My first holiday book of the season! I’m picky about YA novels, but I really enjoyed this. Great diversity rep with white and Jewish MCs, queer moms, Black friends, and a disabled coworker. Shoshanna is a LOT, she’s high-energy, dramatic, sensitive and sometimes self-centered. Basically, my kind of teen.

The bookstore setting felt festive, and worked as a setup for lots of entertaining scenes with customers, although some of these subplots never got resolved. The book has a frenetic pace that matches Shoshanna’s energy and kept me reading.

Enemies romances aren’t my fave, and Jake and Shoshanna spend a lot of time hating each other. They have great tension and chemistry, it just isn’t my favorite dynamic. I actually enjoyed the subplots with her friends and family more.

I would like latkes now.

Recommended for You takes place over the course of just one week. Shoshanna Greenberg is a peppy, sixteen-year-old Jewish girl who works at her dream job: Once Upon, a local bookstore. When Myra, her boss, announces a storewide competition with the grand prize of $250 to boost employee morale during the holidays, Shoshanna thinks she’ll be the obvious winner. That is, until the new bookstore employee, Jake Kaplan—a hardworking sixteen-year-old Jewish boy—proves that he’s quite the competition.

More than just an enemies-to-lovers bookstore romantic comedy, Recommended for You touches on a myriad of issues. Shoshanna is portrayed as a very relatable, realistic teenager who struggles with recognizing boundaries and thinking through her behavior before acting. Though the book is thoroughly adorable and quick-paced, it also shows Shoshanna’s two moms having trouble in their marriage and the consequential effects that has on their daughter’s life. Besides Shoshanna, the novel also features a diverse cast of characters in which Silverman wrote with obvious care. Recommended for You is a fun and lighthearted rom-com full of book puns, bookseller antics, and a surprising depth. I would definitely “recommend it for you.”

(Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This was a quick, fun read. Definitely the perfect book to read during the holidays, curled up with a tea or hot chocolate.

As an avid reader I definitely related to Shosh and her obsession with books and the local indie bookstore where she works. I also appreciated her character's journey- she learns that it's ok to be passionate and sensitive, it just means that she cares deeply. But she also realizes she needs to work on being impulsive and wanting to fix everything around her, whether its her moms' marriage, her friends' lives, or the bookstore. She feels like a real teen.

There's also great representation in the book: the MC and love interest are Jewish, w/w relationships, disability rep, as well as racial/ethnic and socioeconomic diversity.

3.75 - Recommended for You is an adorable, holiday bookish rom-com that will be sure to put a smile on readers' faces. Shoshanna works at Once Upon, an independent bookstore. When her boss creates a holiday selling competition, Shoshanna and new hire Jake go head to head for the holiday bonus. A wonderfully diverse cast of characters (multiple religions, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and disability rep) reflects real life and rounds out this delightful story. The short length and clean romance makes this a perfect suggestion for tweens and younger teens, but the lively characters and charming bookstore atmosphere will still have appeal for older readers looking for a festive escape.

I have loved both of Laura Silverman's previous books. I was so excited for this one, and it felt flat for me. I know I was supposed to find Shoshanna adorable and quirky and likable, but instead her personality was just grating to me. I'm a high school teacher with several students who work in bookstores, and there were so many scenes, details, etc. that didn't ring true to their various bookstore-employee experiences at all. I didn't buy the enemies-to-lovers change, and it just... didn't work for me. I appreciate the Jewish representation, and Laura Silverman will still be one of my auto-buy authors every time she publishes something, but this one just didn't work for me at all.

I die for an inclusively written and diverse YA book because of the extreme lack of diversity in books when I was the target audience for YA. Laura Silverman has written a delightful and fun read reminiscent of You've got mail minus the pen pal turned catfishing. I think a YA audience with love the characters as much as I did and who doesn't love a rivals turned perfect partnership?

This book was just plain fun to read. I love the characters, I love the diversity (which doesn’t feel like pandering or selective) and I really enjoyed the plot. I think this is a well-constructed book that discusses some prevalent issues that teens might experience, in addition to having a cute, light romance that is born from a subtly used “enemies to something more” trope. I think that Silverman’s writing is pretty good, there’s a lot of humor there and it mostly feels realistic and true.

Would I Recommend This Book? Yes, definitely! I think that it covers some topical stuff that teens would relate to and I think the romance is sweet and the characters endearing. I would definitely promote it to those looking for a more humorous love story than a dramatic, serious one. This book is more light than dark, even though it discusses some pretty serious topics. I also would recommend it to anyone looking for a contemporary story, especially if they love books, because this story celebrates books for real! Check it out sometime!

RECOMMENDED FOR YOU is a cute YA romantic comedy set in a bookstore. Shoshanna loves working at Once Upon, an independent bookstore at the mall. When the new guy, Jake, starts, Shoshanna is shocked to learn that he doesn't read many books and they get off to a terrible start as a result. When the bookstore owner starts a contest for who sells to the most customers with a cash bonus at the holidays, Shoshanna is determined to win. She needs the money to fix Barbra, her car.

At the same time, Shoshanna is dealing with a difficult home environment as her mothers are fighting more and more frequently. Shoshanna is desperate to save their marriage and the family life that had always been so great. She is also dealing with some drama with her BFFs over a bad decision she made.

What I loved: I love Shoshanna's growth during the story, as she begins to think twice before making what could be a bad decision. She learns a lot throughout, and I loved watching it happen. The inclusion of marital strife in parents was also a great inclusion that adds some depth to the story and is a situation that some teens may really connect with. And, of course, the bookstore setting will delight booklovers everywhere. The holiday setting and Jewish main characters also added a nice touch to the story.

The romance is a bit background, but I love a good enemies-to-relationship story, and this one did deliver amongst the other, heavier themes. I liked both Shoshanna and Jake and was happy with the way their friendship developed.

Final verdict: A cute YA rom-com with a holiday setting, RECOMMENDED FOR YOU will delight booklovers with its charm and bookish fun. Recommend for fans of THE BOOKWORM CRUSH and TWEET CUTE.

Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This is a YA book that has a little bit of everything in it. Different ethnicities, a couple of gay couples, and the romance coming out of hate. But it all happens in a book store at Christmas time. The retail/mall element was interesting to me, but with a little bit of homelife involved. Shoshanna is a different kind of character, not totally likeable, but yet I ended up loving her. This book is entirely predictable, but sometimes, especially now, it is nice to have happy endings all the way around.

3.5 stars. Super cute- teen bookworms are going to love this! My main gripe was that there was a LOT going on, to the point where it felt like each storyline didn't get the depth it deserved. And it all happened in the space of a week, which made it feel even more unbelievable. But I loved the holiday cheer, the bookstore setting, the large diverse cast (Black, Mexican, disabled, and queer rep off the top of my head), and the Jewish main character AND love interest! Shoshannah was impulsive and naive but had such a good heart and felt like a real teen. It was a sweet book that I would die to see as a Netflix movie tbh!

Let me start by saying that I’ve read a lot of Own Voices books, but I finally found an Own Voices book that spoke to my own experiences! It’s like a light bulb went off — this is what it feels like to see my own life experience reflected in a book, especially after reading so many inaccurate portrayals of Jewish characters, or books revolving around Jewish trauma. This book is a celebration of life, but also life as a Jewish person.

There are so many things to love about this book that I don’t know where to start. I knew from very early on that I was going to thoroughly enjoy this book, starting with how incredibly funny it was. There were so many parts that had me laughing out loud. I’m not talking about little giggles or chuckles, but actually hardcore laughter.

Also, the book takes place in a bookstore! Shoshanna loves books to an almost obsessive degree (like some other people I know *points to myself*), works in a bookstore, and she’s just all around awesome. She loves to talk, she rambles, and while she means well, sometimes she acts or talks before thinking of the consequences. She’s a really well-rounded character, and I love that she doesn’t start off with Jake on the right foot.

The romance is sweet, and takes time to develop. It makes use of one of my favorite tropes — the enemies to lovers (or daters), and it’s done really, really well in this story. Shoshanna is a jerk to Jake when she first meets him, and he’s a jerk right back. But they work together, so they’re kind of forced to cooperate. And since they’re both competing for the holiday bonus, they wind up having to play nice.

As for the representation, there is a lot. There are gay characters (namely Shoshanna’s two moms, but also her friend), there are diverse ethnicities amongst her friends and coworkers, there is a disabled character (who is portrayed really, really well), and the Jewish representation is one of the best that I’ve seen in fiction. Shoshanna is a common Jewish name amongst more religious Jews, and there are Yiddish words sprinkled throughout the story. It’s set during the holidays, and it showcases the different holiday traditions that Jewish people have, which can vary from family to family. For example, Shoshanna has “Latkepalooza” on the last day of Chanukah, and I loved the idea. While Shoshanna and Jake aren’t overly religious, they are aware of their heritage and honor it. I especially loved the fact that Shoshanna specifically avoided using the word “god.” She uses the word “Hashem,” which is a Hebrew word that means “the name,” and I’ve generally seen religious Jews use it to avoid taking God’s name in vain. But I loved seeing it in a book.

If this review sounds like I’m raving over this book, that’s because I am. I loved that it is sweet, funny, romantic, and entertaining. Books like this are definitely swaying me towards being a fan of rom-coms, and I urge anyone who likes books, romance, or comedy to check this one out. It’s totally worth it!

This is like 3.5 stars for me, and I'm rounding up. This is a YA romcom with an enemy-to-lovers vibe and also very much an Empire Records but at a bookstore vibe.

I loved that the main character is Jewish, and it figures into her life in mostly fun ways. One thing I miss about living in New York is the infusion of Yiddish in a lot of people's daily speech, and it's just really nice to read something with Yiddish thrown in. I can imagine a Jewish teen reader, especially one like Shoshanna who may be living in a place without a lot of other Jews.

The romance had very sweet moments, though the enemy to friends transition was a little unmotivated for me (not my favorite trope anyway). I do love a fictional IP within a fiction book. This book has that, a fantasy book and movie series about a town stuck in time. I enjoy that feeling of reading about what other people love about a thing that doesn't even exist.

One of the downsides is related to this upside. When you've created a compelling fantasy world within the world of the book, why rely SO MUCH on Harry Potter fandom in the book? It's getting staler and staler as time goes on, and JK Rowling becomes more and more publicly awful of a person. I read an ARC and I can only hope the author thought better of this choice and edited all the HP stuff out.

I really like a YA book where the main character really screws up in a realistic way. Shoshanna certainly does that. I know some people will find her character annoying, and when I first read this I was like, she's A LOT, but she also has a lot to figure out about boundaries and thinking before she acts, which is perfectly realistic. What I didn't like was that one of her big screwups magically solved itself. I found myself thinking, hmmm, how would I try to fix this situation, and I wish I could have read about Shoshanna processing that.

My other thought, really more a question than a critique per se because I don't know the answer, but are the cultural touchstones in this book really things contemporary teens like? Do they watch The Good Place and Brooklyn 99? Granted the teens I know are a particular bunch, but I only ever hear them talk about cartoons, anime, and weird internet stuff. I think this is why I often prefer fictional IP in my YA books, because the real things often seem like they come too much from the author's own adult preferences.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.***

This was a very sweet, quick read, starring a Jewish protagonist and set in the lead-up to Christmas in a small-town mall independent bookstore (I don't think those are a thing, but I wish those were a thing!). I really liked the second half of the book, though the first half moved rather slowly and was a bit difficult for me to get into. I did find Shoshanna, the main character, to be quite annoying in the first half, with her propensity to vocalize the majority of her thoughts and act before thinking. Either I got used to her or she mellowed in the second half, though, and the novel was better--at least for me--because of it. But do take my review with a grain of salt--extroverted, bubbly main characters (even when they have family and economic troubles) aren't usually my favorite. All in all, this was a fun read, and I thought the ending was darling.

Any book that can make me cry, giggle, and swoon MULTIPLE times is an instant 5 stars to me. I absolutely adored this book.

As a Jew, I absolutely related in almost every aspect to this book, but what I noticed most was I related to Shoshanna’s personal struggles with family, friends, and feelings of home more than anything else. I loved that this book dealt with real and personal issues that were fixable and not life-altering as many YA books can be. Everything felt exactly like issues I would have faced (and probably did) as a Teen.

What surprised me the most about this book was the “lack” of romance! I went into this thinking the entire story would be enemies to lovers (the best trope) and I was genuinely surprised to find more substance to the characters than just their feelings for each other. I loved that we got to enjoy their feelings grow for each other, but I also loved that there was more to the story than just their connection.

Recommended for You just came out this Tuesday! And it’s a very fluffy, perfect for lower-YA lovers story. Full of fluff, silly rivalry fun, and a dose of family dynamics, Recommended for You just brings a light and cozy story to the YA genre.

It’s not meant for everyone, but I would wholeheartedly recommend this to middle schoolers and anyone else who loves lower-YA! It might seem silly and shallow at times, but Shoshanna is just a big adorable character you can’t help loving. She’s the embodiment of puppy dog eyes and the pleading emojis. Yes, she makes mistakes, but she’s also just adorable and well meaning and will do her best to remedy her mistakes.

And Jake may be a grumpy non-reader, but even he has his hidden depths. Overall, Recommended for You is sweet and fluffy and perfect for all year round, not just Hanukkah.

A cute, fairly light and funny YA rom-com with Jewish main characters in a story set in an indie bookstore in a mall in Georgia during the holiday season. It has exceptional diversity rep (race, religion, sexuality, socioeconomic, disability, fashion, lifestyle), a fun enemies-to-lovers trope, and a save-indie-bookstores theme. So, that's an awful lot to like!

Shoshanna Greenberg is concerned about the increasing tension between her moms, the need to repair her broken car, and the struggles of her best friends. Seems like a little more cash flow would help everything, so she throws herself — with even more enthusiasm than normal and that's, like, a lot of enthusiasm — into selling books at her beloved Once Upon bookstore so she can win the holiday bonus. And show Jake Kaplan, that smug flannel-wearing, super hot, I mean annoying, new guy, that she is the once and always queen of books.

The story feels a bit frantic (it's supposed to have taken place in a week), and some of the characters feel more like props than people. BUT it is from a teen pov and it does take place during the most intense retail week of the year, AND enthusiastic teen booksellers who have family and friends and finances on their minds are certainly allowed to be a bit frantic. And young women are allowed to be loud and take up space and act impulsively and make mistakes. So I think the pacing can get a pass and I'll take a pass on critiques of the main character being too impulsive — she's a passionate 16-year-old who takes action to make things better and is feeling out the boundaries of how to do that responsibly and well. I thought her development arc was really nice. If it's somewhat conveniently compressed and wrapped up with a bow at the end, well, it is Christmas after all.

Content notes: parents arguing and the specter of divorce looming, strained finances for several characters, absentee parent

Gosh I wish I had enjoyed this more! It has plenty to appeal - bookish love, tropey romance, Jewish rep - and I certainly appreciated the manner of tackling familial shifts and tensions, as well as money/class issues. There was also a certain bittersweet realism to the ending which I thought grounded an often fluffy book in a nice way. I also thought the portrayal of the relationship between Jake and his mother was especially sweet. But the pacing, while certainly conducive to the feeling of the holiday rush and to a character who constantly tries to solve everything, dampened my enjoyment; reading through so much happening so quickly sometimes gave me an anxious feeling just as the reader. I also didn't quite click with the romance: I think that it might have started too antagonistic/mean and the aforementioned fast pacing didn't quite allow enough time to really build back up from that in a way which felt truly satisfying. The same felt true with Shoshanna's fight with her friends: a large issue came up quickly, and then didn't build to a resolution so much as it snapped into one. And the Jewish rep was a little bit of a letdown: the references often a bit clunky and forced e,g, the scene with decorating the Christmas tree, the constant mentions of Shoshanna's necklace, the conversation with Jake's mother about "knowing Yiddish." Still, certainly hand to readers looking for a YA contemporary which balances sweetness and significant issues, especially in the wintertime for added atmosphere.

I enjoyed the premise of the story. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much depth to invest in. The main characters parents were having issues and we did not know what was going on even 35%into the story. Also, the main character was crushing on the new employee and every time she would have an encounter with him, it was the same description, a flutter or electric zing. Their relationship hadn’t started to build at 35% into the book. I was not compelled to continue reading. This story fell flat.

Recommended For You is easily in my top 5 reads of 2020, and probably of all time. This novel is a booklover's dream and it will fill you up with happiness that only a perfect book can. I loved that this is set in a bookstore and is about a rivalry between teen booksellers. It's also set during the holiday season in Georgia and it was just so cozy and happy. This is an own voices book for Jewish characters and I loved how Laura Silverman has given so many Jewish teens their own cozy holiday romance. One of the main characters is also dealing with her parents fighting and she's starting to wonder what the future holds. The author did such a good job of writing about that unpredictable, out of control feeling when something in your life starts to change. Teen readers will read this in one sitting and then start it all over again! Perfect holiday gift!

This is a very sweet, fairly young-feeling contemporary YA novel with a dash of romance. Shoshannah Greenberg is a spunky Jewish teenager living in an exurb of Atlanta with her two moms and living her best life working at her dream job - Once Upon, the indie bookstore in the local mall. Her two best friends also work at the mall (different stores) and they get to have lunch together in the food court.

I really appreciated the friendships in this book - particularly regarding messing up with your friends, apologizing, and staying friends. Another thing this book does really well is letting the more “diverse” aspects of the story just be normal, everyday things (as they are).. There is no drama here about Shoshannah being Jewish or Shoshannah’s parents being two women - they are just her moms.

Shoshannah is a young-feeling teen compared to a lot of YA protagonists. I can understand the comps being made to To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It’s a sweet book that I read pretty quickly - because I couldn’t put it down.