Thank you to NetGalley, Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, & Kimberly McCreight for an advance copy of Like Mother, Like Daughter in exchange for an honest review. KC is an auto read author for me and once again, she did not disappoint! This book brings all the best aspects of a page turning suspense thriller to life! I found myself completely immersed in the storyline and I found dynamics of Cleo & Kats relationship to be so relatable. The addition of the other characters brought so much life and juiciness to the story. This will be a PERFECT beach read this summer as this one comes out on 7/9/24!!

As always, I cannot wait to see what this author writes for us next!

In the midst of a divorce from her husband Aiden, Kat finds herself stuck between the childhood she ran away from many years ago, trying to be the loving mother to Cleo, and working single woman. Unfortunately Kat and Cleo’s relationship had a falling out and she’s left to try to rebuild what they had so long ago. Cleo reluctantly agrees to come home when she finds her mother missing and this only starts to unravel several hidden secrets.

I loved the short chapters written in both Kat’s “before” POV and Cleo’s “after” POV.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC 4/5 stars

*Advance copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for honest review.*

In “Like Mother, Like Daughter” the tense relationship between Kat and her daughter Cleo sets the backdrop for a fast-paced mystery of what happened to Kat.

Cleo returns from NYU to visit her mom in Park Slope for dinner, only to find a pool of blood and dinner burning in the kitchen- with no sign of her mom. Told from Kat’s perspective before the incident, and Cleo’s after, you try to piece together the seemingly disconnected story lines. Cleo quickly realizes she didn’t know her mom at all. Her parents are getting divorced, her dad is having an affair and wants her mom’s trust fund, her mom’s childhood was much bleaker than she represented it, and, even more shocking, her mom is a fixer and not a patent lawyer at the firm. Cleo knows it’s not a question of whether Kat has any enemies, it’s which of them hurt her.

I really liked the multiple plot lines and how they came together, especially with the changing timelines and character perspectives. While I might have guessed what was going on at a very topical level, I was engaged and interested in how they ultimately resolved. This was a great psychological thriller and I highly recommend it!

I was so excited for this book as I had not read a Kimberly McCreight book in several years and I remembered how fond I was of Reconstructing Amelia. I’m glad I was not disappointed! The book is about Kat and her daughter Cleo opening with Cleo coming to her childhood home to realize something awful has happened to her mother. From there we explore the many characters in both women’s lives and quickly find out many of them could be a suspect. While I guessed the perpetrator early on I don’t feel that changed my opinion of this book. Thanks to net galley for the early arc!

What an amazing read! There was so much going on and I couldn’t tell where this book was going! The unfolding of mother- daughter relationship was perfect!

Thank you so much NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review!

Cleo’s strained and estranged relationship with her mother, Katrina (aka “Kat”), is thrown into a whirlwind when she reluctantly arrives in her childhood home in Brooklyn for dinner with her mom, only to find her missing with food burning in the oven. As Cleo rushes to figure out what happened to her mom, the daughter finds out her mom hasn’t lived the tidy life of being happily married and having a successful career as a cooperate lawyer. Katrina’s life has been so much more dangerous and risky than Cleo ever knew.

I really like LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, because it illustrates the sort of complex but loving relationship that can exist between mother and daughter. And, I appreciate how the story wrapped up. The struggle I had was, I wasn’t pulled into the story until a third to half way in. The novel also perhaps a few too many red herrings.

Kat and Cleo are mother and daughter with a tumultuous relationship. When Kat goes missing, Cleo is determined to find out the truth. She slowly begins to understand her mother and her many facades. Well written from Kat's perspective before disappearance and Cleo's perspective after her mom's disappearance. Story is enhanced with other small side stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for ARC for my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. It didn't disappoint! Must read!!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review
Cleos mother ’s husband has been unfaithful so she asks for a divorce. He wants money she doesn’t feel he deserves..
Cleo’s been hanging around an unsavory guy, Her mother try’s to stop the relationship.
When Cleo goes missing questions are where is she? Who has been following her and why?
When the chips are down both mother and daughter choose to protect each other.

Whooooah! This one was absolutely insane. I love a good plot twist and this one GAVE IT 👏🏻 perfect thriller for those looking for a quick read

I enjoy psychological thrillers book that are captivating from the very beginning and this book just did that. I never read any books from this author but I will definitely continue reading more from Kimberly McCreight. Thank you Netgalley for providing me this eARC!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book to read, I enjoyed it and I would rate it a solid 3/5 stars.

Before I get into my review, I would like to send a special thanks to Netgalley for this ARC. Now for the review...
I have been reading thrillers for about a year now, and I never know what to expect from author to the next. This book is about a strained relationship between a mother and daughter. Cleo, a college student at NYU, resents her mother due to her overprotective tendencies and her inability to handle situations without always assuming the worst. Kat, is a hotshot lawyer with a past that could potentially destroy her reputation and her future. After not speaking to Kat for months, Cleo goes to her childhood home to have dinner at her mother's request. Upon her arrival, she discovered that her mother was missing and everything she thought she knew about her parents was far from the truth.

I still don't know how I really feel about this book. I experienced a wide-range of emotions throughout and struggled to understand what was going on most of the time. My biggest issues were the timeline and random conversations between different characters. I also did not care for all of the characters introduced to throw off the reader and have them guessing what happened and who did it. It was more confusing than helpful, and it made me mad more than once. The ranking is so high, because I did not expect the plot twist. Despite my mixed emotions, I can say that this is a book I will be thinking about for a very long time.

As much as I love a domestic thriller, I love even more when the story centers around more than a husband/wife storyline. I really enjoyed the emphasis on mother/daughter relationships. The fact that Kat also toes the line with being an unreliable narrator adds another level of mystery– since there are already so many players that could be responsible for Kat's disappearance. The twist at the end was quite unexpected, but the truth about Kat's location ended up feeling quite tame given the circumstances. I would have loved there to be more of Kat's backstory included, as well as some closure on what happened with Aidan. Overall, a really strong thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.

This was one of McCreight's better books, in my opinion. I absolutely loved the way the author presented mother-daughter relationships, fraught as they so often are with hurt and love. That being said, I'll admit to finding Cleo's character absolutely insufferable. Kat, the mother, was often presented as having been in the wrong in many instances (dealing with a drug-dealer boyfriend, for example), when I thought she was entirely justified, and may have even been going a little too soft on her daughter. There are many instances like that in this book. Thank God, Cleo warms up to Kat more as the book goes along, but by then she had already firmly established herself as a privileged, entitled kid who wanted no consequences for anything she ever did. As for Kat, I loved her. What a badass of a woman. Can I be like her when I grow up?

As a thriller, the story is solid. There are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, lots of fun subplots to theorize about, and suspects aplenty. At times, I do wish some parts of the corporate world had been explained just a bit better, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. I really liked the background readers were given on Kat; it made me like her even more. All in all, a solid new offering from McCreight.

Cleo and her mom, Kat, haven't been getting along well for years. When Cleo agrees to have dinner with her mom, only a bloody shoe is found. McCreight does a fantastic job demonstrating this fraught mother-daughter relationship told from both perspectives as Cleo tries to figure out what happened to her mom and the reader gets a glimpse into Kat's secretive past. This book will keep your attention from beginning to end!

Like Mother, Like Daughter had me entertained from the start. So much so that I finished it in just two days. Why didn’t I give it a higher star rating? See below.

Told from multiple perspectives and time frames, with other items thrown in (text strings, transcripts from counseling sessions, legal documents, etc.) there is plenty for the reader to uncover.

Katrina (Kat) and Cleo have a difficult and strained mother/daughter relationship. With Kat’s complicated past, she is constantly doubting herself a good mother. Instead, she feels as though she’s a failure. And, her daughter Cleo, agrees. In fact, the two have not spoken for months.

However, Kat’s repeated pleas for an in-person talk finally wear Cleo down and she acquiesces to come home for dinner the following Sunday. Upon entering her childhood home, Cleo finds something is not right and quickly discovers her mother is missing and it appears she may have been taken. Or worse.

What follows is Kat’s POV for the days leading up to her disappearance and Cleo’s POV for the hours after finding her mother gone.

There’s so much to unpack and McCreight does a great job of keeping the reader guessing while making things entertaining and fairly easy to follow.

What I liked:

1) There are several stories within the story. It’s not just about what has potentially “happened” to Kat but about her powerful and unique job, issues within her marriage, her troubled and complicated past, and blackmail. Not to mention a high-profile lawsuit and the issues Cleo has experienced and is experiencing. There’s a figurative cornucopia of plausible reasons Cleo has found her mother “missing”.
2) While difficult to get through at times, I enjoyed the ups and downs of the mother/daughter dynamic. Initially, it feels as though Cleo practically hates her mother but as she digs into things, she discovers her mom is someone whom she completely misunderstood and ultimately respects?

What made me sad (as in, I REALLY wanted to give this book 4 or even 5 stars but couldn’t).

1) The payoff. Just, no. Without getting too far into it, I don’t think the “who” of the thing made sense. I get and appreciate an attempt of a big shock but the way this one was done didn’t ring true. It was too far-fetched. Like, not even an “oh, I guess that’s understandable” kind of thing. It was more of an “oh brother, why did you do that” ending for me.
2) This stems from above but after all of the very well-constructed story lines and ways the climax could have played out… well, I was left wanting.
3) When I read books (or watch tv for that matter), I tend not to be too critical because I understand the reader/spectator should have a “willing suspension of disbelief”. Otherwise, what fun is losing yourself in a story that is not your own? However, there is a circumstance between two characters in this book that is left completely unresolved. And, another one between the same that I feel would have been different if this story was a real-life situation. So much so, that I can’t just go with the flow and accept what I’m reading.

Conclusion:

Man, I wanted to give this book a higher rating! As previously stated, it was very entertaining and definitely a page turner. There was so much “good stuff” happening throughout that I couldn’t wait to see how it culminated but, what a let-down. That said, the epilogue was satisfying. Based on the positives alone, I definitely recommend this book with the request: let me know what you think once you finish! Am I completely wrong with my disappointment?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy for an honest review.

This was my first Kimberly McCreight book and I really enjoyed it! We get dual POVs from mom and daughter in this book. Kat tells her story before she goes missing and Cleo is trying to figure out what happened after her mom disappears. This book was fast-paced and I really enjoyed the flipping of the timeline and the perspectives of both mom and daughter. There were a lot of side characters which got confusing at some points but also made the plot twists harder to see coming. Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced thriller that I would recommend to others!

This story kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and when it did… WOW! I was not expecting the turn it took. Thoroughly enjoyed this read, especially the dual perspective of the mother and daughter. Having a very similar relationship with my mother as the characters in this story shared, I was able to relate so well and it added an intense level of emotion for me. There were aspects of the story that I wouldn’t have minded being more developed, and I could easily see this turning into a TV series because there are quite a few interesting story lines that could be further explored. Highly recommend if you like fast-paced thrillers. The suspense did not disappoint.

The latest offering from my favorite author proved to be a captivating thriller, characterized by a masterful blend of suspense and intricate storytelling. The narrative unfolds with a cast of well-developed characters, each contributing to the depth and richness of the plot. Their complexities and nuances add layers to the overall reading experience, making it more than just a typical page-turner.

One notable strength of the novel lies in its skillful manipulation of timelines. The author seamlessly weaves between past and present, creating a tapestry of events that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This chronological play enhances the suspense, allowing for revelations at precisely the right moments and contributing to the overall enjoyment of the narrative.

What sets this thriller apart is its ability to provoke thought and evoke strong emotions. It goes beyond the conventional boundaries of the genre, prompting readers to reflect on the intricacies of human nature and the consequences of choices made in the face of adversity. The storyline is not merely a sequence of events; it serves as a catalyst for contemplation, making it a rewarding read for those who seek intellectual engagement in addition to the adrenaline rush of a gripping tale.

This novel is not just a solitary pursuit but an ideal candidate for a buddy read. The secrets woven into the narrative and the intricate relationships between characters provide fertile ground for discussions. The shared experience of unraveling the plot's mysteries and dissecting character motivations adds an extra layer of enjoyment for those who relish book club conversations.

In conclusion, this thriller stands out as a well-crafted work of fiction that excels in its character development, timeline manipulation, and thought-provoking narrative. A perfect choice for readers seeking a combination of suspense, intellectual stimulation, and the opportunity to engage in lively discussions with fellow book enthusiasts.