What do you think?
Rate this book
Daughters: A Novel
From award-winning author Corinne Demas comes a moving story about the sometimes volatile but ultimately unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
When Meredith flies home to New England, daughter Eloise in tow, she leaves her husband and a life back in LA. A heartbreaking loss is killing their marriage. So she looks to her mother and siblings for the support she desperately needs, and the love her daughter surely deserves—two things her husband can’t seem to provide.
Meredith’s mother, Delia, is thrilled by their sudden arrival at the family farm. But her husband braces for the chaos his stepdaughter and granddaughter will surely bring. Meredith’s announcement that she’s moved home for good takes the whole family by surprise and turns everything upside down.
While wrestling with her future, artist Meredith is forced to confront her past—and the disappointment she believes her mother, a violin teacher, felt when musically gifted Meredith abandoned the violin.
As Meredith works to repair relationships with members of her family, an old flame turns up and further complicates her life.
Delia, in a desperate attempt to rescue her daughter’s marriage, does something unforgivable, and Meredith has to decide if she should uproot Eloise and take off. When Eloise goes missing, help arrives from an unexpected quarter.
When Meredith flies home to New England, daughter Eloise in tow, she leaves her husband and a life back in LA. A heartbreaking loss is killing their marriage. So she looks to her mother and siblings for the support she desperately needs, and the love her daughter surely deserves—two things her husband can’t seem to provide.
Meredith’s mother, Delia, is thrilled by their sudden arrival at the family farm. But her husband braces for the chaos his stepdaughter and granddaughter will surely bring. Meredith’s announcement that she’s moved home for good takes the whole family by surprise and turns everything upside down.
While wrestling with her future, artist Meredith is forced to confront her past—and the disappointment she believes her mother, a violin teacher, felt when musically gifted Meredith abandoned the violin.
As Meredith works to repair relationships with members of her family, an old flame turns up and further complicates her life.
Delia, in a desperate attempt to rescue her daughter’s marriage, does something unforgivable, and Meredith has to decide if she should uproot Eloise and take off. When Eloise goes missing, help arrives from an unexpected quarter.
281 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 11, 2025
95 people are currently reading
2684 people want to read
About the author
Corinne Demas
53 books99 followersCorinne Demas is the award-winning author of thirty-nine books, including six novels (Daughters, The Road Towards Home, The Writing Circle), two short story collections, a memoir (Eleven Stories High, Growing Up in Stuyvesant Town, 1948--1968), a poetry chapbook, and numerous books for children (The Littlest Matryoshka, Saying Goodbye to Lulu, The Disappearing Island, The Perfect Tree). She is a Professor Emerita of English at Mount Holyoke College and a Fiction Editor of The Massachusetts Review. Along with her family, two donkeys, and a precocious puppy, she divides her time between Western Massachusetts and Cape Cod, two settings that have inspired her books.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
October 25, 2025
Corinne Demas’ Daughters resonated with me on a deeply personal level—not just as a reader, but as a mother of two daughters, aged 14 and 10. The emotional terrain Demas explores—the push and pull between mothers and daughters, the longing for connection, the ache of misunderstanding—felt achingly familiar.
Meredith, the protagonist, reminded me so much of my 14-year-old. Like Meredith, she’s introspective and guarded, often reluctant to share what’s going on beneath the surface. Watching Meredith struggle to open up to her mother Delia mirrored my own experience of trying to reach my daughter in moments when words feel scarce and emotions run deep.
What made this novel even more poignant for me is that I didn’t grow up with a strong mother-daughter bond myself. My mother wasn’t a central figure in my life—I was primarily raised by my father. So navigating this relationship with my own daughters feels like stepping into uncharted territory. I don’t have a blueprint from my own upbringing, and Daughters gave me space to reflect on what it means to mother without a map.
Demas’s portrayal of Delia—flawed, well-meaning, sometimes overbearing—was both frustrating and tender. I found myself empathizing with her desire to fix things, even when her actions caused more harm than good. It reminded me how easy it is, as a parent, to act from fear or love and still miss the mark.
After finishing the book, I felt a kind of solace. As parents—especially as mothers—we’re all doing our best. There isn’t a handbook for this. We love fiercely, we stumble, we try again. And I hope that one day my daughters will understand where my heart has always been and where I was coming from.
Daughters didn’t just tell a story—it held up a mirror. It made me think about the legacy I’m building with my girls, the silences I want to fill, and the ways I can show up even when I don’t have all the answers. It’s a quiet, powerful novel that speaks to anyone navigating the delicate, beautiful, and sometimes painful dance of motherhood.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
Meredith, the protagonist, reminded me so much of my 14-year-old. Like Meredith, she’s introspective and guarded, often reluctant to share what’s going on beneath the surface. Watching Meredith struggle to open up to her mother Delia mirrored my own experience of trying to reach my daughter in moments when words feel scarce and emotions run deep.
What made this novel even more poignant for me is that I didn’t grow up with a strong mother-daughter bond myself. My mother wasn’t a central figure in my life—I was primarily raised by my father. So navigating this relationship with my own daughters feels like stepping into uncharted territory. I don’t have a blueprint from my own upbringing, and Daughters gave me space to reflect on what it means to mother without a map.
Demas’s portrayal of Delia—flawed, well-meaning, sometimes overbearing—was both frustrating and tender. I found myself empathizing with her desire to fix things, even when her actions caused more harm than good. It reminded me how easy it is, as a parent, to act from fear or love and still miss the mark.
After finishing the book, I felt a kind of solace. As parents—especially as mothers—we’re all doing our best. There isn’t a handbook for this. We love fiercely, we stumble, we try again. And I hope that one day my daughters will understand where my heart has always been and where I was coming from.
Daughters didn’t just tell a story—it held up a mirror. It made me think about the legacy I’m building with my girls, the silences I want to fill, and the ways I can show up even when I don’t have all the answers. It’s a quiet, powerful novel that speaks to anyone navigating the delicate, beautiful, and sometimes painful dance of motherhood.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for sending this ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
November 4, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced audiobook.
If you enjoy gentle family dramas pick this one up! The story of multiple generations and them trying to accept their roles in each other’s lives. At times the characters are exhausting but that really humanizes them. I find a lot of times POV from children are unrealistic but I enjoyed Eloise’s parts of this story.
If you enjoy gentle family dramas pick this one up! The story of multiple generations and them trying to accept their roles in each other’s lives. At times the characters are exhausting but that really humanizes them. I find a lot of times POV from children are unrealistic but I enjoyed Eloise’s parts of this story.
November 7, 2025
Rating: 4.25/5
Spice: 0/5
My thoughts:
This book surprised me in the most pleasant way possible.
At 30% in, I was unsure about whether I would end up liking this, and that feeling lasted until the 60-70% mark. But wow, what a comeback.
The narrator did a brilliant job of sweeping me away in the story and making me feel every emotion.
This book is about a woman who returns to her parental home with her daughter. But even more than that, it's about the complex and deeply loving, if somewhat overbearing, relationships between mothers and daughters.
This, however, does not capture the full scope of this book. It's not just about daughters; it's about mothers, sisters, and brothers.
I liked how the author handled most of the situations in this book because, like life, it was messy and authentic, if frustrating. Human.
I think my favourite character was probably Bob. He reminded me of my grandfather - rough around the edges and not very warm, but he shows his love through actions rather than words.
Delia was overbearing and frustrating at times but only wants what is best for her kids. Often forgetting that she was once in the same boat as Mary.
Mary frustrated me most. She liked to pretend that things were just happening to her, rather than taking responsibility for her actions and words.
I loved the end of the book, though. There was so much character growth. Everything wasn't tied up in a neat little bow. Life rarely is.
This book truly felt like a glimpse into someone's life - we looked in in the middle of one action and closed that door in the same way.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listening copy.
Spice: 0/5
My thoughts:
This book surprised me in the most pleasant way possible.
At 30% in, I was unsure about whether I would end up liking this, and that feeling lasted until the 60-70% mark. But wow, what a comeback.
The narrator did a brilliant job of sweeping me away in the story and making me feel every emotion.
This book is about a woman who returns to her parental home with her daughter. But even more than that, it's about the complex and deeply loving, if somewhat overbearing, relationships between mothers and daughters.
This, however, does not capture the full scope of this book. It's not just about daughters; it's about mothers, sisters, and brothers.
I liked how the author handled most of the situations in this book because, like life, it was messy and authentic, if frustrating. Human.
I think my favourite character was probably Bob. He reminded me of my grandfather - rough around the edges and not very warm, but he shows his love through actions rather than words.
Delia was overbearing and frustrating at times but only wants what is best for her kids. Often forgetting that she was once in the same boat as Mary.
Mary frustrated me most. She liked to pretend that things were just happening to her, rather than taking responsibility for her actions and words.
I loved the end of the book, though. There was so much character growth. Everything wasn't tied up in a neat little bow. Life rarely is.
This book truly felt like a glimpse into someone's life - we looked in in the middle of one action and closed that door in the same way.
Overall, I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced listening copy.
October 29, 2025
When Meredith leaves Los Angeles and her marriage, she and her daughter return home to everyone’s surprise. Shock soon turns to confusion when Meredith stays tight-lipped about why she’s back or how long she’ll stay. A heartbreaking loss has quietly unraveled the last seams of her marriage, but her family has no idea. Coming home isn’t a relief at all; it’s more like trading an emotional wound for an emotional scab waiting to be faced. Meredith has long-standing issues with nearly everyone, especially her mother, and seems to prefer brooding angst over open communication. As she slowly finds her footing, we follow her journey of emotional growth, vulnerability, and reconciliation as she rebuilds the relationships she needs most to bloom into her next chapter.
Daughters beautifully captures the messiness of mothers and daughters—the misunderstandings, miscommunications, and all the love that still endures. It’s a reminder that sometimes we just don't know the full scope of situations and that the versions we piece together from assumptions can be so far from the truth. The writing is so captivating, even a character I didn’t love at first pulled me in—heartfelt, tender, and impossible to put down. The narration of the audiobook was amazing. I especially adored the voice for Eloise!
Daughters beautifully captures the messiness of mothers and daughters—the misunderstandings, miscommunications, and all the love that still endures. It’s a reminder that sometimes we just don't know the full scope of situations and that the versions we piece together from assumptions can be so far from the truth. The writing is so captivating, even a character I didn’t love at first pulled me in—heartfelt, tender, and impossible to put down. The narration of the audiobook was amazing. I especially adored the voice for Eloise!
December 12, 2025
Okay, grab your coffee (or wine, I don't judge) because I need to spill the tea on Daughters by Corinne Demas.
I just finished the audiobook, and as a mom of three wildly different girls, this one had me feeling things. You know that feeling when you're watching a train wreck but it’s also weirdly beautiful? That’s the family dynamic here.
The Vibe: It’s all about how trauma trickles down through generations. It shows how moms and daughters can love each other fiercely but still accidentally hurt each other because, well, we’re all just human and trying our best. It felt super realistic—almost too realistic at times!
The Truth: I’m not gonna lie to you guys, the plot is a little slow. My ADHD was kicking in a few times where I was like, "Okay, come on, let's get to the next thing!" It definitely drags in the middle, so you need to be in the mood for a slow burn.
The Audio: The narrator? 10/10. She has that perfect storytelling voice that makes you feel like you’re listening in on someone’s private family secrets. She really saved the slower parts for me.
If you love a good generational family drama and don't mind a slower pace, definitely add this to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley, Corinne Demas, and Brilliant Audio for the ALC and the opportunity to listen to and review this book.
I just finished the audiobook, and as a mom of three wildly different girls, this one had me feeling things. You know that feeling when you're watching a train wreck but it’s also weirdly beautiful? That’s the family dynamic here.
The Vibe: It’s all about how trauma trickles down through generations. It shows how moms and daughters can love each other fiercely but still accidentally hurt each other because, well, we’re all just human and trying our best. It felt super realistic—almost too realistic at times!
The Truth: I’m not gonna lie to you guys, the plot is a little slow. My ADHD was kicking in a few times where I was like, "Okay, come on, let's get to the next thing!" It definitely drags in the middle, so you need to be in the mood for a slow burn.
The Audio: The narrator? 10/10. She has that perfect storytelling voice that makes you feel like you’re listening in on someone’s private family secrets. She really saved the slower parts for me.
If you love a good generational family drama and don't mind a slower pace, definitely add this to your TBR!
Thank you to NetGalley, Corinne Demas, and Brilliant Audio for the ALC and the opportunity to listen to and review this book.
November 6, 2025
There were definitely pieces of these characters that I recognized — in myself, in my siblings — for better or worse. I actually would’ve loved if the book dug deeper into that messy, complicated sibling dynamic, because that’s where the story really had potential. But for a book literally called Daughters, the mother–daughter relationship was ironically my least favorite part. Families are complicated, sure, but this one leans way too hard on the classic miscommunication trope that I cannot stand. So much of the tension could’ve been avoided if the main character just told her mom the truth about her husband — though I guess that would’ve made for a much shorter story.
The whole thing with Wiley? Totally unnecessary. We’re told about their shared past, but we never actually see it, so when he suddenly declares his love and invites her to move in, it just feels… off. Like, sir, who even are you?
And then there’s Eloise — who doesn’t even go missing until, what, 90% of the way through? It ends up being way less central than I expected. The characters I actually wanted more of are the ones we barely get to see. The whole book kind of had the vibe of a Diane Keaton 2000s rom-com, in the worst way.
I mean, everything technically works out in the end, but the road to get there? Frustrating as hell.
The whole thing with Wiley? Totally unnecessary. We’re told about their shared past, but we never actually see it, so when he suddenly declares his love and invites her to move in, it just feels… off. Like, sir, who even are you?
And then there’s Eloise — who doesn’t even go missing until, what, 90% of the way through? It ends up being way less central than I expected. The characters I actually wanted more of are the ones we barely get to see. The whole book kind of had the vibe of a Diane Keaton 2000s rom-com, in the worst way.
I mean, everything technically works out in the end, but the road to get there? Frustrating as hell.
November 3, 2025
ARC - no compensation for reviewing.
2.5
I can see the attempt to create a touching image of a family re-exploring their relationships when a sudden change forces them to but this literary fiction was not for me. Maybe it was because it felt too close to reality in that the level of passive aggressive entitlement was far higher than I enjoy in works of fiction. Why can’t anyone just have some emotional intelligence and say what the hell they mean?? Also the narrator of the audiobook made the daughter’s voice incredibly annoying, if that was intentional, great, if not, yikes. ALSO also I didn’t feel the title accurately represented all of the primary dynamics explored. Yes, there’s the main character interaction with her mother, as a daughter, and her own daughter, as a mother, but the relationship with her brother is also a main theme explored. If it were not as directly addressed, it maybe wouldn’t bother me as much.
2.5
I can see the attempt to create a touching image of a family re-exploring their relationships when a sudden change forces them to but this literary fiction was not for me. Maybe it was because it felt too close to reality in that the level of passive aggressive entitlement was far higher than I enjoy in works of fiction. Why can’t anyone just have some emotional intelligence and say what the hell they mean?? Also the narrator of the audiobook made the daughter’s voice incredibly annoying, if that was intentional, great, if not, yikes. ALSO also I didn’t feel the title accurately represented all of the primary dynamics explored. Yes, there’s the main character interaction with her mother, as a daughter, and her own daughter, as a mother, but the relationship with her brother is also a main theme explored. If it were not as directly addressed, it maybe wouldn’t bother me as much.
November 14, 2025
4.25/5
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.
As a mother and daughter this book hit me hard. This book took me by surprise with how much I ended up enjoying it. I completely understood both Meredith and Delia’s point of view and their reasonings for all the miscommunication happening in the book. Yes, it would’ve been so easy for them to just sit down and hash everything out but that’s just not how a lot of families operate lol I think Corinne Demas encapsulated how confusing and frustrating mother-daughter relationships can be. But at the end of the day what matters is the love they have for each other that helps them overcome their issues and push forward.
Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ALC.
As a mother and daughter this book hit me hard. This book took me by surprise with how much I ended up enjoying it. I completely understood both Meredith and Delia’s point of view and their reasonings for all the miscommunication happening in the book. Yes, it would’ve been so easy for them to just sit down and hash everything out but that’s just not how a lot of families operate lol I think Corinne Demas encapsulated how confusing and frustrating mother-daughter relationships can be. But at the end of the day what matters is the love they have for each other that helps them overcome their issues and push forward.
December 12, 2025
I approached this novel expecting a familiar and well-worn take on the mother–daughter conflict, but it proved to be a welcome surprise. Rather than relying on cliché, the story unfolds with emotional depth and nuance, delivering a narrative that is both heartbreaking and deeply heartwarming in equal measure.
November 22, 2025
I received Daughters by Corinne Demas, in a GoodReads giveaway. This is my first experience with her writing and felt the story was good. As a daughter, mother and nana I definitely could relate to all aspects of the relationships. It is a quick read and you may see a self resemblance in some of the issues, I know I did.
December 7, 2025
I won this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. It is a story about family relationships. Parent/child, sister/sister, sister/brother…
“she would not consider her own breaking point. Mothers were not supposed to have them.”
“Your kids are grown up. You can’t expect them to confide in you.”
“But when you love your child—” He interrupted her. “There it is, the age-old justification for all sorts of meddling!”
“Most people don’t want to know much beyond themselves. But you want to know about everything—and you care about everything”
“When you’re afraid someone might be in trouble—family, friends, neighbors, even strangers!—you’ve got your emergency kit already packed and in you rush.”
“what’s awful is a mother who doesn’t care, who’d rather not know what’s going on.”
“she would not consider her own breaking point. Mothers were not supposed to have them.”
“Your kids are grown up. You can’t expect them to confide in you.”
“But when you love your child—” He interrupted her. “There it is, the age-old justification for all sorts of meddling!”
“Most people don’t want to know much beyond themselves. But you want to know about everything—and you care about everything”
“When you’re afraid someone might be in trouble—family, friends, neighbors, even strangers!—you’ve got your emergency kit already packed and in you rush.”
“what’s awful is a mother who doesn’t care, who’d rather not know what’s going on.”
October 26, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley, Brilliance Audio, and Corrine Demas for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of Daughters. Grandmother, daughter, and granddaughter; three generations of family navigating the intricacies of life and relationships.
Siblings, parent/child, grandparents/grandchildren, stepparent/stepchild, friendships, romantic partnerships—all of the big ones are covered in this novel. None of it is easy, but this story shows that the work to build healthy ties is worth it. “He loves me in the ways that count,” is one of my favorite moments in the book. No one is perfect, no relationship is perfect, but we can love one another in perfectly imperfect ways.
This would make a great book club read as there a lot of rich fodder for discussion.
Siblings, parent/child, grandparents/grandchildren, stepparent/stepchild, friendships, romantic partnerships—all of the big ones are covered in this novel. None of it is easy, but this story shows that the work to build healthy ties is worth it. “He loves me in the ways that count,” is one of my favorite moments in the book. No one is perfect, no relationship is perfect, but we can love one another in perfectly imperfect ways.
This would make a great book club read as there a lot of rich fodder for discussion.
October 26, 2025
DAUGHTERS
BY: CORRINE DEMAS
This is my first experience reading Author, CORRINE DEMAS, with her latest novel called, "DAUGHTERS." Literary Fiction is my favorite genre so this very character driven novel was not only interesting, but the storytelling prowess of this Author is done so impressively, it is universal to most women who are daughters and mothers. I always love storytelling that explores mother and daughter relationships. Although, this has a family reuniting for dinner at Delia and her husband Bob's farm, which consists of two dogs, three donkeys, one horse and chickens. Delia was easy to relate to in finding it delightful to have her daughter Meredith, call her telling her that she was flying home from California with her daughter, Eloise in tow. Delia is even more in her element having, her eldest daughter Kat, and her son Evan for dinner. What mother who wouldn't revel in having all three of her children together for what could be closely associated to a holiday like gathering for a turkey dinner, and lasagna for Meredith, and her daughter who are vegetarians just like a holiday celebration meal? Kat is trying to get her mother, and stepfather Bob moved into a Condo since she thinks a two hundred year old dwindling home, and the farm are too much for Delia, and Bob to manage even though I never got that impression of Delia and neither did she of herself or her husband Bob. Delia still teaches the Violin to young children at her home. Bob has retired, and he would like it if Delia retired, but she has no plans to, and I thought that she was too high functioning to consider that as I'm also confident that she would agree.
Meredith has left her husband Josh behind in anger, in California, and plans on staying with Delia, and Bob at the farm with her seven year old daughter named, Eloise. The animals have a huge presence in the novel which both Delia and Eloise feel to be a soothing comfort. They love their two dogs, and the three donkeys, older horse, and chickens, which it is implied that's why Eloise is a vegetarian because she couldn't imagine killing an animal to eat it. I can't believe my private school where I attended as a day student is mentioned in two different novels within the same month, and how it's glorified. It had mostly an Asian population, and I do think it's a big reason why the boutiques where I shop still are so high priced, but it's very eclectic and has a river walk. Evan ended up staying over his mother's house two nights, the first night sleeping on the sofa, and Wylie his friend came by and Meredith told her brother before Wylie got there that she had a miscarriage, and how poorly Josh had treated her, saying things like it was no big deal, and he never really wanted kids. Meanwhile right after it happened Meredith couldn't get out of bed, but she did eventually because Eloise needed her love and support something Josh, was unable to give either one of them. She didn't want him discussing with their mother, Delia since she wasn't ready to talk about it with the rest of her family, yet. Wylie came over with his camera which we find out he's back living at home, and his mom is deceased, and his father is close to it. He had gotten a divorce from his wife Nicole, which was why he was living at his family mansion. Merry talks about doing her art on huge canvases like as big as the barn doors. She's an artist who paints. There's a lot of clutter that Wylie offers to help her clear out since she's thinking of working on her art in the barn making it her studio. Her brother Evan tells Merry she should really ask their mother Delia first before taking over their mother Delia's barn. The next day she meets Wylie at the playground where he helps Meredith's daughter, a seven year old Eloise down the slide, while Merry starts snapping pictures with Wylie's camera. First Delia gave Eloise a Violin lesson, which Merry who used to be a Violin prodigy says to Delia something like now Delia's overriding her parental decisions.
There's a lot of tension between Meredith, and her mother Delia, even though Delia is a very loving, and devoted mother to all three of her adult children, and also the same to her granddaughter, Eloise. Meredith acts like she's always angry toward her mother who really doesn't deserve it. I saw some of myself in Delia who just loved her children so much she was nothing but kind, and sensitive to their feelings, and nurturing. One thing that she finds out is there's a difference between loving your children, and doing what you think is best for them. I have to notate that I could see that same fierce love that Meredith had for her daughter, Eloise, only Meredith caught herself being too needy, while enrolling her daughter, Eloise in her new school. If she could see her longing to be close to her daughter and that all encompassing love a mother always feels towards her children, I couldn't understand how only Meredith was so cruel to her mother out of Delia's three adult children.
Delia decides to do something that could have been unforgivable, but I could see that her heart was in the right place. It took me to read the whole novel, to understand that there was a big communication misunderstanding between Delia, and Meredith that frankly for the life of me I still think that Meredith was too unappreciative toward her mother Delis, and I felt Meredith was unnecessarily cruel towards her mother. I think this was an impeccably well written novel that felt very real and believable to me, and it was a great character study of a family that I thought drew me in and held my attention the whole entire time that I read this SPECTACULAR novel. I understood everybody's point of view much better by the end of the novel, which I loved everything about, and I can easily see myself wanting to reread this in a few years time. This is a beautifully written story that explores family dynamics, and explores the very humanity between likable characters, but not everything is easy in this mother, and daughter relationship. I still love Delia, and the closer I got towards the end I understood Meredith. It is rich and complex, and this is going to be a top favorite reading experience in Literary fiction that goes to show how you can think you have done nothing but love your children pouring everything into them that you have to give, and how wanting the best for them, isn't always the same things that you want for them, how it can cause relationships to fracture if your child doesn't want those things themselves. FIVE DAZZLING STARS!
Publication Date: November 11, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley, Corrine Demas, and Little A for generously providing me with my SPECTACULAR ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.
#Daughters #CorrineDemas #LittleA #NetGalley
BY: CORRINE DEMAS
This is my first experience reading Author, CORRINE DEMAS, with her latest novel called, "DAUGHTERS." Literary Fiction is my favorite genre so this very character driven novel was not only interesting, but the storytelling prowess of this Author is done so impressively, it is universal to most women who are daughters and mothers. I always love storytelling that explores mother and daughter relationships. Although, this has a family reuniting for dinner at Delia and her husband Bob's farm, which consists of two dogs, three donkeys, one horse and chickens. Delia was easy to relate to in finding it delightful to have her daughter Meredith, call her telling her that she was flying home from California with her daughter, Eloise in tow. Delia is even more in her element having, her eldest daughter Kat, and her son Evan for dinner. What mother who wouldn't revel in having all three of her children together for what could be closely associated to a holiday like gathering for a turkey dinner, and lasagna for Meredith, and her daughter who are vegetarians just like a holiday celebration meal? Kat is trying to get her mother, and stepfather Bob moved into a Condo since she thinks a two hundred year old dwindling home, and the farm are too much for Delia, and Bob to manage even though I never got that impression of Delia and neither did she of herself or her husband Bob. Delia still teaches the Violin to young children at her home. Bob has retired, and he would like it if Delia retired, but she has no plans to, and I thought that she was too high functioning to consider that as I'm also confident that she would agree.
Meredith has left her husband Josh behind in anger, in California, and plans on staying with Delia, and Bob at the farm with her seven year old daughter named, Eloise. The animals have a huge presence in the novel which both Delia and Eloise feel to be a soothing comfort. They love their two dogs, and the three donkeys, older horse, and chickens, which it is implied that's why Eloise is a vegetarian because she couldn't imagine killing an animal to eat it. I can't believe my private school where I attended as a day student is mentioned in two different novels within the same month, and how it's glorified. It had mostly an Asian population, and I do think it's a big reason why the boutiques where I shop still are so high priced, but it's very eclectic and has a river walk. Evan ended up staying over his mother's house two nights, the first night sleeping on the sofa, and Wylie his friend came by and Meredith told her brother before Wylie got there that she had a miscarriage, and how poorly Josh had treated her, saying things like it was no big deal, and he never really wanted kids. Meanwhile right after it happened Meredith couldn't get out of bed, but she did eventually because Eloise needed her love and support something Josh, was unable to give either one of them. She didn't want him discussing with their mother, Delia since she wasn't ready to talk about it with the rest of her family, yet. Wylie came over with his camera which we find out he's back living at home, and his mom is deceased, and his father is close to it. He had gotten a divorce from his wife Nicole, which was why he was living at his family mansion. Merry talks about doing her art on huge canvases like as big as the barn doors. She's an artist who paints. There's a lot of clutter that Wylie offers to help her clear out since she's thinking of working on her art in the barn making it her studio. Her brother Evan tells Merry she should really ask their mother Delia first before taking over their mother Delia's barn. The next day she meets Wylie at the playground where he helps Meredith's daughter, a seven year old Eloise down the slide, while Merry starts snapping pictures with Wylie's camera. First Delia gave Eloise a Violin lesson, which Merry who used to be a Violin prodigy says to Delia something like now Delia's overriding her parental decisions.
There's a lot of tension between Meredith, and her mother Delia, even though Delia is a very loving, and devoted mother to all three of her adult children, and also the same to her granddaughter, Eloise. Meredith acts like she's always angry toward her mother who really doesn't deserve it. I saw some of myself in Delia who just loved her children so much she was nothing but kind, and sensitive to their feelings, and nurturing. One thing that she finds out is there's a difference between loving your children, and doing what you think is best for them. I have to notate that I could see that same fierce love that Meredith had for her daughter, Eloise, only Meredith caught herself being too needy, while enrolling her daughter, Eloise in her new school. If she could see her longing to be close to her daughter and that all encompassing love a mother always feels towards her children, I couldn't understand how only Meredith was so cruel to her mother out of Delia's three adult children.
Delia decides to do something that could have been unforgivable, but I could see that her heart was in the right place. It took me to read the whole novel, to understand that there was a big communication misunderstanding between Delia, and Meredith that frankly for the life of me I still think that Meredith was too unappreciative toward her mother Delis, and I felt Meredith was unnecessarily cruel towards her mother. I think this was an impeccably well written novel that felt very real and believable to me, and it was a great character study of a family that I thought drew me in and held my attention the whole entire time that I read this SPECTACULAR novel. I understood everybody's point of view much better by the end of the novel, which I loved everything about, and I can easily see myself wanting to reread this in a few years time. This is a beautifully written story that explores family dynamics, and explores the very humanity between likable characters, but not everything is easy in this mother, and daughter relationship. I still love Delia, and the closer I got towards the end I understood Meredith. It is rich and complex, and this is going to be a top favorite reading experience in Literary fiction that goes to show how you can think you have done nothing but love your children pouring everything into them that you have to give, and how wanting the best for them, isn't always the same things that you want for them, how it can cause relationships to fracture if your child doesn't want those things themselves. FIVE DAZZLING STARS!
Publication Date: November 11, 2025
Thank you to Net Galley, Corrine Demas, and Little A for generously providing me with my SPECTACULAR ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own, as always.
#Daughters #CorrineDemas #LittleA #NetGalley
August 5, 2025
I went into Daughters by Corinne Demas mostly drawn in by the cover — it’s beautiful, and I’ll admit, I’m definitely someone who judges books by their covers.
The story itself was just okay for me. I struggled a bit with the main character, Meredith. She had a strong victim complex, especially in relation to her mother, and it felt exaggerated to the point of being a bit of a caricature of complicated mother-daughter dynamics. She rarely took responsibility for her own actions and often kept important things from her mother, despite constantly relying on her. I found myself feeling a lot of empathy for Dehlia, Meredith’s mother, who clearly just wants the best for her daughters.
That said, I enjoyed the supporting characters — they weren’t deeply developed, but they added some texture to the story. The romantic subplot with Wiley didn’t feel necessary to me, though it did offer a different view of Meredith that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
All in all, this wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t quite land for me either.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
The story itself was just okay for me. I struggled a bit with the main character, Meredith. She had a strong victim complex, especially in relation to her mother, and it felt exaggerated to the point of being a bit of a caricature of complicated mother-daughter dynamics. She rarely took responsibility for her own actions and often kept important things from her mother, despite constantly relying on her. I found myself feeling a lot of empathy for Dehlia, Meredith’s mother, who clearly just wants the best for her daughters.
That said, I enjoyed the supporting characters — they weren’t deeply developed, but they added some texture to the story. The romantic subplot with Wiley didn’t feel necessary to me, though it did offer a different view of Meredith that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise.
All in all, this wasn’t a bad read, but it didn’t quite land for me either.
Thank you to NetGalley and Little A for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
November 9, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the advanced audiobook.
Fantastic narration. Voicing children without sounding obnoxious is no easy feat. The narrator was perfect.
The writing was fantastic, too. This was a gentle family drama that focuses primarily on a helicopter mom and her adult "rogue" daughter, as well as sibling dynamics, grandchildren, in-laws, etc. The writing kept me interested, but the story wasn't particularly captivating. There was good character growth for such a short story, but it lacked emotional depth and nuance. I enjoyed my listen. I didn't quite cry, but made that ugly face as if I was about to. I would read more from this author.
Fantastic narration. Voicing children without sounding obnoxious is no easy feat. The narrator was perfect.
The writing was fantastic, too. This was a gentle family drama that focuses primarily on a helicopter mom and her adult "rogue" daughter, as well as sibling dynamics, grandchildren, in-laws, etc. The writing kept me interested, but the story wasn't particularly captivating. There was good character growth for such a short story, but it lacked emotional depth and nuance. I enjoyed my listen. I didn't quite cry, but made that ugly face as if I was about to. I would read more from this author.
November 12, 2025
I think everyone in this story needed therapy. Everybody. There are too many unresolved issues among these characters, which prevent them from being better people. Period.
Seen mainly through the eyes of the characters Delia, Kat, Meredith and her young daughter Eloise,
Daughters examine the sometimes difficult and complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.
I struggled with this novel because I didn't like any of the characters except Eloise, whom I figured would be the bridge to heal the fractures that existed for years in this family. Her wonder about the farm and the animals was a bright spark, the way she ignored her mother's attitude and Bob's initial standoffish, taciturn behaviour, and borderline meanness (he didn't like people), showed me she would be the one.
Let me start with Meredith, called Merry, - a misnomer if you ask me- who leaves L.A behind and returns to her mother's farm in Massachusetts without notice, bringing Eloise with her and her rude attitude.
This, fellow readers, was the beginning of my disdain for this grown, entitled, constantly nasty woman whose behaviour was tantamount to a teenage tantrum.
Don't misunderstand me. It's always nice to always go home no matter the circumstances, but to do so without prior notice and to be rude about it to the people whose home she was invading, whose home she had designs on, whose food she was eating and whose vehicles she was using was intolerable and mean. I really couldn't get over her constant nasty attitude.
Having put her mother and stepfather Bob through the wringer as an angsty or angry teen, it seemed that anger was Merry's default setting. She was angry with her life. Her husband Josh (I understood why when it came to light). She was angry with her daughter. Her step-father. Her sister Kat. She even got angry with her brother Evan, the enabler, when he was trying to tell her to change her approach to the situation instead of maintaining her combative stance.
It's as though Merry wanted everyone to wallow in unhappiness with her, even those who genuinely wanted to help.
After starting it in late October, I had to pause reading and switch to something else because I was getting upset over everything. One of my biggest issues with people, mainly adults, is their unwillingness to communicate properly with other adults. Many problems and challenges can be resolved through conversations, no matter the medium. Face to face, messages, emails, video calls, whatever, just talk it out.
Delia
I tried valiantly to put myself in Delia's place. Do I, as a mother of adult children, behave this way, wanting to fix everything? Do I offer my assistance when it isn't needed? Honestly, it gave me pause, but only for so long.
Understandably, she worried about her three children and wanted the best for them, but she was intrusive, as mothers can be. In my opinion, she had every right to try to find out what prompted her youngest child's visit minus her husband and to ask how long she intended to stay and what her plans were. It wasn't as though she was travelling alone. She had Delia's grand-daughter who should have been in school with her.
Furthermore, with Meredith objecting to everything -breakfast and activities for Eloise- she did instead of talking to her and explaining that was she wasn't ready to do so, she wasn't wrong to keep pushing for answers. She did overstep in other areas, though, and regretted it after.
And another thing. Given the title of this novel, why was Kat treated more as a third character? Kat's relationship with her mother was different from Meredith's relationship with her because of the age differences hinted at. I think some more time could have been spent showing this. I don't mean the future plans she was pedalling, but the insights into who their mother was, that warmth she experienced that Meredith refused to see. Kat's revelation to her sister about the secrets their mother kept came too late in the story.
It is not my intention to dissect every character. Truth be told, I like when authors write stories that evoke strong feelings, which this one certainly did. It just didn't go far enough, and I fail to understand how every member of a family could be so unlikeable. The writing is good, though, and Demas painted bright canvases with her words, which was a redeeming factor for me.
Having said this though, I noticed the lowkey hate Bob directed at his wife.I know that's how some couples relate to each other but did Delia really merit Bob's resentment towards her because she wanted to keep being useful? Sheesh!
Another aspect of this novel I didn't like was the way it started. It seemed to bring the reader into the middle of a situation. It read as though I should have met these characters before, so I should know what was going on, and I found myself playing catch up.
I know relationships between mothers and daughters can be complex. I know too that daughters unwittingly become their mothers, especially if they grew up with them, but Meredith was plain ridiculous. Her arrested development is the reason I didn't enjoy this story like I thought I would. There was nothing redeeming in her character arc. Nothing.
Thanks, Little A, for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley.
Seen mainly through the eyes of the characters Delia, Kat, Meredith and her young daughter Eloise,
Daughters examine the sometimes difficult and complicated relationships between mothers and daughters.
I struggled with this novel because I didn't like any of the characters except Eloise, whom I figured would be the bridge to heal the fractures that existed for years in this family. Her wonder about the farm and the animals was a bright spark, the way she ignored her mother's attitude and Bob's initial standoffish, taciturn behaviour, and borderline meanness (he didn't like people), showed me she would be the one.
Let me start with Meredith, called Merry, - a misnomer if you ask me- who leaves L.A behind and returns to her mother's farm in Massachusetts without notice, bringing Eloise with her and her rude attitude.
This, fellow readers, was the beginning of my disdain for this grown, entitled, constantly nasty woman whose behaviour was tantamount to a teenage tantrum.
Don't misunderstand me. It's always nice to always go home no matter the circumstances, but to do so without prior notice and to be rude about it to the people whose home she was invading, whose home she had designs on, whose food she was eating and whose vehicles she was using was intolerable and mean. I really couldn't get over her constant nasty attitude.
Having put her mother and stepfather Bob through the wringer as an angsty or angry teen, it seemed that anger was Merry's default setting. She was angry with her life. Her husband Josh (I understood why when it came to light). She was angry with her daughter. Her step-father. Her sister Kat. She even got angry with her brother Evan, the enabler, when he was trying to tell her to change her approach to the situation instead of maintaining her combative stance.
It's as though Merry wanted everyone to wallow in unhappiness with her, even those who genuinely wanted to help.
After starting it in late October, I had to pause reading and switch to something else because I was getting upset over everything. One of my biggest issues with people, mainly adults, is their unwillingness to communicate properly with other adults. Many problems and challenges can be resolved through conversations, no matter the medium. Face to face, messages, emails, video calls, whatever, just talk it out.
Delia
I tried valiantly to put myself in Delia's place. Do I, as a mother of adult children, behave this way, wanting to fix everything? Do I offer my assistance when it isn't needed? Honestly, it gave me pause, but only for so long.
Understandably, she worried about her three children and wanted the best for them, but she was intrusive, as mothers can be. In my opinion, she had every right to try to find out what prompted her youngest child's visit minus her husband and to ask how long she intended to stay and what her plans were. It wasn't as though she was travelling alone. She had Delia's grand-daughter who should have been in school with her.
Furthermore, with Meredith objecting to everything -breakfast and activities for Eloise- she did instead of talking to her and explaining that was she wasn't ready to do so, she wasn't wrong to keep pushing for answers. She did overstep in other areas, though, and regretted it after.
And another thing. Given the title of this novel, why was Kat treated more as a third character? Kat's relationship with her mother was different from Meredith's relationship with her because of the age differences hinted at. I think some more time could have been spent showing this. I don't mean the future plans she was pedalling, but the insights into who their mother was, that warmth she experienced that Meredith refused to see. Kat's revelation to her sister about the secrets their mother kept came too late in the story.
It is not my intention to dissect every character. Truth be told, I like when authors write stories that evoke strong feelings, which this one certainly did. It just didn't go far enough, and I fail to understand how every member of a family could be so unlikeable. The writing is good, though, and Demas painted bright canvases with her words, which was a redeeming factor for me.
Having said this though, I noticed the lowkey hate Bob directed at his wife.I know that's how some couples relate to each other but did Delia really merit Bob's resentment towards her because she wanted to keep being useful? Sheesh!
Another aspect of this novel I didn't like was the way it started. It seemed to bring the reader into the middle of a situation. It read as though I should have met these characters before, so I should know what was going on, and I found myself playing catch up.
I know relationships between mothers and daughters can be complex. I know too that daughters unwittingly become their mothers, especially if they grew up with them, but Meredith was plain ridiculous. Her arrested development is the reason I didn't enjoy this story like I thought I would. There was nothing redeeming in her character arc. Nothing.
Thanks, Little A, for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley.
November 28, 2025
I was going to say that this book is unnecessarily long even though it's under 300 pages but than if I think about it, maybe that's because i received an ALC and the chapters were very long even after the 1.5x speed. the messy character is what makes this book and the characters, very much raw and real.
October 24, 2025
Daughters by Corinne Demas is a recommended family drama, for the right reader, which focuses on a complicated relationship between mother and daughter.
Meredith (Merry) takes her seven-year-old daughter Eloise and leaves LA and her husband behind. They fly back to New England to permanently stay with her mother Delia and step-father Bob on the family farm. Without any explanation of what happened or why she is there, Meredith looks for support from her mother. Delia is very happy to provide that support but would perhaps appreciate some more information. Once home, Meredith has all manner of childhood resentments surface. She also gets in touch with her old crush, Wylie.
While the cover of the book is beautiful and the writing can be quite good, the plot can be tedious and the relationship between characters is tiresome and unrealistic. Ultimately, an adult married daughter moves home without warning, doesn't discuss the reasons why with her mother, and then gets angry at her mother for trying to find out the reason while simultaneously caring/cooking for them. Meredith also continues to be upset at being taught to play the violin when young by her violin teacher mother. Meredith's siblings fall into their caricature roles, as does Wylie.
Meredith simply comes across as an immature, entitled youngest daughter who simply expects to be able to do whatever she wants without an explanation. At the same time, it is helpful when Meredith and Eloise help with the farm animals. She has good reasons for leaving that could have been shared with her mother. In fact one of the reasons she should have shared with her immediately as it is often an event that a mother/woman would understand.
Delia was a much more sympathetic character. She and Bob said of course they could stay, yet Meredith acted like it was an expected entitlement and any plans they might have had should be cancelled for her unexpected arrival. The foolish action Delia takes later in the novel was unbelievable but also could have been easily prevented by five or six words, "Mom, I had a miscarriage" or "Mom, he no longer wants us." Ultimately, the ending provides a satisfying, redemptive story line, but the journey to get there was irksome at times.
Daughters will be best appreciated by those who enjoy mother/daughter family dramas. Thanks to Little A for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/1...
Meredith (Merry) takes her seven-year-old daughter Eloise and leaves LA and her husband behind. They fly back to New England to permanently stay with her mother Delia and step-father Bob on the family farm. Without any explanation of what happened or why she is there, Meredith looks for support from her mother. Delia is very happy to provide that support but would perhaps appreciate some more information. Once home, Meredith has all manner of childhood resentments surface. She also gets in touch with her old crush, Wylie.
While the cover of the book is beautiful and the writing can be quite good, the plot can be tedious and the relationship between characters is tiresome and unrealistic. Ultimately, an adult married daughter moves home without warning, doesn't discuss the reasons why with her mother, and then gets angry at her mother for trying to find out the reason while simultaneously caring/cooking for them. Meredith also continues to be upset at being taught to play the violin when young by her violin teacher mother. Meredith's siblings fall into their caricature roles, as does Wylie.
Meredith simply comes across as an immature, entitled youngest daughter who simply expects to be able to do whatever she wants without an explanation. At the same time, it is helpful when Meredith and Eloise help with the farm animals. She has good reasons for leaving that could have been shared with her mother. In fact one of the reasons she should have shared with her immediately as it is often an event that a mother/woman would understand.
Delia was a much more sympathetic character. She and Bob said of course they could stay, yet Meredith acted like it was an expected entitlement and any plans they might have had should be cancelled for her unexpected arrival. The foolish action Delia takes later in the novel was unbelievable but also could have been easily prevented by five or six words, "Mom, I had a miscarriage" or "Mom, he no longer wants us." Ultimately, the ending provides a satisfying, redemptive story line, but the journey to get there was irksome at times.
Daughters will be best appreciated by those who enjoy mother/daughter family dramas. Thanks to Little A for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/1...
November 8, 2025
In typical three star fashion I’ve struggled with my feelings towards this novel. Sometimes I was locked on to the story while other times I found myself distracted. I enjoyed examining my own emotions, opinions, and experiences that came up while reading. Herein lies what I love so much about familial drama and literary fiction there’s always something thought provoking when you begin to peel back layers. This is a study of the often difficult relationships between mothers and daughters.
Meredith and her young daughter Eloise move back to her mother’s farm in New England from California after her marriage turns sour. The way the farm was presented rang true. The work and beauty involved never slipped the author’s mind and I appreciated that. After a particularly difficult day I love to lay my head against one of our horses 🐴 and breathe in their distinctive scent or take a long sunset walk to recharge. I felt like these characters understood the value in simple moments like this and it did my heart good to read it. I liked that hard moments weren’t glossed over. The characters acted out made mistakes and there wasn’t much grace being passed around.
Meredith was a kind hearted mother to Eloise but reverted to acting like a teen towards her aging mother which is ridiculous but also I’ve seen this happen. Delia Meredith’s mother never met a boundary she did run rough shod over. Kat, Meredith’s older sister treats Delia similarly to how Delia treats Meredith which I thought was interesting. Eloise is written in a dumbed down manner. Kids do not need every other sentence you speak explained to them. They understand a lot more than what is portrayed here. The narration of Eloise’s voice was too shrill so that might have contributed to my annoyance.
My favorite aspect was how clarity came in unexpected ways from unlikely sources.
Thank you to Little A for providing an ARC and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for providing an ALC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Meredith and her young daughter Eloise move back to her mother’s farm in New England from California after her marriage turns sour. The way the farm was presented rang true. The work and beauty involved never slipped the author’s mind and I appreciated that. After a particularly difficult day I love to lay my head against one of our horses 🐴 and breathe in their distinctive scent or take a long sunset walk to recharge. I felt like these characters understood the value in simple moments like this and it did my heart good to read it. I liked that hard moments weren’t glossed over. The characters acted out made mistakes and there wasn’t much grace being passed around.
Meredith was a kind hearted mother to Eloise but reverted to acting like a teen towards her aging mother which is ridiculous but also I’ve seen this happen. Delia Meredith’s mother never met a boundary she did run rough shod over. Kat, Meredith’s older sister treats Delia similarly to how Delia treats Meredith which I thought was interesting. Eloise is written in a dumbed down manner. Kids do not need every other sentence you speak explained to them. They understand a lot more than what is portrayed here. The narration of Eloise’s voice was too shrill so that might have contributed to my annoyance.
My favorite aspect was how clarity came in unexpected ways from unlikely sources.
Thank you to Little A for providing an ARC and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for providing an ALC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
November 2, 2025
Daughters presents the family dynamics of an extended family in New England. Meredith returns home to stay with her aging mom and step-father, and brings with her her 7 year old daughter. Meredith's brother and sister rejoin the mix and add to the family dynamic. The central theme here is family love and conflict, and additionally the push-pull dynamics between the central figures of the mother and daughter.
I love novels about family structures and connectedness and was excited going in to this novel. The author did a nice job of presenting an imperfect family and showing how they adapt and adjust to some life changes, and come together to support Meredith. The negative flavor of much of the interaction style in the dialogue, however, was not appealing to me. The family are very contrarian with one another, and lacking in ability to directly express love and care (though they do so indirectly). Meredith comes across as juvenile, her mother seems overbearing, while the step-father is uptight. These interaction styles are all too relatable, of course, but I would have emotionally connected better with the book and characters had each of the characters showed more growth and development as a result of their changing circumstances.
The audio narration was solid, and I think did a good job of capturing the dialogue-heavy story. I'd recommend this novel to fans of Ann Patchett, who explores similar themes, but with the proviso that this novel is a little edgier than Ann's novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the Advanced Listener copy of this book.
I love novels about family structures and connectedness and was excited going in to this novel. The author did a nice job of presenting an imperfect family and showing how they adapt and adjust to some life changes, and come together to support Meredith. The negative flavor of much of the interaction style in the dialogue, however, was not appealing to me. The family are very contrarian with one another, and lacking in ability to directly express love and care (though they do so indirectly). Meredith comes across as juvenile, her mother seems overbearing, while the step-father is uptight. These interaction styles are all too relatable, of course, but I would have emotionally connected better with the book and characters had each of the characters showed more growth and development as a result of their changing circumstances.
The audio narration was solid, and I think did a good job of capturing the dialogue-heavy story. I'd recommend this novel to fans of Ann Patchett, who explores similar themes, but with the proviso that this novel is a little edgier than Ann's novels.
Thank you to NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the Advanced Listener copy of this book.
August 20, 2025
3.5/5
Meredith flies 'home' to her mother's farm with her own young daughter in tow, leaving her husband, home, and the majority of her belongings in California. Her mother Delia is extremely happy to have them there, even if Meredith, or 'Merry' as the family calls her, won't tell her why they suddenly appeared without her son-in-law. Delia's husband, Bob is less than enthusiastic about the sudden visit, especially when Merry shares the news that she and her daughter are moving back, permanently. Delia sees this as an opportunity to become closer to her youngest child, who always seemed to hold herself apart. But when Merry continues to keep her reasons for the return close to her chest, Delia may overstep to try to help out. And when Wylie, her older brother's good friend and Merry's childhood crush (conveniently recently divorced) starts coming around to help with renovations, will old flames be rekindled.
Some of this novel I found unrealistic, especially what the mother does and that Meredith would keep the reasoning from her for so long. She could have at least said there was no coming back from it, even if she didn't want to tell her completely. Some of the characters felt a little underdeveloped, including Meredith herself. She was a wild child but now being a mother is the most important thing to her, it just felt like a big switch, while other minor characters like Bob felt more fleshed out.
I recommend this to fans of family stories, multiple points of view, and learning to grow.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
Meredith flies 'home' to her mother's farm with her own young daughter in tow, leaving her husband, home, and the majority of her belongings in California. Her mother Delia is extremely happy to have them there, even if Meredith, or 'Merry' as the family calls her, won't tell her why they suddenly appeared without her son-in-law. Delia's husband, Bob is less than enthusiastic about the sudden visit, especially when Merry shares the news that she and her daughter are moving back, permanently. Delia sees this as an opportunity to become closer to her youngest child, who always seemed to hold herself apart. But when Merry continues to keep her reasons for the return close to her chest, Delia may overstep to try to help out. And when Wylie, her older brother's good friend and Merry's childhood crush (conveniently recently divorced) starts coming around to help with renovations, will old flames be rekindled.
Some of this novel I found unrealistic, especially what the mother does and that Meredith would keep the reasoning from her for so long. She could have at least said there was no coming back from it, even if she didn't want to tell her completely. Some of the characters felt a little underdeveloped, including Meredith herself. She was a wild child but now being a mother is the most important thing to her, it just felt like a big switch, while other minor characters like Bob felt more fleshed out.
I recommend this to fans of family stories, multiple points of view, and learning to grow.
Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC of this novel.
August 21, 2025
Whew - the complicated and multi layered relationships of women as daughters and mothers - this novel covers it all!
"Merry", a daughter, returns home with her own daughter and finds herself sorting out life while simultaneously unpacking the versions of herself she has been and is still striving to be. Moving "back East" to the farm she lived on as a teenager with her mother and stepfather, Meredith's story is both frustrating and affirming.
It's really interesting to see yourself through the lens of your "original" family especially after you have become a whole adult away from them. Your mother will always see you as her daughter who needs to be molded and shaped even when you have a child of your own that YOU are responsible for molding and shaping.
This novel captures how mothers sometimes see themselves in their daughters and try not to repeat the "mistakes" of their mothers just to find that it is often a full circle of evolution.
I could absolutely relate to the challenges of being an adult in the environment you grew up in. The assumptions and misunderstandings that come with dealing with family - current and historical - and the need to navigate from a place of love and acceptance is truly universal to all daughters.
Daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers - would enjoy reading this story of family and the everyday ways we rebel, reconcile, and relate in our own pursuit of happiness.
"Merry", a daughter, returns home with her own daughter and finds herself sorting out life while simultaneously unpacking the versions of herself she has been and is still striving to be. Moving "back East" to the farm she lived on as a teenager with her mother and stepfather, Meredith's story is both frustrating and affirming.
It's really interesting to see yourself through the lens of your "original" family especially after you have become a whole adult away from them. Your mother will always see you as her daughter who needs to be molded and shaped even when you have a child of your own that YOU are responsible for molding and shaping.
This novel captures how mothers sometimes see themselves in their daughters and try not to repeat the "mistakes" of their mothers just to find that it is often a full circle of evolution.
I could absolutely relate to the challenges of being an adult in the environment you grew up in. The assumptions and misunderstandings that come with dealing with family - current and historical - and the need to navigate from a place of love and acceptance is truly universal to all daughters.
Daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers - would enjoy reading this story of family and the everyday ways we rebel, reconcile, and relate in our own pursuit of happiness.
October 24, 2025
I have got to say, this was a pretty good story. It does not take you through a bunch of ups and downs, and stays pretty consistent throughout with the exceptiong of typical drama scenes. It felt as though you were reading about a family going through drama together after somany years of being apart.
It was comforting to read about how being apart from family tends to mean that you do not grow up with them anymore and can see who your family members truly are as adults. Everyone is on the same playing field at that point in terms of conversation and understanding of how things work in life.
Id recommend this book to anyone for a quick, comfort read. Anyone could find some sort of scene within it to relate to- maybe not to the exact thing but similar at least.
Personally, I felt this book hit on a deep level. It was what I felt the relationship dynamic was with my family- how mother is trying her best to do good for her children, but may not realize that it can be too much smothering and grip on what was (having a young child to raise, over the adult in front of them).
Anyways, Id read again. Check it out when you can.
It was comforting to read about how being apart from family tends to mean that you do not grow up with them anymore and can see who your family members truly are as adults. Everyone is on the same playing field at that point in terms of conversation and understanding of how things work in life.
Id recommend this book to anyone for a quick, comfort read. Anyone could find some sort of scene within it to relate to- maybe not to the exact thing but similar at least.
Personally, I felt this book hit on a deep level. It was what I felt the relationship dynamic was with my family- how mother is trying her best to do good for her children, but may not realize that it can be too much smothering and grip on what was (having a young child to raise, over the adult in front of them).
Anyways, Id read again. Check it out when you can.
November 7, 2025
I’ll admit it, I was first drawn in by the cover. It’s beautiful in a quietly nostalgic way, evoking a childlike sentiment that hinted at deeper, adult undertones. A juxtaposition of innocence and emotional immaturity, and this book delivered on that front.
What it didn’t deliver for me was likable characters. There’s the spot-on distant and borderline-mean radiologist stepfather, the meddling mom blind to the irony of her own strained relationship with her daughter, and then the daughter, Merry, who somehow manages to be just marginally nicer to her daughter than she is to her mother.
While I’m sure people like this exist, it was hard to buy into Merry’s constant nastiness. The reasoning behind her behavior never quite added up for me, leaving the emotional arc feeling shallow. Maybe the message was simply not to hold on to grudges, because in the mirror called hindsight, they all look a little petty.
As someone who firmly believes you can and should judge a book by its cover, this one lived up to feeling childlike, tender in parts, but ultimately trapped in its own arrested development.
What it didn’t deliver for me was likable characters. There’s the spot-on distant and borderline-mean radiologist stepfather, the meddling mom blind to the irony of her own strained relationship with her daughter, and then the daughter, Merry, who somehow manages to be just marginally nicer to her daughter than she is to her mother.
While I’m sure people like this exist, it was hard to buy into Merry’s constant nastiness. The reasoning behind her behavior never quite added up for me, leaving the emotional arc feeling shallow. Maybe the message was simply not to hold on to grudges, because in the mirror called hindsight, they all look a little petty.
As someone who firmly believes you can and should judge a book by its cover, this one lived up to feeling childlike, tender in parts, but ultimately trapped in its own arrested development.
October 15, 2025
The narrator, Laura Darrell, did a good job with this book. There was a time the two sisters had a conversation and it was hard to distinguish who was supposed to be speaking.
This title left disregarded two important characters who were intricate to the story. It should have been "Family" instead of "Daughters" The main character, Meredith, infuriated me. While her mom was a bit overbearing, "Meri" was behaving like a spoiled teenager as an adult. She didn't want to share any information as to what was happening in her life but wanted to just move back into her family home with her daughter. Other than loving her daughter, I honestly didn't see any good aspects in Meri. She projected her negative feelings on her young daughter, who was portrayed as a bit bratty but was just trying to stand up for herself.
Overall, I am glad that I read it and it definitely shows the complexity of children's relationships with their mother.
This title left disregarded two important characters who were intricate to the story. It should have been "Family" instead of "Daughters" The main character, Meredith, infuriated me. While her mom was a bit overbearing, "Meri" was behaving like a spoiled teenager as an adult. She didn't want to share any information as to what was happening in her life but wanted to just move back into her family home with her daughter. Other than loving her daughter, I honestly didn't see any good aspects in Meri. She projected her negative feelings on her young daughter, who was portrayed as a bit bratty but was just trying to stand up for herself.
Overall, I am glad that I read it and it definitely shows the complexity of children's relationships with their mother.
November 2, 2025
Thank you NetGalley, Brilliance Audio and Corrine Demas for the ALC of Daughters.
The sudden arrival of the main character, Meredith at her parent’s house with her own daughter, Eloise had set the plot of the book. The characters with their complex relationships, secrets and humanly flaws seemed realistically relatable. For example Meredith’s secrecy with her parents showed the complex relationship between her and her parents. Her struggles to prove herself that she made the right decision and attempts to gain control of her life on her own while taking care of a child, all these things point towards her inner turmoil. Might seem like a spoiled immature brat but she never learnt to be her own person something to with her upbringing. The writing style was ordinary, nothing quotable or memorable for me. The narrator, Laura Darrell, narrated all the characters in this book nicely. Overall an average reading experience.
The sudden arrival of the main character, Meredith at her parent’s house with her own daughter, Eloise had set the plot of the book. The characters with their complex relationships, secrets and humanly flaws seemed realistically relatable. For example Meredith’s secrecy with her parents showed the complex relationship between her and her parents. Her struggles to prove herself that she made the right decision and attempts to gain control of her life on her own while taking care of a child, all these things point towards her inner turmoil. Might seem like a spoiled immature brat but she never learnt to be her own person something to with her upbringing. The writing style was ordinary, nothing quotable or memorable for me. The narrator, Laura Darrell, narrated all the characters in this book nicely. Overall an average reading experience.
November 3, 2025
I received an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
Mothers, we always have the best intentions.
Delia is thrilled by the last-minute arrival of her daughter, Meredith, and granddaughter, Eloise. When Meredith says they are home for good because she is getting divorced, everyone is shocked. She says being back on the family farm will help her heal and figure out the next steps for her and Eloise. Delia thinks she knows the best way to help her daughter and creates a plan to do just that. But when Meredith discovers her mother's plan, she begins to question whether her time on the farm is healing or causing more damage.
This is a quick-moving, highly engaging story about the struggles of balancing relationships between mothers and daughters. It is also a reminder that sometimes we need to step back and examine ourselves to see whether our good intentions towards others are helpful or harmful, especially when it comes to our children.
Mothers, we always have the best intentions.
Delia is thrilled by the last-minute arrival of her daughter, Meredith, and granddaughter, Eloise. When Meredith says they are home for good because she is getting divorced, everyone is shocked. She says being back on the family farm will help her heal and figure out the next steps for her and Eloise. Delia thinks she knows the best way to help her daughter and creates a plan to do just that. But when Meredith discovers her mother's plan, she begins to question whether her time on the farm is healing or causing more damage.
This is a quick-moving, highly engaging story about the struggles of balancing relationships between mothers and daughters. It is also a reminder that sometimes we need to step back and examine ourselves to see whether our good intentions towards others are helpful or harmful, especially when it comes to our children.
November 10, 2025
Daughters by Corinne Demas has an interesting premise. As a mom of three teenagers, I love books that explore the parent–child relationship and the occasional drama that comes with it.
I struggled through Daughters because Delia does not understand what boundaries are, and Meredith refuses to communicate for no real reason. She comes across as manipulative, immature, and rude, which made it impossible to relate to or feel for her. Eloise is whinier than any seven-year-old I have ever encountered, though this may very well be due to the narrator. I liked Kat and Evan, but I never once cared about Meredith.
Laura Darrell does not have much range and uses a very grating voice for Eloise. Although the book is told in third person, Laura performs each character’s thoughts and actions as if they are speaking, using her voice for them, which pulled me out of the story every time. I did not enjoy listening to her.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for providing me with an ALC.
I struggled through Daughters because Delia does not understand what boundaries are, and Meredith refuses to communicate for no real reason. She comes across as manipulative, immature, and rude, which made it impossible to relate to or feel for her. Eloise is whinier than any seven-year-old I have ever encountered, though this may very well be due to the narrator. I liked Kat and Evan, but I never once cared about Meredith.
Laura Darrell does not have much range and uses a very grating voice for Eloise. Although the book is told in third person, Laura performs each character’s thoughts and actions as if they are speaking, using her voice for them, which pulled me out of the story every time. I did not enjoy listening to her.
Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for providing me with an ALC.
October 27, 2025
I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an audio ARC.
For the most part I really enjoyed this book. There were times that dialouge and situations felt unrealistic. However I did really enjoy how this book delved in the complex relationships that can grow between mothers and daughters when trying to avoid making the same mistakes and having more difficult relationships with parents. I liked how the characters were written. They felt like they had good depth and were written to be complex individuals. This book showed the women dealing with the complexities of adulthood and tense relationshis. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator's performance. I would definitely recommend checking out this book.
For the most part I really enjoyed this book. There were times that dialouge and situations felt unrealistic. However I did really enjoy how this book delved in the complex relationships that can grow between mothers and daughters when trying to avoid making the same mistakes and having more difficult relationships with parents. I liked how the characters were written. They felt like they had good depth and were written to be complex individuals. This book showed the women dealing with the complexities of adulthood and tense relationshis. I thoroughly enjoyed the narrator's performance. I would definitely recommend checking out this book.
November 5, 2025
I finished reading Daughters yesterday. I loved it! It's a very truthful portrait of a family. I believed the women and how they echo the same problems and struggle to get past their intergenerational blocks. Not just blocks--I felt as I read how frustrating the blocks are, how they reveal the goodness that they can't express. Sometimes Eloise repeats a pattern or Merry repeats a pattern. And I want to shake them free of their frustrating dialogues. But that's the point. And I believed that their softening is real. JJC
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews