Dara was too insistent on her perfect man list - we all knew how this was going to end. But I loved watching it play out anyways! Chris was such a sweet guy with a great kid. I enjoyed this one.

A super cute Jewish romance! I love seeing myself represented in books, so Jean Meltzer's books tend to be a hit with me. The validation of my identity is so nice.

I just had to read this book after glowing reviews from so many, including my friend, Kim.

Dara is the creator of a Jewish dating app and also a matchmaker, just like the women in her family before her. She’s also looking for love herself. Her bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national TV, and things blow up from there. A new man comes into her life as she searches for “Mr. Perfect.”

This is such a sweet, feel good story. I enjoyed the Jewish matchmaking and faith cultures and also loved how sensitively the author addressed anxiety. There were some funny moments, too.

Overall, an endearing story with charming characters, and I loved my time spent with them.

I received a gifted copy.

This was such a fun and charming feel good book. It was lovely to see the relationship between Dara and Chris develop with a lot of funny episodes along the way. Dara deals with severe anxiety and it was notable to see how Chris helped her deal with it. I think the pacing of the story was perfect. It was interesting to learn more about Judaism and Dara’s devotion to it. I loved the secondary characters and their part of the book. Check out this fun story!!

Mr Perfect On Paper was a cute story but I didn’t find it amazing. Like all of this author’s books so far, there is a strong storyline of the main character being Jewish and what that means for them and how it might differ from others, and while I love the representation, I do find the overly descriptive explanations really slows down the story a bit.

This was a cute romance book. It wasn't what I was expecting, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I did feel that the story was a little long and dragged out at times, and that the romance, on the other hand, developed really fast and felt slightly forced. I think I would've felt more connected to the story if I was a more religious person. It was hard to relate to the main character and her reasonings for love and romance also being firmly based on having a shared religion. I appreciate that, that works for a lot of people, I am just not one of the people. All-in-all, Mr. Perfect On Paper was a cute romance read with a hard focus on Judiasm its customs. (FYI do not be expecting any spice in this book, it is a PG romance read)

3.5 stars
I loved the data app concept and the GAD representation. It was a cute rom com with a little more depth. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with the characters but still thought it was a well written story.

Mr. Perfect on Paper

Oh, How I Wanted to Love This!

Dara has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and is the CEO of J-Mate, a popular Jewish dating app. She, herself, is looking for the perfect man. The number one rule of course, is that he must be Jewishf. To find him, Dara agrees to go on Good News New York, in order to film live segments and be set up on dates. It is there that she meets the host, Chris Steadfast, whom she has always had a crush on. Of course the sparks fly! Too bad he’s not Jewish!

While I learned a lot about GAD, I didn’t find the “budding romance” between Dara and Chris believable, nor did I care about their relationship. Such is life I suppose. That said, the writing here is good and I think this will be a winner for many of you.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for the arc via NetGalley.

received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Matzah Ball and Jean Meltzer seems like such a sweet and wonderful lady. I am rooting for her success in everything she writes! It physically pains me to say that I hated this book.

I was so excited when the author announced her second novel and that it featured a protagonist with generalized anxiety disorder. I have the same chronic illness that the protagonist in the Matzah Ball has and felt so, beautifully represented by that book. I also happen to have generalized anxiety disorder so I had high expectations.

I think the first way this book let me down was through it’s depiction of the disorder. In the Matzah Ball, Rachel never felt like her CFS consumed her entire character. She was a person outside of that, with feelings and thoughts and desires. It was beautiful representation. Dara always felt like an after school special dedicated to teaching children about the broad strokes of GAD. It was all she was.

I also found it very hard to empathize with Dara because she is outrageously wealthy…. I just don’t really want to read about the 1% and their fabulous million dollar apartment in Manhattan or their designer gowns and personal assistants when I’m struggling to afford a one bedroom apartment you know?

The romance felt forced and lacked chemistry. I didn’t believe that Dara would throw away a part of her faith that meant so much to her for this average guy who never really shared much about himself outside of his tragic backstory.

Finally, a personal pet peeve of mine is badly written children. I don’t believe Jean has ever met an eleven year old in her entire life after reading this 400 page book.

I loved the Jewish representation and thought the book sparked some very interesting conversations about interfaith marriage and the complications that accompany that. However the book unfortunately just did not work for me. I really hope Jean meltzer gets her groove back in the next one.

Was pleased to see all of the details and thought put into the protagonist's Jewish identity, and the attraction and relationship built out further so it wasn't just "this guy's hot what do I do?!?" Loved all of the humor and little details. Need some more where there both protagonists are Jewish, because the trend of only one of them being Jewish is getting real old. But I really loved this book and will be recommending it to others.

I loved the Matzoh Ball but Mr. Perfect on Paper fell a little flat for me. Some of the dating scenarios felt ridiculous and I was charmed by the connections between the characters but frustrated by the distance between them.
I love Ms. Meltzer’s view into modern Jewish life, and I appreciate the diversity. I have bought it for my collection and will recommend it to patrons. 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Jean Meltzer is amazing! I love the worlds she crafts. Think dating-app-meets-Judaism-meets-reality-tv-dating-show. Okay, what I just described is RomCom perfection, right? Well, I think it is. Dara is so easy to love. Clearly, because Chris can't fight his attraction to his leading lady. But nothing comes easy in the world of RomComs. Jean knocked another book out of the park!

This book was amazing, plus it brings awareness to many different different types of diversity. My only complaint is that it took me longer to read than it probably should have, but I think that’s just because of the format that the ARC was sent in.

This was such a cute, funny and heart warming read! Being Jewish, a lot of Dara's quirks and experiences, felt very familiar to me, though intense at times. I fell in love with Chris immediately and the chemistry between him and Dara felt off the charts. This was truly a feel good book and the Jewish charm was really A+. Thank you to Netgalley and MIRA for the ARC.

4.25 Stars
Thank-you Net-Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed reading about a flawed, real Jewish character with chronic pain in The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer , so I immediately grabbed Mr. Perfect on Paper when I saw it. I am”Jew ‘ish’” in that I don’t really practice the religion, but I do celebrate the holidays with family and identify as Jewish. So I enjoy seeing the representation in books, and her books teach me new things about my religion.

“Judaism places a high value on the sexual satisfaction of the woman in the marriage. In fact, she’s always supposed to…you know…first.”

Dara Rabinowitz is the 34-year-old CEO of J-Mate, the popular Jewish dating app, and she comes from a line of Jewish matchmakers. She also has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and is very open about it. When Dara and her Bubbe (Grandmother) were invited to a daytime talk show, Dara’s carefully planned appearance went off the rails when her grandmother told the entire TV audience Dara’s list of qualities for the perfect man.

The number one requirement: He must be Jewish. Dara is very religious, keeps a kosher home, and her faith means a lot to her. He should also be a doctor or lawyer and have no baggage. The audience of “Good News New York” loved her embarrassing segment so much that the show decided to set her up on dates and air them as live segments. Since it was also boosting J-Mate subscriptions, Dara went along with the plan.

Chris Steadfast is the host of Good News New York, and the show has always soothed Dara. In fact she has always harbored a little crush on him. But when they meet in real life, sparks fly. The widowed single dad and Dara develop feelings for each other, but he isn’t Jewish and doesn’t check off anything on her list, so they fight the attraction while he has to film her going on crazy dates with other men.

Likes:
•A Jewish main character.
•There was a good mix of serious and silly moments.
•I liked that the heroine had anxiety and how open she was about it.
•I learned more about being Jewish.
•Chris’s daughter, Lacey.
•Her grandmother and the “Challahback girls”.

Dislikes:
•3rd Person.
•Sometimes the silly was just too silly, and poor Dara, if this was real life she would have become a horrible meme.
•I think maybe too much of Dara’s personality was her GAD, and at one point she repeated the same information about it a few times in a row. The romance took a back seat to her anxiety.

The Down & Dirty:
Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer was fun and unique. I think any Jew and anyone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder will especially enjoy this romantic comedy, though I think it will appeal to any romcom lover. Jean Meltzer mixed funny and serious for a delightful, sweet romance.

Rating: 4.25 Stars, Closed Doors

Mr. Perfect on Paper was a delightful read by Jean Meltzer. I absolutely enjoyed The Matzah Ball last year and was excited for her next book. What I admire about Jean Meltzer is her willingness to tackle different experiences that aren't covered very often. I have found in the last year how important reading the author's notes can be and started with The Matzah Ball. It provided a great deal of background for the book and an understanding from where Meltzer was approaching her novel. Similarly, Mr. Perfect on Paper tackles a common experience in 2022 for multi-denominational relationships and the challenges they can present both internally and externally.

Meltzer manages to once again tackle serious topics with grace and respect while also weaving them into a story that has many joyful, lighthearted and fun moments. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a romcom with many obstacles. I enjoyed the tv aspect of a show being produced around the MC and loved the inclusion of the grandma in the story so heavily.

itle: Mr. Perfect on Paper
Author: Jean Meltzer

Ch: 42 plus Epilogue

Pg: 399

Genre: Rom Com Contemporary romance

Rating: 5 stars

Publisher: Mira



Another good book by Jean Meltzer. Mr. Perfect on Paper is more than just a rom com. Darla has a list of the perfect Jewish husband what she didn’t count on was her bubba or grandma sharing on a daytime tv show. Now Chris the anchor has an idea to feature her dates on his show. What follows is is a rom com romp through the high Jewish Holidays.


While the heroine and the author are Jewish t by e reader doesn’t have to be to relate to the characters or at least I didn’t have to be. Because Jean writes heroines and hero’s that everyone can relate to. I especially love that she writes heroines who have either a chorionic illness or condition as I suffer from a chronic condition. And as a reader I didn’t really see that in rom coms till I picked up Jeans books.



I also loved Darla’s relationship with her grandma because I also have a close relationship with my grandma especially since losing my mom. Mr. Perfect on Paper also deals with grief and loss perfectly. Slight spoiler alert especially the loss of a parent at different ages and how the grief never really leaves. But you learn how to make it a part of you and still live your life.


Jean weaves all this together to create an awesome story and I look forward to her next one.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I was excited to read another book by Jean Meltzer after reading The Matzah Ball.. Mr. Perfect on Paper is a Jewish Rom-com. I love how it took the concept of having a list of wants of what makes the perfect match and what happens if you never find someone who checks every single one of those boxes. Jean did an amazing job representing the Jewish culture and faith. I also enjoyed the enemy to lovers trope. Special thanks to NetGalley and publisher for a copy of the E-book in exchange my pure honest review.

Another thoroughly enjoyable book by Jean Meltzer! I enjoyed the storyline, I loved the characters and I also really enjoyed learning more about the Jewish faith. I love that this took place during the Jewish high holidays which were explained to the reader and also celebrated by the characters.
I thought the idea of the dates revolving around the holidays was a fun idea and I think it made the character Chris even more lovable that he took the time to learn about the holidays and make them special for Dara.

Dara, her (belated) mother, and her grandmother were all matchmakers. Dara’s grandmother started the family’s business and Dara has given it a modern twist and brought it into the current times. She created a program called J-Mate that helps Jewish singles find their perfect match.

Dara deals with major anxiety issues that worsened when her mother passed away. Most days she’s perfectly happy staying inside and not going out and worrying about what could happen. As a result, she’s also put dating on the back burner. She’s 34 and she wants to be married and have kids but the desire to date isn’t there. That said, one night after many drinks she wrote a list of qualities her perfect Jewish husband would have. It turns out her grandmother is in possession of the Mr Perfect list.

When Dara and her grandmother go on Chris’ tv show, Dara is unpleasantly surprised when her grandmother pulls out the list.
Chris is happy though because the entertaining segment brings in a lot of viewers for Chris’ struggling tv show.
He was Dara to come back on the show to help his ratings again.
This is something Dara would have immediately said no to if not for her grandmother. Her grandmother is sick and she would love to see Dara find someone and find happiness with them.
Dara reluctantly agrees to come back on the show for a segment where the show tries to find her Mr Perfect on Paper. The show will find the guys, Chris will plan the dates, and Dara gets free publicity for J-Mate and makes her grandmother happy.

The dates start off badly and Chris is always there to support Dara. He has a way of calming her anxiety. And she has a way of making him think about something other than losing his wife. They’re always happy to be around each other but Chris isn’t Jewish and it’s absolutely a deal breaker for Dara if a guy isn’t Jewish.

When Dara meets a guy that should be perfect, and is in fact perfect on paper, she has to think long and hard about what’s most important to her.

I really enjoyed this story and I loved Chris as a love interest. He is so purely good.
Dara’s grandmother and her Challahback Girls are a fun comedic element too.
And I definitely cared about Dara’s journey to Mr Right.

I got to read an early ebook edition from NetGalley. Thank you!

Oh goodness. This was so sickly sweet. The kitchen scene nearly ruined me! But, this was such a beautiful slow burn with an excellent payoff!!