I love a good multigenerational family story, especially one that focuses on women, and this certainly is one of them that will stick with me.

Lila Pereira is an all work, very little play, editor of a newspaper in DC (I wondered if she was modeled at least in part after Katharine Graham) and while she loves her daughters, she is not stereotypically maternal at all and leaves the bulk of their upbringing to her husband. This book centers around how her abusive childhood shaped her personality and how that reverberated through the generations to her daughters. After Lila dies her youngest daughter Grace embarks on a "quest" (her words) to find the mother (Zelda) who abandoned Lila and her siblings and discover the truth of what really happened. Some details of Zelda's story made me curious as to whether or not she was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald.

I found the overall premise and how each character was throughly examined, absolutely fascinating and I did not want to put it down because I really wanted to know who these people are. Although I had an idea of where the plot was going, it didn't play out the way I expected to. I think that the author did well with that because it made the story raw rather than hokey. The plot isn't solely about just what happened to Zelda when she abandoned her family. Self discovery and analysis is a recurring these throughout the story in various ways, such as Grace (who is Jewish) becoming best friends in college with a woman from a relatively conservative Christian family from the South, and Ruth's own revelations about her father who she'd never met. I found that to be a really interesting side plot that complemented rather than detracted from the story of Zelda/Lila/Grace.

The only bit I disliked was the dialogue seemed much different from how people actually interact in real life and how everyone's relationships with each other seemed almost too perfect. There are many references throughout the book to classic films that have witty banter back and forth between the characters (this banter is explicitly mentioned when two characters consider their friendship) so I wonder if the style of how this was written is an homage to that type of dialogue.

I loved though that the author left some aspects or questions unknown to certain characters (even though the reader of course knows the truth). I appreciate books that don't make the plot so tidy that everything is completely resolved to everyone and that's that, since life doesn't work that way.

After reading this I would love to read Susan Rieger's first book or anything else she comes out with in the future.

Many thanks to Random House/ The Dial Press and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

A compelling read about three generations of women and the various challenges they face when it comes to ambition, love, family, and motherhood.

The author does an amazing job of making the many characters distinct (except for the Starbirds :)). I was riveted by Lila, Frances, Ruth, and Grace and their perspectives and relationships with one another. A literary treat for anyone interested in family drama and an exploration of how a mother can shape your life, whether she is in it or not. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I tried reading this & honestly, it is a little hard to follow. It goes back and forth between speaking about the past, to the semi-past, to Grace writing things down. I can’t finish this. I apologize in advance.

This book caught my interest because of its exploration of three generations of women. The story follows the stories of Lila (mother), Grace (daughter), and Zelda (grandmother), and how not only physical traits are passed down, but so many character and personality traits, even when we don’t realize it.

I enjoyed the mystery to this book to find out what really happened to Zelda, and that kept me going. I found the characters very interesting, but I personally felt that the dialogue was written in a very strange and unnatural way. The conversations held by characters felt very odd and impersonal, and I felt like I was reading a story from the 1950s, not from the 2020s. Sometimes questions were asked with a period at the end instead of a question mark, which also confused me. These things slowed down my reading quite a bit.

The book is very open about leaning towards the left politically, just something to note as well.

Overall, was it my favorite book ever? No. But it was totally different from any other book I’ve read and I thoroughly enjoyed going through the women’s lives to see where they ended up, how they got there, and how they were connected to one another.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you!

Fantastic. The writing style of this book is so unique. The main character, Lila, is whipsmart, spiky, and an extremely unique mother. She's also a very unique main character. She is prickly, spunky, unconventional, yet you can't help but root for her. Her husband Joe is an angel. I've never read anything quite like this, and that is a compliment. Excellent story, unique writing style, captivating all around.

I love reading books about moms and their daughters. This was a complex story about relationships between a mother and her daughters. It's a well-crafted book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Four stars.

This was a great book about the relationship between mothers and daughters. It is about three generations of women and how what they chose to do has an impact on there relationships. The characters were strong woman and while there secrets throughout you could tell there was a lot of love. I enjoyed this book a lot.