A simple yet enjoyable read for sure. I loved the family dynamics, and that was probably the best part. I just didn’t connect emotionally enough. Nothing major happened…so it left me wanting more from the story. Overall, it was a good read.

This was not for me. The narrative was bland, but it could just be my taste in novels. I found the characters dull and nothing really happens.

This was one of those books where the synopsis sounded really good, but that was about the end of the excitement & I found myself strugging to finish it. It's set in New York City starting in 1981 and is about Laura, who ends up pregnant after sleeping with someone random one night, and then goes on to talk about her life & her daughter's life. Each chapter is a different year so the story moves quickly, but I didn't feel any connection to the characters, which I think caused me to lose interest.

Laura was born into privilege, residing most her life in the exclusive area of the Upper East Side in Manhattan. Insipid and aimless, Laura finds herself pregnant and alone. Will the decision to raise her child give Laura a different world view?

Laura is both pretentious and underwhelming, a character for whom I developed an extreme dislike. The novel has barely a plot, just meandering along until the eventual conclusion. Although the page count is in the mid-three hundreds, the story is so sluggish that the novel takes seemingly forever to read. I usually give debut author's the benefit of the doubt, as it is often a case of freshman jitters, but I would not recommend Laura & Emma to other readers.

Disclaimer: I was given an Advanced Reader's Copy of Laura & Emma via NetGalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster. The choice to review this book was my own.

This book didn't feel like it had much point to it. I was hoping for some real emotion, but the characters were flat. It was never all that interesting.

Laura gets pregnant after a one night stand. The book tells the story of the relationship between Laura and her daughter Emma.

This book wasn't bad per se, it just seemed like there was no real point to it with the meandering plot and strangely abrupt ending. It was a nice mother/daughter life story, but I'm not sure there really was much more of a purpose to it than that.

I loved this book.. Full disclosure the author is a friend of mine. I thought she captured a time and place wonderfully and I loved her characters.

A mother and daughter story that explores the bonds of family and social values. When upper class Manhattanite Laura finds herself suddenly pregnant after a one-night stand, decides to raise her daughter alone. What follows is the saga of a family who despite its flaws and eccentricities (like Laura telling Emma she was fathered by a Swedish sperm donor), manages to be wildly humorous and surprisingly sentimental.

The writing just felt very trite and the plot not super interesting. I didn't finish it, but will try it again in the future.

The cover of Laura & Emma by Kate Greathead suggests a story that is gentle and relatively undemanding but beyond the pastels is a thoughtful examination of the relationships between mothers and daughters, complete with the funny and loving moments, the frustrations and complexities, and the sadnesses.

It begins in 1980, New York City, with Laura who is Park Avenue born and bred. Laura considers herself progressive – she is deeply concerned about the environment; lives in Harlem (well, on the border); uses the subway and shops locally. Yet she has a cushy job via the family trust and her mortgage is paid for by her parents – the slightly eccentric Bibs and the formidable Doug.

After an out-of-character casual encounter, Laura discovers she is pregnant and decides to keep the baby. Bibs falsely informs her society friends that the baby is fathered by a Swedish sperm donor although she’s not opposed to Laura’s single status, saying of marriage, “It doesn’t matter who you marry, one day you’ll be sitting across the table from him thinking, Anything would be better than this.”

Emma is born. Like most babies, Emma does not observe order and routine.

…it still struck Laura as a roll of the dice – to allow fate to assign you a person whom you were expected to adore for the rest of your life. You did not get to choose your child, and while all the mothers she knew gave the impression of having received exactly what they would have ordered, it still seemed like a cavalier thing to do.

Despite her ideals, Laura raises Emma in much the same way as she herself was raised – private schools and summers on the family island.

Although the story is focused on Laura, it is through her relationships with Emma and Bibs that we see her character evolve. Each ‘chapter’ in the novel represents a year from 1980 to 1995 – some years pass with only a paragraph-long observation about something seemingly inconsequential, while others are detailed accounts of milestones in Laura or Emma’s lives. Much of the ‘action’ happens off the page, which strengthens Laura’s interior story.

It would have been easy for Greathead to ridicule Laura – the trust-fund princess playing at concerned citizen – yet it’s not mean-spirited or mocking. Instead, the humour comes from Laura’s own self-delusions.

Life hadn’t required Laura to navigate unknown territory on her own, and the few occasions over the years where she had taken the initiative to do so had all been very empowering.

and

Laura was envious of others’ accounts of struggle, which were recalled with a certain fondness.

Greathead gently reveals Laura’s sadness and that’s what gives this story interest. The author treads a fine line, avoiding self-pity but showing the emptiness in Laura’s life, a gap that Laura herself has trouble identifying.

That first morning, riding the 6 train to work, Laura felt as though she’d tapped into a sadness that was larger than her own – the collective loneliness, disappointment, and despair of all the people who’d ever ridden through the bowels of the New York City subway system. If the other passengers noticed that she was crying, they pretended not to, which Laura appreciated.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book for its subtlety, its deadpan humour and the fact that it stayed true to the course of life – the highs and lows (which aren’t really as high and as low as other stories would have us believe) and all the ordinary bits in between.

4/5 A winning debut.

I received my copy of Laura & Emma from the publisher, Simon & Schuster, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Laura and Emma is a beautifully written book about the relationship between a mother and daughter, each an individual who marches to the beat of a different drummer.

This is a quirky little book that has short chapters which makes for quick reading. I really enjoyed this book and laughed out loud in many spots. This is Kate Greathead’s debut novel and I think she did a great job with it.

Thank you so much for inviting me to review this title. Something about this just never clicked for me and while I wanted it love it I just couldn't finish and don't want to write a negative review. I think I never really connected with Laura enough to feel engaged. This is definitely a title I'll try to pick up in the future just in case it was my mood affecting my reading.

Laura & Emma
by Kate Greathead

Laura and Emma are not your typical single mother and daughter, and the story Greathead tells is not typical, either. Telling it in small, slice-of-life vignettes, Greathead brings us chronologically from 1980 through 1995. Despite Laura’s lack of “lack”, her quirks and personality help prevent the story from falling to cliché or stereotype. Laura’s well-heeled upbringing and distinct advantage don’t generally make for a relatable character, but Greathead manages to make this happen with wit and grace. There is nothing earth-shattering happening here, but there is a lot of heart in it. I will admit, I found the ending ambiguous and a little confusing, which is why I only gave it three stars. But maybe that’s just me, and the five people who questioned it on Goodreads.

For Goodreads:

Why I picked it — Because it was a debut novel with an interesting premise.
Reminded me of… The Three Weissmanns of Westport, for the upper crust family dynamics and humor.
For my full review — click here

Laura becomes a single mother from a one night stand, resulting in her baby girl, Emma. She decides to raise her on her own, despite the trials and difficult obstacles it may bring. The biggest one being that of course, she’s doing it alone! Laura came from old money and the rules and way things work for the rich, make it almost shameful that she doesn’t have a father helping her raise her baby.

We follow Laura and Emma as they make their way through life. I liked that the book took of us from 1980-mid 1990s. It made me feel closer to the characters as a whole. There was a reviewer that said that she thought book was “kooky” and “quirky”, I’m inclined to agree with her. The story did have a very quirky feel to it but it was also serious when it needed to be.

I think my biggest problem was the fact that I felt the story lacked depth. Sure it was serious at times but it felt stilted and unrealistic. I tried very hard to connect with Laura but I couldn’t. I felt sympathy for her sure, but as a connection, no. I like to feel some sort of connection with the main character I’m reading about in some sort of capacity. Overall, the book was fun and you’re looking for one that’s full of “family drama” and not in the least deep, this is for you.

Was just ok for me... the ending was abrupt and didn’t feel like an end to a novel. I liked the character of Laura, but the relationship course with Emma was difficult to follow towards the end

Even though this book did not have a lot of intrigue or twists and turns I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters. It was a fast read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book courtesy of NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Quirky, insightful, witty and offbeat. This was a fun novel! A story about Laura: a NYC native, brought up with wealth yet with a down-to-earth inclination, raising her daughter Emma. Together, growing up in New York in the 80's-90's. Sweetly, and cleverly told, I really enjoyed this book. Thank you NetGalley for the reader editon, all opinions are my own.

I read this awhile ago so trying to recall the story. The characters were likeable and it was interesting to see how mother and daughter went on to live in NYC. Many good characters the story. I would recommend. ,

Reminded me of watching an episode of Gilmore Girls. I found their mother/daughter dynamic to be interesting.. This was a very well-written debut novel that touched topics such as the aids epidemic, single motherhood, post-partum depression, and loss of a parents. At times I felt Laura was rough around the edges but as the story unfolds you begin to understand. I applaud the topics that Kate had touched in this book and look forward to her future books. Thank you Simon Schuster for the e-copy arc to enjoy.