Someone Just Like You by Meredith Schorr

Someone Just Like You

by Meredith Schorr

New Yorker Molly Blum knows everything about her lifelong nemesis, Jude Stark. With their families so close, they should have been best friends. Instead, she thinks he's a too-charming slacker, and he thinks she's allergic to fun. After years of one-upping each other's pranks (chocolate-dipped cat treats are not as delicious as they appear), one high school joke went too far, and they stopped speaking completely. But now that they're supposed to help plan a massive party for their parents-together-there's no better time to resume their war.

And it is on. Only somewhere between all the sniping and harmless hijinks, a reluctant friendship develops, along with an unexpected spark of sexual tension. It might have to do with the fact that she's been dating Jude-lookalikes and he's been dating Molly doppelgangers. Or the fact that neither of them is nearly as horrible as they thought. All Molly and Jude know is that they've mastered the art of hating each other. Falling in love, on the other hand, is a whole new battlefield.

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on

5 of 5 stars

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Hilarious NYC-Based Rom-Com. This book has several different things going on at once, which can seem a bit chaotic - and seems to be meant to. The base setup, of two sets of siblings planning a joint anniversary party for both sets of parents, is chaotic enough. Then you throw in the actual romance here, of a boy and girl who almost literally grew up together and have a lifetime of bickering with each other and pranking each other behind them (which we get to see a lot of), and it becomes a recipe for... well, everything. The love is deep and heartfelt - even as neither of them realizes it. The comedy, both in the past and present, is pure gold. The drama... is both real (parents) and Hallmarkie (romance) and yet also comedic (a famous movie that has been remade at least twice, but revealing which one reveals things about the book). Overall, it hits all the genre "rules" and while it isn't for the "sweet"/ "clean" crowd, also isn't anywhere near erotica level either. In fact, as others have mentioned (both positively and negatively), the first "encounter" is rather comedic (and, I would argue, *real*).

At the end of the day, this is one of those kinds of books where your mileage really will vary. If you love zany "what the fuck" stories with a LOT of side characters and all kinds of stuff happening all around the main storyline, you're going to love this book. The more you have a problem with that kind of setup, the less you're going to enjoy this one.

Overall, I thought this was freaking hilarious and truly well done. Very much recommended.

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  • 25 July, 2023: Reviewed