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mindy_m 's review for:
Magical Meet Cute
by Jean Meltzer
I never thought that one day I'd read a paranormal Jewish romance, but I am here for it!
We find ourselves with Faye, a self-proclaimed Jewitch ceramist. After experiencing an act of anti-Semitism, Faye needs a protector or some means to feel safe. She draws upon her Jewitch and ceramist skills and fashions herself a golem, who is the embodiment her perfect man. You can only imagine how surprised she was when she then hits him with her bike the very next day! Unfortunately, "Greg" gets amnesia. He also doesn't seem to have any ID or anybody looking for him. Feeling quite guilty, Faye accepts him into her home to help him recuperate until they can find out where his home truly resides. As time moves on, Faye isn't sure if he's truly man or if he's the golem she created!
I honestly was not expecting this book to hit as well as it did! There are certain aspects of contemporary that I have not fully delved into, and Jewish romance is one of them. With that said, I love cultural and religious representation in literature. As Faye is a Jewitch, I found her character to be quite fascinating. I've never heard the phrase before! With that said, the theme that I loved the most was the Divine Feminine. I've read quite a few books on the Divine Feminine (non-fiction and fiction, across a variety of genres) and it always pleases me to see it pop up as a central topic.
In Faye's case, the Divine Feminine is deeply rooted within her Jewitch lifestyle. The Divine Feminine also comes up rather specifically during a conversation she has with Greg about Medusa. Admittedly, her part of the discourse was lost on me. Greg, however, saved it when he then told her "There is no difference between a goddess and a monster."
(He only barely saved it with that line as I do think it could have been rephrased. In fact, that entire conversation would have made more sense if it was simply worded differently.)
Do note that what he was trying to say was that a woman can be seen as a monster, but truly be a goddess. As the book goes on, we learn that Faye sees herself as a monster / broken / imperfect, despite everybody else seeing her differently. This makes that Medusa conversation make a lot more sense.
In the end, I was left feeling that we are all perfectly imperfect, that we all have the potentiality to be both a goddess and a monster, and that sometimes real life can seem like a bit of magic.
In case it was missed, do note that anti-Semitism is a big topic in this book. There are acts of vandalism, threats of violence, and conversations about hate groups. A large topic in this book deals with a community hit by such radicals and, as such, there is a lot of fear felt. Domestic abuse also comes up (from the past). Please be wary of all trigger warnings prior to picking up this book as the subject material might be difficult.
I do wish to recommend this book to anybody who wishes to delve into a new witchy culture, loves the Divine Feminine, or enjoys a story (potentially) about an inanimate object coming to life!
Thank you, Net Galley, for giving me this opportunity!
We find ourselves with Faye, a self-proclaimed Jewitch ceramist. After experiencing an act of anti-Semitism, Faye needs a protector or some means to feel safe. She draws upon her Jewitch and ceramist skills and fashions herself a golem, who is the embodiment her perfect man. You can only imagine how surprised she was when she then hits him with her bike the very next day! Unfortunately, "Greg" gets amnesia. He also doesn't seem to have any ID or anybody looking for him. Feeling quite guilty, Faye accepts him into her home to help him recuperate until they can find out where his home truly resides. As time moves on, Faye isn't sure if he's truly man or if he's the golem she created!
I honestly was not expecting this book to hit as well as it did! There are certain aspects of contemporary that I have not fully delved into, and Jewish romance is one of them. With that said, I love cultural and religious representation in literature. As Faye is a Jewitch, I found her character to be quite fascinating. I've never heard the phrase before! With that said, the theme that I loved the most was the Divine Feminine. I've read quite a few books on the Divine Feminine (non-fiction and fiction, across a variety of genres) and it always pleases me to see it pop up as a central topic.
In Faye's case, the Divine Feminine is deeply rooted within her Jewitch lifestyle. The Divine Feminine also comes up rather specifically during a conversation she has with Greg about Medusa. Admittedly, her part of the discourse was lost on me. Greg, however, saved it when he then told her "There is no difference between a goddess and a monster."
(He only barely saved it with that line as I do think it could have been rephrased. In fact, that entire conversation would have made more sense if it was simply worded differently.)
Do note that what he was trying to say was that a woman can be seen as a monster, but truly be a goddess. As the book goes on, we learn that Faye sees herself as a monster / broken / imperfect, despite everybody else seeing her differently. This makes that Medusa conversation make a lot more sense.
In the end, I was left feeling that we are all perfectly imperfect, that we all have the potentiality to be both a goddess and a monster, and that sometimes real life can seem like a bit of magic.
In case it was missed, do note that anti-Semitism is a big topic in this book. There are acts of vandalism, threats of violence, and conversations about hate groups. A large topic in this book deals with a community hit by such radicals and, as such, there is a lot of fear felt. Domestic abuse also comes up (from the past). Please be wary of all trigger warnings prior to picking up this book as the subject material might be difficult.
I do wish to recommend this book to anybody who wishes to delve into a new witchy culture, loves the Divine Feminine, or enjoys a story (potentially) about an inanimate object coming to life!
Thank you, Net Galley, for giving me this opportunity!