In Kimberly McCreight's Like Mother, Like Daughter, we meet Kat whose life is full of secrets and complications. Kat is a fixer at a New York law firm, but her husband, Aidan, and teenage daughter, Cleo, have no idea she's anything other than a routine, boring corporate lawyer. She and Aidan are currently separated, another secret she's keeping from Cleo, and she's beginning to date for the first time in decades. She's trying to mend her broken relationship with Cleo, knowing that if her daughter had any idea that she had stepped in to strongarm Cleo's drug dealer boyfriend and get him to break up with her, any hope of reconciliation would be gone. To make it even worse, she's been following Cleo to make sure she's staying away from her ex.

Kat thinks she may have found someone in Doug, who unfortunately works for one of her clients, a secret she has to keep from her boss. Doug shares that he is being blackmailed with Kat just before he is killed in a car accident. But was it an accident?

On top of a stressful career and a litany of secrets, Aidan is pressuring Kat for money, and since he knows details of the biggest secret Kat is keeping from her past, she's worried he may use it to pressure her into paying. Then Kat, too, begins to receive blackmail threats that could destroy her house of cards and leave Cleo as a victim.

Kat convinces Cleo to come home to dinner, but when Cleo arrives, the door is unlocked, there are signs of a struggle, and Kat is missing. What follows are alternating chapters told from Kat's perspective leading up to the day of her disappearance and from Cleo's perspective after she arrives at the house as she searches for Kat and uncovers the secrets that make her realize that they are more alike than she ever imagined.

As with most thrillers, there are some formulaic elements here that make the plot predictable, but McCreight does a very good job keeping the alternating chapters and points of view clear. Overall a good read and highly recommended.

‘Like Mother, Like Daughter’ written by Kimberly McCreight is a mystery thriller about a daughter, Cleo, who discovers her mother, Kat, is not who she thinks she is. She’s not just a lawyer, but her firm’s fixer.

McCreight’s novel is full of emotional suspense and leaves you wanting to read more. I found myself wanting to continue reading and enjoyed how the author switched back and forth between the mother and daughter. I enjoyed the fast pace of the book.

Overall, I rate this as a three – it was interesting but it parallels so many books and does not provide much creativity.

Thank you #NetGalley and # Knopf for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for a review. All opinions and thoughts are those of my own. #LikeMotherLikeDaughter #McCreight

I had high hopes for this one, but it ended up moving way too slow, it was full of unlikeable characters and the writing felt very clunky.

I've been a big fan of Kimberly McCreight since "A Good Marriage" and this one did not disappoint!

I will say, this one was a bit slow at times, which is why it's not 5 stars, but when it was going, boy was it going! It definitely kept me at the edge of my seat and I was not expecting the twist at all (yay for unexpected twists!!)! I also really enjoyed that all of the characters seemed realistic and complicated, especially the relationship between Cleo and her mom, Katrina, it made the book feel a lot more real which is always a plus.

Can't wait to read Kimberly McCreight's next book!

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

This was my first time reading Kimberly McCreight, and I received Like Mother, Like Daughter as an ARC from NetGalley. The novel presents an intriguing narrative with a strong emotional core, focusing on the strained relationship between Cleo and her mother, Kat. The plot is engaging, with a series of twists and turns that keep the reader invested. Like Mother, Like Daughter is a thrilling novel of emotional suspense that explores the complex relationship between a mother and daughter. The story begins when Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, only to find food burning in the oven and her mother, Kat, missing. Cleo discovers her mom’s bloody shoe under the sofa, indicating something terrible has happened. Kat, who Cleo thought was a successful corporate lawyer, has been hiding her true role as her firm's fixer. As Cleo delves into her mother's secret life, she uncovers multiple threats, including demands for money from Kat's unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband, evidence of Cleo's risky relationship, and menacing messages from Kat's past. The character development is solid, particularly with Cleo and Kat. Cleo's journey from confusion to determination as she uncovers her mother's secrets is compelling. Kat's backstory and her hidden life as a fixer add depth to her character. However, some of the secondary characters felt underdeveloped, which made it harder to fully connect with the broader narrative. The pacing of the novel is generally good, but there are moments where the transitions between the different timelines and perspectives feel abrupt. The ending, while surprising, left a few questions unanswered, which might be frustrating for some readers. Overall, Like Mother, Like Daughter is a decent read with a unique premise and strong central characters. Despite its flaws, it shows promise for Kimberly McCreight as a writer. #netgalley #likemother,likedaughter

I couldn’t wait to start reading this book, and it definitely did not disappoint at all! This kept me on the edge of my seat until I was finish… done in one sitting by the way. The title was super catching which was what caught my eye in the first place, and it definitely lived up to the name!

A little too slow for me and I didn’t really like either Cleo or Katrina. Don’t even get me started on Aidan.

I loved this book! I thought the dual-POV was well developed and found it easy to follow. I think the relationship between Cleo and her mother was complicated, realistic, and relatable. I found the story slightly unbelievable - the college daughter finding all of the clues and managing it all, plus the ending was a little out there. However nothing that kept me from enjoying the story!

This one is for the slow-burn thriller fans! Kimberly McCreight’s *Like Mother, Like Daughter* dives deep into family dynamics, particularly the oh-so-complicated relationship between Cleo and her mom. Their mother-daughter dynamic feels incredibly real—full of love, tension, and those moments of "ugh, Mom!" you can totally relate to. It is well written, and the characters are richly developed, which kept me invested even as the pacing took its sweet time. If you’re in the mood for an intricately layered mystery with lots of breadcrumbs along the way, this will scratch that itch. That said, it takes a bit a while for the suspense and secrets to unfold.
I’d call it an intriguing domestic thriller, but it didn’t blow me away. Still, the family dynamics and tension make it worth the read.

This book wasn't quite for me, but I did enjoy the dynamics of the mother/daughter relationship. There was a lot of potential here for something more but this will not deter me from this author's future works.

▪️ Unfortunately, this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. The pacing was slow, the storyline was underwhelming overall, and the ending was disappointing.

▪️ However, I did find the mother/daughter relationship to be quite unique and compelling, especially because their stories were shared from their individual POVs in the book. Their dynamic felt authentic, albeit dysfunctional.

▪️ This was my first time reading a book by this author, and I wish I would have enjoyed it more.

Thank you @netgalley and Knopf for sending me a copy of this book, which I have read and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

This book moved slowly for me. I fell back and forth on it, sometimes having to go back and reread portions to get to where the book was going. The mystery gradually unfolds as both mother and daughter's stories are revealed and a mystery from the past comes to light. This book wasn't for me but I am sure others enjoyed it. I may have just been a distracted reader. It was well written, I just could not seem to get into the characters.

Kimberly McCreight knows how to write well-paced thrillers, and this one was no different. I love a seedy underbelly of Brooklyn wealthy family vibe and this didn't disappoint. Would recommend.

The assembly of the book is jumbled. It was hard to keep track of the timeline because it jumped from Kat to Cleo back to the 90s and then to transcripts. I thought it could have been arranged better.
I didn’t care for Cleo or Aiden for most of the book. I thought both were quite selfish and only out for themselves.
It was an ok read..

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McFreight is a fast paced thriller that spotlights family secrets and mysteries. I want to read more from this author. Great read.

This was ok—not my favorite of the year.

I thought the writing and character development was excellent. Cleo and her mom had a dicey relationship…but now that I’m the mom of a teen, I question how much of that was just Cleo not liking her mom intruding on her life and how much was legitimate.

I thought there were some unresolved plot points that i was left feeling like they were important to concluding the story. The money, for sure. Without that conclusion, it’s hard for me to resolve the storyline and feel like the story is actually wrapped up. There were also parts that were so fantastical that they didn’t feel real.

One thing I absolutely loved and would have loved to read more of was about Kat’s job. Knowing she was a law firm fixer and then really only seeing her ignore her clients and boss, etc etc was off-putting. It’s a wildly cool job that could have helped the storyline along.

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight is a fast-paced, emotionally charged thriller that explores the complexities of family secrets, lies, and the bond between mothers and daughters. The story opens with Cleo, a college student at NYU, returning home to find her mother, Kat, missing—and a bloody shoe hidden under the sofa. From that moment on, McCreight pulls readers into a tense, suspenseful narrative that alternates between Cleo’s desperate search for answers and Kat’s haunting secrets, slowly revealing the truth about their fractured relationship.

At first glance, Cleo and Kat appear to be polar opposites. Cleo is emotional, reckless, and often in trouble, while Kat is the picture of perfection: a successful corporate lawyer with a seemingly perfect life. But beneath the surface, Kat has been hiding far more than Cleo realizes. As the story unfolds, we learn that Kat is not just a lawyer—she’s a highly skilled “fixer” who has spent years navigating dangerous situations in her personal and professional life. As Cleo digs deeper into her mother’s disappearance, she uncovers a web of lies, threats, and buried trauma that challenges everything she thought she knew about her mother and herself.

McCreight excels in creating a tense atmosphere filled with twists and suspense. The dual perspectives of Cleo and Kat allow readers to understand the complexity of their relationship and the emotional stakes involved. While Cleo grapples with the realization that her mother has been hiding dangerous truths from her, Kat is struggling to protect both herself and Cleo from threats that are much darker than either of them fully understands.

At its core, Like Mother, Like Daughter is a love story between a mother and a daughter, each determined to protect the other, even if it means uncovering painful truths. The novel digs deep into themes of trust, betrayal, and the difficult choices people make to protect their loved ones. The suspense is palpable throughout, and the emotional depth of the characters makes this much more than just a thriller—it’s a profound exploration of family, sacrifice, and the lengths we go to for the ones we love.

Overall, Like Mother, Like Daughter is a compelling, twisty psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats while offering a deeply emotional and thought-provoking exploration of family dynamics. It’s a gripping read for fans of suspenseful novels with a strong emotional core.

This book is an absolute delight with well-constructed characterization and an amazingly tense execution that draws readers into the mystery from the beginning. The author adeptly weaves different twists simultaneously: a significant pharmacy case impacting people's lives, a ghost from the protagonist's past threatening to resurface and jeopardize her, and a husband in urgent need of money, willing to go to extremes. From the start to the end, readers can formulate theories, make guesses, piece together the puzzle, and ponder what happened to Katrina McHugh.

A slow read that I had to keep going back to. The voice of one of the main characters irritated me, and I think there was intent to make sure we could understand her youth, but I found it to be a distraction. However, the story had some interesting twists, and it did keep me guessing throughout.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Hold on to your seats! This fast paced thriller kept me guessing until the last page. Cleo is investigating her mother’s disappearance and starts to realize that although her relationship with her mom has always been tumultuous, they have more in common than she ever could have dreamed!