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The Matzah Ball
Oy! to the world
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.
But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.
But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.
416 pages, Paperback
First published September 28, 2021
1014 people are currently reading
24620 people want to read
About the author
Jean Meltzer
6Ìýbooks1,276ÌýfollowersJean Meltzer studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch and has earned numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy. She spent five years in rabbinical school before her chronic illness forced her to withdraw, and her father told her she should write a book―just not a Jewish one because no one reads those. She is the author of The Matzah Ball, Mr. Perfect on Paper, and Kissing Kosher. Magical Meet Cute is her fourth book.
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***
Hi Everyone,
Just a heads up that I don't accept friend requests on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. However, please find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I love chit-chatting and making friends! Thank you so much for your understanding.
With Love,
Jean
Connect with her online at:
Website:
Instagram:
FB:
Newsletter:
Amazon Author Page:
***
Hi Everyone,
Just a heads up that I don't accept friend requests on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. However, please find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I love chit-chatting and making friends! Thank you so much for your understanding.
With Love,
Jean
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,700 reviews
February 20, 2022
L’chaim my friends! This book is extremely swoon worthy, heartfelt, charming, enchanting and touching!
Both of the MCs are huggable, likable, a little obnoxious and self destructive but they are truly golden hearted ones who deserve a HEA!
The enemies to lovers: strict entrepreneur vs
sunshiny romance author, summer camp archenemies themes worked perfectly well in this story.
You laugh, you clap, you sigh, you get pissed off to their misunderstandings and less of communications. Tears drip down across your cheeks as you hold your heart tightly and sigh slowly: this is the best book honestly reflects Judaism traditions, rituals but it also reflects its magical and soothing face. I think this book mostly show us those traditions� magical ways to gather the families and bond them tightly with those rituals. This book is about destroying your inner walls, confronting with your resentments that holds you back, fighting against your inner fears.
Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt, living her nice two bedroom Upper West apartment, single, a rabbi’s daughter ( Quick correction: Rabbi Goldblatt is not a no name-low level rabbi, he is a macher, a bigwig in her community, coming from a big family of Jewish philosophers and founders of Jewish Community Centers) suffers from chronic disease: myalgic encephalomyelitis ( chronic fatigue syndrome) affects her neurological,immune, autonomic, metabolic systems. Rachel daily lives with crushing fatigue, brain fog, migraines, weirdo pains force her spending her days in her bed, lying in the dark.
Most of the people including her employers don’t know her illness. Only her family and her childhood friend Mickey know her secret.
But this is not the only thing she keeps to herself. She lies about her profession: as a rabbi’s daughter, coming from conservative family, she likes Christmas because when she’s sick at young age, Christmas spirit and those all Hallmark movies gave her hope, saved her suffering soul. And she’s famous Christmas romance author with a secret pen name. Her three books were already adapted into movies, airing on TV but she cannot share this brilliant news with her family.
But now she’s doomed because the publishers have intention to accept a new Christmas novel. They want her to write a Hanukkah romance. But how? She’s Jewish but she doesn’t find anything spiritual about Hanukkah!
But as a magical coincidence, she finds a Jewish newsletter at subway telling that a sensational Matzah Ball party : a Jewish music celebration at the eight of Hanukkah will be thrown in a few days. This event of the year can help her find the perfect muse to write about perfect Hanukkah romance! All she needs is inspiration!
But when she finds out the party’s organizer is her camp archenemy Jacob Greenberg who is her first kiss, first heartbreak, first big humiliation: the ruthless little boy who pulled meanest pranks on her, she cursed her bad luck! The same boy got invited to her family Shabbat gathering which means she can kindly ask a ticket for the party and reconnect with her enemy.
But Jacob has no intention to give her pass if she doesn’t work as a volunteer at his organization for 8 days. It will be compelling task for Rachel because of her health issues but she’s not a quitter so she handshakes with her enemy.
But what if Jacob is not the reason of her big humiliation. He acts like she was the one who broke his heart. He acts decent, sincere around her. Could she think wrong things about him for all those years? Could she fully trust him to share her big secrets?
As they spend more time together, she slowly sees Jacob is also broken, lonely and he needs someone to rely on. Maybe she could make a truce with her enemy! Maybe she can do more than that!
Only thing bothered me about this book is the character become their love interests when they were 12! They were just children. Well they were way too young to feel too deeply for each other and holding grudges for 18 years. Maybe they would be 15 or 16, that would be a little more reasonable for me!
Anyways I’m still rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 Mazel Tov, this is inspirational, magical, tender, tear jerker, romantic Hanukkah romance stars!
Don’t forget to read author’s note to learn her connection with the character she’s created! I’m looking forward to read more works of her in near future.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Trade Publishing for sharing this amazing reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
Both of the MCs are huggable, likable, a little obnoxious and self destructive but they are truly golden hearted ones who deserve a HEA!
The enemies to lovers: strict entrepreneur vs
sunshiny romance author, summer camp archenemies themes worked perfectly well in this story.
You laugh, you clap, you sigh, you get pissed off to their misunderstandings and less of communications. Tears drip down across your cheeks as you hold your heart tightly and sigh slowly: this is the best book honestly reflects Judaism traditions, rituals but it also reflects its magical and soothing face. I think this book mostly show us those traditions� magical ways to gather the families and bond them tightly with those rituals. This book is about destroying your inner walls, confronting with your resentments that holds you back, fighting against your inner fears.
Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt, living her nice two bedroom Upper West apartment, single, a rabbi’s daughter ( Quick correction: Rabbi Goldblatt is not a no name-low level rabbi, he is a macher, a bigwig in her community, coming from a big family of Jewish philosophers and founders of Jewish Community Centers) suffers from chronic disease: myalgic encephalomyelitis ( chronic fatigue syndrome) affects her neurological,immune, autonomic, metabolic systems. Rachel daily lives with crushing fatigue, brain fog, migraines, weirdo pains force her spending her days in her bed, lying in the dark.
Most of the people including her employers don’t know her illness. Only her family and her childhood friend Mickey know her secret.
But this is not the only thing she keeps to herself. She lies about her profession: as a rabbi’s daughter, coming from conservative family, she likes Christmas because when she’s sick at young age, Christmas spirit and those all Hallmark movies gave her hope, saved her suffering soul. And she’s famous Christmas romance author with a secret pen name. Her three books were already adapted into movies, airing on TV but she cannot share this brilliant news with her family.
But now she’s doomed because the publishers have intention to accept a new Christmas novel. They want her to write a Hanukkah romance. But how? She’s Jewish but she doesn’t find anything spiritual about Hanukkah!
But as a magical coincidence, she finds a Jewish newsletter at subway telling that a sensational Matzah Ball party : a Jewish music celebration at the eight of Hanukkah will be thrown in a few days. This event of the year can help her find the perfect muse to write about perfect Hanukkah romance! All she needs is inspiration!
But when she finds out the party’s organizer is her camp archenemy Jacob Greenberg who is her first kiss, first heartbreak, first big humiliation: the ruthless little boy who pulled meanest pranks on her, she cursed her bad luck! The same boy got invited to her family Shabbat gathering which means she can kindly ask a ticket for the party and reconnect with her enemy.
But Jacob has no intention to give her pass if she doesn’t work as a volunteer at his organization for 8 days. It will be compelling task for Rachel because of her health issues but she’s not a quitter so she handshakes with her enemy.
But what if Jacob is not the reason of her big humiliation. He acts like she was the one who broke his heart. He acts decent, sincere around her. Could she think wrong things about him for all those years? Could she fully trust him to share her big secrets?
As they spend more time together, she slowly sees Jacob is also broken, lonely and he needs someone to rely on. Maybe she could make a truce with her enemy! Maybe she can do more than that!
Only thing bothered me about this book is the character become their love interests when they were 12! They were just children. Well they were way too young to feel too deeply for each other and holding grudges for 18 years. Maybe they would be 15 or 16, that would be a little more reasonable for me!
Anyways I’m still rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 Mazel Tov, this is inspirational, magical, tender, tear jerker, romantic Hanukkah romance stars!
Don’t forget to read author’s note to learn her connection with the character she’s created! I’m looking forward to read more works of her in near future.
Special thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Trade Publishing for sharing this amazing reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.
September 29, 2021
(ARC)
I was so excited to read this book until in the literal first chapter, this happens:
“Rachel wanted to tell people the truth about what she did for a living, but coming out wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t just stand up on the bima, like Mickey had done at his bar mitzvah all those years prior, and tell everyone the truth.�
In case you’re confused, yeah, the main character is comparing her telling people she writes Christmas themed romance novels to her friend coming out as gay�
I was honestly so taken aback by this comparison that I have really no interest in continuing. Coming out as LGBTQ+ is nowhere near the same as telling people you like Christmas.
(I may go back and try to finish this, but as of now this is a DNF)
I was so excited to read this book until in the literal first chapter, this happens:
“Rachel wanted to tell people the truth about what she did for a living, but coming out wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t just stand up on the bima, like Mickey had done at his bar mitzvah all those years prior, and tell everyone the truth.�
In case you’re confused, yeah, the main character is comparing her telling people she writes Christmas themed romance novels to her friend coming out as gay�
I was honestly so taken aback by this comparison that I have really no interest in continuing. Coming out as LGBTQ+ is nowhere near the same as telling people you like Christmas.
(I may go back and try to finish this, but as of now this is a DNF)
September 28, 2021
This book glorifies the murders of Palestinians. Seriously disgusting and dehumanizing.
September 29, 2021
can rom com authors stop acting like colonisation and genocide is funny orrrrrrr
September 26, 2021
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
Holiday story romance with a Jewish base line. Second chance troupe. Clean.
Though the daughter of a famous Rabbi, Rachel has a secret and successful career writing Christmas romance novels. When her editor demands a Hanukkah romance, Rachel doesn’t know what to do. It’s Christmas that brings her joy, not her own life experiences. The reappearance of Jacob, the one boy who broke her heart, is serendipity. Jacob is hosting a party that can give Rachel the inspiration she needs to keep her career alive.
Joyous, touching and sweet.
A celebration of love and romance. Of Hanukkah and Christmas and destiny. Of ME/CFS or myalgic encephalomyelitis also know as Chronic fatigue syndrome.
Rachel was hit with the disease during her college years. The story doesn’t make us feel sorry for her, but rather focuses on her overcoming the limitations. Jacob, the hero is impressive in his handling of their history and Rachel’s lies. Toby is awesome in several ways.
Overall, I fell in love with this story.
Excerpts 1:
“Shabbat was coming.
Jacob loved these aspects of Jewish life. There was a focus on tradition and family and doing the right thing, tikkun olam, in order to make the world a better place. All the things he had wanted as a child and never got.�
Excerpt 2:
“You know, there’s a belief in the Jewish culture that every person in the world has a person they are destined to marry. Your bashert. A soul God cut and created, designated just for you. Isn’t that the loveliest concept?�
Excerpts from The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
Holiday story romance with a Jewish base line. Second chance troupe. Clean.
Though the daughter of a famous Rabbi, Rachel has a secret and successful career writing Christmas romance novels. When her editor demands a Hanukkah romance, Rachel doesn’t know what to do. It’s Christmas that brings her joy, not her own life experiences. The reappearance of Jacob, the one boy who broke her heart, is serendipity. Jacob is hosting a party that can give Rachel the inspiration she needs to keep her career alive.
Joyous, touching and sweet.
A celebration of love and romance. Of Hanukkah and Christmas and destiny. Of ME/CFS or myalgic encephalomyelitis also know as Chronic fatigue syndrome.
Rachel was hit with the disease during her college years. The story doesn’t make us feel sorry for her, but rather focuses on her overcoming the limitations. Jacob, the hero is impressive in his handling of their history and Rachel’s lies. Toby is awesome in several ways.
Overall, I fell in love with this story.
Excerpts 1:
“Shabbat was coming.
Jacob loved these aspects of Jewish life. There was a focus on tradition and family and doing the right thing, tikkun olam, in order to make the world a better place. All the things he had wanted as a child and never got.�
Excerpt 2:
“You know, there’s a belief in the Jewish culture that every person in the world has a person they are destined to marry. Your bashert. A soul God cut and created, designated just for you. Isn’t that the loveliest concept?�
Excerpts from The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
I received a copy of this from NetGalley.
June 2, 2021
I honestly tried to give this book a chance. But I am tired of the trope. I am tired of reading books about Ashkenazi Jewish women obsessed with Christmas. And supposedly Jewish holiday romances that only ever center Hanukkah, and even then only because it happens to land in proximity to Christmas on a calendar. How can it be that with such a rich, ancient and diverse culture, this is all we have to represent us? Unfortunately, this book fell into too many stereotypes and cliches, a representation that we have seen before and is honestly tired and hurtful.
Read
October 18, 2021[Adding this disclaimer now that I've learned that apparently this review is being circulated and I'm being called a Gentile or an antisemitic bitch or whatever else, because APPARENTLY the part in this review where I said I'm a Jewish woman of color was not clear enough, so--I AM A JEWISH WOMAN OF COLOR. Review below is unchanged since I first posted it.]
The hook for this book is so charming that I was super excited to read it, and it is so spectacularly terrible I can't even believe I got through the whole thing, except I guess that spite and the prospect of writing a vicious review fueled me.
First I hated it and decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, because even though I can't tolerate the whole BBYO, basic-goyishe-bitch-even-though-I'm-Jewish, "As a Jew it's not possible for me to be racist because I'm not capable of distinguishing my white privilege from my experience with antisemitism, and I'll just ignore the fact that Jews of color exist, even within the Ashkenazim," "I actually thought Birthright was great," "I have been American Ashkenazi my whole life but once I started going to Hillel I started acting like I have always used Hebrew and not Yiddish"* crew IRL, I should be be able to do it in a book, right? But nope, as a WOC who is thoroughly Broad City, Seinfeld reform, cultural Jewish, who identifies with the ethics and intellectual philosophies of Judaism more than feeling the need to turn off my phone on Saturdays, I can't stand these people in prose any longer than I can stand them in real life....which is to say a lot less time than the handful of hours it took me to read this.
And beyond my personal, philosophical, and sociocultural mismatch with the particular corner of the Jewish world portrayed in this book, since I recognize that not all books are required to be mirrors, this novel is just awful on a narrative level. Rachel is an irredeemably self-centered bitch who uses her (actually well rendered--possibly the only well done thing about the book) chronic illness to avoid taking adult accountability for literally anything ever, Jacob is a poorly adjusted adult whose childhood trauma was never adequately treated and who was framed and deserves better than everyone in this book (though he is also inconsistently rendered, has weird, stilted dialogue, and has a job that makes no sense, and . Everyone is just mean, and all the side characters except Rachel's mom are unremarkable, unmemorable stock characters (The One Who Is A Gay Best Friend And Token Adopted Child Of Queer Parents All At Once, The One Who Is A Millennial But Talks Like He's Straight Outta Ellis Island in 1895, The Wise Old Person Who Spouts Talmudic Philosophy But It's Progressive Because She's the Bubbe, Not the Zayde). The italics for all the Hebrew and misspelled (I know it's transliterated, but it's still wrong) Yiddish bothers the shit out of me like it does when any other non-English language is italicized, and everything Jewish, including the fucking Holocaust, is so aggressively overexplained that it's clear this book was written for goyim. Like, you cannot tell me you are writing a novel for all the Jewish readers and watchers who feel left out of Christmas festivities and then tell me that in case I wasn't aware, The Holocaust Was Bad or The Shamash Lights The Other Candles.
I will reiterate in a standalone paragraph so you don't all miss it and call me a bitch: chronic illness and fatigue rendered in prose? Sorely needed, and while I don't have ME/CFS (I have fibromyalgia and a bunch of other shit), I really could identify with a lot of it, so I'll say that's well done.
Maybe I just misread the flap copy before I hit download on Netgalley or am completely misunderstanding the author's mission? (Though I could put my academic hat on and talk about intent versus impact, Foucault's "the author is dead," etc.) I just thought this book was going to be either some tongue in cheek satire of a Hallmark Christmas movie or a subversive look at how even though Jews invented a lot of what American Christmas-ism is (another throwaway I enjoyed was the reference of Irving Berlin, but it could have dug into that a bit more), and instead it was basic-ass Hallmark shit, just with some Hanukkah being Christmas-ified. I suppose if that's your thing, that's cool, but it felt like the book equivalent of goyishe Hanukkah carols that non-Jewish choir directors pull out so the December concert can market itself as a "holiday concert" instead of a Christmas one, even though none of us give a fuck about whether you enjoy Christmas and are not waging a war on it, and we'd rather you give us time off for Rosh Hashanah and Passover than force us to pretend Hanukkah matters at anywhere near the magnitude Christmas does.
Also, I highlighted the sentence "Let's put Hanukkah on fleek" because I can't tell you a more perfect line in all of fiction or reality that better encompasses the kind of basic, un-self-aware white person who misappropriates AAVE because they think everything belongs to them Rachel is (and the many people like her IRL). And you cannot convince me it was ironic on the part of Rachel OR on the part of the author. It was used with earnest sincerity.
Anyway, I'm mad that this is clearly going to be used as the flagship example of "Jews! They're just like us!" in (holiday) romance and feel like it's going to set us back 5782 years.
*not literal quotes from the book! Pithy one-liners of my own making that characterize a personality type and community identity that I find hard to stomach! If you're not Jewish or long married to a Jew and his/her/their entire family, you absolutely do not get to flippantly use these! It's like not being able to say "my nigga" if you're not black! It's an in-group thing!
The hook for this book is so charming that I was super excited to read it, and it is so spectacularly terrible I can't even believe I got through the whole thing, except I guess that spite and the prospect of writing a vicious review fueled me.
First I hated it and decided to give it the benefit of the doubt, because even though I can't tolerate the whole BBYO, basic-goyishe-bitch-even-though-I'm-Jewish, "As a Jew it's not possible for me to be racist because I'm not capable of distinguishing my white privilege from my experience with antisemitism, and I'll just ignore the fact that Jews of color exist, even within the Ashkenazim," "I actually thought Birthright was great," "I have been American Ashkenazi my whole life but once I started going to Hillel I started acting like I have always used Hebrew and not Yiddish"* crew IRL, I should be be able to do it in a book, right? But nope, as a WOC who is thoroughly Broad City, Seinfeld reform, cultural Jewish, who identifies with the ethics and intellectual philosophies of Judaism more than feeling the need to turn off my phone on Saturdays, I can't stand these people in prose any longer than I can stand them in real life....which is to say a lot less time than the handful of hours it took me to read this.
And beyond my personal, philosophical, and sociocultural mismatch with the particular corner of the Jewish world portrayed in this book, since I recognize that not all books are required to be mirrors, this novel is just awful on a narrative level. Rachel is an irredeemably self-centered bitch who uses her (actually well rendered--possibly the only well done thing about the book) chronic illness to avoid taking adult accountability for literally anything ever, Jacob is a poorly adjusted adult whose childhood trauma was never adequately treated and who was framed and deserves better than everyone in this book (though he is also inconsistently rendered, has weird, stilted dialogue, and has a job that makes no sense, and . Everyone is just mean, and all the side characters except Rachel's mom are unremarkable, unmemorable stock characters (The One Who Is A Gay Best Friend And Token Adopted Child Of Queer Parents All At Once, The One Who Is A Millennial But Talks Like He's Straight Outta Ellis Island in 1895, The Wise Old Person Who Spouts Talmudic Philosophy But It's Progressive Because She's the Bubbe, Not the Zayde). The italics for all the Hebrew and misspelled (I know it's transliterated, but it's still wrong) Yiddish bothers the shit out of me like it does when any other non-English language is italicized, and everything Jewish, including the fucking Holocaust, is so aggressively overexplained that it's clear this book was written for goyim. Like, you cannot tell me you are writing a novel for all the Jewish readers and watchers who feel left out of Christmas festivities and then tell me that in case I wasn't aware, The Holocaust Was Bad or The Shamash Lights The Other Candles.
I will reiterate in a standalone paragraph so you don't all miss it and call me a bitch: chronic illness and fatigue rendered in prose? Sorely needed, and while I don't have ME/CFS (I have fibromyalgia and a bunch of other shit), I really could identify with a lot of it, so I'll say that's well done.
Maybe I just misread the flap copy before I hit download on Netgalley or am completely misunderstanding the author's mission? (Though I could put my academic hat on and talk about intent versus impact, Foucault's "the author is dead," etc.) I just thought this book was going to be either some tongue in cheek satire of a Hallmark Christmas movie or a subversive look at how even though Jews invented a lot of what American Christmas-ism is (another throwaway I enjoyed was the reference of Irving Berlin, but it could have dug into that a bit more), and instead it was basic-ass Hallmark shit, just with some Hanukkah being Christmas-ified. I suppose if that's your thing, that's cool, but it felt like the book equivalent of goyishe Hanukkah carols that non-Jewish choir directors pull out so the December concert can market itself as a "holiday concert" instead of a Christmas one, even though none of us give a fuck about whether you enjoy Christmas and are not waging a war on it, and we'd rather you give us time off for Rosh Hashanah and Passover than force us to pretend Hanukkah matters at anywhere near the magnitude Christmas does.
Also, I highlighted the sentence "Let's put Hanukkah on fleek" because I can't tell you a more perfect line in all of fiction or reality that better encompasses the kind of basic, un-self-aware white person who misappropriates AAVE because they think everything belongs to them Rachel is (and the many people like her IRL). And you cannot convince me it was ironic on the part of Rachel OR on the part of the author. It was used with earnest sincerity.
Anyway, I'm mad that this is clearly going to be used as the flagship example of "Jews! They're just like us!" in (holiday) romance and feel like it's going to set us back 5782 years.
*not literal quotes from the book! Pithy one-liners of my own making that characterize a personality type and community identity that I find hard to stomach! If you're not Jewish or long married to a Jew and his/her/their entire family, you absolutely do not get to flippantly use these! It's like not being able to say "my nigga" if you're not black! It's an in-group thing!
December 23, 2021
I expected this to be a fun story with a different take on a holiday read. I was wrong.
What I liked:
I enjoyed learning about the Jewish faith, customs, and celebrations. I also found it interesting to experience Rachel's life as she struggled with a chronic illness. Reasons as such are why I like to read different types of books; to learn about others.
What I didn't like:
The story fell flat overall. The entire plot is based on the grudge Rachel and Jacob hold towards each other, which dates back to when they were 12 years old. That wasn't enough to keep the love story interesting or believable. Since Rachel and Jacob are both nearly 30, and hadn't seen each other for almost 18 years, holding such a grudge made no sense. Instead, their interactions and behavior came across as immature and hurtful.
The supporting characters are likable and caring. Unfortunately, Rachel and Jacob's behavior towards each other took too much away from the story.
What I liked:
I enjoyed learning about the Jewish faith, customs, and celebrations. I also found it interesting to experience Rachel's life as she struggled with a chronic illness. Reasons as such are why I like to read different types of books; to learn about others.
What I didn't like:
The story fell flat overall. The entire plot is based on the grudge Rachel and Jacob hold towards each other, which dates back to when they were 12 years old. That wasn't enough to keep the love story interesting or believable. Since Rachel and Jacob are both nearly 30, and hadn't seen each other for almost 18 years, holding such a grudge made no sense. Instead, their interactions and behavior came across as immature and hurtful.
The supporting characters are likable and caring. Unfortunately, Rachel and Jacob's behavior towards each other took too much away from the story.
September 28, 2021
is genocide a joke to you?? ffs stop writing and educate yourself
January 31, 2022
Here's another rom-com for your holiday season, but this time it’s a Hanukkah one!
Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! I don’t know about you, but for me, growing up Jewish was always a little tough on the holidays, because not a tremendous amount of attention was paid to Hanukkah. People don’t go Hanukkah caroling, and Charlie Brown and his gang didn’t mark the Festival of Lights. But I always loved the Christmas spirit and all that came with it.
Rachel loves Christmas, too, but since her father is a prominent rabbi, she has to keep that hidden. She also has to hide the fact that she’s actually a best-selling Christmas romance author. But when her editor says that their readers are tiring of the same-old holiday stuff and want something different—maybe a Hanukkah romance—Rachel is at a loss. Where will she find inspiration for that?
Inspiration enters in the form of Jacob Greenberg, the handsome festival organizer and mastermind behind the exclusive Matzah Ball. Jacob also happens to be Rachel’s first love—and heartbreak—back from their preteen summer camp days. And even though she still holds a bit of a grudge, she’s determined to get a ticket to the Matzah Ball.
I loved the representation in this book. Not only were there Jewish MCs and Shabbat candles, but Rachel also had chronic fatigue syndrome, and the book dealt with the mistreatment and prejudice and pity many with invisible illnesses face.
The thing that worked the least for me was the romance, believe it or not. I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Rachel and Jacob, and the pranks he played on her would’ve knocked him off my list, lol.
Still, I hope that The Matzah Ball signifies the start of more Hanukkah rom-coms. It was great to buddy read this with my friend Louis, too—he’s the best to discuss books with!!
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Happy Hanukkah to those who celebrate! I don’t know about you, but for me, growing up Jewish was always a little tough on the holidays, because not a tremendous amount of attention was paid to Hanukkah. People don’t go Hanukkah caroling, and Charlie Brown and his gang didn’t mark the Festival of Lights. But I always loved the Christmas spirit and all that came with it.
Rachel loves Christmas, too, but since her father is a prominent rabbi, she has to keep that hidden. She also has to hide the fact that she’s actually a best-selling Christmas romance author. But when her editor says that their readers are tiring of the same-old holiday stuff and want something different—maybe a Hanukkah romance—Rachel is at a loss. Where will she find inspiration for that?
Inspiration enters in the form of Jacob Greenberg, the handsome festival organizer and mastermind behind the exclusive Matzah Ball. Jacob also happens to be Rachel’s first love—and heartbreak—back from their preteen summer camp days. And even though she still holds a bit of a grudge, she’s determined to get a ticket to the Matzah Ball.
I loved the representation in this book. Not only were there Jewish MCs and Shabbat candles, but Rachel also had chronic fatigue syndrome, and the book dealt with the mistreatment and prejudice and pity many with invisible illnesses face.
The thing that worked the least for me was the romance, believe it or not. I didn’t feel a ton of chemistry between Rachel and Jacob, and the pranks he played on her would’ve knocked him off my list, lol.
Still, I hope that The Matzah Ball signifies the start of more Hanukkah rom-coms. It was great to buddy read this with my friend Louis, too—he’s the best to discuss books with!!
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February 24, 2024
This was everything I love in a holiday romance! A swoony second chance/enemies-to-lovers story (that started at Jewish summer camp back when they were twelve.) Wonderful disability rep. Hilarious meddling parents and grandparents. Yes, please! In THE MATZAH BALL, Rachel is the daughter of a prominent rabbi. She also lives with severe disabling chronic fatigue syndrome, a condition she has kept a secret from everyone except her family since its onset when she was in college. Her one outlet is her writing—except her family doesn’t know she’s secretly a bestselling Christmas romance novelist. With her publisher wanting her to try writing a Hanukkah book, and her arch enemy Jacob Greenberg returning to town, things are on a collision course with disaster. This book was just sooo cute. I loved all the traditions from Shabat to sufganiyot. Rachel and Jacob both have reasons to believe the other hurt them back at camp when they were twelve� and both are out for revenge. And some fun pranking. My FAVORITE thing was the awesome disability rep. As someone who is disabled, this was so well written and amazing to see. A sweet Hanukkah romance that I thoroughly enjoyed.
September 29, 2021
"Look," she said finally, "just because I'm a top-secret spy for the Israel Defense Forces, and I don't want you to blow my cover to my parents...."
He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "A spy, huh?"
"A trained assassin," she whispered. "Mossad."
"In a flower headband?"
Rachel leaned in dramatically. "I've killed seventy-six men with this headband."
Hahahaha, how quirky of her, right. We love a heroine who jokes about the IOF and the killing of people. Genocide is such a funny matter, right.
Anyway, apparently this isn't the only time Israel/the IOF are being mentioned in a distasteful manner.
Some people apparently still don't get that Judaism � Zionism. You can write a book about Jewish people without making them Zionists, but ok.
That's all the info I needed about the book and the author for them to land on my shit list. I hope this book flops.
He raised an eyebrow in her direction. "A spy, huh?"
"A trained assassin," she whispered. "Mossad."
"In a flower headband?"
Rachel leaned in dramatically. "I've killed seventy-six men with this headband."
Hahahaha, how quirky of her, right. We love a heroine who jokes about the IOF and the killing of people. Genocide is such a funny matter, right.
Anyway, apparently this isn't the only time Israel/the IOF are being mentioned in a distasteful manner.
Some people apparently still don't get that Judaism � Zionism. You can write a book about Jewish people without making them Zionists, but ok.
That's all the info I needed about the book and the author for them to land on my shit list. I hope this book flops.
September 29, 2021
I would normally just put it on blacklist, but normalizing oppression and turning IOF into joke and flirtation innuendo is disgusting on a whole different level.
September 28, 2021
The MC joked about being a part of IOF and killing Palestinians and it was supposed to be flirty banter. Nothing about IOF killing Palestinians is funny. The author is disgusting for writing that
September 25, 2021
Okay so I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved the Hallmark movie vibes at some points, and really didn't like it at others. I really enjoyed the fact that this was a non-Christian holiday romance. We definitely need more of these. I also really liked that we see a character with a chronic illness well represented.
However, the romance was just not it for me. These two characters are still completely hung up on their 12 year old summer romance. Which is a lot. They're 30. It's been 18 years.
Jacob still acts like a child, pulling pranks and basically bulldozing Rachel. Rachel is sweet, but immature. The romance honestly felt forced to me and I didn't feel any chemistry between Jacob and Rachel.
*Review copy provided by NetGalley*
However, the romance was just not it for me. These two characters are still completely hung up on their 12 year old summer romance. Which is a lot. They're 30. It's been 18 years.
Jacob still acts like a child, pulling pranks and basically bulldozing Rachel. Rachel is sweet, but immature. The romance honestly felt forced to me and I didn't feel any chemistry between Jacob and Rachel.
*Review copy provided by NetGalley*
March 21, 2022
I don’t usually navigate toward books of the Rom-Com genre but The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer intrigued me. There are not a lot if any books about Chanukah out there so when I heard about this one I thought I would give it a try. Unfortunately the romance element in The Matzah Ball fell flat for me and that was why I didn’t rate it higher. I grew up in a tight knit Jewish community and appreciated some of the traditions, expressions, and foods that were mentioned in the book. Some of the characters were entertaining and colorful. The author, Jean Meltzer, was able to add an additional layer to the story when she gave Rachel, the main character, the chronic disease, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Her research about this disease was impeccable and added to the complexity of Rachel’s character. Rachel chose to keep her illness a secret from everyone she came in contact with. She feared that her friends, acquaintances and business associates would think it was a made up disease and she was a little embarrassed about it. Although Rachel was the daughter of a very respected Rabbi, Rachel loved Christmas. Rachel loved Christmas movies and secretly wrote Christmas romance novels under a pseudonym. Her writing career was a huge success but she trusted very few people to know that she was indeed the author of books about Christmas. She knew that she had to keep that part of her life a secret. She always feared that her parents would find out about the books she had written and would never be able to understand or accept her choices. After all, what nice Jewish girl, daughter of a respected Rabbi, would choose to write about Christmas romances? Rachel’s life was about to change drastically. Her editor now wanted her to write a Chanukah romance novel. How would Rachel proceed? Could she get herself invited to The Matzah Ball that an old flame was organizing? How did she feel about Jacob after all this time?
I listened to the audiobook of The Matzah Ball. It was narrated by Dara Rosenberg who did a good job with the performance. I felt that The Matzah Ball was predictable at times and the romance between Rachel and Jacob was not very believable. Rachel’s character was a little annoying at times and some of the choices Jacob made were over the top. It was funny at times and did emphasize the importance of being honest and also stressed the importance of self-acceptance. I enjoyed some aspects of the book but was hoping for more.
I listened to the audiobook of The Matzah Ball. It was narrated by Dara Rosenberg who did a good job with the performance. I felt that The Matzah Ball was predictable at times and the romance between Rachel and Jacob was not very believable. Rachel’s character was a little annoying at times and some of the choices Jacob made were over the top. It was funny at times and did emphasize the importance of being honest and also stressed the importance of self-acceptance. I enjoyed some aspects of the book but was hoping for more.
September 30, 2021
it’s actually not cute or funny to use genocide and ethnic cleansing for flirty banter. jean meltzer you are a weirdo.
December 17, 2021
From the back cover blurb:
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she's hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. But when her publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry.
Well, the premise sounds promising, right? And, in the hands of a skilled humorist (think or ), this could have been comedy gold, but instead it's a tepid rom/com - heavy on the rom, light on the com. In a tale that's more cutesy than comic we meet a dreary pair of characters whose problems could have been solved a quarter of the way through the book if they'd only TALKED to one another instead of playing games.
I also don't like the implication that it's a TERRIBLE THING for a Jew to enjoy all the trappings of Christmas. I'm an atheist with a collection of over thirty nativity scenes, and it's never been an earth-shattering dilemma for me. Yet for some reason, by the end of the book, the author has Why?
Sadly, this one's a schmaltzy disappointment.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she's hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. But when her publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry.
Well, the premise sounds promising, right? And, in the hands of a skilled humorist (think or ), this could have been comedy gold, but instead it's a tepid rom/com - heavy on the rom, light on the com. In a tale that's more cutesy than comic we meet a dreary pair of characters whose problems could have been solved a quarter of the way through the book if they'd only TALKED to one another instead of playing games.
I also don't like the implication that it's a TERRIBLE THING for a Jew to enjoy all the trappings of Christmas. I'm an atheist with a collection of over thirty nativity scenes, and it's never been an earth-shattering dilemma for me. Yet for some reason, by the end of the book, the author has Why?
Sadly, this one's a schmaltzy disappointment.
September 28, 2021
4.3 stars
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
She had taken her secret, shameful love of Christmas and turned it into a successful career.
The daughter of a highly influential Rabbi and top fertility clinic doctor in New York, Rachel has always been aware of all eyes on her, especially in the Jewish community. Leaning in hard into her love of Christmas, the decorations, music, and sense of joy, became her private escape, a place she could forget the pressures of the real world. She also turned it into a hugely successful career and became best-selling Christmas themed romance author Margot Cross. However, her publisher wants a Hanukkah inspired romance now and Rachel is struggling to find the magic in her own reality. Fortunately, The Matzah Ball Max is being held in New York and if Rachel can get a ticket to go, she is sure she can get some inspiration from this exclusive, high end ball that will celebrate Hanukkah. The problem is that it is being thrown by her Camp Ahava nemesis, Jacob Greenberg.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt had saved him.
And then she had broken his heart.
Jacob hasn't been back to New York in eighteen years and observing Shabbat at the house of the parents of the girl who broke his heart when he was twelve, maybe not his best idea. After the death of his mother two years ago, Jacob has felt restless and returning to New York has him ready to face issues from his childhood that still linger inside him. When Rachel asks him for a Matzah Ball ticket, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to get her to open up more and a possibility to get their relationship back on track. When her volunteering goes horribly wrong and their relationship ends up worse than before, they both learn a little something about trust, opening up, and acceptance.
They were both hiding. They just had different ways of doing it.
Rachel used silence.
And Jacob---like always, he reasoned---used noise.
The Matzah Ball was a story that had a light tone with some chik-lit antics but also threaded through some weightier issues that provided some emotional heft. The pinpoint conflict between Rachel and Jacob is from their childhood, they had a prank adversary relationship at camp when they were twelve that slowly changed into a romance. Rachel thought Jacob took their pranks too far when he set up their first kiss to be witnessed by the boys in his bunk embarrassing her and Jacob is still hurt by Rachel standing him up at the camp dance. There's some Misunderstanding going on with their issues but what makes a twelve year old's grudge carried to thirty year old's work, was how the author intertwined it with their existing insecurities. Rachel always feels like she is being watched and judged because of who her parents are, being humiliated hits her extra hard and she felt like Jacob broke her trust. At the time, Jacob was dealing with his mother getting diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and his father abandoning them because of it. When they meet again as adults, the pain from camp lingers because of how it ties into their life insecurities but I also liked how the author still had them willing to test a friendship with each other again; nothing felt forced or childish about their conflict.
“You're right,� he said, leaning into her, close enough for a second kiss. “We were never friends. We were so much more than just friends, Rachel...and you broke my goddamn heart.�
Rachel is also living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), which as a chronic illness, permeates her life everyday and makes her feel isolated even more. You feel for her as she tries to be “normal� and do volunteer work for the Ball and Jacob pushes her thinking their old prank relationship way will get her to open up more and it all blows up. In his apologizing, is where Jacob shines a lot and the growth of his character becomes apparent as he is forced to confront the issues with is dad and how that has shaped him. In the beginning, you just want them to address their camp misunderstandings but as a reader, it selfishly works because it gives us opportunity to watch them learn and grow.
He was the type of person you could stand around the stove with on Hanukkah, burning latkes together and laughing hysterically, but also rely on to clean up the dishes when you were done.
With the family and community Rachel has, we get more of Jewish culture from her and a couple times some explanations for the less observant or involved Jacob, which I'm sure is really more for gentile readers and I appreciated it but also enjoyed how language was used throughout to help with the setting. The secondary characters, from Rachel's bestfriend Mickey and to Jacob's friend and business partner Shmuel showed different levels of observant, giving that reminder that some need that not all groups are a monolith but also showed the connection that exists because of historical and cultural context.
“Then fight for him.� Toby smiled emphatically. “Fight for him, Rachel-la! So many people think Hanukkah is about miracles. But Hanukkah is really about fighting for the things you believe in. Everybody focuses on the oil, but there would have been no oil, no lamp and no miracle had the Maccabees not taken up arms and stormed that darn temple. That's the thing people forget about Hanukkah. We make our own miracles, Rachel-la. We're in charge of creating our own happy endings.�
The second half gave a little more of a focus on Jacob and his issues, which is why I wouldn't actually call this women's fiction, it's romance with a happily ever after, no bedroom scenes; if you've ever read Sonali Dev, it's along that same story-telling feel. The first half was sweet and showed how Rachel and Jacob matched together and the second half gives us more of the work and learning, Rachel finds out something about the Misunderstanding and Jacob finds out about Rachel's illness. They both learn how their vulnerabilities affect their relationships and life and then do the work to earn each other and because this is romance, some of that work includes a bedazzled wheelchair and a fire escape climb in a ball gown and fuzzy socks. This was tender, had some watery eyes moments, charming, and will have you wishing you had a bubbe in your life.
Truth could be scary. Darkness might always endeavor to snuff out the light, but the strength of those who truly loved us would always push us forward. This was how we brightened an otherwise dark world. We filled it with truth, and love, and light.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
She had taken her secret, shameful love of Christmas and turned it into a successful career.
The daughter of a highly influential Rabbi and top fertility clinic doctor in New York, Rachel has always been aware of all eyes on her, especially in the Jewish community. Leaning in hard into her love of Christmas, the decorations, music, and sense of joy, became her private escape, a place she could forget the pressures of the real world. She also turned it into a hugely successful career and became best-selling Christmas themed romance author Margot Cross. However, her publisher wants a Hanukkah inspired romance now and Rachel is struggling to find the magic in her own reality. Fortunately, The Matzah Ball Max is being held in New York and if Rachel can get a ticket to go, she is sure she can get some inspiration from this exclusive, high end ball that will celebrate Hanukkah. The problem is that it is being thrown by her Camp Ahava nemesis, Jacob Greenberg.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt had saved him.
And then she had broken his heart.
Jacob hasn't been back to New York in eighteen years and observing Shabbat at the house of the parents of the girl who broke his heart when he was twelve, maybe not his best idea. After the death of his mother two years ago, Jacob has felt restless and returning to New York has him ready to face issues from his childhood that still linger inside him. When Rachel asks him for a Matzah Ball ticket, he sees it as the perfect opportunity to get her to open up more and a possibility to get their relationship back on track. When her volunteering goes horribly wrong and their relationship ends up worse than before, they both learn a little something about trust, opening up, and acceptance.
They were both hiding. They just had different ways of doing it.
Rachel used silence.
And Jacob---like always, he reasoned---used noise.
The Matzah Ball was a story that had a light tone with some chik-lit antics but also threaded through some weightier issues that provided some emotional heft. The pinpoint conflict between Rachel and Jacob is from their childhood, they had a prank adversary relationship at camp when they were twelve that slowly changed into a romance. Rachel thought Jacob took their pranks too far when he set up their first kiss to be witnessed by the boys in his bunk embarrassing her and Jacob is still hurt by Rachel standing him up at the camp dance. There's some Misunderstanding going on with their issues but what makes a twelve year old's grudge carried to thirty year old's work, was how the author intertwined it with their existing insecurities. Rachel always feels like she is being watched and judged because of who her parents are, being humiliated hits her extra hard and she felt like Jacob broke her trust. At the time, Jacob was dealing with his mother getting diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and his father abandoning them because of it. When they meet again as adults, the pain from camp lingers because of how it ties into their life insecurities but I also liked how the author still had them willing to test a friendship with each other again; nothing felt forced or childish about their conflict.
“You're right,� he said, leaning into her, close enough for a second kiss. “We were never friends. We were so much more than just friends, Rachel...and you broke my goddamn heart.�
Rachel is also living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (chronic fatigue syndrome), which as a chronic illness, permeates her life everyday and makes her feel isolated even more. You feel for her as she tries to be “normal� and do volunteer work for the Ball and Jacob pushes her thinking their old prank relationship way will get her to open up more and it all blows up. In his apologizing, is where Jacob shines a lot and the growth of his character becomes apparent as he is forced to confront the issues with is dad and how that has shaped him. In the beginning, you just want them to address their camp misunderstandings but as a reader, it selfishly works because it gives us opportunity to watch them learn and grow.
He was the type of person you could stand around the stove with on Hanukkah, burning latkes together and laughing hysterically, but also rely on to clean up the dishes when you were done.
With the family and community Rachel has, we get more of Jewish culture from her and a couple times some explanations for the less observant or involved Jacob, which I'm sure is really more for gentile readers and I appreciated it but also enjoyed how language was used throughout to help with the setting. The secondary characters, from Rachel's bestfriend Mickey and to Jacob's friend and business partner Shmuel showed different levels of observant, giving that reminder that some need that not all groups are a monolith but also showed the connection that exists because of historical and cultural context.
“Then fight for him.� Toby smiled emphatically. “Fight for him, Rachel-la! So many people think Hanukkah is about miracles. But Hanukkah is really about fighting for the things you believe in. Everybody focuses on the oil, but there would have been no oil, no lamp and no miracle had the Maccabees not taken up arms and stormed that darn temple. That's the thing people forget about Hanukkah. We make our own miracles, Rachel-la. We're in charge of creating our own happy endings.�
The second half gave a little more of a focus on Jacob and his issues, which is why I wouldn't actually call this women's fiction, it's romance with a happily ever after, no bedroom scenes; if you've ever read Sonali Dev, it's along that same story-telling feel. The first half was sweet and showed how Rachel and Jacob matched together and the second half gives us more of the work and learning, Rachel finds out something about the Misunderstanding and Jacob finds out about Rachel's illness. They both learn how their vulnerabilities affect their relationships and life and then do the work to earn each other and because this is romance, some of that work includes a bedazzled wheelchair and a fire escape climb in a ball gown and fuzzy socks. This was tender, had some watery eyes moments, charming, and will have you wishing you had a bubbe in your life.
Truth could be scary. Darkness might always endeavor to snuff out the light, but the strength of those who truly loved us would always push us forward. This was how we brightened an otherwise dark world. We filled it with truth, and love, and light.
September 29, 2021
glorifies IDF and the murder of Palestinians
December 14, 2021
I am a non-Jewish person who loved all the All-of-a Kind Family books as a kid and still reread them every few years. I LOVED reading about all the traditions and food so different from what I knew, and one of the best things about The Matzah Ball is seeing it put out in the world as a mainstream romance. I’m still excited to read about Shabbat dinner and to truly feel how being raised with a different history and culture can make you feel both proud and lonely. So I mostly enjoyed that part of this book very much.
I stopped reading, however, when we come to this part: the machinations of this rom-com plot dictate that Rachel needs to volunteer with putting on this big, fancy event created by Jacob, the supposedly worldly, wealthy guy who broke her heart when they were in summer camp together as twelve-year-olds. Okay, fine. But on her first day, not only does he present her with a last minute matzah ball costume he crafted himself out of foam, glitter, and real matzah crackers at his grandmother’s house that she’s supposed to wear, this is what someone says to her:
…Rachel shook her head, confused. “He’s mean to me for no reason.�
�
“Maybe he secretly likes you?�
My hackles rose when I read that. Please have a look at this terrific blog post that explains how problematic this phrase is.
In and of itself, I probably would have given it the benefit of the doubt, but the chemistry between Rachel and Jacob already felt a bit hot and cold to me, and I think there’s a lot jammed into a story that’s already asking you to accept a far-fetched premise and some far-fetched scenarios. I just also don’t really enjoy pranking like this—there are romantic or friendly pranks that can be cute if they are done well, but if someone feels humiliated by it? Where’s the fun in that?
In posting this, I also glanced at a few other ratings and was dismayed to see that some readers have also been offended by 1. the MC comparing her secret (she’s the daughter of a prominent rabbi who loves Christmas and writes Christmas romances) to her gay friend’s coming out and 2. a throwaway joke that makes light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I didn’t pick up on these things when I read those parts, but I think they are important to note and to be sensitive to.
Anyway, I enjoyed the first third or so but ended up feeling deflated and disappointed by where the story was going. But publishers: yes to more varied characters and experiences, please.
I stopped reading, however, when we come to this part: the machinations of this rom-com plot dictate that Rachel needs to volunteer with putting on this big, fancy event created by Jacob, the supposedly worldly, wealthy guy who broke her heart when they were in summer camp together as twelve-year-olds. Okay, fine. But on her first day, not only does he present her with a last minute matzah ball costume he crafted himself out of foam, glitter, and real matzah crackers at his grandmother’s house that she’s supposed to wear, this is what someone says to her:
…Rachel shook her head, confused. “He’s mean to me for no reason.�
�
“Maybe he secretly likes you?�
My hackles rose when I read that. Please have a look at this terrific blog post that explains how problematic this phrase is.
In and of itself, I probably would have given it the benefit of the doubt, but the chemistry between Rachel and Jacob already felt a bit hot and cold to me, and I think there’s a lot jammed into a story that’s already asking you to accept a far-fetched premise and some far-fetched scenarios. I just also don’t really enjoy pranking like this—there are romantic or friendly pranks that can be cute if they are done well, but if someone feels humiliated by it? Where’s the fun in that?
In posting this, I also glanced at a few other ratings and was dismayed to see that some readers have also been offended by 1. the MC comparing her secret (she’s the daughter of a prominent rabbi who loves Christmas and writes Christmas romances) to her gay friend’s coming out and 2. a throwaway joke that makes light of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I didn’t pick up on these things when I read those parts, but I think they are important to note and to be sensitive to.
Anyway, I enjoyed the first third or so but ended up feeling deflated and disappointed by where the story was going. But publishers: yes to more varied characters and experiences, please.
October 18, 2021
Sigh I really don't like giving books negative reviews but I found myself endlessly infuriated by the decisions that characters made in this novel, in a way that I think is not because of 'unlikability' or anything but more to do with confusing writing and pacing (and generating drama through plot holes as opposed to plot).
There's also a bit of awkwardness with how Meltzer introduces characters and their key backstories. Rachel's chronic disease--there are some great ways that similar character traits have been presented that make it clear that a chronic disease touches on all parts of a character's life without making it seem like said character's inner monologue has been ripped from the latest UpToDate guide to the disease (see: , ). I felt like I was listening to Metzer's attempts to educate us on ME/CFS and its legitimacy...maybe I'm being naive, but I don't think that this audience is one that dismisses women's statements? As it were it comes off as awkward instead of teaching us something about Rachel.
Or this: Rachel's past as a Christmas novelist is shared by her best friend (who knows said secret) coming over and remarking, as one does when with old friends who know you backwards and forwards, "When are you going to tell your family that you're an award winning Christmas novelist with twenty bestselling romances? And four movies?"
The crux of the novel hinges on two points that you have to believe. One, that a summer camp romance from 18+ years ago (and a series of increasingly confusing/messy misunderstandings) can have strong, present-day consequences for two adults in their 30s who never spoke again. Two, that said two adults, now secure in well-paying (as made clear) careers, would be incapable of dealing with the normal ebbs and flows that accompany said careers.
Rachel, an author, seems flabbergasted when her publishing company asks for something different after her last few novels weren't selling as well. My dear, what did you THINK they'd ask for??? And Jacob seems incapable of pulling together a fancy gala in NYC for Jewish and Jewish adjacent millennials with money to burn--why there are multiple billionaire investors and a week's worth of set up () for an event where the ROI is apparently measured in...hashtag engagement? That's not how an event company works, an investor doesn't see value in instagram stories they see value in people buying tickets (a totally sold out event in NYC that even the organizer can't get you tickets to? why haven't you made back your costs??) and spending money.
The entire romance involves nothing but endless weird miscommunications which both sides beat themselves up for despite the fact that they haven't given the other party the opportunity to react at all to the actual truth. I'm happy these two got together, but I felt like a schmuck for sitting through to the end.
There's also a bit of awkwardness with how Meltzer introduces characters and their key backstories. Rachel's chronic disease--there are some great ways that similar character traits have been presented that make it clear that a chronic disease touches on all parts of a character's life without making it seem like said character's inner monologue has been ripped from the latest UpToDate guide to the disease (see: , ). I felt like I was listening to Metzer's attempts to educate us on ME/CFS and its legitimacy...maybe I'm being naive, but I don't think that this audience is one that dismisses women's statements? As it were it comes off as awkward instead of teaching us something about Rachel.
Or this: Rachel's past as a Christmas novelist is shared by her best friend (who knows said secret) coming over and remarking, as one does when with old friends who know you backwards and forwards, "When are you going to tell your family that you're an award winning Christmas novelist with twenty bestselling romances? And four movies?"
The crux of the novel hinges on two points that you have to believe. One, that a summer camp romance from 18+ years ago (and a series of increasingly confusing/messy misunderstandings) can have strong, present-day consequences for two adults in their 30s who never spoke again. Two, that said two adults, now secure in well-paying (as made clear) careers, would be incapable of dealing with the normal ebbs and flows that accompany said careers.
Rachel, an author, seems flabbergasted when her publishing company asks for something different after her last few novels weren't selling as well. My dear, what did you THINK they'd ask for??? And Jacob seems incapable of pulling together a fancy gala in NYC for Jewish and Jewish adjacent millennials with money to burn--why there are multiple billionaire investors and a week's worth of set up () for an event where the ROI is apparently measured in...hashtag engagement? That's not how an event company works, an investor doesn't see value in instagram stories they see value in people buying tickets (a totally sold out event in NYC that even the organizer can't get you tickets to? why haven't you made back your costs??) and spending money.
The entire romance involves nothing but endless weird miscommunications which both sides beat themselves up for despite the fact that they haven't given the other party the opportunity to react at all to the actual truth. I'm happy these two got together, but I felt like a schmuck for sitting through to the end.
October 21, 2021
I've been requesting eARCs of holiday books since July so this is your first warning. This is an actual Hanukkah romance with a heroine who also has a chronic illness.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is the daughter of a prominent rabbi but has secretly made a living from a career based on loving Christmas and writing Christmas romance novels and rom-coms. Her publisher wants her to use her lived experience to write a "more diverse" romance and in the process she reconnects with a boy from Jewish summer camp, her first kiss, of course.
At first I was a bit skeptical, was this author just throwing a bunch of Jewish stuff in to a typical romance? But I think she pulls it off for reasons I'll leave for the reader to discover. It went deeper and was more personal to the author than I might have expected, and that makes a difference.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is the daughter of a prominent rabbi but has secretly made a living from a career based on loving Christmas and writing Christmas romance novels and rom-coms. Her publisher wants her to use her lived experience to write a "more diverse" romance and in the process she reconnects with a boy from Jewish summer camp, her first kiss, of course.
At first I was a bit skeptical, was this author just throwing a bunch of Jewish stuff in to a typical romance? But I think she pulls it off for reasons I'll leave for the reader to discover. It went deeper and was more personal to the author than I might have expected, and that makes a difference.
May 18, 2021
Eighteen years ago, Rachel had a summer camp prank romance with Jacob. They were twelve. Ketchup was involved. But it ended badly. Now chronically ill, Rachel writes romance for a living. But not just any romance... oh no.. the dutiful Rabbi's daughter writes schmalpy and sensual Christmas-themed romances. In fact, she's written 20 of them. She's even got 4 movie deals out of them. Now her publisher wants more diverse works and so they give her an ultimatum... Write a Hannukah-themed Romance or they won't renew her contract. Rachel doesn't know what to do, until she hits upon an idea. An idea that puts her squarely in the path of her summer camp nemesis - Jacob.
--
This review is going to contain some spoilers. And there are some very frank discussions about difficult topics including bullying, chronic illness, ableism, and suicidal ideation. Also, as in many romantic comedies, there may be a lot of secondhand discomfort with the situations the characters find themselves in. Make sure you're in a good place before reading this.
I'm really quite torn in how I feel about this novel. Like seriously torn. I loved parts of it and hated others, so I'm going to explain why I think this book is really good and I'm glad it exists, but also why I don't love it fully.
On one hand, I absolutely loved the Jewish representation and the very excellent way that the author explained very Jewish concepts so that non-Jewish people wouldn't feel left out. I liked that there were people who had varying levels of observation. While the author didn't identify which sect of Judaism Rachel and her family practices, it felt like Conservative Judaism as opposed to Reform, Orthodox, or Reconstructionist. From my experience, there is definitely different levels of observance from people who will eat shrimp and definitely have a bacon pan to those who have wholly separate kitchens for cooking and at least 6 sets of dishes. It felt real. And I loved that.
On the other hand, I didn't love the Hero. His actions in many instances really landed wrong with me. For instance he treats Rachel very poorly refusing to listen to her when she says "No, I can't do something." and constantly pushes her to share her secrets with him without being willing to share his own. He does something to her that quite literally had me crying because what he did brought back memories of my own bullying both as a child and later as an adult. Then, once his prank backfires, he does performs a sweeping gesture that removes a lot of her agency and doesn't give her a way out. (I'm going to come back to this) Even later still, he violates her privacy in her home reading a document that is confidential... and then doesn't even apologize for that. I didn't like him. Rachel deserved better.
I did like Rachel for the most part. In fact, my biggest complaint with her is something wholly personal--she doesn't stand up for herself--but it's part of her storyline so... I did like that Rachel is chronically ill and her feelings about it echo my own as a spoonie. Rachel lives with ME/CFS and the author nails what that is like -- likely because she has lived it.
That said (and here's your second spoiler alert) when the hero hires an executive assistant to oversee cleaning up Rachel's apartment, cooking her food, and caring for her while she is recovering from a series of triggered bad days brought on by the hero's bullying -- I told you I'd get back to this -- he does so without checking with her first. Worse, the executive assistant doesn't take her no as an answer. And while in the story it is presented with kind intentions there's a problem with this and how it's handled in real life. So yes, Rachel is overwhelmed. Yes, she is having a bad day to the point that heating up soup isn't possible. But she's the one who needs to decide what she can live with. It's like grabbing the handlebars of a disabled person's wheelchair and pushing them... the intentions are pure but they are often misguided. Worse, it builds into the very damaging real world consequence that disabled voices are ignored and infantilized. The way that Jacob and the Executive assistant treat Rachel is infantilizing. They are overriding her wishes. They aren't talking to her. They are treating her like a child. I really, really, really had issues with this whole scene and what it stood for. And while in the end, Rachel was okay with the help... it's bad consent. Really bad consent. And people learn from fiction and I feel like this is modeling bad behavior and rewarding it narratively.
I really adored how the publishing industry was portrayed. Especially the big push by publishers to have their authors out themselves as ownvoices and to write about their lived experience.... often when they aren't ready.
I didn't like how the event planning industry was portrayed. Some of the things that the author had volunteers doing would never be allowed in a union town like NYC. Look, I work in the convention industry. Teamsters or Hotel employees set up tables, chairs, etc... They also don't tend to allow things to be hung on the walls. or have things dangle from the ceiling. While I'm letting this go and it didn't affect my rating of the story, it was something I noted. There was a lack of research done.
What I did like was that at the end the author acknowledged that their experience isn't a universal experience. No marginalized person is a monolith. And that was actually lovely to see.
So yeah, I was torn.
I liked this, but I didn't love it. Parts of it really bugged me. It's got great character voices and wonderful representation. This is a nice sweet romance with no sex and very minor swearing. But because I'm so torn I'm going to rate this:
Three Stars
--
This review is going to contain some spoilers. And there are some very frank discussions about difficult topics including bullying, chronic illness, ableism, and suicidal ideation. Also, as in many romantic comedies, there may be a lot of secondhand discomfort with the situations the characters find themselves in. Make sure you're in a good place before reading this.
I'm really quite torn in how I feel about this novel. Like seriously torn. I loved parts of it and hated others, so I'm going to explain why I think this book is really good and I'm glad it exists, but also why I don't love it fully.
On one hand, I absolutely loved the Jewish representation and the very excellent way that the author explained very Jewish concepts so that non-Jewish people wouldn't feel left out. I liked that there were people who had varying levels of observation. While the author didn't identify which sect of Judaism Rachel and her family practices, it felt like Conservative Judaism as opposed to Reform, Orthodox, or Reconstructionist. From my experience, there is definitely different levels of observance from people who will eat shrimp and definitely have a bacon pan to those who have wholly separate kitchens for cooking and at least 6 sets of dishes. It felt real. And I loved that.
On the other hand, I didn't love the Hero. His actions in many instances really landed wrong with me. For instance he treats Rachel very poorly refusing to listen to her when she says "No, I can't do something." and constantly pushes her to share her secrets with him without being willing to share his own. He does something to her that quite literally had me crying because what he did brought back memories of my own bullying both as a child and later as an adult. Then, once his prank backfires, he does performs a sweeping gesture that removes a lot of her agency and doesn't give her a way out. (I'm going to come back to this) Even later still, he violates her privacy in her home reading a document that is confidential... and then doesn't even apologize for that. I didn't like him. Rachel deserved better.
I did like Rachel for the most part. In fact, my biggest complaint with her is something wholly personal--she doesn't stand up for herself--but it's part of her storyline so... I did like that Rachel is chronically ill and her feelings about it echo my own as a spoonie. Rachel lives with ME/CFS and the author nails what that is like -- likely because she has lived it.
That said (and here's your second spoiler alert) when the hero hires an executive assistant to oversee cleaning up Rachel's apartment, cooking her food, and caring for her while she is recovering from a series of triggered bad days brought on by the hero's bullying -- I told you I'd get back to this -- he does so without checking with her first. Worse, the executive assistant doesn't take her no as an answer. And while in the story it is presented with kind intentions there's a problem with this and how it's handled in real life. So yes, Rachel is overwhelmed. Yes, she is having a bad day to the point that heating up soup isn't possible. But she's the one who needs to decide what she can live with. It's like grabbing the handlebars of a disabled person's wheelchair and pushing them... the intentions are pure but they are often misguided. Worse, it builds into the very damaging real world consequence that disabled voices are ignored and infantilized. The way that Jacob and the Executive assistant treat Rachel is infantilizing. They are overriding her wishes. They aren't talking to her. They are treating her like a child. I really, really, really had issues with this whole scene and what it stood for. And while in the end, Rachel was okay with the help... it's bad consent. Really bad consent. And people learn from fiction and I feel like this is modeling bad behavior and rewarding it narratively.
I really adored how the publishing industry was portrayed. Especially the big push by publishers to have their authors out themselves as ownvoices and to write about their lived experience.... often when they aren't ready.
I didn't like how the event planning industry was portrayed. Some of the things that the author had volunteers doing would never be allowed in a union town like NYC. Look, I work in the convention industry. Teamsters or Hotel employees set up tables, chairs, etc... They also don't tend to allow things to be hung on the walls. or have things dangle from the ceiling. While I'm letting this go and it didn't affect my rating of the story, it was something I noted. There was a lack of research done.
What I did like was that at the end the author acknowledged that their experience isn't a universal experience. No marginalized person is a monolith. And that was actually lovely to see.
So yeah, I was torn.
I liked this, but I didn't love it. Parts of it really bugged me. It's got great character voices and wonderful representation. This is a nice sweet romance with no sex and very minor swearing. But because I'm so torn I'm going to rate this:
Three Stars
September 29, 2021
I struggled with this one and trust me when I say, no one is more gutted about that than me. I’m not going to make a this a long review because honestly? I didn’t dislike this book. It was just extremely average. However, it did have some redeeming qualities, firstly simply seeing the words CFS and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome on page was wonderful and made my heart very happy. I also really enjoyed the aspect of Jewish culture and family.
Sadly, those were the only two parts of this book I enjoyed. Everything else just fell flat for me. I didn’t warm to the characters, the chemistry within the romance was lacklustre, some of the actions the two MC’s made were questionable at best and I spent the whole book wanting to yell “YOU WERE ONLY TWELVE.� I get hoping a grudge. There are some grudges that just will not budge, no matter how much time passes. That being said, I just really struggled with the idea that these two thirty year olds wouldn’t just turn around and go ‘so, about that time at camp, what happened there huh?� (or something along those lines). Equally, the idea that they were instantly head over heels with each other eighteen years later after what was basically a single conversation was far too instalovey for my taste. I don’t know, it all felt a little too far fetched for me and yet the storyline as a whole is one I should have adored (childhood love to hate to love during the holidays sounds ideal to me?!) so maybe it was just me not getting on with the writing style.
That being said, I don’t want to brush over how incredibly exciting it is to have a traditionally published novel feature CFS so heavily. It was fantastic and something I definitely hope to see more of in the future.
TW: ableism
Sadly, those were the only two parts of this book I enjoyed. Everything else just fell flat for me. I didn’t warm to the characters, the chemistry within the romance was lacklustre, some of the actions the two MC’s made were questionable at best and I spent the whole book wanting to yell “YOU WERE ONLY TWELVE.� I get hoping a grudge. There are some grudges that just will not budge, no matter how much time passes. That being said, I just really struggled with the idea that these two thirty year olds wouldn’t just turn around and go ‘so, about that time at camp, what happened there huh?� (or something along those lines). Equally, the idea that they were instantly head over heels with each other eighteen years later after what was basically a single conversation was far too instalovey for my taste. I don’t know, it all felt a little too far fetched for me and yet the storyline as a whole is one I should have adored (childhood love to hate to love during the holidays sounds ideal to me?!) so maybe it was just me not getting on with the writing style.
That being said, I don’t want to brush over how incredibly exciting it is to have a traditionally published novel feature CFS so heavily. It was fantastic and something I definitely hope to see more of in the future.
TW: ableism
September 28, 2021
the way this book talks about the IDF??????!!! and jokingly too in ‘flirty banter� scenes??? dehumanising
October 12, 2021
A sweet and hilarious Hannukah romance featuring a heroine dealing with chronic illness! I thoroughly enjoyed The Matzah Ball and would love to see it adapted into a feel-good rom-com film. This book is unapologetically Jewish while telling a story that still feels universal in many ways.
Rachel Rubensteain-Goldblatt is a good Jewish girl, the daughter of a prominent rabbi...but she has a big secret. She leads a double life as Margot Cross, bestselling author of Christmas romances! But now her publisher wants a Hannukah romance and she's desperate to find inspiration, even if it means working alongside her first love and childhood nemesis Jacob Greenburg. Because Jacob is throwing a high end Hannukah event known as the Matzah Ball, which seems like the perfect place to be inspired to write. But Rachel has another secret as well- she suffers from a chronic illness that severely limits her energy levels.
I really loved this book, more than I even expected to. I laughed, I cried, I shook my head at the wild antics, and I was really rooting for Rachel and Jacob to find their happy ending. This book deals a lot with family- both good and bad. And Rachel's disability is a big part of the story as well. I appreciate stories like this shining a light on the often hidden disability of chronic illness, and the author notes that she suffers from the same diagnosis as Rachel does in the book. It's a fabulous, entertaining story that is definitely worth your time this holiday season! And it just might make you hungry....
I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Added note after peeking at some of the other reviews. There is one point in the book where the heroine makes a joke about being a secret spy for the Israeli military. It's a one off, but yeah, it's kind of in poor taste and I can see why that would really bother some readers. So FYI, that's a thing in here.
Rachel Rubensteain-Goldblatt is a good Jewish girl, the daughter of a prominent rabbi...but she has a big secret. She leads a double life as Margot Cross, bestselling author of Christmas romances! But now her publisher wants a Hannukah romance and she's desperate to find inspiration, even if it means working alongside her first love and childhood nemesis Jacob Greenburg. Because Jacob is throwing a high end Hannukah event known as the Matzah Ball, which seems like the perfect place to be inspired to write. But Rachel has another secret as well- she suffers from a chronic illness that severely limits her energy levels.
I really loved this book, more than I even expected to. I laughed, I cried, I shook my head at the wild antics, and I was really rooting for Rachel and Jacob to find their happy ending. This book deals a lot with family- both good and bad. And Rachel's disability is a big part of the story as well. I appreciate stories like this shining a light on the often hidden disability of chronic illness, and the author notes that she suffers from the same diagnosis as Rachel does in the book. It's a fabulous, entertaining story that is definitely worth your time this holiday season! And it just might make you hungry....
I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Added note after peeking at some of the other reviews. There is one point in the book where the heroine makes a joke about being a secret spy for the Israeli military. It's a one off, but yeah, it's kind of in poor taste and I can see why that would really bother some readers. So FYI, that's a thing in here.
February 1, 2022
Not a romcom, a chick flick.
The book has abundance of Jewish representation, not the funny/romantic scenes that are primary in the book of this genre.
Things I liked:
💙 The idea of a Matzah Ball is the highlight of the book. Except for that, nothing is handled in the way I would've preffered.
•â¶Ä� Unpopular Opinion •â¶Ä¢â€�
Things I didn't like:
🔵 The Male lead was kinda juvenile or girly for my liking. I don't have a problem with that but again, I don't want that in my potential book boyfriend too.
🔵 A lot of missed opportunities could've been there to make the preparation of the ball romantic or funny. But, they weren't even thought of.
🔵 All the 'flirting' was very old-fashioned. I didn't smile at any dialogue.
🔵 The female lead handled the situations like a teenager. Scratch that, she was like a teenager to me. I don't like my characters scared, whatever the reason, you should be able to tell your family about a big part of yourself and she couldn't.
°But, I think any person who wants to get information about the Jewish culture would like it.
The book has abundance of Jewish representation, not the funny/romantic scenes that are primary in the book of this genre.
Things I liked:
💙 The idea of a Matzah Ball is the highlight of the book. Except for that, nothing is handled in the way I would've preffered.
•â¶Ä� Unpopular Opinion •â¶Ä¢â€�
Things I didn't like:
🔵 The Male lead was kinda juvenile or girly for my liking. I don't have a problem with that but again, I don't want that in my potential book boyfriend too.
🔵 A lot of missed opportunities could've been there to make the preparation of the ball romantic or funny. But, they weren't even thought of.
🔵 All the 'flirting' was very old-fashioned. I didn't smile at any dialogue.
🔵 The female lead handled the situations like a teenager. Scratch that, she was like a teenager to me. I don't like my characters scared, whatever the reason, you should be able to tell your family about a big part of yourself and she couldn't.
°But, I think any person who wants to get information about the Jewish culture would like it.
Read
December 30, 2022I loved Mr. Perfect on Paper, Jean Meltzer’s most recent release, and was so excited to read this in celebration of the start of Hanukkah. Overall I found it to be a cute holiday read, filled with some great representation. The storyline was fun, as was the enemies to lovers vibes between Rachel and Jacob, not to mention the camp flashbacks.
My only criticism with this story is that it dragged quite a bit from about a third of the way in, until just before the conclusion. As a result, by the time we got our HEA, I just wasn’t as emotional invested as I would have liked. This is still a cute, festive read perfect for this time of year.
Read if you like:
•chronic illness rep
•Jewish rep
•enemies to lovers
•forced proximity
My only criticism with this story is that it dragged quite a bit from about a third of the way in, until just before the conclusion. As a result, by the time we got our HEA, I just wasn’t as emotional invested as I would have liked. This is still a cute, festive read perfect for this time of year.
Read if you like:
•chronic illness rep
•Jewish rep
•enemies to lovers
•forced proximity
November 28, 2021
Oh my gosh! THE MATZAH BALL by Jean Meltzer is such a fun book! Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt is the daughter of a world famous rabbi and she has a huge secret. She loves Christmas! She also is a famous best selling Christmas romance author and no one knows that either except for her very best friend, Mickey. Rachel is also dealing with a chronic illness and stays at home most days. She has a secret room in her apartment, filled with her novel posters and many many Christmas decorations. THE MATZAH BALL is so much more than just a holiday romance story. It also details Rachel’s chronic illness and how she lives with it every day.
THE MATZAH BALL is going to have you giggling out loud and if you are like me, you will be snorting quite a few times as well. Rachel’s publisher wants her to shake things up and write a Hanukkah romance book, but Rachel is stuck on how to go from the magic of Christmas to Hanukkah. Then she finds out about a Matzah Ball. It is a big Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah. The only problem is the event is sold out. Rachel soon learns that her arch enemy from summer camp is putting the Matzah Ball together. Ugh!! Could it get any worse? Jacob Greenberg, the boy who broke her heart all those years ago! She hasn’t seen him since that summer, but she needs to go to that ball for research. She isn’t ready to give up her career as a romance writer. Hang on readers! This is when the story gets fun!!
If you are looking for a fun read then you have to pick up THE MATZAH BALL by Jean Meltzer. The things that some of the characters say will have you snickering through out the book. I still can’t believe this is a debut novel. It is really well written and you instantly become involved in all of the characters lives. I love when that happens. I hope Jean Meltzer continues to write and keeps me laughing just like she did with THE MATZAH BALL.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Mira Books through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.
THE MATZAH BALL is going to have you giggling out loud and if you are like me, you will be snorting quite a few times as well. Rachel’s publisher wants her to shake things up and write a Hanukkah romance book, but Rachel is stuck on how to go from the magic of Christmas to Hanukkah. Then she finds out about a Matzah Ball. It is a big Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah. The only problem is the event is sold out. Rachel soon learns that her arch enemy from summer camp is putting the Matzah Ball together. Ugh!! Could it get any worse? Jacob Greenberg, the boy who broke her heart all those years ago! She hasn’t seen him since that summer, but she needs to go to that ball for research. She isn’t ready to give up her career as a romance writer. Hang on readers! This is when the story gets fun!!
If you are looking for a fun read then you have to pick up THE MATZAH BALL by Jean Meltzer. The things that some of the characters say will have you snickering through out the book. I still can’t believe this is a debut novel. It is really well written and you instantly become involved in all of the characters lives. I love when that happens. I hope Jean Meltzer continues to write and keeps me laughing just like she did with THE MATZAH BALL.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Mira Books through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own and were voluntarily given.
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