I loved the author’s previous book so I had high hopes for this one. But I just never connected with this book. The endless pranks got tiresome. And I just couldn’t relate to either Molly or Jude. They were well-intentioned but but dull.

Molly Blum and Jude Stark - once childhood best friends - have been in a prank war for as long as she can remember. Their families have lived across the street from one another since before they or their siblings were born. At some point their friendship morphed into Jude pulling a prank on Molly and then Molly having to retaliate and vice versa. Things only get worse as Molly tries to uphold her penchant for reliability and planning and Jude is perceived as being aimless.

Molly hasn't seen - has kind of actively avoided - Jude for a few years. But when the Blum/Stark siblings decide to get together to throw their parents a joint anniversary party, Molly and Jude are tasked with finding the venue.

Spending so much time together reignites the animosity that Molly feels for Jude, and that he clearly feels for her. But when Molly's carefully planned life suffers and unexpected blow, the only person she wants to talk to is Jude.

I really enjoyed Meredith Schorr's As Seen on TV so when I heard about this next book by her, I was definitely going to read it. I also so enjoy a good enemies-to-lovers trope so right away the premise checked off a lot of boxes.

However, I found it a little difficult to connect and or / root for Molly and Jude. I think it's because right out of the gate, we're thrown again into the middle of them trying to one-up each other. I mean these are characters who are in their late twenties, I just felt like it was incongruous to where they should be at in their lives. Plus, what stuck with me for some reason, is they're pulling these pranks while trying to find a venue for the anniversary party (initially anyway) so it kind of wastes other people's time and, to me, that's just not cool. It would be one thing if it was only between the two of them. Honestly, though, as quickly as this reignited game is brought up, we move on and they try to take their task seriously.

Then we're on to another hook in the story. Which is apparently Jude and Molly have been dating people - for years mind you - that are exactly like the other. Of course they don't see it, but everyone around them does.

Again, like the pranks, this is an idea that is brought up and then we quickly move on. I would have loved some of these things to be fleshed out a little more. If it had been a longer running gag I think it would have had more of an impact. This in particular I found really interesting and would have loved if we spent more time maybe seeing the various dates that each of them have instead of one instance and then the others are inferred.

It speaks to how the story goes along in general I think. There are so many little ideas that each one is just given a snippet of time and then it's on to the next. I didn't feel the progression of Jude and Molly's relationship. While, yes, they've known each other since childhood and one could argue that the progression has been in play from the beginning, readers have only been with Molly and Jude for this moment in time.

Beyond their central relationship, there is also a lot going on in Molly's presonal and professional life as well just to add into the mix of the story.

While the heart of the story and the writing are on par for what I expected from Meredith Schorr, the overall story, while enjoyable, was ok.

I do look forward to whatever Meredith Schorr has in store for readers next. She has a wonderful way with getting to the heart of a story and they depictions of family and friendship are my favorite moments in the book.

3.5 ⭐️

I was expecting a bit more from this book after reading the blurb. Two people that grew up together and now are suddenly attracted to each other? Enemies to lovers? Sign me up. But I was disappointed mainly by the attitudes of the MCs, I found them very immature for their age. A small prank here and there, the other character brushes it off, that's fine. But here they both acted honestly like preteens. The reaction to the pranks sometimes went a little too far, the way they bickered in from of other people instead of behaving like adults, and Molly's plots to bring her parent together, ugh, it all felt a lot like they should've been the same age as Annie and Hallie in Parent Trap.

The book had its moments, Jude caring for Molly when she needed help was a sweet scene, the whole doppelgänger concept was actually funny, and Molly and Jude's growth in terms of their careers, was actually pleasant. It had potential, the writing was good. I just really got put off by the maturity of the characters. I feel like there could be other scenes to make the relationship. between Jude and Molly grow, more heartfelt moments, more moments of undeniable attraction, less pranks 😩

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jude Stark and Molly Blum are reunited after nearly a decade apart when their siblings decide to throw a joint anniversary party for both sets of parents. Jude and Molly spent their childhood playing pranks against each other and pick up right where they left off with the pranking. As they spend more time together planning the party, the pair starts to develop a friendship. Molly and Jude also discover that they have been dating people that have various similarities to the other.

I liked the concept of this book, but overall it fell short for me. The book has a childhood rivals to lovers story, but some of the pranking felt mean spirited. Also, it felt like Molly was more interested in Jude than he was in her. I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if we had Jude’s POV also to see the development of feelings on his end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Meredith Schorr’s new release, SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU, is a zingy romcom with all the feels. Schorr hits all the right notes in this enemies to lovers romance about family dynamics and a young woman still finding her way. The gags between the lifelong enemies made me wince and really wonder how they could ever get together. But then that’s their uphill battle, the honesty of Jude and Molly’s relationship. I especially loved how they finally overcame their lifelong misunderstanding and the thin line between hate and passion is pushed aside.
Easily 4.5 stars.

Ok so this book started off so good. Jude and Molly were freakin adorable. I loved the childhood rivals to lovers aspect and their families were so funny. I was pleasantly surprised by the spice, it was actually pretty good and I enjoyed it. Also, the fact that they kept dating people that were each others doppelgängers was entertaining and I liked the "When Harry Met Sally" moment at the anniversary party. HOWEVER, about 50% in, I started to get annoyed.

First of all, I wanted more pining/lovey-dovey-ness from Jude. It was very obvious that Molly was WAY more into him than he was into her. It was missing the 'burn' part of a slow-burn romance, I wanted it to have more tension.

Second, for someone who was highly educated and should be a bad*ss, Molly was very immature and gave me a ton of second-hand embarrassment. I mean, the parent trapping? She needed to just accept that her parents were happier apart. And then the POEM?! Oh, I was cringing so hard.

Lastly, by the end of the book, none of Molly and Jude's problems were resolved. They didn't get any better at communicating and it seemed liked half the time they still couldn't stand each other. They basically broke up and got back together TWICE and each time Jude an entire WEEK to "think" about their relationship. Meanwhile, Molly was pouting and acting like a child whose crush didn't like her back. To be fair, it seemed like he didn't, but c'mon girl you are a LAWYER. Pull yourself together!

I wanted to love this book so bad and I did like the first half. It just fell apart for me in the second half and I don't believe that Molly and Jude would survive as a couple in the long run.

THINGS I LIKED:
- Childhood Rivals to Lovers
- Opposites Attract
- Forced Proximity
- Slow-Burn
- "Everyone sees it but them"
- Family Friends
- Alllllll the Beatles references ;)

Thank you to NetGalley and Meredith Schorr for the ARC!

Someone Just Like You features my favorite trope, enemies to lovers. Molly and Jude grew-up taunting each other as neighbors, until one day it goes to far and the trajectory of their lives are changed forever. Now in there late twenties, they find themselves forced to work together on a anniversary celebration for their parents, who happen to be best friends.

This couple acted like teenagers majority of the book with their off-putting silliness. Enough is enough, just be adults and stop acting childish. Their antics wore on me, and once it stopped the book was much better. You can't go wrong with a NYC setting and a cute dog named Yogi.

The ending is a what you'd expect from some pretty immature characters, and I am not sure they are a good for each other in the end.

Thank you Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the complimentary copy.

Friends to enemies to lovers. My review will contain some spoilers, so if you're looking forward to reading this book, stop reading my review now. You've been warned.

I really liked the friends to enemies to lovers. Molly and Jude grew up with each other, so they've known just about every embarrassing thing the other had gone through. But somewhere along the lines, feelings towards one another changed. If I had to guess, Jude developed feelings for Molly, but being a boy, he picked on her as a way to show he liked her. But at a young age, children don't see that as affection, but rather bullying, so Molly thought it was the start of the end of their friendship.

As they get older, the pranks and teasing continue, generally instigated by Jude with Molly trying to retaliate. But when they're forced to work with one another planning a party, they realize their feelings are deeper than either care to admit.

I really did enjoy the banter and the pranks between the two. In my family, that truly is a sign of affection when you get teased. However, I didn't like how Molly ended up hurting Jude when they were in high school. I know that wasn't her intention and she wouldn't have done it had she known the outcome. I understand that had to be done to throw some friction between the pair. If I could change one thing about the book, it would be that.

Overall, I give it 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Someone Just Like You is out 7/25!

When Molly chose the wrong friend in elementary school to hang out with it changed the trajectory of her friendship with Jude. Only she didn't know that's what started their hate/hate relationship. These childhood friends turned frenemies were forced to work together to find a venue for a combined wedding anniversary celebration for their respective parents. The prank wars went into full effect and it became a game to see who could one up the other better. But somewhere along the way Molly and Jude started to confide in each other. Her constant striving for perfection and people pleasing tendencies weren't for her benefit, but Jude also suffered because of it, always being compared to the good-two-shoes Molly. Ironically, every person they each dated was some semblance of the other. It took a while for their brains to catch up with their subconscious to realize they sought partners who were like each other.These two opposites were so perfect for each other. They balanced out one another and showed that there really is a fine line between love and hate. I had a great time reading this book by a new to me author!

I received an advance copy of this book at my request and voluntarily left this review.

This book was so toxic. It was painful to read and I kept hoping it got better and there was something that redeemed the story and the characters. But nothing ever did.

I didn’t see how there was ever going to be a relationship between the two of them. They were horrible to each other. They bullied and harassed each other for 21 years!! How were they ever going to trust each other? There is no part of me that believes these two characters would last together.

I did not like the reason behind Jude ending his friendship with Molly as kids. He thought she was too perfect and had to bring her down a level? Really? He made her life hell for years and bullied her because he didn’t like that she was the perfect child? That’s disgusting.

Almost half of the book was them being together for a bit then breaking up because of their arguments and not being able to properly communicate. I agreed that Jude had a right to be upset with Molly when she came clean about the bike incident, but he took it too far. That in my opinion should've been the only breakup between them. The other ones were pointless and just added to the toxicity between them.

And then with the end they basically condone and accept their son bullying and mocking Esther/Jerry's daughter the way Jude did to Molly. You would think they would teach their kids to be kinder and not horrible to people

Someone Just Like You was a fun, quick romance to read! Molly and Jude have been enemies since childhood, despite their families being extremely close. Their relationship is nothing but a giant prank war. Years later, they’re tasked with helping to plan a joint anniversary party for their parents. A reluctant friendship forms after they call a truce and their feelings evolve from there!

It started off on a bit of an immature note with all the pranking between Molly and Jude. And I didn’t think that the characters really grew all that much in that regard throughout the book (even once the pranks stopped). I enjoyed the family dynamics that played a part in the story and appreciated all the side characters. I just couldn’t 100% get behind Molly and Jude’s relationship. It all felt pretty childish and that made it hard to believe they had any real connection. I found myself annoyed with them often throughout the book, especially during the last parts of the story.

Overall, not my favorite read, but definitely give it a try if you like :
-Enemies to lovers / opposites attract
-Serious pranking with some cute banter
-Interesting family dynamics

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

🍸eARC Book Review🍸

“And this is Molly. She’s a singer in a band.”

Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr
Pub Date: July 25th, 2023
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟✨(3.5/5)
Spice: 🌶(1/5)

Review:

Molly Blum and Jude stark are childhood neighbors and nemesis’s. Planner Molly left her job in big law to become a legal recruiter but she just got a new boss who takes a different approach to recruiting than Molly. Spontaneous Jude is a bar tender and sommelier at a fancy restaurant. Molly and Jude get paired together to find the venue for their parents joint anniversary party. However, they have a history of hi-jinx that resurfaces.

I love the Jewish rep in this story. Meredith did a great job showing what it’s like being a reform jew in the city. I loved the Desmond and Molly Jones puns. I loved yogi. But Molly Blum as a character was not it for me. She was too type-A for me. It was hard to believe that she truly couldn’t see the family issues going on. Especially as a grown up late 20s character. Her behavior I would expect for from a 22/23 year old. As a child of divorce myself, the way she copes just didn’t feel natural. The will they won’t they romance is great. I love Jude’s character development. I wish we would have gotten more of him supporting Molly and being there for her when she breaks down.

Would absolutely recommend this as a fun summer read!


If you like:
- Casual Judaism
- Family drama
- Dogs
- Beatles Puns

QOTD: What is your favorite Beatles song?

Thank you to Net Galley and
Forever/Grand Central Publishing for proving me with an eARC of this novel.

Jude and Molly are the bane of each other’s existence. They have always competed in school and still a decades later are at it. They are teamed up to co-host a wedding surprise for their parents. Suddenly the enemy-friendship turns romantic and they don’t know what to do but let it take course.

I love friends or enemies to lovers. And I love the feeling of being neighbors who play pranks together to find love. Sadly this story just fell flat for me. The characters just came off a little too immature for me. I get it they’re supposed to be this way but something about it was annoying to me actually and it was hard to move past that. I will say I liked the Jewish rep the story had.

All in all, it’s light and fluffy and a day read if anyone’s looking for that!

I enjoy enemies to lovers-it’s one of my favorite tropes but this was too much! These were grown adults acting like 5 year olds and it got on my nerves so fast and for so much of the book I wanted to DNF. Instead I found myself skimming and telling them to “grow up” and “act your age for Pete’s sake!” Once they finally called a truce on their ridiculous behavior, the book took a turn for the better and I’m glad I stuck with it.
Molly and Jude’s family’s have been friends since before they were born. All their siblings get along with each other and their parents are best friends. But Molly and Jude are rivals and have spent their entire lives playing pranks on each other trying to top the other one. Including Molly playing a major one that changed Jude’s entire future, but she never admitted to it and it lives with her to this day. But now they are all planning a join anniversary celebration for both sets of parents and Molly and Jude have to work together without acting like the juveniles they typically do. In the process the finally realize that maybe there’s feelings underlying all the nonsense and once they discover that, the gloves come off and the condom goes on.
Ok. Fun moments once they got together.
Thanks to Forever and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Forever for my complimentary eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Someone Just Like You was a quick and enjoyable read. Though I was a bit put off in the early chapters by all the childish antics between Molly and Jude. Eventually I gave in to their spontaneous behavior and binged the book in an afternoon.


Perfect if you enjoy:
Friends (enemies) to Lovers
Opposites attract
Family Drama

Thank you to the author, Meredith Schorr, Forever Publishing, and NetGalley for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on July 25, 2023.

For the most part, I enjoyed my time reading this! A lot of times when there’s a side plot of the FMC dealing with work life I don’t enjoy reading it, but I was interested in learning more about that. I also enjoyed the romance between the MCs with their childhood rivals to lovers dynamic.

My only thing about the book was that after their first argument once they got together, I was fine with the story ending there. Once it got the the second and third argument, I was uninterested.

Molly and Jude have been neighborly enemies since childhood, but are forced to work together to host a surprise co-anniversary celebration for their parents.

I usually like an enemies-t0-lovers story but the pranking felt very immature and they kept harping on being opposites. I was intrigued by Jude and Molly continually dating each other's doppleganger, but there was no background to where this connection may have stemmed from in childhood. I liked some of the softer moments as they developed a friendship, but I kept waiting for more from the story (thought it was over at about 60% through). I could relate to Molly always following a plan and struggling navigating her career.

If you enjoy a lighthearted romance and don't mind some pranking, this may be up your alley. Thanks Forever and NetGalley for my advance copy.

If you enjoy drama, pranks, and an enemies-to-lovers trope, you may enjoy this one! Our main characters have known each other since the day they were born, but that doesn't stop them from being arch-nemeses. The many pranks pulled on each other over the years have wreaked havoc on their relationship. What starts out as another good old-fashioned pranking begins into something more. The more time they spend together meaningfully, the more time they realize that maybe they should've been more than friends all along.

This read wasn't totally it for me. I personally wish there would've been less drama from the main characters. I also didn't fully buy in to their feelings for one another. I still enjoyed the writing style of this book and am not holding it against the author. I will definitely check out more of her books and think you should too!

thank you to netgalley for my advanced reader copy!

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the childhood friends- to disliking each other as adults- to romantic partners trope, I think Meredith did it really well here! I felt like Jude and Molly were really well-fleshed out characters and I had a lot of fun to them!

I loved the close family/friends of the family tropes and the caring community around both Jude and Molly and how everyone rooted for them. Of course, I also have to shout out the Jewish rep in this book, as I loved to see it!

I can’t wait to see what Meredith writes next. Thank you also to Forever for my physical galley they sent as well!! I’m happy to have both physical and e-editions.

REVIEW FOR SOMEONE JUST LIKE YOU

4 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Forever Pub for the gifted copy!

When I first started reading this book, I was unsure. I really disliked Jude- I thought he was a bully and while this was their relationship from a young age, I just didn't understand why someone got off on sabotaging another's life. By the end I still didn't like him, but I softened to him a bit. With that said, upon starting the book I immediately thought I would not be able to stomach finishing this. But I kept reading, and reading, and ended up finishing it in a day lol. It was such an easy read that flowed beautifully. The short chapters kept you intrigued, and I really was curious to where this story was going. It had spice without being crass (for those who like spice without a ton of descriptions) but wasn't prudish (there was some swearing). I'm so glad I didn't end up putting this down.

Was there things that could be improved? Yes (like Jude's whole personality lol and the FMC Molly's uppity-ness) but it was fun and flirty and if you like softer rom-coms, this would be for you.