I enjoyed this author’s The Most Fun We Ever Had, so I was excited to read her latest, Same As It Ever Was. Unfortunately, I was not able to get into this story. It’s long and character-driven like the previous book; however the characters did not grab me and the plot just didn’t seem to move along. I am pretty sure something was going to happen at some point, but I made the difficult decision at 30% in to not invest any more time with this one. I am so sorry to have to DNF an ARC. I hope others like it more than I did.

Thank you very much to Doubleday Books for the advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced readers copy in exchange for my review.
Absolutely gutted by this gorgeous novel, Same As It Ever Was, about one woman, her marriage, her children, and her mother (make that mother's).
Julia Ames is in her late fifties, a librarian with a doting husband, two nearly grown children, and a beautiful home in the Chicago suburbs. Oh, and her beloved rescue dog Suzanne who she readily admits to being obsessed over. She seemingly has it all, but a chance meeting with an old acquaintance at an upscale supermarket quickly uncovers the fissures in Julia's carefully constructed existence.
Novelist Claire Lombardo skillfully moves us back and forth in Julia's life, and we see her as an unmoored and depressed new mother, a hip young woman whose indie band pedigree and motorcycle boots barely disguise her deep seated insecurities, a scared little girl with a
bitter mother and absent father, and at the present as she dreads both her daughter's imminent departure for college and her son's surprise plan to marry.
The upcoming wedding of son Ben to his pregnant girlfriend Sunny, which Julia considers disastrous, is the event that precipitates the plot. But this is a novel about relationships more than events. How the prickly Julia ends up with her husband Mark, a warm and stable family man who often must overcompensate for her lack of social niceties. How this marriage almost comes undone when a young Julia is befriended by Helen Russo, a charismatic older woman and ideal mother figure who both saves Julia's life and then (inadvertently?) sets her back on the path of self-destruction.
There is so much more here, but this review is getting to be as long as the actual novel, which admittedly some readers may find fault in the sheer number of pages. This reader, however, savored every chapter and literally gasped with recognition at some of the most emotionally revealing passages. Claire Lombardo has such an incredible gift for writing these seemingly mundane but charged moments in her characters lives.
This is truly an exceptional novel, wise, moving, and often witty.

We finally have Claire Lombardos sophomore novel after the book hangover from “The Most Fun We Ever Had”
This is a new tale of friendship, motherhood, marriage and family dynamics through that of Julia Ames' long-standing marriage.
As women, we are too often defined by the roles we need to play, often losing pieces of ourselves as we morph into lover, wife, mother and Julia is no exception.
This was absolutely beautiful. Albeit long- it seemed like I lived decades (in a week) along with Jules as her life went through morphing phases, hard emotions, and extreme angst.
But I didn’t mind the length! And I don’t think many will. The prose was outstandingly brilliant-this was a 5 star read for me.
The ending felt so real and raw I actually cried as to finished the story. It will stay with me for a very long time as did her first novel.
If you enjoy character studies and novels about messy families this one is for you this summer.
Thank you, Net Galley and Doubleday, for this early copy to read and review.

Lombardo follows up to The Most Fun We Ever Had, with this tale of friendship, motherhood, marriage and family through the framework of Julia Ames' long-standing marriage. As women, we are too often defined by the roles we play, often losing pieces of ourselves as we morph into lover, wife, mother. Julia is no exception. She has achieved a comfortable stasis in her marriage to her husband Mark, and in her relationship with their two children, Ben and Alma. When son Ben announces that his girlfriend Sunny is pregnant and they intend to marry, Julia re-examines her life and questions how she defines herself. Part of what makes this book such an effective drama is the supporting cast of friends, both Julia and Mark's, who help to shape the characters' identities and the arc of the story. Francine and Brady, Mark's closest friends are real, flawed, and believable. The portrayal of Julia's friend Helen Russo seems a definitive female friendship. Even comparably minor characters, Ben's in laws for example, are painted with uniquely believable strokes. Perhaps the novel's ultimate question is what constitutes happiness and how we measure that achievement. Beautifully told and thoughtful story.

I was obsessed with Claire's book The Most Fun We Ever Had, and have been anxiously waiting for her next novel. Something about her ability to showcase the good and the bad in the same breath, her ability to hold and highlight the gray areas of life, makes me weep. And Same As It Ever Was was just as touching and insightful as I thought it would be. I finished this book in tears, emotions and stirred up and swirling like sediment in water. This is already a favorite of the year and I honestly can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands to reread and add to my all time favorite shelf. Claire is officially an autobuy author now, and I will shove a copy of her books into everyone's hands.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my digital review copy!

W here to begin in Julia's history? That her mother was a monster? But was she? That Julia's neuroses were the result of bad parenting? That this book, although a long 500+ pages, is so real, painful and often funny that you will not stop reading nor skip pages.

Julia's narrative moves back and forth to parts of her life as a little girl with an alcoholic mother, a gorgeous love story with Mark, her husband of 30 years, her life as a mother, first to Ben and then later to Alma, and everything in between she lives through up to and including the marriage of Ben to Sunny. Julia's friendship with Helen Russo may be one of the most touching and relatable in all of modern fiction.

All of Claire Lombardo's characters are three-dimensional, including peripheral ones like couple-friends Francine and Brady. Written in beautiful prose, I am embarrassed to admit that I became quite moved, even tearful at the end. Julia felt like an old friend, like family, like someone I had grown to love after knowing her for a lifetime.

Thank you, Net Galley and Doubleday, for this early copy to read and review.

It felt like it took me a long time to get through this book. Not because it wasn't good, or not interesting, but because there were too many similarities of what marriage can look like, that I personally identified with and it was uncomfortable at times. I also realized once I was done reading, it is a rather long book too.

Brilliant and insightful; the same acuity Lombardo brought to her family in The Most Fun We Ever Had is on full display but in an entirely different story. I'm already ready to read it again.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for providing my review copy.

This was a top notch family drama! Julia felt like me in so many ways and I don't have a partner or a family of my own just yet. The amount I related to her was wild and I loved that about this story. I didn't have to have gone through this stuff in order to relate and understand the various emotions and feelings and struggles Julia went through. Claire Lombardo is a boss writer. I adored The Most Fun We Ever Had and I'll be reading everything else she comes out with.

When I saw Claire Lombardo was coming out with another book I was so excited. I read The Most Fun We Ever Had during the early days of the pandemic and it made me feel so many feelings, I loved it so much, so I was excited to read what she had in store. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. It put me so in my feelings that I cried multiple times. The writing really gets you into Julia's head and into her feelings, and the way the story is written gets you invested very early on. I loved all of the relationships and seeing the characters interact. This is probably one of the best books I've read in the last few years, and I'll recommend it to anyone. Thank you Doubleday and NetGalley for this ARC!

This book is another great read by Claire Lombardo about life and family drama from the past and present. Each and every family has drama that they can relate to with this book. She is an excellent writer and you will love this book. A great pick for any book club because the discussion questions will be endless.

Claire Lombardo’s The Most Fun We Ever Had was one of my most enjoyable reading experiences to date. Her follow up, Same As It Ever Was, absolutely lives up to its predecessor.. what a treat - I couldn’t Have loved this book more.