The description of this book really had me excited to read it, but unfortunately after getting 1/5 of the way through I decided I just couldn’t finish it. Nothing happened during that time and I just didn’t care to find out what happened to the people next. The actual writing was very good, the plot was just lacking in my opinion.

I was taken with how much I enjoyed this story. I found White’s writing captivating, and I was invested in each character she crafted. The way the descriptions of the neighborhood and the people in it were written drew me in. I was only interested in being lost in the pages of this story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a very realistic almost slice of life book about family, relationships, and some added drama. I did find it difficult to keep track of who was who and how the characters "fit in" with each other.

While not a top book of the year for me, this was well done, especially for a debut novel. This is an author I will look out for as they continue to develop their craft.

This is incredibly well-knitted and thought out with an intriguing cast. I loved the setting and the way it allowed the characters to breathe and I especially enjoyed seeing how they all thought so differently of each other. But Tobi was the only character who I really got invested in.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dial Press for the ARC!

This would be a great book club discussion book. It brought up so many questions? What is secret among friends? Among spouses? What is a sperm donor’s role?

I feel like this would be a perfect fall read so add to your TBR and suggest it at your next book club meeting!

PUB Date : Nov 4th 2025
My Rating : 3 Ride or Die Stars

Like Family is just like it says , it is an unspoken understanding , they show up no matter what and there does not need to be a blood connection.

This was such a picturesque read set in upstate town in New York, with the perfect swimming holes , pottery stores and the best of friends.

This complex tale blends current modern challenges with juggling sexuality in blended families and at the center of the story there are some secrets that even the best of friends are keeping close to there chest .

When a child receives a letter which notes they have been named in a will after her father passing , it leaves questions and causes turmoil amongst the family as Wyn and Ruth have not disclosed who Siddha's father is as they are in a marriage between two women.

From here the story dawdles through the intricacies of gay marriage and how we rely on each other for support during challenging times.

For a debut novel, i did feel the story was written beautifully , but had a lot going on and too many moving parts for me to make a connection and not enough depth for me to really sink my teeth in.

Overall I really do think White has tons of potential and I do look forward to their next novel !

Wishing you tons of success !

Thank you Netgalley, Random House and Emily White for this tender ARC.
Respectfully Another Read by Angie

You know those books that just make you feel like you're curled up on a chair underneath a sunny window just enjoying life?

That's what this felt like to me.

I enjoyed the growth of all the couples and every emotion we went through along the way.

This showed that change is never easy and never too late.

DNF at 60% This just was not for me. All these characters did was kvetch and there wasn’t anything about any of them to make you care about their complaints. Jealousy and resentment page after page.

Yes, Like Family is about families who are interconnected but I would describe this first novel as a lesbian story primarily. And yes, it did give me new information about varied and interconnected family relationships. But perhaps there was TMI and some difficulty in keeping it all straight.

Let's give it a try: Mike and Carolyn, married, parents of Luca, 8. Wyn and Ruth, married and parents to four, including Siddha, 17, who is Ruth's child by Elliot. Tobi and Evie, married and the parents of twins, boy and girl, 5, inseminated by Mike, Carolyn's husband who is cousin to Tobi. With me so far?
then we have Bex, a singer, whose pronouns are they and them, Florence, a realtor whom Ruth develops a crush on who was also a friend of Elliot's. Elliot has died and left Siddha a legacy. Siddha is upset that she never got to meet her father. Oy! The metrics of keeping it all s straight is the reason for the Three Star rating. It made slogging through for the little gems of information tough, though the writing itself was good. I learned about pottery and top surgery as well as inside views of gay marriage.

The best character was Marcia, Social worker/Therapist extraordinaire. I would like to meet Marcia. Judge for yourself if this book is for you.

Thanks to Dial Press/Random House for an early copy of this book and to Net Galley as well.

3.5 stars!! Once I got into the story, I did really enjoy this one. Like Family is a family drama following the interconnected lives of three couples and their children in Upstate New York. It explores found family, queer relationships and identities, friendship, parenting, and living truthfully. I particularly liked how real the dynamics between the couples and friends felt.

Thanks to Random House & NetGalley for the digital ARC!

Like Family is a sprawling novel, with a wide array of interconnected characters and plots. While I appreciated the diversity of family origins and compositions, in practicality, I found them all hard to track. Which made the story itself hard to follow. Overall, Like Family didn’t do it for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like Family is a debut novel by Erin O. White. It is a story of a group of friends that have very modern family dynamics. There are two lesbian couples and a heterosexual couple that all live in the same town. One of the couples, Wyn and Ruth, have a number of children. The oldest child is from a previous relationship with a man. The man dies and the child, Siddha, never gets to meet her father. Siddha is understandably upset. Another couple, Tobi and Evie, meet a nonbinary person who is very captivating and Tobi is impressed by the flatness of their chest. This leads to Tobi exploring top surgery. The third couple is Caroline and Mike They are concerned about their oldest child who has trouble making friends.

I must admit that the story was very interesting at the start, but did become a bit tedious afterward. On a more positive note, the writing reminds me of Anne Tyler and Anne Patchett. If you are a fan of either of these writers, then you will enjoy Erin White’s writing style. Many thanks to NetGalley and The Dial Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

This debut offers a heartfelt glimpse into the complexities of modern family life in a picturesque upstate town. With its artisanal charm and close-knit friendships, Radclyffe feels like the place you’d want to escape to—until the quiet cracks start to show.

There’s much to appreciate here: the themes of chosen family, parenting, identity, and emotional legacy are thoughtfully explored. Ruth and Caroline’s friendship is the emotional anchor of the book, and the dynamic between the three couples is compelling in moments.

That said, the novel can feel a bit overstuffed. With so many characters, subplots, and emotional threads at play—infertility, grief, queer parenting, secrets, sperm donation, and more—some arcs get lost in the mix. The pacing occasionally drags, especially in the middle, and certain characters feel underdeveloped given their narrative weight.

Still, the author’s voice is strong, and the book successfully paints an intimate portrait of love and loyalty in all its messy forms. If you’re drawn to character-driven domestic dramas with a progressive lens, this is worth checking out—even if it doesn’t tie all its threads together.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Great story. I live the interfolding of multiple families- how they connect and the parts they play in each other's lives. Family means so many different things and that is important to remember.

I was asked to review “Like Family” by Erin O. White, which is an emotionally charged family drama that focused on three families in Upstate New York. The thread that connects these families is the friendship between Ruth and Caroline, but even they hold secrets that they’re not willing to share with anyone—including spouse or close friend.

I enjoyed the writing and the picturesque setting but I had a difficult time keeping track of all of the characters. I also thought parts of the novel digressed to the point where I was tempted to start skimming. However, for a debut novel, the author balances a wide spectrum of topics.

Hence, I will give this three and a half out of five stars.

Thanks to the author, Net Galley and the publisher for a chance to read and review this debut.

This novel was an emotional roller coaster. The secrecy, the envy, the assumptions made about the people in their tight-knit community all come to a boiling point as the characters grapple with how even their smallest choices can have lasting effects.
I enjoyed this one. It was a bit slow in parts and I thought some characters were slightly underwritten in terms of having a personality and not just being a catalyst. Overall, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a cozy, drama-filled read.

**Like Family** by Erin O. White is a heartfelt, beautifully written novel that explores the complexities of friendship, love, and what it really means to be family. The story feels intimate and honest, with characters who are deeply relatable and flawed in the best way. White’s writing is warm and thoughtful, drawing you in and making you care about every twist and turn. It’s the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish, reminding you of the power of connection and chosen family.

This is a lovely novel about what it means to be a family. There are several key relationships--none of them like another--but each is very real as the author delves into what it means to be gay, straight, bi, humble, or maybe just scared. And as these families navigate life with each other, their children, therapy, and diverse perspectives, they come to see we all have our faults and our shortcomings--even though we may not be the same!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Like Family is a lovely gem of a book. All the characters just felt so smart, and true, and messy and real, and it was wonderful to read about long-term romance in middle age, in the context of families, and commitments and all the attendant mess. These characters felt like people I might know and be friends with, and I really enjoyed the nuance of different types of lesbian relationships. Definitely will be recommending this one to all my readers looking for poignant, but still entertaining, adult/family reads. Fans of last summer's Sandwich, by Catherine Newman, will really enjoy this one.

In Like Family, Erin O. White delivers a debut that is chock-full of emotional intelligence. Set in a Hudson Valley town that feels halfway between a postcard and a dream, the novel revolves around a web of interconnected lives: longtime friends, spouses, co-parents, and cousins who have, over time, become something more than just friends, they’ve become a family, whether or not they ever intended to.

At the novel’s center is Ruth, a woman caught between past and present. When someone from Ruth’s past dies unexpectedly, the tremors ripple outward, forcing each member of the tight-knit circle to reckon with who they’ve become and what they’ve never said aloud.

White’s prose is the kind that makes ordinary moments—cutting herbs in a shared kitchen, walking through a farmer’s market—pulse with feeling. This is not a novel of big reveals or high drama, but rather a story of emotional excavation. The book asks: What does it mean to grow alongside someone for decades? How do love and resentment coexist in long-standing relationships? And when does a friend become more than a friend, without ever crossing any obvious lines?
Like Family is a novel for anyone who has ever looked around a dinner table and realized that the people seated there are not just friends—they’re home.