angelaptrice 's review for:

Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

4.25

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I was really excited to read this book because of how much I loved her debut. This book was a little slower and mundane by comparison. I think that is by design. I found myself frustrated at times by the descriptions of everyday ordinary life goings on but then realized that is what creates some of the tension that Julia experiences throughout her life. I found Alma to be very unlikable, and her behavior was cringy in trying to demonstrate a “typical teenager”. That might be cultural. I didn’t cuss at or with my parents and my children didn’t either. I don’t think that level of entitlement would have been tolerated either. Most of the interactions with Alma involved, while I understand the point, just left me disliking her more and more. And her parents rarely, if ever, addressed her behavior. Julia’s relationship with her mother was at the center of everything and I wished more of that was revealed sooner because the relationship with Helen felt very disjointed for the first half of the story.  All of Julia’s relationships were very intriguing and he m glad we got to know the inter-workings of them all. That said, this book is really long, and I was bored at times. I really do enjoy the authors writing style and I think the beautiful writing is what keeps me turning the pages. I did shed some tears at the end and I think that’s a testament to how well-developed the characters are and how vested in their lives I became.