A review by ticvoria_
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

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

3.0

I loved the concept and the potential for a Jewish leading lady with chronic illness, but the execution wasn’t there for me. I really liked that I learned a few things about Hanukkah and Judaism that I hadn’t known before. The MCs don’t don’t communicate well AT ALL and act like their 7th grade crushes really make or break their whole lives (plus the “he’s mean, he just like you!” angle as adults… yikes). It was really hard for me to read them as characters in their 30s and not teens, I wanted to just shake them and yell to get over a single event from when they were literally 12. Some funny and insightful and cute moments were there, but not enough to overshadow the parts that annoyed me. There were some insensitive at best moments that also rubbed me the wrong way (“coming out” about loving Christmas and the throwaway joke about Israeli-Palestine conflict assassins), so I hope if the author writes another novel, she gets some sensitivity writers. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings