Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing The Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers is for the daughters of narcissistic mothers who have spent much of their adult lives dealing with the fallout of never having received maternal support and love. These women have been through it all, and they have a lot of effective advice to help you heal from the abuse of your narcissistic mother. They offer insight into how to cope with and manage your feelings. The authors aren’t mental health experts, but they know what they’re talking about because they’ve been through it.

This book was hard to read, as it will be for anyone who is the adult daughter of a narcissist. We are trained from a young age to know, inherently, that every single thing that goes wrong is our fault. It takes courage to open this book, to take that step towards questioning the truth of your relationship with your mother.

Thank you to Netgalley and New Harbinger Publications for a digital galley in exchange for my honest review. The author is the founder of daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com, and she has helped many women recover from their narcissistic abuse and go on to live happy, satisfying lives. The book details effective strategies for escaping the toxicity of your relationship with your mother and beginning to heal yourself from its effects. While maintaining a healthy relationship with a narcissistic mother is not easy, it is possible. Here are a few suggestions that may help to guide the relationship towards shared peace:

She specifically takes you through the various ways in which toxic parents can have a devastating effect on your life. But she also helps you realize those wounds can be healed, and you can move on to have a happy, fulfilling life. She explains the four types of problem parents and how you can free yourself from their toxicity. 5. Why Is It Always About You?: The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism by Sandy Hotchkiss For many years I thought I understood the relationship between me and my mother. In the beginning our relationship when I was a child, I could have received a perfect report card or all blue ribbons on field day at school, and the common response from my mother was “Oh, that’s nice honey…” I never felt like I was ever doing anything good enough. I tried harder and harder, but the responses were the same. Later in my teens I went the rebellious route. I strived for horrible grades, I stayed out late, and lied to her. These usually ended up with no responses except she would call her friends and talk about how terrible I was. Then her alcoholism came into play. I was repeatedly reminded of my “bad” behavior from when I was young and told that I wouldn't make anything of myself. That I should just find a wealthy man and marry him because I could never have a future or career. When I was older and got engaged, I showed her my 3 carat diamond ring and her response was, “Well, I hope you're worth it.” I still strived and would tell her of my accomplishments no matter how large or small they were. Usually she replied with telling me about something great she did, or about where the next cruise was going to take her or how much money she had. Honestly through all of this, I thought this was normal. I never saw what the relationship was really about. I knew I hurt inside and I felt empty and unsuccessful but I didn't understand it." Will I Ever Be Good Enough?: Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers, is a self-help book written for adult daughters of narcissistic mothers. In this book, Dr. Karyl is sharing her years of clinical and personal research to help daughters heal.These women also represent the diversity of no less than four countries, and they detail how narcissism interacts with cultural values to impact your life. Their inspiring stories can help you understand your true worth and inspire you to rise above the emotional abuse you’ve suffered. 4. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson

Disclaimer: this is an incredibly long review, because I have found this book to be a breakthrough for me DESPITE NOT HAVING A NARCASSISTIC MOTHER. I found working through this book irreplaceable to healing as the child of a broken, abusive home; broken extended family; broken community; and, broken communist state. I'm hoping this review will help women whose mothers did the best they could, but were too broken to love their child unconditionally. I have just finished reading your book ; ' Will I ever be good enough?' I wanted to write and thank you, as it felt as if you were speaking directly to me. I have known for a long time that I have a difficult relationship with my Mum but have never considered it in terms of narcissism. It was very clear when I started reading, that my mum has many narcissistic traits which made it very difficult/impossible for her to empathize or meet my needs. Because abuse and manipulation may have felt like the norm growing up, you may accept these behaviors in your adult relationships, too. But try to remember that abusive tendencies are never a part of healthy partnerships. Regularly blaming yourself

She's a Winner, at Least in Public

The Covert Passive-Aggressive Narcissist: Recognizing the Traits and Finding Healing After Hidden Emotional and Psychological Abuse by Debbie Mirza You might develop people-pleasing tendencies from constantly striving to meet the needs of your mother with narcissistic traits as a child.

I just finished reading "Adult Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers," and let me tell you, it's the kind of book you need a stiff drink to get through. And not just because it's like looking into a soul-crushing mirror, but because of those "OMG, that's me" moments. When you find someone who wants to be with you, you [may] find yourself constantly asking them for validation and reassurance about whether they really want you or whether you’re enough for them,” she says. Displaying narcissistic tendencies Constantly being blamed for everything eventually develops a pattern in you where you also start blaming yourself for everything wrong,” says Maurya.Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown If your mother blamed you for problems as a child, you might naturally feel like everything is your fault as an adult, too. (Friendly reminder: It’s not.)