The Someday Daughter by Ellen O’Clover drew me in right away and compelled me with a story of a unique mother-daughter relationship. I found myself feeling deeply for the main character, despite the fact that we couldn’t be more different.
A summer can change everything
Audrey St. Vrain has grown up in the spotlight. Before she was born, her mother wrote a best-selling self-love book called Letters to My Someday Daughter, which encourages women to treat themselves the way they would treat their future, hypothetical daughters. For Audrey’s entire life, her mom has capitalized on her own “someday daughter,” which causes Audrey to feel more like a promotional prop than someone her mom truly cares about.
Since being sent to boarding school at age 11, Audrey has built her own life and personality apart from her mother. She’s set on becoming a doctor and attending a prestigious summer premed program the summer after high school to help her get ahead. But the anniversary tour for Letters to My Someday Daughter completely derails her plans when her mom convinces her to come along and join her on the stage every night.
Audrey hopes to use this trip to bond with her mom, who’s always held herself aloof. What she’s not expecting is how much your perspective can change in one summer.
A well-handled love triangle
The love triangle trope is one of the banes of my bookworm existence, but when it’s done well, I really respect it. Audrey starts the book in a relationship with Ethan, another future doctor with the same focus and drive. When she learns that they can’t attend the summer premed program, he promises to call her every night to go over the material, which he faithfully does. But over the course of the novel, she finds herself frustrated by Ethan’s lack of affection. She wants their relationship to be about more than future goals.
Meanwhile, she finds herself more and more intrigued by Silas, the videographer intern who’s joining their tour as a part of the media team. He’s not her type at all–long hair, an overly enthusiastic dog, and chill vibes… not things Audrey usually looks for. But surprisingly, she finds his honesty and calm demeanor attractive rather than repelling. As they spend more time together, she starts to question what she really wants in a relationship.
O’Clover did a great job showing why Audrey wants to stay with Ethan so badly, but also why he may not be right for her. Ethan’s character was never villainized–he just wasn’t a good fit. Each boy represents a different version of Audrey–who she’s been vs. who she wants to be. This love triangle was a pleasant surprise!
Unique mother-daughter dynamic
Audrey’s frustrated feelings about her mom also take center stage. She’s constantly torn between wanting to pull away from her mother, who she feels is always using her for social media attention, and wanting to draw closer so that they can finally have a real relationship. I loved that this author embraced the messiness of their dynamic, instead of tying it up neatly with a bow.
If you love deeply emotional contemporaries, you will love this one!
The Someday Daughter by Ellen O’Clover was published on February 13, 2024.
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"The Someday Daughter" review - 8/10
8/10
Abby Costello has been writing for about books professionally for the past three years, but she’s been overanalyzing everything she reads and watches since day one. Seriously, don’t even bring up Beauty and the Beast. Outside of this website, she teaches 7th grade English in Northern California and works as a freelance writer on the side.
