Nothing Like You [Hardcover]

Lauren Strasnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2009

When Holly loses her virginity to Paul, a guy she barely knows, she assumes their encounter is a one-night stand. After all, Paul is too popular to even be speaking to Holly...and he happens to have a long-term girlfriend, Saskia. But ever since Holly’s mom died six months ago, Holly has been numb to the world, and she’s getting desperate to feel something, anything--so when Paul keeps pursuing her, Holly relents. Paul’s kisses are a welcome diversion...and it’s nice to feel like the kind of girl that a guy like Paul would choose.

But things aren’t so simple with Saskia around. Paul’s real girlfriend is willowy and perfect... and nothing like Holly. To make matters worse, she and Holly are becoming friends. Suddenly the consequences of Holly’s choices are all too real, and Holly stands to lose more than she ever realized she had.

“Nothing Like You is candid and quick-paced, with characters you can’t help but want the best for.” --Deb Caletti, National Book Award finalist for Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up—High school senior Holly Hirsh knows little about Paul Bennett beyond the fact that he is good-looking, popular, and has a "cool and put together" girlfriend. Seeking to fill the emotional void left by her mother's death, Holly loses her virginity to him and continues to see him. He demands that she keep their relationship secret, which exacerbates the complicated feelings she has toward her longtime best friend, Nils. When a school project provides a means for Holly to get to know Paul's girlfriend, her sense of betrayal becomes even deeper. The bare-bones plot elements seem soapy, yet first-time novelist Strasnick does a commendable job of tempering the dramatics down to a realistic portrayal of a teen needing to feel wanted, secure, and loved. Because of this characterization, regardless of Holly's mistakes and her excuses for Paul's caddish behavior, readers will find it easy to empathize with her.—Joanna K. Fabicon, Los Angeles Public Library END

Review

"Nothing Like You is candid and quick-paced, with characters you can't help but want the best for." -- Deb Caletti, author of Honey, Baby, Sweetheart

". . . the playing out of the emotional causes and consequences of high-school sex is honestly handled."

--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, January 2010

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 14 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (October 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416982647
• ISBN-13: 978-1416982647
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,604,228 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous and moving, October 29, 2009

By 

jo (ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing Like You (Hardcover)

From the first chapter, I was hooked. The characters are original, but easy to relate to. The story brings up dynamics that are universal and feel familiar, but it's written so perceptively- with compassion and wry humor- that it is suspenseful and revelatory. I feel like I know the characters, and watch them learn to know themselves better as the plot progresses. The dialogue is especially great; these sound like real people: young and smart and vulnerable. It made me cry at points, but this is not a sad book. It is fun fun fun to read. Also, there's a dog. My only complaint is that the descriptions of food (which are very grounding) kept me hungry and snacking the whole time I was reading. I would recommend this to young adult readers, and to adults who are able to see beyond stereotypes of teenagers and understand how wrenching adolescent relationships can be.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Proud Father, October 26, 2009

By 

Kenneth Strasnick "ks" (Greenwich, Ct) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Nothing Like You (Hardcover)

I'm not a literary critic, but this book kept me not only wanting to keep turning the pages, but it read with ease. The characters were great and the story so believable. When I finished the book I called the author and asked her to write the sequel.

Lauren's father,

Kenny

5.0 out of 5 stars A book I can read over and over again, September 17, 2011

By 

Joli (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nothing Like You (Paperback)

*Contains spoilers*

I loved Holly and my heart broke for her over and over again. Even though she was sneaking around with a guy who has a girlfriend, she wasn't unlikable. She was a good friend to Nils, putting up his girlfriends of week. She was a good daughter to her father Jeff who was still grieving the loss of his wife. She wasn't sneaking around with her best friend's boyfriend. And once she did become friends with Paul's girlfriend, she did try to break it off with him. Maybe a little too late, but still she wanted to do the right thing.

There was a time when I feared the book may go down the cliched "promiscuous girl's gotta learn a lesson" route. When Holly kept getting nauseous when thinking about telling Saskia or Saskia finding out or anyone finding out (for that matter) about her and Paul, I was afraid that the nausea was really caused by a pregnancy. And then when the random mention of the Agnes of God movie, my heart sank, yep, she's going to end up pregnant. But she wasn't, and everyone did find out about her and Paul. And then my heart broke again.

I liked the short quick chapters, but this book went by too fast for me. I was left wanting just a little bit more. Lauren Strasnick's next book is Her and Me and You. It is not a follow-up to Nothing Like You, but I do hope there is one in the future.