A review by unsuccessfulbookclub
The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer

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).
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