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A review by laura_cs
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer
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!