Laura Silverman is one of those authors I associate with fabulous characters. And I certainly loved the characters in Recommended For You, but this book I fell heads over heels with the plot. I finished a whole day early because I could not stop reading! Keep reading this book review to see why I was obsessed!
Summary
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.
Jake is an affront to everything Shoshanna stands for. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.
But as the competition intensifies, Jake and Shoshanna grow closer and realize they might be more on the same page than either expects… (less)
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Netgalley. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
In Recommended For You Silverman manages to balance this plot current which sweeps you away with detailed and heartfelt characters. Shoshanna is an incredibly passionate main character who loves books and may be a tad impulsive. Yet her world begins to crumble and she isn’t sure how she can fix everything, while also trying to balance her family and job. Full of beautiful book Easter eggs, Recommended For You is for all the book worms and contemporary character obsessed fans.
The story of Shoshanna and her friends and family were actually the star of the show for me. Not only are they full of diverse characters (sapphic relationships, queer side characters, and a Black side character), but there’s so much depth within their stories. It illustrates how our best intentions can lead us astray, how our comments and words can be perceived, how we need to allow people to make their own mistakes. They’re also sources of pressure on Shoshanna who feels pieces of her life fracturing apart and the uncertainty of it all.
Those fears you cannot bear to voice aloud because spoken into existence you realize your powerlessness. Recommended For You is great for those love character growth arcs, detailed side characters you love, and book lovers. Find Recommended For You on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.