A brilliant, hilarious, and touching story from the author of Conversations with the Fat Girl, Liza Palmer’s More Like Her is smart, funny, though-provoking women’s fiction in the vein of Emily Giffin, Marian Keyes, Meg Cabot, and Jane Green. More Like Her is the story of a seemingly perfect woman who’s the envy of her friends, neighbors, and co-workers…until the life of the object of their jealousy spectacularly, unexpectedly, and disastrously explodes. A novel of secrets, disappointments, false impressions—and what really goes on behind those suburban picket fences—More Like Her is ultimately about facing reality and appreciating everything that life has to offer.
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Review
The blend of humor and sadness is realistic and gripping, and watching Frannie figure out who she is and what matters is gratifying. This will appeal to those who enjoy Jodi Picoult along with chick lit fans willing to read something a little darker. (Library Journal (starred review) )
This is sharp, funny, clever and very romantic. The story, about a young woman downsizing her expectations in the wake of a tragedy, might not be new, but Palmer’s handling of it is surprisingly fresh and engaging. (Mirror (London) )
The book is a well-plotted examination of domestic violence, chasing unattainable dreams and hiding one’s real self. The dialogue is sparky, the characters engaging and this is by all means a great read. (Daily Mail (London) )
“Palmer’s dialogue is reliably natural and funny, and her insights into the way women betray their true selves in search of acceptance are keen and honest.” (Publishers Weekly )
“Palmer takes what could be a standard chick-lit story about finding oneself and adds emotional depth through this shockingly violent act. While Palmer’s characters find happiness and closure by the final page, readers will ponder this surprising story for a good, long time.” (Booklist )
“Palmer brings wit and wisdom to her tale of love, damage and self-acceptance” (Kirkus Reviews )
This is sharp, funny, clever and very romantic. The story, about a young woman downsizing her expectations in the wake of a tragedy, might not be new, but Palmer’s handling of it is surprisingly fresh and engaging. (Mirror (London) )
The book is a well-plotted examination of domestic violence, chasing unattainable dreams and hiding one’s real self. The dialogue is sparky, the characters engaging and this is by all means a great read. (Daily Mail (London) )
“Palmer’s dialogue is reliably natural and funny, and her insights into the way women betray their true selves in search of acceptance are keen and honest.” (Publishers Weekly )
“Palmer takes what could be a standard chick-lit story about finding oneself and adds emotional depth through this shockingly violent act. While Palmer’s characters find happiness and closure by the final page, readers will ponder this surprising story for a good, long time.” (Booklist )
“Palmer brings wit and wisdom to her tale of love, damage and self-acceptance” (Kirkus Reviews )
From the Back Cover
What really goes on behind those perfect white picket fences?
In Frances’s mind, beautiful, successful, ecstatically married Emma Dunham is the height of female perfection. Frances, recently dumped with spectacular drama by her boyfriend, aspires to be just like Emma. So do her close friends and fellow teachers, Lisa and Jill. But Lisa’s too career-focused to find time for a family. And Jill’s recent unexpected pregnancy could have devastating consequences for her less-than-perfect marriage.
Yet sometimes the golden dream you fervently wish for turns out to be not at all what it seems—like Emma’s enviable suburban postcard life, which is about to be brutally cut short by a perfect husband turned killer. And in the shocking aftermath, three devastated friends are going to have to come to terms with their own secrets . . . and somehow learn to move forward after their dream is exposed as a lie.
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Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
By BookChick
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
Frannie is a teacher at an exclusive school and she, along with her friends and fellow teachers Lisa and Jill, are in awe of their new headmistress, Emma Dunham. Emma appears to be perfect. She is the first female headmistress in the history of the school and she is poised and beautiful and she seems to have it all. Frannie, on the other hand, does not seem to have it all. She is pining for her ex-boyfriend despite the fact that he has moved on with his life, and she just doesn't like herself all that much. Frannie and her friends think that they want to be just like Emma until the day that they realize that they were dead wrong about the elegant headmistress all along.
More Like Her is an excellent book. It is a page-turner, impossible to put down, and it is incredibly well-written. Trust me, I know that I sound like I'm gushing but that's because I am. More Like Her had me riveted from the first page until the very last.
The introduction foreshadows what is to come, and trust me, it's not what you would expect from typical women's fiction. It's gritty, scary, and disturbing. However the first chapter introduces us to Frannie who is unsure of herself and struggling with finding her place in the world and since the story heads into familiar waters I was able to kind of forget about what I found out at the very beginning. The story is cruising along when suddenly, WHAM, something crazy happens, something that changes the story entirely. Even though I knew that it was coming, I was floored when the climax occurred and I had to read it several times to take it all in.
I just cannot recommend this book enough. Liza Palmer captured my attention and held it throughout. It is a book that will stay with me for quite some time and I'm already anxiously awaiting her next release.
More Like Her is an excellent book. It is a page-turner, impossible to put down, and it is incredibly well-written. Trust me, I know that I sound like I'm gushing but that's because I am. More Like Her had me riveted from the first page until the very last.
The introduction foreshadows what is to come, and trust me, it's not what you would expect from typical women's fiction. It's gritty, scary, and disturbing. However the first chapter introduces us to Frannie who is unsure of herself and struggling with finding her place in the world and since the story heads into familiar waters I was able to kind of forget about what I found out at the very beginning. The story is cruising along when suddenly, WHAM, something crazy happens, something that changes the story entirely. Even though I knew that it was coming, I was floored when the climax occurred and I had to read it several times to take it all in.
I just cannot recommend this book enough. Liza Palmer captured my attention and held it throughout. It is a book that will stay with me for quite some time and I'm already anxiously awaiting her next release.
Format:Paperback
I reviewed Liza Palmer's previous book A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents a few years ago and really enjoyed it.
From the cover, I was expecting a 'chick lit' type of read, but the opening prologue is a 911 call detailing a shooting at the Markham School. We then meet Frannie in the opening chapter. She's a teacher at the Markham School. She's also just come through a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, also a teacher at the school. We're introduced to Jill and Lisa, Frannie's sidekicks. Palmer provides lots of light hearted banter and situations to open the novel. But underneath it all is Frannie's desire to be what's she's not, to have what she doesn't. Just like Emma, the new director of the school, who seems to have it all. Frannie laments..."I'm not the girl men choose."But it turns out that Emma's life is not all that perfect.
Palmer explores lots of areas in More Like Her - bullying, domestic abuse, marriage and self searching. As Frannie puts it - the search for the Real Me.
I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters (although I thought Lisa became a 'bestie' awfully quick) Funnily enough, the character I enjoyed the most was Sam - the object of Frannie's desire. I found Frannie to be a bit exhausting. You might know her - she's the one who has to slice, dice and dissect every last situation and detail, wringing nuance from inflections, tones and glances and discussing them over and over again. I enjoyed Frannie's introspective look at finding her real self, but found myself growing tired of the repetition. I wish there had been more focus on Emma and her situation.
Those looking for a traditional chick lit book won't find it here. But, those looking for a contemporary women's fiction read that explores the green grass on the other side of fence will
From the cover, I was expecting a 'chick lit' type of read, but the opening prologue is a 911 call detailing a shooting at the Markham School. We then meet Frannie in the opening chapter. She's a teacher at the Markham School. She's also just come through a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, also a teacher at the school. We're introduced to Jill and Lisa, Frannie's sidekicks. Palmer provides lots of light hearted banter and situations to open the novel. But underneath it all is Frannie's desire to be what's she's not, to have what she doesn't. Just like Emma, the new director of the school, who seems to have it all. Frannie laments..."I'm not the girl men choose."But it turns out that Emma's life is not all that perfect.
Palmer explores lots of areas in More Like Her - bullying, domestic abuse, marriage and self searching. As Frannie puts it - the search for the Real Me.
I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters (although I thought Lisa became a 'bestie' awfully quick) Funnily enough, the character I enjoyed the most was Sam - the object of Frannie's desire. I found Frannie to be a bit exhausting. You might know her - she's the one who has to slice, dice and dissect every last situation and detail, wringing nuance from inflections, tones and glances and discussing them over and over again. I enjoyed Frannie's introspective look at finding her real self, but found myself growing tired of the repetition. I wish there had been more focus on Emma and her situation.
Those looking for a traditional chick lit book won't find it here. But, those looking for a contemporary women's fiction read that explores the green grass on the other side of fence will
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars
31 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Shockingly Surprised
April 20 2012
By AMB
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
Look at the cover of More Like Her...three friends, legs crossed, high heels. Total chick-lit. Summary? Girl loses boy, gets new boss, girl meets other boy. Total chick-lit. I read one novel by Liza Palmer before this one, Conversations with a Fat Girl. Great book. Great writer. Total chick-lit. What's my point? Oh, Liza Palmer pulled a fast one on us.
This starts as a classic novel about a few girlfriends and failed romance and turns into one of the best contemporary works of fiction I have read in a while. This novel is anything but typical. Ms. Palmer took a boy meets girl story and laced it with shock and tragedy. I knew from the summary there would be death. What I didn't know was how it would come to fruition. It wasn't what I expected. I was as stunned to experience it as the characters in the novel. It caught me off guard, I was genuinely shocked. I love that in a novel.
Frannie, our protagonist, shares her story with us in a voice that is refreshing and honest. A key plot point is her breakup with the perfect Ryan and subsequent blooming romance with architect Sam. This has the perfect funny debacles of romance characteristic of chick-lit. Frannie thinks too much, at times analyzing things to an exasperating level. She relies on her friends for guidance and support, and they give both with wisdom and with comedy. I was especially drawn to Jill, she reminded me of my BFF Roe. Ms. Palmer gives the reader multi-faceted characters. There was more to Frannie than her love life. And it's this other part of her that gets tested, what shines in the face of this disaster. One would think romance and tragedy couldn't coexist in the same story, but they do. And that's the beauty of More Like Her, Ms. Palmer weaves them together organically.
There are two blemishes in this otherwise perfect novel. The first is that the ending was just a bit too conventional. I loved it, but for some reason it felt off. The second is the synopsis of this novel does not do it justice. Lisa does not come across as too career-focused, if anything she is the one whose heart is most opened to finding, giving and receiving love. Jill's recent unexpected pregnancy isn't revealed until the last 50 or so pages of the novel. This knowledge robs the reader of the surprise and makes us think it is a major plot point when in reality it is relatively insignificant.
Those two things aside, this novel is a page turning powerhouse. I was riveted to the end.
This starts as a classic novel about a few girlfriends and failed romance and turns into one of the best contemporary works of fiction I have read in a while. This novel is anything but typical. Ms. Palmer took a boy meets girl story and laced it with shock and tragedy. I knew from the summary there would be death. What I didn't know was how it would come to fruition. It wasn't what I expected. I was as stunned to experience it as the characters in the novel. It caught me off guard, I was genuinely shocked. I love that in a novel.
Frannie, our protagonist, shares her story with us in a voice that is refreshing and honest. A key plot point is her breakup with the perfect Ryan and subsequent blooming romance with architect Sam. This has the perfect funny debacles of romance characteristic of chick-lit. Frannie thinks too much, at times analyzing things to an exasperating level. She relies on her friends for guidance and support, and they give both with wisdom and with comedy. I was especially drawn to Jill, she reminded me of my BFF Roe. Ms. Palmer gives the reader multi-faceted characters. There was more to Frannie than her love life. And it's this other part of her that gets tested, what shines in the face of this disaster. One would think romance and tragedy couldn't coexist in the same story, but they do. And that's the beauty of More Like Her, Ms. Palmer weaves them together organically.
There are two blemishes in this otherwise perfect novel. The first is that the ending was just a bit too conventional. I loved it, but for some reason it felt off. The second is the synopsis of this novel does not do it justice. Lisa does not come across as too career-focused, if anything she is the one whose heart is most opened to finding, giving and receiving love. Jill's recent unexpected pregnancy isn't revealed until the last 50 or so pages of the novel. This knowledge robs the reader of the surprise and makes us think it is a major plot point when in reality it is relatively insignificant.
Those two things aside, this novel is a page turning powerhouse. I was riveted to the end.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointed
Jun 13 2012
By Obsidian Blue
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have been a fan of Liza Palmer since "Conversations with the Fat Girl" and "Seeing Me Naked," however, her latest "More Like Her" left a lot to be desired at least in my opinion.
When I read the book synopsis it seemed like this would be a novel of three women who were best friends who witnessed a horrific incident involving a woman that all three of them envied. The incident ends up causing them to be more truthful with themselves and others and to tell secrets that they have been keeping hidden. It sounded good to me so I promptly bought it. What follows is a less than interesting read.
The main focus of this novel is on Frances, a teacher in a private school where she is dealing with her boyfriend of several years breaking up with her for another woman. I felt badly for Frances at first but she keeps going on and on about her ex and than going on and on about another man she meets that she has a crush on. I think you will find that Frances has awful self esteem and is constantly being told how great she is (frankly I would find it annoying to constantly reassure her but that's just me) by her best friend Jill. I guess in the end we are supposed to see how much Frances has changed but I didn't get that feeling from her at all.
Jill is fellow teacher at the school and Lisa is a new teacher who Frances and Jill are becoming acquainted with. Jill is written as a perfect wife who constantly pushes at Frances to give another guy a try in order to get over her ex. Lisa is definitely a no holds barred blunt woman. The new headmistress at their school is Emma Dunham who from the beginning of the novel you realize does not seem to have a perfect marriage since her husband seems extremely off. Emma though is supposed to be the woman that all three women envy. However, that's not the case at all or at least I didn't get the feeling that she was envied.
The novel doesn't ever really gel, at least it didn't for me and the reader is never given a glimpse into Jill or Lisa's point of view since the entire story is told from Frances's point of view. I wish that Palmer had provided more insight into Lisa and Jill since they both ended up being written one dimensional. Both Lisa and Jill it seemed had issues but they are discussed quickily over one paragraph perhaps two and then it seems that is the end of their problems after they discuss it with Frances. Of all the characters I was more interested in Lisa which is unfortunate since she wasn't the main character of this novel.
I do want to emphasis that Palmer still writes very well. However, I just think she needs to provide her secondary characters with a lot more depth so in her next novel those characters don't seem like cardboard cutouts and distract from the story she is trying to tell.
Overall grade: C-
When I read the book synopsis it seemed like this would be a novel of three women who were best friends who witnessed a horrific incident involving a woman that all three of them envied. The incident ends up causing them to be more truthful with themselves and others and to tell secrets that they have been keeping hidden. It sounded good to me so I promptly bought it. What follows is a less than interesting read.
The main focus of this novel is on Frances, a teacher in a private school where she is dealing with her boyfriend of several years breaking up with her for another woman. I felt badly for Frances at first but she keeps going on and on about her ex and than going on and on about another man she meets that she has a crush on. I think you will find that Frances has awful self esteem and is constantly being told how great she is (frankly I would find it annoying to constantly reassure her but that's just me) by her best friend Jill. I guess in the end we are supposed to see how much Frances has changed but I didn't get that feeling from her at all.
Jill is fellow teacher at the school and Lisa is a new teacher who Frances and Jill are becoming acquainted with. Jill is written as a perfect wife who constantly pushes at Frances to give another guy a try in order to get over her ex. Lisa is definitely a no holds barred blunt woman. The new headmistress at their school is Emma Dunham who from the beginning of the novel you realize does not seem to have a perfect marriage since her husband seems extremely off. Emma though is supposed to be the woman that all three women envy. However, that's not the case at all or at least I didn't get the feeling that she was envied.
The novel doesn't ever really gel, at least it didn't for me and the reader is never given a glimpse into Jill or Lisa's point of view since the entire story is told from Frances's point of view. I wish that Palmer had provided more insight into Lisa and Jill since they both ended up being written one dimensional. Both Lisa and Jill it seemed had issues but they are discussed quickily over one paragraph perhaps two and then it seems that is the end of their problems after they discuss it with Frances. Of all the characters I was more interested in Lisa which is unfortunate since she wasn't the main character of this novel.
I do want to emphasis that Palmer still writes very well. However, I just think she needs to provide her secondary characters with a lot more depth so in her next novel those characters don't seem like cardboard cutouts and distract from the story she is trying to tell.
Overall grade: C-
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
The grass isn't always greener...
April 17 2012
By Luanne Ollivier
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
I reviewed Liza Palmer's previous book A Field Guide to Burying Your Parents a few years ago and really enjoyed it.
From the cover, I was expecting a 'chick lit' type of read, but the opening prologue is a 911 call detailing a shooting at the Markham School. We then meet Frannie in the opening chapter. She's a teacher at the Markham School. She's also just come through a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, also a teacher at the school. We're introduced to Jill and Lisa, Frannie's sidekicks. Palmer provides lots of light hearted banter and situations to open the novel. But underneath it all is Frannie's desire to be what's she's not, to have what she doesn't. Just like Emma, the new director of the school, who seems to have it all. Frannie laments..."I'm not the girl men choose."But it turns out that Emma's life is not all that perfect.
Palmer explores lots of areas in More Like Her - bullying, domestic abuse, marriage and self searching. As Frannie puts it - the search for the Real Me.
I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters (although I thought Lisa became a 'bestie' awfully quick) Funnily enough, the character I enjoyed the most was Sam - the object of Frannie's desire. I found Frannie to be a bit exhausting. You might know her - she's the one who has to slice, dice and dissect every last situation and detail, wringing nuance from inflections, tones and glances and discussing them over and over again. I enjoyed Frannie's introspective look at finding her real self, but found myself growing tired of the repetition. I wish there had been more focus on Emma and her situation.
Those looking for a traditional chick lit book won't find it here. But, those looking for a contemporary women's fiction read that explores the green grass on the other side of fence will.
From the cover, I was expecting a 'chick lit' type of read, but the opening prologue is a 911 call detailing a shooting at the Markham School. We then meet Frannie in the opening chapter. She's a teacher at the Markham School. She's also just come through a nasty breakup with her boyfriend, also a teacher at the school. We're introduced to Jill and Lisa, Frannie's sidekicks. Palmer provides lots of light hearted banter and situations to open the novel. But underneath it all is Frannie's desire to be what's she's not, to have what she doesn't. Just like Emma, the new director of the school, who seems to have it all. Frannie laments..."I'm not the girl men choose."But it turns out that Emma's life is not all that perfect.
Palmer explores lots of areas in More Like Her - bullying, domestic abuse, marriage and self searching. As Frannie puts it - the search for the Real Me.
I enjoyed the interaction between the main characters (although I thought Lisa became a 'bestie' awfully quick) Funnily enough, the character I enjoyed the most was Sam - the object of Frannie's desire. I found Frannie to be a bit exhausting. You might know her - she's the one who has to slice, dice and dissect every last situation and detail, wringing nuance from inflections, tones and glances and discussing them over and over again. I enjoyed Frannie's introspective look at finding her real self, but found myself growing tired of the repetition. I wish there had been more focus on Emma and her situation.
Those looking for a traditional chick lit book won't find it here. But, those looking for a contemporary women's fiction read that explores the green grass on the other side of fence will.
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3.9 out of 5 stars
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