Nothing Like You Review

Nothing Like You
By: Lauren Strasnick
Release Date: Oct. 20, 2009

Summary (by GoodReads):

“You think he’s yours but he’s not, I thought. You think he’s yours but really he’s mine.” When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly, and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything—so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion, and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose. But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect… and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

Outlined Review:
Character Development: 10/10
Originality: 7/10
Hookability: 9/10
Ending: 7/10
Voice: 9/10
Recommendation: 9/10
Total Score: 51
Grade: A

Age Appropriate Rating:
Cussing: 5/10
Drugs, alcohol, etc.: 4/10
Sexual Content: 8/10
Violence/Disturbing Images: 1/10

Written Review:

Nothing Like You is refreshing novel of loss and love. One of the best aspects of this novel was its great characterization. Holly was someone who had to learn to deal with the loss of a parent long before anyone should and who, because of her tragic loss, found comfort in all the wrong people. She made one huge, obvious lapse of judgment that spiraled other problems later on. Through all that she was still very relatable as a teen girl trying to figure out who to trust, who to love, and who she really is. Her thoughts were bluntly specific to every feeling and every opinion that went through her mind making it easy to see the reason she chose the path she did, no matter how unthinkable, every time. Besides Holly, the minor characters shined just as bright. Nils was so sweet. Holly’s narration of him tracked how the relationship had changed over the years as they both matured. Every scene between the two of them made me smile and then I’d want to tear the pages out because their chemistry seemed to be obvious to everyone but the two of them! Saskia was very different then you’d think the gorgeous, popular girlfriend would be but her characterization never faltered through it all. She always obtained composure and kindness that made you realize why Holly was so easily drawn to her. Paul on the other hand was the very charming, very popular guy who took advantage of a grieving Holly for his own pleasure. At the beginning I disliked him. By the end I couldn’t stand him! At all! I just wanted the best for poor Holly and Paul was kept sucking her into his jerkiness! Besides the great characterization, the book was paced perfectly for this story. It was a very quick read that left me wanting more of these awesome characters. The ending was satisfying enough but I would have liked a better resolution with a few people or at least one big dramatic blowup or confrontation. Even without my desired conclusion this is a very original story that I fell in love with. It’s very sweet and very cute but definitely not innocent.

Overall, Nothing Like You is a story of finding comfort in all the wrong places and of learning to love by first learning to lose. Holly is a character that finds a way into your heart from the very beginning. Through all of her mistakes and misfortune you can only wish the best for her in everything she does.

thanks

Jill