Reviews

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.

krissymartini's review

Go to review page

3.5

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. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

happiestwhenreading's review

Go to review page

3.5

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.

margaretleonard's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

jenniemcgarvey's review

Go to review page

3.75

3.75 stars rounded up

Honestly, there’s a lot to love in this book it’s so very well written and Julia is very thoroughly developed. I honestly felt like I knew her. The relationships are exquisite. They make sense and I felt them. Especially between Julia and Helen and Julia and her mother.

The beginning was good and drew me in. I was interested and quickly invested. However, it definitely trailed off fairly quickly and for a solid portion of the book i considered setting the book down and not finishing it. It was honest and it was so well written i felt the deep melancholy and depression. Too much. It was too heavy for me, the reader. The first 2/3 were just too long, as well.

I continued on and I’m so glad so much made sense, some was still sad and the redemption (even if only partial) made it all worth it.

Advance reader copy provided by NetGalley and Doubleday Books. All opinions are my own.

mellarkbakery10's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I haven’t cried that hard over a book in a long time, maybe not ever? I’m crying again writing this review, but in summary, Claire Lombardo has such a gift for writing that I always want more of her stories, I could happily continue on reading for another 500 pages of this book. This book shows the beauty of tenacious love, it was so special. A top favorite forever.

Note: I read this as an advanced copy, thank you to the publisher.

More...