Zeke: “The honest truth is, I don’t regret a thing.”
Julia: “You were waiting for marriage. I took something special from you without knowing the value of it.”

From very early on, it was made very clear that Zeke and Julia had sex before marriage, but what was ignored through page 80 was that this was a sin against the Lord God Almighty. When Zeke said he didn’t regret the sin, I realized this book wasn’t for me. He clearly knew better; he admitted he did. But he still chose to make the poor choice. Then he had the gall to blame God for being “too demanding.” Waiting to have sex until after marriage is not complicated, nor is it “too demanding.” Many people through the generations have abstained from carnal pleasures until they have been properly wed. It’s a matter of having moral standards that align with the Bible’s teachings – and then sticking to those standards, using the word “no” when temptations come up. Nothing a little self-discipline couldn’t accomplish.

Beyond that, Hunter was completely annoying. I can’t spend a full 346 pages with such a caustic, abusive character that had no redeeming qualities that I could see.

Ladybug the goat was my favorite aspect of the story, but her thread seemed obvious to me. I skipped ahead to the end and found out my guess shortly after her first appearance was 100% correct.

Content: alcohol, illegitimate child, sex before marriage (backstory), Greek mythology (mentioned)

If you are looking for something on the lighter side to read as we are getting ready for summer, Victoria Bylin's latest novel might be for you. Set at a struggling resort in California, "Someone Like You" is the story of general manager Zeke as he tries to put some life into the place he loves, and how he reconnects with his college girlfriend, who is now an event planner. The years since college have changed both Zeke and Julia a lot. Zeke has lost his faith in God and puts his whole purpose into his work, while Julia has become a Christian after a string of bad decisions left her at the end of herself.

When the owners of Caliente Springs ask Zeke to pull off a wedding for 500 guests on only 30 days' notice, he immediately hires Julia to help him. Knowing that the future of the resort could be riding on how well they handle this task, the two join forces with determination to save Caliente Springs and to stave off their returning feelings for one another.

This is the first time I've read this author, and in order to be honest I have to tell you that I was not impressed with her writing style. It was cliche and over-the-top to be point of being nauseating. There was not much subtlety and a whole lot of telling instead of showing. "Her breath synchronized with his in a moment so raw her cheeks burned," and "She was so beautiful in white that the earth itself seemed to hold its breath" were two especially bad descriptive sentences. They don't even make sense, and unfortunately there were many others like them throughout the book. I also strongly disliked the heavy use of generalizations that the author used when describing Zeke, such as, "He didn't want to go to war with anyone, but when an enemy showed up in the camp, a dedicated leader stood up to him." Zeke self-reflected in those kinds of terms constantly, weighing what "a real man" would do, and it was quite annoying.

I will say that this book was not as predictable as I thought it would be. It managed to surprise me a few times. I also liked how Zeke's love for geodes turned out to be a metaphor for his spiritual life. That was probably my favorite aspect of the story.

I received my copy of the book in exchange for this honest review. All opinions are my own.

5 Stars!
I really enjoyed Victoria Bylin's contemporary debut, Until I Found You, when I read it a while back! But I must admit that the cover of this book is what first attracted me to it, I know, I know, never judge a book by its cover but isn't that cover just so gorgeous?! And I am delighted to say that the story inside was every bit as beautiful as the cover!
I LOVED THIS BOOK! It was sooooo good, where do I even begin? I loved Zeke and Julia's romance, I have found that I really enjoy storylines where the hero and heroine dated sometime prior to the start of the book, things didn't work out and they parted ways only to be brought back together during the course of the story! Such was the case with Zeke and Julia, I loved watching them rekindle their romance! And then there was Hunter, oh how I detested him, (But I was clearly supposed to!)
I don't want to risk spoiling anything but I just have to say that I absolutely adored the sub-plot romance between George and Ellen, theirs was a totally unique story of true love finding you when and where you least expect it, I loved them as much if not even more than Zeke and Julia, I had the biggest smile on my face when I read about the two of them!
Many times my favorite books are those in which the setting is described so vividly that it really becomes another character in the story, I loved Caliente Springs, and I felt like I was really there! One of the things I loved the most about this book was the faith story, it was so good, I found myself relating to Zeke and Julia in many ways. I was totally pulling for them and the ending just made me so happy! I can't end this review without mentioning Ladybug, the goat, oh my gosh she took this story to a whole other level, every single time this troublemaking goat made an appearance on the page I ended up laughing so hard my face hurt at all of her antics, while this book would have been every bit as wonderful without her, she totally MADE the story! I loved this book so much, as evidenced by the fact that I read it in under twenty-four hours! Someone Like You definitely has a permanent spot on my keeper shelf and will be on my favorite reads of 2016 list! Highly recommend!


I was honored to receive a complimentary copy of this amazing book from the author and publisher to help promote it!
All thoughts and opinions are one hundred percent my own!