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jackiehorne's review
4.0
Lots of love from me for this Hanukkah romance, set in my very own hometown! See full review at ROMANCE NOVELS FOR FEMINISTS (Best of 2018 post):
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2019/01/rnffs-best-of-2018.html
http://romancenovelsforfeminists.blogspot.com/2019/01/rnffs-best-of-2018.html
tinkcourtney's review
5.0
Fantastic and heartwarming
I really enjoyed this. Ben and Adam were sweet but still realistically flawed, fumbling their way to their happy ending with a few hitches along the way and growth on both sides. This book make me both laugh and tear up (it’s not SUPER angsty; I’m just a wimp), and ultimately left me with a smile on my face. I’m definitely checking out more books from this new-to-me author.
I really enjoyed this. Ben and Adam were sweet but still realistically flawed, fumbling their way to their happy ending with a few hitches along the way and growth on both sides. This book make me both laugh and tear up (it’s not SUPER angsty; I’m just a wimp), and ultimately left me with a smile on my face. I’m definitely checking out more books from this new-to-me author.
indiekay's review
4.0
This was a really sweet read - Adam is a hockey coach to a team of 14 year olds, and they have to travel from Quebec to Boston for a tourney that just happens to coincide with the dates of Hanukah that year. While there, Adam meets Ben, the owner of a kosher-style bakery, and they hit it off almost immediately.
The way food is described in this book is lovely, and I was starving reading most of it. Ben's love for baking and sharing his faith through food was felt in the way the author described each thing he baked.
My main issue with this book is that, for a romance that only takes place over 8 days, these men ended up having arguments that had them disappearing and coming back to apologise the next day or days later a LOT. About 3/4s though the book I got really frustrated with the 3rd time they'd had one of these misunderstandings, but luckily the book pulled through in the end and had me rooting for them again.
The way food is described in this book is lovely, and I was starving reading most of it. Ben's love for baking and sharing his faith through food was felt in the way the author described each thing he baked.
My main issue with this book is that, for a romance that only takes place over 8 days, these men ended up having arguments that had them disappearing and coming back to apologise the next day or days later a LOT. About 3/4s though the book I got really frustrated with the 3rd time they'd had one of these misunderstandings, but luckily the book pulled through in the end and had me rooting for them again.
jugglingpup's review
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
So I am a complete sucker for Jewish boys, which if you know me really isn’t a surprise. I am also super into hurt/comfort and broken boys. This book had big doses of both. Both of the main boys had really great backstories and they had complications galore. The characters didn’t feel super flat, but they were a bit predictable.
Normally predictability in a romance novel doesn’t bug me, but this one it got to me. If Adam and Ben were getting along too well, it just became time for Adam to freak out over some small slight of the Jewish faith for some unknown reason. His obsession with being the best Jew was out of nowhere and never explained. Every single argument they had was about Adam thinking that Ben wasn’t Jewish enough. It was annoying and just didn’t make sense. I can see that being a thing, but there was build up for it. It just happened. Then it happened again. And again. It was just really annoying that the only problem the boys had was Adam being a hothead around Judaism.
I wish there was some more tension, something outside of just Adam being a hothead in an unexplained way. There was some tension over Ben confronting the ice again and I LIVED FOR IT. I was all about the boys. I shipped it so hard. I loved the side characters. It was just a perfect book for me, except for the conflict that didn’t seem to make sense for the characters.
The only other issue I had was the sex scenes. I know, I know. I am too critical of M/M sex in romance novels, I have been told. This book gave me hope though. The boys had a conversation about protection, then decided that oral sex didn’t need a condom after knowing each other for two days I think it was. So while they made questionable decisions, I was so happy that they had that talk! I was beside myself excited over it. Then there was so much talk of condoms by other characters and for the anal sex scene. I would like to just say this again: all the STIs/STDs you can get from anal/vaginal sex can also be gotten through oral sex. Ok, so sex ed 101 over. Why did the boys make a huge deal about using condoms for anal sex and all of their friends ask if they were being “safe” where the boys said they were, when they weren’t using condoms for oral sex? It just highlighted this weird inability for people to remember that oral sex can and does end up in STIs/STDs. Even the juvenile inmates I teach sex ed to understand this concept and the think that women can’t say no once they are in a relationship and that plastic bags can work as condoms, let that sink in.
So my only issues are weird, overused conflict that doesn’t seem to work with the story perfectly and inconsistent condom usage. Overall, only having those two issues is amazing. At one point I was tearing up over a conversation on Skype. I just adored all the side characters. So amazing book, don’t listen to my whining about it. Read it.
I got an ARC of this book.
So I am a complete sucker for Jewish boys, which if you know me really isn’t a surprise. I am also super into hurt/comfort and broken boys. This book had big doses of both. Both of the main boys had really great backstories and they had complications galore. The characters didn’t feel super flat, but they were a bit predictable.
Normally predictability in a romance novel doesn’t bug me, but this one it got to me. If Adam and Ben were getting along too well, it just became time for Adam to freak out over some small slight of the Jewish faith for some unknown reason. His obsession with being the best Jew was out of nowhere and never explained. Every single argument they had was about Adam thinking that Ben wasn’t Jewish enough. It was annoying and just didn’t make sense. I can see that being a thing, but there was build up for it. It just happened. Then it happened again. And again. It was just really annoying that the only problem the boys had was Adam being a hothead around Judaism.
I wish there was some more tension, something outside of just Adam being a hothead in an unexplained way. There was some tension over Ben confronting the ice again and I LIVED FOR IT. I was all about the boys. I shipped it so hard. I loved the side characters. It was just a perfect book for me, except for the conflict that didn’t seem to make sense for the characters.
The only other issue I had was the sex scenes. I know, I know. I am too critical of M/M sex in romance novels, I have been told. This book gave me hope though. The boys had a conversation about protection, then decided that oral sex didn’t need a condom after knowing each other for two days I think it was. So while they made questionable decisions, I was so happy that they had that talk! I was beside myself excited over it. Then there was so much talk of condoms by other characters and for the anal sex scene. I would like to just say this again: all the STIs/STDs you can get from anal/vaginal sex can also be gotten through oral sex. Ok, so sex ed 101 over. Why did the boys make a huge deal about using condoms for anal sex and all of their friends ask if they were being “safe” where the boys said they were, when they weren’t using condoms for oral sex? It just highlighted this weird inability for people to remember that oral sex can and does end up in STIs/STDs. Even the juvenile inmates I teach sex ed to understand this concept and the think that women can’t say no once they are in a relationship and that plastic bags can work as condoms, let that sink in.
So my only issues are weird, overused conflict that doesn’t seem to work with the story perfectly and inconsistent condom usage. Overall, only having those two issues is amazing. At one point I was tearing up over a conversation on Skype. I just adored all the side characters. So amazing book, don’t listen to my whining about it. Read it.
scrow1022's review
4.0
So enjoyed this. First, the catnip of hockey, baking, and cute preteens. And I liked the characters, they felt real to me in all their prickliness. But I really appreciated the serious discussion of religion - its role in our lives, belief vs. culture, etc. Maybe some of the arguments were a little heavy-handed at times, but I liked that they existed.
unwise_samwise's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
creativelifeofliz's review
3.0
I really wanted to love this book. Unfortunately, I don't feel like Adam really made up for his shortcomings and Ben is too much of a push-over.
aligroen's review
4.0
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really loved this story. Ben is so adorable and is trying hard to observe Hanukkah without Christmas interfering this year. Adam tries to be the perfect son for his father but promises a hockey tournament that takes him away during Hanukkah.
Ben loved speed skating and baking, after he was hurt he has completely put himself into his bakery. I loved how determined Sheldon was to get Ben out there no matter what. Adam is at a cross roads, he can either stay coaching the pee-wee hockey as he has for the last ten years since his mom passed or take the opportunity that’s right in from of him.
These two are sweet together though they both have things to work through. Adam needs to be a bit more open in his interpretation of how to practice Jewism. Ben has his past injury they everyone feels is holding him back. I liked how quickly they liked each other but it wasn’t insta-love. However, at times they seemed very quick to anger and then to forgive the next day.
I really loved this story. Ben is so adorable and is trying hard to observe Hanukkah without Christmas interfering this year. Adam tries to be the perfect son for his father but promises a hockey tournament that takes him away during Hanukkah.
Ben loved speed skating and baking, after he was hurt he has completely put himself into his bakery. I loved how determined Sheldon was to get Ben out there no matter what. Adam is at a cross roads, he can either stay coaching the pee-wee hockey as he has for the last ten years since his mom passed or take the opportunity that’s right in from of him.
These two are sweet together though they both have things to work through. Adam needs to be a bit more open in his interpretation of how to practice Jewism. Ben has his past injury they everyone feels is holding him back. I liked how quickly they liked each other but it wasn’t insta-love. However, at times they seemed very quick to anger and then to forgive the next day.