A cute bookish romance, with a nerdy main character. This was cute as heck and I'm excited to put it in my classroom.

The absolutely cute cover had me interested, but after reading the blurb, I wanted to read it more.
This rom-com tells the story of two teen booksellers who compete for a holiday bonus.
One of which is a bookworm and absolutely loves books.
The other is a kid who's a great salesman, but has no interest to read.
Needless to say, the enemies to lovers competition between the two is immediate and fun.


I appreciate receiving an ARC for an honest review of this book.

One of my favorite reads of 2020. Recommended For You is a cozy, sweet, and spiced young adult novel that really captures my heart. The Christmas vibes plus library and bookish vibes had it all to me. I just finish this in one seating and definitely rated it 5 stars! I love how calm and fast paced the story is and tackles diverse problems. A highly recommended book!

"Recommended for You" is a cute YA romance read with a bonus of book references and diverse representation. The main character, Shoshanna, can come off a bit juvenile for a 16 year old. For a romance, the main characters could be more likable. It's hard to forgive some of the actions each of them take in the book.

A great YA book for those rom-com fans. I loved the storyline and cast of characters, and who doesn't love a story featuring books? Definitely a wonderful read. Nice pace as the story moved along. Highly recommend this book.

Uhm? Was this a full book?

Because it doesn’t feel like a full book, it didn’t really have much of an ending... or really a story? It was cute but like I think I read it in a hour and it didn’t feel long at all. In fact I was like waiting for something more to happen because ya know romance in a book store is my thing, and I needed a break from my fantasy but this was just disappointing and now I’m just sad.

This is a really cute and fast paced romance read! What’s better then a holiday book, that takes place in a bookstore? I thought this was such a cute book. I was hooked right from the start. If you’re a fan of YA reads, I recommend checking this one out!

Cute characters that you could easily identify with , such a fun read. This is a book you just want to finish in one sitting.

This was a cute YA enemies/lovers romance story set in a bookshop. While I didn’t absolutely love it, it had its moments, and I really liked the banter and dialogue between the two MC’s. This was very PG, I’d definitely let my daughter read it, and a cute storyline.

This will appeal to young teens and maybe some preteens but for the older teen crowd it is so done and young. I could not imagine an adult who was read a few romcoms would enjoy this as it is recycled. Do not like the cover at all.

Loved this bookish YA teen romance! I will be recommending this title to my teen book clubbers! Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy!

I also did not finish this book. I could not get into the story and found the plot very predictable. I think it could be found. interesting to some teens but it just was not for me

Recommended For You was a fun, quick-read that was a perfect read around the holidays. It is a light hearted story filled with great humor and realistic characters.

Shoshanna loves working at the local bookstore in the mall, Once Upon. After having some personal issues she is hopeful that the holiday bonus disguised as a competition is the key to solving her problems... that is until Jake Kaplan. causes some complications and some sparks fly as the two clash immediately.

This book is definitely geared towards a younger audience, 15-18 (yes, I realize this is labeled YA)

This book was considered for the Schneider Award, so I am unable to review too much; however, I will share that I have purchased this book for my school library!

This book will be a definite purchase for our high school library! Thank you so much for allowing me to have access to the digital arc!

This was such a fun little read. I find that I really enjoy reading light YA romances like my students do, and this one is one that is sure to please. While there were times that I found the main character to be a little bit almost abrasive and obnoxious (more so in the beginning), and there were some phrases that were so repetitious as to be distracting (Jake smells like bread, we get it), it was still a fun read with some positive lessons to be learned. I especially loved the inclusivity and diversity of characters, and I especially loved seeing a main character who was Jewish. As a librarian, I love everything bookish, and so the bookseller aspect was of course really fun. Overall, I think this will be a cute romance from unique perspective that my romance-loving students will thoroughly enjoy!

OMG. I knew when the synopsis said this was TATBILB meets You've Got Mail (two of my favorite movies), I just had to read this. As a librarian, I'm a sucker for bookish books and this was the perfect book to cozy up to and escape. I don't think this is meant to be anything but a lovely, feel-good contemporary and as long as you know and expect that going in I think it'll be enjoyed by most readers!

Overall this was cute and I could see YA readers enjoying it, especially those looking for a Jewish rep during the holidays. I read a lot of YA and this seemed a little more juvenile, maybe older middle school/junior high readers would enjoy this more.

Shoshanna works at an indie bookstore in a shopping mall. She loves her job and needs the money. New hire Jake Kaplan shows up and is an instant irritant to Shoshanna. Shoshanna navigates her feelings of attraction to Jake, her worries about her parents' fighting, her misstep with her friends and trying to save money to fix her car while trying to keep her beloved bookstore from closing its doors.

Light and easy romance book for upper middle/high school kids, this book offers much in diversity (Jewish main character, lesbian moms, and several other POC characters). Although this book will likely be dated quickly and will not see much action after it is removed from the new book shelf, it would be an adequate addition to a school library collection looking to bolster diverse characters and "G" rated romance books.

WHAT I LIKED:

• To begin, I absolutely adored Shoshanna, our bookish, highly extroverted, proudly Jewish, passionate, quirky main character. In the beginning, she did come across as a tad immature (particularly in a scene where she used the bookstore PA system to broadcast a “Code Purple” when she found out that Jake wasn’t a reader) but as the book went on, I really warmed up to her. I especially loved all of the infectious passion and excitement she brought to working at Once Upon, as it showed a different kind of bookworm than just the cliche shy, introverted girl we tend to see a lot of in books.

• I also really loved all of the diversity that was woven ever so carefully and gracefully into it. For one, Shoshonna has two moms, which was really nice to finally get in a book. There is also queer and BIPOC representation with Shoshonna’s friends, but the real icing on the cake was the disability representation that came with Shoshonna’s boss, who uses a wheelchair. I especially liked the way in which disability in general was discussed throughout the book, as I feel like there is a lot of value in having those very real conversations.

• JAKE!! Omg, he was such a literal cinnamon role, and by that I mean while he was a tad spicy and sarcastic at first, as the book goes on, he completely transforms into the warmest, sweetest, and most big-hearted character ever. My favorite thing about Jake comes from the true motivation he had for wanting that holiday bookstore bonus. No spoilers, but I will say that it is something that will easily make your heart grow three sizes. 💗 (And yes, that is most definitely a Grinch reference, in case you were wondering 😉)

OVERALL:

Recommended for You lives up to its endearing title and is a book that I can easily, full-heartedly recommend to teens and adults alike. It glistens and sparkles with beautiful Jewish, disability, & LGBT+ positive representation, making it one not only of the most delightful bookish rom-com novels out there but also an absolute must-read for the most wonderful (and often crazy!) time of year. ❄️