Just Like Me, Only Better

Table of Contents

 

 

More praise for the novels of Carol Snow

Here Today, Gone to Maui

“Smart, funny, and as breezy as a Hawaiian night . . . I loved it!”

—Jill Smolinski, author of
The Next Thing on My List

“The book strikes a right note in its quick, pop-culture references . . . [and] bitingly funny insights into a tourist’s day in Maui.”

“This fun, fast-paced story has a light romance and a titillating mystery. As the heroine makes some disappointing discoveries about her boyfriend, she also faces some realities about her own lifestyle. A nice coming-of-age story
—
even if the age is thirty-two.”

“Snow’s novel is breezy, funny, and entertaining with authentic settings and details . . . This one stands out.”

—Marylin Hudson,
Orange Coast Magazine

“This is easily Carol Snow’s best book to date—and that’s saying a lot because her other books have been wonderful.”

Been There, Done That

“Snow’s humorous, wise debut serves up romance with a bit of social commentary on the state of singledom and the benefits of maturity in a youth- and romance-obsessed society.”

“[A] witty, entertaining read.”

—Kim Alexander, XM Satellite Radio

“Often hilarious, frequently poignant . . . This is a wonderful book, with well-developed characters and interesting plot twists that make it a joy to read.”

“
Been There, Done That
is a totally unique story with heartbreak, a look at what your college student is really doing, and how friendships and relationships change before our eyes. A book that will make you think,
Been There, Done That
will introduce you to a different sort of romance.”

“Using humor as a delightful way to lampoon contemporary life, Carol Snow provides . . . a terrific investigative tale filled with pleasant but surprising twists.”

“Carol Snow dares to explore some ‘what ifs’ of college life in a novel full of zany adventures, reflecting the wisdom of an adult revisiting the past and trying not to make the same mistakes. The author’s subtle digs at ethics in journalism are right on target . . .
Been There, Done That
is insightful and fun, with a hint of mystery and romance.”

 

Getting Warmer

“With its entertaining combination of a realistically flawed heroine, sharp writing, and tart humor,
Getting Warmer
is absolutely delightful.”

“[Snow] cleverly combines wit and drama in a page-turning novel. Readers will be drawn to the primary characters with their effortless charm and unique ability to reinvent themselves when meeting new people. Snow’s charismatic writing style is superb, making this a true winner.”

“Carol Snow does a wonderful job creating realistic, likable characters. Natalie is genuinely flawed, and readers can’t help but like her for it . . . I’ll be waiting on pins and needles for her next release.”

HERE TODAY, GONE TO MAUI
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
GETTING WARMER

 

Teen Fiction
SNAP
SWITCH

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

 

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Copyright © 2010 by Carol Snow

 

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

BERKLEY
^®
is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

 

PRINTING HISTORY

Berkley trade paperback edition / April 2010

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

 

Snow, Carol, date.

Just like me, only better / Carol Snow.—Berkley trade paperback ed.

p. cm.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18662-6

1. Lookalikes—Fiction. 2. Identity (Psychology)—Fiction. 3. California—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3619.N66J87 2009

813’.6—dc22

2009022373

 

 

 

 

 

I
remember the exact moment when Haley Rush’s fame reached its tipping point. I was in the produce department of Ralph’s supermarket, desperately trying to concentrate on school lunches and the price of bananas, when all I could think about was my husband, Hank Czaplicki, who days earlier had announced—well, mentioned, really—that he had found his soul mate, and she wasn’t me. An image of Hank kissing Darcy DaCosta, aka “North Orange County’s #1 Realtor!
¹
” flashed through my brain just as a skinny prepubescent girl with blue braces and a high ponytail appeared at my side and blurted, “Can I have your autograph?”

Speechless, I stared at her, tears making my vision the slightest bit blurry, and shook my head with confusion.

“
Kitty and the Katz
is my favorite show!” she squeaked.

I blinked furiously, as if trying to hit the reset button in my brain, when, suddenly, I understood. There was that girl—what was her name? That actress who everyone said looked like me. The one who could sing. She’d been in a sitcom as a teenager, and now she had her own show on one of those kids’ cable networks. Bailey? Kayla? Something like that.

“I’m not who you think I am,” I told the girl with the blue braces, my voice tight from the force of withheld tears.

Her shiny smile faded, just a little bit.

“I’m not her,” I said, more forcefully this time.

The smile dropped, her cheeks flushed pink, and her eyes clouded with disappointment. “Sorry,” she mumbled, slouching away to rejoin her mother by the bagged salads.

A few minutes later, I stood at the checkout line, clutching my cart for support, wondering what I had forgotten to buy. I’d gotten milk for Ben, bananas for Ben, Lunchables for Ben. If not for Ben, I would have crawled into bed and stayed there forever. My five-year-old son was the only thing standing between me and a complete breakdown.

When the woman at the checkout counter looked at me funny, I thought maybe tears had smudged my mascara. But no: I hadn’t bothered with makeup since the day Hank walked out.

The checkout clerk pointed to the magazine display to my left. There was that actress on the cover of a glossy weekly—Haley Rush, that was her name. She was on a beach somewhere, wearing a ridiculously small white bikini, her skinny arms wrapped around the glimmering body of a sculpted young man. Above the picture, three-inch-tall block letters read, “Haley & Brady: HOT!”

Below that, Haley’s self-satisfied face gazed at me from the cover of a fashion magazine. A third magazine cover showed her and the pretty boyfriend with the caption, “Haley Rush: All Grown Up and Head-Over-Heels in Love.”

I looked back at the checkout woman and shrugged.

“That Brady Ellis is pretty cute,” she said.

I nodded and tried, unsuccessfully, to smile.

“So . . . that’s not you?” she asked.

I looked back at the magazine covers and sighed. “Only in my dreams.”

 

 

 

A
year later, I was used to it: “You look just like Haley Rush.”

I couldn’t see it. We’d both started off with the same light brown hair, wide, pale eyes set a fraction too close together, and paint-splatter freckles, but in the past year, Haley Rush, “All Grown Up” and increasingly successful, had embraced Hollywood glamour: platinum-blond tresses, elaborate makeup, huge sunglasses, and shiny spike heels. I, on the other hand, had mastered the classic look of a depressed, divorced suburbanite: messy ponytail, baggy clothes, puffy eyes.