Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC (Advance Reader Copy) of Just Like Her Mother by Julia Roberts. Well that was interesting! The book I read does not sound like the one in the description. This book was indeed a family drama with each character having their own issues to work through. It was a good book and I thoroughly enjoyed it, just not what I was expecting. Not a bad book and I would recommend it if you like reading books about a family saga, secrets, and life problems. I gave it a 3 star rating.

After loving The Dilemma by this author, I couldn't wait to dive in to her latest book.
This was certainly a 'family saga', with several characters having their own individual situation to navigate. This did make it tricky to keep track of, but I felt that the characters were distinctive enough to keep my engagement and attention throughout.
This was an enjoyable read and I enjoyed how the events transpired and connected at the end.

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Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “Just Like Her Mother“ by Julia Roberts Lexi is mom of two grown children, married to Stuart and checking in on both of their moms. Basically, she is trying to do it all!
Lexi and Stuart are on a much needed vacation when Stuart’s mom falls ill. They rush home and the drama begins. Lexi knows a secret about her daughter’s boyfriend that is hard to keep to herself. Lexi is also having problems at work with a younger colleague. She is navigating all of this while dealing with her mother in law and mother’s health and emotional issues.
I totally related to Lexi. My husband and I are always checking in with our parents. We hurt when our children hurt. Really good read! Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This book is labeled as “a tear-jerking and emotional page-turner”, and all I can say is – that’s true. This is exactly what this book is. This is an emotional family drama, this is emotionally charged, filled to the brim with emotions. There are secrets, there are lies. Well-written, with depth that’s not just emotional, but also with deep, well-developed characters.
Also: short chapters, and a cat.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Just Like Her Mother’ written by Julia Roberts in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Lexi and her husband Stuart are having a much-needed break in the Caribbean. After just one day of enjoying the sun, sea and sand they receive bad news and immediately pack their suitcases and return home

‘Just Like Her Mother’ is the drama of a family, the secrets they keep and the lies they tell. It has a thread that runs throughout of a secret Lexi and her son Callum are keeping from her daughter Jemma about her boyfriend Will and how he makes his money. It’s well-written with an interesting story and short chapters making it easy to read, and good character descriptions that make me feel involved in what’s happening, but if I was expecting thrills and excitement I was disappointed as it was purely about the family and Lexi’s workplace grievances with News24. Despite this, I have enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more by this author.

I loved this book. It's about family, the loss of a mother and grandmother, and all of the emotions that go along with that.

This is my first time reading @juliagroberts and it won’t be my last. I just loved this book. I was engrossed from the start, shred a few tears along the way, to the perfect ending. I couldn’t stop reading and didn’t want it to finish. Unputdownable, a real page turning tear jerker.
A beautifully written story about love, loss, secrets, sacrifices and happy endings with relatable family dynamics that really pull at your heartstrings. It’s just captivating with so much depth and emotional drama. You’re just taken in by all the great likeable characters including Wilfie the cat.
The perfect family drama. Definitely recommend if you enjoy this genre. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
With thanks #NetGallery @bookouture for an arc of #JustLikeHerMother in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 17 April 2025

I have to admit that I struggled reading this book. The storyline was not bad but the way it was written lacked soul and emotion. It felt like something was missing. There were so many storylines but none were focused on in great depth.
A family saga with secrets and lies which had the potential to be a good book but for me fell short.

When I read ‘ An utterly gripping and emotional read about the sacrifices we make for those we love‘ I just expect more. Maybe I’m spoiled with the books I’ve read before with this description. It was okay but I was just waiting for more.

Will the secrets make or break up a family unit?
Make sure you have tissues to hand- they are definitely needed. This is such a tastefully written book, with just enough emotion but couldn’t put the book down - I had to find out the truth immediately.

When Will is keeping a secret from Jenny and other family members knowing what it is, will it make or break their relationship?

What a family will do for love really shows in this story, moving literally heaven & earth to be together travelling miles to be with the ones they love, all except Mari - she is a heartless woman who I thought had a motive against Stuart but it turns out the ‘‘green eyed monster’ played its part.

This story is full of twists and turns making this a fantastic read keeping you guessing at every chance.

Thank you Net Galley and bookouture for this ARC of Just Like Her Mother. By Julia Robert’s. A lovely British family story. Lovely characters including g the cat! Would recommend this enjoyable cozy read.

this book was a perfect family drama. it had so much depth and emotive drama. i was taken in by all the character. Lexi was so like alot of mothers. having all the plates spinning and doing it all. and first and foremost doing anything and everything to make the kids happy. or make them safe. or make them the center of all things. but then what happens when it becomes too much. and what happens when keeping something from your daughter means its hurts you. and in the end keeping it could hurt her too. especially when she finds out you new about it. so do you tell the secret and face the explosion. or o you keep it secret and face the explosions. it all feels impossible, and this in itself feels like such a relatable theme in families. we all want to make sure each other are ok. but when there is something in said t can spiral or become impossible to know what's best. and then things go the way they do whether we want them to or not.

"Just Like Her Mother" is a book about a woman, Alexis, who has so many plates spinning at once that she has a minor breakdown, which in hindsight is a good thing! The book is well written in great detail with a lot of emotional aspects. In my opinion it did drag on a little bit and lost my attention at times but the ending made it worth it!

If anyone walked in on our cosy family dinner, they’d think my daughter and her boyfriend were the perfect couple. I watch as he puts his arm around her. Her eyes shine as she gazes at him lovingly. But I know that he is hiding a secret. A secret that would devastate my daughter…Outstanding. I'll be sorry to not have it to read tonight, but couldn't put the book down! I was fully immersed in this from the start… fascinating!

An interesting family drama full of love, heartache and reconciliation.

Thank you Netgalley, Julia Robert’s and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an absolutely brilliant family drama this is, I don't know where I have been all these years for missing this great author.

It was extremely well written with good characters and I couldn't stop reading from the beginning until the ending which brought everything to a satisfactory conclusion.

I will certainly be adding this author to my list for reading her books and thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this fantastic ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

This was for me an OK read.

At first I found it quite intriguing and couldn't wait to find out the secrets and details that this family had.

Family dramas are always filled with drama and while this book had plenty of it I did find it a little overwritten,

I would recommend it as a holiday read, it's an easy read to pick up and put down..

Decent read, albeit confusing at times. It felt like there was several stories all going on at the same time. I would have liked the author to have focused on one and expanded it.

From the blurb I was under the impression that this was going to be more thriller esque, but maybe that’s my fault. This was an okay book, but I think my main issue with it was the writing. Everything felt overwritten and over explained and I found myself skimming things, surprised that the same event/action/thought was repeated so many times. It was a simple, slice of life book where nothing really happens. I’m sure this is someone’s perfect book, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

This was a very good book. I love how it shows that a family that looks perfect isn't. It also shows how secrets affect people and how you treat family members really is important. This was a good story that is from a mother's point of view as they maneuver through the loss of her mother in law, and their daughter's boyfriend problems. Overall just a great book that was very enjoyable.