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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love Claire Lombardo’s writing. A few sections of her prose forced me to stop and reread just to savor how she perfectly captured some aspect of the human experience. Unfortunately I didn’t love the plot, and thought it was a little slow and too long. I’m not sad I read this, but I don’t know how enthusiastic I would be about recommending it to others.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Pregnancy
Maybe a little long, but so engaging it didn’t feel like 600 pages. I loved Mark, Helen, and Ben so much. Julia and Alma were a little harder to swallow.
She did use the word “affected” a lot though…
She did use the word “affected” a lot though…
Love Claire Lombardo’s writing style and deep dive in to characters, but this had me on the struggle bus for a month. I just wasn’t excited to read more about Julia.
Well written and I love Claire L. But I am at part three and need a break.
Well written and I love Claire L. But I am at part three and need a break.
I have really been looking forward to this book as I enjoyed the author's debut book, The Most Fun We Ever Had. The sophomore effort was a bit of a disappointment for me however.
It is a family drama that involves marriage, motherhood, trauma, and a dysfunctional family. I found the MC, Julia, to be frustrating and unlikable. If ever there was a character that needed therapy and an antidepressant, she was it. The book was about 500 pages and definitely could have been shortened. This book is going to be highly unlikely to stick with me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the advanced digital copy of the book.
It is a family drama that involves marriage, motherhood, trauma, and a dysfunctional family. I found the MC, Julia, to be frustrating and unlikable. If ever there was a character that needed therapy and an antidepressant, she was it. The book was about 500 pages and definitely could have been shortened. This book is going to be highly unlikely to stick with me.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the advanced digital copy of the book.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Same As It Ever Was is about Julia Ames, who had a turbulent past and has now settled into a more plateaued season of her life. When upheavals start to pile up, her son making a major announcement, her daughter getting ready to go to college, and Julia running into someone from her past, she begins to feel some of the same emotions that led to uncertain times in the past.
This was a slow moving, very much character driven novel. I usually listen to literary fiction on audiobook and I'm glad I did with this one, as after the first quarter, I was really invested in the story and couldn't stop listening. In the beginning there was so much about Julia that made me frustrated. I liked that we got her story in the present as well as the past, but in both timelines there were some decisions she made that really grated. After a certain point though, I started to understand Julia's emotions and in the second half I was really invested in her story and her family's story. She is a really well developed character and I thought her family and those around her were also well developed. While she frustrated me, there were times when I really felt for Julia. The ending made me tear up. I truly felt like a part of Julia's life after spending almost 500 pages with her.
Overall, this was a great character driven story centered around a flawed person. Julia's decision making made me frustrated, but getting to know her made me understand her motivations and her backstory. The book is really well written and I would recommend it to those who like slower paced literary fiction!
This was a slow moving, very much character driven novel. I usually listen to literary fiction on audiobook and I'm glad I did with this one, as after the first quarter, I was really invested in the story and couldn't stop listening. In the beginning there was so much about Julia that made me frustrated. I liked that we got her story in the present as well as the past, but in both timelines there were some decisions she made that really grated. After a certain point though, I started to understand Julia's emotions and in the second half I was really invested in her story and her family's story. She is a really well developed character and I thought her family and those around her were also well developed. While she frustrated me, there were times when I really felt for Julia. The ending made me tear up. I truly felt like a part of Julia's life after spending almost 500 pages with her.
Overall, this was a great character driven story centered around a flawed person. Julia's decision making made me frustrated, but getting to know her made me understand her motivations and her backstory. The book is really well written and I would recommend it to those who like slower paced literary fiction!
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like her writing style, the story arch not so much.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes