From the moment a college-aged daughter, somewhat distant from her mother, heeds her request for a visit after a long absence, this book takes you on a wild ride. She arrives only to find dinner forgotten on the stove, her mother vanished, and ominous traces of blood left behind—all within the gripping first chapter. This narrative instantly pulled me into its vortex. The intrigue is amplified by succinct chapters filled with ambiguous clues and unidentified narrators, while interspersed "transcripts" and text conversations ratchet up the suspense.

This book is an absolute masterpiece, captivating from the outset and maintaining its grip through a heart-pounding finale. I devoured it in a single day, unable to resist its pull. The narrative masterfully oscillates between the moments leading up to the mother's disappearance and the frantic hours following, weaving a tapestry of mini-narratives that enrich the central mystery. Questions abound: Where is the mother? What led to her disappearance? The significance of her last texts, and the weight of the secrets concealed, all contribute to the book's relentless pace and compelling allure.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this ARC. ✨

Kimberly McCreight's 'Like Mother Like Daughter' is a complicated yet emotional exploration of family dynamics and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. With skillful storytelling, McCreight navigates through twists and revelations, keeping readers engaged until the very end. The characters are richly developed, and their journeys are both relatable and thought-provoking. While the pacing occasionally falters, the overall narrative is compelling, making it a worthy read. This was a solid 4-star read!

i read this in one sitting. i love how the characters was fully developed and all the interactive elements like the interviews and articles. this is one of my top books for this year. im just so obsessed with the book. i could see everything play out in my mind and i didn’t see anything coming in the book.

The relationship between Cleo and Katrina as mother and daughter is complicated and realistic. They are both strong willed women, stuck dealing with the trauma and consequences of their relationships with manipulative men, and have difficulty truly relating to one another.
Through Katrina’s disappearance, Cleo is able to learn more about her mothers life, and understand her on a much deeper level. While I don’t agree with a lot of the things that Katrina did in her relationship with Cleo, her past trauma does explain the thought process behind her decisions
This is a thriller, so I don’t want to say too much about Katrina’s disappearance and its outcome. There were a lot of intertwining personal relationships among characters that could be messy to keep track of; and the big twist was slightly disappointing. But still an engaging read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Like Mother, Like Daughter
by Kimberly McCreight
Pub Date: July 9, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
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.
I like twisty and convoluted thrillers, but this was too much. There are several POVs, plotlines, and in-between chapters, a dash of transcripts, therapist's notes, emails, texts, diary entries, etc. In this case, the book didn't need it.
Good book but a little all over the place.
4 stars

This had a lot of potential and I did enjoy the plot. I think it’s the writing that made it a bit confusing. It’s told in different timelines but also different “documents” like diaries and such. It felt like too much to keep up with. I had more questions at the end than I received answers.

Disclosure: Received an uncorrected ARC of this book from NetGalley and Knopf (Thank you!) in exchange for an honest review.

Fans of first person twisty-thrillers will take delight in this one told from the two perspectives of a mother and her daughter. The mom, with her many dark secrets, goes missing. The daughter, with secrets of her own, can't help but try to sleuth out what happened to her mother.

No spoilers here to ruin the fun for others. Was this an enjoyable read that kept me guessing? Yes! Were there elements that seemed implausible? Some, but not so much it jarred me out of the story as I was reading.

If you enjoy Gillian Flynn. AJ Finn, Ruth Ware or any story of that ilk, then this book will be right up your alley.

Cleo and her mother don’t have the best relationship. After reluctantly agreeing to come over for dinner, Cleo finds her mother’s house in quite a state when she arrives. There’s food burning on the stove and in the oven, there’s a lap top on the floor of the office, there’s blood on the kitchen floor and on a sole shoe, and no one is home.

this was fast paced and I liked the multiple POV’s and timelines. I felt drawn in pretty quickly. I feel like the litigation and texts kind of became a bit much and I found myself skipping over some of it. not sure it was all necessary. the ending I found a bit unrealistic and disappointing, but I liked it up until then.

thanks to netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

If dissecting mother/daughter relationships is your thing then you will live this book! The love mothers have for their daughters can be overwhelming at times but it seems and daughters always think they are overbearing. This story isn’t so simple and I loved every minute of it!!

It took me a couple of starts (as it does with every Kimberly McCreight book i have read) but I think that is more on me. I am a mood reader but once I got in the right mood, I was able to get into the book and enjoyed it. It was fast-paced and kept me entertained. It was a page turner and I enjoyed the twists and turns.

I thoroughly enjoyed Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight. The mystery kept me on my toes, turning the pages to see what happened to a missing mother (a corporate "fixer"), who is at once odds with her daughter and estranged husband. I would absolutely recommend this book to readers of Liane Moriarty and Jodi Picoult, as well as other contemporary mysteries.

DNF at around 40%.

I don't know what it was about this book, but despite containing one of my all-time favourite tropes (mother/daughter relationship), I just couldn't get into it. Too many time and POV shifts. Short chapters, constant switching. So many characters constantly being introduced. New names popping up on caller ID every few minutes, jolting narrator out of their thoughts, filling them with dread. Not enough emotion or character work for me. I felt the book was too dense in some areas and then too sparse in others. It felt like a folder full of information someone might gather up before writing a novel, but not quite the final draft.

This was my first by this author. It's totally possible that I just wasn't used to her style, or I just wasn't in the mood. At this time, though, I just wasn't able to continue on with this book. Excessive POV shifting and 'past catching up with you' tropes have begun to irritate me in novels lately.

I would still recommend this book to people who enjoy mother/daughter relationships, familial secrets, and pasts catching up with you in the worst way.

Set against the glamorously scandalous backdrop of New York City, a corporate law firm fixer and her daughter must decide who's telling them the truth in this cat-and-mouse game that threatens to tear apart their family.

Domestic thrillers are a favorite sub-genre of mine so I automatically loved the premise! The twist in this one though - I was NOT expecting. I thought it was going one way, then it turned into something completely different, and I'm HERE for it!

**Thank you to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, Anchor, Knopf & NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I received this book for free, but all thoughts are my own. – SLR 🖤

Read this if you like:
-dual timelines
-mother/daughter relationship stories
-a good puzzle

Great thriller. Twists that I did not see coming. Complex mother/daughter relationships. Loved the dual timeline aspect. Also enjoyed the other pieces of info that told the story - news articles, transcripts, etc. - always a cool way to tell a story. Satisfied with the ending.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kimberly McCreight, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC copy. All thought and opinions are my own.

This book is a true 3.5 to me. I went back and forth on rounding up or down but ultimately the ending fell a bit flat for me so I rounded down.

I think the concept of this book was really strong and the characters were well developed. However the pacing was disappointing and the mix of different media throughout was done in a way that ended up being more confusing than anything.

Overall this was a good book and if someone asked if they should read it I would say yes but I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it either.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. These are my unbiased, honest opinions.
"Like Mother, Like Daughter" is a modern-day thriller that centers around Kat and her daughter Cleo. Marred by their strained relationship, Cleo keeps her distance from her overprotective mom. But one afternoon, after making dinner plans, Cleo discovers an empty home, charred dinner, and puddles of blood. Her mother is missing, and she may not even be alive.
What ensues is an unraveling of secrets kept and pasts thought to be buried. And when everyone is a suspect, including her own father, Cleo decides to take matters into her own hands - even if it means risking her own life. And her mother's.
As far as thrillers go, this was a solid read. Mystery was compelling, though, at times, the storyline dragged. The resolution scene definitely caught me by surprise. And I appreciated the hints of poetry throughout.
However, I just couldn't get behind how many scenarios were convenient or just coincidence. It would have made more sense for someone to develop an obsession and become a stalker than to oh so happened to be in the same room. Also, did Kat ever get her money back? And I'm still pondering how the headmaster played a role in Kat's past. I may have to re-read a few chapters.
Overall, I found myself intrigued within a few pages and I'm interested in reading more from the author.

Like Mother, Like Daughter is a thrilling story that will find you canceling plans so you can keep reading!

Kimberly McCreight had me flying through chapters to get to the next perspective and timeline. I loved how she switched between Kat and Cleo as well as before the disappearance and after. Surprisingly, it did not get confusing with each chapter change.

One thing that I did find confusing, were all of the characters that were introduced, between Cleo's friends and acquaintances to the many people in Kat's life, I was wondering that the point was for all of these side characters unless it was to distract the reader from discovering the twist too soon. I did figure it out, which may be why I was so annoyed with the seemingly superfluous characters. Looking back, I don't know if Jules was even necessary in the storyline.

Toward the last quarter of the book, my reading did slow down, but that was mostly because all of the parts were trying to come together, It got somewhat muddled for me, but I enjoyed the first three quarters of the book so much, I think it was worth the ride.

I will definitely look forward to future publications from Kimberly McCreight and have already had friends and family put this on their To Be Read list for this summer! It will be a great vacation read!

It's interesting that when I read McCreight's first book, Reconstructing Amelia, it resonated so hard with me because my niece was 13 and the main character's story hit me hard because of that.

And now, this book about parenting and holding too hard and doing anything and everything in your power, above board or not, to protect your child? It hit me hard for an entirely different child and I don't like it.

I like the book, though. So that's nice.

Also after a 4 year reading slump that has absolutely kicked. my. ass., I got my powers of whodunnit back. She almost got me. ALMOST. But I persevered. And I WAS RIGHT.

God, that feels good.

Cleo, after much eye rolling and foot dragging, goes home from college to have dinner with her overbearing, helicopter mother Kat. Her dad's not even going to be there. Ugh, what a nightmare.

When she gets there, the food is burning, her mother is nowhere in sight, and there's blood and broken glass.

Well. That could be a problem.

Told in alternating viewpoints between Kat and Cleo, 8 days leading up to and hours after, it's a race for Cleo to find out What the Hell Happened to Her Mother. In the process, she learns so much more about who her mother really is.

Successful A-Type Patent Lawyer? Nyope. She's a fixer. She does the dirty work we don't see but all of us know is happening behind the scenes in corporate America.

Happily married to her angel of a father? Hmm. Interesting story there.

Went to an orphanage for a little while but it's fine because she was adopted quickly by an eccentric but kind old lady? Umm.

As the layers of the onion reveal themselves, the red herrings are DEEP. A lot of people have reason to want Kat silenced, from Cleo's degenerate rich bitch boyfriend to family of her eccentric adopted mother to a pharmaceutical company staring down the barrel of enormous scandal involving INFANT DEATH.

How Kat managed to NOT go missing as long as she did is the real surprise.

I genuinely enjoy McCreight's writing style. It's smooth and flows so well, while keeping you engaged. I was absolutely captivated and making a note of each red herring as it dropped.

And I figured it out, and quite frankly, that makes this the best book ever. Because it's been so damn long.

Super good. Really, really good.

Kimberly McCreight’s 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 is a suspense-thriller told from two perspectives: There is Katrina McHugh, a busy, Type A lawyer who has recently separated from her husband and is trying to juggle a demanding career, life as a newly single woman, and a strained connection with her college-aged child. And there is Cleo, a restless, rebellious NYU student who is struggling to figure out herself and her familial and romantic relationships as a young adult. The novel begins when Cleo goes back home to the family’s Brooklyn brownstone for a reconciliation dinner with Kat, but when she arrives she finds the kitchen in suspicious disarray and her mother missing. From there, the point of view moves back and forth between Kat in the days leading up to her disappearance as she investigates both a work case and a personal matter to Cleo in the present trying to find out what happened to her mom. Over the course of a week and a half, they unearth secrets that will permanently alter their individual paths, their shared relationship, and how they see each other.

The good points about 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳: the plot is captivating, the pacing is smooth, and the characters appear flawed yet intriguing. I also appreciate what the novel has to say about parent-child relationships and the hardships of modern motherhood. But, unfortunately, there are some bad points as well. I think the book is convoluted—there are several different storylines happening simultaneously and producing new suspects and red herrings every which way; moreover, chapters are interspersed with snippets of court records, news articles, personal journal entries, therapy session transcripts, and text exchanges which may or may not be related to each other and be significant to the main mystery. The result of multiple subplots and mix of writing elements is a somewhat messy and disconcerting reading experience. It’s almost like the author is intentionally giving you an information overload in an effort to distract you from prematurely solving the puzzle (however if you pay attention to certain details the writer is 𝘯𝘰𝘵 providing, I think you will figure out one large piece of it).

Though I found the narrative unnecessarily complex and at least one plot twist detectable, it was still an entertaining read for me. And while some character revelations and plot developments strained believability, they were admittedly compelling. Overall, 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘔𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘓𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘋𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘳 is an engrossing story. I would recommend it to domestic thriller fans who are looking for a read-in-one-sitting book and who don’t mind muddling through some extraneous details to get to the meat of the mystery. Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

First of all, thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight. This is a new author for me and suffice to say an instant add to my “insta-read” author pile. At its roots, Like Mother, Like Daughter is a story about family/relationships and resilience set as a fast-paced thriller in a New York City environment (with the hustle and bustle of a central character’s job as a “fixer” for a hoity toity law firm). I have to admit, the first 20% was a bit slow for me, a lot of characters to keep track of, multiple story lines, and perspectives from the past and present. However, at about 40% I really hit a groove and could not put this down! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good, bingeable thriller.