Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. It pains me to say that this wasn’t a compelling read for me. I heard a lot about this book prior to its release. I usually enjoy family saga/drama reads but this one wasn't for me.

**"Like Mother, Like Mother" by Susan Rieger: A Thought-Provoking Tale of Family and Motherhood**

*Like Mother, Like Mother* is a powerful exploration of motherhood and family, spanning three generations of strong, complex women. The story of Lila, who was abandoned by her institutionalized mother and grew up in a troubled household, and her daughter Grace, who seeks to uncover the truth about their past, is both emotional and thought-provoking. With beautifully developed characters and a narrative that balances humor and heartache, this is a perfect pick for book clubs and anyone interested in the complexities of family dynamics. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

I loved this novel, and the many complicated characters and emphasis on family. I know there has been a bit of chatter post publication regarding uncited sources, but I still enjoyed these characters, the dialogue and the propulsive plot. I think it will do very well for us!

𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥, 𝗟𝗜𝗞𝗘 𝗠𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 by Susan Rieger examines the lives of three generations of women all affected in one way or another by abandonment. At its heart is Lila, who at 2 years old was in essence abandoned by her mother who was committed to an asylum by Lila’s father. The shadow of growing up both without a mother and with an abusive father left deep scars on Lila. Those scars drove Lila to rise to the very top of her journalism career, but at the same time put distance between herself and her three daughters.⁣⁣
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Youngest daughter Grace took Lila’s absences the hardest and the older she became, the deeper her resentment grew. Grace’s was the middle part of this book and the one I felt was maybe just a little overwrought. That section felt a little bit like a puzzle with too many pieces. As it moved into the final section, most of those pieces began to fit together into a mother-daughter story I truly liked.⁣⁣
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I especially enjoyed the smart, snappy dialogue within this book. While most of that is Rieger’s own intellectual property, some came from other authors’ words. There has been questioning as to whether or not she credited them correctly. Personally, I think it would have been awkward to use footnotes within dialogue, but I understand the discomfort. In the finished copies’ acknowledgements, Rieger gives a list of authors she drew from, but not their specific words. I almost wish I was unaware because knowing Rieger as an experienced author, I think she and her editorial team should have handled it in a better way. Sadly, this left a tainted feel to a book I otherwise VERY much enjoyed.⁣⁣
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*𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘵𝘰 @𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬.

Like Mother, Like Mother is a portrait of family, marriage, ambition, power, the stories we inherit, and the lies we tell to become the people we believe we're meant to be.

This book is about three generations of women: matriarch, Lila, her daughter Grace, and Lila’s mother, Zelda, who died when she was young in a mental institution. Each part of the book dives deeper into each woman. When Lila dies, her daughter Grace decides to figure out what really happened to Zelda as her own mother’s last wish.

This one just wasn’t for me. The writing is mostly commentary and a lot of chapters are just dialogue between a B list of characters. The beginning was strong and quite funny but as I got deeper, it lost me. I love literary fiction especially multigenerational but this was just too wordy and not enough action.
⭐️⭐️

A thoroughly enjoyable multigenerational family story that starts in Detroit in the 1960s and goes to present day New York, DC, and Michigan. The story is complex, and focuses on Lila, Grace and Zelda - all of whom have made intentional life choices that affect the next generation of women - until Grace tries to solve the mysteries of her mother (Lila) and grandmother (Zelda) who disappeared when Lila was a young girl. Abuse, legacy, power, family loyalties and inherited trauma are intertwined throughout the generations. It impacts not only these women, but all the people who love them - sisters, friends, boyfriends, husbands and fathers. For me, the story felt a bit uneven but picked up momentum in the last third as Grace tries to solve the mystery of her grandmother to unlock the key to her own choices, loyalties and future. Highly recommend. Thanks to Net Galley and The Dial Press for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Lila and Joe have an unusual marriage--he does the bulk of the child-rearing while she pursues her career. It mostly works for them; Lila claims not to know how to be a mother, after her own was committed to a mental institution where she ultimately died. But while the arrangement works for the couple, their youngest daughter, Grace, feels abandoned, much as Lila did as a child.

Grace's fictionalized memoir of her mother probably would have raised eyebrows regardless, but when its release is followed quickly by Lila's retirement and death, it seems even more hurtful. Grace seeks to redeem herself by following Lila's wish that she find out what happened to Lila's mother, Zelda. Did she really die as Lila's abusive father claimed, or did she actually escape her marriage?

This absorbing story of three generations is by turns entertaining, touching, and thought-provoking. Why is it so wrong for a woman to favor her career over her children? Haven't men been doing it for generations? The ending seems abrupt and unsatisfying as Grace just concedes that maybe her actions were wrong. But many of characters are deeply affecting, especially Lila, Joe, Frances, and Ruth. While I have a personal policy of not reading books that have a list of characters at the beginning, I made an exception for this book, and I'm glad I did. #LikeMotherLikeMother #NetGalley

What an incredibly unique book. I went into this expecting something similar to a Claire Lombardo novel, which I love, but it was entirely different and great in it's own way.

Rieger's writing focusses a lot on dialogue. For this reason, I wasn't a huge fan of the audio, as it includes a lot of "...,he said" and "...,she said" etc. But when reading the eARC I was very swept up in the conversations.

The prose was witty and the themes were interesting. This would be a great topic for a book club, and a good book to gift over the holidays to discuss with loved ones in the coming year.

Like Mother, Like Mother is a four-generation Jewish family saga, whose main character is Lila Perreira. She had a horrible childhood: her father was abusive toward her mother Zelda. After she ended up in the loony bin, her turned his palms and fists towards his children (particularly Lila). When Lila left the house, she never returned. She ends up marrying the heir of GM Motors and had a fantastic career of her own as a White House news reporter. I particularly enjoyed the journalistic/political insight. As I really enjoy reading intelligent characters, this book was fun to read. I did not enjoy Lila's daughter (Grace) as much. She kept whining, complaining about her mother's unmotherly ways, but it was interesting this quest she went to try to find out what happened to her grandmother Zelda. Since nobody saw her body after she supposedly died in this mental institution nor was there ever a death certificate available, she kept searching for the truth: did Zelda really? Or did she run away? Where was she buried? Or did she start again, away from her children?

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of my honest review.

I really enjoyed this book! It's an exploration of several women who would typically be deemed unlikeable and a generational reckoning between them. It's part mystery, part literary fiction, and 100% fully human. Recommend!

What an engaging novel! So chock full of well rounded characters that the reader is given a cast list at the beginning. This book is done in three sections. The first is Lila's story from her childhood until her death. The second part is Grace's story. It is about being Lila's daughter. When Lila dies she leaves a note for Grace to find out what happened to her mother. This is the last section of the book. The story is about mothers and daughters and how our mothers shape our lives. It is a story of family dynamics and what happens when we don't know the truth. Done with a light touch and occasional humor, this is a book I will recommend to friends.

This book explores family relationships, mother-daughter bonding and the impact generational trauma has on family members. The story was well written and insightful.

Although I enjoyed this book I found the continual intellectual discussions, commentary, and lofty ideals from all the characters to be tiring and never felt I could relax into the story.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

A hard book to review since the dysfunction of the main female characters made it difficult to like. Lila is a mother to three daughters, but is not enamored of motherhood. Her own mother supposedly died, but she always wondered if her abusive father was telling the truth. Lila’s daughter, Grace, was obsessed with finding out the truth, particularly after writing a semi biographical novel about her mother. Grace and Lila have a contentious relationship, although they do love each other. I am mixed about recommending this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Dial Press and NetGalley for an advance reader’s copy.

Once one gets past the long “List of Characters” (good for reference, not for an introduction), this becomes an engrossing, if somewhat unwieldy book. It is the story of two generations of women, emotionally haunted by the one before. While that earlier one suffered and caused suffering, all the current ones seem lucky, regardless of their circumstances: they meet and marry the “right” person, have meaningful careers, and beloved children. Even the poorest, illegitimate one, Ruth, has a loving mother, grandmother, and a full scholarship to the University of Chicago, where she meets her roommate and best friend, Grace. Grace’s wealthy assimilated Jewish family is at the center of the story, which focuses on her mother, Lila, an emotionally and physically abused girl who becomes the powerful editor-in-chief of a fictitious Washington, DC, newspaper.

These three women – Lila, Grace, and Ruth – turn out to be the main characters, each with strengths, limitations, and quirks, all of them rebels in some way. However, those around them are sometimes all too good, others are one-dimensional, and at least two are as close to monstrous as one can be and still function.

Much of the plot centers around a novel written by Grace, “The Lost Mother,” based on her imagined grandparents, which has painful moments for her parents and yet turns out to be too close to the truth. And though the book seems to focus on mothering, fathering is just as vital, as are marriages of different kinds.

Despite some character limitations, the story is compelling. I think it’s unfortunate that there are so many extraneous characters who play very small roles, which take attention away from the plot and thus dilute the power of the book.
With Lila and her husband originating from Detroit and attending the University of Michigan, there may be special appeal to those with ties to this area.

I think that there is a good and meaningful story deep down in this book, but I think that the author did a poor job of fleshing it out. I did not like the writing style. I feel that the author did not dig deep enough into the trauma that each of the women suffered. Not my cup of tea.

Like Mother, Like Mother is a multi-generational family saga that analyzes mother/daughter relationships and how they shape the people we become and the choices we make.

The three women this book focuses on are deeply flawed and complicated people, and the author did a great job really diving in to how they got there.

I thought this was incredibly thought provoking as well. There’s a very obvious focus on motherhood and what it really means to be a mother. I felt like I could relate to Lila in a lot of ways, and I appreciated her determination. I think this could be a great book club pick.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the arc!

While I usually love a good mother/daughter story, this one missed the mark for me. I couldn't really connect with any of the characters and felt the story was a little too long.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for allowing me to read and review Like Mother, Like Mother A Novel by Susan Rieger on NetGalley.

Published: 10/29/24

Stars: 3

Three stars may be low, potentially this is a 3.5 star read. I couldn't connect to any of the characters. I didn't like any of them. As for the plots? I didn't care. While I was reading the book went from bad to worse. I found myself spending too much time wondering how someone, specifically Rieger was excited for the end product.

Once again I reread the synopsis and I would pick this story again. For whatever reason Like Mother, Like Mother didn't resonate with me. I suggest if the synopsis speaks to you, give it a try.

I can't say enough great things about Like Mother, Like Mother. Family dramas are one of my favorite genres and this multigenerational book centers on a family of strong women. Susan Rieger's writing is beautiful - this is a story about family, relationships, parenthood, marriage... I couldn't put it down and it will definitely be one of my favorite reads of 2024.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC.

I absolutely loved "Like Mother, Like Mother"! Wonderful characters, topical content, generational drama, humor and family conflict, with a few twists thrown in for good measure. So much of the maternal angst hit me personally. I particularly like the many ways each mother can be both criticized and celebrated. This novel will be an excellent book club choice and would also make a terrific film series. I prefer to stay away from any spoilers in a review but I hope my praise will encourage the people I know to read this book as soon as it is published!