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The Same But Different

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The new you could be someone unexpected.

Stunned by a life-changing secret and an unexpected inheritance, Cady Morrow leaves her responsible London life behind and hits the California flash mob trail. With her wild twin sister Shelby in tow, she’s determined to make every day of her new start count. So when they’re invited to travel on the flash mob team’s luxury tour bus—in close company with Reid, a man who sets her dangerously, deliciously off-kilter—Cady grabs the chance to be a different version of herself.

But uncovered secrets soon test her faith in her reinvented self, as well as in those around her. And when a flash mob implodes and Shelby goes missing, Cady has to rely on the enigmatic Reid for help—even as she doubts his motives, and her resistance to his teasing charm.

Torn between two lives, she eventually learns just how different she can really be…and exactly what she’ll do for the sake of a new start.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2014

4 people are currently reading
78 people want to read

About the author

Serena Clarke

8 books186 followers
Serena Clarke writes escapist romantic fiction set all over the world. Readers have described her books as engaging page-turners, with sigh-worthy happy endings that will leave you smiling.

Her own story? She's lived in thirty-nine houses, in seven cities, in four countries. She's been a riding instructor, edited a medical journal, worked at a London law firm, and taught English as a second language to wayward teenagers. And now she's found her own happy ending — living near the beach in beautiful New Zealand with her family, writing the kind of feel-good books she loves to read. She hopes you’ll love them too!

Serena's newsletter: https://www.serenaclarke.com/newsletter/
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BookBub: bookbub.com/profile/serena-clarke
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Natalie TBGWP.
401 reviews24 followers
June 20, 2014
I don't think I've ever read a book with more drama in than this one! It is seriously drama Central.

The Same But Different follows twenty-five year old bank worker and old before her time, Cady Marrow, as she is hit by devastation and a secret so huge she doesn't know what to do with it. Pushed on by ailing parents to get a life and go on an adventure she packs up and heads off on a 90 day trip to the US. Taking wild twin sister Shelby with her, they're on a mission to meet up and take part in flash mob routine, un be-known to them that this is the start of an adventure like non ever before.

To be fair as much as I did like the book, I can't lie and say I was blown away by it. I struggled with the first half really bad, I just couldn't get into it at all. It did pick up, but I still found it to be overdramatised at times which got quite boring. Don't get me wrong some of the plot was cracking and it made me smile and want to know more. It has a brilliant array of characters and I truly enjoyed the dynamic of Cady and Shelby. It's hard to put into words how to describe TSBD, but with the amount that's in it I'm more than positive you will find something to your liking.

A twisted tale of lies and secrets, double trouble, love, small town gossip and one draw dropping adventure!
Profile Image for Sarri.
710 reviews9 followers
March 14, 2016
3,5 tähteä antaisin tälle feel-good-romaanille. Ja olisikohan jonkin sortin chick-littiäkin. Puoli tähteä lisää tulee aiheesta, biologiseen isään tutustumisesta aikuisiällä. Se kiinnostaa aina.

25-vuotiaiden ei-identtisten kaksossisarusten Cadyn ja Shelbyn äiti kuolee harvinaiseen autoimmuunitautiin, mutta ehtii ennen sitä kertoa Cadylle että heidän isänsä ei ole tyttöjen biologinen isä. Shelbylle ei saisi kertoa, koska hän ei ehkä osaisi ottaa asiaa oikealta kannalta. Äidin kuoltua tytöt saavat äidin peruja yllättävän suuret perinnöt ja Cady päättää toteuttaa unelmansa liittymisestä amerikkalaiseen flash mob -ryhmään. Cady saa Shelbyn mukaansa ja seikkailu Yhdysvalloissa on valmis.

Same but different -romaanissa on kunnon juoni, draamaa, romantiikkaa, se biologinen isä ja yllätyskäänteitä. Varsin viihdyttävä paketti siis. Miinusta tulee pienestä fontista ja kiiltävästä painojäljestä kirjaimissa, mikä teki sen, että tekstiä oli vaikea lukea tietyssä valaistuksessa. Juoni jäi junnaamaan kaikenlaisiin "en voi nyt kertoa" -salaisuuksiin hieman aika ajoin, mutta ei mitään niin vakavaa, että kiinnostus olisi lopahtanut.

Kesälomalukemistoa, ehdottomasti.



Profile Image for WiLoveBooks.
865 reviews59 followers
June 10, 2014
This book was a lot of fun to read. Cady decides to leave her boring life in London and sets off for America with her twin sister to do some traveling. Her new motto is ‘fake it ’til you make it’ and she is enjoying the new Cady, but she ends up getting more than she bargained for. She meets Reid on her travels and there is plenty of steamy tension between them, and although she has to continue on her way, she hasn't seen the last of him. What I loved most about this book is how Cady gets out and discovers who she really is, without anything holding her back. A recommended fun, feel-good story with some unexpected twists and surprises.
Profile Image for Pam.
916 reviews45 followers
September 2, 2016
Cady has always done what is right for her family. She has taken care of them and the only living she has done is following the flash mob scene online. When she gets the chance she decides to go to America to really live. She wants to be someone different. Along with her twin sister she manages to get right in the middle of the flash mob scene and start living. Se has some family issues to work through and a new family to get to know. She even meets a new guy Reid. She soon sees she is being lied to and has to try and get the truth. Her sister goes missing and it's only with the help of Reid can she find her. She started out wanting to be different and have a change in her life, she just didn't realize how much things would change.

Cady makes this an entertaining book to read. She has took care of her mother and been the responsible one of the twins. her sister has had the wild life and she has been the good girl. She now wants to have fun for once and maybe meet someone new. She likes Reid she just has trust issues and doesn't want to get involved only to have him eave later. She has good reasons for worrying. She may have been shy but in America part of the flash mob she finds her true self. She is very generous and loves to help people. I really liked getting to know her and watching her become so strong and open. There is romance in the book but it's not the main part by any means. For me this was about Cady learning who she really is. There is also danger that was a surprise to me. I figured something was going on just not how crazy some people are. There is also family secrets that have to come out. Some of them show how much someone can love another and was very touching. If you want a good book with a good plot be sure to try this one.
Profile Image for Kelly.
Author 49 books62 followers
June 14, 2014

I was introduced to this author by a friend and received an advanced copy of 'The Same But Different' in exchange for an honest review.

Normally, I wouldn’t pick up a contemporary romance with such a youngish heroine and story vibe, but I’m glad I did read this book. It was surprisingly complex and the sub-plots were well-balanced. I remembered being twenty-five and identified strongly with Cady’s sense of responsibility to her family while trying to let her fun, free-spirited side break free. I also liked that this novel was written in Cady’s point-of-view only, it allowed me to really follow her adventure and growth in a refreshing way. (Not that there aren’t other single pov romances out there, it just really suited this style story).

I might be picky and say that it was a bit too coincidental in places, mainly early on when Cady meets Reid the first time in the cafe, and then the next day she discovers he’s part of the flash mob as well. Also that Cady and Shelby’s biological father happened to live in California (where they were traveling) but that point did turn out to be a necessary connection in the story.

This romance has a lot of sexual tension and flirting, but no visual love scenes. This suits the slow development of the relationship and makes the emotional connection between Cady and Reid very honest, I think. I would’ve liked a passionate scene at the end maybe, but it’s not something that turns me off certain series’ or authors. I will definitely read more of Ms. Clarke’s books. :)

Overall, a layered story that’s a bit of a nostalgic trip for readers over thirty, and a familiar, fun one for those finding their way in their twenties.
625 reviews18 followers
August 30, 2016
The beautiful thing about book titles is that they seem to mean one thing at first, and then you finish the book and realize they could mean a whole bunch of other things.

Cady and Shelby are twins - the same but different, yeah? There's a death in the family and they decide to travel from the UK to the US... and join a flash mob thingy called Flashpoint. While they're there, they look for their biological dad, and run into two women also named Cady and Shelby -the same but different, again! And by the end of their US adventure, Cady and Shelby grow and develop and peel away layers until they themselves are different... yet the same.

I thought this book would be straight up romance or chick lit, but it was really much more. There was suspense, adventure, family drama, more family drama, and yep, some romance. It was refreshing to read such a well-rounded story, kind of along the lines of a Nora Roberts novel. I'm used to so much straightforward chick lit romance that I forget how satisfying a good, substantial story can be. A big Thank You to Serena Clarke for reminding me. :)

I received an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Miriam.
737 reviews39 followers
June 19, 2014
Different‘s a beautiful story about one woman’s adventure of a lifetime after putting her life on hold for others for so long. Cady’s journey from her mother’s deathbed to finding true love is set in a city that’s known world wide for its history as well as its eccentricity. In a way, it was the perfect way for Cady to start over, to find something colorful outside of her normal routine.

With her sister by her side, Cady discovered lost family and true love, uncovered secrets, and (this is important, folks) moved on from them. She could’ve been bitter, let the lies that had been told swallow her whole. But she didn’t.

It was, indeed, for the better. She gained new family, new friends, and a new life from it.

***Received from Tasty Book Tours for an honest review***
Profile Image for Charlotte Lynn.
2,205 reviews59 followers
October 30, 2014
I always thought it would be fun to be a twin or to have twins. The Same But Different show how different twins truly can be. While growing up in the same household with the same parents, Cady and Shelby are as different as night and day. Shelby is the mover and shaker while Cady keeps everyone and everything in line. I related more with Cady but would love to be as carefree as Shelby.

The Flashpoint part of the story was a little odd to me. I don't really get the whole flash mob thing and do not see the draw of it. I did enjoy meeting the characters on the bus and imagining living with such a hodge podge of people in a small area.

I thought I was picking up and easy chic-lit book. I was wrong. This is a romance, adventure, family drama, with a lot of fun story.
Profile Image for Rowena May O'Sullivan.
Author 9 books42 followers
August 2, 2014
A book I found moving and entertaining at the same time. I really, really loved this book. It's a story of relationships, love, difficult decisions, sibling rivalry and how two sisters come to terms with what life has offered them so far. Slow to start, the book took on a life of it's own and I just had to know how Cady and Shelby would resolve their issues and whether Cady would get her man, the hunky Reid, who has a secret of his own. The characters are warm, engaging and interesting and there was one moment towards the end that made me almost tearful. Highly recommended if you like women's fiction too.
Profile Image for Kate O'Keeffe.
Author 48 books841 followers
January 2, 2015
The Same But Different is a beautifully written tale of two sisters on a journey of self discovery following the death of their mother, who shares a shocking deathbed secret with the heroine, Cady. The subject matter is sensitively handled, the storyline fast-paced and engaging, and the heroine utter relatable. Although it centers on two British sisters, it's set in California in beautiful San Francisco, among other locations, and the author really brings the city to life. A must read for fans of gentle, engaging romance - a real page-turner with heart and soul. I'm now on to her second novel!
Profile Image for Judy.
3,362 reviews29 followers
December 19, 2015
This was a fun story if a bit over the top in places. Twenty-five-year-old twin sisters in London discover that their mother had a brief affair with an American tourist that resulted in their birth . After she died they took the money she left them and went to America to have an adventure after the years spent caring for her during her final illness. They get involved in a flash mob group and find their father and bounce back and forth between him and the group while dealing with attraction to men in the group. The relationships seemed a bit hard to believe until the final resolution, but it was still an entertaining read.
Profile Image for Ashley Racicot.
43 reviews2 followers
July 23, 2015
Love!

The Same But Different is an excellent novel. The plot is always moving and you can't help but want to keep reading. It's not just romance literature, but also a story about sisterhood, loss and finding yourself. Extremely glad I found this book and All Over The Place!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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