The New York Times bestselling author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the enduring, hard-won affection of a long marriage faces imminent derailment from events both past and present.

The New York Times bestselling author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the enduring, hard-won affection of a long marriage faces imminent derailment from events both past and present.

The New York Times bestselling author of THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD (“wonderfully immersive…deliciously absorbing” —NPR) returns with another brilliantly observed family drama in which the enduring, hard-won affection of a long marriage faces imminent derailment from events both past and present.

SAME AS IT EVER WAS showcases the consummate style, signature wit and profound emotional intelligence that made THE MOST FUN WE EVER HAD one of the most beloved novels of the past decade. Featuring a memorably messy family and the multifaceted marriage at its heart, Lombardo’s debut was dubbed “the literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler” (The Guardian) and hailed as “ambitious and brilliantly written” (Washington Post). In this remarkable follow-up --- another elegant and tumultuous story in the tradition of Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett and Celeste Ng --- Lombardo introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, this time by way of her singularly complicated protagonist.

Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. But Julia has never navigated the world with the equanimity of her current privileged class. Having nearly derailed herself several times, making desperate bids for the kind of connection that always felt inaccessible to her, she finally feels, at age 57, that she has a firm handle on things.

She’s unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spikey teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor’s edge.

SAME AS IT EVER WAS traverses the rocky terrain of real life, exploring new avenues of maternal ambivalence, intergenerational friendship and the happenstantial cause-and-effect that governs us all. Delving even deeper into the nature of relationships --- how they grow, change and sometimes end --- Lombardo proves herself a true and definitive cartographer of the human heart and asserts herself among the finest novelists of her generation.

From the beloved author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS comes a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch and learning to let go.

From the beloved author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS comes a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch and learning to let go.

From the beloved author of WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, a moving, hilarious story of a family summer vacation full of secrets, lunch and learning to let go.

For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital and --- thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing --- septic too.

This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past --- except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing --- her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers.

It's one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.