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lbarsk's review against another edition
4.0
YET ANOTHER BOOK where the question is, do I put it on the "queer" shelf because a friend of the protagonist is a lesbian and has a lesbian romance? But it happens off-screen? (I'm not, because of the off-screen situation.)
Anyway - this was short and sweet! EXTREMELY Jewish, which I love but tbh also made me a little nervous for it being out in the world, as I'm constantly waiting for goyim to make fun or and/or criticize Judaism. The romance between the two leads developed in a really smart way, actually, and the conflict that the lead was feeling to control everything around her so that it would all be okay - VERY relatable for 16-year old Lena and, in fact, 29-year old Lena.
I liked, too, how the protagonist's relationships with her friends were as important as the romance!
Anyway - this was short and sweet! EXTREMELY Jewish, which I love but tbh also made me a little nervous for it being out in the world, as I'm constantly waiting for goyim to make fun or and/or criticize Judaism. The romance between the two leads developed in a really smart way, actually, and the conflict that the lead was feeling to control everything around her so that it would all be okay - VERY relatable for 16-year old Lena and, in fact, 29-year old Lena.
I liked, too, how the protagonist's relationships with her friends were as important as the romance!
kernamalia's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
ceritanya lucu sebenernya tapi kurang spesial gitu menurutku ceritanya. Yah B ajalah.
krishtisjournal's review against another edition
While the writing was fine, the premise wasn't relatable and I found the fmc to be far too immature
xosarahirene's review
3.0
What’s a book lover’s biggest dream? Working in a bookstore? Add this to a seasonal competition, the thrill of holiday season in retail, and a love story, and you’ve got this book. A bit of a downside is that Shosh seems to be a character who is selfish and preoccupied with her own wants over others at first, but the last third of the book takes a turn for the better. This is a speedy feel-good read, but Jake and his mother reign as some of the most likable characters. Thank you for the ARC, Edelweiss+.
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
"The scent of books and the quiet hum of morning customers browsing the shelves welcome me. My body lifts with contentment. I'm home."
Shoshanna Greenburg's second home is Once Upon, the independent bookstore she works at. Not only is it full of books--her favorite thing in the world!--but it's a lot more comfortable than her actual home right now, with her mothers fighting constantly. In the midst of the holiday rush, Shoshanna newest coworker seems to be too good to be true. Hot, and Jewish? How lucky could a girl get! Until he drops the bomb.
He doesn't read.
As you can imagine, his attractiveness goes down considerably. (No, it doesn't... Not at all... Curse you, Jake Kaplan!) However, Shoshanna is quickly distracted by a new competition within the store: whoever gets the most customers to buy books before the store closes on Christmas Eve gets a bonus, which is just what Shoshanna needs to save Barbara Streisand (her car, not the singer). But Jake wants that bonus just as much as she does.
Stakes are high, time is ticking, and Shoshanna and Jake are not in the game to play.
They're in to win.
"Recommended for You" is incredibly adorable, and I just adored Shoshanna. She's got a good heart, but doesn't always make the right decisions and has impulse control problems. And Jake. Oh my wonderful ball of angst with a heart of gold Jake... They are so sweet together, once they get over the 'enemies' stage in "enemies-to-friends-to-lovers". And then there's the wild cast of friends, coworkers, customers, family and more, who keep things interesting. This book is just so sweet and perfect and I want to wrap it up in a fuzzy blanket and feed it cookies and peppermint hot chocolate.
Also, I had so many flashbacks to my days of working at Books-A-Million. Because I was simultaneously Shoshanna--who loves books! Give me all the people who need books and book recommendations!--and Jake, except with coffee instead books. Yeah, I was "that" barista who hated coffee. A+ for the most realistic way to work at a bookstore without actually having to work at a bookstore. Especially during the holiday rush. Seriously, this is book is virtual reality bookstore employee without the virtual. (And so much reality...)
So support your local independent booksellers and this amazing author, and go pre-order "Recommended for You" today!
"The scent of books and the quiet hum of morning customers browsing the shelves welcome me. My body lifts with contentment. I'm home."
Shoshanna Greenburg's second home is Once Upon, the independent bookstore she works at. Not only is it full of books--her favorite thing in the world!--but it's a lot more comfortable than her actual home right now, with her mothers fighting constantly. In the midst of the holiday rush, Shoshanna newest coworker seems to be too good to be true. Hot, and Jewish? How lucky could a girl get! Until he drops the bomb.
He doesn't read.
As you can imagine, his attractiveness goes down considerably. (No, it doesn't... Not at all... Curse you, Jake Kaplan!) However, Shoshanna is quickly distracted by a new competition within the store: whoever gets the most customers to buy books before the store closes on Christmas Eve gets a bonus, which is just what Shoshanna needs to save Barbara Streisand (her car, not the singer). But Jake wants that bonus just as much as she does.
Stakes are high, time is ticking, and Shoshanna and Jake are not in the game to play.
They're in to win.
"Recommended for You" is incredibly adorable, and I just adored Shoshanna. She's got a good heart, but doesn't always make the right decisions and has impulse control problems. And Jake. Oh my wonderful ball of angst with a heart of gold Jake... They are so sweet together, once they get over the 'enemies' stage in "enemies-to-friends-to-lovers". And then there's the wild cast of friends, coworkers, customers, family and more, who keep things interesting. This book is just so sweet and perfect and I want to wrap it up in a fuzzy blanket and feed it cookies and peppermint hot chocolate.
Also, I had so many flashbacks to my days of working at Books-A-Million. Because I was simultaneously Shoshanna--who loves books! Give me all the people who need books and book recommendations!--and Jake, except with coffee instead books. Yeah, I was "that" barista who hated coffee. A+ for the most realistic way to work at a bookstore without actually having to work at a bookstore. Especially during the holiday rush. Seriously, this is book is virtual reality bookstore employee without the virtual. (And so much reality...)
So support your local independent booksellers and this amazing author, and go pre-order "Recommended for You" today!
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book, but it was just over-the-top and it kept pulling me out of the story. The main character is a pretty self-centered and naive as she tries to juggle multiple hardships in her life so I do understand her reactions. This depiction was probably one of the most accurate depictions of a teenager in YA. However, I think the book could have done better focusing on her family situation and contest at work while doing away with some of the other problems to make it more focused and better developed. I think there are a lot of positives to this book though. The holiday timeline sets perfectly against the bookstore setting to make it a cozy and cute read. There's also a great diverse cast covering financial classes, race/ethnicity/religition, physical disability, and the LGBT+ community. It's a great read for the lower age range of the YA audience as well.
kanzaa's review against another edition
4.0
4.75⭐️ the characters were amazing, the plot was amazing, the representation was amazing, and everything else in this book was amazing. Go read this book right now!!
jay_mack9712's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a really quick listen to! The thing I really enjoyed with this story is that I really did not like our main character to begin with. She was really annoying but through out the story she actually experience character growth and turned out to be quite likable in the end! The amount of diversity in this story is insane and I loved it for that! Also without looking at it, you wouldn't know it took place at the holidays. All in all, a really good story about found family, family, love and of course books !!