The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer (ARC Review)

Title: The Matzah Ball
Author: Jean Meltzer
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Mira Books
Date published: September 28, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.

But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.

Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

⤖ My Review ⬻

Jean Meltzer’s The Matzah Ball is one of my favourite romance releases of 2021! It was heartwarming, funny, and spicy! I also liked the representation–both MCs are Jewish and the female lead, Rachel, is a chronic illness rep. These last two aspects, on top of making the book more inclusive, also provided me with some new and interesting information as a reader!

Prior to this, I had read maybe one romance book where one of the MCs was Jewish, so I was eager to learn more with The Matzah Ball. I had also never read a book with Rachel’s chronic illness before, and had actually not heard of this illness prior to reading this book!

I found both lead characters to be likeable from the start! I did question some of Rachel’s choices, but I don’t live with her chronic illness and any of the social pressures she’s under, so I put that aside and tried my best not to judge. In either case, I was quickly distracted by Rachel and Jacob’s chemistry.

I liked them together so much!! And the story overall, I found to be unique, a lot of fun, and as a Christmas-lover myself, I found that I loved that aspect of the story as well! The Matzah Ball was such a fun read for me, and I can’t wait to read whatever this author writes next!

⤖ 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. The Matzah Ball was her first novel.