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.
Lauren Strasnick's Nothing Like You is a fast and entertaining read.
At a mere 209 pages, it really flies by in comparison to many of the other YA titles out there these days (which tend to be a fair bit more lengthy). There's something really refreshing about it - after all the hefty tomes, it's nice to have a shorter story - or, as Deb Caletti puts it, "candid".
Overall, it's an enjoyable story. Holly, Nils, Saskia, etc. are all rather interesting characters in their own right, and it was definitely fun to read about people who're quite different from [oneself]. Unfortunately, Paul (in particular) and the others to some degree as well, fell a little flat. The book could've been a bit lengthier if the added text were properly used to flesh out the characters a little more.
At times a little bit of incredulity about Holly's motivations did play an issue in regards to the credibility of the story. Strasnick does have an interesting writing style that engages the reader though.
All in all, although a little lacking in the character depth department, Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick is still a fun, quick and entertaining read.
