Cleo and her mother, Kat, have a somewhat dysfunctional relationship. Kat is overbearing and overprotecting, and Cleo has been trying to distance herself. But when Kat disappears, it’s Cleo who goes to great lengths to find out what happened to her mother.

This book explores relationships and how things aren’t always as they seem. I was invested the whole way through in what happened to Kat, but then found the ending a bit anti-climactic. If you like a great whodunnit, you’ll enjoy this book.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage and Anchor for the eARC.

3.5- Like Mother, Like Daughter is a fast past suspense/thriller narrated via dual point of view and dual timeline. It was a quick and enjoyable read, and the story kept me engaged and invested. I thought there was a solid and interesting plot with twists and turns, some predictable and some not. I also enjoyed the focus on the complexities of family and the mother/daughter relationship. My only complaint is that there were a lot of extraneous people, details, and subplots, some of which were never fully fleshed out, that made the story feel a bit perplexing at times.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley, Alfred A. Knopf Publishing, and Kimberly McCreight for this free ARC digital copy.

Another year, another new Kimberly McCreight book. Like Mother, Like Daughter follows Cleo, who comes home one day to find the oven still on, blood on the floor, and her mother missing. Despite their strained relationship, Cleo knows something is wrong, and won’t let anyone - her secret new lover, her drug-dealer ex-boyfriend, or her recently separated father - stop her from finding her mother, Kat. Told in the present through Cleo’s perspective, and in the days leading up to the disappearance in Kat’s perspective, the book eventually ties the narratives together, entwining past and present to uncover what - and who - happened to Kat, and what may still happen to Cleo. A fun, fast-paced spring break read - McCreight doesn’t disappoint.

With a plot that moved along nicely, characters who were interesting (if not all that likeable), and an ending that left me scratching my head and wondering what I missed, this novel is quite a roller coaster ride!

Told in alternating points of view between mother and daughter, with the tale told in the past (mother) and the present (daughter), the action kept a steady pace throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the back and forth, seeing how the thought process of the mother was interpreted completely differently by the daughter, then slowly seeing the two merge into a cohesive single thought; they love each other and would do anything to save each other. Two different plotlines kept things interesting, and the suspense was good enough to keep me turning pages well after I should have gone to sleep.

My biggest issue was the ending. It was rushed, wrapping things up not only quickly but rather implausibly. And (mild spoiler) there was a string left dangling at the end that was pretty frustrating, to me anyway (who ended up getting/keeping the $3 million?!)

A good read for a day at the beach but be prepared to be slightly frustrated at the end.

Immediately captivating!

College student Cleo being summoned to see her mother, Kat, at her childhood home. While their relationship has more than their share of conflict, she arrives to find dinner burning, things out of place, a shoe and blood… and her mom nowhere to be found which is highly unusual.

Kat’s job at a prestigious law firm turns out to be different than anyone really knew, which leads to Cleo discovering her mom’s involvement in what could be a dangerous case.

Come to find out Kat has been threatened and blackmailed by an unknown voice from her past. This leads Cleo to dig deep and learn about so many things her mom tried to keep secret in order to protect her family. Lots of familial dysfunction, secrets, and thrilling events kept me turning the pages as quickly as possible!

Thanks to NetGalley, Knopf Publishing and Kimberly McCreight for the arc.

I really enjoyed this book! It kept me guessing until almost the end. It was fast paced and hard to put down once I started reading. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery/thriller!

2.5 ☆

I wouldn’t say this was a disappointment, but I think I expected more. Full disclosure, I was already in a mini-slump before picking this up thinking a thriller would pull me out so that possibly could've contributed to my lack of enjoyment.

I did like the dual POVs and timelines (Cleo in the present trying to find her mother and Katrina in the days leading up to her disappearance); I feel they helped the story along. What I didn't care for were the court documents and therapy transcripts in between. There were also journal entries from a teenaged Katrina and I did like those because because it allowed us to take a closer look at her youth as a first-hand account rather than her recounting it as an adult.

Some plot points and characters were quite cliche and no one was all that likable (although I didn't mind Katrina and felt Cleo's reasons for hating her were somewhat juvenile). The two mysteries going on don't end up being related and one is interesting while the other one is heavily focused on while being obviously cut and dry. The twists were pretty predictable and the ending was bit anticlimactic, though it wrapped up quite nicely. As I stated before, it could've just been a me thing that caused me not to enjoy this as much as I would've hoped and while there were bits that annoyed me, there were still elements that I liked. I've seen quite a few positive reviews already so I know that others will definitely enjoy this.

In, Like Mother, Like Daughter, I went into it with high expectations– this was not only an author I had read in the past, but the editor had prefaced the novel by lauding the author’s manuscript as a highly coveted win by auction. I could feel the editor’s excitement through the page and excitedly dove into it.

Normally I can devour a book in a day if able, or a week if reading around “life”. This one took me quite a bit longer as I was simultaneously reading around ten books at once and this one was the latest addition. As I had to finish the others in order of their deadlines, it pushed me to finish this one much later. I lead with this to say that I had to start and stop it multiple times over the weeks, causing me to forget who was who when reading.

Once I got reacquainted and caught up to speed, I was in.

McCreight is a master at weaving a compelling story and keeping you guessing throughout. She kept the pacing tight and consistent and you wanted to keep reading to see how all of these situations from past and present would collide to matter in the here and now.

I feel that she did a wonderful job fleshing out the two MCs: Kat and Cleo, and gave them distinct voices as well as keeping us always focused on the main plot line.

Where I tend to always get lost in legal thrillers are the side characters– there are usually too many for me to keep track of and they take up such a small amount of real estate that they don’t stick in my head.

Speaking of sticky… a couple of sticky spots for me that didn’t quite add up were why Cleo was so irresponsible with and unattached to an exaggerated amount of “partners” (using the term loosely here as she admits that many were one night stands). She came from an upper class, two parent home, and had everything she could ever want. So that didn’t add up for me, personally. I couldn’t figure out why she was trying to be self-destructive.

I won’t spoil it, but the ending also left me puzzled. I found it to be anti-climatic and rushed. I wasn’t sure why it needed to end that way– I felt that it didn’t add anything to the story and didn’t warrant the high-stakes feel throughout.

Mild Spoiler Alert

I was a little confused as to how easily a major cover up of the pharmaceutical company ended– it seemed really easy to get a hold of major classified documents. I was also befuddled as to how Kat could start her own firm at the end after admitting that she was going to be disbarred.

Overall, the story was intriguing, the characters were mostly believable, and it did keep my interest. I think it just fell apart at the end and left more to be desired. I would still pick up a novel from this author in the future, despite this one not being my favorite.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book kept me on my toes and wanting to read more. I was anxious to find out what happened to the Mother and how all the characters played into it. It was definitely a fun read.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley. I don't read a ton of thrillers, but occasionally a description will perk my interest such as this one did. There are two POV - Katrina and her daughter Cleo. Katrina goes missing under suspicous circumstances and her estranged daughter Cleo tries to piece together her mother's life to find out what happened to her mother. Meanwhile, the story also flips to Katrina's actions in the days before her disappearance. There are lots of trails leading in different directions, but it has a satisfying ending.

Like Mother, Like Daughter, by Kimberly McCreight: Katrina and her daughter Cleo have had a fraught relationship since Cleo became a teenager; now, as an NYU college student, Kat is downright overbearing. But when Cleo shows up to their Brooklyn brownstone for dinner with her mom, and finds the food burning on the stove and her mom’s shoe on the ground – with blood on it – she calls the police and sets aside her own angst to investigate what happened to her mom. As it turns out, her mom has a lot of secrets Cleo didn’t know about. The book is told through two timelines – Cleo’s in present day, looking for her mom, and Kat’s, starting about a week before she goes missing. I liked this, but didn’t love it; the last third or so was pretty engaging, but before that, I was mostly finding the characters annoying with their inability to empathize with each other’s perspectives. The plot was really complicated, and while the author did a good job providing a bunch of red herrings, it was a little unbelievable to me that SO many things could all come to a head at once. Overall, I liked this, but didn’t love it.

This was a great book! It hooked you from the very beginning.

Mother and daughter are slightly estranged. Then (oh no) mom goes missing! What is she wrapped up into? Is she a lawyer? or a fixer? or both? This was a great story and I did NOT see the ending coming - like not one piece of me thought it would end like that.

It's a story that intertwines mother and daughter's stories from afar, however they are more alike the you know!

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!