The cover has changed since I requested on NetGalley and have to say -- I love the upgrade!

I'm always looking for more Jewish romance books, so I was all over this one as soon as I saw the title. There was humour (almost to an outrageous extent at times, but hey, it's a comedy!), chemistry (looove a workplace romance, and the chemistry between Penina and Sam was *chef's kiss*), and all the Jewish representation! Loved how much we got to explore Orthodox Judaism and Penina's complicated relationship with the social structure she was born into. This is definitely one I'll come back to!

Unorthodox Love is a fantastically written storyline that weaves in so many interesting elements of a culture I feel I know so little about! What could be better than not only enjoying a wonderful storyline, but also learning so much as you go.

Shertok has written absolutely sublime characters who feel so incredibly real it’s almost like they’re reaching off the page. The plot is funny, emotional and well structured and the representation of both Orthodox Jews and a woman with fertility issues was brilliant to see.

I’d recommend this as a read for anyone looking for something a little different, but very enjoyable. Also an ideal read if you’re not comfortable with spice.

I really struggled to get into this book which is really disappointing because I thought the title was great and the premise seemed really interesting. I'm not sure if it was because the whole book is the FMC's POV and this story needed a dual POV or if the story itself lacked some structure. There was a lot going on and since I didn't find any of the characters likeable, I wasn't invested at all. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

As someone whose faith is apart of their everyday life, I connected with Heidi Shertok’s Unorthodox Love!!!

Penina isn’t the most desirable bachelorette in her Orthodox community, but she hasn’t given up hope. Despite dating from the age of nineteen, her inability to have children has resulted in limited and often incompatible options. But none of this matters now that she learned her family is in need of financial rescuing. Is marriage the answer to their problems, or will she hold out for her HEA?

I adored this book! Heidi Shertok wrote a contemporary romance relatable for ALL women of faith. You don’t need to be Orthodox to relate to Penina’s story.

Penina as a protagonist was a breath of fresh air! She was firmly grounded in her beliefs and resisted every temptation thrown her way. And she had a lot of them!

I also loved that Penina was not this old, frumpy shell of a woman. Shertok’s decision to make Penina a modest fashion influencer on Instagram was genius. It perfectly summed up how Penina navigated living in the world, but not letting it define her.

After seeing Penina’s loving and pure heart, I worried she wouldn’t get her HEA. I was so happy with how her story ultimately wrapped. It was the perfect ending!!!

Special thanks to Netgalley, Heidi Shertok, Embla Books, and Dreamscape Media for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

Penina grew up under the Orthodox Jewish faith and with the teaching that everyone has their soulmate. At 29, she's still single and starting to question her belief. She can't have children, and while it is a main tenant of her faith, she can't believe this would keep her from her soulmate. Enter Zevi, who has proposed, albeit with an odd proposal, and Sam, her new boss, who she can't stop thinking about. Will one of these keep her heart? It's a fun romance with a unique and unlikely sunshine heroine.

. I liked the premise of this book, but this book ended up being an absolute mess. Penina is a relatable, frazzled heroine. her internal monologue is SO horny. There's nothing appealing about Sam, other than his supposed good looks. There's so much unnecessary information about unimportant characters/events.
This book has an unexpected amount of medical content, from casual mentions of illnesses and injuries, to main plot points of cancer, infertility, and other ailments. I found it a bit jarring.
The audiobook is possibly the worst I've ever listened to. The narrator pronounces words- common English words, and Yiddish and Hebrew, extremely weirdly. She also uses random accents that aren't in the text.
In short, this book could have been fun, but just didn't work.

I liked the premise of this story and the Jewish representation but the execution was too drawn out and lagged at times. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the main characters and all the side characters were pretty unlikeable. In addition, the audio narrator mispronounces a lot of the basic Jewish words and I wish they would have done a bit more research before keeping the mispronounced audio in.

I adored this story. Pennia is a trip, and I love her. Her inner dialogue was spectacular, but Pennia is a sweetheart with a big heart. She cares about her family so much she is willing to put herself lst at all times.

Pennia has had difficulty being as she can't have kids, although she puts up a good front. Meanwhile, she has serious feelings for Sam, but he isn't Unorthodox.

But she is getting married so she can't think of Sam - she needs to get married to help her sister - it won't be that bad.

I devoured this book and loved it. I also adore all the different covers of this book! Stunning!

Unlike many of the reviews, I am very knowledgeable about the Orthodox Jewish community and it's traditions. I was excited to read a book with Jewish characters that isn't Holocaust related. While the book was a fun, light-hearted romance, it was a bit slow in the beginning and then a bit contrived toward the end. I would definitely recommend this book for those who want to learn more about a different culture and its practices towards marriage.

Unorthodox Love was funny, light-hearted, and genuinely lovely to read.

Panina is 29 and searching for love. She's an Orthodox Jew, and her matchmaker keeps sending her on awful date after awful date - leading her to think she may never find the one. We follow her on this journey.

This is contemporary romance for sure, but oh so clean! Main character Penina is 29, which seems like a great age for a romance main character - she's older, wiser, and more mature. I also loved that Penina was unabashedly an Orthodox Jew, with the subsequent explanations of the customs and practices (making it very accessible for the non-Jewish reader). I was totally rooting for Penina to find her happy after the whole time, loved her for keeping the no-touching as much as possible, and just adored Sam for the most part. It was funny in parts, and a nice cast of secondary characters.

But I struggled with this book. I wanted to absolutely love it and shout about it from the rooftops - we need more Jewish romance being published. However I was uncomfortable with the two choices that Penina had - marry a rich gay man and fix her sisters' financial problems OR have romantic lead Sam change his religious practices (or Penina decide that they weren't actually that important to her) made me uncomfortable. While I adored the ending and it really wrapped up things nicely, it was the middle of the book where I struggled. I also felt uncomfortable with how much of a jerk Sam was in the beginning, and how that was okay because it turns out he had feelings the whole time for her. Would I still recommend this book? Definitely! We need more Jewish romance, and I would love to see another book by Heidi Shertok!

Unfortunately this book didn’t vibe with me. It had a really meaningful premise but I struggled to connect!

This was a cute read about an Orthodox Jewish woman who is dealing with infertility, which gives her the dregs of her community from the matchmaker. Overall it was cute. I was kind of annoyed with the main character for making herself a martyr for her family, but I appreciated that the people around her called her out about it. I appreciated learning about a different religion and culture as well.

This is a fun, quirky romance between an Orthodox Jewish woman who works in a jewellery store and her boss's son. It was fast paced and the tension between the two characters was really well developed. Slight enemies to lovers vibes. I really enjoyed this one and would recommend it!

I loved this book and the storyline was just perfect. I feel in love with the characters and their story and couldn't put the book down. Will be recommending to all that I can.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for this ARC!

I was entertained with this book! It was a good read and I would absolutely recommend reading it to my friends. Quick easy read for me. Such a cute romcom!

This was my first time reading something by this author and it was quite an enjoyable experience. The story was unique and caught my attention from the beginning and held it all the way through. I enjoyed learning about a new culture and the author did a nice job of depicting the traditions and practices and helped the reader really understand the customs. The book definitely left me with a smile on my face afterwards. The characters were interesting and well-developed with realistic qualities that gave them an authentic personality and were easily relatable. The story was delightful and interesting and I look forward to reading more by this author.
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Unorthodox Love was a cute and fun to read rom com. The story was heartwarming, charming and humorous.

Panina is an Orthdox Jew looking for love who keeps getting sent on horrible dates by her matchmaker. (She literally gets sent on a date with a guy who answers her mom's FaceTime while on the date!) I felt for her character right then and there.

I loved how the book tied Panina's religion with how she shows up on her instagram page, how she's a strong woman that stands up for herself and her beliefs, and how she will do anything for her loving family.

The story was interesting and really different from other romances I've read, but it felt a little insta-lovey for me and at times a bit unrealistic.

Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Yes, I love a Jewish romance and yes, this was a lovable one. Pnina is on her journey to find love, when she’s forced to deal with her grumpy, hot, new boss. We all know where it goes from there, but all of the nuances are what makes this one special. Lots of likable characters, funny moments, and growth. Some moments are a little far fetched, but the story kept me engaged past those hiccups.

I truly enjoyed this book. Penina is a 29 year old Orthodox Jew who is infertile. Sam is her new boss. It was wonderful to see a Jewish romance novel and to see the religion treated with respect. The romance was enemies to lovers / grumpy sunshine which I enjoy. The HEA was wonderful and so worth it.