This is a nice mother-daughter family drama novel, with realistic characters in realistic situations.
It's a character-driven narrative, so the pacing is a little slow, for characters' development purporses, I'd say.
If you enjoy this kind of literary fiction, consider giving this book a go.

3.5/5

Meredith flies 'home' to her mother's farm with her own young daughter in tow, leaving her husband, home, and the majority of her belongings in California. Her mother Delia is extremely happy to have them there, even if Meredith, or 'Merry' as the family calls her, won't tell her why they suddenly appeared without her son-in-law. Delia's husband, Bob is less than enthusiastic about the sudden visit, especially when Merry shares the news that she and her daughter are moving back, permanently. Delia sees this as an opportunity to become closer to her youngest child, who always seemed to hold herself apart. But when Merry continues to keep her reasons for the return close to her chest, Delia may overstep to try to help out. And when Wylie, her older brother's good friend and Merry's childhood crush (conveniently recently divorced) starts coming around to help with renovations, will old flames be rekindled.

Some of this novel I found unrealistic, especially what the mother does and that Meredith would keep the reasoning from her for so long. She could have at least said there was no coming back from it, even if she didn't want to tell her completely. Some of the characters felt a little underdeveloped, including Meredith herself. She was a wild child but now being a mother is the most important thing to her, it just felt like a big switch, while other minor characters like Bob felt more fleshed out.

I recommend this to fans of family stories, multiple points of view, and learning to grow.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.

Corinne Demas’s Daughters is a multi-POV litfic analyzing the tensions between three generations of women and the mother-daughter relationships that link them. Matriarch Delia is thrilled when her wild child, one of three, Meredith, decides to move back home on a whim, with her daughter Eloise in tow. Meredith, like Delia, has left her husband, tight-lipped about the details that sparked the fracture.

As Meredith worries over little Eloise and Delia worries over Meredith, their individual lives begin evolving as well. They reach new depths with romantic partners, challenge themselves, and scheme how to draw themselves closer to their daughters. Daughters is a really heartfelt exploration into the mother-daughter dynamic and ways it conforms and deviates from previous generations. The dialogue is slightly choppy and chapters a little too long, but will satisfy readers who prefer no steep valleys in their litfic. I also found Delia’s character underwhelming: Meredith is a storm, and very well fleshed-out, but not her mother, despite the person-centric motherhood narrative the book is trying to communicate.

Daughters is a great immersive narrative– although poor dialogue sometimes blocks the suspension of reality– and forces us to reflect on our own relationships with mothers and motherhood.

Thank you NetGalley for the online ARC in exchange for my reading experience — it’s always a pleasure. This is a good book, truly. But I’ll be honest: it didn’t hold my attention for long stretches. I’m easily distracted (not ADHD, I think 😅), and this is one of those books that I couldn’t fully sink into for hours at a time. That said, it is a well-written and thoughtful story.

Daughters follows Meredith, who returns to New England with her daughter Eloise after experiencing a devastating loss. Hoping to find comfort and support, she moves back to the family farm where her mother, Delia, still lives. But what starts as a quiet reunion slowly stirs old tensions — generational wounds, creative sacrifices, and long-held expectations begin to resurface.

The emotional tone of the book is subtle. I didn’t feel deeply pulled in, but I could still understand and appreciate what the characters were going through. The plot is easy to follow, not dramatic or twisty — more of a slow, steady reflection on family, grief, and identity. It wasn’t a page-turner for me, but it’s a good, thoughtful read. Solid 3 stars.

Drawn in by its striking cover, I opened Daughters with only the vaguest sense of what to expect and quickly found myself immersed in a tender, layered portrait of family life.

At its heart is Meredith, or “Merry,” who returns to her childhood home with her young daughter, carrying more emotional baggage than she’s ready to unpack. Her dynamic with her mother, Dehlia, is complicated, at times prickly and at times heartbreaking. Merry often falls into a pattern of self-pity that makes it hard to root for her, yet Dehlia’s steady, if imperfect, devotion shines through. While the secondary characters aren’t explored in great depth, they contribute warmth, humor, and just enough tension to keep the family drama engaging.

The novel moves through themes of inherited family habits, rekindled connections, and the fragile balancing act between love and disappointment. A side plot involving an old flame, Wiley, isn’t essential to the story, but it does offer a new angle on who Meredith is beneath her defenses.

I found this book both satisfying and relatable. Even without personal experience of motherhood, I could feel the emotional weight behind the author’s words. This is a novel about messy truths, enduring bonds, and the hope that family, no matter how complicated, can still be a place of belonging.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I went into this book after only skimming the description, mostly drawn in by the cover. What can I say? I’m a girl who judges books by their covers, and this one is beautiful.

The story itself was… fine. I found the main character, Meredith, to be a bit insufferable, if I’m being honest. She has a victim complex when it comes to her mother that felt like an exaggerated version of a strained mother-daughter dynamic. Meredith — or Merry, as her family calls her — constantly uses and manipulates her mother without taking any real accountability or offering her any honesty in return.

I actually felt a lot of empathy for Dehlia, Meredith’s mother. She just wants her children to be okay. Honestly, aside from Merry, I liked most of the characters. They didn’t feel particularly deep or fully fleshed out, but they added interesting layers to the story. I’m not sure the love story with Wiley was necessary, but it gave us a different lens on Meredith that we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

All in all, it was okay — not a favorite, but not a miss either.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I'm feeling almost monothematic, seriously. The fact is, I love motherhood books so much. Even more so with the sensitivity of a woman's writing. I feel transported by a feeling I've never experienced in my life - that's why I immersed myself in this book.
Thanks NetGalley for the eArc

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. There was definitely a lot to unpack in this novel but I found it enjoyable and it had a very nice flow. Meredith was rather relatable with the issues she was dealing with which led to her coming to her hometown with her daughter. I loved her mother Delia as well. But chaos of course ensues when the family is all together on the farm and it was pretty entertaining to read. This book has themes of family patterns, old love connections, and overall family drama.

Review will be posted on Instagram and Amazon on pub day and links added to NetGalley.

This was a beautiful book. Loved the storyline and it was very heartwarming. Mother and daughter relationships are complex at times and this book teaches you that, even for those that don’t have daughters, this is a great read. Thank you NetGalley for this wonderful ARC

Books about mothers and daughters are among my favorite reading materials, and Daughters was no exception. This is a five-star story that will transport you into the lives of the main characters as they struggle with relationships, parenting, love, and loss. Take your time with this gem. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.