This was such a cute love story. I enjoyed it a lot. I couldn’t put it down. It was well written and the characters were well thought out.

A cute love story with an endearing main character, Unorthodox Love had a thoughtful look into the complexities of Orthodox Jewish life and dating, and how love can complicate the trajectory of ones life. Penina was a fun character to follow along with, and I was really rooting for her through the book. I also liked getting to see Orthodox Jewish characters portrayed as fully-fledged and complicated characters, not reduced to a one-dimensional stereotype or mocked for the way they live. It was very real and that realness made the characters all the more loveable.
Book-wise, the writing fell a little flat at times and certain plot elements (especially towards the end) felt rushed but that didn't necessarily completely detract from the overall story.
It's a sweet story and I think many will enjoy it.

It was clear from the cover that this was going to be a very chick-lit-ish book and I normally don't read much of that. However, I couldn't resist a book that featured the romantic antics of an Orthodox Jewish family and I'm glad that I read it, as it was much better than I anticipated. It's a sweet read with interesting characters and interesting dilemmas. I liked that it was set in Minnesota and not, as most are, in New York City. I also appreciated the thoughtful quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

If you're Jewish, this is just going to be a very fun read for you and if you're in the mood for something light and uplifting, this is your book. Like me, you will want to be a guest for Shabbat dinner with this warm family!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. Such fun!

A light and fun read that I wish landed better than it did. Love the cultural romcom ala 'Moonstruck' or 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' and really appreciated the Jewish rep. However, it overall just never managed to make the characters really rise above the genre stereotypes for me, and in the end I was left with the feeling that while there's a really good book in here, this isn't it. I think some small to moderate revisions and tweaks could really help this book rise above the ranks of similar romcoms.

On a separate note, this didn't effect my rating but I HATED the format this book arrived in. I didn't notice when I requested it that this was a PDF, and while I understand this is likely at an earlier stage in the draft of the novel, it did not to do much to help with the enjoyment of reading it, especially on Kindle.

Unorthodox Love – Heidi Shertok

Advanced Book Review! Thank you @netgalley and @alcovepress for sending me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was truly a delightful debut novel by Heidi Shertok. I really loved it. I’ve read a lot of books about dating and marriage in the Orthodox Jewish community and this was truly different from anything I’ve ever read. First of all, it’s set somewhere other than New York – in Minneapolis. But more importantly, it’s such an interesting spin on Jewish religious dating and matchmaking – what happens if someone is infertile? In Judaism it is considered a mitzvah (commandment) to procreate and so dating in the religious Jewish community for someone that is unable to have children is probably actually very challenging in real life.

I also really enjoyed that the main character, while religious, also lived in a secular world – with her job, her volunteering, and her friends. So we got to see how she worked her religious identity and values into her full life. Often with books about Orthodox Jews, their entire world is their Jewish community, and this was different. At the same time, although I’m not Orthodox, I loved all the familiar Jewish references.

I also really loved Penina as the main character. She was so awkward, but somehow within her awkwardness and her personal issues, she came across as confident. And Sam seemed so mean at the beginning so it was fun to watch his character develop throughout the story. Without giving away any spoilers, I also loved all the relationships between family members and was so happy with the way certain story lines ended. If I had to pick one thing that I wanted more of, it would be Penina’s influencer role on Instagram.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone that wants a bit of a different take on Jewish matchmaking and dating, a strong female lead character, and a great romance.

Publication Date: July 11, 2023

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Jewish representation - we love to see it! This charming romantic comedy dives into Jewish dating culture and the age old question; "can love conquer all differences?"

I wasn’t crazy about this one, which makes me bummed. I think many will enjoy this, and maybe it just wasn’t for me. Cute cover and concept, however. It reminded me of My Big Fat Greek Wedding in some ways. I appreciated the Orthodox Jewish representation and the insight into the religion! I think it is a topic that should be explored more in the romance genre since the Orthodox Jewish approach to romance isn’t as common in the typical romance book. I didn’t realize there were so many strict rules to live by, which was so interesting to learn.

I think what I struggled with was how much Penina overexplained everything, which took away any opportunity for reader interpretation or subtext. She talks about dressing modestly but then on three occasions had fashion mishaps that exposed her in a way she deemed indecent/contradictory to her modest style. So to me, it was kind of like, “girl what are you doing?” She was a bit of a hot-mess, damsel in distress which after a while got old.

The quotes before each chapter were nice, but not relevant to the plot line, because even though Penina likes fashion, she doesn’t do anything relevant to fashion (aside from her Instagram and blog which we do not hear about often enough for it to make sense, in my opinion). She tells us about her outfits a lot, but again, doesn’t feel relevant to the story. I get that it’s just part of her personality…but idk maybe it could have been fleshed out more.

Also, Zevia’s partner seemed more like a stereotype of a gay man, which rubbed me the wrong way. There was a random throwaway line about Penina thinking depressed people just sit around eat ice cream all day(I’m paraphrasing) which she turned into a self-deprecating joke. Which again, I get it’s a joke, but rubbed me the wrong way/didn’t land with me.

Lastly, (and maybe this is because the book is still months away from being published) the format was allllll kinds of off. No indentations, weird breaks in paragraphs, etc; which I know the author probably has zero control over, but just a note for whoever is reading this. (The formatting does not contribute to the number of stars I assigned as that is something I assume is out of control at this moment for the book)

I always enjoy when I can learn something new about a culture or region when reading, and that's one of the things I liked about this book. Unorthodox Love embraced the role of religion in relationships and how it can bring people together or keep them apart.

Penina was an interesting character, and I think that many readers will be able to relate to one of her plot points. Sam took a bit to wrap my head around as his character almost did not seem to be the same person at times. Both characters seemed to grow a lot within the story which is nice to experience.

Thanks to NetGalley for the digital advanced copy.

I really really loved this romantic tale about an Orthodox woman meeting a secular man. It was a great peak inside the Orthodox community and the story made me laugh and cry.

This book starts off funny and doesn't really let up. True, it's got a serious message and some really serious stuff going on with the characters, but the author manages to keep it light and the characters are good about poking fun at themselves. Penina feels that she must save everyone she loves, even if it means doing some crazy stuff. Sam is the position of her superior, but he really just wants her to feel loved. There are a lot of high points and low points, but it all works out in the end. For folks familiar with Orthodox culture, this is more of a moderate-Orthodox family. For anyone not familiar with it, the book provides a lot of insight into another religious culture. I'd be interested to see where they end up in another year or two...

What I liked - more Jewish representation in romance (and more varied Jewish rep) - I am Jewish but not Orthodox, so there are things I learned from this book about Orthodox practice. I also liked some of the critique throughout that dealt with aspects of Orthodox Judaism that can be sexist or stifling to people who do not conform. I most liked that Penina didn't end up having to compromise her values for love, and I liked that the message was ultimately that she was not damaged for her infertility.

However, I don't really love the definition of someone who's not Orthodox as secular; there are many ways to practice Judaism in a meaningful way and that doesn't make every non-Orthodox person "secular." I know that's the term Orthodox would use, so it's accurate to the community, but it feels condescending, like other Jews aren't real Jews. The humor in this book was not for me; a lot of the references felt dated for a 29yo heroine, and it was sometimes unclear to me exactly how sheltered Penina was with regards to sex and dating (like, it's implied Sam gets an erection while holding her and she seems to sort of get that that's what it is, but it's not a big thing? he's her boss! she's not supposed to touch men! felt very glossed over and like Penina's Orthodoxy only mattered when it had to for plot reasons but could be explained away at other times). Sam was a little too mean at first for me to like him as a love interest. Ultimately, I didn't feel like this book totally gelled for me; there was a lot of potential, but it felt underdeveloped in terms of the romance and the depth of the issues explored. It felt more plot/set-up-driven than character-driven and you could see the strings being pulled by the author to make it all fit rather than feeling inevitable. That being said, I can see how other readers would enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove for the advance copy and the opportunity to read.

'Unorthodox Love' is such a unique romance, and I loved every second of it! I love to read stories where I can learn something while I'm enjoying a love story, and this book definitely delivered. Throughout reading this book, I learned so much about the Orthodox Jewish and their religious customs, beliefs, and traditions. I really enjoyed that aspect of the book, and it added so much to the depth of the romance and overall themes of the book.

Penina is still single at age 29, which is not typical for the Orthodox Jewish community where girls can start to date at 19. Penina is having bad luck with her matchmaker because she is infertile. Infertility is a huge roadblock for an Orthodox woman because she keeps getting setup with men who are twice her age or men that she would never be interested in. I particularly connected with Penina's disgust and hatred of mayonnaise while she is on her date with Yoav at the beginning of the book. I couldn't connect with that scene anymore because I also hate mayonnaise!

Because Penina struggles with dating and finding a man to marry, she sees herself as 'damaged' and not 'whole' as a woman. She has a great job working at a jewelry store, and she also volunteers to hold babies in the NICU. While volunteering, she runs into an attractive man, and to her surprise, the same man shows up at the jewelry store! He winds up being the new boss, Sam!

Sam and Penina develop a connection, but she is turned off by his abrasive, rude nature, and he is not Orthodox. The more time they spend together, they both struggle to deny their complicated feelings for each other.

Penina gets an interesting proposal from one of her dates named Zevi. Zevi proposes that he and Penina have a fake marriage, in exchange for a large sum of money. Zevi is gay, and he wants to fulfill his mother's dying wish for him to marry a nice, Jewish girl. Penina could use the money to help her family, but will she be able to turn her back on her feelings for Sam?

Ultimately, Penina needs to decide if she will follow her heart to Sam or if she will marry Zevi to earn the money to help out her family.

I loved this story so much, and I loved the character of Sam because he really took the time to care about Penina. It was so sweet to see how he treated her and talked to her as the book progressed.

I would definitely recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for an ARC of this book.

Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok is an enjoyable contemporary romance that is from a debut author.

This is an enjoyable contemporary romance that gives us a look at not just love, but life and all its entanglements. Sometimes love is found in the least likely locations…with the least likely people…at the wrong times…however sometimes all of those “wrongs” added together can turn into a positive in the end. Throw in a dash of family and cultural challenges…and one has got themselves an entertaining read.

Penina and Sam have their own issues and troubles that they bring to the table, but through the progression of their relationship, they seem to work through these and help one another overcome some of life’s big challenges. Through their joint journey, they seem to help one another find happiness and answers that were long sought after. I enjoyed this progression, the rich cultural heritage and religious aspects added to the book, and the satisfying ending.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Alcove Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/11/23.

This was a cute rom com but it left me wanting more as i felt that the characters were always holding back from one another.