Scan barcode
tiffanyann's review
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
elybakouche's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
A lighthearted read; I liked that the protagonists had a Jewish background, which I rarely see in novels, especially romance novels. But the romance part was underwhelming, predictable, and I wasn’t rooting for the characters to get together. Still, an easy one to pick up during Hanukkah!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Death of parent
robin812's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
A heartwarming story and the author’s note is an added bonus
taylorkinsey's review against another edition
3.0
I mean....we don't read stories like these for the amazing writing, right? It was cute, it was fun. A Hallmark movie in a book. Pretty much exactly what I expected it to be and it definitely delivered!
laura_cs's review against another edition
5.0
I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt has a terrible, horrific, dark secret: she loves Christmas. Yes, the very Jewish daughter of one of the most renown rabbis in the world loves Christmas. But she doesn't just love Christmas. No, the secret gets deeper and darker: she's also a bestselling romance novelist... who only writes Christmas stories. She loves what she does, even if her parents can never know, and it keeps her rent paid and gets her the treatments she needs for her chronic illness.
But Rachel is thrown for a loop when her publisher suddenly decides that they need a Hanukkah romance on the market, and they want Rachel to write one ASAP. "Oy vey" doesn't even begin to cover how Rachel feels.
Desperately seeking inspiration, Rachel stumbles upon The Matzah Ball, a huge, elaborate Jewish music celebration to be held the last night of Hanukkah and knows that is where she needs to be if her story is going to get written. The only problem? It means reuniting with her summer camp archenemy, Jacob Greenburg, who totally broke her tweenage heart.
As Hanukkah begins, so does the countdown till the big day. Can Rachel and Jacob both get what they want and need out of this festival? And what will happen when they realize that those wants and needs happen to include each other?
I adored Meltzer's debut! "The Matzah Ball" is fun and lively, with some brilliant nods towards Hallmark movie tropes, mouth-watering food descriptions, a whole lot of shenanigans, as well as many incredibly beautifully sweet moments (and some steamy ones too... wink wink). Rachel and Jacob are brilliant protagonists, perfectly imperfect so that they felt so much like real people. I can't wait for Meltzer's next book!
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt has a terrible, horrific, dark secret: she loves Christmas. Yes, the very Jewish daughter of one of the most renown rabbis in the world loves Christmas. But she doesn't just love Christmas. No, the secret gets deeper and darker: she's also a bestselling romance novelist... who only writes Christmas stories. She loves what she does, even if her parents can never know, and it keeps her rent paid and gets her the treatments she needs for her chronic illness.
But Rachel is thrown for a loop when her publisher suddenly decides that they need a Hanukkah romance on the market, and they want Rachel to write one ASAP. "Oy vey" doesn't even begin to cover how Rachel feels.
Desperately seeking inspiration, Rachel stumbles upon The Matzah Ball, a huge, elaborate Jewish music celebration to be held the last night of Hanukkah and knows that is where she needs to be if her story is going to get written. The only problem? It means reuniting with her summer camp archenemy, Jacob Greenburg, who totally broke her tweenage heart.
As Hanukkah begins, so does the countdown till the big day. Can Rachel and Jacob both get what they want and need out of this festival? And what will happen when they realize that those wants and needs happen to include each other?
I adored Meltzer's debut! "The Matzah Ball" is fun and lively, with some brilliant nods towards Hallmark movie tropes, mouth-watering food descriptions, a whole lot of shenanigans, as well as many incredibly beautifully sweet moments (and some steamy ones too... wink wink). Rachel and Jacob are brilliant protagonists, perfectly imperfect so that they felt so much like real people. I can't wait for Meltzer's next book!
missgcedar's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
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
4.25
seknight61's review against another edition
3.0
This is tough for me bc I liked the story but really didn’t like the book. I really wanted to and I read it fast and stayed up till 2am to finish it, but I was annoyed the entire time. Hear me out. It’s definitely made for a Jewish crowd, but it is SO overly Jewish that I was annoyed bc I want non-Jews to read it and I don’t know they will. Sure it was fun to understand so many references, but I felt like I was reading a Jewish dictionary. Every Yiddish or Hebrew word was italicized and defined. That’s great, but there were so many references on each page. I’m a northeastern Jew who grew up being active in synagogue and youth group and went to sleepaway camp. I spent 9 summers at camp. I have never referenced “camp Ramah” when talking to friends, ESPECIALLY camp friends. We say “camp” or “Ramah” but never the full name. That got annoying. The author also tried to put in everything and it sounded weird- Shabbat observance, kashrut, holidays, shiva, minyan, Holocaust Survivor stories, stereotypical Jewish hair, sleepaway camp. It was just let’s put everything Jewish in here. Also, I have an invisible chronic illness and Rachel pissed me off with the way she went about her life. I hated her lying and deceiving and she never let Jacob explain things. I was just annoyed the entire book. So, fun story and although it was weird to see Hanukkah made into something that it’s not, it was nice to read a book I could relate to.
nataliespreeman's review against another edition
2.0
It started out okay, but I can’t get over how high school it was… like they kissed and then were destined to be together? I wish there was more to it
lilybarna's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.75
What a lovely read! Light hearted and fun, like a hallmark movie in all the best ways. Got me back on my Yiddish kick, had to google a couple phrases but my grandma knows them all :) so sweet!