Avital co-owns a kosher bakery in Brooklyn with her twin brother Josh. She has a health condition which keeps her in almost constant pain, and gave up her dream of being a photographer when she needed more flexible hours. She advertises for help, and a really handsome applicant, Ethan, comes in for an interview. He claims to have gone to culinary school, but his true motive is to get the bakery's secret recipe for pumpkin spice babka. His crochety old grandfather had a falling out with the bakery's founder many years ago, and claims the recipe was stolen. Will Avital and Josh find out who Ethan really is? Can a Romeo and Juliet romance work when the families have been feuding for so long? This is a cute bakery romance--I'm just sorry that it didn't include recipes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The first half of this book did not work for me but I’m glad I didn’t put it down because it turned out the majority of my issues with it were neatly resolved. I loved and related to the chronic pain rep. My dad has chronic pain and the first half reminded me of the early days of his experience and diagnosis. In the second half of the book, Avital and Ethan learn more about the use of medical cannabis and this really reminded me of my dad’s experience as well. A big issue I had with the first half was how Randy is just a stereotypical stoner, but that was all resolved when Ethan changes his way of thinking and realizes there is so much more to his brother. I did have some issues with the book that stopped it from being perfect - seeing a number on the scale when Avi visits the doctor (why did we need that?), maybe I missed something but I’m not sure about all the logistics of the business at the end of the book, etc. But overall it was a representative read on a number of levels and I liked the romance between Avi and Ethan too.

With her upcoming third novel (due out in August 2023), Jean Meltzer again delivers an entertaining, heartfelt story populated with likeable, relateable characters and filled with sexy, steamy, raw romance. Plus, the authentic, positive and joyful Jewish content is once again overflowing. But, like with The Matzah Ball and Mr. Perfect on Paper, Kissing Kosher isn't all fluffy, feel good romance. Her female lead, Avital, suffers from chronic pelvic pain and Meltzer does not shy away from portraying her frustration and despair. Meltzer also doesn't shy away from depicting the benfits of medicinal cannabis use. As she writes in her acknowledgements, ". . . chronically ill people deserve their own types or romantic fantasties," making Kissing Kosher an important and needed addition to the genre.

Jean Meltzer is a force when it comes to Jewish representation. I love her books and this one did not disappoint.
Avi deals with chronic pain and as we learn more about what she goes through we learn more about her. It is a hard topic at times to she her struggling, but I think it added a good and real depth to the story.
I love all the talk of the baked goods!
A cute romance, with baked goods, family feuds, and so much more.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC.

Meltzer writes really meaningful romances that explore Jewish tradition, spirituality and family relationships. She also gives her characters dimension by exploring narratives with real problems and medical issues. Avi's journey with chronic pain is well written and creates a bond with readers who experience similar issues or no others also on that journey. Ethan's character is also well developed and just the sweetest.

First off as a Jewish woman, representation in novels is just the best and it's great when it's not just historical fiction (though those books I read all the time too!). I am a huge Jean Meltzer fan (I mean The Matzah Ball is SO GOOD!). Her ability to write such witty, funny dialogue is so gorgeous and lovely. Jean has represented Judaism and Jewish traditions so well that I am just so proud and thrilled by this book.

This book. Get it. You will laugh. You will cry. You will swoon! This book is going to be my Hanukkah gift for my friends FOR SURE!

This was a fun little romance. It also gave me lots of inspiration for some Jewish baked goods. I loved the characters and their romance. They each had unique stories and I felt like they really grew a lot as individuals over the course of the story.

This was such a quick read because it is witty, funny, fun. Not a deep read but so enjoyable. Loved the main characters and their chemistry

I first stumbled upon this author last year when I read “Mr. Perfect on Paper.” It was a stunning surprise, a dark horse of a book, if you will. I was thrilled to get my hands on Meltzer’s upcoming book, “Kissing Kosher.” Meltzer writes wonderful, authentically Jewish fiction. You can tell the subject and content of her writing is near and dear to her heart. It is well-researched and planned.

In this book, our female MC struggles with a chronic illness (interstitial cystitis). I felt Meltzer did a great job showcasing what daily life is like living with a chronic illness. Our male MC struggles with being a disappointment to his grandfather (though, spoiler alert, he really isn’t). Both of the main characters have a strong challenge to overcome. Not to mention, they fall for each other along the way (a lá Romeo & Juliet). They are up against so many roadblocks, though…health, family, careers.

I landed on three stars for this book. It may be because I wasn’t prepared for the seriousness of the story line. At times, it felt heavy because of the family struggles & health issues. I do believe this was intentional & deeply personal to the author. In that regard, I hate giving ratings. When a book and story line is so personal to an author, giving it anything less than 5 stars hurts my heart. But I have to be honest in my review. Yes, there’s a love story, but there’s also so much (realistic) sadness that I wasn’t mentally prepared for going into it. I appreciate that Meltzer wrote about something that is so important to her. For that, I give her 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. This book will be released August 29, 2023!

I continue to love Jean Meltzer's books and how she shines a light on invisible chronic illnesses. I loved this story of feuding families, romance, and history. It also made me want to run to my local bakery and buy all the treats.

Loved this book! I started reading last weekend and couldn’t stop until I finished. Jean Meltzer delivers a fun and spicy romantic tale intertwining jewish culture, family drama, and the curveballs of chronic illness. Suffering from autoimmune disease myself, it was comforting to read about characters navigating everyday life with the flare ups these conditions can bring. Kissing Kosher is an inspiring read about a young woman named Avital who is torn between running the family bakery and meeting her personal needs, as she battles chronic pain. JM does a wonderful job of creating a diverse set of three dimensional characters who find themselves on a path of acceptance and self discovery. Sometimes it takes the kindness of another to find what your heart truly kneads. I “knead” Jean to keep writing. Can’t wait for what’s next !

4.5 stars. Ethan has just been hired at Brooklyn’s most famous kosher bakery, but he has a secret: he’s a corporate spy, sent by his grandfather to steal a well-guarded recipe so that their baking company can mass produce it. But Ethan wasn’t counting on Avital, the beautiful but complicated bakery owner who’s making it harder every day for Ethan to want to carry out his covert mission.

The love story here is sweet and full of honest communication about everyone’s needs. Avital has a chronic pain condition that sounds frankly awful, and her quest to find relief brings her and Ethan closer together. I found some of the conflict resolution at the end of this book a bit too neat, but otherwise it was a lovely book and I wish I could spend more time with these characters, eating babka.

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

Jean Meltzer has once again found a way to both educate and entertain her readers. Avi emphatically disagrees with the statement "Don't make your disease your identity" because as any chronic pain sufferer knows, it is an overwhelming part of who they are. Kissing Kosher weaves a story of two young people discovering not who they are but rather who they ultimately truly want to become.

My favorite Jean Meltzer rom-com yet. Ethan is the perfect love interest for our heroine, Avital, who struggles with intense and personal chronic pelvic pain. As they slowly learn each others' secrets, these Romeo-and-Juliet-fated family enemies help each other through emotional, physical, and familial pain.

Meltzer writes chronic illness with raw vulnerability because she experiences it herself, and as a reader who shares some of her diagnoses, I appreciate the representation and honest look into our daily lives. There is a conversation that Avital has with her brother about ableism and how chronic disease is every day, it's a part of our identity. That made me cry -- in a good way. It means so much to have our experience articulated so well.

There's also lots of great (hunger inducing) baking scenes, steamy and intimate sexy scenes, heart-melting caregiving scenes, interesting insights into Judaism, relationship boundaries, and medical marijuana, and funny and sweet families and found families.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Sumptuous Semite” Ethan and reluctant family bakery manager Avital are the central characters in this Hebrew Romeo and Juliet or Jewish Hatfields and McCoys story. Former business partners who have become bitter enemies have passed down their animosity to subsequent generations. In Kissing Kosher Ethan and Avital, the rivals' grandchildren, are on the front lines of this bakery “war”.

Jean Meltzer is great at chronic pain, chronic illness representation. Avital is trying to not make her pain her identity but she begins to acknowledge how her chronic affects her entire life and has irrevocably changed her going forward. Then Avital starts finding joy whenever and wherever she can. Ethan is also dealing with pain, the emotional pain from the verbal abuse he endures from his grandfather. He discovers boundaries are necessary especially with family.

I loved reading the Jewish perspective about sex and intimacy from the great character of Rabbi Jason.
Loved this quote as well: “If your heart is in the right place, it will never lead you in the wrong direction”

Knowing the background of Ethan’s grandfather, his transgenerational trauma doesn’t really help take away from his verbal abusive treatment of Ethan. He's just a petty tyrant.

Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kissing Kosher is a Jewish family-centered novel about Avital (Avi) and her family's bakery, Best Babka. Avital's family, the Cohens, are rivals of the Lippmann's label, as the grandfather's of each family used to be best friends. Ethan gets a job at Best Babka and meets Avi, and through the entire story we learn about the Cohen and Lippmann families, the importance of found family, and overcoming a variety of circumstances. Avi experiences chronic pain and needs a l0t of support from others to get through the daily bakery grind. My favorite character is the marijuana growhouse owning Rabbi - he really has some wise words! Meltzer writes with the background knowledge of these characters and writes through experience, which really helped the story evolve. This is her third book (my first of hers) and I really enjoyed reading it. I sure hope a sequel or novella comes out - I'd love to see what happens next.
#kissingkosher #netgalley

This book has multiple basic mistakes about Hebrew and Yiddish and Judaism. Zeyde is Yiddish not Hebrew, for example. No one was baking pumpkin spice babka in the 1950s. And I could go on and on. It would have be nice to have had someone check these basic facts which otherwise take away from a fun read

I can't say enough positive things about this book. Avi and Ethan are both the grandchildren of two families in a long-standing feud regarding their kosher bakeries. Ethan is sent undercover by his unloving grandfather to infiltrate the bakery of Avi's family and find the secret recipe of their famous babka. Along the way, Avi and Ethan begin a slow burn relationship in which one another is able to empathize and help each other heal from their mutual trauma. Avi, a former photographer, gave up her career and life in LA to return to Brooklyn and the family business; she suffers from a painful chronic illness and needed more flexibility to manage her condition. Ethan blames himself for the death of his parents and the disabling of his sister from an accident when he was younger. Together they find healing not just for themselves, but for their feuding families.

The book is a lovely tale of self-acceptance, unconditional love, forgiveness, Jewish culture and one of the best depictions I've ever read of how someone with chronic illness navigates life. Five out of five stars.


I just reviewed Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer. #KissingKosher #NetGalley

I adored THE MATZAH BALL so I was very excited to read Jean Meltzer's new novel. It lived up to my expectations and then some! Absolutely recommend.

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Jewish romance!!!!! I was so elated when I saw this story on netgalley and it was just as much of a pleasure to read as I expected. Growing up jew-ish there weren't stories that really showed this part of me. IT was magical that it mixed with romance.