Book Review: More Like Her by Liza Palmer

More Like Her by Liza Palmer strikes the reader as chick-lit if you go by the cover of the book but it is far from that. It is a very emotional and deep book that I really enjoyed. More Like Her wakes us up to the reality that what appears to be the perfect life for someone may actually be a nightmare in waiting. It makes us want to question if we ever really know someone or is it more likely they are hiding deep and dark secrets. It also brings home the fact that ultimately we should just be our true selves and nobody who really loves us should expect different.

More Like Her portrays the lives of three women who are teachers at the same school and also best friends. Frannie is dealing with a bad breakup and worse she still has to work with the guy as he also teaches at her school. Frannie was my favorite character I think because she was so raw and vulnerable. She doesn’t have a lot of self-confidence and she feels that there must be something wrong with her that she can’t seem to keep a man. Frannie is also in the habit of changing who she is to please her partner and thinking that anything that goes wrong must be her fault. That unfortunately has not worked for her so maybe it’s time to make a change and be just who she is and nothing more. When Sam comes into her life she finally makes the decision to take a stand and be herself. Will it win her the guy or not?

Another of the girlfriends is Jill and I really liked her as well. Jill is funny and sarcastic, bordering on crude at times, and is always trying to play matchmaker for Frannie with very mixed results. She and Frannie make interesting friends as Frannie is the type who likes to talk about everything till it’s worn out and Jill doesn’t. Then there is Lisa, the latest to their group. She’s a pretty straight forward type of girl and I didn’t really feel as close to her as the other women. The three of them together however make quite the group!

Into this world comes the new Head of School, Emma. She’s everything Frannie has ever wanted to be. She’s beautiful, accomplished, and has the beautiful house and prestige that Frannie has always craved. But it is with the arrival of Emma and her more than strange husband that things begin to fall apart. It is at Emma’s birthday party that things totally explode and a 911 call about a shooting will totally and irrevocably change all of these women’s lives.

I think More Like Her would make a fantastic book club pick. The author addresses some pretty big issues like domestic abuse. It really goes to show that you don’t always know what is happening behind closed doors in someone else’s home. Perfection isn’t always what it seems. It also touches on relationships and how we look at ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. I found More Like Her to be a book that I had trouble putting down and finished in a day. It grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the last page. Well worth reading and highly recommended!

I read More Like Her by Liza Palmer for her book tour with TLC Book Tours. Be sure and check out what others think about the book at all the other tour stops. You can also visit Liza on her website and find her on Facebook and Twitter as well. You can pick up your own copy of More Like Her here in the US and here in Canada.