actual day she goes missing.
This is a MULTI-LAYERED story of “emotional suspense” (as the author coins it) which offers up MANY suspects and keeps you guessing until the very end.
But, what makes it SO GOOD is how Kimberly McCreight perfectly captures the LOVE/HATE (think she hates) dynamic between mother and daughter. Cleo will learn she is more like her mother than she realizes, as she searches for the truth and a positive outcome for her Mom.
Surprisingly, my favorite chapters were CLEO’s although both narratives were strong.
This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth-so be sure to watch for their reviews to see if they felt the same way!
This is a book I can definitely recommend for your SUMMER TBR!
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank You to Knopf for providing a gifted ARC through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
But, when she arrives at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds a chicken burning in the oven and green beans chopped on the kitchen counter but no sign of her mother, Kat.
UNTIL SHE FINDS HER MOM’S BLOODY SHOE UNDER THE SOFA
Katrina is a “buttoned up” patent attorney at Blair, Stevenson-what could have possibly happened?
As it turns out- a lot.
Kat isn’t just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: a cover up at one of her firm’ s most important clients-Darden Pharmaceuticals, demands for money from her unfaithful “soon-to-be ex-husband”, evidence that Cleo may have slipped back into a dangerous relationship and menacing anonymous messages that could be from her past…
The book is told from the alternating first person POV’s of both women, with news articles and transcripts from therapy sessions peppered throughout.
Opening with the DAY OF the disappearance, when Cleo arrives home, her chapters count the hours and days following her discovery, while Katrina’s chapters begin EIGHT DAYS BEFORE her own disappearance, with her chapters moving toward the actual day she goes missing.
This is a MULTI-LAYERED story of “emotional suspense” (as the author coins it) which offers up MANY suspects and keeps you guessing until the very end.
But, what makes it SO GOOD is how Kimberly McCreight perfectly captures the LOVE/HATE (think she hates) dynamic between mother and daughter. Cleo will learn she is more like her mother than she realizes, as she searches for the truth and a positive outcome for her Mom.
Surprisingly, my favorite chapters were CLEO’s although both narratives were strong.
This was a buddy read with DeAnn and Mary Beth-so be sure to watch for their reviews to see if they felt the same way!
This is a book I can definitely recommend for your SUMMER TBR!
AVAILABLE NOW
Thank You to Knopf for providing a gifted ARC through NetGalley. It was my pleasure to offer a candid review!
September 12, 2024
This book is an absolute delight with well-constructed characterization and an amazingly tense execution that draws readers into the mystery from the beginning. The author adeptly weaves different twists simultaneously: a significant pharmacy case impacting people's lives, a ghost from the protagonist's past threatening to resurface and jeopardize her, and a husband in urgent need of money, willing to go to extremes. From the start to the end, readers can formulate theories, make guesses, piece together the puzzle, and ponder what happened to Katrina McHugh.
The story revolves around a powerful, strict, perfectionist, overprotective mother, Kat, and her rebellious, impulsive daughter, Cleo, who may have made wrong decisions and associated with the wrong people.
The narrative begins in Cleo's childhood home in Brooklyn, where she discovers burned food in the oven and her mother's shoe with blood on it. This prompts her to call her father and the police, as her mother is missing and likely injured.
The pacing shifts between two timelines. In the forward timeline, Cleo searches for her mother, uncovering secrets she had kept from her, such as her real job as a fixer and her relationship status with her husband. As Cleo delves deeper, she realizes her mother might be involved with dangerous people, and a tragic incident from her past may be connected to her disappearance.
The other timeline starts eight days before Katrina's disappearance, shedding light on the chain of events leading to her distress and introducing suspects possibly linked to the incident.
The pacing and the portrayal of the dysfunctional-estranged relationship between mother and daughter, who may share more common ground than their looks suggest, captivated me with enthusiasm. While I guessed the perpetrator a little earlier, it did not diminish my enjoyment of the riveting storytelling, prompting me to round my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars as a devoted fan of the author who kept me on the edge throughout my fast reading journey.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for providing me with the digital reviewer copy of this unputdownable book in exchange for my honest opinions.
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The story revolves around a powerful, strict, perfectionist, overprotective mother, Kat, and her rebellious, impulsive daughter, Cleo, who may have made wrong decisions and associated with the wrong people.
The narrative begins in Cleo's childhood home in Brooklyn, where she discovers burned food in the oven and her mother's shoe with blood on it. This prompts her to call her father and the police, as her mother is missing and likely injured.
The pacing shifts between two timelines. In the forward timeline, Cleo searches for her mother, uncovering secrets she had kept from her, such as her real job as a fixer and her relationship status with her husband. As Cleo delves deeper, she realizes her mother might be involved with dangerous people, and a tragic incident from her past may be connected to her disappearance.
The other timeline starts eight days before Katrina's disappearance, shedding light on the chain of events leading to her distress and introducing suspects possibly linked to the incident.
The pacing and the portrayal of the dysfunctional-estranged relationship between mother and daughter, who may share more common ground than their looks suggest, captivated me with enthusiasm. While I guessed the perpetrator a little earlier, it did not diminish my enjoyment of the riveting storytelling, prompting me to round my rating from 4.5 to 5 stars as a devoted fan of the author who kept me on the edge throughout my fast reading journey.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor/Knopf for providing me with the digital reviewer copy of this unputdownable book in exchange for my honest opinions.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
July 31, 2024
When Kat disappears, we dive into a classic mystery tale with some surprising twists! The story is packed with layers that sometimes overshadow the main plot. Kat's daughter is tangled up in some shady business, dating a drug dealer. Meanwhile, Kat's marriage to Aidan is falling apart. To make things messier, Kat's secret lover suddenly dies. Overall, it's an interesting read, though a bit overwhelming at times. The ending, however, is somewhat lackluster.
September 1, 2024
Could not put it down!
Kimberly McCreight, author of Like Mother, Like Daughter, has created a fast-paced, suspenseful journey filled with robust character development. Katrina, mother to Cleo, and wife to Aiden, is missing. There is a lot of blood and one of her shoes in the kitchen. Katrina has a troubled, secretive past and her relationships with Cleo and Aiden are crumbling.
Highly recommend!
Kimberly McCreight, author of Like Mother, Like Daughter, has created a fast-paced, suspenseful journey filled with robust character development. Katrina, mother to Cleo, and wife to Aiden, is missing. There is a lot of blood and one of her shoes in the kitchen. Katrina has a troubled, secretive past and her relationships with Cleo and Aiden are crumbling.
Highly recommend!
July 12, 2024
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a family drama/who-dun-it mystery. Cleo arrives at her childhood home where she’s supposed to be meeting her mother, but her mother is missing, and she finds burned dinner and her mother’s bloody shoe. Where is her mother and what happened? This story is then unraveled in 2 POV’s alternating between mother and daughter, journal entries, therapist session notes, and lawyer paperwork. With all of that, there was too much going on and it was hard to keep it all straight sometimes. There were several sub-plots added in that made it harder to keep up with the storyline. This book was fast paced though, which I did enjoy. Overall, it was an okay book and interesting enough to read but nothing overly special to remember.
Thank you, Net Galley, and Knopf for a copy in return for my honest review.
Thank you, Net Galley, and Knopf for a copy in return for my honest review.
August 18, 2024
This is one book where reading the synopsis just might remove some of the fun and I, for one, highly recommend going in blind. If, however, you’re one of THOSE people who just can’t decide to pick up a book without a glimpse inside, be sure to check out the blurb at the end of my review…
Exquisitely capturing the mother-daughter dynamic, McCreight blew me away with Like Mother, Like Daughter. From the multi-layered, finely plotted storyline to the ever rising suspense, my eyes were glued to the page from beginning to end. But the alternating dual POVs were the highest of the high in a well-packed field for me. With one cliffhanger chapter after another, I was spurred to continue reading just one more page far more times than I could count as the foreboding intensified and the what-ifs swirled about in my mind.
While all of the characters were expertly crafted, Cleo and Kat easily took the cake in the fight for stellar personas. Effortlessly illustrating the love-hate relationship between mother and daughter, the slow IV drip of secrets also revealed a mind-blowing character arc for Cleo. In the same way, I was equally enamored by Kat’s clever, take-no-prisoner personality as she sought to find out the truth. To be frank, both of these characters were utter perfection no ifs, ands, or buts.
In addition to the first-person dual POVs, the plot was strengthened by its dual timelines of before and after. In both of them, I was firmly in the passenger seat in a wholly realistic way. For Cleo, she was desperately searching for what could’ve happened to her mother, while Kat’s timeline was decidedly more complex. I can’t reveal too much without providing a much hated spoiler, so just know that there was many a delicious subplot and dark, twisted revelation. Two for two, they both had my fingers flying at speed thanks to a Hitchcockian feel.
All in all, this tale of psychological suspense hit all the sweet spots for me—a twisty, dynamic plot; sharp, tenacious heroines at the center; and a downright killer conclusion. But then, that’s no surprise considering it came from Kimberly McCreight’s virtuoso-like mind. After all, she’s the Queen with a capital Q at crafting hypnotic characters so real that they could walk right off of the page. Not to be outdone, however, the situations they found themselves in had me utterly transfixed. A nuanced stunner, it was, without a doubt, yet another slam dunk from one of my favorite authors. Rating of 5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened.
But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose “out of control” emotions and “unsafe” behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks.
Kat has been lying. She’s not just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. She’s damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that’s far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past—all of which she’s kept hidden from Cleo…
Thank you to Kimberly McCreight and Knopf Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: July 30, 2024
Trigger warning: missing person, threatening messages, gaslighting, infidelity, mention of: blackmail, rape
Exquisitely capturing the mother-daughter dynamic, McCreight blew me away with Like Mother, Like Daughter. From the multi-layered, finely plotted storyline to the ever rising suspense, my eyes were glued to the page from beginning to end. But the alternating dual POVs were the highest of the high in a well-packed field for me. With one cliffhanger chapter after another, I was spurred to continue reading just one more page far more times than I could count as the foreboding intensified and the what-ifs swirled about in my mind.
While all of the characters were expertly crafted, Cleo and Kat easily took the cake in the fight for stellar personas. Effortlessly illustrating the love-hate relationship between mother and daughter, the slow IV drip of secrets also revealed a mind-blowing character arc for Cleo. In the same way, I was equally enamored by Kat’s clever, take-no-prisoner personality as she sought to find out the truth. To be frank, both of these characters were utter perfection no ifs, ands, or buts.
In addition to the first-person dual POVs, the plot was strengthened by its dual timelines of before and after. In both of them, I was firmly in the passenger seat in a wholly realistic way. For Cleo, she was desperately searching for what could’ve happened to her mother, while Kat’s timeline was decidedly more complex. I can’t reveal too much without providing a much hated spoiler, so just know that there was many a delicious subplot and dark, twisted revelation. Two for two, they both had my fingers flying at speed thanks to a Hitchcockian feel.
All in all, this tale of psychological suspense hit all the sweet spots for me—a twisty, dynamic plot; sharp, tenacious heroines at the center; and a downright killer conclusion. But then, that’s no surprise considering it came from Kimberly McCreight’s virtuoso-like mind. After all, she’s the Queen with a capital Q at crafting hypnotic characters so real that they could walk right off of the page. Not to be outdone, however, the situations they found themselves in had me utterly transfixed. A nuanced stunner, it was, without a doubt, yet another slam dunk from one of my favorite authors. Rating of 5 stars.
SYNOPSIS:
When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened.
But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose “out of control” emotions and “unsafe” behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks.
Kat has been lying. She’s not just a lawyer; she’s her firm’s fixer. She’s damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that’s far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past—all of which she’s kept hidden from Cleo…
Thank you to Kimberly McCreight and Knopf Publishing for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: July 30, 2024
Trigger warning: missing person, threatening messages, gaslighting, infidelity, mention of: blackmail, rape
February 12, 2024
And then I stormed off, away from the waves, waiting for guilt that never came. The truth is, I still feel like I was right that day. My mom was always pushing me to be someone different. When all I wanted was for her to love me as I was.
…
“I’m not going to get in the way. But I’m also not going to sit here and do nothing because someone tells me to,” I say. “I’m going to do what Mom would do if I were missing. I’m going to help find her.”
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sending me an ARC of Like Mother, Like Daughter in exchange for an honest review.
Cleo is a college student who has a difficult relationship with her mother, Kat. After reluctantly agreeing to come over for dinner, Cleo finds their Brooklyn home empty—except there’s food burning on the stove and there’s a bloody shoe. The police begin a missing persons investigation, and Cleo soon realizes that there was much more going on in her mother’s life than she realized, and that there are a lot of people in their lives who mean them harm ….
I loved A Good Marriage and really liked Reconstructing Amelia, so I was excited to read Like Mother, Like Daughter. As with those books, there’s really good characterization with the two main characters here. Unfortunately, though, I thought this story fell far short of those two books.
First, I thought the storytelling was overly convoluted. I have no problem with telling the tale through two different time lines—Kat’s starting eight days before she went missing and Cleo’s starting when she discovered the empty house. But you start adding in diary entries, therapist notes, litigation paperwork, and then some texts from unidentified people from the day Kat went missing, and it gets a bit confusing.
Second, I thought the plot was too busy. Is Katrina’s disappearance somehow related to the death of the man she had started dating? Or perhaps her role as her law firm’s morally gray fixer? Is it connected to her soon-to-be-ex-husband’s need for her inheritance money? Because of Cleo’s drug-dealing ex-boyfriend Kyle? Why is her assistant Jules acting so strangely? And who is sending Kat threatening texts about revealing something from Kat’s past, when she was a teenager in foster care at Haven House? There are red herrings on red herrings on red herrings.
Finally, there are the much too coincidental events that take place throughout Like Mother, Like Daughter. I mean generally speaking, what are the odds all of the above problems would come to a head in Kat’s life in the same week? Then there’s the character whose only purpose seems only to annoying Kat, until she returns late to provide a series of vital pieces of information to Cleo. The story apparently required a connection between two characters that strains believability. Worst of all, like Chekov’s gun, I guess when you introduce a door inside a house that strangely locks from the outside, that door will prove pivotal in the story’s climax. An ultimately disappointing read. 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.
October 6, 2024
I liked this one! It was a unique premise for a thriller with a good “gotcha” moment at the end!
May 19, 2024
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a mystery thriller that tests how strong the bond can be between a mother and her daughter. Besides that, it is also about family secrets and how they affect the lives of the two women.
Cleo is a college student. One day, when she is visiting her mother, she finds out that her mother, Katrina, is missing. Due to the condition of the house, she feels something bad must’ve happened to her mother, so she contacts the police. When the police start their investigation, Cleo realizes that her mother has been hiding lots of secrets.
I wanted to read something by Kimberly McCreight for a long time. I have the physical copy of Reconstructing Amelia and also have A Good Marriage on my wishlist, so when I had the opportunity to try this new mystery thriller by her, I didn’t hesitate.
The premise was really intriguing, and it sounded quite good to me. The author’s writing is good and easy to follow, too. However, what I didn’t enjoy was the way the story was structured. The story is told from the mother and daughter's POVs, which is acceptable. I didn’t like the first narration style that was used, especially in a nonlinear timeline. These factors depend on personal taste, so they might not be something that would bother you. If I knew that this was the structure of the book, I would’ve declined it. Publishers really need to mention how a book is structured and narrated.
Overall, this was an OK thriller. I don’t feel like it is something that I’m going to remember for a long time. If you do not mind the nonlinear timeframe, you should give it a shot because you might find that you enjoy it. If, like me, you find this to be bothersome, then you should look elsewhere.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a mystery thriller that tests how strong the bond can be between a mother and her daughter. Besides that, it is also about family secrets and how they affect the lives of the two women.
Cleo is a college student. One day, when she is visiting her mother, she finds out that her mother, Katrina, is missing. Due to the condition of the house, she feels something bad must’ve happened to her mother, so she contacts the police. When the police start their investigation, Cleo realizes that her mother has been hiding lots of secrets.
I wanted to read something by Kimberly McCreight for a long time. I have the physical copy of Reconstructing Amelia and also have A Good Marriage on my wishlist, so when I had the opportunity to try this new mystery thriller by her, I didn’t hesitate.
The premise was really intriguing, and it sounded quite good to me. The author’s writing is good and easy to follow, too. However, what I didn’t enjoy was the way the story was structured. The story is told from the mother and daughter's POVs, which is acceptable. I didn’t like the first narration style that was used, especially in a nonlinear timeline. These factors depend on personal taste, so they might not be something that would bother you. If I knew that this was the structure of the book, I would’ve declined it. Publishers really need to mention how a book is structured and narrated.
Overall, this was an OK thriller. I don’t feel like it is something that I’m going to remember for a long time. If you do not mind the nonlinear timeframe, you should give it a shot because you might find that you enjoy it. If, like me, you find this to be bothersome, then you should look elsewhere.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.
March 7, 2024
Cleo is a college student and arrives home to find food burning, blood on the floor, and no sign of her mom, Kat.
Kat has been lying. She’s not who she says she is. In the days leading up to her disappearance she’s been getting threats.
Cleo sets out to find out what happened to her mom. Can she find her before it’s too late?
This book was a lot of fun, but it had a lot going on. I did enjoy this story very much but felt that a lot was crammed into the story and feel that some of the ideas could have been trimmed out to make the story more succinct. There were also a lot of characters, and some of them felt unnecessary and I’m still a little confused as to what their purpose to the story was.
This was a very twisty thriller, with lots of red herring along the way. Despite everything going on, I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I felt that it was easy to connect to and stay focused on the story even though there was a lot going on. The pacing was very fast, but this is one that I had to set down and absorb the story in order to get everything straight in my head. This wasn’t one that I was able to finish in one setting.
I did find it a little unrealistic that Cleo was the one uncovering all the clues to this story as she was a college student who had a strained relationship with her mom. I just found it difficult to grasp that this would be plausible and think that this could have been helped if the police detective was more involved or the relationship between Cleo and her mom was not quite as strained.
Despite the shortcomings, I really did enjoy this story and did get lost in the story. I was able to suspend my belief and just let go, and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the pacing and writing style and would read more from this author.
3.5 rounded to 4
Kat has been lying. She’s not who she says she is. In the days leading up to her disappearance she’s been getting threats.
Cleo sets out to find out what happened to her mom. Can she find her before it’s too late?
This book was a lot of fun, but it had a lot going on. I did enjoy this story very much but felt that a lot was crammed into the story and feel that some of the ideas could have been trimmed out to make the story more succinct. There were also a lot of characters, and some of them felt unnecessary and I’m still a little confused as to what their purpose to the story was.
This was a very twisty thriller, with lots of red herring along the way. Despite everything going on, I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I felt that it was easy to connect to and stay focused on the story even though there was a lot going on. The pacing was very fast, but this is one that I had to set down and absorb the story in order to get everything straight in my head. This wasn’t one that I was able to finish in one setting.
I did find it a little unrealistic that Cleo was the one uncovering all the clues to this story as she was a college student who had a strained relationship with her mom. I just found it difficult to grasp that this would be plausible and think that this could have been helped if the police detective was more involved or the relationship between Cleo and her mom was not quite as strained.
Despite the shortcomings, I really did enjoy this story and did get lost in the story. I was able to suspend my belief and just let go, and really enjoyed it. I enjoyed the pacing and writing style and would read more from this author.
3.5 rounded to 4
June 1, 2024
A fast-paced, suspenseful book that kept me guessing until the end! I can’t believe this is my first McCreight novel. The writing is so good and the plot compelling. Cleo’s and Kat’s relationship was well-nuanced, such a realistic portrayal of a mother-daughter relationship. It made this so much more than just a mystery. And the mystery itself. I kept thinking I knew all the answers, then something else would happen and I’d find myself rethinking everything. I loved all the characters (how they were written, not their personalities- here’s looking at you Aiden) and loved that everything in the book felt intentional.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
February 15, 2024
"Like Mother, Like Daughter" by Kimberly McCreight had me hooked from the first page, and I couldn't put it down until I reached the very end.
McCreight's writing style is nothing short of brilliant. The way she weaves the narrative through multiple timelines is a stroke of genius. Each chapter left me eagerly anticipating the continuation of the timeline it introduced, and the seamless transitions kept the suspense alive throughout.
What truly stood out for me was the realistic portrayal of the characters. Kat and Cleo felt like people I could know in real life, with their flaws and complexities. Cleo's perspective on her mother as rigid and controlling, contrasted with Kat's actions and secrets revealed in her viewpoint, adds layers to the mother-daughter relationship that kept me emotionally invested.
The exploration of the mother-daughter dynamic is a shining aspect of this novel. The tension and intricacies of their relationship are palpable, and I found myself empathizing with both characters as their stories unfolded. The author skillfully delves into the complexities of familial bonds, making the narrative not only suspenseful but also emotionally resonant.
The gripping plot revolves around Cleo's quest to find her missing mother, and the revelations she uncovers are jaw-dropping. The alternating viewpoints from Cleo's present-day perspective and her mother's days leading up to her disappearance create a captivating dual narrative that adds depth and richness to the storytelling.
For those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers with a strong focus on family dynamics, "Like Mother, Like Daughter" is an absolute must-read. Kimberly McCreight has crafted a compelling tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the secrets hidden within the intricate web of mother-daughter relationships. Highly recommended!
McCreight's writing style is nothing short of brilliant. The way she weaves the narrative through multiple timelines is a stroke of genius. Each chapter left me eagerly anticipating the continuation of the timeline it introduced, and the seamless transitions kept the suspense alive throughout.
What truly stood out for me was the realistic portrayal of the characters. Kat and Cleo felt like people I could know in real life, with their flaws and complexities. Cleo's perspective on her mother as rigid and controlling, contrasted with Kat's actions and secrets revealed in her viewpoint, adds layers to the mother-daughter relationship that kept me emotionally invested.
The exploration of the mother-daughter dynamic is a shining aspect of this novel. The tension and intricacies of their relationship are palpable, and I found myself empathizing with both characters as their stories unfolded. The author skillfully delves into the complexities of familial bonds, making the narrative not only suspenseful but also emotionally resonant.
The gripping plot revolves around Cleo's quest to find her missing mother, and the revelations she uncovers are jaw-dropping. The alternating viewpoints from Cleo's present-day perspective and her mother's days leading up to her disappearance create a captivating dual narrative that adds depth and richness to the storytelling.
For those who enjoy suspenseful thrillers with a strong focus on family dynamics, "Like Mother, Like Daughter" is an absolute must-read. Kimberly McCreight has crafted a compelling tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat, eagerly turning the pages to uncover the secrets hidden within the intricate web of mother-daughter relationships. Highly recommended!
August 11, 2024
**Many thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Kimberly McCreight for an ARC of this book!**
Everyone has three lives: a public life, a private life...and a secret life.
Although recent life events have created a wedge between them, Cleo knows her mother Katrina better than almost anyone else...so when she gets a call to return home to have dinner with her at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she figures she'd best show up. After all, despite their problems, nobody can question the unshakable bond between mother and daughter. When she arrives, however, the room is eerily quiet, and Katrina is nowhere to be found. All that remains is remnants of the burned dinner...and Katrina's bloody shoe. Terrified, Cleo has no idea what happened and despite her frustrations with her mother as of late, she is desperate to find her... and hopes that she isn't too late to save her.
It is Katrina's private AND secret lives, however, that Cleo should be exploring...rather than being blinded by the perfect sheen of her public persona. Although Kat seems to have it all as a posh, successful corporate lawyer with a handsome, dedicated husband Aidan at her side, all is not as it seems. Cleo is unaware, but Kat's marriage is on the rocks, and her job is far more dangerous than it seems at first glance. Kat is her firm's 'fixer', a designated lawyer whose job it is to make problems go away...meaning she deals with some of the ugliest scandals in corporate world...and the shady characters naturally follow. But has Kat finally found the one scandal she CANNOT fix...without exposing her role to a dangerous foe? With husband Aidan aching to get his hands on Kat's money to finance a film, did his desperation lead him to an unspeakable act of violence? Or is Cleo's drug dealing ex-boyfriend the one with a vendetta against Kat for taking Cleo away from him...a vendetta strong enough to end in kidnapping...or even murder?
Although I've been eager to read Reconstructing Amelia, for oh, 5 years now, I STILL have only read two Kimberly McCreight books up until this point...and both of them were definitely 3 star reads. (One I have no recollection of reading whatsoever, but according to Goodreads I did: guess that speaks for itself!) But for some reason, the title of this one and mere curiosity won the day in this instance and I wanted to give this law school graduate author another shot, since lawyer-turned-thriller writers can be some of my favorites to read (I'm looking at you, Julie Clark and David Ellis!)...and for the MOST part, I'm glad I did!
At first, this felt like a bit of an 'everything but the kitchen sink' read - too many characters, too many plots and subplots, and a bunch of what felt like extraneous information (told via news articles, therapist interviews, etc.)...but by the time I got to about 60%, I found myself JUST engaged enough to want to start tearing through the second half. The setup is a bit lengthy here, and overall there is more time spent developing the through lines than there is REALLY digging into the psyches of Cleo and Kat. At the same time, though, I felt that I was able to glean enough about them through their actions rather than simply their thoughts to get a good sense of character and I kept WANTING to learn more about the backstory, when and if Kat was going to 'fix' the scandal at hand, and just exactly WHAT was so great about Cleo's ex-boyfriend. (And no spoilers, but the jury is still out on that one, I've got to be honest!)
The timelines in this one also kind of reminded me of one of those boards that detectives use with pushpins and pieces of string that zigzag back and forth in a seemingly random way, so don't expect to feel entirely settled with what day or time it is at ANY point while reading. As someone who prefers linear storytelling overall, it was a bit of a stretch to try to parse together the then, the now, and the in-between...but at the same time, I never quite got to the point of frustration with any of it, so I think McCreight's attention to detail is all there...it just may be more readily apparent on a plotting diagram than it is for a reader trying to follow along. But while I wouldn't put this in the category of popcorn thriller because of the plot's intricacies, it is an easy ENOUGH read for glossing over the 'messy' bits, if you so choose.
The true heart and soul of this one and the reason I think McCreight wanted to write this particular book, however, was more as a commentary on mothers and daughters, and THIS is the reason the narrative shines. The discussion is at times fairly subtle, but Kat often reflects on sort of the bum rush that mothers get, both in the workplace and at home, the way no one can TRULY prepare you for motherhood, and the complicated ball of emotions mothers experience on a daily basis, from joy to frustration to worry...and back again. Throw in a college-aged daughter and HER perspectives, and the lines become even blurrier between what is right and wrong, expected and not, and what level of duplicity and secrets is appropriate between mom and daughter...and what is a step too far. Some of these quiet and poignant observations and also the more obvious parallels between the duo were what took this from a more run-of-the-mill thriller and gave it a bit more depth and impact...and also got me FIRMLY on board to check out another novel from McCreight!
And while I won't give anything anyway, there IS a reason they say mother knows best: you'll just have to read it before you TRULY believe it!
😉
4 stars
Everyone has three lives: a public life, a private life...and a secret life.
Although recent life events have created a wedge between them, Cleo knows her mother Katrina better than almost anyone else...so when she gets a call to return home to have dinner with her at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she figures she'd best show up. After all, despite their problems, nobody can question the unshakable bond between mother and daughter. When she arrives, however, the room is eerily quiet, and Katrina is nowhere to be found. All that remains is remnants of the burned dinner...and Katrina's bloody shoe. Terrified, Cleo has no idea what happened and despite her frustrations with her mother as of late, she is desperate to find her... and hopes that she isn't too late to save her.
It is Katrina's private AND secret lives, however, that Cleo should be exploring...rather than being blinded by the perfect sheen of her public persona. Although Kat seems to have it all as a posh, successful corporate lawyer with a handsome, dedicated husband Aidan at her side, all is not as it seems. Cleo is unaware, but Kat's marriage is on the rocks, and her job is far more dangerous than it seems at first glance. Kat is her firm's 'fixer', a designated lawyer whose job it is to make problems go away...meaning she deals with some of the ugliest scandals in corporate world...and the shady characters naturally follow. But has Kat finally found the one scandal she CANNOT fix...without exposing her role to a dangerous foe? With husband Aidan aching to get his hands on Kat's money to finance a film, did his desperation lead him to an unspeakable act of violence? Or is Cleo's drug dealing ex-boyfriend the one with a vendetta against Kat for taking Cleo away from him...a vendetta strong enough to end in kidnapping...or even murder?
Although I've been eager to read Reconstructing Amelia, for oh, 5 years now, I STILL have only read two Kimberly McCreight books up until this point...and both of them were definitely 3 star reads. (One I have no recollection of reading whatsoever, but according to Goodreads I did: guess that speaks for itself!) But for some reason, the title of this one and mere curiosity won the day in this instance and I wanted to give this law school graduate author another shot, since lawyer-turned-thriller writers can be some of my favorites to read (I'm looking at you, Julie Clark and David Ellis!)...and for the MOST part, I'm glad I did!
At first, this felt like a bit of an 'everything but the kitchen sink' read - too many characters, too many plots and subplots, and a bunch of what felt like extraneous information (told via news articles, therapist interviews, etc.)...but by the time I got to about 60%, I found myself JUST engaged enough to want to start tearing through the second half. The setup is a bit lengthy here, and overall there is more time spent developing the through lines than there is REALLY digging into the psyches of Cleo and Kat. At the same time, though, I felt that I was able to glean enough about them through their actions rather than simply their thoughts to get a good sense of character and I kept WANTING to learn more about the backstory, when and if Kat was going to 'fix' the scandal at hand, and just exactly WHAT was so great about Cleo's ex-boyfriend. (And no spoilers, but the jury is still out on that one, I've got to be honest!)
The timelines in this one also kind of reminded me of one of those boards that detectives use with pushpins and pieces of string that zigzag back and forth in a seemingly random way, so don't expect to feel entirely settled with what day or time it is at ANY point while reading. As someone who prefers linear storytelling overall, it was a bit of a stretch to try to parse together the then, the now, and the in-between...but at the same time, I never quite got to the point of frustration with any of it, so I think McCreight's attention to detail is all there...it just may be more readily apparent on a plotting diagram than it is for a reader trying to follow along. But while I wouldn't put this in the category of popcorn thriller because of the plot's intricacies, it is an easy ENOUGH read for glossing over the 'messy' bits, if you so choose.
The true heart and soul of this one and the reason I think McCreight wanted to write this particular book, however, was more as a commentary on mothers and daughters, and THIS is the reason the narrative shines. The discussion is at times fairly subtle, but Kat often reflects on sort of the bum rush that mothers get, both in the workplace and at home, the way no one can TRULY prepare you for motherhood, and the complicated ball of emotions mothers experience on a daily basis, from joy to frustration to worry...and back again. Throw in a college-aged daughter and HER perspectives, and the lines become even blurrier between what is right and wrong, expected and not, and what level of duplicity and secrets is appropriate between mom and daughter...and what is a step too far. Some of these quiet and poignant observations and also the more obvious parallels between the duo were what took this from a more run-of-the-mill thriller and gave it a bit more depth and impact...and also got me FIRMLY on board to check out another novel from McCreight!
And while I won't give anything anyway, there IS a reason they say mother knows best: you'll just have to read it before you TRULY believe it!
😉
4 stars
December 6, 2023
It seems like everyone I know who has read this book has loved it, so this will be an outlying review. I had to start reading it twice before I could get into it, and though the story was fine, nothing in this book really grabbed me or made me immersed in the plot.
The book starts with our mother, Katrina, going missing. Her daughter, Cleo, comes home one night to find her mother gone; only a broken glass and bloody shoe remain. Kat had been having a rough time of it lately. She and Cleo’s father, Aidan, are getting divorced, Cleo is dating a drug dealer, and the new man she has been sleeping with, Doug, has just died in a car crash. Do any of these things have to do with her disappearance?
The rest of the book is about finding Katrina, and about a pharmaceutical company hiding knowledge about birth defects in one of their drugs. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to be cliche, and I didn’t feel anything for any of them. The parts about “the past” almost felt forced into the story, even though they were the parts that connected things to the present.
There’s nothing wrong with the book, or bad about the plot - it just didn’t work for me, as I found it all to be a bit boring, dry and tedious. The twists weren’t very shocking, and the ending was slightly anti-climactic. Again though, it looks like my opinion is in the minority on this one! You may love it, but I’m giving this one an average 2.5 stars, rounded up.
(Thank you to Knopf, Kimberly McCreight and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 9, 2024.)
The book starts with our mother, Katrina, going missing. Her daughter, Cleo, comes home one night to find her mother gone; only a broken glass and bloody shoe remain. Kat had been having a rough time of it lately. She and Cleo’s father, Aidan, are getting divorced, Cleo is dating a drug dealer, and the new man she has been sleeping with, Doug, has just died in a car crash. Do any of these things have to do with her disappearance?
The rest of the book is about finding Katrina, and about a pharmaceutical company hiding knowledge about birth defects in one of their drugs. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to be cliche, and I didn’t feel anything for any of them. The parts about “the past” almost felt forced into the story, even though they were the parts that connected things to the present.
There’s nothing wrong with the book, or bad about the plot - it just didn’t work for me, as I found it all to be a bit boring, dry and tedious. The twists weren’t very shocking, and the ending was slightly anti-climactic. Again though, it looks like my opinion is in the minority on this one! You may love it, but I’m giving this one an average 2.5 stars, rounded up.
(Thank you to Knopf, Kimberly McCreight and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on July 9, 2024.)
July 28, 2024
2.5 stars
A college age daughter, Cleo, arrives at her parents’ house for dinner and finds food burning and her mother, Kat, nowhere in sight. She then finds a bloody shoe and understandably grows more concerned. So where is Kat?
Alright, I don’t mind unlikable characters in thrillers as they can be fascinating. Unfortunately Cleo is an insufferable brat who really bogs down the story. Mother-daughter dynamics can be complicated, I get it. But Cleo was over the top, self-involved and it wasn’t much fun reading the parts of the story that featured her. A toned down version of Cleo would have helped as the plot itself is decent. Not awesome, but decent.
On a positive note, I did get a jaw dropping moment which is nice to experience when reading a thriller. For what it’s worth, I really liked A Good Marriage, by this author. I just wish Like Mother, Like Daughter had been more of an enjoyable read rather than a frustrating one.
Thank you Knopf and Netgalley for providing an advance digital copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
A college age daughter, Cleo, arrives at her parents’ house for dinner and finds food burning and her mother, Kat, nowhere in sight. She then finds a bloody shoe and understandably grows more concerned. So where is Kat?
Alright, I don’t mind unlikable characters in thrillers as they can be fascinating. Unfortunately Cleo is an insufferable brat who really bogs down the story. Mother-daughter dynamics can be complicated, I get it. But Cleo was over the top, self-involved and it wasn’t much fun reading the parts of the story that featured her. A toned down version of Cleo would have helped as the plot itself is decent. Not awesome, but decent.
On a positive note, I did get a jaw dropping moment which is nice to experience when reading a thriller. For what it’s worth, I really liked A Good Marriage, by this author. I just wish Like Mother, Like Daughter had been more of an enjoyable read rather than a frustrating one.
Thank you Knopf and Netgalley for providing an advance digital copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
August 28, 2024
I have been awful about coming back to GR and writing reviews lately. Please forgive me. I’ve been working extra hours and been terribly exhausted.
Since it’s been a week I’ve lost most of what I read. I do know that there was a whole lot going on. Pay close attention! The mother goes missing from her apartment. The timeline goes back to the past (before her disappearance) and the present where her daughter is searching for her.
The twist at the end was slightly unbelievable but I still enjoyed it! I couldn’t put it down!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Since it’s been a week I’ve lost most of what I read. I do know that there was a whole lot going on. Pay close attention! The mother goes missing from her apartment. The timeline goes back to the past (before her disappearance) and the present where her daughter is searching for her.
The twist at the end was slightly unbelievable but I still enjoyed it! I couldn’t put it down!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 8, 2024
Like Mother Like Daughter is the first book that actually does something different with a familar trope. Kimberly McCreight's latest centers on Cleo's discovery that her mother Katrina has disappeared. Even worse Cleo discovers that there's a blood stain on her mother's carpet that possibly a link to her Mom's fate. Cleo and Katrina's POV alternates between each chapter which is the usual narrative in almost thrillers, but it suits the story because Cleo is investigating her mother's disappearance, but also discovers things that both shock and surprise her. Katrina reveals that her daughter was difficult as both a child and adult. There relationship is as complex as their personalities which is a nice change from the usual good daughter, bad daughter and vice versa plots. Kimberly McEight's Like Mother, Like Daughter is the type of book that will keep you reading at the beach until sunset.
January 11, 2024
Like mother, like daughter... sigh. Where to begin with this?
One of my favorite books is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. It gave me all the feels, emotions and the narration was solid. But...I feel as though nothing she has written has ever been this level of good ever again.
This new novel is sadly in that bucket.
A story of Katrina, a mom, wife and professional “fixer” with a shady background and her 20 year old daughter, Cleo, who for all intents and purposes, is a spoiled substance selling college brat who hates her mother.
Kat disappears one random afternoon and Cleo and her dad, Aidan, totally not present in this book or daughter's life, are stuck trying to solve where Kat is and what has taken place.
Listen...It took me over 3 weeks to get through this book. I kept thinking maybe it was me but it wasn't. It was the lack of development in storyline, in characters and in writing.
What I read over those weeks seemed like a rough outline instead of a full blown story.
Unfortunately, this was a dud for my first book of 2024. I have an issue not seeing things though so I read it and it should have been a DNF way in the beginning.
The ending had an interesting twist, I will give her that but it wasnt enough to make up for the severely bad development. And then the book ends- abruptly. God help me. Sorry but no.
One of my favorite books is Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. It gave me all the feels, emotions and the narration was solid. But...I feel as though nothing she has written has ever been this level of good ever again.
This new novel is sadly in that bucket.
A story of Katrina, a mom, wife and professional “fixer” with a shady background and her 20 year old daughter, Cleo, who for all intents and purposes, is a spoiled substance selling college brat who hates her mother.
Kat disappears one random afternoon and Cleo and her dad, Aidan, totally not present in this book or daughter's life, are stuck trying to solve where Kat is and what has taken place.
Listen...It took me over 3 weeks to get through this book. I kept thinking maybe it was me but it wasn't. It was the lack of development in storyline, in characters and in writing.
What I read over those weeks seemed like a rough outline instead of a full blown story.
Unfortunately, this was a dud for my first book of 2024. I have an issue not seeing things though so I read it and it should have been a DNF way in the beginning.
The ending had an interesting twist, I will give her that but it wasnt enough to make up for the severely bad development. And then the book ends- abruptly. God help me. Sorry but no.
December 20, 2023
Wow, what a wild ride this book was. So many suspects, not sure who to trust.
Such a fun thriller, I loved it!
Such a fun thriller, I loved it!
August 28, 2024
I loved Kimberly McCreight's previous novel A Good Marriage, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Like Mother, Like Daughter. I actually loved this one even MORE, and I clearly need to make a point of reading the rest of her backlist now. The story is told through the dual viewpoints of Cleo and Kat, and I adored Kat. She's out there kicking ass and taking names as a lawyer, though her fixer role can put her in some tight situations. The reader is taken back through the days prior to her disappearance as well as what is going on in the present time through her daughter. The pacing is steady, and I loved how McCreight created a perfect storm to throw suspicion on so many characters.
The audiobook is directed by Danny Campbell as well as narrated by his daughter Olivia Campbell & wife Cassandra Campbell who is a personal favorite of mine. I had no idea this was a family affair until the very end, and it seriously makes the audio so special. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Olivia and Cassandra were fantastic narrators for the mother and daughter characters of Cleo and Kat. I will admit I had part of the mystery figured out, but there were plenty of other twists that McCreight managed to sucker-punch me with. Like Mother, Like Daughter is a quick and bingeable read that is best consumed with a bowl of popcorn for all that drama.
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
The audiobook is directed by Danny Campbell as well as narrated by his daughter Olivia Campbell & wife Cassandra Campbell who is a personal favorite of mine. I had no idea this was a family affair until the very end, and it seriously makes the audio so special. Plus, it doesn't hurt that Olivia and Cassandra were fantastic narrators for the mother and daughter characters of Cleo and Kat. I will admit I had part of the mystery figured out, but there were plenty of other twists that McCreight managed to sucker-punch me with. Like Mother, Like Daughter is a quick and bingeable read that is best consumed with a bowl of popcorn for all that drama.
Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
July 31, 2024
3.5 ⭐️ I enjoyed this! The story features a complex mother/daughter relationship and I think it was done in a really compelling way.
When Cleo, a student at NYU, visits her estranged mother in Brooklyn one afternoon she discovers a disturbing scene. Her mother is nowhere to be found but dinner is burning in the oven and a bloody shoe appears to have been left behind. Cleo has her issues with the woman, but learning that she may be in danger forces Cleo to discover secrets about her mother’s past.
This was a pretty faced past read with some decent twists. I found Cleo’s father to be so repulsive, perhaps because he was so awful in a somewhat realistic way. Nothing he does is over the top outlandish which almost makes it more uncomfortable to read about. If you look up “gaslighting” in the dictionary I’m confident you’ll see that man’s face.
The main thing I didn’t love was how quickly things wrapped up at the very, very end. I’m not a big fan of epilogues that have to explain parts of the “big reveal” to the readers. Otherwise, this was an entertaining plot that I’ll definitely recommend especially to fans of A Good Marriage!
Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early ready! All opinions are my own.
When Cleo, a student at NYU, visits her estranged mother in Brooklyn one afternoon she discovers a disturbing scene. Her mother is nowhere to be found but dinner is burning in the oven and a bloody shoe appears to have been left behind. Cleo has her issues with the woman, but learning that she may be in danger forces Cleo to discover secrets about her mother’s past.
This was a pretty faced past read with some decent twists. I found Cleo’s father to be so repulsive, perhaps because he was so awful in a somewhat realistic way. Nothing he does is over the top outlandish which almost makes it more uncomfortable to read about. If you look up “gaslighting” in the dictionary I’m confident you’ll see that man’s face.
The main thing I didn’t love was how quickly things wrapped up at the very, very end. I’m not a big fan of epilogues that have to explain parts of the “big reveal” to the readers. Otherwise, this was an entertaining plot that I’ll definitely recommend especially to fans of A Good Marriage!
Thanks to the publisher for allowing me to be an early ready! All opinions are my own.
June 25, 2024
4.5⭐️s
I really really really enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked with the POV of the mom and daughter - the multimedia (newspaper releases, text messages, transcripts, etc.) the twists were twisting, and I thought I had it all figured out.. but, I was wrong. I binged this in less than 6 hrs, because I couldn’t put it down. Really hoping #botm comes through, so I can grab a physical copy lol
I really really really enjoyed this book. It kept me hooked with the POV of the mom and daughter - the multimedia (newspaper releases, text messages, transcripts, etc.) the twists were twisting, and I thought I had it all figured out.. but, I was wrong. I binged this in less than 6 hrs, because I couldn’t put it down. Really hoping #botm comes through, so I can grab a physical copy lol
July 18, 2024
Like Mother, Like Daughter is a fabulous thriller/mystery that I could not put down! I believe this is my first book by this author and I loved everything about it. The story, the characters, the revenge, the different time lines and the whole plot was so well executed. It just all worked great! A top fave for 2024! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be published 7/30/2024. Highly recommend it.
July 31, 2024
I was so excited for the release of Kimberly McCreight’s latest thriller LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, hoping this novel would capture me as much as RECONSTRUCTING AMELIA. McCreight might be a victim of her debut success, especially if people like me continue to hope for something as compelling.
Told from the points of view of missing mom Kat and her college age daughter Cleo, notes from Cleo’s therapy sessions and news reports, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER never captured my interest because neither of the main characters had much personality or was particularly sympathetic.
The circumstances of Kat’s childhood were sad, but because they were told, rather than shown I didn’t *feel* the characters.
I enjoyed McCreight’s word building, the strongest aspect of LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. The novel read more like. YA story than an adult mystery, because the young person was savvier than the police and found the answers.
I read LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER described as a love letter to mothers and daughters, which isn’t how I’d describe it. I’m not giving up on McCreight, even though I didn’t enjoy this one.
Told from the points of view of missing mom Kat and her college age daughter Cleo, notes from Cleo’s therapy sessions and news reports, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER never captured my interest because neither of the main characters had much personality or was particularly sympathetic.
The circumstances of Kat’s childhood were sad, but because they were told, rather than shown I didn’t *feel* the characters.
I enjoyed McCreight’s word building, the strongest aspect of LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. The novel read more like. YA story than an adult mystery, because the young person was savvier than the police and found the answers.
I read LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER described as a love letter to mothers and daughters, which isn’t how I’d describe it. I’m not giving up on McCreight, even though I didn’t enjoy this one.
July 29, 2024
Daughter Cleo is estranged from her mother Kat, when Kat goes missing. The story is told through the mother; -BEFORE she goes missing. And the daughter; -NOW after finding her mother missing at home along with blood and her mother’s bloody shoe. I loved this rollercoaster of a ride, plus there were so many layers of story to peel back. Every member in this family has messy drama they’re involved in. Cleo’s involved with questionable people, and her dad.. well I won’t even go there. Our main protagonist, Kat, is not only a lawyer but is secretly a “fixer” for the firm she works for: -and let me just say there’s nothing she won’t do for a client. But that isn’t the only secret she’s keeping. She grew up in an orphanage.. and that’s all I’ll say about that.. so good!! 4.5 stars — Pub. 7/30/24
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
August 17, 2024
This book took me a bit to get into and a part of that was that I didn’t like any of the characters, but they were all written to be disliked. I did definitely get caught up in the story and when that happened I could barely put it down. I recommend not reading the synopsis as I think it kind of spoils the story and in that vein I am not going to do a synopsis here either. This is a story about a complex relationship between a mother and her daughter. This story is about love and how it can hurt but is so strong. This book is also about the things from your past that shape you and what happens when they come back because nothing stays in the past forever.
August 24, 2024
I thought I knew who did it but then I was like oh maybe this person did it NOPE someone completely different actually did it. Audiobook was chefs kiss.
July 3, 2024
Thank you so much to Knopf Publishing and Kimberly McCreight for my copy of this book! It was about Cleo, a girl who does not get along with her mother, Kat. One night when she is meant to arrive for dinner, she shows up late and finds food burning on the stove and a bloody shoe left behind. What happened to her mother?
Cleo is used to her mom being perfect, but Kat has been lying to everyone. She works as a fixer, and deals with problems that won’t go away. In the days leading up to her disappearance, things start to pile up and Kat begins to realize that she can’t fix everything, especially when someone starts threatening her and the people she loves.
Thoughts: Kimberly McCreight’s writing is addictive and easy to tear through. The book started off with a bang and kept my attention the whole time. I thought the relationship between Cleo and Kat and Cleo and Aiden were both really well done and unique. The secrets in this book just kept coming and layer after layer were slowly unraveled.
This book was about how our past always comes back to haunt us. It was about an emotional relationship between a mother and daughter and all the different nuances that come into play in our lives. I loved that the chapters were mixed with diary entries and therapy sessions, and though the ending was fairly obvious, I enjoyed the story! 4.5 stars!
Cleo is used to her mom being perfect, but Kat has been lying to everyone. She works as a fixer, and deals with problems that won’t go away. In the days leading up to her disappearance, things start to pile up and Kat begins to realize that she can’t fix everything, especially when someone starts threatening her and the people she loves.
Thoughts: Kimberly McCreight’s writing is addictive and easy to tear through. The book started off with a bang and kept my attention the whole time. I thought the relationship between Cleo and Kat and Cleo and Aiden were both really well done and unique. The secrets in this book just kept coming and layer after layer were slowly unraveled.
This book was about how our past always comes back to haunt us. It was about an emotional relationship between a mother and daughter and all the different nuances that come into play in our lives. I loved that the chapters were mixed with diary entries and therapy sessions, and though the ending was fairly obvious, I enjoyed the story! 4.5 stars!
July 24, 2024
I thoroughly enjoyed this 'emotional suspense' novel (author's description). It has a complex plot that centers around a lawyer named Katherine McHugh who works as a 'fixer' for high-level corporate businessmen and women. Her own life is rather a mess: she's recently separated from her husband of 20+ years and has a volatile relationship with her daughter Cleo who is attending NYU. One evening Cleo deigns to come home for dinner with her mother but when she arrives, she finds the door unlocked, food burning in the kitchen, signs of a struggle throughout the house, and her mother gone.
The timeline goes back and forth: from Kat's journal entries going back to 1993 when she lived in an abusive group foster home; to the days leading up to her disappearance; to Cleo's attempts to figure out what happened to her mother and why. Interspersed are transcripts from Cleo's sessions with a psychiatrist as well as court documents from a suit against a major drug company. Sounds complicated but it all ties together well in the end and results in a riveting, page-turning story.
These characters are so real and well-drawn. A big part of the story (of course you knew this from the title) is the complex mother-daughter relationship between Kat and Cleo. Maybe they are just too much alike to get along. What a mess people make of their lives!
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new suspense novel. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
The timeline goes back and forth: from Kat's journal entries going back to 1993 when she lived in an abusive group foster home; to the days leading up to her disappearance; to Cleo's attempts to figure out what happened to her mother and why. Interspersed are transcripts from Cleo's sessions with a psychiatrist as well as court documents from a suit against a major drug company. Sounds complicated but it all ties together well in the end and results in a riveting, page-turning story.
These characters are so real and well-drawn. A big part of the story (of course you knew this from the title) is the complex mother-daughter relationship between Kat and Cleo. Maybe they are just too much alike to get along. What a mess people make of their lives!
Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new suspense novel. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
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August 20, 2024This was a fun read without being too scary.
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