More Like Her

Rating: 4.5 StarsI didn't expect More Like Her to wind up being my favorite Liza Palmer novel, but it is - it most definitely is. Both romantic and horrific, comforting and shocking, this isn't the warm story of Nowhere But Home or the amusing tale of Seeking Me Naked. Instead, it's much rawer, realer, and makes truly worthy statements about self-esteem and society. Just.ccable. Frances is a guidance counselor at the prestigious Markham School, vying for a promotion alongside her best friend, Ji [...]

A disjointed story line and unlikable characters made this a difficult read. I really wanted to love it because I've read so many other reviews from readers that thought it was fantastic. But reading is subjective and it's obvious that everyone's idea of fantastic varies greatly.Let me back up and correct my statement that the characters were unlikable. As written, they were likable enough, but they were boring. I don't know about you, but I can find boring any day of the week in aisle 5 at Wal- [...]

I realize I write odd reviews at times. This will be one of them.My friend Hallie had just returned from visiting her parents when she phoned me. She told me it had been a rough couple of weeks. "You know my parents live in Littleton, Colorado, didn't you?" she asked. It was April, 1999. Hallie was visiting her parents on April 20, 1999 while her youngest sister was at school. For four horrifying hours, she and her parents did not know if her sister was dead or alive. At last the news crews caug [...]

Originally reviewed here.My introduction to Liza Palmer's books came via the excellent Seeing Me Naked, a book that held so much more for me than the title (or cover) seemed to imply. I've reread it and handed it to so many people since then, and I've been looking forward to the release of MORE LIKE HER for some time now. I purchased my copy back when it was released and then just . . . held onto it (as I often do) for the right night. And though I went in expecting it this time, Ms. Palmer surp [...]

The premise was there, the execution was awful. This is a book that doesn't live up to its synopsis at all. I skimmed the last 100 pages because it got so tedious. I was trying to find a punchline but none showed up- we never find out what was behind the picket fence. Jill has a "less than perfect marriage" that never gets explained beyond her not being her "real self" oookay. Lisa is characterized as your average Jersey girl, not someone "too career focused to find time for a family." And I can [...]

I'm still reeling. I finished this book late last night and had to fight the urge to get online right then and there to write the review. It took me longer than usual to finish this book, because I was working on edits/rewrites and also because I was really laid out with the crud, but I found myself DREAMING about this book and the characters within, while I was in a Nyquil induced coma.First off, you should all know that this is not the kind of book you want to pick up because you want a quick, [...]

You know how you have a friend whose company you enjoy, but when you are done talking or hanging out with them, you think "Wow - as much of an overthinker as I think I can be, I do not hold a candle to that level of neurotic." That book is the equivalent of that situation. The main character is so in her own head that putting the book down and coming back to reality is a pleasant transition. I loathe prologues that reveal key plot points in a book. See also: the evolution of the telling of the s [...]

Loved this. Agree with reviewers who found it shockingocking but good. Did NOT expect the twist. Love all of Liza's books.

Edit: I wrote more on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves - cleareyesfullshelves/blog/This book was full of authentic emotion, humor and messy realness than worked for me on a number of levels. And Frannie is probably my favorite main character from Liza Palmer's novels. But! Even more importantly. This book features Justin Timberlake as an important reference point for the story AND the last scene made me cry at 2am thanks to a J.T. (yes, that's what the cool kids call him) reference.(Also, David Gray's m [...]

How much do you really know about those around you? What secrets lie behind their public facades? Frannie believes Emma Dunham, the new head of Markham, has it all together. Great job, great looks, great relationship everything Frannie wishes she had in her own life. But when Emma's husband murders her at a school function, Frannie and her friends are faced not only with the truth about Emma's life, but the aftermath of surviving such a terrible tragedy. Not at all what I'd expected! Liza Palmer [...]

This was a good book, hard hitting at times and tugged at your heart strings, but felt the author tried to wrap certain things up too quickly. Good writing and look forward to reading Liza's new book.

Chick lit at its worst.

(a similar version of this review can be found here at Into the Hall of Books: intothehallofbooks/201)OH YAY, More Like Her by Liza Palmer! You attracted me with those awesome red shoes on your pretty cover and then WOW’d me with your story on the inside. You have the makings of a book that I will share with my in-real-life friends and that is a really great thing. But first, let me share with my blog friends why I found you fascinating. Some Notes On More Like Her…More Like Her opens with a [...]

How does Liza Palmer keep writing these amazing books that just blow me away? Seriously she is all kinds of amazing and I just can't get enough of her humor and dry wit and well, intensity. Love it all.UPDATED: She's got it all. At least that's what it seems like to speech therapist Frances Reid upon meeting her lovely, talented and successful new boss, Emma Dunham (who happens to be the first ever female headmistress at the posh Markham Prep School. Ahem, she's that perfect.). Perfect job, husb [...]

I bought this book because I went to a conference workshop about Finding Your Voice (or similar title) led by Liza, and I just kind of fell in love with her particular combination of wry wit, self-deprecation, and conversationality (did I just make that word up?). She was funny, sweet, vulnerable, kind, a good listener, and just kind of authentically present, by which I mean that she came to the session prepared, but she went with the flow of the discussion, rather than trying to stick to a stri [...]

I have mixed feelings about this one. The synopsis sounded interesting, and right away the prologue really got my attention immediately. It starts out with a 911 call from a school with a shooting in progress. But then the story starts and it moves pretty slowly.Frannie is a speech therapist at a prestigious private school. Her best friend, Jill, is also on staff there, as is her ex, the live-in boyfriend who dumped her after two years. There is a new teacher on the staff, Lisa, a confident, out [...]

I have to say I am not a fan of the cover of this book in my opinion it is a little bland, it wouldn’t be one that would catch my eye whilst searching the shelves for my next book. I found the storyline had a very slow start and I struggled to keep reading, it did reach a point where I was ready to give up but luckily it was just after this point where there was a shocking twist in the book which finally managed to grab my attention. My favourite character in this book has to be Sam, I found t [...]

Was going to do 3 stars till I realized that the end part wasn't a "discussion guide" but a "breakup mix tape" The author earned the 4th star right there.I loved this storyAnd Im not going to summaraize the plot for you the dust jacket does that. Totally enjoyed this despite the obvious flaws -- continuity problems, dialogue challenges that made it hard to follow at times, and far too many attempts at foreshadowing that were about as subtle as a brick to the side of the head. Despite all that, I [...]

I liked it a lot more than I expected to, after reading the back cover. In fact, I think the back cover isn't very accurate about the basis of the story and the personalities of the main characters. I never felt like Liza and her friends wanted to be like Emma. Lisa wasn't described as too career-focused. I also felt like it revealed WAY too muchlike Jill being pregnant (which didn't happen until the end anywaysd had no purpose.I think that Jill's character seemed inconsistent.In general, she se [...]

This was an enjoyable, quick read. Frances is a believable single, whose live-in boyfriend left the relationship not so long ago and she is wondering with every man she encounters whether this will be the new ‘him’. She comes across a builder, Sam, who is working on an extension of the school that she works at. She likes him (a lot) but is she just an interlude for him? However, the main story is the story of Emma, the headmistress. She’s new and Frances at first thinks she’s too cool an [...]

This is such a strange book. The cover is classic chick lit, but the prologue is a 911 call about a school shooting. So, as you're reading the first 100 pages or so -- which are very much written in a chick lit vein, about dating angst and friendship -- you know tragedy is coming and can't help but wonder which of the characters will survive. Once the shooting occurs, the heroine's angst grows. Now, she not only has to deal with her messed-up love life and poor self-image but nightmares, as well [...]

This was a notch above chick lit, but probably not a full four stars. In any event, the book follows three friends who teach at a private school in California. The main character is envious of the new head of school who seems to have it all together. After tragedy strikes, they see how flawed the head of school really was. There were some real problems with this book - specifically, that the friendships between the three teachers didn't weren't really fully developed and were portrayed as deeper [...]

I loved this book. Loved. Narrator Frannie is possessed by the poor self-esteem of all of us (or is it just me?) and she perfectly captures the doubt, confusion, and irritation women who've always longed for their Jake Ryan have. We're great, we really are! For the right guy! Where is that guy!?I loved the Pasadena setting (at one point the characters drive on streets right past my aunt's real life house) and I loved the twist of the story where you think you're getting a good story about friend [...]

This is one of those deceptive books that seems like straight chick-lit,then twists that behind your back and makes you cry "uncle". This is not a bad thing here. Frannie works at a private school in California and is a speech therapist, works with her two best friends, one married, one not,and has just ended a two year relationship with a fellow teacher at her school, whom she has shared an apartment with, until he cheated on her. See the chick-lit thing? Enter Emma, the new head of the school. [...]

Frannie works as a speech therapist at a posh private school. Her best friends, Jill and Lisa also work there. She hasn't known them long; in fact, Lisa has just started at the school. Frannie has just been dumped by Ryan, who also works at the school, and she's not coping well. One wonders why, as she reveals to her friends that she and Ryan haven't had sex in over a year. Heellooo? What's going on in the head of this supposedly intelligent woman? Reader, Frannie was beginning to irritate me. B [...]

This is the worst book I've read. The intro to the book isn't anything like the story. It makes you think it's going to be about women being friends wanting to be like the other etc. Instead, it's about a shooting and it goes from there. I thought written on a young adult level along with the lead character being IMMATURE, ANALYZING everything a man does (when it's minimal) this is where I thought the writing was more for teenagers. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone not even a young teenager!! [...]

This is a very different book than I was expecting from the author. I have mixed feelings about it. It looks at abuse in relationships as well as people being true to who they are in relationships. These are not unconnected concepts but wither would be difficult to do justice to on their own. I admit that I had a hard time understanding how some of the main characters interacted and understanding their way of speech. There are some wonderful moments in this book and some interesting characters b [...]

I'll start by saying I read this book in a single day. Its been a long time since a book keept me up long past my bedtime! I suppose this is chick-lit but it seems to have slightly more going on than most in that genre. I found some of the characters to be irritating because they were such caricatures but the main character was well drawn. She is, sadly, a lot like me!Decent plot, some sections of nice writing, pleasant romantic hero. Overall, pretty good.

I'm a fan of Palmer's work, but this book felt like an odd mashup of chick lit and the "headline of the day" emotional manipulations Jodi Picoult calls books.

Excellent!!