Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

9 reviews

kyrstin_p1989's review

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very cute romance story that is traditional and non-traditional at the same time. I appreciated that the story centers around Hanukkah while exhibiting all the tell-tale signs of a typical Hallmark Christmas movie. The themes of this book are lovely and withstand the test of time and the differences between faiths. The love story is a frenemies to lovers with a bit of miscommunication trope thrown in. All in all, I thought it was a good holiday rom-com to read during Hanukkah.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Racism, War, Bullying, Racial slurs, Abandonment, Death of parent, Ableism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, and Panic attacks/disorders

btwnprintedpgs's review

hopeful lighthearted reflective medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Antisemitism

Moderate: Bullying

Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and War

mikaelaandherbooks's review

lighthearted medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness and Grief

Minor: Death of parent, Bullying, and Abandonment

caitlinjadams's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-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? Yes

4.0

Fun winter read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Cancer

annahamburger's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Abandonment, Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Antisemitism, Grief, Genocide, Body shaming, Alcohol, Ableism, Bullying, and Emotional abuse

Minor: War, Pregnancy, Xenophobia, and Infertility

kdailyreads's review

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, Bullying, and Ableism

Minor: War and Islamophobia

linesiunderline's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The Matzah Ball was a really sweet, gently humorous read with strong rep for chronic disability. It was completely pleasant, start to finish, and for audiobook fans, the narration was on point.

I think this is about as clean / PG as an adult romance can be and still be considered a romance. This book makes Kerry Winfrey’s romances look racy. I’m good with a bit of open door action in my romances, so I did find myself wondering at the 2/3 mark if this couple was actually going to kiss in the book. I would have liked more evidence of their spark on the page.

Charming, comforting and heartfelt, I could easily picture this one as a sparkly holiday movie. Recommended for anyone who doesn’t mind low steam romance.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Grief

Moderate: Alcohol, Suicide, and Xenophobia

foreverinastory's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was so much fun, I really loved this one!!

Rep: white Jewish cishet female MC with chronic fatigue syndrome, white Jewish cishet male MC with depression and past instances of suicidal ideation, adopted Black gay Jewish male side character, Jewish lesbian WLW side couple, Jewish male side character who uses a wheelchair, Jewish side characters.

CWs: Ableism, abandonment, alcohol, chronic illness, grief, mental illness (depression). Moderate: past mentions of bullying, past mentions of terminal cancer, cursing, death, death of parent (past), pregnancy of side character discussed and talk of babies, past mention of suicidal thoughts. Brief: mention of IDF and joking of being a Mossad agent--genocide and colonisation of Palestinian people. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Chronic illness, Grief, and Mental illness

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

Minor: Colonisation and Genocide

meganpbennett's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The Matzah Ball is an interesting, own-voices romance novel, and it has a diverse cast of characters who usually don't grace romance novels: Jewish people and those living with a chronic illness. It's a peak into the lives of people who aren't like me, and that's just plain wonderful. It's sparkly, it's bright, it's everything you could possibly want in a holiday romance novel. If you don't look behind the curtain.

I really didn't like Jacob. He's a walking collection of all of the tropes I don't like in romance novels and he doesn't have enough character development to make up for his behavior. Frankly, I don't know what Rachel sees in the man. He's a bully and a dick.

There are other aspects of the book that I didn't like, but I'm not able to articulate well. There's a remarkably over the top removal of agency that's passed off as a grand gesture; Rachel is pushed to "out herself" by writing an own-voices holiday romance novel, despite not being ready to do so; Rachel and Jacob are still acting like 12 year olds at camp and still holding grudges over what happened; the book is so littered with vocabulary words that a glossary would have helped the Gentile readership.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cancer, Ableism, and Bullying

Moderate: Death of parent and Grief