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charminggoats's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Very cute, fairly lighthearted fade-to-black romance! It was an interesting, quick read. The main characters met as kids, fell in love (as much as two kids at summer camp in middle school can) but never had a true breakup/goodbye due to a series of misunderstandings and outside interference. They meet again as adults in very different lives and start to come back together over Hanukkah.
The romance sort of stays as one from childhood. I mean, they still get their happy ending; it just felt like they reverted back to those kids at camp. One minute she hates him, he’s pranking her like total misread of the situation, they talk a smidge to clear up the misunderstanding from childhood, they kiss and make-up, and then they are married. It was cute in a Hallmark movie kind of way- underdeveloped, yet still fun and inexplicably adorable? Hallmark movies are popular for a reason!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Ableism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
wenwanzhao's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.25
I didn’t like that. Started off alright, but it was hard to care about their feelings and motivations. Forced myself to finish.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death of parent
litstyleguide's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, y’all, this was such a cute read! I think this was my first ever Hanukkah romance. Holiday vibes, second-chance romance, archenemies to lovers to enemies to lovers! This was jam packed with Jewish representation and I was V here for it! We also got some LGBTQ+ rep, as well as myalgic encephalomyelitis aka chronic fatigue syndrome rep!
Loved our MCs, the focus on honesty, and being vulnerable enough to lean on others in time of need. While I enjoyed this read, it was a V slow burn, and felt unnecessarily long. I was just really ready to move on to something else.
Loved our MCs, the focus on honesty, and being vulnerable enough to lean on others in time of need. While I enjoyed this read, it was a V slow burn, and felt unnecessarily long. I was just really ready to move on to something else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
lennatheunicorncat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Ableism, Antisemitism, and Cancer
author2223's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Ableism
kdailyreads's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, Bullying, and Ableism
Minor: War and Islamophobia
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I really wanted to like this book, because I've never read a Hanukkah romance before!
But the characters were flat and one dimensional. There was a weird amount of detail to Jacob's appearance compared to virtually none for Rachel's. The chemistry was based almost entirely on their relationship from age 12. It's fine to have the origins of your love story start from a young age, but if virtually all of your feelings and perceptions of that person are from that time, it gives me a weird vibe. The conflict between Jacob and Rachel felt a bit ludicrous, and the ending seemed kind of rushed and unrealistic.
But the characters were flat and one dimensional. There was a weird amount of detail to Jacob's appearance compared to virtually none for Rachel's. The chemistry was based almost entirely on their relationship from age 12. It's fine to have the origins of your love story start from a young age, but if virtually all of your feelings and perceptions of that person are from that time, it gives me a weird vibe. The conflict between Jacob and Rachel felt a bit ludicrous, and the ending seemed kind of rushed and unrealistic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Genocide
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.0
I’m late to the party for this book, pun intended.
You know that one couple in your friend group that gets in fights every time you go out together? The couple that is always breaking up just to make up? That couple that pretends to hate each other all the time? Rachel and Jacob are that couple.
It was cute, and I actually *loved* the characters, but I am not an enemies-to-lovers fan and this book is the embodiment of that trope. The main characters fight for 80% of the book to finally kiss and then fight again until the very, very end. 😩 There is also conflict driven by lies of omission which drives me absolutely bananas as a reader.
This is Meltzer’s debut novel so I am being a little lenient but I found the writing a repetitive and telling instead of showing at times. There were more than a few paragraphs that could have been eliminated without losing any details. There is also one joke in poor taste regarding the IDF, so if you visit Goodreads for reviews you will see chatter about it. The book could have done without it, but here we are.
👌🏻All that said, if you like enemies to lovers and you’re looking for a closed-door, lighthearted holiday romance that *isn’t* about Christmas, this is a solid choice. I enjoyed the window into Jewish culture, and the chronic illness representation seemed sensitive and realistic (the author has a chronic illness herself).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Chronic illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Antisemitism and War
portcityreads's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness and Death of parent
paperandkindness's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Great chronic illness rep!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent