Iemand als jij

by Cathy Kelly, Harry Naus (Translator)

Emma, Leonie en Hannah ontmoeten elkaar tijdens een vakantie in Egypte en worden de dikste vriendinnen. Ondanks de verschillen in leeftijd en achtergrond zoeken zij steun en troost bij elkaar om het hoofd te bieden aan hun persoonlijke problemen. Alle drie willen ze hetzelfde bereiken in het leven - gelukkig worden.

Voor de pasgetrouwde Emma betekent geluk het ontsnappen aan haar dominante vader en zelf een gezin stichten. Ze verlangt wanhopig naar een baby, maar het lukt niet om zwanger te worden.

Leonie is gescheiden, ergens in de veertig en de moeder van drie tieners. Ligt de ware liefde, die zij in haar passieloze huwelijk miste, nog ergens voor Leonie in het verschiet?

De mooie, onafhankelijke Hannah is eenzaam nadat de man van wie zij hield haar in de steek liet. Nu kiest Hannah voor geld en zekerheid - en de opwinding van het vrijgezellenleven.

Terwijl Emma, Leonie en Hannah hun wensen en verlangens in de loop der jaren proberen te verwezenlijken, delen zij hun diepste gedachten en meest intieme geheimen met elkaar.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Ireland, Novels, Roman

415 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Born in Belfast but raised in Dublin, Cathy initially worked for thirteen years as a newspaper journalist with a national Irish Sunday newspaper, where she worked in news, features, along with spending time as an agony aunt and the paper’s film critic. However, her overwhelming love was always fiction and she published her first international bestseller, Woman To Woman, in 1997. She did not become a full-time writer until she had written another two books (She’s The One and Never Too Late) and finally decided to leave the world of journalism in 2001, moving to HarperCollins Publishers at the same time.

Someone Like You and What She Wants followed in successive years. Her sixth novel, Just Between Us, was her first Sunday Times number one bestseller, while her eighth novel, Always and Forever, topped the UK bestseller lists in October 2005, displacing Dan Brown and J. K. Rowling. In 2007, Past Secrets in was also a number one paperback bestseller.

Lessons in Heartbreak was shortlisted for the Eason Irish Popular Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards in April 2009. In September 2009, Once in a Lifetime topped the UK bestseller lists for three weeks. In March 2011, Homecoming achieved the same feat. Her latest novel is It Started With Paris, published by Orion in 2014.

In Autumn 2011, Cathy headlined a search for a new writer on ITV’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.

Cathy’s trademark is warm story-telling and she consistently tops the bestseller lists around the world with books which deal with themes ranging from relationships and marriage to depression and loss, but always with an uplifting message and strong female characters at the heart.

Cathy also has a passionate interest in children’s rights and is an ambassador for UNICEF Ireland. Her role for UNICEF is a Global Parent, which means raising funds and awareness for children orphaned by or living with HIV/AIDs.

She lives with her husband, John, their twin sons, Dylan and Murray, and their three dogs in Enniskerry, Co Wicklow.

To contact Cathy email info@cathykelly.com

Reviews

[Obsidian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a nice and lovely book to spend a day with. I just needed some that went on a while that I could sink into. I think Kelly did a wonderful job with developing Hannah, Emma, and Leonie. And I loved the ups and downs the three of them had in their individual relationships as well. Things were not rushed and I guesstimate that from beginning to end this whole book followed the characters almost through 2 years.

"Someone Like You" follows three women who are about to embark onto a week long cruise around Egypt.

Hannah is an American transplant moving to Ireland to start working in a real estate business. She has had a year to get over her partner Harry dumping her and finally getting her sense of self back. She takes a trip to Egypt to celebrate her independence.

Emma is being forced to go along on a week long trip with her parents without her lovely husband. Emma is used to going along to keep the peace, but starts to notice that something seems wrong with her mother.

Leonie is at loose ends since her three kids at with her ex-husband in America for the summer. She decides a trip is just what she needs.

All three women meet and become friends on the trip and then continue their friendship back home in Ireland.

I honestly can't say which one I liked the most in this one. I liked them all for different reasons. For Leonie for being a strong woman who realized she didn't want to stay in a marriage where her husband felt like her brother and she thought they both deserved something better. For Emma for wanting a baby but being scared to find out if something is wrong. For Hannah for being so so terrible with regards to men (LOL!).

I thought the three women together and individually were great. I wanted to cheer and yell and shout at all of them. Kelly really does a great job with making you feel as if you are just catching up with long time friends as you read.

I loved the writing and the flow actually worked great in this one. I always worry when you have three characters is one of them going to get less time than the others. But in my eyes, I think Kelly managed to follow and develop all three of them equally.

The ending for Hannah was the only one that I thought felt rushed. Emma and Leonie's stories ended perfectly for me.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am SO glad to be done with this book. It was an alright book, I guess...I sorta liked the characters and truly wanted them to figure out the problems each of them was facing.

BUT. BUT. So much of it was so ridiculous! Apparently you can take a pregnancy test HOURS after your condom breaks to find out if you are pregnant or not. Who knew?

Ugh, anyway. It just irritated me, the whole book...so much wasn't believable and it just grated on me. Ugh.

[Floor tussendeboeken]

DNF na 90 bladzijden... Helaas geen boek voor mij

[Cover to Cover · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Marian Keyes and Maeve Binchy, you will be delighted to welcome Cathy Kelly to your library. Pour the glass of wine or cup of tea and enjoy your trip to Ireland. The characters and settings were wonderfully detailed and by the end of the book, you felt that pang that comes when a good book ends! I did become frustrated when the characters seemed to make bad choices over and over again - but then I also know many women who are exactly like that. I am delighted to add Cathy Kelly to my reading list. Detailed, real. Breath taking. That is what she is. The book was delightful. Everything that comes with Cathy Kelly.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

If this is officially chick lit, then I guess I don't like it. The characters were a bit too cartoony, the writing annoying, and the story ... well, I guess there was legitimately a story, but it wasn't interesting. I couldn't stand the people. I suffered through more of it than I would have otherwise, because I was away from home and had nothing else to read when I was up late one night.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

As well as you paint a picture, Miss Kelly, it is a big one with disappointingly short conclusions. Why does it always feel like a marathon reading her books? Because after reading two of them, I've recognised one painful pattern. For the almost 700 pages that this book was, it was all summed up and concluded in the space of 80 pages. The ending happens very fast in comparison to the rest of the book.

Having said that, it's not as though I didn't enjoy most of it. If you care enough about characters to almost yell at them for the stupid things they do, I suppose its a winner in that circumstance. Like I've said in my review of 'Best of Friends', Cathy is a whiz at character development which is rather important to me personally. There is nothing worse than reading a book and the characters going from point a to point b back to point a again. or rather, stay at point a and whinge about it the entire time. No at least in Cathy Kelly's books we have hurdles that these women face and they mostly try and succeed at overcoming these hurdles in a reasonable way.

Emma started off as my favourite character but in the end I probably cared about her the least. Leonie was consistently loveable and always quite patient when she needed to be. Hannah... well... what a ditz. For a 'power' woman she certainly was blind the entire time about her choices in love and letting herself get pregnant then turning into an instant mum type. Felix was the biggest douche from his first appearance and I can't believe she went as far as marrying him.

So in conclusion I give it three stars because it seems as though I cared enough about the characters and the plot enough to write this long review haha. No really, her books aren't bad, I do enjoy her writing but I just wish they weren't so LONG!!! Having said that, I do have a neat little ebook novella of hers to devour next.

[Mariazita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gosto muito da maneira de escrever da autora.Quase um livro de auto-ajuda , pois tem varias lições de vida, que neste livro são dados por cada uma das três personagens deste livro.
Com vidas totalmente diferentes, Emma, Leonie e Hannah vão ficar amigas depois de uma viagem ao Egito.
Emma vive na esperança de ficar grávida, mas vive oprimida pelo pai dominador , que mesmo com 32 anos a critica por tudo o que ela faz,o que faz com que Emma viva uma vida controlada por terceiros.
Hannah é uma mulher decidida a seguir uma carreira, e nunca mais depender sentimentalmente de um homem depois do fim de um relacionamento de alguns anos, mas será que a vida vai seguir o rumo que ela destinou para si.
Leonie é uma mãe separada com três filhos adolescentes que sonha em encontrar o príncipe encantado, mas vendo os anos a passarem sem conseguir concretizar o seu sonho .
Acho que como mulher, identifiquei-me com uma das personagens, é isto que eu encontro na autora, ela foca a sua escrita nos problemas habituais das mulheres, de certeza que alguém vai identificar-se nas varias situações descritas nos seus livros.Sempre com varias personagens, e varias histórias de vida bem diferentes os livros de Cathy Kelly cativam-me.

[Terry Bourbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I needed something light after my last book and this did the trick ! I loved that the women in the story were at different ages and different stages of their lives, and that they each had issues in their lives that needed resolution. It was also nice that they didn't have the same issue, i.e. birds of a feather stick together.

I was picturing the book taking a lot more time in the trip that the ladies met on, but the book was much more heavily weighted in the aftermath of the trip and how their lives went on, but also included the new friendships. It was very well written, and I enjoyed the trip. I felt like I was in their circle, gossiping and advising and living life. Highly recommend.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The moral of the story is about friendship and understanding. One of the main themes is bonding and was an amazing book. the brings 3 separate women who have had different stories and backgrounds how they stick together and bond. I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others. :)

[Joanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another book told from the point of view of each individual character. Three women meet on vacation and establish a friendship. It's set in Ireland which I'm always into.

[Dory · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. Just a light, fun read about three friends and their very different lives.

[Joana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este livro é sobre a vida de 3 mulheres, sobre uma amizade que surgiu entre elas numa viagem ao Egito. Elas acabam por manter a amizade no seu dia-a-dia depois das férias e encontram apoio umas nas outras enquanto procuram a felicidade.
É um livro que começamos a ler e queremos sempre saber o que vai acontecer a seguir. Está escrito com emoção e de forma descontraída e divertida.
O único problema é mesmo em termos visuais, as letras são muito pequenas em relação ao padrão que costuma ser apresentado em livros.
Tirando esse facto, gostei da história em si e recomendo.

[Elsa Pazolidou · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Filipa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Umas férias no Egipto podem mudar muita coisa. Podemos até conhecer aquelas que se revelarão amigas para uma vida inteira. Foi o que aconteceu a Emma, Leonie e Hannah. Estas três mulheres dirigiram-se para o Egipto para desfrutar de uma semana de férias, de forma a poderem descansar das obrigações das suas vidas, mas sobretudo esta semana era suposto funcionar como uma espécie de bálsamo de recuperação para as suas almas feridas, cada uma delas à sua maneira. As três mulheres acabam por se conhecer nesta viagem e criam uma amizade. O que elas não sabiam é que esta amizade irá tornar-se bem mais importante e crucial do que aquilo que elas pensam ou acreditam e vão ajudar-se mutuamente com os seus problemas, até que possam concretizar os seus próprios desejos.

Emma é uma mulher com um casamento feliz e deseja muito ter um filho. À primeira vista, Emma não poderia ser mais feliz, a não ser que se olhe de perto para a família dela - o seu pai é um homem deveras controlador, sem qualquer senso comum e passa a vida a criticar tudo e todos. A sua mãe tem uma atitude passivo-agressiva perante a vida e acha-se sempre a vítima inocente em tudo. A sua irmã, tem uma vida perfeita e sempre foi a filha perfeita para os seus pais e apesar de Emma adorar a sua irmã, não suporta esta discrepância na opinião dos seus pais acerca das duas filhas que têm. No entanto, como ainda não criou família, irá sempre ser diminuída aos olhos dos seus progenitores, por qualquer razão ridícula que estes consigam encontrar e Emma deseja libertar-se da presença opressora de ambos.

Leonie é uma mulher que adora comida. Em qualquer circunstância, a comida é a sua melhor amiga e por isso mesmo, Leonie é considerada uma mulher escultural - bela e grande. Mas esse não é o seu maior problema. O seu grande problema é o facto de ser divorciada, ter três filhos e desejar encontrar , quase desesperadamente, o homem da sua vida. E quando recebe a notícia de que Ray, o seu ex-marido se vai casar novamente, Leonie começa a sentir-se mais deprimida que nunca e sem esperança de amar alguém completamente.

Hannah é uma mulher com uma carreira de sucesso, passa a vida no ginásio, mas que sabe no entanto aproveitar as coisas boas da vida. Não fosse a desilusão amorosa que teve com Harry, tudo seria perfeito para ela. O problema é que Hannah se tornou um pouco cínica e após 12 meses de celibato, começa a perceber que a sua vida não pode ser controlada pelo passado.
Assim, estas três mulheres vão aprender a controlar a sua própria vida, e juntas vão perceber o poder curativo que a amizade tem. E vão também conseguir alcançar a felicidade e realizar os seus desejos pessoais. Juntas.

Início desabafo - Primeiro que tudo, tenho de mostrar o meu desagrado por esta edição. Foi muito mal trabalhada, com letra muito pequena e em que as páginas praticamente não tinham margens. Isto é inadmissível, não só porque torna a leitura mais difícil e desagradável para a vista, mas também porque a página acaba por ficar muito cheia, sem sentido algum, nem motivação. Pareciam aquelas edições da Sábado que custam 1€. Este livro não é propriamente barato e por isso mesmo, a editora devia ter desenvolvido um trabalho mais cuidado. Isto não revela nada disso, aliás, devem querer que as pessoas leiam com uma lupa com certeza. Estes devaneios das editoras portuguesas deixam-me furibunda, completamente. - fim desabafo

Já tinha, anteriormente, ouvido falar sobre esta autora apesar de a mesma não me ter chamado à atenção na altura. No entanto, agora que ando a descobrir muitos novos autores, Cathy Kelly estava na fila de espera e pareceu-me ser uma boa aposta, apesar de as opiniões serem um pouco inconstantes de livro para livro. Decidi começar pelo primeiro livro que foi publicado por terras lusas e a autora acabou por não se sair nada mal, de facto.
É um relato interessante sobre a amizade de três mulheres que não estão felizes e nem se sentem realizadas com a vida que têm.
A escrita da autora é bastante fluída, o que torna a leitura do livro bastante agradável e fácil. No entanto, tenho de confessar que houve passagens no livro que me aborreceram e que tive que voltar atrás algumas vezes para conseguir perceber o sentido da frase, pois o meu raciocínio acabava por se perder um pouco.
Mas, apesar de tudo isso, durante grande parte do livro dei por mim a querer saber como é que estas três mulheres iam acabar e até acabei por largar algumas gargalhadas pelas situações onde elas se metiam.
As personagens foram bem exploradas e o enredo igualmente, tendo por trás todas as características do que significa a amizade e ser amigo do próximo.

O livro não me arrebatou completamente, mas gostei o suficiente para espreitar as restantes obras da autora que foram publicadas pela editora. Já andei a ver outras sinopses e todas me interessam, pelo que posso dizer que vou continuar de olho nesta autora, durante os próximos tempos.

Recomendaria esta obra a quem gosta de livros que se debrucem sobre a temática da amizade e quem também gosta de ler literatura feminina leve e agradável.

[What to read next ....... · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Cathy Kelly’ and after reading this 📖 book, l love her more.

Like many of her books, she writes about friendships’ and this book really focuses on that.
Taking the good with the bad, this book points out how weak people can be in the circle of love.
It’s a story’ to make you believe there is always a light qt the end of the tunnel, and with good friends we can achieve happiness.

Someone Like You, has three characters, to fall in love with, Emma, Hannah and Leonie.
Three very different girls from Dublin, meet on a holiday in Egypt 🇪🇬.
After their return, they meet regularly and really bond.
With each other’s triumphs and rage over life’s events.

Emma 31 and happily married, but obsessed with her failure to bet pregnant.

Hannah, a chic career woman in her mid 30s’ has a lot of sex drive and works out regularly, to keep her figure, but still recovering from being dumped after a 10 year relationship.

Leonie a divorced veterinary 👩‍⚕️ nurse and animal lover, is a devoted mother of three teenagers, who after six dateless years, finally resorts to a personal ad to find a 👨 man.

If you are after a uncomplicated, comfortable girly read, this is your book, you will not want to put it down.

I loved this book, an excellent 👌🏽 read.

[Ebehi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn't like this book. It dragged on and on. I intensely disliked Leonie because she kept jumping to conclusions about people without even knowing them. The Abby episode ruined it for me because Abby would interrupt the flow of the story with her thoughts even though it was unnecessary. It was already pretty obvious that she had an eating disorder. And it was just unrealistic how she left and came back all fab and self-confident. I wonder if she would have been so confident if she didn't come back slimmer. I wouldn't have minded Emma so much if she hadn't taken so long to do something about the baby thing. As for Hannah, I hated the way she ended up with David - not really because she liked him but because Felix was a douche and he wasn't. I could already see how much of this story would go, and some of the twists and turns were just unnecessary and added nothing to the story.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Não achei nada de especial. Aliás, quando ia a meio do livro estava tão farta que pensei mesmo em desistir, até fechei o livro e deixei-o de lado. Depois pensei "já que chegaste a meio, acaba!" e ganhei um novo fôlego. Li melhor essa segunda metade mas continua a não ser nada de especial.

Achei que as personagens femininas, principalmente a Leonie e a Hannah eram parolas demais. Além disso, as histórias delas foram muito repetitivas. Começa com as 2 sem namorado, depois as 2 conhecem quase simultaneamente 2 homens que eu, como leitora, identifiquei logo como os heróis delas mas elas não perceberam nada e foram envolver-se, mais uma vez, quase ao mesmo tempo, com outros 2 homens que, como leitora percebi logo que tinham algo muito errado. Para acabar, as 2 acabam quase simultaneamente com as relações delas com os homens errados... Desculpem lá, isto é coincidência a mais mal tratada num livro...

[Rafaila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Cathy Kelly's optimism and the fact that she chooses every-day woman as the main book characters with defects and insecurities, that could be any of us (as the tittle very correctly points out!).

If you are looking for just a girly romantic book, or a harlequin, this is not the right choice, this book is much more than this. I think it is more appropriate for female readers, as it seems to understand perfectly the women's psychical world and way of thinking, aiming to help them overcome their problems and give them strength and faith, throught the stories of the 3 main characters.

I would say it is the kind of book that when you finish reading you smile for the whole day!

If you have read another Cathy Kelly's book and you're looking for the next, I would recomment 'Never Too Late', which is my favourite.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic "chick lit" but well done. Not great literature, but I enjoyed it.

[Beverly Freese · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was slightly draggy and boring in places. However, many exciting things happened that were extremely unexpected. It is about three women who meet on a cruise in Egypt. Hannah is the control freak and she wants a new job in helping people to find their perfect home. Emma is always controlled by her parents even though she is already 30. Her mother gets alzheimers and she can't afford medical attention while her father refuses to pay for it. Leonie is a divorced mother of 3 and wants to get married so that her kids can be well looked after. She loves animals and works as a veteriniarian.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book - enjoyed all the characters and admired how they went about achieving their dreams. Well worth reading thank you for this lovely bookSomeone Like You - it is a true reflection of life. Kind regards, Heather Sporton

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three women meet on a cruise on the Nile and become firm friends. Leonie is a divorced mother of 3 teenage children and is looking for true love. Emma is a recently married young woman escaping her domineering father and longing to have a baby. Hannah is an independent single woman striving to make a career for herself after the man she live abandoned her. This novel is about their struggles to achieve what they wanted, it was a bit adolescent at times, but not a bad read.

[Sandra van Dam · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars...it was ok, that's all.
My first Cathy Kelly read. I have more of her books, so I will be reading more in future, but it wasn't that great. Just an easy read that I will forget very soon. Good enough to finish reading though.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very slow to get into - chapters of..... but once the entre hit I was hooked and enjoyed it until the end. I do agree that the ending was too fast, without question true for Hannah. But I found the book very satisfying.

[IrishFan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one, as I usually do with a Cathy Kelly book. I liked all 3 characters, and their stories moved along nicely and intertwined also. I figured out what would happen, although I was little worried along the way with a couple of the characters.

[Julie Tombs · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light easily readable book about three women who meet on a holiday and develop a lasting friendship. It deals with relationships, hopes, dreams and although the three characters can sometimes make bad choices I wanted things to come good for them.

[Lozza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this easy to read story. I think it touched on a number of relationship issues that many families and couples deal with on a regular basis, through a lovely story of friendship and support.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read! I looked forward to some quiet time where I’d pick up my phone or iPad and read some more, and get lost in the characters’ lives. Very enjoyable. I have tagged more of her books to get lost in!

[Marilisu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Μια ωραία ιστορία για τη φιλία, την αγάπη , τον ενθουσιασμό με επίκεντρο τρεις διαφορετικές προσωπικότητες . Ταυτίστηκα με μια προσωπικότητα τόσο έντονα, είδα τον εαυτό μου σε μια από αυτές και μ άρεσε πολύ.

[Gerdav · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do love a happy ending but, please, - take not bring - it really got to me by the end.....