Review #3 - Nothing Like You

Nothing Like You, by Lauren Strasnick, Audience: teen

Nothing Like You is a quick summertime read about Holly and her relationships with a pseudo-boyfriend, a boy best-friend, and her father. It begins with Holly losing her virginity to the pseudo-boyfriend (who has a real girlfriend) and the secret that this creates. As the story unfolds we learn that Holly's mother died less than a year ago and because of this has become emotionally numb. While the story is intriguing and the relationships that Holly has with the men in her life are interesting there is something in the writing that is a little grating. Maybe the writer is just trying to channel the way teenagers talk but parts of Holly's inner monologue such as: "Jeff is my dad, FYI" can be twinge inducing.

What saves this novel is the story and honesty of the characters and the knowledge that Holly will eventually be ok due to the support of her best friend and father.