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Nothing Like You Lauren Strasnick Books

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Nothing Like You Lauren Strasnick Books

A wonderful little story with a likeable protagonist and an engaging plot that leaves you both satisfied and wanting more.


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Nothing Like You Lauren Strasnick Books Reviews

3.25 stars

When this book first started I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The book opens with Holly losing her virginity to Paul, but there's not really much to the scene. It happens, but it's not really clear that she's losing her virginity, that it's a one-night stand, or really what happens at all.

As the book goes on Holly and Paul's relationship is always kind of in the background. Holly never tells her best friend, Nil, and she doesn't have anyone else to tell (she's not going to tell her dad, Jeff, or her dog, Harry). Otherwise Holly just kind of goes about her life. She goes to school, she goes hiking, she hangs out with Nil, and that's pretty much it. From time to time she'll pass Paul in the hallway and wish he was with her rather than his girlfriend Saskia or Paul will come over to have sex, but that's pretty much it.

Besides mourning her mother, who passed away about six months prior to the book starting, there's really nothing else going on in Holly's life. And that left me, about halfway through the book, wondering what it was all about. I liked Holly a lot, she was obviously in a lot of pain and not really coping in the best ways, but I thought she was smart and witty and I enjoyed reading about her. I just wasn't sure what the point was.

A little more than halfway through the book more things start happening. Holly has befriended Paul's girlfriend Saskia after working together on an history project and she begins to feel more and more bad for what she's doing. I really liked Holly's relationship with Saskia, it was probably my favorite relationship in the book, and that definitely made me more interested and involved in the book than if Saskia had just remained faceless.

I wasn't shocked when the book reached the top of its story arc, but I was surprised at what happened after that. The wrap up of the story happens very quickly with a few short chapters that go through about six months of time. It was almost like the story just ended with nothing being resolved and there were a few short epilogues that also didn't offer much in the way of a resolution. On the flip side, I kind of liked that there wasn't a ton of resolution. As frustrating as it is, sometimes, and this is one of those times, I feel like that method of storytelling is much more true to life. I also appreciate when things aren't just wrapped up in neat little packages.

Bottom Line Nothing Like You is a solid book, with an interesting, if not innovative story, and a main character that I really liked. The pacing is a little off and I didn't necessarily think there was enough driving the story, but it was still an enjoyable read.
I wasn't quite prepared when I started reading this. I wasn't expecting this book to be this heavy. I thought it would be a lot like the lighter novel that deal with tough topics. You'd feel sorry for the main girl, sad for the choices she makes, and elated when in the end, she falls in love with the right person and everything is tied up in a pretty bow. Nothing Like You was nothing like I thought.

Holly recently lost her mother to breast cancer and she thinks she's okay now. She didn't have a dark time of depression after her mom's death, but it's easy to tell by the nearly robotic way she thinks about life in the first few chapters that she hasn't dealt with losing her mom. She hasn't really faced her grief; she's found a way to live while pushing the sadness back.

Holly reaches out to Paul as a way to bring her out of the numbness she's felt since her mom died. In doing this, her problems begin to grow and snowball until she's finally forced to confront them. It's a very realistic look at Holly's journey from the numb, needy girl she starts out as to the more emotionally stable person she becomes at the end. Everything isn't solved by the end of the book, but there's hope written in those final pages. My only wish is that we could have seen if Holly came to terms with who she is and found a way to stop comparing herself to others and deciding what she does or doesn't deserve based on what she sees.

Nothing Like You is a heavy, but fantastic read that tackles the tough topic of loss and what it can do to a person. Even though it's on the shorter side in length, Strasnick packed a lot of valuable words and meaning into these pages. It's definitely worth a read.
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
I read this book from a different perspective from most readers as the author's mom is my closest childhood friend. I feel Lauren really captured the true essence of her mother in this very sensitive novel . She writes movingly of so many subjects that we all deal with at some time in our life...great loss, fragile friendships, the inability to be in touch with our innermost feelings, the conflicts of love and lust and the steps we take to maneuver through life as unscathed as possible. The book is very well written for young and old. The author writes in a manner that makes you really feel for the characters and pulls you into the pages right from the beginning. It also leaves the reader feeling hopeful for Holly ( the main character) and hopeful that there will be other books written from this excellent writer. Thanks!
I really liked this book. The struggles that Holly faces feel real. It's like taking a walk in her shoes. You want to comfort her when she hurts and cheer for her when she's happy.
A wonderful little story with a likeable protagonist and an engaging plot that leaves you both satisfied and wanting more.