I started this book in July. It is now October. That should tell you everything you need to know about what my life has looked like for the past few months—but I’m back, I have a pile of reviews to catch up on, and I’m starting here because Soon By You absolutely deserves to be talked about.
I’ve been reading Dahlia Adler since Cool for the Summer and have followed her through Home Field Advantage, Going Bicoastal and most recently Come As You Are. Her YA has always been sharp and fun, but Soon By You is her first adult romance—and honestly? The adult setting suits her even better. This is Adler operating at full power.
If Arielle Becker has to serve as a bridesmaid one more time, she’s going to scream. Between the expense, the collection of dresses she’ll never wear again, the shower planning, the Spanx, the bridezillas, the family time, the heels, and a certain judgmental wedding singer she can’t stop bumping into, she is exhausted, burned out, and seriously beginning to hate romance and all its celebrations. Besides, it’s not like any of these girls are ever gonna turn around and do the same for her; Ari is not the kind of girl a good Jewish boy is looking to marry.
Judah Klein may be the tri-state area’s most in-demand Modern Orthodox wedding singer and eligible bachelor, but after years of uninspiring setups, he’s just about to give up on looking for his own Happily Ever After. Then a fiery, infuriating bridesmaid steps on his foot at a wedding, and before long, trading heated barbs turns into trading hotter kisses…and a realization that maybe he’s been looking for the wrong life all along.
For the first time, Judah can finally get on board with a romance, and of course it’s thanks to the one woman who has no interest in settling down—especially not with a guy who lives in the spotlight and has a professional reputation to uphold. But when neither one seems able to move on from a relationship that wasn’t meant to go anywhere, they’ll have to figure out whether there’s a possible future for two people who’ve already given up on love.
What I liked
The setting and cultural detail: I’ll be honest—early on, the deep dive into Modern Orthodox Jewish culture and tradition gave me a moment of pause. There are Hebrew song titles, religious observances and customs woven throughout, and without any frame of reference, I occasionally felt a little lost. But here’s the thing: I warmed up to it completely. By the end, the cultural specificity felt like one of the book’s greatest strengths. It gives Soon By You a sense of place and community that most romance novels don’t have, and it made the world feel genuinely lived-in. I learned things. I appreciated that Adler didn’t water it down for a general audience.
The banter: Classic Adler. If you’ve read any of her other books, you know that sharp, witty dialogue is her superpower and it is very much present here. Ari and Judah spark off each other in a way that feels electric—and the enemies-to-lovers setup gives that banter real teeth.
Judah: He’s not your typical MMC, and that’s exactly what makes him so compelling. He’s the in-demand wedding singer, the eligible bachelor—and yet underneath all of that, he’s quietly someone who has never quite found his footing when it comes to love. I don’t want to give too much away, but there’s a dimension to his character that I found really refreshing and handled with a lot of care. The fact that he so fully embraces who he is made him genuinely swoony in a way I didn’t expect.
The spice: I want to be upfront about this because I think it’ll be the thing that surprises people most—this book is hot. Like, genuinely, unexpectedly explicit. Given that the characters are observing Modern Orthodox Jews and certain lines don’t get crossed for religious reasons, Adler finds plenty of other territory to explore, and she does so with zero hesitation. The flirtation is dirty, the tension is relentless and the payoff absolutely delivers. If you’re picking this up thinking it’ll be a sweet, modest rom-com because of the setting—adjust your expectations accordingly. I loved it, but consider this your warning (or your invitation, depending on who you are).
The adult romance: Adler’s YA has always featured mature, well-drawn characters—but there’s something about the adult setting that gives her writing even more room to breathe. Ari and Judah feel like real grown-ups with real histories and real stakes, and the romance between them hits differently for it. There was also no super dramatic part in the middle that tore them apart. It just…made sense.
What didn’t work for me
The cultural immersion, occasionally: I said I warmed up to it, and I did—but there were moments, particularly around specific traditions and celebrations, where I would have appreciated just a little more context. Not a lot. Just enough to keep me from occasionally feeling like I’d walked into the middle of a conversation I wasn’t fully equipped for.
The Mexico section: There’s a stretch in the middle of the book where Judah is in Mexico, and I’ll be honest—I wanted to rush through it. Too many new tertiary characters were introduced in a short span, and I found myself losing the thread a little. It disrupted the momentum of a story that otherwise moves beautifully.
Final thoughts
Soon By You is my favourite Dahlia Adler to date—and Going Bicoastal set a high bar. It’s funny, it’s warm, it’s specific in all the right ways, and it has a love story that genuinely surprised me. If you’ve been a fan of Adler’s YA and haven’t made the jump to this one yet, consider this your sign. And if you’re new to her entirely, this is an excellent place to start.
4.75 STARS
“But nothing has been a bigger mistake than letting Judah Klein into her heart when she was only supposed to be letting him into her bed.” —Dahlia Adler, Soon By You
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the advanced copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
