I’ve been reading a lot if Emma e lately and have to know the genre well - the tropes, which techniques work, and whose technic is unique to whom. I really struggled to get through this ARC from NetGalley. It was so cliched and overwrought, trying too hard to be cutesy. I found it imitates other writers too much, as well, specifically Sally Thorne’s Hating Game. I’m sorry to say that I won’t be recommending this at all.

Penina is about to meet someone who has the most unique offer for her which could be everything she’s ever wanted, this has such mix emotions of comedy and little laugh out loud moments, this is such a easy read that you possible couldn’t resist!

This was a solid read just a bit slow. I struggled a bit getting into this one. But overall it was an interesting story.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! Penina was a very lovely main character, and I was really rooting for her throughout this book. However, I felt like I didn’t get to know Sam as well, so I wasn’t as invested in their relationship as I wanted to be. I wish I had gotten to understand his personality and background more. In general, I was happy to see Jewish representation in a romance novel, and I thought the author did a wonderful job of teaching the reader about Orthodox traditions without the knowledge feeling awkwardly inserted.

Penina is our FMC, who lives in Minneapolis (shout-out to my hometown!) and isn’t married at age 29. No big deal, except in her Orthodox Jewish community most women are married at age 18 and have many children by her age. Her infertility makes her think she’s not supposed to be happy or find her bashert. She is a very kind person and volunteers at the local hospital’s NICU holding babies. Her day job is as a jewelry saleswomen who finds joy in helping customers find the perfect gift. Her boss gets sick and his son, Sam, takes over the business. They have a spark but he’s not Orthodox…

Best/worst first date 🫣🤣
29 year old virgin
Modest fashionista
Jewish matchmaking
Infertility
Witty and hilarious writing with many millennial references
Sisters/strong family ties

This was an enjoyable romance read but it take a bit to fully get into the book. I’m not a huge fan of romance atm but it did tick majority of the boxes so it’s a win! Would recommend to fans of romance.

This took me about 1/3 of the way in before I started to enjoy it, so was slow off the mark. However, from that point on, I really got into it and enjoyed. A fun concept with some amusing characters who entertained. An interesting take on the rom com and it worked for me. Good to see underrepresented characters at the forefront of this read. Very enjoyable.

Synopsis:
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(I find a synopsis helpful for reviewing the few fiction books I do read and review)

Penina has grown up believing the Orthodox Jewish teaching that there is one soulmate out there for everyone. But now she's twenty-nine and single, she's starting to wonder if she's the exception.

She has tried everything to find 'the one' and after yet another disastrous date, she can feel even her faith starting to dwindle. Add to that spending her days surrounded by diamond engagement rings in the jewellery store where she works and her new boss, Sam Kleinfeld, making her life a living hell, and Penina feels more hopeless than ever.

Until she meets Zevi, a handsome, successful, Orthodox singleton just like her who has a rather unusual proposal for her. Could Penina be about to get everything she's ever wanted? But then there's Sam, her pain of a boss, who she just can't stop thinking about...

I really enjoyed this book: I like reading about other cultures and I enjoy a book that is not sexually graphic as I just skip the pages as I don't want to read who did what with what and put what where.
This is a cute romance that will delight its readers - I will recommend it to my clientele in search of an innocuous but interesting romance.

A little mixed about this one
This is a funny and light romance with an atypical back story. I think the idea is to give a more modern view of Orthodox Jew and it's written by an orthodox author so I want to believe her. However I still feel mixed about it. The main character can be very naive but also very sassy and I felt uncomfortable sometimes reading it, wondering how the community will take it.

Definite unorthodox romance with strong emphasis on strength of beliefs, family, and character - with quite a few of the usual and some new rollercoaster obstacles thrown in. The HEA is totally welcome and satisfying.