Jules is in her mid-50’s, married and has 2 children. She is a complicated woman whose father left when she was a child and she believes that her own mother didn’t care about her. She has trouble accepting and giving love.
This novel alternates between the past and present. It is a story of family dynamics and trying to work through difficult situations.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Julia and Mark and their long wonderful, and sometimes awful, marriage. I love how hard she tries and how empathetic he is when she fails. I love Helen and how forgiving and accepting she is to everyone.

"Helen studies her. "Just because I have a lot of people in my life, Julia, doesn't mean that I Life a lot of people. I liked you a great deal. You were terrific company. It's a chemistry thing, isn't it? Don't you sometimes just feel something for another person? Like you were meant to have found them? That's how I felt about you when we met. Life I already knew you." Claire Lombardo, Same As It Ever Was

Of all the family dramas - filled with love, loss, regret, siblings, parents, regret and forgiveness - this one hit me right in the heart. Julia has a troubled relationship with her own mother, while learning the rhythm of a young family with her toddler Ben and steadfast husband, Mark. She questions who she is, what's her place and the age-old question, 'is this all there is?" She meets Helen, and older and wiser woman from the neighborhood and forges a bond. She treasures that time, and then the unthinkable happens changing her relationship with Helen and Mark. How would she recover. Fast forward to Julia and Mark later in their marriage with 20-something year old Ben and 18 year old Alma - and also those mother daughter dynamics at play. With wit, humor, honesty and grit Lombardo navigates these relationships with raw emotion and heart. Outstanding!

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House Publishing for an early copy of Same As It Ever Was by Claire Lombardo

In the relationships author Claire Lombardo develops and analyzes in her novels, there is very little easiness or simplicity. The characters who make the most changes and come to the most new understandings are the men and women who from early in their lives reach the conclusion that they are not worthy of better than they have been given and struggle with emotional baggage that threatens interactions with others.

Same As It Ever Was, like Lombardo's earlier novel The Most Fun We Ever Had, examines family members who cannot deal honestly with one another, leaving friction and time lapses that never let up.

When her father leaves her and her mother, young Julia Marini Ames struggles to attain any kind of meaningful relationship with her mother, Alma, who herself is unable to enjoy any type of closeness with her daughter. Perhaps in part due to the coldness of her mother, Julia develops a friendship with an older woman, Helen Russo, whose wisdom and insights give Julie a real chance to know some kind of maternal warmth. But when Julia as a young married woman engages in a brief extramarital affair with one of Helen's sons, Julia no longer is able to continue her friendship with Helen. From here it will be up to Julia over time to strengthen her marriage, become closer to her own son and daughter and perhaps one day reconcile with her own mother.

Same As It Ever War is a lengthy unraveling and re-raveling of human connections with pinpoint dialog and settings that will offer the reader a lens for realizing that accord with others is so worth our time and effort.

I was very much looking forward to reading another novel by Claire Lombardo since I finished The Most Fun We Ever Had, her freshman novel. I have been waiting since 2019! Maybe my expectations were too high, but Same As It Ever Was disappointed me. I enjoy character-driven novels. I don't mind a slower pace; however, this novel moved at a so slowly that I struggled to stay engaged. It jumped around in time from present day, to 20+ years prior. with no warning. Characters came and went and then came back, and I didn't really care about any of them. It was over 500 pages, and it could have been far less. I kept with it expecting a payoff at some point, and it never arrived for me. I see others loved it, so it may be a case of "it's not you; it's me".

Although this book was a miss for me, I will likely pick up another novel by Claire Lombardo because I loved her first book so much. Thanks to Netgalley and Doubleday for this ARC.

From the outside, Julia’s family appears like any other: a loving husband & two kids entering adulthood. Yet, as the author navigates through different times in Julia’s life, we witness the raw struggles of womanhood/girlhood and motherhood.

I loved this complex, dysfunctional family drama so much. I am neither a mother nor a wife, but I sure sobbed like I was.

I’d recommend to those fans of Hello Beautiful or Mercury (but know this is much longer — 500+ pages). A slow, character-driven novel but if you want to give yourself the time and patience to get to know this family, you will get to know them like you know your real family. The main character, especially, is flawed and, at times, frustrating…Though I didn’t always agree with her, I still deeply sympathized with her.

Every family’s mess looks differently, but I think many people will feel a little less alone reading this book as we can all relate to ever-evolving relationships.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I even tried to convince myself that since I cried at the ending I should rate it higher. It paints a beautiful picture of the challenges and love two people can face in a marriage, but ultimately I didn't feel like it ever really went anywhere. The characters felt real, but I didn't feel very connected with any of them. It's also quite lengthy for a story without a ton of action.

The size of this book intimidated me, especially as my first from the author, but man did it not disappoint. This felt like a real family, real life, so authentic. Family life and marriage are depicted so accurately and with such wit throughout this story that it was impossible to not feel seen.

Having read her previous novel, 'The Most Fun We Ever Had,' I expected a rollicking, interesting and complex novel full of intriguing relationships and messy emotions, and I was right.

I loved this beautifully intricate novel that moves back and forth between events nearly 20 years earlier and the present day when Julia, in her late fifties, has to deal with several complicated realities related to her grown children, her estranged mother, herself and her husband.

I was so drawn in to this story that opens when Julia sees an older woman who had essentially rescued her all those years before when she was mired in self-doubt and angst as a new mother, and who she hasn't spoken to since. I love long, messy human dramas that reveal insights into people and relationships. I do think there were just a few parts that could have been omitted from this very long book, but I didn't care, as eager as I was to continue being immersed in this family's conundrums and complications.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Doubleday books, and the author for allowing me to read an eARC of this fascinating second novel by Claire Lombardo, whose insights into humans and life are masterfully developed. I look forward to reading whatever she comes up with next! This book will be published on 18 June 2024.

Many thanks to Doubleday and NetGalley for the ARC!

I had to gear myself up for this one, considering I struggled with the author's previous novel. However...WOW. I was really blown away by the depth of this one. This novel is again, a sprawling family drama, which focuses on Julia. Over the years, Julia struggles with an emotionally abusive/absent mother and mental health issues. To be honest, I hated her for half the book. No lie. But she really grew on me, and as the novel unfolded, the more I came to understand her motivations. This was LONG, let's be real. But the writing, the beauty of the storytelling, the depth of characters, the frustration and hopefulness (and hopelessness)...it was real. I highly recommend this one, and it will stick with me for a while.

What a story! Really enjoyed reading this one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC to read and review.
This is an extraordinary family drama - Julia, her husband Mark, son Ben and daughter Alma(Ollie) are the central characters. They are all flawed but ultimately lovable characters- their story felt so real and complex. I also loved Helen as a character.
The way the author dealt with the difficulties of parenting was nothing short of amazing. I found myself nodding with their feelings and difficulties.
Marriage and friendship were also themes and again the author is so spot on with human feelings and frailties!
The story is beautifully written. The ending left me very emotional yet uplifted. If only parents and children could see thru each other's eyes and communicate their feelings better.
This is a book I can envision reading multiple times gleaning more and more on the human condition each time.
What a gifted storyteller the author is - I will always look out for her work.
I think this is an amazing book - destined to be one of my favorites of 2024.

I had high hopes for this book based on how much I loved Claire Lombardo's last novel, and this one didn't disappoint. I loved how the different timelines in this story interweave to paint a full picture of a life. The characters are vivid and the family dynamics are real and relatable. This author is a master storyteller, making big moments and small ones equally important. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

4.25 stars

Claire Lombardo's second novel SAME AS IT EVER WAS is impressive and publishes June 18, 2024.

In this novel, Julia is middle-aged with a son in his 20s and her daughter on the cusp of high school graduation. Between her children's being at ages that were fraught in her own life and running into a woman she knew named Helen who she was friends with 20 years prior, Julia is forced to reckon with her past. The narrative rotates between present and past, and Julia's past is riveting.

Julia is a messy character. If you like put-together characters, then you might want to skip this novel. I really appreciate someone who doesn't have it together and who is still learning about themselves, even in middle age, so I was quite fond of her. The narrative did go in places I wasn't expecting, and I like being surprised.

This novel is long, and I felt the length at certain points. If you like slower moving dysfunctional family stories, then this one might be a hit for you too.

3.5 rounded up

The Most Fun We Ever Had was one of my top books of 2019, and I have been eagerly anticipating Lombardo's next book ever since!

Same As It Ever Was has all of Lombardo's signature style - a wide cast of characters, dysfunctional family dynamics, and complicated emotions. She writes characters so deep and full of emotion, it's hard not to cheer for them to come out on top.

In this book, we meet Julia who is a middle-aged mother and wife. This is an aspect of life that doesn't get a lot of attention, and while Julia's character is older than mine, her children are roughly the same age as mine. I really loved reading a story about high school/college-aged kids, as well as a marriage that is well beyond the honeymoon years. It doesn't happen a lot so I could really relate to a lot of the themes happening here.

Mostly, I felt a little bored by this one. There were moments that really shined and I felt so seen, but Lombardo almost got too detailed and lost me a lot of the time. I was anxious for the book to be over because it was long - and borning. It's such a bummer to me because it had so much going for it, but overall, it's just not a story that's going to stick with me.

Claire Lombardo's first novel - THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD - got me back into reading, so I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to read her follow up. And while I liked a lot of this sweeping novel, it didn't quite live up to the magic of the first.

Let's start with what I loved - firstly, the prose is incredible. Lombardo has such a deft way with words that I felt myself immediately transported to whichever timeline in the story we were focused on. I was never lost - the differences in the way Julia especially, but also Mark, communicate make it clear which era they're in. And for the most part the characters were well-rounded, if not all that likable.

Which leads to my biggest complaint - I felt next to zero sympathy for Julia. She seemed hell bent on self-destruction and while I don't mind a reckless character, she was doing it with such judgement towards others I could barely stand it. She seems like a terrible person, and a NIGHTMARE MIL. If I were Ben and Sunny, I would go full no-contact and cut my losses. Even the ending of the novel didn't do anything in terms of making me sympathize with Julia any more. Her mother is terrible, sure, but everyone has a version of a rotten hand. It doesn't excuse decades of bad behavior. But it's not just Julia: I found myself grating with almost every character, save for maybe Sunny (who was a innocent student in a fucked up dynamic with Ben) and Mark (HOW am I siding with a straight male workaholic).

I think the book is definitely worth the read, but unfortunately it just didn't measure up to her debut. 3.5 stars rounded up. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Unsurprisingly, this was absolutely brilliant. Lombardo writes human emotion and flaws better than most. The main character drove me insane for much of the novel, but by the end, I was weeping for her. I can’t stop thinking about this book. It was smart, beautiful, and the most accurate depiction of a marriage I have ever read. Adore this author. Adored this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed this one. I thought all the characters felt like fully formed people with different life motivations and flaws. It was great to see a representation of many ages and have an older main character looking back on different parts of her life. It felt very much like a documentary of her life, mistakes, and growth. I was rooting for her at the same time I didn’t like her all that much (which is a difficult balance to pull off).

I would read more from this author. 4.5/5 (rounded to 5).

Claire Lombardo’s debut, The Most Fun We Ever Had, had been a favorite read of mine, so I eagerly jumped into Same As it Ever Was. The author does a great job with her characters, and they don’t have to be likable if they’re well written. . However, Protagonist Julia Ames is extremely unlikable and I was pretty far into the book before I found any of her redeeming qualities. The book takes us through her 25 year marriage , the births of her children and several life events, frequently alternating with chapters of her challenging childhood with a sarcastic, somewhat bitter single mother. Once again it’s obvious that mothering is especially difficult if you haven’t been “ mothered”. Julia’s husband, Mark, is a gem, extremely devoted, but can be pushed too far. I felt like Julia was frequently depressed, lacking in self confidence seemed to have a chip on her shoulder when it came to those in better socioeconomic conditions. I did enjoy seeing her come into her own as she found her place and realized how loved she was. I appreciate the opportunity of an advance read in return for an honest review.
#SameAsItEverWas. #NetGalley

another magnificent novel from Claire Lombardo! Like THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD, this is a family saga but also a novel of friendship over the years. Don't miss this one, you will love the characters and the plot. I already can't wait for her next one!

Julia is making dinner for her husband's sixtieth birthday party and needs to buy seafood for her crabcakes. On a whim, she goes to a market out of her usual orbit, and bumps into her old friend Helen, who she hasn't seen in years. She begins to think back to the time when she and Helen were close and to the incident that rocked her life and almost upended her marriage.
Rewind twenty years to when Julia as a young mother is aching for her nap as she goes to drop her four-year-old at nursery school. She usually doesn't sleep at night, so a three hour respite from motherhood is her treat-unfortunately, Ben won't exit the car. She gives in and on a kid-centric whirlwind entertainment spree, she finally drops into the botanical garden where she meets earth mother Helen, who becomes her friend and confidante. Her husband Mark is always at work or going to conferences, she hasn't seen or heard from her mother in years (not that she'd want to,) her father is dead, and she has made it a point to go through life without leaving a footprint. Helen is her touchstone and sanity, the one who gives her permission to take a breath. She is also the inadvertent catalyst for her daughter's existence.
When Julia's now twenty-four year old son and his pregnant girlfriend Sunny decide to marry after knowing each other for a month, the wedding planning brings up a whole set of issues revolving around love, trust, family, and forgiveness. Hopefully her marriage will be strong enough to weather the storm.
Lombardo is an extraordinary writer. As we follow Julia's journey, from her compromised relationship with her mother to her unlikely marriage with the love of her life, the author steers us through every crisis with a deft and steady hand. I read this 500 hundred page novel in three days because I could not tear myself away. As some people already know from the success of her first novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had, Lombardo is absolutely one to watch.