3.5. I enjoyed this multigenerational saga, though the beginning was stronger than the ending was for me. It did keep me turning the pages and I wanted to know what happened, but I didn't connect with the book as much as I expected to.

This book was quite different from what I normally read. I was pleasantly surprised. The constant challenges of life were with everyone in the book, both good and bad. It was hard to take the bad when I was so invested in the characters, but that’s what made it feel so real. A very despondent mother had such an impact on all those in her circle. Made me ponder the circle of life. A great book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Literary Fiction

In this story, we follow three generations of independent women whose stories are interwoven by the mysteries of their family's history. The book highlights how trauma can be passed down through generations, illustrating that it is not just an individual problem.

Lila, at the tender age of two, experiences the trauma of witnessing her mother's forced commitment to an asylum by her abusive father. This devastating event marks the beginning of a life without her mother, whose absence casts a long shadow over Lila's upbringing.

Many years later, Lila becomes a high-powered executive editor at The Washington Globe. She prioritizes her career over her personal life, neglecting her daughters, especially Grace, who longs for her mother's attention.

Grace takes on the task of finding out what happened to her grandmother. She starts a journey to discover the truth by looking into her family's past and facing the secrets that have been hidden for many years.

I really enjoy reading stories about dysfunctional families. The plot of Like Mother, Like Mother is captivating, particularly the part concerning the grandmother's disappearance. Yes, sometimes the other parts of the story felt predictable, but that is OK. I think the author did a really good job developing the main three characters. They are strong and independent. I feel readers who enjoy reading about strong female protagonists will appreciate this novel a lot.

Despite the characters' unlikability, which is understandable given their experiences, many readers will be able to relate to their emotions and their trauma. The story touches a lot on trauma and mental health, so be careful if these subjects are triggering for you. Overall, this was a decent read for me with important and relevant themes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

An interesting story about family dynamics and different generations, although it wasn't for me. I just was not able to get into this story.

I absolutely adored this book - it is the kind of family saga that you can sink your teeth into. While some characters are a bit unlikeable, you learn why they are that way and what they had to overcome. The women in it are strong and resilient and I dove into their stories. Lila and her daughter, Grace, have a somewhat strained relationship but it might be because they are so alike. Grace makes it her mission to find Lila's mother and it is an incredible journey. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend this one.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A threesome of daughters deal with a driven mother who has mother issues in her own past. As a reporter, the youngest daughter delves into the family story and uncovers the truth about their pasts.

This was a very complicated book to read. If you enjoy multi generational family dramas, you’ll love this. I didn’t care for how the author would sometimes jump from one character’s thoughts to another. Overall was an interesting story that kept me wanting to read more. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

This is the perfect example of a multiple generational story of strong, interesting women. The characters are rich and complex, and their lives are fascinating. At the center is Lila Pereira, a powerhouse in the newspaper industry. After her mother was sent to an institution by her abusive father to never be seen again, she doesn’t have strong maternal instincts and instead leaves the child raising to her husband. This leads to her youngest daughter, Grace, feeling abandoned.

"An enthralling novel about three generations of strong-willed women, unknowingly shaped by the secrets buried in their family's past."
Well-developed characters each with their own story to tell, full of secrets and tangled relationships.
An engaging and emotional read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/The Dial Press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

The premise of Like Mother, Like Mother was an instant draw to me. The weaving of generational trauma and the genuinely fascinating lives and perspectives of each character was a big draw for me and carried the story, I think. As for what didn't work, the story didn't always feel like it was moving forward with purpose and it dragged a bit. Overall, an interesting and insightful read.

Why did I wait so long to read this book? "Like Mother, Like Mother" is smart and engrossing and comes sans sappy happy ending. Instead, Susan Rieger writes an ending filled with love, pain and loss.

What's not to love?

Lila isn't a good mother. How could she be? She grew up without a mother. What she did have was an abusive father.

Lila's long-departed mother had an abusive husband. According to family lore, she also had mental issues, resulting in a visit to a mental hospital where she presumably died.

Lila's daughter, Grace, has a terrific father and a mostly absent mother. Grace looks like her father rather than her mother. She's not entirely convinced that her mother loves her. She writes a novel based on her family and hits a little close to home . . . except for the parts she fabricates out of thin air.

This book sat, unread, for entirely too long. I didn't know what I had. Once I finally started it, I couldn't tear myself away.

This review also appears on Goodreads.

Unfortunately this book wasn't for me. Very early on I could tell it would be a struggle to finish. I was about 5% in and was already bored. I thik this was 100% on me. I think it was a little too much on the literary fiction side. I did not rate on Goodreads.

A big thank you to Will Lyman of Random House Publishing for providing a #gifted copy of this wonderful novel!

I absolutely loved this book. I found myself returning to my Kindle throughout the day, and then staying up too late because I couldn't put it down. If you enjoyed "Hello Beautiful" by Ann Napolitano, I believe you'll also love this one.

Each section explores the lives of the three women: Lila, Grace and Zelda. Lila is a larger than life character, a successful journalist whose career is literally the center of her life. How the actions of each of these women affect their own daughters is at the heart of this sprawling novel. I will surely be thinking about Lila, Grace, and Zelda for a long time to come.

This is a great big family saga, spanning three generations of women and their families. The characters in the book are all well-developed, despite the numerous names to keep track of. I appreciate that the author included a character list at the beginning, detailing all the connections to the main characters.

The book delves into themes such as motherhood, family dysfunction, the conflict between career and family, and sibling bonds. Its story will linger in my mind for a long time.

“𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥.”

📖 Book Review 📖

📱 "Like Mother, Like Mother" by Susan Rieger

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
published October 29, 2024

A whirlwind novel about 3 generations of strong, unconventional women and the family dynamics that made them. A character driven story starting with Lila whose mother is committed to an asylum when she was only 2. She is left in the care of her abusive father and grandmother, along with her older brother and sister. Her father told his children their mother had died. With no mother figure and only a story to go by Lila forges her own path. She works extremely hard, using all her charm and whit to rise to the top of her journalism career as the executive editor of The Washington Globe knowing major sacrifices must be made- like the raising of her 3 daughters. Lila married her college sweetheart Joe who is the primary parent to his daughters. Grace, the youngest daughter is most bothered by the lack of a mother she has and as she gets older begins to resent Lila. Grace becomes a successful reporter, even publishing a bestselling book about her famous mother, but in the book writing process she realizes how many secrets her own family has. Ambition, family, marriage, power and the stories of our families that shape who we become all make this an unforgettable novel.


#somanybooks #readsomemore #audiobooks #bookstagram #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

Excellent, interesting and captivating! "Like Mother, Like Mother" by Susan Rieger was a wonderful depiction of strong, ambitious characters, parental figures that are dysfunctional, yet unique and effective, the digging of the past and building of a strong, unlikely family unit. I loved it. Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Random House Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review. While I have a feeling that this book may be divisive, I deeply enjoyed it. This is a family story/drama spanning decades through three generations of women in one family. Lila's mother Zelda is committed to an asylum in the 1960s and she never sees her again. The ghost of Zelda continues to haunt the family for the next 60 years, inspiring both Lila's style of motherhood to her own daughters and their relationships to others as well. This book is full of complicated and complex characters who at the end of the day are doing the best they can with what they have and what they know. I enjoyed the author's long winded narration style of writing and felt that it kept the story interesting and well paced for a book with so many characters and storylines/timelines. I was worried how they would "land the plane" in the third act but I found the ending to be fulfilling without feeling overly contrived. I definitely recommend this if you are a fan of Ann Napolitano novels or family dramas in general.

I finished this over a week ago and forgot to review it, which is actually a good thing since I wasn't really sure how I felt about it upon finishing. Now with a little time to reflect, I can say with confidence that in a year, I probably won't even remember what it was about. Right now, I recall thinking that things really slowed down in the second half of the book, and I'm still not sure if I even liked the characters or not.
Thanks to #netgalley and #thedialpress for this #arc of #likemotherlikemother in exchange for an honest review.

Grace doesn’t know how to talk about her feelings. Instead of talking to her parents about their family life, she wrote a “fictional nonfiction” novel laying bare several generations of family trauma. Like her fictionalized counterpart, the inter-generational trauma profoundly impacts Grace, leaving her unable to identify or express her emotions. This plays out not just with her family but in her platonic and romantic relationships, in which Grace avoids saying “I love you” to her best friend, boyfriend, and family members.

Many people have difficulty expressing love. Reasons include fear of rejection, an upbringing in which emotions weren’t recognized or allowed, insecure or avoidant attachments with parents, and feelings of unworthiness. Sometimes, the situation is as simple as a lack of role models. If someone has never been told “I love you,” they will likely struggle to say it to another person.

When people love each other, the healthiest way to communicate these feelings is through consistent actions and words. Platonic or romantic relationships can flounder if either member is standoffish in what they say or do, so learning to express love verbally is essential.

Here are tools for learning to say “I love you.”

Identify the Why: What’s your history with the phrase “I love you.” Who said it (or didn’t say it) to you throughout your life? Who have you told it to? In what contexts?

Recognize Your Feelings: Saying “I love you” is considered when you have significant feelings. Journal your definition of love and how you experience those feelings with that person.

Isolate Your Fear: Determine the core concern barring you from expressing love. Are you afraid of rejection? Worried you’re not worthy? Unable to say the words?

Take Small Steps: Face your fear with increasingly intense exposure to your fears. For example, start by saying: “I had a great time with you today,” and build up to “I love you.”

Rehearse: Practice saying “I love you” in low-stakes situations. Say it to yourself in the mirror, your dog while on a walk, or a book you enjoyed. The more you say it, the easier it is to say.

I couldn't get into this book, tried twice but didn't make it past the 2nd chapter. Perhaps it is just my mood after the election and lack of endorsement by the Post. Sorry!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this heartfelt novel; it was the first book I've ever read of Susan Rieger, and I really enjoyed her writing style and the emotional depth of the book.

The characters were well defined and written - the traits of a mother being passed down from generation to generation is a really interesting concept. I loved the flashback into the past to know of Lila's journey - how her mom was placed in an asylum (was she, really?), and what life was like with an abusive father and no mother present. Then as she grows up and has her own family, she chooses her career over her daughters which leads to another complicated mother/daughter relationship - especially with her youngest.

It's a beautifully written book about family dynamics, love, and the journey of motherhood. This would be a really ideal book to use in a book club - lots of great questions and parts to share insights on.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for my honest review.