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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like Mother, Like Daughter was a fast-paced read, which starts off immediately where a rebellious NYU student Cleo finds her mother, Kat, missing and by the looks of the apartment it looks like Kat left forcibly since she left behind a bloody shoe.
Cleo and Kat have been recently estranged, as Kat disapproved of Cleo's inappropriate drug-dealing boyfriend and Cleo had resented her mother's interference with her life. However, it turns out that mother and daughter do not know that much about each other's lives, as they have been hiding parts of their lives from each other. Kat's disappearance causes Cleo to regret how distant she has been with her mother recently, so much so that Cleo begins to investigate potential reasons for Kat's disappearance.
Although Kat claims to be an ordinary corporate lawyer, it turns out that she's actually her firm's fixer - she fixes problems that their clients have created, such as any potential Public Relations disasters or any personal problems. And the means that she deploys may not necessarily be legal. At any rate, Kat's disappearance means that Cleo discovers that her mother is not the squeaky clean rule-follower that she had believed. Moreover, it turns out that Kat's marriage has fallen apart (and Cleo's dad has been hiding that from her); Cleo's ex-boyfriend had also threatened her mother previously after her mother had pushed him too far.
I enjoyed this book's depiction of motherhood, about how Kat believes that she has been making the right choices for Cleo but how this isn't necessarily the way that she's perceived. Cleo finds her mother to be overbearing and she perceives herself as a perpetual disappointment to her mother, ever since she had confided in Kat something personal and Kat reacted poorly. While the mystery was compelling, I found these portrayals of their relationships to be quickly heartbreaking and emotional since it is due to a series of misaligned expectations and misunderstandings that has caused the deterioration of their relationship. It's only through Kat's physical disappearance that Cleo starts to find out more about her mother as a person.
As for the actual mystery behind Kat's disappearance, I do feel like this wasn't the strongest plot that I've read from Kimberly McCreight as it's not particularly innovative. Moreover, there were aspects that I felt were a little disgusting and perhaps ought to have been handled a little more tactfully.
Cleo and Kat have been recently estranged, as Kat disapproved of Cleo's inappropriate drug-dealing boyfriend and Cleo had resented her mother's interference with her life. However, it turns out that mother and daughter do not know that much about each other's lives, as they have been hiding parts of their lives from each other. Kat's disappearance causes Cleo to regret how distant she has been with her mother recently, so much so that Cleo begins to investigate potential reasons for Kat's disappearance.
It is indeed a ferocious love you feel the second you hold your child, hot and wriggling, against your naked chest. You will die to protect that child. You suspect, uncomfortably, that you could also kill. You have never thought of yourself as that person before - wild, animalistic. It will make you feel both powerful and afraid.
This is your first true introduction to motherhood, this study in contradictions.
Although Kat claims to be an ordinary corporate lawyer, it turns out that she's actually her firm's fixer - she fixes problems that their clients have created, such as any potential Public Relations disasters or any personal problems. And the means that she deploys may not necessarily be legal. At any rate, Kat's disappearance means that Cleo discovers that her mother is not the squeaky clean rule-follower that she had believed. Moreover, it turns out that Kat's marriage has fallen apart (and Cleo's dad has been hiding that from her); Cleo's ex-boyfriend had also threatened her mother previously after her mother had pushed him too far.
I enjoyed this book's depiction of motherhood, about how Kat believes that she has been making the right choices for Cleo but how this isn't necessarily the way that she's perceived. Cleo finds her mother to be overbearing and she perceives herself as a perpetual disappointment to her mother, ever since she had confided in Kat something personal and Kat reacted poorly. While the mystery was compelling, I found these portrayals of their relationships to be quickly heartbreaking and emotional since it is due to a series of misaligned expectations and misunderstandings that has caused the deterioration of their relationship. It's only through Kat's physical disappearance that Cleo starts to find out more about her mother as a person.
As for the actual mystery behind Kat's disappearance, I do feel like this wasn't the strongest plot that I've read from Kimberly McCreight as it's not particularly innovative. Moreover, there were aspects that I felt were a little disgusting and perhaps ought to have been handled a little more tactfully.
Spoiler
It turns out that Cleo's current boyfriend...was her mother's boyfriend first, which was really disgusting. And the same guy had threatened Kat and caused her to pull the disappearing act.
The characters and their stories weave together so well and keep you guessing who the truly guilty party is throughout the entire story.
Just, why? McCreight puts so many potential suspects and storylines just to throw readers off that this thriller gets more and more convoluted and less believable by the second. The beginning will grab you: missing mom, estranged college-age daughter, shady past, intriguing secret job. But then toss in a greedy husband, a possible murder in the past, a possible murder of a current love interest, a drug dealing boyfriend, a pharmaceutical company scandal cover-up, blackmail, spying, secret identities, laptops, burner phones, inheritance money, sexual affairs, nosy neighbors...it's A LOT. I really wanted to like this one because I like the fraught mother-daughter relationships in McCreight's writing, but this got semi-ridiculous by the end.
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Kind of like Gone Girl, didn’t guess the ending and honestly didn’t really see anyone as the villain until the very end so I wasn’t really certain that anything bad had really happened. Nothing too crazy but an interesting listen for sure. Liked the narrators too!
This is a fast-paced thriller with a daughter who involves herself in an aggressive search for her mother after she discovered her missing in a mysterious way. There’s so much going that can make your head spin.
Cleo, an NYU student, treats her dad like he’s her favorite pal while her mother, Katrina, has always been there for her throughout the years. And yet, Cleo feels like she’s never been good enough for her critical mother. Like many teenagers, she didn’t really see how valuable her mother was until something happened to her.
Cleo was supposed to have dinner with her but found blood on one of her mother’s shoes left behind and glass broken in the kitchen. Now Cleo had to put the pieces together and find her. Katrina, was a lawyer and while Cleo was searching for her, she came across various hidden secrets. While there was a detective on the case, Cleo was determined to find her mother without much concern for her safety. This kept me turning the pages.
There were dual POVs between Cleo and Katrina which worked well. The different layers of the plot made it compelling to find out more. It was full of twists and a sense that the clock was ticking. Cleo needed to be careful as she kept digging for clues. And yet, things just coincidentally occurred like someone showing up at the right time. I stayed up late to find out how everything would turn out.
My thanks to Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 9, 2024.
Cleo, an NYU student, treats her dad like he’s her favorite pal while her mother, Katrina, has always been there for her throughout the years. And yet, Cleo feels like she’s never been good enough for her critical mother. Like many teenagers, she didn’t really see how valuable her mother was until something happened to her.
Cleo was supposed to have dinner with her but found blood on one of her mother’s shoes left behind and glass broken in the kitchen. Now Cleo had to put the pieces together and find her. Katrina, was a lawyer and while Cleo was searching for her, she came across various hidden secrets. While there was a detective on the case, Cleo was determined to find her mother without much concern for her safety. This kept me turning the pages.
There were dual POVs between Cleo and Katrina which worked well. The different layers of the plot made it compelling to find out more. It was full of twists and a sense that the clock was ticking. Cleo needed to be careful as she kept digging for clues. And yet, things just coincidentally occurred like someone showing up at the right time. I stayed up late to find out how everything would turn out.
My thanks to Alfred A. Knopf and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 9, 2024.
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Like Mother, Like Daughter is about Chloe, a troubled NYU student, who must uncover her mother's past in order to solve the mystery of her mother's disappearance. When Kat disappears, we are treated to many twists and turns until the truth is uncovered.
I found the story-line and the characters to be intriguing. However, it was very predictable. I do wish the final 2 twists would have been shockers instead of being as predictable as they were. I did enjoy the book though. It was a quick read.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC.
I found the story-line and the characters to be intriguing. However, it was very predictable. I do wish the final 2 twists would have been shockers instead of being as predictable as they were. I did enjoy the book though. It was a quick read.
Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the ARC.