Una LaMarche

Living on opposite sides of their Brooklyn neighborhood, strict Hasidic Devorah and fun-loving nerd Jaxon forge an unexpected connection when they become trapped in an elevator during a hurricane, after which they pursue a secret romance. Simultaneous eBook.

Like No Other

Ron Bronson

Soo...I'm not usually a YA reader. Doesn't go far enough for me most of the time. But I read this because I grew up not far from Crown Heights in Jersey and more hilariously, because a friend and I dreamt up a scenario similar to the story behind this book when we were visiting. So to see it come to life was sort of hilarious in a beautiful way. 

Here's the deal, it never felt like kids to me. Or real people at all recalling their story. I know it had to be a heavy handed since most people didn't grow up around Jews, but to me, those parts bogged me down in their need to prove how authentic this all is. I also agree with the others who say that Jaxon felt less like a person and more like a plot device.

I read Eleanor & Park too and neither of them ever felt that way. Whatever you thought of their relationship and story, they felt like real people. I didn't like anything about how Jaxon was characterized in the story, but Devorah to me wasn't any less a caricature. The perfect goodie two shoes, the black kid who reads novels on the train (p.s. It's not as weird as you think...) could find themselves in these strange circumstances and heck, could even find each other intriguing enough to pursue this; but I'm not buying their meet cute and so the whole thing to me has a harder time standing up. I mean, I get that putting them in the elevator was the only way to make the whole thing happen. And that kids can be powered by all sorts of things, so I can even see them thinking about each other after; hell there are people I met in high school that STILL come to mind from time to time though not romantically. I can see the allure of "different" being powerful elixir for two kids who are a little out of step with the ordinary in their own lives.  

I appreciated the boldness of the attempt AND the detail contained therein. I just couldn't get past the narration sounding a lot like it was the author rather than the characters themselves. It's not a bad story, I just wasn't able to connect with it as much as other people. 

If you're looking for a story that's about love, two characters -- one Jewish, one not -- who don't fall in love with each other, but do bridge boundaries in a similar way, the film "Arranged" was one of my favorites.

Jeannette Ordas

A modern and enjoyable Romeo & Juliet story involving a black boy and a hasidic girl from Crown Heights, Brooklyn. I really liked this romance story and learned a lot about one of the more conservative sects in the hasidic community.

Charlotte 

A book told from multiple character POVs ✔

Nadine 

Interesting insight into the Hasidic community and the limitations on romance outside of the religion. Great book on the limitations of "forbidden love" that burns itself out with time.

Jennifer

I probably suffered while clearing out my dusty pile of books that didn't see the light for years. This is one of the dozens unread books which I put aside from my primary bookshelf - and that's when I have the realisation that my book taste changed so much in the mere 4 years. Like No Other details a forbidden relationship between two teenagers (the nature of this relationship reminds me of the one in West Side Story). While I think the details on the religion & context are well faithfully written, I found the overall book pretty lacking. So I was bored throughout and find myself skimming through the whole thing (and surprise! it was really predictable and I guessed how this would end really early on in the book).

Again, my complaint against Like No Other is due to the fact I'm not the target audience - normally I don't really read books where the romance is the centre piece of the story. But I am pretty sure people who are into Contemporary / Romance genres would think differently about this.

tw: vomit, injury, and violence

(1.5 stars out of 5)

Jelke Lenaerts

Warning: this book contains heavy insta love ... do heavy that it took away from my enjoyment a bit. I also didn't really feel connected to the book so that's why I docked two stars. I loved learning about this way different culture than mine. Really interesting !

full review: https://jelkelenaerts.blogspot.be/201...

b.andherbooks

Dual POV story of two teens from completely different backgrounds falling in love after getting stuck in an elevator during a hurricane. I found Devorah, an extremely Orthodox Hasidic Jewish girl's interesting, especially how the author introduced new vocabulary words and concepts. A bit "insta-love" for me, but they are young and sheltered. The ending was well done.

OliviaPadilla

Turtle lover

Jessie

“One of the most poignant and star-crossed love stories since The Fault in Our Stars.” —Entertainment Weekly Fitting seamlessly alongside current bestsellers like Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park, and John Green's Paper Towns, LIKE NO OTHER provides a thoroughly modern take on romance that will inspire laughter, tears, and the belief that love can happen when you least expect it. Fate brought them together. Will life tear them apart? Devorah is a consummate good girl who has never challenged the ways of her strict Hasidic upbringing. Jaxon is a fun-loving, book-smart nerd who has never been comfortable around girls (unless you count his four younger sisters). They've spent their entire lives in Brooklyn, on opposite sides of the same street. Their paths never crossed . . . until one day, they did. When a hurricane strikes the Northeast, the pair becomes stranded in an elevator together, where fate leaves them no choice but to make an otherwise risky connection. Though their relation is strictly forbidden, Devorah and Jax arrange secret meetings and risk everything to be together. But how far can they go? Just how much are they willing to give up?

Like No Other

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