Our heroine Penina comes from a community of modern Orthodox Jews, where marriage at a young age and having lots of children is highly prized. As an infertile woman, finding a marriage match has not come easily to her, and a traditional shadchan is heroically making a last ditch effort into finding a mate for Penina. Meanwhile, she spends her days volunteering in a local hospital’s NICU, working her jewelry shop job, maintaining her social media presence as a frum fashionista, and going on hotel lobby dates with unsuitable men. When her boss goes out on medical leave and his attractive (secular) son takes over the jewelry store, sparks fly, but handsome Sam annoys the heck out of her,and somehow, their bodies keep colliding in ways that are against the strict rules around unmarried, unrelated male and female proximity. Penina’s sister is in danger of losing her home due to her husband;s failed businesses, and Penina becomes determined not just to marry, but to marry wealthy; when Sam learns she’s become engaged and will settle for a marriage in name only, he has some opinions.

This is a wonderfully authentic portrayal of navigating a complex culture. So many details ring true, from festival observances to the love and obligations of family politics to the Israeli-accented English of Penina’s sister. Shertok tells Penina’s story with a lot of humor and honesty and never devolves to deprecation. The writing is descriptive (the clothing descriptions are amazing!) and evocative, and characters and situations relatable whatever your religious or cultural affiliations.

I received an advance reader’s copy of #UnorthodoxLove from #NetGalley.

I have a really hard time summarizing my thoughts about this book.

On the one hand, I really liked and appreciated learning more about the intricacies of being an Orthodox Jew. I liked that we were transported into different cultural traditions, and saw how different characters navigated their faith. I also liked that Penina stood true to her faith and that Sam respected that.

On the other hand, I sometimes had a hard time with the writing and characterization. I found the writing a bit choppy and explanation heavy, and found myself skimming the parts that detailed her outfits/fashion. I also found Penina and her inner monologue frustrating sometimes. There was also one scene/inner thought that really didn't sit well with me and this brought down my star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes it is nice to have a clean romance, and in this case, it worked. A good quick read, and nice, if slightly headstrong characters. I did enjoy them having to explain certain Jewish traditions, such as Friday night dinner, and weddings, and such.

Delightfully Jewish, laugh-out-loud funny, and full of snappy dialogue, Unorthodox Love was an absolute joy from beginning to end! Penina is a character to root for—endearing, kind, and worthy of the happily-ever-after she ultimately gets. Sam is as delicious as he is grumpy and the two of them together are simply magic. I devoured this book!

3.25/5 stars! I think the issue of fertility issues is such an important one and I was really happy to see that this story featured that as a central message. I liked the story overall, but when I sat back and started thinking about it, I was conflicted. The story discusses a great deal of Jewish culture, which I appreciated. But there also seemed to be a dichotomy between how Penina is represented within her religion and how she fulfills it. Unfortunately, I don't know enough about this religion to know if that was an oversite or an intentional message. But it was a cute contemporary romance with a lot of potential.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I loved this book. I don't know what it was about it that had my attention so much but I really did love it. It was refreshing for a character to love her upbringing and her faith and not see it as an oppressive thing. I also loved how it was the guy willing to be the one to compromise because almost every single book it is the girl.
The one thing I didn't like about this book was that I thought it ended to soon! I wanted the story to keep going !

I absolutely loved and adored this story! The author weaves in a lot of insightful information about Orthodox Judaism and the culture. I enjoyed getting to learn a little bit more about their customs and rituals.

Penina is one of the sweetest, most selfless, and admirable main characters that I've seen in a book in awhile. I loved getting to read about her caring ways, chaotic life, and bustling family.

I think what made this love story so special was that pretty much no physical contact (not even hand holding) occurred between the two lovers. This is a regular custom in the culture, you are not allowed to touch before you are married. It made their budding romance have a lot of tension, but also feel completely genuine and sincere.

I would definitely recommend this romance novel to all the romance book lovers out there. This is a love story you don't want to miss!

This book was really interesting. I thought having the main character be an Orthodox Jew was so interesting and brought a lot of different aspects to the book. I got a little annoyed how she immediately gave up on herself and her life and I liked that Sam tried to snap her out of it. But I also appreciated that she wasn’t going to give up her religion for anyone. It was really different but I did the think ending tied up everything a little too well.

I absolutely loved this book. It hooked me and kept me turning pages until I was done. Finished it in two days! The character development was strong, and the premise was unique enough that it didn't feel like anything else I've read.

If you are looking for a romance with light lust, and no sex scenes, and longing, plus an education in how things work in the dating scene for Orthodox Jews, then you might enjoy this romcom, not only for all the information you can learn but also for the banter, and longing. It is a very slow burn, especially since Penina is not allowed to even touch a man who isn’t a relative, except if it is an emergency.
Penina is infertile. Apparently that is not something that is desirable in a marriage that is built on having lots of kids, so she is now 29, and has not yet met anyone that she could possibly be happy with.
Her new boss at the jewelry store she works at, is not an Orthodox Jew, though he is Jewish. He is very nice to her, but she tells herself she doesn’t want to date the boss, and decides to get married as a beard for a gay jewish guy who will pay her $5 million to do so.

It is all quite logical, but very light hearted at the same time. If you can call getting married for money light hearted, especially when you know she is pining for Sam, her boss.

Sometimes it is nice to have a clean romance, and in this case, it worked. A good quick read, and nice, if slightly headstrong characters. I did enjoy them having to explain certain Jewish traditions, such as Friday night dinner, and weddings, and such

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book averrable for an honest review.</em>

Thank you netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this. That said, these are my own opinions.

Unorthodox was a well written great read. Docked a few stars because it was a tad predictable but highly enjoy that Heidi Shertok was also able to make this story her own unlike others. I love the inclusivity in this book. I can tell this book will be loved by all.

I was excited by the idea of a contemporary romance with an Orthodox Jewish lead, but I wasn't able to get into this one. The romance itself felt so slow--25% in and the two leads had only shared three brief scenes on page. I wish the book had spent more time on the romance and less on Penina's family and fashion.

First time reading the author and I really liked this story!

The Jewish culture in the book was very interesting to read. There's nothing Penina won't do for her family, including considering a marriage of convenience.

Sam is Penina's new boss and he comes off as very standoffish in the beginning. The P&P vibes in this book are strong, especially in one part near the end. The ending was super cute!

I'm looking forward to more books from this author.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was light hearted and made me laugh a few times. There was a lot of insight into Judaism in this book. I felt it helped someone who isn't Jewish understand why the main character acted the way she did. The story line was good and the characters were all really relatable.

Thanks to Alcove Press and NetGalley for the advanced readers copy!

Penina is an Orthodox Jewish woman in her late twenties and still unmarried. Almost unheard of in her community. She has been on so many dates but hasn't found her soulmate yet. Then she meets Sam, who happens to be her boss and not Orthodox. With instant chemistry and banter for days, can these two find a way to be together?

This book was so fun to read! Penina was a character you could really root for. Her and Sam had great chemistry on the page. I wasn't sure how the barrier of Penina's religion was going to be resolved but it was handled really well! This book was rich in Jewish traditions, specifically Orthodox Jews. While Judaism plays a major role in this book, I never felt like it overwhelmed the romance part of the story. Great representation!

I really enjoyed reading this book! This book constantly had me laughing out loud and I loved a lot of the characters! I think it started out slow but definitely picked up later on. I also loved getting to see all of the characters develop and grow. Overall, I really liked this book and I loved getting to see Orthodox Judaism representation!

I received an advanced copy of Unorthodox Love and it certainly lived up to its title of a romance that was far from traditional. I learned so much about the important acts of Judaism while reading this book, such as modesty, marriage, and matchmaking. Most of my knowledge about this religion comes from the Old Testament and I really appreciated how much dedication the author invested in creating this unique love story. I was fully invested in Penina and Sam’s relationship and I could have honestly done with a few extra chapters detailing their romance. Our heroine was so appealing and it was easy to picture myself in her sparkly shoes. The hero was a total dreamboat and he was the perfect pairing for Penina. Put these two together and we’ve got a match made in matzo ball soup.

While Penina and Sam’s romance gave me faint pangs of the honeyglow, I didn’t receive its full radiance. Unorthodox Love was a complex piece of fiction, but unfortunately the romance was secondary to the plot. This was marketed as a love story, but the heroine spent the majority of the novel engaged in a relationship with a man she didn’t love. The true object of her affection was ripe for the picking, but the reader was left frustrated waiting for her to make the right decision. I would have happily migrated the bridal offer to a marriage of convenience with Sam as an alternate plot instead of focusing on a candidate who only wanted to appease his dying Orthodox mother’s final wishes. I just wanted more of a spotlight on Penina’s blossoming relationship with Sam and didn’t want another guy in the picture who merely wanted her for a sham marriage. Sam and Penina had such a magnetic chemistry that I was greedy for as many interactions as my little gentile heart could handle. My favorite scenes were when they pretended to be an engaged couple to scope out the rival jewelry stores. Look how right this feels! Doesn’t that ring fit perfectly? Go ahead and make it official, you two lovebirds!

Unorthodox Love was a lovely, unique romance and I’m glad to have read it. I haven’t read many books featuring a Jewish lead and I hope this opens the door for more diverse romances. I really appreciate the author’s attempt at educating the reader on Judaism within a modern love story while still maintaining the respect for her religion. I’d be happy to read more books from this author, whether it’s diving further into Penina’s happy ever after or focusing on completely new characters. I learned plenty of new Jewish phrases and traditions, thanks to Unorthodox Love. If I can find more Jewish love stories just like this, I hope we can make glass smashing and chair dances synonymous with a fairy tale ending.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was well-written, but the male lead was really obnoxious.

This is the funniest romance book I’ve read in a long time. I’m not lying when I say that I laughed out loud reading this book. Penina is truly a funny and caring woman. She wanted everyone to be happy, but she didn’t realize that she deserved the happiness she wanted for others. Sam was a dream. Sounded like the perfect man. I also really loved Penina’s family. They were hilarious to read about. Penina’s co-workers also made me laugh as well. I’m just way too impressed on how this book made me smile over and over. With all that being said, this book was a wonderful read. I didn’t know much about Orthodox Judaism, but I enjoyed reading about it in this book. The writing was good and I loved the storyline. I’ll definitely read another book from this author.

This was a decent rom com, but both MCs just weren't compelling enough to pull the story together. It was light hearted, which I could appreciate.