I love a multi-generational story and reading about complex relationships. This was an emotional rollercoaster with depth I wasn't expecting. I appreciated the well-placed humor and found that it helped me maintain the mental capacity to keep reading.
This is a deep dive into the dynamics of nurture vs. nature and the importance of a mother. But it also highlights resentment, hurt, generational trauma, and perspective.
I can see how this may not be a book for everyone, but it is well written, and I found the characters well developed. They had elements that made them likeable and unlikeable, and that added realism for me. I found the generational spanning of time well done, and I wanted so much for a moment of enlightenment.

Strong multigenerational drama featuring strong female characters. I really enjoyed this novel and would seek out additional books by the author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc.

This story is a personal look into three generations of abused women. The husband is the culprit in the first generation, and when he removes his burdensome wife from the home, he directs his anger towards his daughter.
The daughter then grows up and becomes a terrible mother, subjecting her daughter to similar abuse she suffered. But the daughter, Grace, decides to dig into her family's past, hoping to determine why her mother is like she is. In the process, she creates a fiction book that strongly resembles actual family history. For her mother, it's unnatural; you don't talk about your past, you don't share family secrets. For Grace, the book becomes both a tool for healing, and a stake in her mother's heart.
Beautifully written, with a concise plot and vivid characters, this is an excellent choice for readers of family drama.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Random House for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really struggled with this one — as someone who LOVES character-driven, messy family sagas, I was really looking forward to this, but unfortunately I had a lot of issues with pacing throughout the entire book(too slow at the beginning and then RUSHING through major plot developments at the end) I didn’t feel invested in any characters.. Really loved the premise and multigenerational POVs structure but this one just didn’t do it for me!

3.5 stars
I enjoyed this story of mothers & daughters in contemporary society. The first half was more compelling for me but I was still invested from start to finish in the dynamics!
*Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley

*Like Mother, Like Mother* had a strong start and an intriguing premise but ultimately fell short of my expectations.

Spanning generations, the novel follows Lila, who rises to become a top editor in Washington D.C. after her mother is institutionalized by her cruel father in 1960s Detroit. Prioritizing career over family, she strains her relationship with her youngest daughter, Grace, who later writes a fictionalized account of Lila’s life, sparking a search for the truth about her grandmother.

While Lila wasn’t likable, I found her storyline more compelling than Grace’s. The novel also spent too much time on minor characters like Grace’s roommate, Ruth. Despite its themes of family drama and ambition, I struggled to connect with the characters, making the lengthy narrative feel even slower.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC which I read in exchange for. my honest review.

Like Mother, Like Mother is a lovely, beautifully-written, layered tale of multiple generations of women. I recommend this insightful read.

Thank you Susan Rieger, Random House, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

The messy, yet engaging generations in this book drew me in quickly. The characters weren’t perfect, but Rieger still made you care about them. Well done.

I enjoyed reading this book about three generations of strong women. Their stories are interwoven by a family mystery and the trauma passed down through the generations. As the title implies it is about mothers and daughters who are very much alike. Thanks, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This multi-generational novel highlights strong, complex female characters. I didn't really like all of them, but in many ways I understood them (although personally, I would have made different choices). Overall, I really enjoyed this, but I did find myself feeling that the male characters were really one-dimensional. Perhaps that was intentional.

I loved the beginning. Great writing and promising characters and premise. The pace felt like a slog and I struggled to keep picking it up.

This multi-generational family drama is more than the glowing blurbs promise. It has the old and the new, the heartbreaking and the hopeful – in short – “all the things.” As the title indicates, this is the story of a mother, and her mother, and her daughter. Lila is the central character, daughter of a mother who wasn’t there when she was growing up in Detroit. She has a fighting spirit, surviving her abusive father, graduating college despite the lack of funds and support. Lila meets the ideal husband (and father), gains the best possible mother-in-law, and has three daughters of her own while becoming the prestigious and powerful executive editor of the quintessential Washington, D. C. newspaper, known to and respected by all the powerbrokers in politics. Yet – she is not the conventional mother the youngest of her three daughters, Grace, wants.
In an interview, Rieger says that while Lila “…is the beating heart of the book, the pulse of the book is her daughter Grace.” Grace becomes a young author, writing thinly veiled autobiographical tale of growing up with her mother who never made her lunches, went to PTO meetings, or picked her up from dance class. Grace’s dad, a marvel of a minor character if there ever was one, who does or arranges for those tasks. Lila does give Grace purpose – in the form of a charge – to learn what happened to Lila’s missing, presumed dead, mother. This challenging journey reflects the changing times despite cultural expectations, and reveals some twists you might not see coming. Like Mother, Like Mother is in development for a television series.
Rieger, a graduate of Columbia Law School, has worked as a residential college dean at Yale and as an associate provost at Columbia, as well as taught law to undergraduates at both schools. Her two previous novels are The Heirs and The Divorce Papers.

This is a multigenerational story of 3 women-Zelda, the missing mother, who was institutionalized by her abusive husband; her daughter Lila, raised by her father and becomes a powerful journalist and detached mother of Grace, who was mostly raised by her father as well. Grace writes a book about her mother and also tries to find out what really happened to Zelda. The narrative is a bit uneven--at times, I couldn't put the book down and other times, I struggled to focus on the page. But overall, I enjoyed this one much more than I thought I would.

A compelling family saga that explores the complexities of family dynamics, ambition, and the secrets that shape our lives. The writing is crisp and evocative painting a vivid picture the characters struggles and triumphs. I found the story thought provoking.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I truly disliked the mother character, Lila, so much in the beginning of this book that by the time it got to the political crux of the storyline, I immediately put this book down and decided not to finish. Not for me.

While I believe this was a well written story, the genre was not my cup of tea. Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the advanced copy!

"Like Mother, Like Mother" is a captivating exploration of generational secrets, familial bonds, and the complex dynamics between mothers and daughters. Set against the backdrop of 1960s Detroit and the cutthroat world of American media, the novel masterfully delves into the life of Lila Pereira, a woman who rises to the top by sacrificing everything, including her relationship with her daughters. The author skillfully weaves a narrative about ambition, power, and the hidden truths that shape the paths of three generations of women, each struggling to reconcile their past with their future.

The novel shines with its well-developed characters, particularly the poignant portrayal of Grace, Lila’s youngest daughter, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery while grappling with the legacy of her mother’s choices. The complex emotional landscape explored in "Like Mother, Like Mother" invites readers to reflect on identity, family history, and the weight of secrets that are passed down through the generations. This thought-provoking and richly layered story is an unforgettable tribute to the complexities of family and the forces that define us.

“Like Mother, Like Mother” by Susan Rieger is the story of three generations of women. Lila was brought up believing her mother (who had been committed to an insane asylum by her abusive husband) had died. As an adult, she focused only on work, leaving the childraising to her (sainted!) husband. Her youngest daughter writes a fictional account of her mother’s life, and speculates that her grandmother Zelda didn’t die all those years ago and went on to live a different life.

There were parts of this novel I found to be really fascinating and parts I thought that dragged a bit. I didn’t find the characters to be all that appealing, to be perfectly honest. I think I liked the premise of the store more than the actual story.
Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for an ARC of this novel. My opinion is my own.

This story is so immediately engrossing. I’ll never forget the character of Lila. She is so fully drawn - brash and unapologetically herself. I enjoyed the multigenerational plot. It was fascinating to watch Grace examine and wrestle with the lives of her foremothers and what the past will mean for her future. I appreciate that the characters are messy and real, but also easy to empathize with.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Like mother, like mother was an excellent read. I loved the writing and it was propulsive. Great character study. I would read more from this author.