Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight is a thriller about how college student Cleo comes home for dinner one night to find her mom missing. There are clues that something bad has happened, but she's not sure what. This book kept my attention because I wanted to know what happened to Cleo's mom, but there were so many bad decisions being made that it was a little frustrating at times to read. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

Like Mother, Like Daughter by Kimberly McCreight was just an okay read for me. I appreciated the use of multiple points of view and the back-and-forth timelines, which added some intrigue to the story. However, the protagonist’s life seemed bogged down by an excess of “convenient” problems that felt contrived rather than realistic. This made it difficult for me to fully connect with the story or the characters. While the premise was compelling, the ending lacked impact and left me underwhelmed. Overall, it had some strong elements, but it didn’t quite come together for me.

I wasn’t really feeling this book at first which is why it took me so long to finish it. We meet Cleo who is a student at NYU! Cleo heads home one night to go have dinner with her mother, Kat. But when she’s arrives, her mother isn’t there but her bloody shoe is. What happened to her? There are lots of twists and turns. So many secrets!! I’m glad I didn’t give up on this book! There was a lot going on so it was a little overwhelming but I couldn’t stop turning the pages! Thank you NetGalley, Kimberly, and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC!

NYU student Cleo, a college student, heads to her parent’s home for dinner with her mother, Kat. But when she arrives, her mother is nowhere to be found. There is a chicken burning in the oven and blood on the floor. Then she finds a bloody shoe under the sofa.

Thus begins a hectic search for answers. They’ve had a complicated mother-daughter relationship, and it soon becomes obvious to Cleo that there is more to her mother than she could have imagined. Kat’s role at her law firm is much more than a patent lawyer, and it’s a role that puts her in danger. (I’m being deliberately vague) Moreover, Kat has a traumatic past that Cleo knew nothing about. I really loved the exploration of the mother-daughter relationship and this is where the story shined. The title is apt!

The layers to the story, the dual timelines and POV, as well as the list of potential suspects (just about everyone) made this a page-turner. It can appear at first that there’s perhaps too much going on but the subplots are compelling and the author brought it all together flawlessly.

• I received a digital copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Kimberly McCreight is such an underrated mystery author! I need more readers to discover her books. She writes twisty, but not cheesy, stories that keep you intrigued, but the pay-off is there. These are not popcorn thrillers, they are smart, literary, and enjoyable. Can't wait to share this with others so they can experience the brilliance too!

I really enjoyed this twisting turning thriller. So many suspicious characters and questionable behavior, you have no idea which way its going to go until the very end.

Kat is a high powered lawyer in NYC. Type A personality who likes to control everyone and every thing. Cleo, Kat's estranged daughter, is beyond frustrated with her mom and her controlling. Why can't her mom just let her live her life and make her own decisions even if there are some mistakes along the way, isn't that what growing up is supposed to be?

One day Kat finally gets Cleo to agree to come home from college for dinner but when Cleo arrives, Kat is no where to be seen. A pot of water boiling, a cold glass of water, and a bloody shoe left behind send Cleo reeling. Where is her mom?

In this book you follow Kat in the days leading up to dinner with Cleo and Cleo after she gets home not finding her mom there.

Not only was this book very twisty and left me questioning where this was going until the very end, but I really loved getting both Kat and Cleo's perspective. Hearing Kat describe her love of Cleo and desire to protect and take care of her while hearing Cleo talk about the controlling and judgement she always felt from her mom was so interesting. I really enjoyed reading the love this mother and daughter had for each other and how each work to protect the other.

This story had my attention from the beginning. The mother/daughter relationship can be very emotional. I was brought back to my rebellious days as a teen. But now as a mom I can relate more to Kat, as she tried her hardest to protect her daughter. I didn’t guess it, which is a good sign! It was a great read.

*I received a free copy of this novel from NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for my honest review.*

Mom - Kat, Lawyer, divorcing her husband, worried about her daughter.
Daughter - Cleo, student at NYU, dating someone and keeping it from her mother.

Cleo goes home to have dinner with Kat and finds the house empty, food burning in the oven and a bloody shoe so she knows something bad has happened. From there, it is a jump back and forth between Cleo's and Kat's POVs along with several time lines. Cleo is looking for Kat and finding all of the lies that Kat has told. Kat is doing her best to keep her secrets and protect her daughter from herself. And seemingly unrelated articles are sprinkled throughout that leave you wondering what it is all about.

This was a great read and kept me tuned in although there don't seem to be a lot of likeable characters and there is definitely a lot going on that Cleo isn't aware of and Kat is dealing with in her own way. But wanting to see some of the characters get their comeuppance was a great reason to keep me going back to it!

I liked the alternating POVs between the mother and daughter with some texts, emails, transcripts and court documents in between. From those details, I was expecting a faster pace and that “on the edge of your seat” feeling. Sometimes it felt like there was too much going on and you’re wondering if the subplots actually connect to the story as a whole. The ending picked up the pace and pieced everything together. An entertaining read I’d recommend to newer thriller readers!

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf for this ARC!

Like many the storyline did move slowly but the characterization was quite nice. Do know there will be readers that enjoy this.

This is my first book by Kimberly McCreight but certainly not my last! Officially a fan! This is a fantastic thriller mixed with family drama, many red herrings and some banger twists!! Cleo and her mom Kat don’t have the best relationship, but when Cleo comes home from college and finds a bloody scene and her mom is nowhere to be found, she is determined to find her. This book is a masterclass of elegantly weaved storylines from multiple POVs. One from current day forward (Cleo) and one from the time leading up to the day Kat went missing (Kat).

This story had me hooked from the beginning and I could not put it down because I needed to know what happened!

Highly, highly recommend!!!

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.