I was in the mood for a thriller and thought this sounded great. Cleo is going home to have dinner with her mom but when she gets there dinner is burning in the oven, her mom is nowhere to be seen and there’s blood on the floor. Solid start!! Unfortunately for me that was the best part of the book. From there we get alternating perspectives of Cleo trying to find her mom and her mom from the week before.

I don’t try to solve thrillers as I read them - I like to just go along for the ride. But this one was so obvious that I realized the ending way too soon and finished hoping that there would be a twist and I would be wrong. I wasn’t. This one was mediocre at best for me. Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook and PRH Audio for the free audiobook.

Like Mother Like Daughter is the first book that actually does something different with a familar trope. Kimberly McCreight's latest centers on Cleo's discovery that her mother Katrina has disappeared. Even worse Cleo discovers that there's a blood stain on her mother's carpet that possibly a link to her Mom's fate. Cleo and Katrina's POV alternates between each chapter which is the usual narrative in almost thrillers, but it suits the story because Cleo is investigating her mother's disappearance, but also discovers things that both shock and surprise her. Katrina reveals that her daughter was difficult as both a child and adult. There relationship is as complex as their personalities which is a nice change from the usual good daughter, bad daughter and vice versa plots. Kimberly McEight's Like Mother, Like Daughter is the type of book that will keep you reading at the beach until sunset.

The dual narratives in Like Mother, Like Daughter creates a twisty mystery in Kimberly McCreight's newest novel. After being convinced by her mother to finally come home for dinner, Cleo arrives at the Park Slope brownstone only to find her mother gone and a bloody shoe on the ground. What has happened to her mother? Cleo is on a mission to find her mother and along the way learns that her mother was much deeper and complicated than she believed.

Overall, the story was a solid mystery with enough twists and turns to keep me invested. I do wish there were fewer characters and tangential storylines. I understand the need for red herrings, but there were many things that were not tied up by the end. I recommend this for readers who just want a good middle of the road mystery to jump into.

The mother-daughter relationship can be fraught, especially when the parent is a worrier and the grown child wants to establish her independence. This family bond is at the heart of this novel.

*****

Katrina (Kat) McHugh and her lookalike daughter Cleo, a student at New York University, have had a tense relationship for months. The rift occurred when Kat broke up Cleo's relationship with her drug-dealing boyfriend Kyle, a 'bad boy' Cleo met at college.

In an effort to mend fences, Kat beseeches her daughter to come to dinner, and Cleo reluctantly agrees. However, when Cleo arrives at the family home in Brooklyn, she finds a blackened pot sizzling on the hot stove; chicken burning in the oven; and Kat's bloody shoe under the sofa. In short, Kat is missing, and it looks like she was suddenly abducted.

Cleo calls her dad, documentary filmmaker Aiden McHugh, who's just getting off a plane.....and they inform the police. The cops arrive to take pictures, swab for DNA, and lift fingerprints, and Detective Wilson - a no-nonsense woman in charge of the investigation - urges Kat and Aiden to stay calm and optimistic.

The rest of the book alternates between two timelines: Kat's narrative, starting eight days before her disappearance; and Cleo's story, describing what she does to help find her mother.

In Kat's chapters we learn that she's an attorney at a classy law firm called Blair, Stevenson, which represents high power corporate clients. Blair, Stevenson is currently defending Darden Pharmaceuticals, which makes a seizure medication called Xytek. A lawsuit alleges that Darden knew of and disregarded Xytek's risks to pregnant patients and their unborn children, and Kat is working on the case. To complicate matters, Kat - who's in the midst of divorcing her cheating husband Aiden - is dating Doug Sinclair, who happens to be a senior executive at Darden Pharmaceuticals. Fraternizing with a client is a no-no, but Kat figures no one has to find out......until a tragic incident occurs. In the midst of all this turmoil, Kat suspects Cleo is secretly back with drug dealer Kyle, and she takes additional steps to terminate the association.

In Cleo's sections, she admits to feeling guilty about being estranged from her mother. Cleo decides to search for Kat herself, and in furtherance of this goal, Cleo finds her mother's diaries. These describe Kat's terrible childhood in a group home, and a crime that occurred there. Cleo also finds Kat's personal computer, with messages from men on dating sites. Cleo withholds all this information from Detective Wilson, and follows up these 'clues' herself.

For me, this part of the book stretches credulity too much. Firstly, only in fiction would a college student - whose mother has disappeared - withhold important information from the authorities. Moreover, each time Cleo tracks down a person of interest, they immediately confide important information......and even offer to help her. This just seems a bit too convenient.

Despite my reservations, the book is a compelling thriller, with the appropriate red herrings and surprise twists. One minor story thread remains unresolved at the end of the book, but this may have been deliberate on the part of the author.

All in all, I'd mildly recommend the book to mystery fans.

Thanks to Netgalley, Kimberly McCreight, and Knopf for a copy of the book.

A great reflection of a sometimes very real relationship between a mother and daughter.
The mothers feelings for her daughter were raw and sometimes over the top with how much she wanted to protect her from the world while also maybe controlling her too much.
This also has a mystery in it because the mom. Katrina, goes missing after she invites her daughter for dinner. There is so much that happens after that but to avoid any possible spoilers I'll keep this short. The company that Kat worked for and all those bits of the story were so boring. I skimmed most of that because I felt like they wouldn't be important at all later.
I halfway guessed the plot twists or mystery of the book. The part about where Kat went was a shock to me but I knew who the bad guy was 2 chapters in. Anyways a good decent read.
Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy.

This one was a great summer read and I actually ended up getting a hard copy of it too. Cleo is a student at NYU and comes home to Brooklyn to find her mother gone with only a bloody shoe left behind. Thus begins a wild ride of trying to find out who is lying and who is telling the truth. Who is good and who is bad. This emotional suspense book about mother and daughter connections was a good one for me. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and it did drag ( or maybe it was me) in the middle a bit.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. Cloe is suppose to meet her Mother at her childhood home. But when she gets there, there is no sign of her Mother other than a chicken burning in the oven, And then you're on a rollercoaster ride from there on. This was such a fun thriller.

Like Mother, Like Daughter, by Kimberly McCreight, was a thoroughly enjoyable thriller involving a mother who is both more and less than she appears and a young adult daughter who is much more than she knows. Their relationship is filled with stress, strain, and an overabundance of guilt. McCreight is a master of development, creating nuanced characters that are allowed to grow as the story progresses. The story is a bit too convoluted to be believable, with several subplots interwoven. Nonetheless, the resolution left this reader both breathless and satisfied. Who can ask for more?
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for sending me a digital ARC. I appreciated the opportunity.

I had a really good time with this one from the start, although it started to lose me a little bit in the middle. The initial setup and all the questions it brought with it made for a brilliant setup to the mystery, But as the story progressed, it felt like we were focused on the same elements with little pay off for 15-20% of the book and in my opinion at the most crucial time. I found myself annoyed at Cleo and her dumb decisions, but then I looked at the adults in her life and I kind of get it. In the end, this wrapped up nicely...maybe a little too nicely, but overall enjoyable.

Four stars. I loved the beginning, but it did get a little bit slow in the middle and towards the end. However, the ending was unexpected and no loose ends. Thank you to Natale and the publisher for the free advanced readers copy in exchange for honest review.

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight is a multilayered thriller that kept me fully engaged in the suspense throughout.
There are multiple storylines—the disappearance of Katrina, the determined investigation by her daughter, Cleo, and the whistle-blowing intrigue of a pharmaceutical company’s cover-up involving a dangerous medication it produces. There are also an intriguing cast of characters, both adult and adolescent, that contribute to the plot’s momentum.
Katrina’s story unfolds several days before her disappearance. Cleo’s timeline is from present day to the days after her mother’s disappearance. Cleo especially is interesting to follow as she goes from being a messy, immature college student to becoming a brave tenacious champion of her mother’s plight.
While initially the two timelines felt choppy, with distracting excerpts from litigation, Reddit and media posts, the second half of the book had the timelines flowing more smoothly and the dramatic tension mounting nicely. The conclusion is intelligent and has some great twists.
This novel is both domestic thriller and family drama, and it uses the characters to make observations about motherhood, children, and female friendships. A wide age range of readers who enjoy women’s fiction with their suspense will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Alfred Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC. This is my honest review.

What a twisted web of lies! I liked the story overall, it had a lot of twists and unexpected turns. The switch of characters and time line was a little hard to follow at times, but it worked well to unwind the events of the story. I found myself surprised by several things as the story unfolded. I would read more by this author as I found her writing easy to read. I received an advance copy from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

While the blurb of Like Mother, Like Daughter sounded very intriguing this one didn't keep my attention like I thought it was going to. I didn't care to much for the back of forth as it kind of confused me a little. Also the long chapter made it hard to want to keep going sometimes. I did power through the book because I wanted to know how it ended and was ok with the ending. It wasn't bad but it wasn't like "Bam" good either. over a decent thriller.

McCreight's Like Mother, Like Daughter delivers a riveting tale of secrets and suspense that will keep you hooked from start to finish. The story masterfully explores the complex relationship between Cleo and her mother, Kat, unraveling layers of deception and hidden truths. With its well-crafted characters and gripping plot, this novel is an emotional rollercoaster that delves deep into the bonds of family and the lengths we'll go to protect those we love. An enthralling read that stays with you long after you turn the last page.

While this is definitely different than McCreight's last, I still found a lot to enjoy here. You may not be on the edge of your seat, but you will be deeply invested in characters. To me, that is what matters in a book like this.

I loved this book! It kept me guessing from the beginning to the end! You think it is going one way, and it turns another. The way it flipped back and forth between Kat and Cleo was cool, but the little journal entries and text messages were a little confusing, but I think that helped give to the overall thrill.

Wow! What a captivating, suspenseful tale! I went into this somewhat blind and was pleasantly surprised with the twists and red herrings! There was a lot going on here and I was fully engaged as each character’s story unfolded. Some of my predictions played out but not in the way I envisioned!

Kimberly McCreight returns following Friends Like These with her latest hit, LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER. < In this twisty yet emotional and thought-provoking page-turner, the author brilliantly explores the complex relationships between mother and daughter —ultimately, a powerful love story.

There are lies, secrets, and the truth.
Which is more dangerous?

About...

Cleo is a student at NYU, and upon arriving home at her childhood brownstone home in Brooklyn, she is shocked to find her mother, Kat, missing with her bloody shoe under the sofa. She is not the type to disappear.

What has happened to her mom? She immediately calls her father.

Kat is a powerful corporate lawyer, but does she really know her mother? She is a perfectionist, strict, and overprotective.

Cleo, a college student, is rebellious and impulsive. Kat, her mother, is not just a lawyer, but the firm's fixer. Their relationship is strained due to Cleo's rebellious nature and Kat's overprotectiveness.

We learn about a high-profile pharmacy case impacting people's lives.
Then a ghost from the past threatens to resurface.
Aidan, a husband in need of money. How far will he go?

Cleo and her mom were at odds because Kyle (a trust fund drug dealer) had gotten her mixed up in drugs. Kat made the problem go away.

Nice corporate law partners did not show up with cops making illegal threats. She was not winning any medals with her daughter, but she needed to keep her safe. That was all that mattered.

Alternating between two timelines:
~Cleo frantically searches for her mother while unraveling secrets worried her mom may be involved with dangerous people.

~The alternate timeline begins eight days and a countdown before Katrina's disappearance and the events leading up to the present.

We also get transcripts of recorded sessions with Cleo and her therapist that her mom insisted on due to the drug dealing and info about the pharmaceutical company and drug reactions.

What happened to Katrina McHugh?

My thoughts...

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER is an electrifying exploration of the intense relationship between mother and daughter. Get ready for a wild roller coaster ride. It's a captivating, suspenseful, and emotionally gripping journey that draws you in, making you feel deeply connected to the characters.

I enjoyed learning about Katrina's past. She is tough and wants the best for her daughter. Cleo has no clue what her mom has gone through. Multi-layered, the author keeps you turning the pages with the gripping alternating dual POV that will have you on the edge of your seat!

Character-driven, this fierce mother-daughter domestic thriller showcases Cleo and Kat's strengths and love for one another! Get this one on your TBR list. I'm a big fan of the author; she always delivers smartly written thrillers.

Recs...

For fans of the author and those who enjoy women's domestic fiction and psychological thrillers with a legal twist. Fans of authors, Mary Kubica, Michele Campbell, Wendy Walker, Jodi Picoult, Heather Gudenkauf, and Megan Miranda will enjoy.

Audiobook...

I also listened to the audiobook narrated by my favorite narrators, Cassandra Campbell, and Olivia Campbell, for a suspenseful, riveting, and engaging performance, making the characters come alive!

Special thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for a gifted digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 30, 2024
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I enjoyed this author’s other novel, A Good Marriage, so I was excited to read her latest. This one had a lot more mystery elements to it and kept me guessing. I enjoyed the satisfying ending and thought the story developed nicely. It isn’t a super shocking novel, but overall a solid mystery.

Like Mother Like Daughter is a fast paced mystery and thriller. Cleo comes home to meet her mom for dinner only to find food burning in the kitchen and her mom Kat missing. Cleo has to try and piece together what has happened and where to find her. The book shifts back and forth in time as do the character’s chapters. I enjoyed the pacing and was immediately pulled into the story. There are several plot lines and really held my interest and kept me turning the pages. Thank you to Knopf and to NetGalley for an advance copy. Like Mother Like Daughter is available now.