Soon by You by Dahlia Adler
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
ISBN: 9781250411884
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Soon by You is a Modern Orthodox romcom whose premise had me hooked. Dahlia Adler wove themes of religion, community, and embracing your true self into this romance which I found incredibly appealing.
I liked that Ari was unabashedly herself and that didn’t conflict with her faith. What I didn’t love was the constant judgment Ari faces for embracing her sexuality. I understood why it was there but it felt like it overwhelmed the story at times and then didn’t feel fully resolved. Judah is a wildly popular wedding singer whose star is on the rise, but he’s still finding himself. He thinks he knows what he wants but then he and Ari clash at a wedding and he starts questioning his views on dating, marriage, and attraction. I liked that Judah was on the asexual spectrum but wanted to explore his character a bit more outside that.
There’s a lot of push-pull in Ari and Judah’s romance, mostly because of what others think about them. Judah is on a pedestal and Ari’s reputation is constantly being trashed. It felt a bit dragged out and repetitive at times, and the story slowed because of it. I wanted a bit more of them as people and the story focused a lot on sexual chemistry. Normally I’d be fine with that if the attraction sizzled on the page, but in this case it was just OK. Without the palpable tension, I felt like I was missing just a bit more depth from the main characters.
The Jewish representation in this book is excellent and Adler gives a great look at the dating and wedding scene in the Modern Orthodox community in New York. As someone who is Jewish (though not Orthodox) I felt like some of the supporting characters could be people I know (and that’s in ways both good and bad, which is a point in the book’s favor for realism). The star of the show for me was Judah’s brother, Akiva, who I’d gladly read a book about – to me he had more personality and was more interesting than either of the main characters. As for the rest of Judah and Ari’s friends, frenemies, and acquaintances, they ranged from pleasant to annoyingly judgmental and most of them didn’t make much of an impact.
Soon by You is a hard book for me to review because I wanted to love it – an Ashkenazi Modern Orthodox romance was a breath of fresh air. But the romance didn’t hook me like I wanted it to. The book did pick up steam in the latter half of the story but overall I ended up just liking it.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Source: Publisher
Buy it here: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Audible
Arielle Becker is one hora away from a meltdown. After one too many bridesmaid gigs—complete with Spanx, heels, and hideous dresses—she’s officially over love and its overpriced trappings. Especially when they keep coming with the same smug, judgmental wedding singer.
Judah Klein is New York’s go-to Modern Orthodox wedding singer and most eligible bachelor. Years of failed setups have left him jaded, until repeated clashes with a fiery bridesmaid wake him right up. But when snarks turn to sparks, and fights turn to feelings, things get complicated.
Arielle is not a girl who settles down. And Judah is not a guy who hooks up. So why does walking away feel impossible?
Soon by You is a Modern Orthodox romcom whose premise had me hooked. Dahlia Adler wove themes of religion, community, and embracing your true self into this romance which I found incredibly appealing.
I liked that Ari was unabashedly herself and that didn’t conflict with her faith. What I didn’t love was the constant judgment Ari faces for embracing her sexuality. I understood why it was there but it felt like it overwhelmed the story at times and then didn’t feel fully resolved. Judah is a wildly popular wedding singer whose star is on the rise, but he’s still finding himself. He thinks he knows what he wants but then he and Ari clash at a wedding and he starts questioning his views on dating, marriage, and attraction. I liked that Judah was on the asexual spectrum but wanted to explore his character a bit more outside that.
There’s a lot of push-pull in Ari and Judah’s romance, mostly because of what others think about them. Judah is on a pedestal and Ari’s reputation is constantly being trashed. It felt a bit dragged out and repetitive at times, and the story slowed because of it. I wanted a bit more of them as people and the story focused a lot on sexual chemistry. Normally I’d be fine with that if the attraction sizzled on the page, but in this case it was just OK. Without the palpable tension, I felt like I was missing just a bit more depth from the main characters.
The Jewish representation in this book is excellent and Adler gives a great look at the dating and wedding scene in the Modern Orthodox community in New York. As someone who is Jewish (though not Orthodox) I felt like some of the supporting characters could be people I know (and that’s in ways both good and bad, which is a point in the book’s favor for realism). The star of the show for me was Judah’s brother, Akiva, who I’d gladly read a book about – to me he had more personality and was more interesting than either of the main characters. As for the rest of Judah and Ari’s friends, frenemies, and acquaintances, they ranged from pleasant to annoyingly judgmental and most of them didn’t make much of an impact.
Soon by You is a hard book for me to review because I wanted to love it – an Ashkenazi Modern Orthodox romance was a breath of fresh air. But the romance didn’t hook me like I wanted it to. The book did pick up steam in the latter half of the story but overall I ended up just liking it.
Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.