I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The story is of Laura, and her daughter, Emma in 1980’s and 1990’s Manhattan. Laura, born to a wealthy family becomes pregnant after a one night stand and raises Emma as a single mother. The chapters are divided from 1981, when Emma is conceived to 1995,each chapter covering one year. Some chapters are lengthy, some are just a few pages. In addition to the mother daughter relationship, the book addresses the evolving AIDS epidemic, mental illness, family relationships, etc. Some events that should have been explored more (Laura’s mother, Bibs - don’t want to include spoilers) are barely mentioned. I also would have liked to see more on Emma’s rebellion, what has led to it and how Laura should have dealt with it. Laura’s telling Emma about her conception and Emma’s reaction was glossed over and should have even explored further.
All along, while it was an easy, quick read, I was trying to figure out the essence of the story and I never got that. The characters were shallow, couldn’t identify with any of them. The abrupt ending totally left me with not knowing what the writer tried to achieve with this novel.
Overall, I can not give the book more than a generous 3 stars.
Thanks NetGalley, Simon and Schuster and he author, Kate Greatehead for the the advanced copy.

Laura and Emma opens the reader's eyes to the world of the privileged New Yorker who's also a single mother: how they live, their family dynamics, and the challenges they face. The story begins with Emma's conception, under unusual circumstances, in 1981, and unfolds through a series of vignettes up to 1995. I found the beginning and ending of the book intriguing, but didn't enjoy the in-between sections as much, although I did think the author did a great job of capturing New York and key events during the time frame.
Laura is a person of contrasts and seemed to want to revolt, to some degree, against her upbringing, while still relying on it. She ends up buying an apartment in Harlem and shops at a discount grocer, but still relies on her parents to pay her mortgage, and for other support. My favorite example was when Emma was ready to start pre-school, Laura decides she wants to work part-time and goes over her bosses head to the Board of Directors to arrange to work part-time, but at the same salary and benefits.
Overall, Laura and Emma was an interesting book and I'm looking forward to discussing the ending with friends! Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to read the book.

Laura and Emma, the debut novel from nine-time Moth StorySLAM champion Kate Greathead is simply delightful. This funny, often poignant story about a single mom from a wealthy New York family and her daughter, the result of a chance encounter will leave you smiling!

Laura & Emma is an insightful look into family warfare, class, and how we see ourselves in relationship to the world. It is a quick, witty read set in the 1980s and 1990s, focusing on Laura who has chosen to be a single mother who tries to create a life for her daughter that is authentic and true. Laura & Emma is told in vignettes that offer an insightful look into a woman with courage fighting against the constraints and restrictions of the life she was born into. If you enjoyed Lady Bird, and are interested in a novel that will keep you thinking and wanting more, you will love Laura & Emma.

I received an ARC of "Laura & Emma" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Simon Schuster, and Kate Greathead for the opportunity to read this book.

This book really interested me at the beginning and then my interest began to wane the more that I read. I don't know if it was the setting (monied, New York upper-class), characters (very one-dimensional), or the time period (1980's/90's).

The novel was really easy to read and was told in a little essay for each year which was a very interesting way to write this novel so I was hooked immediately. But, the characters just were not real to me (or in my life experience) at all and I didn't care about them or for them.

It is a "MAYBE RECOMMEND" for me. It just didn't do it for me.

3.5 Stars. Thank you NetGalley for digital ARC. More of vignettes than plot driven, I definitely enjoyed this read. The book is witty and heart warming, but at times a bit melancholy. I would have liked a little more from the main character. She was a bit too at arms length. I wanted to know her better and I wanted more from her. I enjoyed the relationship between Laura and Emma and thought Laura’s mom was a hoot. I did not like the abrubt ending. I loved the time period.

LAURA AND EMMA is a smart and witty literary novel told mostly in vignettes. If at times the storyline feels rushed, it's only because we want to spend time with these women. In the end, I enjoyed how the author gave us snapshots of their relationship at different moments in time. Both mother and daughter are fairly sympathetic, but more importantly, they feel real. They aren't saints. Every thought in their mind isn't endearing. But I feel like I know people like this or might encounter them in ordinary life. The city of NY becomes almost a character in and of itself so fans of the Big Apple will find that to enjoy as well. Overall, the plot isn't the most engaging but these characters succeed in driving the story forward.

This was an incredibly readable family drama which I really enjoyed and read quickly as I found myself wanting to find out what would happen next. At the end, I found myself feeling a bit empty with the ending. I feel like this book could've been another 100 pages or so to tie up some more loose ends. I get that ending things without a real, final resolution is a deliberate style of writing, but I always feel a little sold short in the end since I invested so much time and energy into these characters and wanted to know more of what happened with them. That being said, the writing was fantastic, the descriptions were great, and it was an enjoyable read.

Many thanks to Simon & Schuster Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Kate Greathead’s debut novel Laura & Emma.

Billed as a literary Gilmore Girls, set during the tumultuous 1980s, this book was surprisingly quiet and thoughtful. It’s the story of introvert Laura, raised by vivacious upper east side mother Bibs who finds herself suddenly pregnant after an unexpected one night stand. Told in vignettes, the reader follows Laura as she tackles single motherhood and New York society through the 1980s until the mid 1990s. Her daughter Emma is delightful and spirited a nice juxtaposition to quirky straightforward Laura.

More of a character study than a plot driven novel, the reader follows Laura and Emma as they grow close and distant as most mother-daughter relationships often do. NYC is an additional character helping propel the narrative forward as we read about AIDS,regentrification and recession.

I enjoyed this story, although at times the short entries seemed misplaced or lacking substance. I was not particularly attached to any of the characters and the ending was too abrupt and a bit disappointing.

I would like to see what Kate Greathead writes next as this debut shows real promise.

Wow, what an addictive and entertaining read! Having heard Laura & Emma being compared to Gilmore Girls and Lady Bird, I knew I had to read this book! Kate Greathead does a fantastic job of taking us through the ‘80’s and beyond. Starting with Laura in her 30’s, single and loving it, all the way to unexpectedly getting pregnant after a one night stand, subsequently raising a headstrong daughter in NYC. Having grown up in a very wealthy and very Republican household, Laura tries to remain true to herself and her believes (which are extremely different than her parents) all the while keeping the familial bond intact.

I thought Kate Greathead truly wow’ed me with her debut novel! I definitely felt the Gilmore Girls vibe with a single mother coming from wealth raising a daughter in middle class, but at the same time enjoying some of the perks having money can provide. I though the character development was on point with the both the main and supporting characters. I was glued to my kindle until the last page and I am already looking forward to reading what Kate Greathead comes out with next.

I couldn't connect with this book, I found the story dry and somewhat dull. None of the characters had depth. They just glided along the surface of the story. The ending was abrupt, leaving me asking What?? I honestly didn't care what happened to any of the characters, they were just devoid of emotion.

This is a good book that highlights the relationship between mother and daughter. I really became attached to Laura and Emma as characters and found myself immersed in the New York atmosphere. The writing is lovely, and this will be easy to recommend to customers looking for something good to read.

i hear about this book somewhere online and was delighted to find it offered on NetGalley and received my request quite quickly. Super chaming and fast reading, this is a really great book! I’m thinking of this as an antidote to The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe, another book set in the rarified Manhattan era of the 1980s (and that I love!)—but Laura and Emma are so honest and adorable and NOT precious or spoiled. Excellent and compelling writing. Slightly unnerving, but a joy to read.

This novel was a mixed bag for me. There were some utterly hilarious moments, as well as a few poignant and tender scenes. But, overall, it didn’t seem to have a clear focus and the characters were difficult for me to fully embrace.

This book can best be summarized as WASPy mumblecore that is a mix of Gilmore Girls and The Nix. (Note: this is not a bad thing.)

This was a tough one for me. I truly liked the character of Laura. The quality of writing was good. I enjoyed the way the author told the story in parts based on years in passing. I appreciated how Laura raises Emma on her own and watching their relationship develop throughout their time together. The plot was a bit slow-moving for me. I was disappointed at the end because I felt that so many issues with many of the characters were unresolved.

Laura & Emma takes us on a nicely-paced journey of a small, blue-blood NYC family. I've always enjoyed glimpse-of-life novels, and this was no exception. Nothing remarkable happens throughout, which I would like to think was the author's intent. Even those events which could have had much greater meaning attached to them (the conception of Emma, the wilderness of the Upper East Side school system, and adoption), were treated as off-shoots of a life. We simply follow Laura through her own, quite mundane life. As the book neared its close, greater insight seemed to be given. I would have liked to have seen that more throughout, or at least a gradual deepening, to really account for the primal scream of an ending. All in all, this book will neither add nor distract to your life.

To be honest, this is one of those books that I am not sure if I liked. It was very well written, a quick read, and left me anxious to find out what would happen next. The details thrown in about growing up in the 80's and 90's were on point-I couldn't believe the author even mentioned by favorite childhood show "Hey Dude'. I really enjoyed the time travel that this book provided. The characters were....well...different. A lot of times it was difficult to understand who Laura really was as well as her motivation for certain actions. While I know this was done on purpose by the author, I was still left confused in some places. Nevertheless, I am glad I was given the opportunity to read this book.

A contemporary mother/daughter relationship that is steaming with quiniticential NYC characters. This book will both surprise and delight the readers with unpredictable characters that stand firmly on their own turf.

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Really enjoyed this story! Well written! Looking forward to reading more by this author!