I found this book to be a very creative three-generation mother-daughter saga. It is not a story to skim through. Lila and Grace are the main protagonists and their characters are well developed. Though Lila is portrayed as unlikable in many ways, the author manages to make her admirable in her career especially in light of her horrific childhood (no further spoilers). And while Grace is at odds with Lila, she decides to follow her mother’s career path. It seems that Lila’s choices around her family can be unexpected but her character is so open and upfront about them, I had to admire the way that she stood by her convictions. And her husband, Joe was the perfect partner for her. I also really enjoyed the secondary characters, including Joe but also Ruth and Frances - they were also well developed and added some different perspectives to the family drama. Although we understand that the”like mother, like mother” piece probably refers to Lila’s mother, we don’t get all the information about Zelda until the end of the book. This revelation was definitely unexpected for me but shed more light on the central theme. I enjoyed the book overall and would recommend it reiterating that it needs to be read carefully to catch the unannounced timeline changes. This style of writing made the book somewhat choppy for me and I didn’t like the general flow. But the story is creative and different, making it a worthwhile read.

This story is a multi generational family saga about mothers and daughters, I loved the strength and determination of Lila, Grace, and Zelda. I found the story to be interesting, and the characters to be relatable and likable. I loved this book, and I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

A beautiful story of generations of strong women.. How they struggle, how they find success. So much alike, but so resentful of their Mother, until they learn some history of their family. Great read.

Like Mother, Like Mother is a multi generational story based mostly on the life of Lila, product of a seemingly dysfunctional family who grows up being told that her mother was placed in an asylum. Lila becomes a journalist and rises to the peak of her profession, but somehow forgets that her daughter, Grace, needs a mother that cares about her as opposed to her job.
I have to admit that it took me a while to become engaged in the story as I developed a dislike for Lila, which could be due to the power of Susan Rieger’s writing. Usually I enjoy multi generational stories but this read left me wanting more. My heart went out to Grace who was so craving attention from Lila. The author did embed politics, which seemed to mirror today’s politics. Personally that may be a detriment to many readers.
Many thanks to Susan Rieger, The Dial Press and NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this read, published on October 29th.

This book might just be the last book to make it onto my favorites list! There are few premises that I like more than a sweeping multigenerational family drama. Lila's story--both in her own perspective and from Grace's--was so captivating I couldn't get enough of it. I think this was such a unique portrayal of motherhood and what it means to be a woman in the world. This will be an easy recommendation and I so quickly bought a copy for my shelves.

As a fan of generational family sagas, I was excited to dive into Like Mother, Like Daughter by Susan Rieger. The novel explores themes of family, marriage, ambition, power, and the legacies we inherit, while examining the self-deceptions we embrace in pursuit of the identities we believe we’re destined to assume
The story begins with the death of 65-year-old Lila Pereira, who succumbs to stage IV lung cancer just two months after retiring as executive editor of The Globe. Company policy mandates that top editors retire at 65, marking Lila’s passing as the end of an era. The narrative then shifts to her childhood in 1960s Detroit, where a traumatic event profoundly shapes her life: at age two, Lila witnesses her father cruelly commit her mother, Zelda, to an insane asylum, never to be seen again. This early trauma sets Lila on a path defined by ambition, success, and personal sacrifice.
While Lila thrives in her career, her family life falters—particularly her relationship with her three daughters: the virtually indistinguishable Stella and Ava, and the youngest, Grace. From the start of motherhood, Lila prioritizes her career over raising her children, relying heavily on a nanny to handle most of the child-rearing. As the novel unfolds, we follow Lila’s rise in the competitive world of journalism, with a political undercurrent becoming a central theme. However, I found the inclusion of a fictional, Trump-like president between the Obama and Biden administrations somewhat distracting—it felt out of place in the broader narrative.
Before Lila’s death, her daughter Grace embarks on a quest to uncover the truth about her grandmother Zelda, who was long presumed dead. Grace’s search to understand her family’s complicated history adds depth to the story, highlighting how trauma is not only an individual burden but also something passed down through generations, deeply affecting the women in Lila’s family.
While Like Mother, Like Daughter intrigued me with its exploration of mother-daughter dynamics and generational legacies, I struggled to fully connect with the story. Despite its ambition and complexity, the emotional resonance I hoped for never quite materialized, leaving me distanced from the often unlikable characters. That said, readers who enjoy multi-generational family dramas and are interested in how trauma reverberates through the years may find this novel more compelling.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and The Dial Press/Random House for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

What a great story!
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Lila Pereira is our FMC. With a brutal upbringing in Detroit, Lila has no choice but to be tough. She was only 2 when her abusive father has her mother committed to an asylum. Therefore, Lila took the brunt of his beatings. You would think this would cause her to be down and out, but instead she seems to be on top from the outside. Married into a wealthy family, in a loving marriage and mother she is also rises to the top as chief editor for the Washington Globe. Yet, there is something missing in her life. It’s not until her youngest daughter starts asking many questions that we start to see all the layers of Lila peeled back.
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Spanning 3 generations this is a story about womanhood, gumption and survival. I loved reading the 3 womens perspectives and I LOVED Lila! Despite all her flaws she had so many good notes as well. She was smart and sharp as a whip. I didn’t want this story to end. Easily one of my favorites this year and one i recommend. Thank you Netgalley and The Dial Press for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Like Mother Like Mother by Susan Rieger
A multi-generational drama that sits in the complexities that form family relationships-- especially that of Lila (mother) and Grace (daughter). Lila comes from an abusive childhood (she carries a knife in the current story because you just never know what could happen....) where her mother was committed to an asylum by her father, never to be heard from again. Three decades later, she has the world at her feet as an editor of a major newspaper. She forgoes mothering her children, leaving that to her able husband Joe. What follows has one of her daughters, Grace, working out how she wishes her mother was actually more of a mother (picking her up from school, showing up for her events)--and trying to untangle the web she was born into. By contrast her sisters accept her mother for exactly who she is -- "Lila is Lila. She. makes no apologies."

I am all for multi-generational, epic stories. I'm also all for character-driven fiction with very little plot engine. This contained both -- but ultimately felt disjointed. I read this over a number of weeks and never wanted to give up on in -- I needed to know what had happened to Lila's mother and cared about how these unapologetically unlikeable characters (for the most part) were faring. The characters were multi-faceted and interesting and ultimately very, very flawed. Mysteries were revealed, relationships were explained -- but some of the detours with political or editorial-room details were too detailed and distracting. My advance copy did not have an author's note but I've heard some chatter about that as well as the author bordering on plagiarism by paraphrasing and not quoting or giving credit for other works.

I've heard it compared to Hello Beautiful That got almost 5 stars from. me, and this one remains a 3.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC of Like Mother, Like Daughter by Susan Rieger. Three strong women. Multi-generational. What really happened to Zelda all those years ago? I enjoyed the setting of this book and its parallels to today.

The story revolves around Lila, the youngest of three siblings, whose mother disappeared when they were children. Left with an abusive father who frequently beat her, the children were told their mother had been sent to a local asylum because she was "crazy." But was that the truth?

As Lila grows up and has children of her own, hints emerge that their mother may have simply left, unraveling a compelling mystery. The story explores how traits often pass from mother to daughter, adding depth to the narrative.

I found the characters and dialogue engaging and looked forward to returning to their lives each time I picked up the book.

I love a multi-generational story about strong women & their careers/families/lives. This is just that type of story with an added emphasis on motherhood/daughterhood. Through this book as we jump through timelines of three-generations of women we learn about these women & understand the feelings & motivations of their actions. It feels raw and unbelievable at times but also beautiful and heartwarming. Sometimes the flow/pacing was a bit slow but I generally really enjoyed reading the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are mine alone.

This book was a hard one for me to read. From the title, this is a story about women in a family. But the sad part is almost all of the characters are not at all likable. Having a character that is likable drives you to finish a book - you want to know what happened to them - so you keep on reading. The only character that I could relate to at all was Joe, he seemed like a good guy. This story is filled with physical, emotional and mental abuse of children.

This is a multigenerational family drama. The story is character driven and I love these types of books. The focus of the plot is on three women. The grandmother, mother, and daughter. Each of these women are complex and interesting. As a mother I have suffered from mom guilt many times but these characters don’t have a lot of that even when confronted about their lack of maternal behaviour and perceived parenting failures. All of these women are strong willed and tough. Grace (the daughter in the book) does have a lot of resentment toward her mother for not being more loving and present and she is currently dealing with this. I love the character of Joe who raises his daughters and accepts his wife for who she is until finally he gets frustrated with the situation. Overall this a layered story with very interesting characters. If you like a family drama give this one a try!

First, I’d like to extend my gratitude to NetGalley, Susan Rieger, and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with the opportunity to read and review Like Mother, Like Mother.

As someone who has experienced a fraught relationship with her own mother, this book deeply resonated with me and touched on what many call the “mother wound.” It serves as a poignant reminder that not every mother-daughter relationship has a happy ending—or even an ending at all. Not all relationships are close, seamless, or tied up neatly with a bow, and this novel portrays that complexity beautifully.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and its exploration of the nuances of maternal relationships. However, I found myself wishing for a deeper dive into the "finding Zelda" subplot. It felt like Grace’s discovery of Zelda came too easily; a bit more investigation or struggle on Grace’s part could have added more depth and tension to the narrative. That said, the reunion between Zelda (or Frida) and Clara was incredibly impactful—a scene that truly stirred my emotions and left me upset in the best way. Zelda’s actions in that moment were frustrating but felt true to the complexity of her character.

Overall, Like Mother, Like Mother is a powerful read that doesn’t shy away from the hard truths about relationships, particularly those between mothers and daughters. It’s a compelling, thought-provoking novel that I’d recommend to anyone who appreciates stories with raw emotional honesty and layered characters.

Title says it all because I have to read the book to find out how this comes to play a very important part.. It's interesting how one thing can lead to another thing. In this book, everybody had some kind of issue but I really find it interesting when they start to do the dna test. How things started to come out of the closet It started in detroit in the sixties with the father and his three children. He was very abusive to his wife so he sent her to the crazy assignment. And he told the story how the wife died. They all grew up in a very toxic relationship.The youngest daughter took it hard. She was.
Always the brunt of the father's beatings. The grandmother was no better.She had to raise them and she wasn't too happy. The youngest finally went to school in Michigan. She started a whole new life and as a writer for newspapers. She eventually married a man named joe and this was start a very interesting lifestyle. He came from money and had a very weird marriage. She had a daughter named grace and she was like.
Firecracker on wheels. She wanted to find out why her grandmother died. When she went to school She met a woman called ruth who came from a poor background in the south. Her mother was very diligent getting her to school and everything. They became like sister And graces older's sisters were like on a different path and they had their own career. I like this book because it was a love story And a mystery how all this got tied together in a very interesting what

Thank you netgalley for the arc of like mother like mother. This literary family fiction is based on intergenerational trauma and how the effects the development of relationships. Lila has a mom who disappears when she is 2 and told she is dead and a father (Aldo) who is abusive. Lila meets Joe and falls in love. Joe wants children even though Lila feels she has no motherly instincts. Joe says he will raise the children a d they go ahead and have 3 daughters. Their youngest Grace was most impacted by Lilas not being around. She has trouble understanding how her mother could be so distant and feels very unloved. Grace ends up following in Lila footsteps in career and life. Very well written, emotional and powerful. Four stars.

Three generations of ambitious, "I know what I want from life", and determined women makes a great story because it is tough to see three generations of those without someone breaking the chain at some point by trying to tie them down, break their will, or destroy their dreams. No one would try to do that to three generations of men, but women would always be scrutinized and called names for it.

Lila did not receive her mother's love. She was left with her abusive father. That destroyed any motherly instincts she might had. She did not want to be a mother when she did not have one to look up to herself. Instead she poured herself into her career. She gave a birth, not once but 3 times. However, just her mother did, she left them to their father to become the editor making waves. Grace felt the burnt of it, just like Lila did once. But she followed her mother's steps to become a successful journalist. She made it her life's mission to figure out what happened to her grandma because she was the beginning.

I want to give high five to every woman in this story for following what they cared for instead of what was expected of them. Instead of whining about the situation, they fought to find a solution. They did not care so much about the impact they were making on others but also would any man care? NOPE

Three generations of women and the long-term effects of parental abandonment is the theme of this family saga. Politics, modern culture and the Jewish experience in America are also themes throughout this story of the Pereria women. The main character in the story, Lila, is retiring from her position as executive editor at The Washington Globe when she becomes ill from lung cancer and dies. But Lila and her story continue on as the story as it goes back and forth over time to tell the readers about Lila's difficult childhood with a mother that was sent to an institution when Lila was two years old, and she was left in the care of her brutal and abusive father.

Lila is an unusual character and while I liked her ambition and attitude about not caring what other people think, I dislike people who ignore and dislike their own children. I understood Lila was this way because she suffered so much abuse from her father but the answer then is to either get extensive therapy or not have children. Lucky for Lila, her husband Joe was very happy to be a loving parent to their three daughters. Two scenes really stood out to me with Lila: when her daughter Grace is first born, Lila picks her up just once holding her at arm's length and like she never picks up her baby again. When Grace is in college, Lila thinks she heard a rumor her daughter might be engaged but decides she doesn't care enough to look into it.

The second part of the book is about Grace who suffers and is angry that her mother never loved her or paid attention to her. Grace's roommate Ruth also takes up a lot of space in the story as we meet Ruth and her mother and grandmother, both single mothers and Ruth's teacher and husband who took Ruth under there wings. Grace writes a book called "The Lost Mother" which is a thinly veiled book about the missing grandmother who always seemed to hover over their lives. The very end of the book finds Grace and her sisters looking for what happened to Zelda after she was sent away and find surprising results. I had mixed feelings about the novel as a whole. The characters were fascinating and I enjoyed the generational aspects of the story. But the story was very dialogue heavy and none of the characters spoke like real people as I don't know anyone whose conversations always include quotes by famous people.

<b>The Short of It:</b>

Mothers and daughters and the hard places in between.

<b>The Rest of It:</b>

Like Mother, Like Mother is an amazing read. The first half of the book is mostly about Lila and her rise to editorial glory. She is a powerhouse. She knows how to ask a question, knows how to get the story and her energy seems endless. But being successful comes with a trade-off. She told her husband Joe early on that if they had kids, they would mostly be his. His to raise, his.

This is absolutely the case. Grace and her two sisters did okay without Lila in their lives, because Joe was an amazing father. As the girls grew into women, it became clear, especially to Grace that Lila was a different kind of person. Not exactly dismissive of her children, but that she didn’t really know HOW to be a mother to them. Look at her own childhood. Lila’s own mother, was committed to an asylum but then disappeared. Could she have intentionally left her children to that horrible abusive man? Yes.

The story unfolds slowly as Grace begins to dabble in DNA testing. As you can imagine, this uncovers a few surprises. I liked how the author set this book amidst political upheaval but used a different President to illustrate society on the cusp of falling apart. So there is constant tension as Lila must endure a brutal political season before retirement.

This book is absolutely about mothers and daughters but really it’s about relationships. Lila’s upbringing affects her marriage, it affects Grace’s opinion of marriage and motherhood. The people they interact with and befriend are also affected by these relationships. What’s interesting is that although Lila really does her children wrong, I still had empathy for her because she didn’t have it in her to be the mom they needed and she knew it right from the start.

To Grace though, attending White House dinners over dinner with your own kids just doesn’t sit right. She wanted the mom that baked cookies and attended parent teacher conferences. Not the glittering, multi-faceted Lila. But what can you do? You can’t choose your own mother.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a little high brow, but deep and with plenty of flawed characters. I was pulled right into the story from the first few pages. You can’t say that about too many books. It would be a wonderful book to discuss in book club.

For more reviews, visit my blog: <a href="http://bookchatter.net">Book Chatter</a>.

An engaging story of women through generations (not just mother and daughter, but also sister, friends that become like a sister and the men that are foils for highlighting the roles these women have, the dynamics between them, their successes in business and failures in relationships. I enjoy reading books exploring family dynamics and dysfunction and I really enjoyed trying to understand, Lila whose mother Zelda disappeared and understanding Grace in the context of the impact these women had on her life. It’s a book about inspiring women and gives hints at what might have shaped them on their journeys.