I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

This was another title that made me doubt what I read. (I'm an adult who reads YA. Leave me alone.) Sometimes, my brain gets stuck on a certain element of something and goes "that's completely ridiculous; that's not how things work" and it just completely ruins any possibility of me enjoying it. That's what happened here.

I've worked in a bookstore. I am a librarian. While the customer service interactions are pretty on-point, they give a lot of responsibility to some kids here. Also, I couldn't help but be reminded of that episode of the Andy Griffith Show (I'm not THAT old; it was in very late reruns) where Opie's having to compete for that bag boy job. (See how I said I get stuck on things?) And You've Got Mail is probably my least favorite Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movie.

So, all in all. Not completely terrible, but would probably fair much better for actual teenagers. Ones who work would probably especially find it relatable.

I loved this book and read it in a day. It felt like a great Hallmark holiday movie but actually good. I loved the main characters and had so much fun reading it.

Recommended for You is a sweet holiday story that doesn’t appear to be marketed that way. It follows spunky Shoshanna as she attempts to beat Jake, her fellow sales associate at Once Upon, an independent bookstore to win a cash prize for most books sold over the holidays. I really enjoyed this story. It’s quite endearing. It’s definitely on the lighter side of YA, no mature content, and incredibly heartwarming. I also thoroughly appreciated the natural diversity in the book.

Silverman told a cute and diverse story of two Jewish teens finding love and friendship. I enjoyed the read and, while I am not the demographic/target audience, I found it very accessible to the average reader. The diversity and representation of different backgrounds was abundant without being performative.

Shoshanna's character was mildly hard to enjoy which isn't the norm for your usual teen romance. Her and Jake's romance wasn't SUPER compatible but I find that that's very true to life and means that they have an open ended future. The stakes were fairly high for the characters issues which surprised me for such a lighthearted description going in.

Overall, it's something a lot of teens will enjoy and a refreshing and funny take on living as a Jewish teen and being part of that community.

Sweet and heartfelt. Recommended for You is a contemporary rom-com on the (neglected) lower end of the YA age range. Playful and fresh.

There's a lot going on in Shoshana's life. I'm not sure the book needed quite so many subplots, but they did provide wonderful depth and dimension to the character. Silverman seems careful to drive the book''s representation (particularly of the Jewish main characters and Shoshana's same-sex parents) away from stereotype and into complexity. I was particularly intrigued by the thoughtful portrayal of Shoshana's home life.

First, that cover! Second, bookstore! Third, CHRISTMASTIME!

This was so sweet! Shoshana was a breath of fresh air, especially right now. She doesn’t have a mean or nasty bone in her body and I loved how much she cared about her family and friends, even when it backfired. She’s a fixer—her parent’s relationship, her friend’s YouTube career, and her beloved bookstore—she acts before she fully thinks something through. She means well, but her exuberance gets the better of her.

Jake was a great counter to her high energy. I liked how we slowly got to know him better as he became more comfortable around Shoshana, though I do wish we had more time with the two of them to see it really blossom. This was definitely a younger YA book. I think it’s a great story for late middle school/early high school, introducing teens to the beginnings of a sweet romance, great friendships, and a non-conventional Jewish family.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I found out about Recommended for You a few months ago, and when I saw the description and the words “rom-com,” “teen booksellers,” and “Jewish,” I immediately was beyond excited for this book, and that excitement only intensified when I was invited to be a part of this blog tour and got to read the book early!! I rarely get the opportunity to read rom-coms about two Jewish characters, so the fact that this book even exists means the absolute world to me.

I’ve never worked at a bookstore myself but I’ve always thought it would be at least a little bit fun, so I loved living vicariously through Shoshanna and her job at Once Upon. Seeing her get a little too excited about her favorite books (relatable) and then have a moment of “what do you mean you don’t read?!” when she finds out that Jake doesn’t read for fun (also relatable) was such a perfect introduction to her character and her relationship with Jake. Enemies to lovers has been one of my favorite tropes since I read Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston earlier this year, so following Shoshanna as she hate-crushes on Jake while competing with him for the prize money was such a blast. Speaking of Jake, Jake is such a Nice Jewish Boy (or as my friends and I say, NJB), and he’s such a wonderful love interest. I won’t spoil anything, of course, but the baking scenes with him and Shoshanna were some of my favorites.

I think my favorite thing about this book is how casual all of the representation in this book is. There’s the obvious one, of course, and the one that’s the most relatable to me: the Jewish representation! Reading a book set in the wintertime with a main character that talks about her excitement for dreidels and latkes instead of Christmas lights and candy canes meant the world to me. And not only does she talk about Hanukkah, the phrase “oy vey” (along with other Yiddish words and phrases) shows up multiple times in her internal narration and in her dialogue, and she even refers to herself as a Nice Jewish Girl (which is an actual phrase my friends and I use)! A lot of Shoshanna’s character feels so true to my own life, which I don’t take for granted, nor do I take for granted the fact that there are multiple Jewish characters in this book. Authentic Jewish main characters (and characters in general) are rare in media overall and especially so in YA novels, and I hope that I’ll see more Jewish representation like this in the future. But I’m not just talking about the Jewish representation. Multiple significant supporting characters in this book are members of the LGBT+ community, including Shoshanna’s parents, and their identities are treated with respect and are just a small part of these characters’ personalities. Myra, the owner of the bookstore where Shoshanna works, uses a power wheelchair, and her character’s role in the story has nothing to do with that particular part of her life. Daniel, Shoshanna’s “work husband” as she calls him, is Black, and just happens to be Black; it’s an important aspect of his character, but not the only one. All of the representation in the book is written this way, and it’s so lovely to see.

Honestly, my only objection while reading this book involved Shoshanna’s motivation behind a pivotal decision she makes involving one of her friends. I’m not going to go into detail in order to avoid spoilers, but I felt that her thought process behind it was a bit of a stretch.

Overall, though, Recommended for You feels like a heartwarming Hallmark Christmas movie in book form, or at least what I imagine Hallmark Christmas movies are like — I’ve never actually seen one! If they are anything like this book, though, I definitely should marathon them all this holiday season. In all seriousness, Recommended for You had me smiling like an idiot the entire time I was reading, just like all of my favorite rom-com books and movies do. I absolutely loved reading this book, and I highly recommend you all check out it now that it’s finally published : )

I got an e-ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks, NetGalley!

Shoshanna, a Jewish teen, loves working at her favorite local bookstore. But lately, things aren’t going great at home. Her moms are constantly fighting, and her beloved car is on the brink of death. When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, she sees it as money she can get to fix her car. But there’s only one person standing in her way: new hire Jake, who doesn’t even read leisurely. But why can’t she stop thinking about how cute he is when she’s trying to ‘take him down’?

This is the first book of the author’s I’ve read. What drew me to this book was that it was about a teen working in a bookstore (which next to being a professional book reviewer is my dream job) and that it took place during the holidays. Now, I’m not Jewish, but I also wanted to learn a little bit about Hanukkah. I feel like the first part that drew me in was that it took place in a bookstore mostly, but I stayed for the holiday stuff and the characters and plot.

Shoshanna was very creative in trying to get one up on Jake in the race to see who could get the bonus, and I loved that he combatted her almost every time. I also enjoyed the times where they had to work together, and she was trying not to like him but seemed to not be able to help herself. Very entertaining.

I can’t point out something particular about the book I didn’t like. It just seemed to work. I even liked Myra (the wheelchair-bound boss), the moms, Jake’s mom, just…it all seemed to work (I said that already, didn’t I?)

I would recommend this book if you like holiday romances that aren’t heavy on the holiday stuff, trying-not-to-fall-in-love-with-each-other romances, or even if you’re in the mood for a different kind of holiday romance. Heck, if you love reading YA bookstore stories, you should read this. 5 out of 5 stars.

Shoshanna Greenberg has always loved her part-time job at the local indie bookstore, Once Upon, and recently it’s become even more of a safe haven for her–a break away from the fighting between her moms that’s been getting harder and harder to ignore. When Shoshanna’s boss announces a bonus for the employee who sells the most books during the holiday season, it’s a welcome distraction and a possible solution to some of Shoshanna’s woes (atleast to the financial ones!). But new hire Jake Kaplan also has his heart set on the bonus. As holiday season and the competition between Shoshanna and Jake gets more intense, the two start to get closer–and realize there might be more at stake than a holiday bonus.

Let me come right out and say it: I absolutely, whole-heartedly adored this YA contemporary rom-com, and I can promise you’ll see it on my ‘best of’ lists come the end of 2020. Recommended For You has everything I love: own-voices Jewish rep, romance, rivals turned lovers, a diverse cast, a wintery holiday background, and a bookish setting.

As a librarian, I’m a sucker for any book with a bookish setting. Shoshanna’s love for books was utterly palpable and Once Upon truly came to life: the shelves, the holiday spirit, all of the booksellers and regular customers. Recommended For You truly captures the community and family dynamics of indie bookstores. I especially love that this novel touches on all the different types of readers: romance readers, fantasy readers, graphic novel readers, audiobook readers, and so many more. All forms of reading are treated as valid throughout the book, which I love to see! So many readers (myself included) will see themselves in this book and wish that Once Upon was a real bookstore just so that they could visit and never ever leave.

This delightful read has a ton of great content woven into it, but it definitely at its core is a romance. Our two main characters, Shoshanna and Jake, are both Jewish, and I love that Laura Silverman highlights how this shared experience informs the connection between them. Shoshanna is a fun, quirky, genuine character who is constantly bursting with enthusiasm over her love of books. Her love interest, Jake, is sarcastic and isn’t quite as book-obsessed. Jake’s mostly just at Once Upon because he needs a job, and he and Shoshanna get off on the wrong foot when she accidentally shames him for not being a bookworm. I loved seeing Shoshanna and Jake go from being newly introduced coworkers to total enemies to mutual crushes! Fans of enemies to lovers, workplace romances, and competition/rivalry-based romances will adore this one.

Shoshanna and Jake were a joy to read about, but there were also so many other characters I fell in love with, from Once Upon’s owner to Shoshanna’s aspiring beauty-guru BFF. Like Laura Silverman’s previous novels, Recommended For You has a diverse cast. In addition to Shoshanna and Jake being Jewish, there are a number of nuanced characters of all different identities. Shoshanna’s mothers, as well as a couple other characters, are queer. Several of Shoshanna’s close friends and/or coworkers are BIPOC, and there are multiple disabled characters. I’m a queer Jewish, biracial Asian-American reader, and while I cannot speak to the authenticity of the other forms of rep, I’ll definitely say that I felt affirmed and seen by this delightful book. I especially loved that this book also has diverse family structures, including queer families and single-parent families; I also think it’s really valuable that this novel touches on parents who are experiencing relationship problems and trying to make their families work.

The pacing of Recommended For You is spot-on, and as the story progresses through the holiday season, I couldn’t wait to find out who would win the competition and get the holiday bonus. The wintery, holiday setting felt so whimsical and made me want to curl up with hot chocolate and a blanket. This is absolutely the perfect winter read, and would make an excellent Hanukkah gift! The romance between Shoshanna and Jake is lighthearted, sweet, and fluffy–this book could definitely be enjoyed by younger and older teens alike.

If you haven’t already figured out how much I adored this book, let me be clear and say it’s one of my favorite books I’ve read all year, and I know it’ll find a special place in teen readers’ hearts. Will I be recommending this book to literally everyone I know? Yep. Will I be buying a copy for my library’s collection? Without a doubt. Will I be hyping it up at my library and online? Uh, yeah. Will I be listing it as one of my favorite reads of 2020 come the end of the year? Heck yes. I’ll be recommending it to readers who liked Marisa Kanter’s What I Like About You as well as fans of Rachel Lynn Solomon, Kristina Forest, or Jennifer Dugan. Recommended For You is a love letter to all of us book nerds–the kind of love letter that we’ll keep hold onto forever, and never forget.

DNF at 26%. I like the premise of the book and was very into the idea of You’ve Got Mail in a YA story. However the execution didn’t work for me.

Shoshanna is supposed to be lovably quirky but I am finding her to be really unlikable - very quick to judge the customers and her coworkers at the bookstore. It’s also clear this isn’t anything new and her boss has been trying to rein her in since she started.

When she meets Jake the new employee the first thing she does is announce to the whole store over the loudspeaker that he doesn’t read. I get that it’s going for a hate to love thing but I’m not interested.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy.

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As a school librarian, a YA book about a book store seemed right up my book loving heart. While I did enjoy the book promotions and effort Shoshanna put forth during book recommendations and using creativity to save the book store, I just couldn't get behind her as a character. She was written to seem selfless, but I really thought that she was selffish. All her actions were really meant to benefit her. It was a cute novel, but not one I plan on purchasing for my library.

BOOK REPORT for Recommended for You by Laura Silverman

Cover Story: Cartoon Cutesy
BFF Charm: Nay
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: Woke Bingo
Bonus Factor: Indie Bookstore
Relationship Status: Back on the Shelf

Cover Story: Cartoon Cutesy

While I prefer my illustrated covers with a little less twee, this artwork is actually a great match for the sugary sweet contents of the book, and the two main characters appear exactly as I pictured them... minus the fact that they kiiiinda look like siblings? Which is definitely NOT the case, otherwise this would be a very different kind of story.

The Deal

Shoshanna Greenberg has the best high school job in the world--she works at an indie bookstore, which is (weirdly?) located in a mall where her two besties also work, score! With Christmas rapidly approaching, the store is crawling with customers, and Shosh is determined to win the staff competition to sell the most merch and score a cash bonus so she can repair her ailing old car, Barbra. Then new employee Jake Kaplan, who is both super haughty and a super hottie, waltzes in with some serious salesman skills, and as her victory becomes less certain, it suddenly seems like nothing in Shoshanna's life is a sure thing. The fights between her moms get worse, her friendships become a mess, and the only thing she can cling to is the certainty that if she beats Jake, she can make everything okay again.

The only problem, beyond that insane leap of logic? She's totally crushing on her archnemesis.

BFF Charm: Nay

I tried to give Shoshanna a chance, I really did. So what, I told myself, if she says "darn" and "heck" instead of actual profanity. Maybe she's just a polite kid! And what's wrong with ending most of your sentences with exclamation points? She's just really energetic! Also, teenagers are a lot, so maybe it's authentic for her to be a LOT a lot. It wasn't until her own mother told her, "You're too old to act like this, Shoshanna. You need to grow up," that I threw in the towel on our friendship. While she's well-meaning, Shosh is incredibly naive, which all too frequently results in impulsive behavior that is both misguided and immature. I lost track of how many face palms interrupted my reading, and it was frankly beyond me why so many characters not only put up with her antics but found them endearing. Sorry, girl, but even our shared love of literature wasn't enough to kindle even a spark of connection.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

The minute she first lays eyes on Jake, Shoshanna describes him as "are-you-a-lead-in-a-Netflix-teen-movie freaking hot," and it's an apt intro for a love interest who is far too dreamy to be realistic. He's sweet to his single mom! He's sexy smart! He stays up late at night baking (his true passion) so he always smells like croissants and cinnamon!

The enemistry between these two rivals feels tepid at best, since there's a very weak establishment of why they hate each other (the competition starts on Jake's first day) and even less context for why, exactly, Jake is attracted to Shoshanna.

Given all of that, you might be wondering about that 4 rating. What can I say, I'm a sucker for baked goods.

Talky Talk: Woke Bingo

In general, Laura Silverman's lively, straightforward writing style goes down easy--until it gets slogged down by an overzealous attempt to check every box of inclusivity. Shoshanna has two moms; her boss, Myra, uses a wheelchair; her "work husband" is Black; one of her best friends is gay and is described as having "dark brown" skin; and both Shosh and Jake's famillies are Jewish. There's so much diversity packed in that none of it really has room to impact or color the story, with the exception of Shosh's Jewish cultural perspective, but even then, there were "teachable moments" shoehorned in, like when Shosh offhandedly thinks, "That anti-Semite Roald Dahl set me up to believe we could all have magical powers like Matilda."

To be clear, I am all for representation in books, but I want those voices to be fully realized characters and themes rather than gestures, however well-intended, that simply scratch the surface.

Bonus Factor: Indie Bookstore

In spite of the fact that I have trouble picturing a mall bookstore that doesn't look like B. Dalton or Waldenbooks, Once Upon made for a delightful setting. I wanted to breath in the scent of books along with Shosh and serve up excited recommendations to customers, just like Kathleen Kelly.

Relationship Status: Back on the Shelf

Book, when I read "You’ve Got Mail-meets-To All The Boys" on your profile, I couldn't wait to crack your spine, if you know what I mean. But you weren't the read I thought you would be, and by the end of our date, there were 152 reasons why it just wasn't gonna work between us. No offense, it's just that--WHERE ARE MY TIC TACS, UGH?

Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, surrounded by books and readers. It's her safe space, where she can be understood, be herself. When the holiday rush starts to begin a new employee is hired that may test her definition of a reader and how she perceives her world. Recommended for you has the essence of You've Got Mail with a twist of competition. Silverman encapsulates the Christmas spirit and how it feels to be a fumbling teenager. Even though the plot takes place during the Christmas holiday, it was a breath of fresh air to see the Jewish faith and Hannaka weaved seamlessly in. This added to the richness of both the plot and characters. Where it fell apart was Shoshanna Greenberg. For the majority of the book she is quite irritating and grates on the readers nerves. The "Im better than you because Im a reader" troph is over sued and frankly should be exiled to hell due to its over use. She could not see past herself or her own problems, even though she does learn from her mistakes and tries to make up for it much later in the book. Her mothers were also lack luster and had no backstory the reader could attach to. What was needed was more character development and more emphasis on the competition between Jake. While the plot is fast paced, it seemed to be over packed with different side plots characters, that took away from the main characters development.

I received a free ebook copy thanks to Netgalley.

The plot and the cover grabbed my attention. But the flat story line and lack of character development kept me from finishing it sooner. All in all, it was an easy read.

This book was such an easy read. It was so easy to get sweeped away with the story. Shoshannah was such a fun character to read. She made the book so very entertaining. I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I do love a book about bookstores! This was a sweet and feel good story and will be a perfect read around the holidays.

This was a very enjoyable book. It follows two high school students who work at a book story. They start out as as rivals, and we follow their stories, and those of a great cast of supporting characters, over the course of a week. Recommended.

Shoshanna works at Once Upon, a bookstore that is her safe place. She loves working there and the family that she has there. Then in walks Jake. And when she needs her safe place to be really safe - because her Moms are fighting, her friends are mad at her and her car is broken down - Jake proceeds to make her safe place not so safe for her. Myra announces a contest at Once Upon and to make matters worse when she should walk away with the prize Jake is really making her work for it.....the nerve! This fun romp through day to day life in a bookstore makes me once again want to work in or own one!!!

This was my first Laura Silverman book, and I'm definitely going to go back and read her others. It's fluffy and cathartic and kind to the core—something that may pin it as a "younger" YA book, but also something I think we all desperately need right now.

Shoshanna is majorly relatable: wanting everyone to be happy and trying to fix everything to make it so. Her anxiety is well-written and believable. The writing is voicey, sweet, and charming, and shout out to the casual queerness on multiple levels! It's always appreciated.

Shoshanna and Jake are excellent instant rivals, and while their shenanigans delve into some immaturity and secondhand embarrassment territory, it's narratively justifiable. These things, along with some of the other stressors in our MC Shoshanna's life that cause a great deal of worry and anxiety and hurt, are ultimately all worth it to reach the softness and forgiveness and hope and love that soothes these wounds. To be honest, there's a crying scene that's so cathartic I cried, too.

Also, I don't know if an epilogue has ever been so important to me.

I’m fairly certain if you meshed together You’ve Got Mail & To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, you’d get this book.

“Shoshanna Greenberg loves working at Once Upon, her favorite local bookstore. And with her moms fighting at home and her beloved car teetering on the brink of death, the store has become a welcome escape.

When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan.”

I’m just now realizing I read this in a single day. I didn’t even start this in the morning! I started it at 3:00 PM, totally expecting not to finish it. And yet, here I am: it’s 11:46 PM and I’m writing a review. Technically, I finished at 11:00, but - the point is - I’m a speed-reading demon, and no one may dare challenge me.

(Just kidding. Don’t come for my neck.)

This was so cute. I feel like I say that for every contemporary I read, but it’s true: just down-right adorable. The writing was so easy to digest; it swept me along into the narrative from the very first page, coaxing me into this cozy world with its fast pacing, and quick witticisms.

Being an indie bookseller myself, I loved that particular aspect of the story: seeing Shoshanna deal with rude customers (cut to me having traumatic flashbacks), the friendships (or competition) between co-workers, the struggle of simply being a bookstore in a market saturated by online retailers, etc.,

While I did love the fast pacing, I did feel like certain things could have been fleshed out more: the dislike-to-love between Jake and Shoshanna, and more things that I won’t get into, because of spoilers. But that may be because I’m such a greedy reader...Lol. I wanted MORE between Jake and Shoshanna!

Also: Shoshanna. This girl is hilarious. I might’ve finally found a character just as openly neurotic, dorky, and wonderfully weird as I am (I mean, the level that her galaxy-brain achieves is close to the regality that is Anna Oliphant: Queen of Dorks). She had the best lines in the book - no question. She was so sensitive, sweet, and pure. And her internal dialogue was wildly entertaining. I loved her.

Overall, this was so cute, and I loved the Jewish Rep! Definitely a great cozy, Christmas-time read. If you're a fan of lower YA, this is an adorable book.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Simon Teen for gifting me with this ARC!