Book Review: A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt

I don't remember buying this book but, knowing me, I probably picked it up as soon as I saw the title. I'm weak for mother-daughter stories (so much I wrote my own in the form of my first novel). Regardless of how I got it, I'm so happy I did and I’m about to share why. This post is a book review of A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt.

What is 'A Mother Like Mine' About?

The central relationship in this book is between mother and daughter (as I'm sure you can guess), Laura and Abby. The book is set in Hartley-by-the-Sea, where both women grew up and were desperate to flee, a lifetime apart. Laura left when Abby was just two years ago and hasn't been much a part of her life since.

When Laura's mother suffers a heart attack, it's Abby who returns, with a fatherless child of her own, to pick up the pieces. When Laura loses her high-flying job in Manhattan, she too finds herself back home- finally tired of running and ready to try and rebuild a relationship with both her mother and her daughter. It's written from two POVs, alternating between Laura and Abby.

The central themes of A Mother Like Mine are family saga, mothers and daughters, family secrets, forgiveness, and redemption.

What I Most Enjoyed about 'A Mother Like Mine'

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I think it was very well written. It’s true that I am partial to family sagas, especially ones that center on mothers and daughters, but this book stands on its merit. Here are the things that I most enjoyed:

A real sense of place

I felt like I was in a seaside town. I could smell the air; I tuned into the slowed-down tempo of the locals; I knew my way around the small hilly streets. This requires real skill and, remarkably, the author managed to do it without drowning us in details.

Developed characters

The back stories were full. I got excited at the idea of reading the dialogue between the various characters because they were all unique and fleshed out, so their exchanges were enjoyable.

Real stakes

I had a sense of concern for the relationship between Abby and Laura, and I felt the palpable tension in each of their exchanges. I knew they would work it out, of course, this book had clear ‘happy-ending’ vibes, but I still worried over their miscommunications and underlying turmoil.

Quite a brave book

For all its cute backdrop, A Mother Like Mine tackles some serious subjects. It centralizes the owning of one's narrative (I presume to empower oneself and not be a victim), but there is an obvious issue of statutory rape, abuse of power, and powerful people 'getting away with it'. It's also a book about adults looking into a buried past and starting over (with people they wronged or were wronged by or both)- what can be braver than that?

What I Didn't Like about 'A Mother Like Mine'

There isn't much, and this might even seem petty to some, but it was big for me. Here is my one complaint:

Too perfectly wrapped up

This book resolves in a way that is admittedly satisfying. The central conflict dissipates, and Abby and Laura go from mistrusting strangers to a real mother-daughter pair with love and softness governing their relationship. There is truth, pain, vulnerability, remorse, accountability, and forgiveness- it's beautiful.

I just feel like the author's desire to resolve everything became a tad too clinical. It's not that there are no loose ends, there are great open-ended scenarios that the reader can happily wander about like, 'Does Laura ever hook up with the handsome and much younger bartender she's opened up so much to?' or 'Does Abby complete her degree in Liverpool? Does she return to Hartley-by-the-Sea?' etc.

My issue is that, in the items that are resolved, it feels too perfect, which in turn makes it feel unreal and like something someone formulated- which kills it a bit. From the time of the fire (spoiler alert), it feels like too many things just fall into place.

Money seems to fall from the sky to allow them to do everything they've been dreaming of. While this is nice (in theory), it reads as lazy and a bit disappointing. Also, that this all happened within the last 2 to 3 chapters makes it feel all the more rushed.

Verdict: 4 stars

I would give A Mother Like Mine a 4-star rating. I enjoyed reading this book and the great writing, subject matter, and excellent pacing made for an overall great experience. I just think the ending could have been better executed. Still, this was a very satisfying read. Kate Hewitt is a great writer and I'm looking forward to reading more from her. Luckily for us, she has written over forty books.

I hope you consider picking up a copy of A Mother Like Mine by Kate Hewitt, I recommend it. If you do, please let me know what you think.

Happy reading,

Nonjabulo