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litlifeguide'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: Ableism, Cancer, Terminal illness, Antisemitism, Grief, and Death of parent
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: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Antisemitism and War
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: Death of parent and Abandonment
readergonewilde's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Genocide, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
sydneyj's review against another edition
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
kaseybereading's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
lexa's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
All the stars. Delightful story, fantastic narration. (No steam)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Cancer and Antisemitism
linesiunderline's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, Xenophobia, and Alcohol