Just Like Me, Only Better

Just Like Me, Only Better is utterly delightful and perfect for light summer reading! Think the TV adaptation of The Starter Wife, only imagine the leading lady of middling years mistaken as the spitting image of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan. Carol Snow brings us a wonderfully amusing narrator with a rather heartbreaking post-divorce life who finds herself in a dream-come-true. Pay me (and take me shopping!) to just go out to dinner with a hot 20-something actor - who wouldn't seize that offer and run with it? ;) It was great to watch Veronica grow a backbone and gain back her self-respect from the characters who tried to bulldoze their way into her life.

This is a perfect chick lit read if you are in the mood for light and breezy show more laughter! :) show less

This book was FUNNY! I mean I had a feeling it would be funny because of the premise but Veronica, some of the things she said were just hilarious! I loved the idea of a regular down on her luck single-mother, going through a hard time after a divorce diving into the world of glitz and glam and pretending to be a celebrity. It never gets old, someone being thrown into a completely new situation.

And she sure meets some characters out in Hollywood from the actress she's being the body-double for to the hairdresser she swaps gossip with. The people she meets on her journey, they could easily be two-dimensional but the author writes them in such a way that they have some personality behind the cliche you would expect.

What I really liked show more about this book was that not only is it funny, it's rather heartfelt, watching Veronica process her divorce and seeing her ex-husband move on, she has to re-find her place in the world. Another great thing in this book is there is a bit of romance! And I thought who she ended up with was a nice surprise! I just would have wished for a bit more wrap up at the end of the book, it ended a bit too quickly for me! Overall a very fun book! show less

For Veronica Czaplicki, a single mom and student teacher in suburban L.A., life has begun to lag just a tiny bit. It might have been when her husband, Hank, left her for a real estate agent many years Veronica's senior -- and Veronica was forced to rent a tiny guesthouse from a lazy couple happier to push their children onto their new "tenant" than try and carpool their little ones themselves. Now a single mother struggling to stay afloat financially, Veronica is unhappy, worried, perpetually stressed -- and seeking a new way to make ends meet.

Which is convenient for Jay Sharpie, manager of one Haley Rush -- a television and radio star in the vein of Miley Cyrus who has disintegrated into another trainwreck devoured by the tabloids. show more Because plain-Jane teacher Veronica bears an uncanny resemblance to Haley, so much so that people constantly stop her in the street, asking for a signature or a photo. And Jay spots her, too.

Before she knows it, Veronica has been sucked into the Hollywood vacuum, signing on to become a Haley impersonator of sorts -- someone to go out in public and act normal, essentially, since Ms. Rush refuses to get up before noon and drowns her sorrows in illicit substances. In order to do some serious damage control, Veronica pretends to be Haley for public appearances, tucking a trademark cowboy hat low on her head and hoping no one will notice the difference.

And for a while? No one does. But what happens when Veronica becomes just a little bit too much like Haley -- and the lines become impossibly blurred?

Carol Snow's Just Like Me, Only Better was a wildly entertaining novel I tore through in a matter of hours, laughing the entire time. With humor and plenty of warmth, our narrator Veronica was someone I rooted for from beginning to end, hoping she'd find a way to make a better life for herself -- and her son, Ben -- before she got too caught up in the fame game.

The antics that carry Veronica/Haley from activity to activity are hilarious and, though I could spot some of the plot devices a mile away, that didn't make me enjoy the novel any less. Brady Ellis serves as a hunky love interest while Jay functions well as the Type A obsessive manager who, despite everything, does seem to have Veronica's best interests at heart. Haley is the typical spoiled celebutante, known more for her blonde extensions and pretty face than miraculous singing or acting abilities. But as long as the money's rolling in, who cares?

Carol Snow is an author completely new to me, but I'll be looking for her backlist soon! With excellent pacing and plenty of humor, the novel absolutely flew by. Fans of chick lit and those interested in the California fame game will find plenty to enjoy in Just Like Me, Only Better, and I'll be eager to go on another adventure with Snow soon. show less

Veronica Czaplicki is a single, divorced mom to Ben. By day, she’s a substitute teacher at her son’s school, hoping to find a permanent position there. By night, well… her life is pretty empty in that area until she meets Jay, Haley Rush’s manager.

Veronica knows she looks like celebrity Haley Rush as she’s mistaken for the star quite often. When Haley’s manager, Jay, offers her a position to be Haley’s stand-in (at $100 per hour!), how could she refuse? Veronica agrees to sign a confidentiality contract and just like that, she’s part of Haley’s life.

Everything starts off pretty well for Veronica. Going to Starbucks posing as Haley, eating Pinkberry yogurt, pretending to talk on her cell. As more demands are placed on show more her, Veronica finds it necessary to avoid friends in order to keep up this charade. When Veronica is asked to stand-in for Haley on a “date” with former boyfriend Brady Ellis, Veronica soon realizes the consequences for her decision.

Just Like Me, Only Better is a light, chick-lit read. Veronica is a very likable character. It’s easy for the reader to understand why she decided to accept this position. As Veronica gets more and more enmeshed with Haley’s life, her judgment tends to be a bit clouded, especially with Brady. Although the outcome of their relationship is predictable, Veronica is able to bounce back and find herself on a path to her happy ending.

Going on a summer vacation? Remember to pack Just Like Me, Only Better. It’s a good beach read for those lazy afternoons. show less

I loved this book and loved living through Veronica. She was living a fantasy that everybody dreams of living once. The best part is she realized that she didn't want that life or pretend to be somebody else. Why would she. The best part is there is a happy ending. How can you not love a book with a happy ending. I loved the divorce plot of the story and Ben is so adorable. I felt bad for her when she made some mistakes being her celebrity double that compromised her relationship with her son. I felt like she was starting to go on the wrong path. Luckily she fixed it. At times I was getting angry with her, but realized I would have probably been stupid enough to have done the same thing she did.

I thought this book was quirky and fun. show more

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When single-mom Veronica becomes a double for a Hollywood star, she thinks it is the answer to her prayers.She soon discovers the grass isn't always greener on the other side.