About The Book
When her boss announces a holiday bonus to the person who sells the most books, Shoshanna sees an opportunity to at least fix her car, if none of her other problems. The only person standing in her way? New hire Jake Kaplan. He doesn’t even read! But somehow his sales start to rival hers. Jake may be cute (really cute), and he may be an eligible Jewish single (hard to find south of Atlanta), but he’s also the enemy, and Shoshanna is ready to take him down.
Buy The Book: https://amzn.to/3NAvn3o
My Rating
This story follows Shoshanna, a teenage Jewish girl who works in a bookstore. However, during the Hanukkah season, she not only has to deal with a new rival employee, but her home life is also complicated. I found this book to be a surprising five-star. Shoshanna had a good her personality and found her to be very likable. Throughout the book, she dealt with her moms acting weird and ended up making many mistakes in her personal life.
However, it was also somewhat of a coming-of-age story, yet I did not find her to be as immature as people assumed she was being. Also, I love the main character with an entertaining inner monologue. Speaking of her parents, I liked how close she was to them. Her friends were likable, but the fact that one wanted to be a YouTube beauty influencer was somewhat annoying. However, I guess that everyone wants to be an influencer.
As for the romance, it was adorable! In the beginning, I did not like Jake at all, but in hindsight, some people do make a bad first impression. I liked seeing their relationship grow and develop feelings towards each other. I would say that it is an enemies-to-lovers and grumpy sunshine romance.
“Do you really not read books?”
Because they worked at a bookstore, there were many book references, including the mention of bookmas. There was even a fun, little book-selling competition element that I really enjoyed, and it helped fuel the whole enemies-to-lovers romance. And, it even ended up bringing them closer to each as well, which I loved!
Although the tone of the book is lighter, there are some heavier topics brought up. Shoshanna’s family goes through something and her world starts to spiral. However, the book notes that some people have it worse, and being grateful is important. Money is another factor in this book. The author does a good job showcasing that everyone has a different financial situation. Truthfully, money makes the world go around, and some of us struggle a lot more than others.
Overall, it was a sweet YA holiday contemporary, with some romance sprinkled into the plot. Therefore, if you are looking for a cute read for Hanukkah, I would 100% recommend this for you. Also, in the book, they mention that there are not enough Hanukkah holiday movies, but I love how that is starting to change.
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Until The Next Chapter,
Bunny