Melody
ISBN-13: 9781416982647
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: October 2009
224 pgs
Source: Library




It seems like I have been reading a lot of YA books lately, but that's because they are library books and I want to return them on time.


Holly lost her mother to cancer, so in a way this has made her worried and very conscious of her health. She does not have many friends at school, and she loves hanging around with her childhood friend, Nils, and she was glad that they went to the same school together.

While Holly thinks Nils is a good friend, she finds another Paul, another schoolmate attractive and despite they do not know each other very well, she does not mind hooking up with him though she knew he already has a girlfriend named Saskia. However, the more Holly spend time with Paul, the more she wanted their relationship to be serious but Paul thinks the other way, he wants their trysts to remain a secret.

To make things complicated, she and Saskia are classmates and their friendship blossoms as the days go by. Holly began to feel bad and try to leave Paul but he threatens to tell everyone about their relationship should she leave him. At this point of time, Holly realised that her friendship with Nils has began to change, and she thinks Nils having a girlfriend may also be a contributing factor.

However, when Holly realised what's most matter in her heart, things start to get more complex and she is caught in a lose-lose situation. She has chosen to leave Paul but then she would lose her friendship with Saskia and Nils too, since she has also broken a promise to him.

Nothing Like You is a bittersweet story of a young girl finding her self and love after the loss of her mother. Reading about her loss and her sadness have brought me memories of my late mother so I could relate to her in some ways.

I liked reading about Holly's exchange with Nils. Their friendship seems so sweet and real to me, and personally I think Nils is a perfect match for Holly but sometimes, things aren't supposed the way they are and moreover we have no control over things such as fate. Nothing Like You may seem like a typical teenage romance story, but I think there is much more depth to it as it allows the readers to think about things like loss (in general) and how we are going to deal with it, and also in what way it will affect us by the choice we made, etc.

Finally, I want to share an extract with you that I liked which made me think of self-acceptance and courage.

He dropped his bottle and scooched his chair back so we were facing each other. "You're you," he said. "You know, your mom made certain choices that I can pretty much guarantee, if faced with a similar crossroads, you wouldn't have made."

I nodded.

"Her path . . . that's not yours to follow. Okay?"

I resisted the urge to cry.

"Worse-case scenario, you face something similar . . . you fight, right?" He looked at me sympathetically. "Hey, you're your own person."
9 Responses
  1. Julia Says:

    WOW this review really made me want to read the book. It also make me curious of the relationship that Holly have with each players. And plus seem there a lot of drama going on too ;) And I knew that once I saw that the main character's mom died of cancer, that you able to connect with the story. I hope it bring you satisifying closure of your mother while reading the book. Bless your mom :) Great review Melody!


  2. bermudaonion Says:

    I'm not big on teenage romance stories, but the fact that you said this one has more depth to it has piqued my interest.


  3. Ceri Says:

    I really want to read this now. Thank you for such an awesome review. Mel, you always make my wishlist grow because you write such great reviews and read such interesting books, hehe.


  4. Iliana Says:

    Glad to hear you enjoyed this one, Melody! I do like YA but just haven't had the chance to read some lately. I hadn't heard of this oen before but I'm adding it to my list. Sounds good.


  5. Anonymous Says:

    I love the color of the cover! This does sounds good even though I don't read a lot of YA.


  6. Anonymous Says:

    The cover is sooo cute, sounds like a good book, this is going on my wishlist.


  7. Melody Says:

    Julia - Thank you, Julia!

    Kathy - I hope you'll get the chance to read it!

    Ceri - Aww...thank you, Ceri! You always say the sweetest thing to me. I love reading your reviews too! :D

    Iliana - I'm glad you're adding this onto your wishlist! I hope you'll enjoy it when you get to it!

    Stacy - I love the cover too! I just love the vibrant colour!

    Violet - It sure is! Glad to hear you're adding this onto your wishlist too! Yay!


  8. sheba Says:

    Not really a fan of teenage romances but this one sounds good.Great review..


  9. The Bookworm Says:

    This sounds really good. I enjoy YA but dont get the time to read it as much as I'd like to.
    Great review.
    http://thebookworm07.blogspot.com/


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