Thank you NetGalley and Book Club Girls for the free read.. I did enjoy this story. Liked reading about Ruth and Dana.

I received an ARC of The Good Daughters in exchange for an honest review and I did enjoy the novel.

The story outlines the lives of two girls, Dana Dickerson and Ruth Plank, who were born on the same day, in the same hospital and Ruth's mom refers to them as the "birthday sisters." The story alternates between Ruth's and Dana's points of view - sharing details about growing up, fitting in and finding love and their place in the world.

In some respects, I felt their was an obviousness about some of the family secrets within the novel but didn't feel it detracted from the overall story. I enjoyed the character development of Ruth and Dana, getting insight into their lives, struggles and challenges and how their lives kept intersecting. It also caused me to think about the concept of nature versus nurture.

There are some aspects of the novel that may turn readers off, but I feel that life is messy and we should never be quick to judge why people do the things that they do - especially when it comes to family dynamics.

Regardless of where their lives seemed to take Ruth and Dana, the birthday sisters would always be linked to each other.

The Good Daughters is a story about the journey through life of two girls that share the same birthday in a small town hospital. All their lives they stay in touch with each other’s families through their mothers. The two families can not be more different. One is religious and farming has always been their way of life. The other is carefree, never staying for one place long and not religious. It is beautifully written and reminds me of A Man Called Ove in how it is more character driven than plot driven. I felt like I was right there with the characters through their happiness and grief. So many great quotes. One was “ I could no longer imagine myself without her than imagine the sky without the sun. “

Thank you Net Galley for a a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

This is sad story with lots of complicated layers but once I figured out the direction it was heading it became difficult for me to read. I pushed through the story to get to the ending.
Unfortunately, I found it unbelievable! And some of the plot was a bit uncomfortable to read. Secrets kept by mothers and fathers making relationships between siblings difficult and inappropriate. It just didn't feel real to me.
The author writes well but the plot just did not do it for me. I hope to read more from this author in the future though.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow & Custom House for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

A story of two girls, Ruth and Dana, who share a birthdate and a connection between their families. It is a story of families and forgiveness. Although an enjoyable novel, I cannot say there is anything memorable after I finished.

This author was new to me and I was really looking forward to reading The Good Daughters. The cover art was quite beautiful and the plot was interesting. But it fell short in that it was very predictable. The characters weren't stand outs. I enjoyed the scenery and lifestyle. The writing style was good but I am not sure if I will pick up another book of hers.

The Good Daughters just is. It's not good. It's not bad. For me it simply exists. More a character study over time of two women than an actual plotted story, it's told back and forth between the two women as the grow from children to young women to middle age. I'll fully confess to figuring out the twist that connects the two women very early in the book so I didn't even have the reveal of that to make the book compelling. And for a character study, it just doesn't feel like Maynard does the best job of making the reader empathize with Ruth or Dana - despite them dealing with some horrible, devastating things. Being able to empathize in a character study is what makes that type of book good, and while I felt badly for the women when they hit their lows I just didn't feel like I was experiencing it with them. And maybe it was just me, but it didn't seem like there were a lot of high points in these women's lives or if they were they were so downplayed as to seem mundane. The Good Daughters feels like a book you don't necessarily throw away because it's bad, but one you reach for because there really isn't anything better to read.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. I am so glad I did. The story of 4 daughters took an absolute turn starting in the middle of the book.
Explaining the personality of each character, Ms. Maynard did an excellent description. You could absolutely imagine these people. Loved the story!
Thank you!!!

This was a DNF for me. I did not like the premise of the story and looking into more of the synopsis with other reviews, I have no desire to read further into a twisted plot like this one with strange and demented family relationships.

Ruth Plank and Dana Dickerson are "birth sisters", born on the same day in the same hospital. Their lives become intertwined well into adulthood yet neither could fully understand their mothers' interest in the other. Told in from their alternating perspectives we follow Ruth and Dana as they move from childhood into adolescence and eventually into adulthood. Neither has fit easily into the world and love has been a challenge and a sacrifice for both.

This was a beautiful read with well developed characters and well-described scenery. Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Good Daughters follows the lives of two women, Ruth and Dana, who were born on the same day in the same hospital. Their families were acquaintances and stayed in touch through the years and their differing life circumstances.
I enjoyed this book and while there were some predictable parts to the end, I enjoyed the storytelling along the way. I could really imagine the characters and the situations they faced. I learned a bit about farming and the difficulties the Plank family faced with keeping their farm running.
I would recommend this as a quick fiction read and to learn about rural family life.

I started the book & admit was a little slow. Then the author introduced a subject matter that does not interest me. I quit reading at that time. I did skip to the end & read the outcome which was really good. Just couldn’t get thru the middle of the book. Was not necessary for the story to be told.

A study of family relationships through the eyes of two girls born on the same in a New Hampshire town in 1950. Each family lived in same town for early growing years. Then one family moved, and moved often. The families stayed in touch through their early teen years. Later the daughters cross paths with the different family members of the other family. The story includes major trends and events of 1950 to current times. The plot has many twists and turns.

Should have read the reviews first - abandoned this novel very early on, right after one of the main characters was in a cringe worthy lesbian scene with a classmate. Just not interested. I may go back and try to read it later, but. . . . probably not.

The Good daughters by Joyce Maynard. This is the story of Ruth and Dana told in alternating chapters. Their connection is having been born on the same day at the same hospital. The story takes place in the 50 and 60s. The author takes the reader to that era. The main story line is obvious, but each family member has their own story which the author ties together. I'm still deciding how I feel about some of the characters. I think I liked them better at the end. The author did keep me wanting to read the story.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for providing this ARC in return for an honest review.

This book is not normally my genre but I had the urge to try this one out and I'm glad I did. The writing was masterfully done and was immediately engulfed in the story and where it would lead. Would recommend this book to others, well done!

This was a great book! While reading the book I thought I understood where it was going as it grew towards the two girl's adult lives; although I didn't grasp the gravity of the details of the story until the end. The book was an easy read that flowed well, and I really loved the ending.
The story follows two women, Dana and Ruth, from two different families, from their childhood to their adult years. Dana and Ruth were born at the same hospital on the same day, and for that reason they are known as the "birthday sisters." Despite them being born on the same day, they could not be more different. Dana loves the farm life, and is a tomboy in all aspects of the word, while Ruth is an artist in every sense. Two completely different girls from two completely different families. Despite their differences and their family's differences, they will always stay in touch; after all, they are the birthday sisters!

Two girls born on the same day in the same hospital. Ruth and Dana are as unlike in their looks, their hobbies and their outlook on life. They feel like they belong to the wrong family. Ruth is artistic with a romantic longing and imagination and comes from a solid caring farming family. Dana is scientific and interested in nature but has drifter parents that don’t provide the stability she craves for.
The story of Ruth and Dana’s life is told through alternate chapters as they grow up in the 1950-1960s.
It is inevitable what big secret is to come out but there are a few twists along the way.
Wasn’t the best book I have read but was an enjoyable weekend read despite some cringe worthy moments.
Thank you William Morrow and NetGalley for The Good Daughters.

Beautifully written and engrossing, this is the story of “birth sisters” Ruth and Dana. Ruth and Dana are born on the same day, in the same hospital, both have a hard time feeling they belong in the families they grow up in. All of the major characters are strong well developed people and the plot is totally engrossing: This is a great read.

Birthday twins born on the same day in the same hospital by different parents. The similarity ends there. The two girls could not be more different in their looks, talents, and interests. The story is told in alternating chapters and is basically a narrative history of each of the families and the girls as they grow as individuals. The novel is full of 1960s references that I felt were spot on and appealed to me. The heavy narrative got a bit boring in the beginning of the novel but I soon got used to it and enjoyed the book while waiting for the reveal of the big secret at the end (which really wasn’t much of a surprise as little nuggets of clues were revealed as the story went on).