Just Like Me, Only Better

[...] This is the perfect book that answers the question of what it's like living the Hollywood life while living your regular one at the same time. It's hectic, demanding and nothing can prepare an everyday woman for the reality. Veronica is the main character; a woman trying to make the best of her new status as a single mom after her husband left her for an older woman. Veronica is an `every woman', someone I may have met or might meet as far as a lady trying to make ends meet while doing her best to provide for her son. The unique aspect of Veronica's character is her uncanny resemblance to a Hollywood star. It's the stepping stone into another stratosphere of living, on a big scale. Through it all, she never totally loses her sense of self. Sure she made a few mistakes -- she's human and all the more relatable for it. She's a breath of fresh air to the people she meets because although she looks like her famous doppelganger, inside she's as honest as they come. The fun moments in the story come from when she forgets a little here and there about who she's supposed to be. Then again, the same can be said for the not so great parts, when she gets carried away and disconnects with her common sense and people get hurt, including herself. The people in question are varied. Ms. Snow has some very quirky secondary characters surrounding Veronica on her journey. Most don't help her but either use her, hurt her or tolerate her. Oh wait, there is one I just adored and I want him to do my hair too. Anyway, the trick is figuring out who is going to do what and when. That's the challenge - to make the reader wonder who is a true Hollywood fake and who can really be trusted. What I also found nice was Hank, the ex. I was all set to dislike him but that's not what Ms. Snow wants. There's some great dialogue during a scene which truly showed him to be a good man and I really felt bad for both of them. The thing is, these kinds of situations really happen. Not everyone can work out an amiable solution to their reality but it was sure nice seeing Veronica and Hank being able to and it allowed the plot to stay focused where it needed to be. It added just the right amount of emotional connection and sympathy to reach a reader. Ms. Snow has this nice quirky first person POV delivery that kept me entertained. I liked Veronica's voice and little sotto voce moments. I liked that she never lost sight of being a parent even among the chaos. Yes she was a woman who had needs but she was always a parent. I appreciated the respect shown that vocation. This story doesn't have a traditional happily ever after but it did lead me to believe that it's there. After wading through all the chaff and distraction of the Hollywood types, there is that one person who stood out, who wasn't a fake and very probably is the one for Veronica. Again, very much like a life personally lived, every person we meet and interact with leaves an indelible mark upon our psyche from which we

In Orange County, Hank Czaplicki informs his wife Veronica that he has found his soulmate in realtor Darcy DaCosta, a much older woman. Hank dumps Veronica and their son Ben. Veronica keeps food on the table for her and their son by being a substitute teacher at Ben's elementary school Las Palmas. However, thanks to the food coach of the Kitty and Katz show Haley Rush, the actress' manager Jay meets Veronica and realizes she is almost an identical twin in spite of running mascara. He hires her to pretend to be Haley at an easy $100 an hour plus bennies for photo ops. Veronica enjoys the attention and going out with hunk Brady Ellis, but each night she goes home to her rental and raising her beloved Ben. This is an intelligent tongue in cheek mommy goes Hollywood chick lit tale. Veronica makes the fun story line work, but it is the underlying theme of celebrities pay a deep price for their fame that grips the audience. With a charming twisting romance, readers will relish Just Like Me, Only Better as, like in Here Today, Gone to Maui, Veronica gets to play the part of someone else's more exciting life that makes her real life seem so boringly suburban mom. Harriet Klausner

What a fun read. Carol Snow is amazing with a wonderful sense of humor.

I'll admit, I'm addicted to magazines like In Style, OK, US, etc., so when I saw this novel was about a woman being a body double for a Britney/Lindsay-esque singer/actress, I couldn't wait to read it. I wasn't disappointed. It was a sexy & addictive peek into what it's like to be a celeb in today's fame-obsessed culture. Even though it was fiction, I have a feeling author Carol Snow has connections in the industry because it definitely felt like some behind the scenes dirt. Very fun and dishy. It tells the story of Veronica Czaplicki, a substitute teacher & mom whose husband has just dumped her. Veronica happens to look like Haley Rush, a star of a tween sitcom (think Hannah Montana). Veronica gets a job pretending to be Haley at red carpet & other events... and as a bonus, gets photo ops with sexy costar Brady Ellis. Sparks begin to fly between the two of them, and as a result, life starts to get messy for Veronica. Turns out, fame isn't easy. There are so many great, laugh out loud scenes (including one involving getting a spray tan that was HILARIOUS). I also loved the relationship between Veronica and her son, and also how her new life complicated her life as a mom. Also, I thought I knew what was going to happen romance-wise, but there were so many twists & turns after a while I was just happy to hang on and see what happened. This is definitely one of those books you can't put down once you start it. Highly recommend.

When Veronica's husband leaves her for a woman who is rolling in the dough with her realtor work. Veronica is struggling with only a substitute teaching position, she has no idea how she is going to survive. When a young starlets manager sees Veronica, he is taken aback because of how much she resembles his client, Haley Rush. When he offers her $100 an hour just to pretend to be Haley for some photo shoots, she takes him up on his offer. It's fun at first but all good things must come to an end. I loved this book! I totally connected with Veronica because she's such a lovable character. This is a fast read so I suggest making sure you can read it all in one sitting because you won't want to put it down.