This was another fantastic Jewish themed romance from Jean Meltzer! Dara Rabinowitz is the founder and creator of J-Match, an online Jewish dating app. Combining her family's tradition of matchmaking with her own knowledge of coding, her app has made her a multimillionaire by her early thirties. Unfortunately, her Generalized Anxiety Disorder has kept her single. That all changes when her grandmother shares Dara's "Mr. Perfect" list on live television. Suddenly Dara's love life is the talk of the town. But will the man she thinks she wants actually be the man she falls for? Full of laugh out loud moments mixed in with poignant ones, this is a must read!

This was such a cute, feel good book. It was a great introduction to the Jewish culture and religion. I related to the anxiety the main character Dara dealt with. As someone who struggles with anxiety and wanting things to go exactly according to plan this was a great reminder that sometimes Gods plan is bigger than the plans you have for yourself.

This book was a perfect mix of light romance and the women’s fiction. I really loved and enjoyed it. The MCs are sweet and loving. I also loved their relationship with the secondary characters, specifically, the grandma. But what I really loved was the amazing anxiety rep. I really loved how raw and authentically it was portrayed. In a nutshell, it’s a 4.5 stars read for me.

Jean Meltzer is a gift to the Jewish romance world. After the success of debut novel "The Matzah Ball" comes "Mr. Perfect on Paper," following Dara Rabinowitz, a third-generation Jewish matchmaker and creator of dating app J-Mate, who unwittingly finds her own search for love thrust into the spotlight by her bubbe Miriam. As a non-Jewish single dad, head anchor of "Good News New York" Christopher Steadfast doesn’t check any of Dara’s boxes, but their connection becomes harder to ignore the more their friendship builds.

Judaism is a major theme of the story and my heart is so full because of it. Jewish stories are diverse despite never being included on such lists, but representation like this helps validate our identity and experiences. I also appreciated the handling of Dara's generalized anxiety disorder–it was refreshing to see her be open and honest, helping to make her struggles feel extremely realistic. At certain points I could also feel my own unease increasing, specifically around the dates, as I share similar anxious reactions to the main character and needed to take some breaks.

If you enjoy charming slow burn romances this is the book for you.

Dara is the multi-millionaire inventor of J-Mate, a popular dating app for Jewish singles. She also has generalized anxiety disorder, and prefers to interact with the world from a safe distance. When a national afternoon talk show books Dara and her beloved bubbe to talk about their family's long history of matchmaking, Bubbe Miriam goes off script and reads Dara's secret list for finding herself the perfect Jewish husband. The clip goes viral, much to Dara's mortification. Talk show host Chris is desperate to save his show's falling ratings, and convinces Dara to let him set her up on dates that fit her qualifications for a recurring segment. Things go disastrously wrong, but Chris and Dara still enjoy spending time together, even though he doesn't meet any of her criteria. For starters, he's a widower, a single dad, and not at all Jewish.

Like Meltzer's previous book, The Matzah Ball, there were scenes in this book where I felt like she was giving a class on Judaism. I learned a lot about Jewish high holidays and keeping kosher, but it also seemed like a lot of exposition coming from Dara all at once.

This book is low steam, and would be good for readers who enjoy gentle romance or women's fiction. It's also extremely funny and touching.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Jean Meltzer is such a force in the Jewish romance world! This one is another great one. It shows us both characters and what they are going through and how they feel toward each other. I loved the development of the relationship between Dara & Chris.
I really liked Dara's relationship with her grandmother and how that bled into her other relationships.
This is a great look at Jewish faith and how it can shape your life.
A fun book that I couldn't put down!

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

This is not my regular style of romance, it was charming, sweet, had characters in their 30's but was completely rated G, but I did really enjoy it.

Overall, it was light, it was fun, the drama was low stakes, the timeline was short, it was like a YA romance for characters in their mid 30's.

There's a couple major themes in the sorry, #1 is that Dara has a anxiety. Her anxiety is a large factor in her life. With that, absolutely ludicrous things happen in the plot on the dates that one would be unlucky, but all of them in a row would normally make me upset at a story for being so far into fiction land, BUT it made Dara's anxiety match the story. It gave her very understandable situations to cope with and highlighted how strong she was to keep going.

The second theme, which is clear from the blurb, if the Dara is Jewish. While Judaism is a large part of the story, the emotions were relatable to anyone and the writing did not assume the reader was starting with a knowledge base.

I wanted so badly to like this book-- Jewish representation in romance is super important. While this book is great for an easy introduction to Jewish holidays and customs, the story itself is so lacking and the writer's interpretation of Generalized Anxiety Disorder is stereotypical at best and downright offensive at worst. Add onto the fact that the whole climax of the book is overdone, unbelievable, and littered with unreality. This book had a great premise, but it's execution was poor.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC copy of Mr. Perfect on Paper!

Story: 4 out of 5: Loved the story and it was such a different paced romance book.
Cover: 5 out of 5: What can I say? I'm a total sucker for discreet and drawn covers. Not too overly done but also not too simplistic

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Oh man! I was so excited for this book, and while it was enjoyable, there were aspects that fell flat for me too.
I loved the Jewish representation. I loved the general anxiety disorder representation. I truly felt I learned so much about culture, and about people's lived and real experience with anxiety. Both of these things were done so well in my opinion.

But overall, I felt the love aspect to be lacking. It just didn't work for me. I wanted more lead up, more depth, and just more relationship between the two leads! The chemistry was there, and a few steamy "will they, won't they" scenes occured. But I felt like it went from friends to lovers way too quickly.

The steam is very mild, and mostly fade to black with just a few brief descriptions.

Overall I liked the concept, but wish it was executed better.

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer is a brilliant, 5 star romance novel that felt like a hug from one of your favorite people, which may sound strange but I think it’s the best way to describe it. This book is an epic romance that will give you the feels & a story full of family, love & the power of facing fears & confronting one’s past. It left a smile on my face as I read with pure enjoyment.
This book is about Dara, a third generation Jewish matchmaker & founder of the mega successful Jewish dating platform called JDate,. Dara also has generalized anxiety disorder & has panic attacks. I absolutely loved the fact that the main character struggled openly with their mental health. I loved that she acknowledges that generalized anxiety disorder & panic attacks are not bad words & you can use them. She openly discusses masking in order for the public to see her as the high power tech elite for her company. & she admits finding comfort & lessening symptoms in her favorite places & around her loved ones. This felt like an extremely realistic & relatable portrayal of someone struggling with their mental health. Shoutout to the author Jean Meltzer, the publishers & anyone involved for giving us more representation. It’s very appreciated.
I loved how her family, friends & coworkers knew about her anxiety, were prepared for when it was worse & knew how to help. They basically just went along for the ride & helped however possible & I thought it was so incredibly kind, supportive & what this world needs.
One of the bright spots of this book is Dara’s grandmother, Miriam. Bubbe Miriam is a queen. I absolutely adored her & her ChallahBack Girls.
There’s also our swoon worthy television host & single dad that gets embedded in their lives, Chris. Then, you throw in grief, trying to save a fledging TV show & trying to raise an almost tween & obviously, chaos ensues in many ridiculous & heartwarming ways.
This book is the best kind of emotional roller coaster ride. It made me laugh out loud, which while reading for me is rare! & then, Mr. Perfect on Paper almost had me in the good tears because I was so in my feels! I don’t want to spoil anything so I will leave it vague, but I would highly recommend reading this book! It’s like watching the best kind of romcom & ending with your chest feeling light & heart feeling full.
The author of this book also wrote The Matzah Ball, which I loved & had a chronically ill main character. This chronically ill bookworm (me) is a fan of them already & after reading this, even more so now.

If anyone is looking for an imperfectly perfect feel good romance, please read Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer! It comes out August 9, 2022!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: This book mentions &/or contains antisemitism, death of a loved one & cancer.

I will post on my Bookstagram & TikTok closer to publication. I will post on Amazon & Barnes & Noble after publication. I will add links once I post them.

This was a cute, fun, entertaining read. The characters are likable, and I love that they're dealing with (or not dealing with) an anxiety disorder and grief. I also learned a great deal about Jewish traditions and culture. While some points are excessively ridiculous, the book is entertaining and charming.

✍️ Book Review ✍️

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer

I absolutely adored this book! Jean writes the most authentic and heartwarming characters that any reader will love. This novel had me laughing out loud and swooning over the romance.

I loved the representation of the Jewish community as well as educating the reader about Jewish holidays and culture. Dara, the main character, struggles with anxiety and I felt myself relating to her so much. I appreciate Jean giving a voice to the main characters that are underrepresented, and we all SHOULD be reading more novels like this one. 🤍

I have read The Matzah Ball by Jean and enjoyed it. I cannot wait for her next book to come out! 🤩

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read an ARC and review this wonderful novel. I am so grateful for this opportunity to review such an incredible book.

This gem of a book has a pub date of August 9th, 2022! Pick it up and I promise you will love it 💗

🏷️ #netgalley #advancereadercopy #mrperfectonpaper #booksta #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendations #bookishcontent #booksbooksbooks #diversereading #readmore

Such a feel good story! After reading The Matzah Ball, I knew I would be first in line to read anything else written by Jean Meltzer.
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The information that Meltzer shares about the Jewish customs and beliefs is a great crash course for people who are not familiar with the religion and culture.
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Opposites attract is one of my favorite tropes to read because it feels realistic.

Loved Jean Meltzers Matzah Ball. I will always choose a book with great Jewish representation. And this book has it. It has a great introduction to Jewish culture. It’s a feel good book, with matchmaking, a heroine and that dating anxiety. It’s a favorite!

Dara, the successful CEO of J-Mate - a Jewish dating app -, is known as a control freak because of her Generalized Anxiety Disorder diagnosis, which she's extremely open about. She is meticulous about everything and everyone in her life, including the people she dates. When her bubbe tells the whole world about Dara's list regarding 'the perfect husband', she loses it. And to make everything worse, Chris, the host of the show she was on AND her secret crush, suggests they find her the perfect match on national TV. Surprisingly, she agrees, even though she's not sure it's a good idea.

Chris manages to find guys that (almost) match Dara's list, and while she goes on dates with the other guys, she also gets closer to him, which is how they start developing feelings for each other. Dara, however, tries to deny these feelings since Chris isn't Jewish.

I absolutely loved the GAD representation. It was well done and incredibly accurate. Dara's ways to deal with her disorder felt so real and, as someone who struggles with anxiety and OCD, I felt seen!

I adored her relationship with her bubbe! The way they were connected to each other was so moving.

Her moments with Chris were also pretty nice. I loved how they complemented each other, and how Chris was always so mindful of Dara's anxiety (unlike Mr. Perfect).

Mr. Perfect on Paper was a really fun book to read! I definitely recommend it!

Ugh this was a very cute read. It was quite a slow burn romance and I really enjoyed it. Also, I really loved the Jewish rep and how the topic like anxiety disorder has been gently handled. However, what I really loved the most was the character development and the sweeping romance it was chefs kiss level of good. Overall, it’s full 5 stars read for me.

This book includes Jewish and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) representation. I appreciated the insight into Jewish culture and traditions, as well as the realistic representation of GAD. As someone who experiences GAD, I felt it was depicted well and I loved how amazing Chris was with Dara.

The story was well-paced, with the small exception of the seemingly sudden “I love you” IMO. None of the characters were without flaws, which makes it all the more wonderful. You’ll be cheering for Chris and Dara almost immediately!

The perfect meet-cute story that I was totally in the market for! This is the love affair between a Jewish matchmaker and a non-Jewish single dad that have plenty of obstacles to overcome on their path to find their ever after. A sweet and life affirming book!

Dara Rabinowitz has her life scheduled to perfection. Or seemingly so from the outside. After all, as the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate and a decades long diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), she can't afford not to. When it comes to her personal life, Dara has been adrift and while she longs for love, her anxiety and work life have provided the perfect excuse to avoid dating. That is until her Bubbe share Dara's checklist for "The Perfect Jewish Husband" on national television and finding Dara the perfect man becomes the mission of news anchor Chris Steadfast and the entire nation. Chris is the antithesis of everything on Dara's list. A non-Jewish single dad, he's about as far away from perfect as Dara could get with her perfectly ordered life and religious identity central to her identity. The more time they spend together though, the less convinced Dara is that checking all the boxes on her list is the answer to happiness.

I loved this novel, full stop. I laughed aloud and shed some tears as I followed Dara and Chris's journey. Dara is the most relatable contemporary main character I have read in quite some time. She encapsulates all the anxieties and terrors of dating in your 30s perfectly. My one critique of the book would be that while it is written in dual perspectives, readers spend a lot more time inside Dara's head. You get a really full journey from beginning to end with her and I think Chris's emotional growth gets a little short changed in the end. There are some deliciously ridiculous NYC dating moments that any native New Yorker will empathize with and just a little bit of unrealistic drama that I was more than happy to go along with. A very PG romance read which is not my usual forte, but the characters are so real and relatable, one magical kiss (and a little imagination) is enough.