I also see similar WordPress themes appear on supposedly independent sites with individual authors. Similar down to the email sign-up popups.
I get that some WP themes are more popular than the bazillion available, but the consistency in look and feel between a Malaysian immigrant to New York cooking curries I know aren't that Malaysian and a stay at home mom in Ohio doing baking that may have been passed down by a great aunt that tweaked a King Arthur Flour recipe is often remarkable.
If you don't feel comfortable/confident getting into the code/markup to customize, you're probably going to pick something that looks "right" to you, which is then determined by what you see. Doesn't seem super remarkable to me?
I get that some WP themes are more popular than the bazillion available, but the consistency in look and feel between a Malaysian immigrant to New York cooking curries I know aren't that Malaysian and a stay at home mom in Ohio doing baking that may have been passed down by a great aunt that tweaked a King Arthur Flour recipe is often remarkable.