I absolutely devoured The Most Fun We Ever Had and was thrilled to have gotten a copy of Same As It Ever Was. However, this was a DNF for me. Julia was an extremely unlikable character and I just couldn't resonate with her whatsoever. I felt that she was whiny and just out of touch with reality. I got through a good portion of the book and just felt like the plot wasn't going anywhere. I will gladly give her next novel a try but sadly this book just wasn't for me.

My favorite read of 2024. Claire Lombardo is simply a master of writing about marriage, vfamily, and being a woman. Unmatched on a sentence level and story level. I will read everything she ever writes.

I loved this book. I would recommend it but with two important caveats: 1. It’s LONG. I read it in both physical and audio format to speed up the process, but still a time commitment. 2. The FMC is borderline insufferable. Yes, we find out (albeit maybe a little too late) about her childhood and traumas that contribute to her poor decision making and overall personality as an adult, but that’s something you’d have to get past. That being said, the writing was some of the best I’ve read in a while. The last 6 pages especially. I absolutely love Claire Lombardo’s wit and the voice she puts to her characters. Each character was so well fleshed out. I love a multigenerational family saga, stories of motherhood, marriage and messy families.. so this was totally up my alley… and it may be up your alley as well if caveat 1 and 2 above don’t deter you.

This tale bounces back and forth from current time and then to the past. Julie is insecure i what she perceives she should be. Even her marriage to Mark is questioned in her mind. Her poor relationships with her single mother is full of doubts, anger and unknown.
Claire Lombardo does bring the conclusion to a very satisgying dening. She even gives one a glimpse of Julie's future as well as her family's.

This is a hard one to rate as I think I read too many deep literary drama's around the same time that were long and it brought me down a bit. I wanted to love this one but I felt such a deep dislike for the narrator Julie who it going through a bit of mid life crisis when she gets unexpected news from her son. This one discusses family dynamics, struggle of motherhood and marriage. Through out the book we get snip its of Julia's past that puts her present decisions in more context but while this normally helps bring the story together and elicits sympathy of understanding of the character I couldn't find it in this one. I disliked the main character that much that I just couldn't enjoy this one. I adored the Most Fun We Ever had and did think this one was well written so I Lombardo will continue to be a must read for me pending on which direction her next one takes me.

I liked it, but not as much as The Most Fun We Ever Had. I lost patience with Julia and the narrator's hinting around at oncoming danger. I also wanted much, much more of Helen Russo. Down with Julia, up with Helen Russo.

Same As It Ever Was follows Julia through the many decades of her life. From the outside, her life seems perfect. She is married with a son and a daughter and lives comfortably in a Chicago suburb. But her relationship with her mother has cast such a cloud on her life that Julia struggles with everyday and life moments. The story is told in a back and forth of present and past. We learn that on an outing with her son, she meets Helen a wonderful woman who is 20 years older than her. Helen may be the woman she always wished was her mom. But a large part of the story is discovering what happened between Helen and Julia when they no longer spend anytime together. I found Julia very hard to like and as a result, struggled with the book. Claire Lombardo may have done this intentionally. The writing is superb but Julia was exhausting to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Doubleday Boods for the opportunity to read the ARC of Same As It Ever Was.

There is no question that Lombardo knows how to write. She is her greatest at writing in depth characters in a family saga and she did it brilliantly in this.

Thank you #vintage and #Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Claire Lombardo's gift for writing about the small moments of motherhood is on full display in Same As It Ever Was. There was much I loved about this book, particularly Lombardo's treatment of Julia as a new mother to Ben and the intensity of the new mother/first born relationship, especially as the mother is struggling with mental health issues.

if I had to sum up Lombardo’s latest, SAME AS IT EVER WAS, in two words, they’d be MESSY & AUTHENTIC

the novel explores the complexities of human relationships in a raw and relatable way through Julia Ames, a deeply flawed protagonist who, despite being unlikable at times, feels incredibly genuine. At 57, Julia thinks she has life under control, but shocking revelations from her son, a looming separation from her daughter, and past influences threaten to pull her back into old patterns

a few thoughts ✍🏼 ✍🏼 ✍🏼
- the narrative shifts between Julia’s past and present, which can be a bit disorienting, especially in audiobook form — so you have to pay attention!
- it’s character-driven with no big plot climax; instead, it’s all about the characters, leading to an emotional ending reminiscent of the beginning of Disney’s Up, just a blur of big and little moments that make up one’s life 🥹
- at almost 500 pages, it’s a lengthy read (which I love!), and I adored the Chicago setting!
- Lombardo beautifully captures the mundane moments of life—the hights and lows of motherhood, marriage, + friendships—highlighting the influence of strong matriarchs
- this one hit hard 🥹 especially as I’m in the thick of the newborn phase—any mother will resonate deeply with it

I absolutely loved this book. It is one of my favorites this year. An amazing story of aging, motherhood and family.

Claire Lombardo has done it again! Following her smash hit The Most Fun We Ever Had, a fantastic exploration of family dynamics, Lombardo has written in Same As It Ever Was one of my favorite books of the decade so far. Sweeping and tender, Same As It Ever Was is the story of motherhood, womanhood, privilege. There are a lot of books out there about middle aged women but few hit the nail so perfectly on the head as Lombardo. The MC is complicated and at times frustrating but you are drawn into her story. Much like Roddy Doyle's fantastic Paula Spencer, Julia Ames will stay with me for a long time.

Beautifully written with pointed and pithy looks at motherhood, marriage and friendships, I thought this would be a five star read for me but the slow pace was a challenge. It still gets 4 stars and if you're into character-driven family dramas, definitely give it a read.

Thanks to Doubleday for the copy to review.

I congratulate myself that I powered on and finished this book. The writing is great, but the character is not someone I would like to know, nor someone that I appreciated enough to do more than finish the story. Mid life crisis and all! Book is too long and just not enough to hold interest. I did love her writing style and did read her first book, so I will be looking for more.

Lombardo’s debut is one of my favorite books of all time and I was so excited to read this! Same as it Ever Was has the same detailed, genuine, true to life characters. I appreciated the look into a marriage at different stages and the sweeping nature of the book. I had a difficult time connecting with the MC because of specific choices she made, but I still thoroughly appreciated this book.

I liked this novel about a middle aged woman but it was not memorable for me. I preferred Catherine Newman's Sandwich.

Julia is a middle aged mom with two grown children. While her life may appear perfect from the outside, she has her own struggles - from her marriage, her mother, and her children. This character-driven novel from Claire Lombardo explores the rocky terrain of real life and all that comes with it. The author dives deep into intergenerational friendship, the cause-and-effect that governs us all and how relationships grow and change over time.

The Most Fun We Ever Had was one of my favorite books when I read it. Claire Lombardo wrote a compelling, character-driven novel that had me SO excited to hear she had a new book coming out. I had high hopes for this one and was a little letdown overall. The main character, Julia, is insufferable and while I felt for her at times, her terrible decisions and judgement of others made it really difficult to feel empathy for her. The author has a beautiful writing style but I do think this book was entirely too long and I may have enjoyed it more had it been shorter.

I adored her first book (?) Most Fun We Ever Had and was slightly disappointed in this one. I'm not sure why. I still loved the characters and the quietness of their lives. They felt real and people I could actually know and be friends with. Maybe despite the realness I could not relate as much to the main character and that's why it wasn't as good in my mind. Also the length.

When it comes to authors who write "domestic drama," Lombardo is one of the best. This captivating novel follows 57-year-old Julia Ames who's juggling family issues and secrets from her past. Told through various timelines, we learn about Julia's fraught relationship with her mother Anita, her friendship with an older woman named Helen Russo (who helped fill some of those motherly gaps), and her feelings about her oldest son Ben getting married.

When Ben was three, Julia was overwhelmed by motherhood. After she meets a sophisticated older woman named Helen Russo at the Botanical Gardens, she's immediately charmed. Helen and Julia form a strong friendship that's challenged when Julia gets involved with Helen's young son. Although Julia and her sometimes too-good-to-be-true husband Mark survive the infidelity, it reverberates through their relationship for years to come.

Throughout the various timelines looms a big secret: Something happened to cause Julia and Anita's tenuous connection to further deteriorate. We don't learn what it is until near the end. I was genuinely surprised by the reveal, and thought it was a compelling plot point.

From the plentiful details of everyday life to big plot points that keep the long narrative flowing, this book engages as it entertains. I do have one quibble, and that is that it seemed about 50 to 100 pages too long. I love complicated family sagas as much as the next bookworm, but this one topped out at 500 pages.

Aside from length, I really enjoyed this book. I got an eARC from @doubleday and also listened to the audio (terrific!). And, of course, I invested in a hard copy from @bookofthemonth for my keeper shelf.

If you're a fan of complex family dramas that make intriguing comments about motherhood, marriage, and family, this one is a great choice.

While there was decent character exploration, sadly, this one just wasn’t for me and was a bit of a struggle to get through.

Thank you to Doubleday, NetGalley and the author for the digital ARC.