This book totally grabbed me with its focus on three generations of women: Lila, Grace, and Zelda. It’s all about how not just physical traits but also so many personality traits are passed down through the family, often in ways we don’t even realize.

I was really hooked on the mystery of what happened to Zelda—it kept me turning the pages. The characters were super interesting, though I found the dialogue a bit weird and old-fashioned. The conversations felt stiff and impersonal, and sometimes questions ended with periods instead of question marks, which threw me off a bit.

The book also has a strong left-leaning political angle, just something to be aware of.

It wasn’t my absolute favorite read, but it was definitely unique. I enjoyed getting into the women’s lives and seeing how their stories connected. Grace’s relationship with her mother, complicated by her mom’s busy job and reliance on nannies, was really touching. The storytelling was a bit tricky with its back-and-forth timelines, but it gave a cool, almost nostalgic feel. If you’re into stories about family dynamics and personal struggles, this one’s worth checking out.

An interesting tale that spans generations about shows how all family choices are intertwined. The author did a great job of presenting the characters. I felt as though the grandmother totally playing ignorant at the end was a little lacking and would have liked to develop that storyline more but interesting that they were similar “non-mothers” to all children despite different circumstances.

“Like Mother, Like Mother” by Susan Rieger is a beautifully crafted novel that delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships with wit and depth. Rieger’s prose is sharp and insightful, making the dynamics between her characters resonate with authenticity and emotional depth. The story unfolds with a series of letters, emails, and texts, a format that adds a modern twist to the narrative and keeps the pace brisk. While the novel occasionally feels slightly contrived with its reliance on epistolary elements, it still offers a compelling exploration of family ties and personal growth. It’s a rewarding read that earns four stars for its clever structure and heartfelt storytelling.

A novel for women about 3 generations of women, entwined. The Starbirds, a group of friends. The raveling and unraveling of relationships.

"I've been thinking a lot about your mother and mine," Grace said. "Having a baby does that to you. your perspective changes." And your perspective of influence, genetics, and decisions will shift as you read, too.

I found myself pulled in many directions as I read, hoping for a happy ending. And when I closed the book, I felt satisfied, if not exactly happy. Rieger is a storyteller, no doubt about it.

Recommended for when life is in a lull and you want to live in someone else's chaos and adventure.

As soon as I started this book I was hooked. The story really just hit and was an emotional read for me. I will definitely be thinking about this book for a long while after finishing it. I would read more from this author in the future- the book was written extremely well. I definitely will be grabbing a physical copy to annotate for my shelf!

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press books for this ARC. This was a powerful book about being a mother and how trauma can affect generation after generation. Spousal abuse begets trauma. Not wanting to be a mother, or having a mother as a role model, begets more trauma. We are ever learning about the effects of generational trauma and how it effects your generations in the way people act and are able to care for those around them. This, although fiction, is a fascinating example of such in the lives of the women throughout a couple generations.

"Wow! 'Like Mother, Like Mother' is an exceptional exploration of multigenerational family trauma and drama. The story revolves around Zelda, a young mother of three, who was committed to an insane asylum by her abusive husband, where she ultimately died. Or did she? Lila, the youngest of Zelda's children, achieved great success but remained emotionally distant as a mother. Her youngest daughter, Grace, felt the absence of maternal love and embarked on a quest for answers. The vivid characters from this novel would translate beautifully into a streaming series. I will be thinking about Zelda, Lila, and Grace for a long time. This book should definitely be on your to-be-read list!"

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House for the ARC to read and review with my honest opinions.

insert that video of jamie lee curtis that’s like:

trauma. family trauma. generational trauma, family trauma. you know, generational trauma. generational trauma. generational trauma. trauma. trauma. trauma. trauma. TROWMA. THIS IS WHAT TROWMA LOOKS LIKE!!!

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC

“Like Mother Like Mother” by Susan Rieger is a novel about three generations of strong women who must deal with the fallout of having been raised by an abusive father and absent mother. Although I enjoyed seeing what happened to the characters, I found most of the unlikeable and the constant jumping from time period to time period very confusing. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is a family drama that follows three generation of women, and with that there is a lot to unpack.

I loved how this story looked at trauma and women’s reactions to traumatic events. How can two women experience basically the same trauma or situation, and yet, react, develop and grow so differently. The storyline explored that and showcased how trauma can change the direction of one’s life - the relationships yearned for and the relationships developed.

Additionally, it delved into gender roles and how women should behave as mothers. I did not grow up with a compassionate mother. She was tough and cold, and that made Lila more relatable to me. I am not saying my mother or Lila depict bad mothers, but they are definitely different than the stereotypical norm society expects mothers to be.

While this book portrayed strength and the importance of female relationships very well, there were parts that didn’t work for me. At times I felt there was too much unnecessary detail in storytelling, which actually detracted from the plot and the character development. Because I read thrillers, I thought there were details I needed in these parts, so I spent a lot of time with them. If you read like me, feel free to skim these parts knowing you won’t miss anything. The side stories and characters, while interesting, didn’t necessarily add to the main characters of the trajectory of the main storyline. Additionally, the dialog was clunky and unnatural. This was my biggest struggle with the book. It made the pacing slow and distracting.

Lastly, I usually avoid books that push a politically agenda, and while this book does lean left, I did not feel like it pushed readers to that side of the aisle. Feel free to pick this one up no matter which political party you support.

I was honored to be invited to read an ARC and participate in an early reader book club discussion which was very interesting! Thanks to Dial Press and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved reading the story of three generations through Zelda, Lila, and Grace. The close friendship between Ruth and Grace was an added bonus. This novel had great character development and explored what it means to be a mother in a fascinating way.

Wow - what a ride! I wasn't expecting this to be a three-generational saga with multi families crisis-crossing each other in unexpected ways. The author did an amazing job of drawing you into the story and depicting the characters as multi-dimensional people. It had a.little of Hollywood intrigue, Washington DC insiders and a tremendous amount about journalism and family dynamics. It's a mystery and a family story. Loved it and highly recommend it.

Too many characters, confusing plot line for me.
I do appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for providing early access to this title.

Wonderful generational family story with strong, well developed characters, each interesting in their own way. The plot has some mystery, some surprises and ultimately weaves the cast of characters together. It also touches on genealogy and the Pandora’s box it sometimes unleashes.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was so happy to receive this book! I really liked Lila’s story about her life and the decisions she made. She was tough. I wasn’t crazy about Grace and Ruth’s stories. I will be recommending this book!

Lila Pereira is beautiful, successful, hard-working, and happily married. However, her abusive upbringing and inexplicably absent mother has colored the way she raises her own three girls: She makes sure they're well-cared for, properly educated, and unharmed, but has a difficult time showing them affection, instead immersing herself into her work as an executive editor at The Washington Globe. Her husband, Joe, is there to pick up the slack, but the lack of motherly love most affects her youngest daughter, Grace. As an adult, Grace finds her own success, but remains curious about what really happened to Lila's mother Zelda. She sets out on a quest for the truth that Lila herself never sought. "Like Mother, Like Mother" is a comprehensive look at the consequences of maternal involvement (or lack thereof) through three generations of women and the effects on those who love them. But, more importantly, it challenges the traditional gender roles in which women are so often pigeonholed. Rieger asks the question: How are we affected by the women in our lives who dare to reject those roles? With a long cast of characters, Rieger illustrates the far reaching impacts of that very question. This is a bold, touching, and intimate look at what happens when women put themselves first.

Like Mother, Like Mother by Susan Rieger follows three generations of women—Zelda, who was committed to an asylum when her daughter, Lila, was just two, and Lila's youngest child, Grace. A emotional novel about the complex nature of motherhood that I couldn't put down. This book will definitely stay with me a long time. Highly recommend!!

I honestly expected to hate this novel. I typically avoid multi-generational sagas with family secrets. So, when I tell you that this is one of the best books I've read this year, trust that it is a great book. Rieger's prose is compelling and smooth - she draws you in and pulls you along effortlessly. I hated having to put the book down. The characters come alive on the page, and you can practically see them in front of you, telling their stories. While they might not be particularly likeable, Lila, Grace, and Zelda are definitely complex women who are true to themselves. I love that even though there are secrets, some truly buried and others just not discussed in detail by family members, there's not a great deal of angst. Grace can be a bit whiny, but Lila is no-nonsense, and all of the actions and emotions feel true. The format of the novel - detailing first Lila, followed by her daughter and then her mother, is perfect for this story. While this feels more like Grace's tale overall, Lila is the center. Having a deeper understanding of her enables the reader to see Grace's similarities. Then we get Zelda's story and can see the threads of personality that flow through all three women. It's a brilliant novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and DialPress for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

At it’s core, Like Mother Like Mother is a story about generational trauma. The story told mostly by Lila, Grace, and Zelda, a matriarchal line of about three generations, and many secondary familial additions. Author Susan Riegar takes readers through their experiences in life and love, and explain how similar they are to one another despite how much they all may not want to admit. Grace does a majority of the unraveling of their family’s influences and history to come to terms with her relationship with her mother. It’s through Grace that readers get a complete picture of the overarching narrative and a lot of the themes Riegar hopes to get across.

Overall, I rated this book a 2.75/5 stars. The general theme and part 3 of the book were the highpoints of the novel for me. I thought that the story was nuanced and layered to help readers see the impacts of generational trauma. The twist that comes in part 3 was interesting and helped wrap up the story. I wanted to finish the story and see what happens, and that always means this story will get at least two stars from me.

The difficulty I had with this story was mostly the writing style. The narrative was very stream of consciousness and felt sudden and circular. One minute we’s be talking about one moment and the next paragraph we could be from a completely different perspective or time period. It was often hard to read. The general construction of the story was a lot of retelling moments from the main narrator’s past, so it felt like it took a while to get to the topics of the biggest interest. I often got bored when reading certain sections because I didn’t feel like the story was moving anywhere.

All-in-all, this story has great elements and ideas but, for me, missed the landing.

I devoured Like Mother, Like Mother. The more I read, the more I couldn't stop reading this multi-generational story of mothers and daughters, strength, loss, secrets and identity. Each generation had characters that were so interesting, and the story was compelling. Susan Rieger did a great job of creating a fast-paced saga. I can't wait to check out her other work.