Book Review - Unorthodox Love by Heidi Shertok

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Title: Unorthodox Love

Author: Heidi Shertok

Format reviewed: Ebook

Source: Netgalley

Publisher: Embla Books

Publication Date: 6th June 2023

Rating: 5 Stars

Maybe G-d was distracted the day He assigned soulmates, and accidentally skipped me. Or maybe I was the distracted one, backstroking through the clouds and making dead people jokes, and totally forgot to get in line. Yeah, that must've been it.

Penina has grown up believing the Orthodox Jewish teaching that there is one soulmate out there for everyone. But now she's twenty-nine and single, she's starting to wonder if she's the exception.

She has tried everything to find 'the one' and after yet another disastrous date, she can feel even her faith starting to dwindle.

Add to that spending her days surrounded by diamond engagement rings in the jewellery store where she works and her new boss, Sam Kleinfeld, making her life a living hell, and Penina feels more hopeless than ever.

Until she meets Zevi, a handsome, successful, Orthodox singleton just like her. Who has a rather unusual proposal. Could Penina be about to get everything she's ever wanted?

But then there's Sam, her very non-Orthodox, pain of a boss, who she just can't stop thinking about... Penina has always followed the rules. But will finally getting a chance at true love mean she needs to break some?

A laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, perfect for fans of Ali Hazelwood, Sophie Kinsella and Emily Henry.

Oh this was brilliant. 

There was so much I could relate to, although I'm not orthodox, there was plenty in this that definitely did resonate with me. 

There are two possible paths that Penina could take in this story, and I was never completely sure whether she would choose duty to her family, or her heart - and with those came two rather fabulous men! 

This is after loads of completely rubbish dates that led Penina to have no hope for her future.  Add in changes at the Jewelry store where she works, and we have a character that has a lot of decisions to make in all elements of her life. 

Penina's father almost reminded me of the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, different religion sure, but certainly some similar personality traits.   Penina's sisters were brilliant, one married with more children I could possibly count (I think it was five) and then her younger sister is completely independent and I loved some of her opinions.

Penina seems to be the bane of her matchmaker's existence, and some of the potential matches have been totally dire, which adds to the humour of the book. 

I loved Sam from the moment I met him, but same with Zevi. 

This was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed reading it. 

Would love to read more from this author in the future. 

Thank you to Embla Books and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.