Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer (ARC Review)

Title: Mr. Perfect on Paper
Author: Jean Meltzer
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: MIRA
Date published: August 9, 2022

This post is sponsored. A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by HarperCollins Canada in exchange for an honest review.

As the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate, matchmaker Dara Rabinowitz knows the formula for lasting love—at least, for everyone else. When it comes to her own love life, she’s been idling indefinitely. Until her beloved bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national television and charming news anchor Chris Steadfast proposes they turn Dara’s search into must-see TV.

As a non-Jewish single dad, Chris doesn’t check any of Dara’s boxes. But her hunt for Mr. Perfect is the ratings boost his show desperately needs. If only Chris could ignore his own pesky attraction to Dara—a task much easier said than done when Dara starts questioning if “perfect on paper” can compete with how hard she’s falling for Chris…

⤖ My Review ⬻

I don’t normally click with a lot of romances featuring single parents. I’m not sure why…but I enjoyed Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball so much that I had to give Mr. Perfect on Paper a try. And I’m so glad that I did because I might have liked this one a little bit more!

I loved the role New York played in this story—it really made me want to visit the city more, and I think it was the ideal setting for Mr. Perfect on Paper. I also liked the reality TV aspect of the story—I’m finding that I enjoy a reality TV element recently in books. Maybe it’s the behind-the-scenes? I’m not sure, but in either case, the reality TV aspect was very well done in Mr. Perfect on Paper!

I definitely liked the MCs Dara and Chris as well as their story together, their dialogue, the pining—I’m a sucker for some good pining. I also really liked Chris’s daughter and the role she played in Mr. Perfect on Paper overall. Oh also, Dara’s grandma and her friends!

Lastly, while I didn’t agree with some of Dara’s choices, she felt very real and I also liked how strong of a female character she was—I definitely enjoyed the CEO, boss aspects of her character! I’ll stop there or I might just keep gushing and I’ll wrap by saying that I can’t wait to read Meltzer’s next book, Kissing Kosher this summer!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Jean Meltzer studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch and has earned numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy. She spent five years in rabbinical school before her chronic illness forced her to withdraw, and her father told her she should write a book―just not a Jewish one because no one reads those. She is the author of The Matzah Ball and Mr. Perfect on Paper. Kissing Kosher, her third book will release on August 29th, 2023.