I requested this based on the comparisons to Eleanor Oliphant, which I loved, but this was nothing like that and I was pretty disappointed. I don’t like romance novels at all, but I can cope with the occasional love story, but this wasn’t even that, it’s about the relationship between two unpleasant dysfunctional people who think what they have is love.

Aliza Bloom has grown up in a strict orthodox Jewish family in North London, with an abusive father, doormat mother and six siblings. She’s always been a bit of a rebel, so when she runs away from her arranged marriage to a nice Jewish boy with the first good looking guy she meets, she believes she is finally free to live and love as she wants, but being estranged from her family is harder than she thinks, and soon the bonds of family and culture are calling her back. Fifteen years later, her teenage daughter has decided that she wants to be Jewish and her attempts to reconnect with the family open up old secrets which will once again threaten her marriage.

The reason Eleanor Oliphant was such a great book was that the protagonist had such a huge heart, and grew as a person to let others into her lonely life. Aliza/Eliza is not a nice character - she’s a selfish, cowardly lying bitch, and behaves no better at 39 than she did at 23. Neither is Alex an admirable hero or desirable husband: his behaviour from the start is controlling and driven by his own lust. While it is Eliza who chooses to run away, he’s the one who makes her try all sorts of things she’s deeply uncomfortable with - from bacon butties to period sex. To portray their relationship as based on love, when they married after two weeks so they can have legitimate sex, and then can’t be honest with each other, was to me quite disturbing. I didn’t find it funny at all and think the blurb is quite misleading.

I did find the bits about Jewish culture, food and rules interesting (I have one quarter Jewish ancestors but was brought up completely non-religious) and there were some good secondary characters like Dov the loyal brother, and Deborah the kindly friend, but overall this book was a disappointment. I also agree with other reviewers about the changed cover, the original heart one was at least interesting while the girl with the umbrella makes no sense.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom is published today.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the characters and their story. It was funny, heartwarming and sad. Eliza's journey and her battles with her family and faith are well written. I was totally engrossed in this story and thought it was memorable.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This was such a wonderful book, and I actually finished it the same day I started it. The story follows Eliza (Aliza) Bloom, who grows up in an orthodox Jewish family. She meets and shortly after marries Alex, who introduces her to a world outside of what she knows. I loved following Eliza’s journey of self-discovery, and the novel was just so heart-warming.

This is the story of a young Jewish woman, Eliza Bloom.  Coming from a very strict Jewish family, Eliza was the shining example of what a good Jewish girl should be.  Fast forward 15 years, and Eliza’s life is very different.  She is married and has a teenage daughter, Leah.  But when Leah finds a photo hidden in a shoebox, she begins to ask questions which may just bring Eliza’s life crashing down.

Whatever I expected this book to be like, it certainly wasn’t this!  This was the first book I’ve read by this author, but by golly it won’t be my last!  I’ve seen two different covers for this book, and whilst I would have read the book with either of the covers, the covers don’t really convey what this book is really about!  I have to admit also, the blurb doesn’t really give much away so when I started this book I didn’t really know what to expect.

Eliza comes from a Jewish family in Hackney, East London.  To someone who isn’t part of the Jewish faith, Eliza’s life must seem completely alien.  Amongst other things, she wears long sleeved tops and long skirts, has a scarf to cover her hair, she can’t be alone with a man who isn’t part of her family and she has no idea of popular culture, never being allowed to watch TV or listen to music.  The story is told from two times in Eliza’s life.  Firstly in 2001 when she was a young woman who was on the verge of marrying a man whom her family had chosen, and then 15 years later when Eliza is married and has a teenage daughter of her own.  The switches between timescales are done simply and without confusion, leaving me perfectly clear as to what part of Eliza’s life I was in.

Meeting the young Eliza was fascinating.  I’ve heard of the Jewish faith, and learnt about it in Religious Education classes at school, but never realised how strict the faith was.   Being set in East London, predominantly Hackney where Eliza lived as a child I’d forgotten that there was a large Jewish community in these areas.  To Eliza the Jewish traditions which her family followed were the norm, but whilst I understood her faith and beliefs, I did find the storyline involving her father to be quite upsetting.

The storyline flips us back and forth through Eliza’s life.  Whilst this isn’t mentioned in the blurb, I don’t really think this is a spoiler, Eliza falls in love with Alex, who isn’t Jewish.  When she leaves to be with Alex, the transition into her secular life is so emotional and I really felt for her when she was trying to keep to her beliefs but also try to fit into Alex’s life.  I also felt for Alex and you can feel how frustrating it must have been for him to try and understand and accommodate Eliza’s beliefs.  My heart broke for the pair of them and left me on the verge of tears for most of the book.

When the story moves later in Eliza’s life, we find her daughter Leah has discovered a photograph which prompts her to ask questions about the family.  The story cleverly moves between present and past to keep the reader in the loop as to what is happening and everything in the present day storyline is explained.  There are some questions being asked by Leah, but whilst I could guess how the book was going to play out, it was a really interesting journey to get to the answers.

The characters within the storyline are all great, although I wouldn’t say they were all likeable as there were some I disliked from the start.  It was certainly a real eye opener into the Jewish faith and how different the lives were for the devout Jewish community in this country.  The storyline was wonderful and I found myself being hooked from the very first page with Eliza, Alex and Leah’s story.  It wasn’t all doom and gloom though, I found myself enlightened by many parts and others bought a smile to my face.  This was completely different to what I was expecting when I started this book, but I’m so pleased it was.  Every now and then a book comes along which leaves you thinking about it for a long time after I finished it.  This was one of those books!  A mesmerising story which I would highly recommend.

Unfortunately not a huge fan of this one. I requested it because the cover was cute (the heart one, not the umbrella) and the synopsis sounded interesting. I kind of went into it expecting a romance and it is 100% not a romance. As a romance this is a 1 star book. Thinking it was a romance is my fault though, so I am giving it 2 stars based on it being more of a 'women's fiction/realistic fiction' kind of book. Maybe this is realistic in terms of marriages and relationships and I've certainly read worse in general fiction books, but they didn't turn me off quite like this one - maybe because I was expecting a love story and there are some things you just can't forgive in a romance book.. not that this is a romance book, so I really just need to get over that.

Moving on. This book was a bit of a struggle to get through at first. Slowly paced and frustrating characters. I didn't know what was happening and I didn't care as much as I wanted to. But it wasn't awful and I was thinking 3 stars. Then just before 50% you find out something and I was so turned off, so disgusted in this book, that I almost DNF'd it. Are you freaking kidding me? But I had to remind myself - this is not a romance, you can't judge it like one... also I was reading it for a challenge and it was too late to choose another book. But I never got over it, and every time it is brought up, I was annoyed all over again.

Aliza/Eliza is so freaking unlikable. She is so selfish. I could not handle all of her lying. Alex was okay at times, but insecure and selfish as well. They obviously got married way too quickly, which had to happen because of Nathan and all that, but she wasn't ready for all the real world stuff and he was a bit mean about pushing her into things and not caring about her 'laws'. that being said, Eliza pissed me off by not compromising, you *left* your world and married Alex, you don't get to keep all of your laws. You just don't. I feel like both of them had an idea of their spouse and when that spouse didn't perform perfectly, they took it out on each other.


So the thing that happens at 50% paired with the characters and the way they treat each other made me not enjoy this book. I'm giving it 2 stars, because again, thinking it was a romance was my fault, but they are a generous 2 stars.

Like always, when I dislike a book, I hate feeling that way. I am no writer and kudos to the author for writing a book! I am sure it is not easy and it's especially hard to get negative reviews. but there is no such thing as a book for everyone and we can't like every book we read. i truly hope this book finds its way into the hands of readers who will enjoy it.

What a wonderfully uplifting story. I found myself totally immersed in the story and loved every moment. It's chock full of love and quite a lot of laughter.

The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom is a story of identity, love, choice and family. Eliza (or Aliza) Bloom runs away from her religious Jewish life to marry Alex, a non-Jewish man. Years later, her teenage daughter unlocks family secrets to reveal that moving on (and leaving the past behind) wasn't so straightforward after all. Eliza breaks the taboos and traditions of her religion to try new foods and new experiences, determined to please her new husband (who wants to introduce her to the 'wonders' of the 'real world'). This provides a good introduction to Orthodox Judaism (especially the more religious communities) for those who know little about it. It isn't always easy reading though, as Eliza struggles with her new identity and is torn between her old life (love for Judaism and her family, especially her grandfather, Zaida) and her new life (love for Alex and the excitement he provides). Some of her 'new experiences' did make me cringe, having been brought up with many of the Jewish traditions myself. This is an easy read, with a well-rounded mix of laughs, sensitivity and sadness. The book also raises interesting questions though, such as 'Is the grass always greener?' and 'Is it wise to make spur-of-the-moment life-changing decisions without knowing the full facts?'

A heartwarming and beautiful book,  The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom by Beth Miller is the story of Aliza,  a young woman brought up in the orthodox Jewish faith in London, who falls in love with a non Jewish man, Alex. Defying her family and her faith to be with him would be difficult enough, but to compound the problem she is engaged to Nathan , a devout man chosen for her by her parents, with her agreement. Despite her doubts she agrees to go ahead with the wedding, but on the morning of her big day she realises that she must listen to her heart and be with the man she truly loves. Leaving her family and faith behind she flees with Alex , but adjusting to life in a secular world proves more challenging than she ever expected. As Alex helps her to broaden her horizons she begins to build a new life for herself, and for a very long time she succeeds but eventually parts of her old life come creeping back, and Eliza as she is now known , finds herself torn between her two worlds once more, risking the loss of her husband and the family they have built together.  
There are moments in this book that will have you chuckling ,and moments that may have you wiping away a tear, moments that will make you want to shake Eliza in frustration and moments that will make you want to give her a reassuring hug, but through it all Eliza is uniquely and completely herself, a memorable character that is easy to relate to and root for.  
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

This book was quite an eye opener for me. I know that different religions have different rules, but I never realized how strict they could be. Well, maybe it’s not really true what I say, because they are strict to us but for them it’s only natural. For them it’s how it’s supposed to be, no questions asked. But there are rebels everywhere who don’t want to take everything for granted.

So we meet Aliza and when Alex come onto the scene he seems like the perfect escape route. Aliza can leave her old life behind and takes a step into ‘the real world’. Alex is very keen on showing her everything he loves and convincing her to try it as well. But which one is the real girl? Eliza or Aliza?

The author gives us the chance to follow Aliza. She lets us into her life where she is figuring out where she belongs. But does she have to choose or is there something like the golden mean? She goes back and forth and and past mixes with present. When a secret is revealed, it’s one more thing that adds to the pile of issues.

A story that shows that love between family and friends does not die when one person does something devastating and terribly wrong in the eyes of others. There might be a crack in the bond but it will never break completely.  4 stars.

Thank you, Beth Miller, Bookouture and Netgalley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. 

I wanted to love this book.  I really really did. but I had a hard time believing the love between Aliza and Alex.  Do I believe they were in love?  No, I believe they were in lust and at points I did not like Alex at all and to be honest I didn't like Aliza (Or Eliza as she became in an attempt to get her use to Western Culture and not the orthodox ways she was used to).  I just had a hard time buying this as a love story

The comparisons to Where’d You Go, Bernadette and Britt-Marie was Here truly missed the mark on this one. This would not have been on my radar were it not for these comparisons and I found myself disappointed.

I received the Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom by Beth Miller as an ARC from NetGalley. I love this book!  It was such a heartwarming story about true love.  Eliza Bloom is a Jewish girl who is expected to marry Nathan in an arranged marriage but this she meets Alex.  She decided to go for true love and hopes that she can still be a part of her family.  This book will keep you enthralled throughout,  I highly recommend it,

The Two Hearts Of Eliza Bloom is a different kind of read for me but one that I enjoyed and read in a day!
Eliza is 23 and lives at home with her Jewish family, following traditional beliefs with the rest of her brothers and sisters. She has turned down quite a few men for marriage and her parents are getting frustrated but then Nathan is brought forward and this she decides is the man she will marry, but a chance meeting with Alex has her doubting everything and on the day of her marriage to Nathan she runs away with Alex. Her family disown her but Alex is showing her so much in the big world that she can now do that her times for missing them are few until she hears her grandfather is in a care home and visits him and tries to get back within her family. 
The book bounces between the years of meeting Alex and the non marriage to Nathan to current time when her daughter finds Eliza’s memory box and deduces that Alex isn’t her dad.
This was an interesting read that took Eliza on a big journey and it was fun to go with her and see her cultures and beliefs be overturned for Alex.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

At the start of this book we learn that Eliza Bloom left Nathan on the day of their wedding and ran off to marry Alex. It’s 16 years later - we know Eliza and Alex are still married but are dealing with some challenges. From there, the story alternates back and forth between present day and when they first met.

This book brought up some interesting questions - about how to make big decisions when you have limited knowledge, when to tell “little lies” to protect someone you love and what to do as they spiral and how to know if you’re making the right choices.

I frequently found myself very frustrated by choices that Eliza made - hurting others in her life repeatedly. I kept wanting to jump in and stop her - or yell at her to make a better choice! Unfortunately - this wasn’t a choose your own adventure story so I was along for the adventure as it happened. I am happy with where the book ultimately ended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

2.5 Stars

The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom by Beth Miller is a book that I find difficult to review. At first, I admit that I was drawn in by the synopsis and the adorable cover. As the book progresses, it becomes evident that there are some problematic elements to the story that are hard to overlook.

At first glance, The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom does appear to be a book that is going to be charming and bring out all the feels. The comparison to one of my favourite reads, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine had me super excited to give this book a try. Unfortunately, the two books are not similar at all. Where Honeyman’s Eleanor is quirky and adorable, Miller’s Aliza is annoying and frustrating.

❀ LOTS OF DRAMA

Eliza breaks free from her life as an Orthodox Jew because she falls in love with a man from “the real world.” Her actions become aggravating to read, as she weaves a web of lies that she hides from her husband, friend, and family. It is hard to empathize with this character because she seems to create so much unnecessary drama.

❀ TRIGGER WARNINGS

It is not easy to review some aspects of this book without giving away the plot. However, there are quite a few triggers warnings to point out, including physical and emotional abuse. While these issues are ones that appear in quite a few contemporary novels,  they are handled poorly in this particular book.

While, on the surface The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom seems to be a feel-good contemporary, it falls short. The main character is annoying and the story does not deal with issues of abuse appropriately. Unfortunately, it didn’t charm me as much as I had hoped.

I think the cover with the umbrella is pretty but inaccurate in identifying what is present within the book. The emotional quantity of the book is more severe than that picture depicts.

I need to be upfront about one more thing, there is a lot of angst and troubled feelings throughout the story and the end was pretty great considering the situations we get through to get there. That said, when I think back on the book I am left unsettled because of the enormity of the emotions. This is a personal factor and I am sure those who are used to their protagonists to be conflicted, will enjoy this book more than I did!

This story is of a dual timeline, spaced sixteen years apart. In the present, Eliza and Alex's daughter is starting to rebel and is questioning her identity. This brings up thoughts of how Eliza (then called Aliza) met and ran away with Alex. The rest of the book is about what happened in the year between then and their first anniversary. To take an idea from the book I would like to list the things I liked

The lists that they write, they shed a lot of light on the kind of people they are.
Aliza is an orthodox Jew who has led a secluded life and the details of which were new to me and fascinating. 
The support system that Aliza has even when she does not realize it. 
The relationships between Aliza and most of her family,are each a story in themselves.
The emotions are very powerful, and the constant tossing and turning of those in conflict is pretty raw.
the ending
Some of the people were annoying(Eliza was in both standing up for herself at the wrong times and giving in at the wrong times) and they do not have a redemption arc for those emotional characteristics but I am guessing that is only being human.

Almost finished - but kind of leaving it aside. Some bits are interested (like the past narrative) and I liked to hear about Eliza's Jewish Heritage. however, I am almost finding the characters too flat and cringey (like her daughter and husband) and I feel they haven't been brought to life realistically. 

Unfortunately I do not enjoy this book although there are many others who have.

Eliza Bloom or as she is known to her family, Aliza, grew up in an orthodox Jewish family. Her family thinks it is high time she got married, but she has turned down many suitors they have found for her until she agrees to marry Nathan. Then, she meets Alex, falls in love with him, and runs away with him on her wedding day. Alex introduces her to a whole new world. However, part of her heart is still with the world she grew up in, and for a time, she finds herself straddling both worlds unsure which one she belongs in until a crisis involving her daughter forces her to make a choice. This is a sweet, funny romantic story. Eliza/Aliza is a delightful heroine that you can't help rooting for. The novel really does a terrific job of portraying the pull between the world you grow up in and the adult world you live in especially when those two worlds are so completely different.

Getting through this book felt like a chore. First off, it's far from what it promises to be. And while I think the story had potential, the execution of it failed big time.
My biggest issue was that I couldn't get behind the characters, there was so much I did not like about them. There was abuse and controlling behavior throughout the story, at times presented as normal, and that threw me off all along. It didn't feel like a love story, it felt more like a story of two people who made one bad choice, got stuck together, are absolutely not happy about it and one of them takes it out on the other one.
The relationship between Eliza and Alex definitely didn't feel like love, and it wasn't pleasant to read at all. He has no respect for her, her wishes and habits, or any understanding for her at all. He pushes her to do things she doesn't enjoy doing under the excuse of introducing her to the "real world", which wasn't pleasant to read at all.
This book wasn't for me.

I was lucky to get an advance copy of Beth Miller's latest novel from the publishers. I enjoyed it so much. I love family dramas and I'm also incurably nosy about other people, so to get to peek into the lives of the orthodox Jewish community in East London was absolutely fascinating. The story follows Eliza Bloom in 2001 when she marries out to the horror of her family, and 2016 when her daughter discovers certain secrets.