Matzah Ball Surprise is already in my top 5 books of 2020 and it isn't even March yet! This book is absolutely gorgeous and perfectly romantic - a perfect use of fan-favorite tropes combined with characters who are so easy to love and root for. I can't wait to recommend this one to all of my friends! 5 enthusiastic stars!

**I received a copy of Matzah Ball Surprise from Entangled Publishing and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. My opinion is my own and not solicited in any way.**

Matzah Ball Surprise by Laura Brown was definitely a pleasant surprise for me and I loved it. Ms. Brown is a new author to me and I love how she wrote the texts back and forth for both Gaby and Levi plus I'm going to be checking out her other books.

Gaby Fineberg needs a date for her mother's Passover dinner as her current boyfriend off just ending their relationship. So even a fake one will do because when her mom is in a match making mood watch out. So when she decides to ask the hot man at her gym little does she know he's deaf but so when Levi Miller suggests using a text messages on their phones she's all in. But Levi has a secret of his own and hopefully Gaby will never know his ex-girlfriend still has his ring. Can two people take a fake dinner weekend where the turkey is gobbled by the dog and somehow Levi and Gaby find out that this date could turn into something forever.

So be prepared to giggle and fall in love with the Fineberg and Miller families as they meet during Passover where you'll fall in love with everyone including Benji the dog.

To keep her mum off her back, Gaby wants a fake relationship. She meets Levi at the gym and thinks he would be perfect for the job.  He is deaf but they manage to communicate enough anyway. 
Soon the relationship is feeling far from fake, but Levi has been keeping his won secrets so what will happen when Gaby finds out?

Fake relationship? Check. Only one bed? Check. If you like these tropes, you are in for a great with Matzah Ball Surprise. The female MC struggles with self esteem issues relatable to all readers, and realistically overcomes the, by the end of the book. Readers looking for contemporary stories featuring Jewish characters will be delighted, especially as the author focuses on Jewish families, holidays and traditions. My one quibble is with the conflict the MCs face; why the male MC would go along with being someone else’s fiancé was not fully developed, nor was it presented in a compelling manner. Other than that, this is a charmer.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled publishing for letting me read this book. 
I liked that it was very different to other romances. The deaf male lead and the Jewish aspect make it a story I won't forget. 
I did however find the drama aspect a bit forced. Gaby's Mum and family seemed quite lovely, to the point that she wouldn't have needed a fake boyfriend. The issue with Monica could've been handled better also. 
The characters suited each other though.

3.5 stars -- I was totally charmed by the character and story of this one. Yes, it has it's faults (the writing is quite choppy in a few places, and the ending is rushed), but overall, I really appreciated 2 things: a) that the two key parts of the characters' identity (for both of them, that they are Jewish, and for the hero, that he is deaf) are integral parts of the story in a way that I thought was handled gracefully, and b) the heroine's emotions around her father's passing. The latter I am sure hits me where I live more so than it would for others, but I felt the emotions behind this part of the heroine's story deeply. All in all, not a perfect book, but one I enjoyed and appreciated for different "variables" that it brought to a fake relationship over the holidays story.