I loved Ellen's first book for the cute romance, and the Someday Daughter brought back all those feelings! That being said, it also hit a lot harder emotionally for me, due to the mother-daughter relationship taking place. I had my own personal things going on with my mum while reading this, and oof, it made it more of a tearjerker than I was expecting. This will be another fantastic book for the people trying to figure out who they are, what they want, and what they are willing to risk to get it.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Thank you to Netgalley and Ellen O’Clover for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I say I devoured this, it’s an understatement.

I’m going to be honest, YA contemporary is not usually my genre. I picked this book up because as a Hopkins student myself, I got the chance to meet Ellen O’Clover when she spoke to my Hopkins writing club via zoom, and she was genuinely one of the nicest most helpful people ever. That said, I loved this book.

It goes without saying that as a girl with anxious, perfectionist tendencies, and as a pre-med Hopkins student to boot, I saw myself in Audrey. I am her, she is me. From the jump, Audrey as a character was so crisp in my mind. The words on the page felt like reading her diary, so raw and real and with such a clear voice. The book was engaging, the subject matter nuanced and thoughtful, and the characters were so endearing. The romance was loving and adorable, and I genuinely appreciate authors modeling relationships with healthy dynamics and communication for younger readers—communication between Audrey and Silas that is.

Any criticisms I have lie in very minor things. I found the “twist” to be a bit predictable and the relationship to feel slightly rushed at the end, but it is a YA novel, and I’m willing to forgive it these things.

Overall, I can vouch not only for this book as a tender story, a love letter to all of us type A, anxious perfectionists, but I can also vouch for how genuine and kind the author is. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

4.5 rounded up to 5/5.

"The Someday Daughter" by Ellen O'Clover takes readers on a journey through the complex terrain of familial relationships and self-discovery.

Audrey St. Vrain grapples with the weight of her mother Camilla's fame and the expectations that come with being the daughter of a self-help guru. O'Clover weaves a narrative brimming with emotion, exploring Audrey's intricate connections with both her mother and her own struggles with anxiety.

The novel kicks off with a slow start, introducing readers to Audrey's world and the shadow of her mother's success. However, as the plot unfolds, the pace picks up, and the story blooms into a heartwarming exploration of identity. Audrey's determination to forge her own path, distinct from the role of the "someday daughter," is a relatable journey for many readers navigating the complexities of familial expectations.

One of the book's strengths lies in its portrayal of anxiety, providing readers with a window into Audrey's internal struggles. O'Clover skillfully captures the challenges of living with anxiety, offering a narrative that resonates with those who may share similar experiences.

The inclusion of the found family trope adds depth to the story, creating a sense of warmth and camaraderie among the characters.
The secondary characters are well-developed and contribute to the richness of the story. The disarmingly honest video intern, Silas, adds a layer of intrigue to the narrative, as Audrey navigates unexpected connections and reevaluates her carefully planned life. Puddles the dog emerges as a delightful and scene-stealing character, contributing to the novel's charm.

The author introduces a captivating plot twist towards the end, catching readers off guard and injecting an additional layer of excitement into the story. However, some loose ends between Camilla and Audrey may leave readers craving more of a resolution to their relationship.

While the beginning may be a tad slow, the overall narrative gains momentum, ultimately capturing reader's heart. A minor drawback is the limited presence of Camilla throughout the book, with a desire for more interaction between mother and daughter throughout the storyline rather than concentrated at the end.

In conclusion, "The Someday Daughter" is a novel full of heart, emotion, and unexpected twists. O'Clover masterfully explores the intricate dynamics of family, identity, and the pursuit of one's own path. With relatable themes, engaging characters, and a charming canine companion, this book is sure to leave readers with a newfound appreciation for the author's storytelling prowess.

I'll start with what I loved about The Someday Daughter: Audrey is an incredibly complex and well-written character. The details about her anxiety and perfectionism were spot-on. I thought the book tour was a great set-up for the plot; lots of great traveling bits and opportunities to put the characters in unique situations. I adored each of the interns and Puddles the pug was a great addition to the story. All in all, The Someday Daughter is a fantastic book that YA readers will love!

I'll be honest, I had hoped that the story was going to go in a different direction with the mother-daughter relationship and the timely storyline of a self-help guru who overshares about her kid(s). There are so many "momfluencers" who are putting their children all over the internet -- making money off their cute/embarrassing stories and sharing personal details without their consent. The tidy ending was frustrating as I wanted more for Audrey, real closure from her years of parental neglect and virtual abandonment, instead of being pushed toward forgiveness so quickly (especially with the twist in the third act).

Readers with childhood trauma might want to take care with this one. <3 I wasn't expecting so many deep-rooted struggles to come to the surface while reading.

This book was so good! I loved seeing how the main character and her mother slowly began to grow closer, and I also really enjoyed seeing how the main character and Silas grew together. The plot twist at the end was crazy, I really enjoyed it!

This was a moving and powerful book. At first I didn't really care for Audrey's mother, but I liked how the bond between the two characters was explored. It was a very complicated and interesting mother daughter relationship in it. I almost wish it had been explored a bit more even. There was also a character who turned out to be more than she seemed.

Overall I would give this book four stars.

I got this for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have complicated feelings about this book, so I’ve been putting off writing this review.

I think that O’Clover is so clever in writing complex mother-daughter relationships and I think, for the most part, that is the highlight of this book. There is romance and it is really sweet and I love our love interest, but the real story here is between these women and the bonds that Audrey makes over the course of this summer.

I will say that the twist really got me, I was not expecting it and maybe just as heartbroken as Audrey when it happened. I also didn’t quite love the initial pacing of the first couple chapters and it could be an infentional style thing, but they felt very choppy to me.

Thank you to HarperTeen and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book gives a very interesting perspective on children placed in the spotlight by a parent. It also focuses on the public image compared to private self that these children and their families put forth. I really enjoyed this book, and the development of Audrey as a character and how she relates to her mom. I highly recommend this one!

I absolutely adored this book! No one writes emotional romcoms and captivating character studies quite like Ellen O'Clover. She is a must-buy author for me!!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Ellen O'Clover for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Audrey is an 18-year-old girl who lives under the shadow of her mother's most famous book: "Letters to my Daughter of Tomorrow", written when the girl was not yet born and which established Camilla as a great public figure.

Now, with the 25th anniversary of the book's release, Audrey finds herself forced to accompany Camilla on a literary tour around the United States for 2 months. As the relationship between the two has never been the best, it is to be expected that Audrey has other things in mind, such as spending the summer interning with her then boyfriend Ethan.

I'll start by saying that, in general, I liked the story. I recently finished a book that also addresses the troubled relationship between mother and daughter, so I bet that this reading would also be enjoyable.

The beginning is a little slow, as Audrey seemed like a somewhat apathetic and emotionless girl, it was difficult to like her right out the gate. Her image improves when we have the perspective of other characters who love her, but very little.

I hoped we could see more glimpses of Camilla throughout the narrative and understand Audrey's reluctance, but unfortunately that didn't happen, at least not until the end of the book, which only contributed to maintaining my dislike towards Audrey.

The story gradually improves with the presence of some secondary characters, including Silas, an intern on Camilla's tour and Audrey's potential love interest. Despite this, the plot is really slow, and perhaps that is what causes some positive surprise with that plot twist in the final chapters.

I was shocked and angered by Audrey, but given the low expectations I placed on the book, the resolution of the conflict was actually well done. The ending was cute, although there were some loose ends about the relationship between her and her mother.

In the end, it's not the best book about maternal issues, I believe the characters lacked depth at various times and issues such as abortion and motherhood were not well addressed. But is it fun, is it cute? Yes, but not that much. What really did it for me was the romance.

Thank you Ellen O'Clover and NetGalley for this ARC.

The Someday Daughter is an emotional, beautiful story about a young girl whose life has been planned out since before she was born, or so she thought. It is a sweet coming of age YA covering life lesson like themes, such as self-discovery, relationships with family and friends, healing and growing.

The FMC Audrey is really relatable and realistic. She's headstrong, and at some moments I thought that she was quite close-minded, but that made her even more realistic. And reading how Audrey's trying to grow made me love her. This book features some surprises and an incredible world-tour with the most lovable cast of characters (plus a very adorable doggie).

this is ellen o’clover’s sophomore novel and it was amazing!! she knows how to write the perfect YA as well as incorporate real characters and in a way that isn’t boring. this book had such a cool premise and it was so interesting and i also obviously loved the romance! the romance is a bit of a side plot at the beginning before it comes full force towards the end and i think it was perfect and literally i will not stop thinking about it for days to come! highly highly recommend this book it comes out feb 20 and i can’t believe i got an early copy i am screaming crying right now!!!!

I didn't know anything about this book or the author before going into it. I was very into it in the beginning, lost a bit of traction in the middle, and by the end decided I really liked it! It was much more character-driven than I was expecting. I thought the description and representation of anxiety were excellent and I think a lot of young adults will feel seen by this book.

ellen o’clover comes through with another fantastic contemporary YA novel that’s just as good as her debut. the someday daughter is a love letter to the burnt-out gifted kids. it’s for the mirrorball and the archer and nothing new and this is me trying girls.
my favorite thing about her books is that the romance is definitely there, but takes a secondary role (in the someday daughter even more than seven percent of ro devereux), leaving space for the main theme/arc to be mc audrey’s relationship with her mother and her own internal struggles with anxiety, self-acceptance and more. it’s such a rare thing to find in YA fiction, and one of my favorite characteristics of ellen’s writing because it makes the story so much deeper and more relatable. if you read this, prepare to feel so seen (in the best way possible).
one of the other super unique things about this book: the characters don’t feel like archetypal book characters, they feel like real people. the story is from audrey’s pov, and in the beginning it all seems black and white: camila’s the villain, ethan’s the toxic bf, etc — but the further you get into the story, the more the lines blur like how it really happens in real life. from each person’s pov, their actions seem genuinely valid and understandable. it makes the story so much more engaging and is an excellent example of art imitating life.
going back to the romance, just because it’s less at the forefront doesn’t mean it didn’t completely melt my heart. silas is so in love with audrey it isn’t even funny. he sure falls first, but they both fall harder. plus, this book has one of my favorite tropes ever: emotional hurt/comfort.

I immediately felt connected to the FMC just from reading the synopsis. The author does a wonderful job at weaving a wonderful story about the complications of any mother daughter relationship. I also felt very close to Audrey when she talked about her anxiety and the pressure to do something great with her life pushes her anxiety even more. I suffer from performance anxiety so I emphasized with Audrey throughout the book and felt like I was reliving my own experiences at time. As a woman in her early twenties, I wish there were more female characters like this in the novels I read. It's one thing to relate to a character, it's another thing to feel like you're directly in their head.

Found Family | Mental Health Awareness | Young Love

⭐️ 4.5

A beautiful coming of age story that explores mental health and a complicated mother daughter relationship. In the beginning, the story is slow as we learn about Audrey and her rough relationship with her famous author of a mom, Camillia St. Vrian. Audrey’s personal story develops wonderfully and brought me close to tears so many times. I also cheered and wanted her to be/feel happy

This is my first Ellen O’Clover book and I enjoyed every moment. Her writing is thoughtful and intentional. The way the moments about anxiety and depression was approached was relatable. I was right there with Audrey when she touched on her anxieties or was reliving past experiences. The relationships she formed with the other characters in the story really pushed her to grow as an individual, which was beautiful to read.

I am honored to have read this beautiful and powerful coming of age story. Thank you Ellen O’Clover and NetGalley for the ARC 💕

I will admit that the cover featuring a pug was what first drew me to click on The Someday Daughter, but I loved the idea of a story centering on the daughter of a self-help guru who built her career dolling out advice to her someday daughter. Even though a romance plays an important secondary story, the main story features the mother-daughter relationship and all it's complexities, which I absolutely adored.

The Someday Daughter by Ellen O'Clover
Thank you to Ellen O'Clover and NetGalley for the eARC!

Audrey St Vrain has her whole summer planned out. Go to a UPenn intensive for incoming pre-med students, prep for her freshman year at Johns Hopkins, and remain as focused as always.

Her mother, famous author Camilla St Vrain, has other plans however. For the 25th anniversary of her book, Letters to My Someday Daughter, Camilla has a book tour scheduled across the country and she wants Audrey to come along as that Someday Daughter.

Living in the shadow of this book her whole life, Audrey wants nothing less than to be on this tour but she begrudgingly goes, putting her summer plans for school prep in jeopardy.

Maybe she'll finally gain some insight into who Camilla is and where Audrey fits into her life.

Ellen O'Clover weaves an emotional tale of family drama, self limiting, anxiety, trauma, and love so well planned and executed I could only sit and stare into space when I finished. Audrey was not my favorite FMC at the beginning but she definitely grew on me. Silas is adorable and just so 🥹😍. I see myself in Camilla as a young mother.

Everything about this book is an absolute must read in my opinion. Ellen's story telling is so perfect it's not even funny. It also helps that she's the sweetest person ever. I cherish that I got to meet her at the Columbus Book Festival.

I'll leave you with my favorite quote:

“And no matter how much you’ve learned, how smart and impressive and self-possessed you are, you can’t white-knuckle yourself out of anxiety. You can’t pretend a panic attack away.”

This was a lesson I had to learn for myself, the hard way just like Audrey.

Thank you, Ellen, for writing about anxiety and therapy in a YA book so well. I know this will help so many young people who are struggling with that monster and don't even realize it, just like me.

Ellen O'Clover has done it again! Her gift for character development, following older teens through crucial turning points in their lives, is unparalleled—the premise of this one is big and splashy (going on tour with your bestselling mom who wrote a book about you before you were born!), but my favorite moments were quiet: in the development of the romance arc, in the healing of the mother/daughter relationship, in the slow moments of discovery about her path. A total joy, and a book I can't wait to reread.

This was my first Ellen O'Clover novel and I can confidently say it will not be my last. I absolutely adored this book! The relationship between Audrey and Camilla is full of surprises and hard truths. But I think the real gem of this book is the relationship Audrey has with herself. For anyone who has ever struggled with finding their identity this story is not one you should miss. I laughed and I cried multiple times. There's also romance, mother-daughter relationships, and a dog named Puddles. Read this book and take a long look at yourself. It'll be worth it.