Someone Just Like You

• Author: Meredith Schorr
• Genre: Romance
• Publication Date: July 25, 2023
• Publisher: Forever

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CONTENT WARNING: stalking, parental separation, mention of death of a loved one, mention of grief

Sizzling chemistry and tender friendship develops between two childhood rivals in this hilarious rom-com from the author of As Seen on TV.

Jude Stark is the bane of Molly Blum’s existence. The former neighbors and complete opposites began a rivalry in grade school that continued all the way through high school, consisting of fights, pranks, and generally one‑upping each other—until one over-the-top prank changed everything. A decade later, their siblings have forced them to collaborate on a surprise co‑wedding anniversary celebration for their parents, and soon Molly and Jude are reverting to their old tricks.

But eventually, a reluctant friendship develops…along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. The two come to discover they have more in common than they thought, including continually dating doppelgängers of each other, raising the question why are they seeking in romantic partners what they claim to hate about each other. They finally give in to their growing feelings, but will that old competitive spirit take over, or will they finally realize being on the same team is a lot more fun?

I’ve been waiting for a second book to come from Meredith Schorr, since I loved her first book so much. Naturally, when I saw that this one was on the horizon, I was thrilled to get approved for it. Plus, with a cover that adorable, the story has to be great, right?

I liked Molly’s character. She’s got a plan for her life, but she struggles a lot when anything throws her off the path she’s laid out for herself. If anything, she’s a bit too strictly wound—but there’s an explanation for this that’s revealed in flashbacks to her past, and it’s reinforced further by an issue when she’s a little older. Once I understood where she was coming from, her need to compulsively plan and stick to a plan for everything in her life was easier to empathize with. However, despite her intentions not to let Jude get to her, she continuously indulges with his juvenile pranks.

The pranks were one of my least favorite aspects of the story. It made the characters feel immature and unable to carry out simple tasks even when they are important to a bunch of people in their lives. It started to frustrate me more and more.

But overall, the story was fantastic, and I loved the sweet and fluffy friends to enemies to lovers romance. It’s got a couple of different types of Jewish representation in it, which I found really cool since everyone practices their particular brand of Judaism  differently. And there’s definitely some humorous parts to the story, but I especially loved the way that the siblings interacted. This is very different from Schorr’s last book, but I still enjoyed it all the same.