The Someday Daughter - by Ellen O'Clover (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Audrey St. Vrain has grown up in the shadow of someone who doesn't actually exist. Before she was born, her mother, Camilla St. Vrain, wrote the bestselling book Letters to My Someday Daughter, a guide to self-love that advises treating yourself like you would your own hypothetical future daughter. The book made Audrey's mother a household name, and she built an empire around it. While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla's family. Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla's daughter, and she's looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother's world"--

Book Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon, Mary H. K. Choi, and Alex Light! From the critically acclaimed author of Seven Percent of Ro Devereux comes another heartrending and nuanced novel about family, love, and the cost of ambition.

"A compelling, beautifully drawn exploration into complicated family and personal relationships and the frailty and fortitude of a girl simply trying to succeed, love, and thrive. I'm proud to live in a book world where Ellen O'Clover is writing contemporary young adult fiction. The Someday Daughter is a forever treasure." --Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

Audrey St. Vrain has grown up in the shadow of someone who doesn't actually exist. Before she was born, her mother, Camilla St. Vrain, wrote the bestselling book Letters to My Someday Daughter, a guide to self-love that advises treating yourself like you would your own hypothetical future daughter. The book made Audrey's mother a household name, and she built an empire around it.

While the world considers Audrey lucky to have Camilla for a mother, the truth is that Audrey knows a different side of being the someday daughter. Shipped off to boarding school when she was eleven, she feels more like a promotional tool than a member of Camilla's family. Audrey is determined to create her own identity aside from being Camilla's daughter, and she's looking forward to a prestigious summer premed program with her boyfriend before heading to college and finally breaking free from her mother's world.

But when Camilla asks Audrey to go on tour with her to promote the book's anniversary, Audrey can't help but think that this is the last, best chance to figure out how they fit into each other's lives--not as the someday daughter and someday mother but as themselves, just as they are. What Audrey doesn't know is that spending the summer with Camilla and her tour staff--including the disarmingly honest, distressingly cute video intern, Silas--will upset everything she's so carefully planned for her life.

Review Quotes

"A compelling, beautifully drawn exploration into complicated family and personal relationships, and the frailty and fortitude of a girl simply trying to succeed, love, and thrive. I'm proud to live in a book world where Ellen O'Clover is writing contemporary young adult fiction. The Someday Daughter is a forever treasure."
-- Laura Taylor Namey, New York Times bestselling author of A Cuban Girl's Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

"A gorgeously written story about the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, THE SOMEDAY DAUGHTER is a moving portrayal of the myriad ways family can both break and mend us. Ellen O'Clover's writing is exceptional: empathetic, funny, heart-felt, and her ability to write love interests who I absolutely adore is unparalleled. Highly recommend!" -- Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas, The Night in Question, and The Lucky Ones

"Ellen O'Clover has given us a page-turner filled with drama and romance. Audrey's story gracefully captures not only the complicated moment when a daughter understands that her mother is just as human as she is, but the fumbling journey of figuring out who we really are--not just who we think we should be." -- Michael Thomas Ford, award-winning author of Suicide Notes and Every Star That Falls

"Heartbreaking, romantic, funny and smart, Ellen O'Clover's The Someday Daughter is a modern road map for figuring out where you truly belong. This beautiful and compassionate book has a permanent place in my heart. You'll be with Audrey every mile of her journey." -- Betty Culley, author of The Name She Gave Me

"Ellen O'Clover is one of my favorite new voices in YA. She writes the kind of heartbursting stories that make me want a book to last forever. The Someday Daughter had me laughing, crying, and wanting to hug Audrey so tightly. O'Clover's depiction of the complicated mother-daughter relationship, the struggle with anxiety, the oftentimes confusing feelings tied to falling in love were all handled with such care and honesty. This beautiful book had me feeling all the emotions and has secured its spot on my best of the year shelf!"
-- Susan Lee, author of Seoulmates

"Endlessly compassionate and gracefully written, The Someday Daughter is a story about the beautifully messy business of figuring out who you are--or who you're not, as the case may be. The novel is warm and heartfelt even as it addresses difficult, complex truths, and it's packed with memorable people and places (not to mention one very enchanting dog). I loved watching Audrey develop the courage to face--and maybe even enjoy--the unknown."
-- Julia Drake, author of The Last True Poets of the Sea

"The Someday Daughter delivers a fast-paced and emotional story about figuring out who you really aren't, after a lifetime of being told who you are. A surprise gut-punch punctuated with a sweet forehead kiss, an ice pack, and a promise that life might not be predictable, but it'll be what it'll be. Perfect for anyone who, like me, has spent years chasing the high of The Truth About Forever." -- Samantha Markum, author of This May End Badly and You Wouldn't Dare

"Sophisticated and evocatively wrought. O'Clover employs dry humor to highlight the blurred lines between public and private life in celebrity-obsessed culture, and the messy honesty of Audrey's relationships supports the slowly evolving character arcs that drive the novel." -- Publishers Weekly

"Audrey's transformation is portrayed with convincing complexity and appealing measures of both humor and earnestness. Poignant, heartfelt, and often funny." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Full of themes around found family and forgiveness, O'Clover neatly layers the road-trip narrative over clever family drama and adds a surprise twist. Readers will find discussions of mental health, while immersive romantic relationship drama adds additional substance.... No doubt resonant for teens growing up in front of their parents' social media." -- Booklist

PRAISE FOR Seven Percent of Ro Devereux: "An exhilarating, wholly original debut that explores the nature of human behavior alongside a gorgeous slow-burn romance. I'm obsessed with everything about this book, from the immersive Colorado setting to the clever plot twists to the love story that had me pressing a hand to my chest. Ellen O'Clover writes with an unforgettable voice that instantly makes her characters feel like real people--the kind you want to wrap in a blanket so nothing bad happens to them ever again. Seven Percent of Ro Devereux has one hundred percent of my heart." -- Rachel Lynn Solomon, New York Times bestselling author of Today Tonight Tomorrow

"Gorgeously written, full of intelligent heart, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux is a captivating love story within a vivid modern update of questions of designing your future and decoding the love you're meant to find. We're 100% in love with this wonderful debut." -- Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka, authors of If I'm Being Honest

"Both masterful and effortless, Seven Percent of Ro Devereux broke my heart and mended it anew. With gut wrenching prose and a timeless slow burn romance, Ro and Miller's story will ensure Ellen O'Clover is your new favorite author. Stunning."
-- Kelsey Rodkey, author of Last Chance Books

"Unlike anything I've read before. These characters tug at your heartstrings and refuse to let go until the very last chapter. Memorable, romantic and a poignant comment on human connection. My favorite book of the year."
-- Alex Light, author of The Upside of Falling

"Interesting ideas explored along the way about free will and ambition, and Ro's family experiences, including Vera's illness, provide for convincing emotional drama... the central focus of the story is on the romance, which will please fans of the genre. A thoughtful meditation on some weighty questions wrapped in a well-drawn romance." -- Kirkus Reviews

"O'Clover's prose, brimming with dry wit, pensively ponders existential questions regarding free will and the "gray area" of human behavior that no computer can measure. A nuanced cast navigating evolving interpersonal struggles and natural-feeling dialogue elevate this tech-driven debut about love, fate, and change." -- Publishers Weekly

"This story isn't simply a teen romance with an enemies-to-lovers trope. It's also about finding yourself and realizing that life is unpredictable. Fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon and John Green will not be able to put this one down." -- School Library Journal

"Balances a whirlwind of love, grief, and fame in a perfect contemporary novel that reminds us life isn't dictated by algorithms. You may think you can predict how this book will end 93% of the time, and still, that 7% will make your heart race with eager anticipation." -- Pine Reads Review

"The Someday Daughter is one of the best depictions I've ever read of the beautifully messy 'coming of age' experience. Seamlessly weaving together a complex mother-daughter relationship, mental health struggles, and the softest, sweetest romance, O'Clover tells an achingly relatable story of one girl's journey to learning who she truly is and loving herself for every part of it. I couldn't put this book down!"
-- Kaitlyn Hill, author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends