Same as It Ever Was cover art

Same as It Ever Was

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 Months Free

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.
Get this deal
Offer ends on 15 July 2026 at 11:59 BST.
More purchase options

Same as It Ever Was

By: Claire Lombardo
Narrated by: Emily Rankin
Get this deal

£5.99/mo after 3 months. Cancel monthly.

Buy Now for £22.67

Buy Now for £22.67

'I FINISHED THIS WONDERFUL BOOK IN FLOODS OF TEARS' JESSIE BURTON
'SUCH A PLEASURE' CLARE CHAMBERS
'WITTY AND INSIGHTFUL' BONNIE GARMUS

At fifty-seven, Julia Ames finds herself with an improbably lovely life. She has a husband she loves, two happy children and a contented existence in the suburbs.

She's unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, a soon-to-be empty nest, and a seductive resurgence of the past - all of which threaten to derail Julia's hard-earned peace.

Wise, witty and deeply moving, this brilliantly observed domestic drama asks what it takes to make - and not to break - a family.

'A FAMILY SAGA TO SAVE AS A TREAT AND DEVOUR WHEN YOU SHOULD BE DOING SOMETHING ELSE' INDEPENDENT
'LOMBARDO IS THE NEW ANNE TYLER, WITH TEETH' ERICKA WALLER
'A BIG AMERICAN NOVEL TO GET TOTALLY LOST IN' CLAIRE POWELL©2024 Claire Lombardo (P)2024 Penguin Audio Family Life Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Relationships Marriage Heartfelt Witty
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_t1
All stars
Most relevant
Downloaded this after listening to The Most Fun We Had and loved this, it took me a while to get through it but the emotion of the characters as we learn more about Julia’s life. A lot of bits relatable as a Mum of young children,

The reality of the characters

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great writing style that reminds me of Ann Napolitano's writing style. I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between present-life Julia at 57 and past Julia at various points in her life! The audiobook performance is great as well!

Great writing style!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The story i round hard to follow, roo many caracteres through différent période if Time , Even though the main rage ambiente on the whole ' thé char acter and diálogos were clearing but after a fer listening hours i got a bit lost

À bit too long

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Hight expectations after The Most Fun We Ever Had and this did not disappoint. Beautiful writing and complex characters. Great audio performance.

Another beautiful read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I have looked forward to this novel wver since reading Claire Lombardo's first novel and I wasn't disappointed. The interior dialogue of the main character combined with the interactions and dialogue between her and others felt more real than I knew writing could feel. The author has a way capturing the unspoken truths that exist without most of us even notice. I loved the characters and story, but only slight unhappiness is with how the novel finishes but I suspect this is a subjective and perhaps unpopular opinion. What an incredible author though, will now await the next!

Mesmerisingly beautiful writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews