This book is very "Hallmark" - you will know what that means for you! For some, this will be perfect. For me, that means I didn't feel enough chemistry between the characters, and some of the plot felt forced or contrived. For example, basing all of your adult associations with someone on something that happened when you were twelve, without even considering discussing it (since it is still bothering you) or just giving them a fresh start because you recognize you were children then. The characters seem immature due to their lack of recognition that how someone behaved over a couple of weeks at summer camp when they were a child isn't going to be reflective of who they are as an adult, or encompass any of the things that have happened since then. Having their original meet-cute happen at an older age probably would've corrected for that. I also, overall, do not understand the appeal of Jacob... his personality isn't great! But... as I said. This is just me. Those arguments could probably be made about any of the wildly successful Hallmark movies made every year!

I loved the focus on Judaism, I loved the meta-ness of her being a secret Christmas writer, but the romance just wasn't there for me. I think the book did a great job of what it set out to do and contributes something significant to the genre, though, so I am giving it four stars for that. My personal interest in it was about a 2!

Jewish, NYC, romance, invisible-disability, relationship-issues, family-dynamics, friendship, writers, situational-humor, verbal-humor, laugh-out-loud, laugh-riot, love*****
If you're Jewish, have friends who are Jewish, love the energy and fun of Christmas, have friends who are outside of traditions, have an invisible chronic illness, or someone you care about does, or had a teenage crush that went badly, you'll love this book as much as I did!
Rachel hides things from the world, like her invisible chronic illness and her successful career as a Christmas romance writer and even her Jewish heritage.
Jason is a very successful entrepreneur originally from NYC where his paternal grandmother still lives (when she's not out traveling the world) but moved to France with his mother after his father deserted them. But he has developed his own way of hiding since his mother died. Now he has a brilliant idea of having a grand eight day Hanukkah bash in NYC and calling it The Matzah Ball.
Despite things having gone horribly wrong years ago at summer camp, the two are brought together again in a romantic laughfest that anyone can enjoy. You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy a good joke, just ask George Burns or Mel Brooks.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)/MIRA via NetGalley, Thank you!
I preordered the audio after I read it.

This book was a little hard for me to get through. I think I found it slow because the characters were lacking depth and connection.

The enemies-to-lovers trope written into a story centred around the expectations of being a 21st century Orthodox or traditional Jewish lady is one that’s new to me. And for this reason, this certain slant— there’s a lot of cultural context that Jean Meltzer puts in from the start—appealed loads because it was a dive straight into a world of Jewish lingo, terms and rituals that I’m only partially familiar with.

Needing to fulfil expectations of a certain kind because of her very prominent family, Jean Meltzer catalogues Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt’s struggles as a relatable one. Broadly speaking, it’s about trying (or rather, struggling) to live above reproach, aligning the way you conduct your affairs not because strict traditions dictate it, where going past and beyond them on your own terms is akin to defying societal and familial expectations of you that had been set in stone long ago. In Rachel’s case, it’s her secret love for Christmas, its paraphernalia and what it represents—an obsession that might seem insignificant and bewildering to the general non-jewish population at large, but one that’s as transgressive as it gets in her family.

All’s well and good however, until Jacob Greenberg—her first puppy love at age 12—returns as the host of the grand Matzah Ball. The ball and Rachel’s career dovetail into a giant mess, more so when feelings long forgotten return and some lies stay hidden way past their due date.

Now for the skeptical bit. I wasn’t convinced that the events both Jacob and Rachel went through at 12 were significant enough to have them realise it was still the love they remembered and had for each other. Sure enough, memories can still sting—and certain momentous or rather, traumatic storm-in-the-teacup events of childhood do leave their scars way into adulthood—but holding a grudge and carrying that in technicolour over to the time when they meet as adults over a teenage camp 18 years ago feels excessive.

The lead up to the Matzah Ball did feel farcical at times, the well-told story somehow devolving into a comedy (or tragedy?) of errors the moment Jacob tries to do things in a way that turns out to be a bit heavy-handed up to the crazy climax that slotted just shy of wacky endings.

Still, there’re faint but clever shades of biblical characters who have the same names, lending some aspect of kismet to Jacob’s and Rachel’s own relationship. In all, it’s still very much the rom-com—including its trappings and “chick-lit” appeal—with a cultural twist that helped lend the light-hearted tale a bit more weight.

*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley

It is rare you get a Jewish-themed romance. Meltzer weaves a truly believable tale, but it is too heavy on explaining the religion. The characters are great, the story is original, but could have a lighter hand on the explanations surrounding some of the cultural practices. If the target market is more religious readers it hits the spot, Taking some of that heavy hand away makes it a more readable and relatable story to less religious readers as well as non members of the tribe.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC. I had high hopes for Jean Meltzer's "The Matzah Ball", finally a holiday romance that isn't centered around Christmas. I tend to really like books that give a peek into another culture, and this book didn't disappoint in that aspect.

Rachel comes from a high standing Jewish family, but she is secretly the author of several Christmas romance novels. At the beginning of the book her publisher gives her the challenge of writing a romance centered around Hanukkah. Rachel is not excited about this task, but if she refuses she could lose her publishing contract. As a sufferer of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, she needs work that allows her to work at her own pace, and on her good days, so she needs to keep her contract.

Jacob was Rachel's pre-teen first love, her first kiss, and she is still hurting from his betrayal. Jacob is back in town, now a successful party planner, he is throwing the seasons biggest party, the Matzah Ball Max. Rachel needs to attend to ball, to get inspiration for her book, and so, the two are thrown together.

The romance in this book just felt forced, who holds onto hurt from a "romance" when you are 12 years old? Have there been no meaningful relationships in the following 16+ years? I loved the explanations for the chronic illnesses mentioned in this book, how series they really are, and how people feel like they are not taken seriously because it is an "unseen" illness. I really enjoyed the family interactions, especially with Jacob's bubbe. I just wish the romance had felt more believable.

I wasn't a big fan of this book. I felt the plot was too predictable and there was no real connection between the two leads. Some of the scenarios were funny though.

"The Matzah Ball" by Jean Meltzer
Release Date: 9.28.2021

Rachel Ribenstein-Goldblatt loves Christmas! This would be perfect, except she is a nice, Jewish girl, and her father is a rabbi!! She has spent the last 10 years hiding her career as a Christmas novelist from her family and friends, even though she's a bestselling author! This is the perfect career for her, as Rachel suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome and has bad symptoms, like brain fog, extreme tiredness, and horrible migraines. She hides this well from everyone but her family and friend, Mickey. The Hallmark movies gave Rachel something to look forward to while she was sick in bed.

Her publisher decides that Rachel should write a Hanukkah romance, and Rachel is flabbergasted! She feels there is nothing magical and merry about Hanukkah! Rachel decides to write the novel, so she does not lose her contract. She hopes to find inspiration at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the eighth day of Hanukkah.

Unfortunately, it means she needs to work with her childhood enemy and first kiss, Jacob Greenberg. When Rachel sees Jacob, she feels the grudge she holds boil to the surface. Rachel and Jacob begin spending more time together during the big Matzah Ball, and Rachel sees that Jacob is lonely and sad, especially since he is mourning the death of his mother. None of the plans for the Matzah Ball goes as planned. Through planning and working the event, Rachel begins to appreciate Hanukkah and Jacob more.

What a sweet rom com! I loved Jacob and his bubbie! I appreciated the Jewish culture and traditions. I told my guy I was reading a Hanukkah romance, and his face lit up! He's definitely not a romance reader, but he said he was so excited that someone would even think to write a romance centering around Hanukkah! We ordered a physical copy for his own bubbie (since she doesn't read e-books).

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

#netgalley #netgalleyreads #netgalleybooks #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #contemporaryromance #2021bookreleases #thematzahball #jeanmeltzer #holidayromancebooks #hanukkahromance #2021romcoms

I was ready for a cute non-Christmas holiday rom-com like Jasmine Guillory. This is disappointing.

It was great to see a main character with a chronic illness. The explanations about living with a chronic disease seemed a little strong, but since I’m the same boat, maybe it was just old hat to me.

The two leads were super unbelievable. Still stinging 20 years later from a breakup that happened when you were 12? Falling in love in 2 days? This didn’t seem healthy in any way.

The pair spend a very short amount of time together, but the narration was full of “he always” and “she was constantly,” even though there’s no way for them to have known what the other “always” or “constantly” did.

The pacing was good and the comedy elements were a little over the top for me but will appeal to readers who like the level of zany in Janet Evanovich and Charlaine Harris. This is a book to skip but a writer to watch.

This title is an important one to the romance genre. Jewish culture is rarely highlighted and definitely not anywhere near the level of Christmas. I also appreciated that the author shed light on chronic disease. I especially liked bubbe's Holocaust escape story. The characters were enjoyable, but the plot was a little light. I didn't really feel any buzz between the main couple. Patrons will enjoy this, but I wish it had been a bit more dynamic.

Jean Meltzer’s debut begins with a promising hint of Crossing Delancy. Mothers and bubbes busily matchmaking, filling minds and hearts with witty, comedic observations about life and love, while ensuring that everyone’s bellies are adequately filled as well. Readers are presented with the hopeful start to what should be a fun and amusing romance.

This promising beginning, however, quickly morphs into a fast-paced, slapstick mess, filled with constant false-starts that seemingly lead the principal characters to an emotional state that was worse than where they were before. Just when readers think the moment of breakthrough is imminent, a new obstacle is introduced that immediately halts any emotional progress that occurs. Some readers will find the constant back and forth dialogue frustrating, especially when the misunderstanding partially stems from an event that occurred from the time the main characters were pre-teens at a summer camp.

As well, some of the setbacks faced in the preparations leading up to the Matzah Ball are not quite in keeping with what readers might expect from a seasoned, world-renowned event planning business, supported by important financial backers. The details add an additional level of silliness that affects the flow of the work. The ending is likewise brash, overflowing with unnecessary over the top scenes that don’t support essential story elements introduced at the start. The chase scenes may even remind readers of those Mack Sennett Keystone Kops silent films from the 1910s.

The strongest, most genuine parts of this story are the moments when Meltzer describes the health crises her characters face. Whether describing mental health issues, the emotional impact of living with MS, or the effects of living with myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome, Meltzer is at her best. The writing is clear, honest and thought provoking, but it seems incongruous with all of the slapstick elements crammed into the plot. The story ultimately lacks cohesion, as Meltzer has not yet mastered the ability to balance such important discussions with comedy.

L’chaim my friends! This book is extremely swoon worthy, heartfelt, charming, enchanting and touching!

Both of the MCs are huggable, likable, a little obnoxious and self destructive but they are truly golden hearted ones who deserve a HEA!

The enemies to lovers: strict entrepreneur vs
sunshiny romance author, summer camp archenemies themes worked perfectly well in this story.

You laugh, you clap, you sigh, you get pissed off to their misunderstandings and less of communications. Tears drip down across your cheeks as you hold your heart tightly and sigh slowly: this is the best book honestly reflects Judaism traditions, rituals but it also reflects its magical and soothing face. I think this book mostly show us those traditions’ magical ways to gather the families and bond them tightly with those rituals. This book is about destroying your inner walls, confronting with your resentments that holds you back, fighting against your inner fears.

Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt, living her nice two bedroom Upper West apartment, single, a rabbi’s daughter ( Quick correction: Rabbi Goldblatt is not a no name-low level rabbi, he is a macher, a bigwig in her community, coming from a big family of Jewish philosophers and founders of Jewish Community Centers) suffers from chronic disease: myalgic encephalomyelitis ( chronic fatigue syndrome) affects her neurological,immune, autonomic, metabolic systems. Rachel daily lives with crushing fatigue, brain fog, migraines, weirdo pains force her spending her days in her bed, lying in the dark.

Most of the people including her employers don’t know her illness. Only her family and her childhood friend Mickey know her secret.

But this is not the only thing she keeps to herself. She lies about her profession: as a rabbi’s daughter, coming from conservative family, she likes Christmas because when she’s sick at young age, Christmas spirit and those all Hallmark movies gave her hope, saved her suffering soul. And she’s famous Christmas romance author with a secret pen name. Her three books were already adapted into movies, airing on TV but she cannot share this brilliant news with her family.

But now she’s doomed because the publishers have intention to accept a new Christmas novel. They want her to write a Hanukkah romance. But how? She’s Jewish but she doesn’t find anything spiritual about Hanukkah!

But as a magical coincidence, she finds a Jewish newsletter at subway telling that a sensational Matzah Ball party : a Jewish music celebration at the eight of Hanukkah will be thrown in a few days. This event of the year can help her find the perfect muse to write about perfect Hanukkah romance! All she needs is inspiration!

But when she finds out the party’s organizer is her camp archenemy Jacob Greenberg who is her first kiss, first heartbreak, first big humiliation: the ruthless little boy who pulled meanest pranks on her, she cursed her bad luck! The same boy got invited to her family Shabbat gathering which means she can kindly ask a ticket for the party and reconnect with her enemy.

But Jacob has no intention to give her pass if she doesn’t work as a volunteer at his organization for 8 days. It will be compelling task for Rachel because of her health issues but she’s not a quitter so she handshakes with her enemy.

But what if Jacob is not the reason of her big humiliation. He acts like she was the one who broke his heart. He acts decent, sincere around her. Could she think wrong things about him for all those years? Could she fully trust him to share her big secrets?

As they spend more time together, she slowly sees Jacob is also broken, lonely and he needs someone to rely on. Maybe she could make a truce with her enemy! Maybe she can do more than that!

Only thing bothered me about this book is the character become their love interests when they were 12! They were just children. Well they were way too young to feel too deeply for each other and holding grudges for 18 years. Maybe they would be 15 or 16, that would be a little more reasonable for me!

Anyways I’m still rounding up 4.5 stars to 5 Mazel Tov, this is inspirational, magical, tender, tear jerker, romantic Hanukkah romance stars!

Don’t forget to read author’s note to learn her connection with the character she’s created! I’m looking forward to read more works of her in near future.

Special thanks to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN Trade Publishing for sharing this amazing reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

I really wanted to like this book. I thought the premise was great. In a world full of Christmas novels, I thought that Jewish representation was so important. It was intriguing to get an insider look at Jewish traditions. Unfortunately, however, the story just got far-fetched and inconsistent. For example, in one scene, Jacob the male lead, is bemoaning the financial peril of the project that is the focus of the entire book. He is afraid it will bankrupt him if it fails. Shortly thereafter, he dispatches a private jet to bring a personal assistant from Paris to New York. In another example, Rachel, the female lead, has been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. And, yet, in more than one scene, she is literally running through the streets of New York. In the climactic scene, she is also climbing fire escapes and doing many other highly physical activities that seem very inconsistent with the descriptions of the impact of her condition.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

This book was a delightful story about a Jewish woman who has been hiding her love of Christmas – and her career choices- from her family.

Rachel is the daughter of an influential rabbi. She knows his thoughts on Jewish people who work on Christmas-themed projects. He is not a fan. Her family doesn’t know that she isn’t a freelance writer like she has told them. She’s a very successful romance writer who writes exclusively Christmas stories using a pen name. She’s even had four TV movies made of her books.

When her publisher decides that they don’t want any of the same books from her, they offer her one option for a new contract. She needs to write a Hanukkah book. Her publishers are completely clueless about the holiday even when she tries to explain that it isn’t analogous to Christmas. There is nothing fun about Hanukkah in Rachel’s world.

Rachel also has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. She tries hard to balance the expectations of family and friends who don’t always understand what she is able to do and not able to do. She has put a lot of guilt on herself over what she feels are her limitations that let other people down. This comes to a head when the only way to get tickets to The Matzah Ball is to work as a volunteer for the week preceding the event. She doesn’t tell the organizers that she has physical limitations and this doesn’t go well for her.

Jacob is dealing with the death of his mother and with returning to New York for the first time since his parents’ divorce. His investors are demanding Instagram-perfect moments that better be trending immediately to raise excitement for the ball. Nothing is going as planned.

This book does a wonderful job showcasing the world of conservative Jewish people in New York as well as the lives of people who are not as observant as they used to be. Add in realistic chronic illness representation and you have wonderfully realized characters with real depth. I’d recommend this book for anyone who loves warm and fuzzy contemporary romances, even if they aren’t about Christmas.

It's about time for an adult fiction book about Hanukkah amongst all the Christmas novels. This is a cute rom com about a Jewish woman who secretly loves Christmas volunteering at a Hanukkah soiree run by her summer camp nemesis as research for a book. While Hanukkah may not be as important or exciting a holiday as Christmas, she comes to appreciate it more as the eight days progress. The romance relied heavily on misunderstandings, of which I felt there was one too many near the end, but the couple seem like well-matched bashert. Overall a fun and festive celebration of Jewish traditions.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I received this ebook from the GBC Bookstravaganza. I’m new to the romance genre, and have surprisingly have never watched a Hallmark Christmas movie! When this book was pitched to the group, I was hooked from the beginning. The main character is a daughter of a renowned Rabbi in NYC, but she has a secret. She is a huge fan of Christmas, and even makes her living as a writer of Christmas books and movies (much like Hallmark)! The main character also has another secret…. She has chronic fatigue syndrome. A foe from her past shows up and hilarity ensues as all of her secrets come to light.
I’m always afraid of the books in the romance genre - I fear that they will be too sacrin. This book never got to that place. It was light but fun, and great to read in the dead of summer!

I enjoyed this book - but it wasn't 100% love for me...

What I did love - the view into Jewish culture and traditions. I adored that Jean Metzler showed so many sides of Judaism - from the religious to the cultural and familial traditions. I also loved Jacob and his grandmother. Their interactions were wonderful and I want to be his bubbe when I grow up. I also adored Rachel's mother Dr. Rubenstein. She was someone to look up to - I can't even imagine managing a family, a career, and her role as the wife of such a prominent Rabbi. I also loved the honest look at Rachel's chronic illness - in particular the way other look at chronic illness that doesn't have visibility on the outside.

What I didn't love was Rachel. She is such an interesting person - and like I said - her chronic illness was dealt with in such a realistic way. What I didn't like - and I am not sure was totally rehabbed by her actions at the end of the book - was Rachel's expectation of high standards and honesty from everyone else, but that she didn't reciprocate. She was really really unhappy with how Jacob treated her and continued to treat her. All of that was within reason - EXCEPT for the fact that she wasn't really honest with him herself. She wasn't communicating with him on any level - and didn't really know that. Jacob made some bonehead moves, but it was coming from a place that communication from Rachel and with Rachel would have changed. But it is hard to blame him - because whenever something happened she stormed off or got mad and wouldn't talk to him. Oy.

Overall - I liked so much about the book - but my feelings about Rachel just pushed things down a bit for me.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, but these opinions are all my own.

This is a sweet debut novel from an author who can and does teach us quite a lot about human nature.
Those summer camper readers will be nostalgic when they read about those experiences of first love at camp and the fun and angst that went along with it. The love-hate romance between the two main characters, Rachel and Jacob,. keeps you going, hoping for a successful ending.
Chronic illness, ME/CFS,which is often dismissed as made up in its severity, is discussed in depth in the book. The author, herself, has the illness so she is able to educate us first-hand about it. That's such an important aspect of the book.
The premise of Jews delighting in Christmas is so deftly defined, A fun read!

This is a Hallmark Christmas story wrapped up as a Jewish Hanukkah romance. Rachel romance novelist that writes Christmas romances. She is also Jewish and daughter of a prominent rabbi. Her last books sales haven't been as high and the publisher would like her to write something with her Jewish roots. Jacob comes to NYC to put on a giant extravaganza called the Matzah Ball Max. Jacob and Rachel haven't seen each other since they went to Jewish camp when they were twelve. Both felt the other broke their hearts. Rachel thinks attending the ball will inspire her to write her new book. Jacob isn't going to make it easy on her.

I'm not Jewish so I didn't understand every Hebrew word or know all the foods described. But I got enough to feel immersed with the characters in their culture. (Rachel is raised more observant that Jacob.) I appreciate learning more about ME/CFS and could relate Rachel's characters to others I know who have chronic illness.

I really love this book. All the misunderstandings and mistaken points of view. Jacob's bubbe and her story is a wonderful addition. I would like to have seen a few more conversations between the two MC's or some intimacy (kissing or more) to move it to a full five stars. But I would recommend this to anyone who would enjoy a clean and different holiday read. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a pretty fantastic debut from the author. I really enjoyed the intimate perspective on issues such as Judaism and chronic illness, and the chemistry between Rachel and Jacob was terrific. It had all the trappings of a holiday romance as well, and although the pacing felt slightly uneven (so much happened toward the last 25% of the book!) it was so entertaining and included so many tropes I loved that I'll be looking for more from Meltzer in the future.