Member Reviews
Kimberly McCreight does it again as she presents a tale of a mother-daughter relationship full of twists and turns. The story brings life to multiple characters and addresses real-life issues in a format that is easy to follow. With suspense at every corner, the reader will be reaching for the next page in order to get to the end of the story.
A somewhat estranged college-aged daughter complies with her mother’s wishes to come by the house since they haven’t seen each other in a while. When the reluctantly daughter arrives, food is burning on the stove, and her mom is gone but blood remains. Where is her mom? And that’s just the very first chapter! Oh did this book suck me right in. I loved the short chapters where you’re not really sure what they mean or who is the narrator of these little bits. The “transcripts” and text threads thrown in add to the suspense and tension that’s constantly building.
This is a phenomenal book - from the first chapter and throughout the entire thrilling ending. I read this in one day because I could not put it down. There were so many little storylines in here that I just loved. The chapters go back and forth between right before she goes missing into hours after she’s missing so it all takes place in a very short time period adding to the fast pace of this book. Where is the missing mother? Why is she missing? What do the texts mean that she received? What secrets are being kept? Do yourself a favor and pre-order this book! Thank you to Knopf Publishing and Kimberly McCreight for this absolute thriller of an ARC.
This novel combines a riveting mystery with a family drama. Cleo and Kat, mother and daughter, have a very difficult relationship. Added to this is the “likable” father who uses his power to manipulate them and his own financial situation.
When Kat is missing from home and a pool of blood is left, Cleo begins to investigate on her own. She uncovers her mother’s past and present issues. It is the support of her current beau that helps her get through the trauma of what she uncovers. But, with unimaginable twists, the reader journeys to find Kat, and the truth of her background.
The book certainly kept me engaged. The story is narrated by both Kat and Cleo. The author cleverly inserts several potential villains, keeping us all guessing. I enjoyed this, as I had McCreight’s earlier novels. This is simply a great read. .
Thank you Netgalley for this compelling drama/mystery!
Thank you NetGalley & Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review can also be found on Goodreads.
Admittedly, I know I am going to be an outlier with this rating and review. It was not my cup of tea. A long story short: I found the plot to be too slow, there were too many characters and side quests to keep track of, I was never hooked into the story, and I did not enjoy the writing style. While it was not my jam, plenty others have enjoyed it, and maybe you will, too!
When Cleo discovers that her mother (Kay), who she is slightly estranged from, has gone missing she begins to panic. The investigation begins, and Cleo feels it is her duty to help find her mother. Part of this is because she feels the investigation isn't doing enough, and part of this is guilt from the lack of relationship she and her mother have had over the years. We are thrown into multiple POVs and timelines, as well as multiple outside sources - such as therapy transcripts, legal documents, newspapers, etc. The reader backtracks through Kat's life leading up to her disappearance, while also tandem reading from Cleo's present day post disappearance. There are a lot of little connections I found tedious and unnecessary. However, if you enjoy those kind of reading breadcrumbs, you'll likely enjoy this read.
"Like Mother, Like Daughter" by Kimberly McCreight is a harrowing tale of suspense and drama that made me keep turning the pages till the very end.
The novel begins with a prologue that is chilling and beautiful as it is the telling of a mother's love and how it is her job to protect her baby from birth till the very end, and to "fix" whatever needs fixing. I had goosebumps while reading this because I knew it was a foreboding and foretelling of how crazy this book was going to be.
This book involves 2 POVs of a mother and daughter, some transcripts between a therapist and the daughter, as well as court documents involving an anti-seizure medication that is being heavily investigated for adverse effects and problems involving pregnant women.
Without giving away too much, this story revolves around a mother and daughter that have a very estranged relationship due to things that have happened in the past. The mother, Katrina, is a lawyer working for a huge firm, and the daughter, Cleo, is attending NYU as a student. Cleo is heading to her mother's for dinner to reconnect and hopefully put differences aside when she arrives and finds that her mother is not at home, and she finds a used wine glass, burnt food that has been left on the stove, and a shoe with blood on it. What has happened to Katrina? Why is Katrina and Cleo's relationship so rocky? And why does everyone seem to be involved?
This was a tense, action-packed thriller that left no questions unanswered. I was thoroughly engaged throughout the entirety of it, and I had a blast reading it. By the last 20% of it, you are thinking that all of the supporting characters play somewhat of a role in Katrina's disappearance, and it is not till the end when everything comes together with a really fun twist that made me gasp. This story was also beautiful because it delved into flashbacks of Katrina and Cleo and how their relationship was not always on the fence. There were so many characters, but the author does a phenomenal job of keeping you in line and understanding of who they all are. I loved this so much, and I highly recommend it! Huge thanks to KNOPF publishing and Kimberly McCreight herself for an ARC of this amazing thriller and family drama in exchange for my honest opinion!
I am a huge fan of Kimberly McCreight, but this one fell short for me. There was so many characters that I had a hard time distinguishing who was who and who did what. Of course that added to the suspense of the plot, but in the end, it was a whole lot of build up for an anticlimactic ending. The plot was so good and so detailed with so many moving component I was literally sitting on the edge of my seat. But it was as all over in a matter of a couple pages leaving me feeling disappointed. However, it was a good story. There was a small amount of grammatical errors, none too shocking for an unedited ARC. However the reference to the law firm (Blair, Stevenson) drove me NUTS! Shouldn’t it be Blair & Stevenson?
Thank you to Kimberly McCreight & Penguin Random House for the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book!
thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC of this book!
Like Mother, Like Daughter weaves a story of a complex mother/daughter relationship. When Cleo comes home for dinner with her mother, Katrina, she finds her missing. Cleo must unearth details of Kat’s life and career in order to find clues about what, and who, caused her disappearance.
This book never really “hooked” me. I felt that it was very drawn out and there were too many side plots and characters to focus on the main ones. The twist was a good one, but with 3% of the book left… it felt too late. The story just felt a little too unrealistic for a legal thriller. Overall it was a solid 3 star read.
I really enjoyed this! The story features a complex mother/daughter relationship and I think it was done in a really compelling way.
When Cleo, a student at NYU, visits her estranged mother in Brooklyn one afternoon she discovers a disturbing scene. Her mother is nowhere to be found but dinner is burning in the oven and a bloody shoe appears to be left behind. Cleo has her issues with the woman, but learning that she may be in danger sets her off on a path to discover her secrets about her mother’s past.
This was a pretty faced past read with some decent twists. I found Cleo’s father to be so repulsive, perhaps because he was so awful in a somewhat realistic way. If you look up “gaslighting” in the dictionary I’m confident you’ll see that man’s face.
The only thing I didn’t love was how quickly things wrapped up at the very, very end. I’m not a big fan of epilogues that have to explain parts of the “big reveal” to the readers. Otherwise, this was an entertaining plot that I’ll definitely recommend!
Families and marriages are not always what they seem. This book was an excellent example of why I love domestic thrillers so much.
The plot centers around Cleo, the daughter that comes home to a violent scene to find her mother, Katrina, is gone. In the search for her, Cleo uncovers secrets about her parents and their marriage, all while keeping secrets of her own. This book was a bit of a slow burn with dry areas in parts where I was tempted to flip ahead. Yet, there were enough twists thrown in to keep me guessing. I would actually like to read this book again to pick up the parts that kind of lost me.
A solid 3 stars for the story as well as the author being one of my favorites. Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Knopf for the ARC copy.
Thank you for this book and exchange for my honest review.
I have liked every single book by the author… except for this one. From page one, I found it hard to get into the plot and to relate to it. This is not my favorite by this author, unfortunately. However, one of the things that this author does really well is that she is very descriptive with her characters.
This book definitely got my 5 stars for 2023 read. The twists and turns between mother and daughter were amazing. Long time fan of the author but she really wrote a crazy ride of a story.
A bunch of twists and a mother-daughter relationship suspense should have grabbed my attention right away, but it fell short. I didn't connect with this title like I had with previous stories from McCreight. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Grabbed my attention from the beginning! I wish I could have read this one sitting. It was fast paced and had a lot of information packed in each chapter. When I would return to reading I needed a quick recap of where I left off.
The story was told through multiple POVs: Kat/mom (in the days leading up to her disappearance) and Cleo/daughter (in the time after Kat’s disappearance).
This was a solid 5 stars from me!
Thank you NetGalley, Kimberly McCreight, and Knopf for this audiobook ARC opportunity.
I was so excited to read this but this ended up being super disappointing and predictable. I just wasn’t invested in the story.
This book starts out with a bang. We find out that one MC is missing when her daughter comes home to find signs of foul play. Then it is a backwards slide into events leading up to her disappearance. I was hooked from the start and then when I didn't think I could be shocked anymore, the author throws in one last twist that makes for a fitting ending.
Kimberly McCreight is a new author for me. I couldn't put this book down. It is a fast paced thriller.
Cleo returns from NYU to visit her mom in Park Slope for dinner, only to find a pool of blood and dinner burning in the kitchen- with no sign of her mom. Told from Kat’s perspective before the incident, and Cleo’s after, you try to piece together the story lines.
The story took unexpected twists and kept you
guessing until the very end.
This was a great thriller and i highly recommend.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review
One star. This book was painful to read with a pilot that felt ridiculous. Mosy certainly a do not finish for me. Do not recommend ……..
This was one of my favorite thrillers of 2023 (so I’ll be recommending it like crazy when it officially comes in July of 2024)! This twisty story is one that takes you down many paths and through a variety of characters, but none are “throwaway” plot lines or characters, as McCreight artfully weaves them all together.
This book is told in alternating POVs between a mother and daughter with a strained relationship, as well as alternating timelines, leading up to and after the mother goes missing. It’s interesting reading the mother’s side leading up to her disappearance and the daughter’s perspective as she slowly unravels an intricate side to her mother she never knew existed as she attempts to get to the bottom of her mother’s disappearance.
Even though I predicted some of the twists and turns, it kept me guessing until the end! This is a fast page-turner that I definitely recommend. I’ve never read any of McCreight’s previous works but can’t wait to turn to those after flying through this one!
(Thank you NetGalley, Knopf, and Kimberly McCreight for a free e-ARC in exchange for this honest review!)
I love a book that hooks me from the beginning and keeps me guessing all the way through. Even if I did suspect who was involved early on Kimberly McCreight's Like Mother, Like Daughter gave me just enough to keep me guessing and with so many suspects you couldn't be sure who to trust.
Cleo and her Mother are at odds over Cleo's boyfriend, a drug dealer who has been turning their lives upside down. Kat asks Cleo to come by to discuss something important, but when she shows up to find her mother missing and blood left behind Cleo begins to see that her Mother's picture perfect life may be far from it. Is her ex involved? an unhappy client? Something from her past? Cleo's world begins to unravel as she begins to question everything she knows about her Mother.
I loved the mystery, with different timelines and multiple suspects that will have you questioning everything and everyone. I couldn't put it down. I will say that while I love all thing murder/mystery/thriller/romance I am not much for spicy books. While this book wasn't what I would call spicy, there was one intimate scene that left me annoyed. Not because it was too much or too dark like some others but really the description of it was just kind of lame. Fade to black is all I'm saying, allude to it and move on, I'm fine with that, prefer it even.
This book gave you so much to sift through, plenty of suspects, and so many different ways this could go, I loved every minute of it
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for the advanced copy!
In this book, a daughter worked to uncover layers of secrets, history, and plot twists to solve her mother’s disappearance.
I appreciated the complexity of the relationships in this story, especially the parent-child relationships.
The pacing helped build suspense. I was struck by the density of character introductions at the start of the book, but there was a lot of content to get to, so I get it.
I was able to predict the major twist in the book quite a bit before it happened, but honestly, I still liked it.