A cute shirt read. I liked the details about each night of Hanukkah. It just seemed like the story was too short to really fully develop the characters and plot

This was a fun YA contemporary novel! I enjoyed reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher

I love seeing more Jewish romcoms! This was a fun fish out of water story. I loved the Texan details and the Hanukkah set-story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I literally couldn't put this book down. It was like reading a Hallmark Chanukah movie. I love how the book centered around each night of Hanukkah and different family dynamics. Ot just gave me all the feels and heart tingles! It's the perfect teen rom com Hanukkah story!

Absolutely captivating read! This book kept me hooked from start to finish. The characters are well-developed and the writing style is simply beautiful. A definite must-read for any book lover!

i could see why people would like this. i didn’t love or hate it but i thought it was just overall okay. i liked the hanukkah representation, even though i celebrate christmas. i think those that celebrate need more representation

This was a pretty cute holiday story. I was drawn to it because I haven't seen many rom-coms focused on Hanukkah. I liked the small town setting, as well as the history of the town. I also enjoyed the family-run deli. I'm not much of an instalove fan, which made the romance part of this book fall a little flat for me. I also felt like the relationship between Hannah and her grandmother could have been explored a little further. However, it had nice wintry/holiday vibes, and, at the end of the day, was a sweet, breezy read.

Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge
 
Hannah Levin, allergic to horses and tinsel, finds herself stranded in Rosenberg, Texas, visiting her grandmother. She meets Noah, a charming Jewish teen who is determined to share his Hanukkah spirit with her.
 
They make a deal to save Noah's family's deli, but after a memorable kiss, Hannah wonders if there's more to Hanukkah, the community, and her grandmother than she thought.
 
Such a cute story! A good read for the holiday season. Noah, being my absolute favorite, was kind, lovable, and all sunshiny. I wasn't a fan of Hannah. She was selfish, kind of self-centered, and did not think about how things affected others.
 
The writing was good and fast-paced. It was adorable. It was short, and it felt like a lot of things happened over a short period of time. It was an enjoyable read.
 
Sharing my favorite quotes ~
 
° As my mom likes to say, “Mitzvah goreret mitzvah,” or “one good deed brings around another.”
 
° Just because something’s ridiculous doesn’t mean it’s not appreciated.
 
° “I, on the other hand, like flowers. They’re a reminder that we have to enjoy fleeting moments of beauty.”
 
° Fear and regret make cold bedfellows.

Thank you Netgalley and TBR Beyond Tours for a chance to read this.

A cute, sweet YA set during Hanukkah in Texas with so much Jewish joy and Jewish deli food! The characters definitely felt young but the story was sweet and I loved the time of year and setting.
3.5 stars

Growing up Jewish there were not many books that represented Judaism ✡️ so I was elated to be about to read this book 📖

Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge is a short and sweet holiday romance that brings a refreshing focus on Hanukkah 🕎 instead of the typical Christmas-centered narratives. The story takes place in a small town called Rosenberg, Texas. It follows Hannah Levin, New Yorker, as she finds herself stuck during a snowstorm ❄️ and spending Hanukkah with her grandmother, whom she hasn't seen in many years.

The novel captures the sense of loneliness and longing that Hannah experiences, missing the familiar traditions and comforts of home. Then she meets Noah, the only other Jewish teen in town, and their contrasting personalities add a delightful dynamic to their interactions.

Hannah's character occasionally veers into immature tendencies, which can be slightly distracting, but the romance between Hannah and Noah is light-hearted and charming. Their relationship is intertwined with the mission to save Noah's family deli, which holds cultural significance as one of the last remnants of the once-thriving Jewish community in Rosenberg.

In love the exploration of the significance of Hanukkah and the challenges of being in a town where it is not the main holiday 🎄.

This book is a quick read that captures the spirit of Hanukkah and celebrates the importance of family, community, and finding unexpected love. A must read holiday book

The perfect bite sized Hanukkah romance! I loved the pure Jewish joy of this book. Not much to say since this was a relatively simple story, but I genuinely enjoyed the entire reading experience and think it is the perfect Jewish seasonal read.

Hannah is sent from NYC to a small town in Texas to spend some quality time with her grandmother, who she hasn’t seen in years. She misses everything about NYC and all of that is made even worse when it seems that everyone celebrates Christmas and there is no sign of a Jewish community at all. When she meets Noah, the only other Jewish teen in town who is filled with Hanukkah spirit, she agrees to help him save his family’s deli and he promises to take her on some fun adventures.

This was a super quick read and it was so cute - but I wish it had been a bit longer to really get deeper into their relationship. Because the book moved so quickly it felt like their relationship also progressed very quickly. I really enjoyed the idea of them having one date for each night of Hanukkah and loved seeing what adventures Noah planned. I also thought the story line about the family was done well, as was Hannah’s attitude change about Texas, her family and even Hanukkah. I also enjoyed learning more about some aspects of Jewish culture through this book.

Thank you to Random House Childrens and NetGalley for the advance copy.

How fitting that I post this on the second day of Hanukkah. I thought it was going to be a fun read, but this was actually pretty weird and definitely insta-lovey. And I mean I knew it would be because they’re going on 8 dates for the 8 nights of Hanukkah, but I was NOT expecting them to actually use the L word?! Idk.

Ok so this was a great book to learn about Hanukkah with. I’m not Jewish at all, but I did learn some things about the holiday, like why it’s 8 days, and some smaller customs throughout the ethnicity. Again, I’m not Jewish so i can’t speak to whether it’s good representation, but I think Jewish teens today would be able to see something that they recognize in the book and it would help those like me who are just interested in learning and spreading the knowledge to those around them. Again, don’t ever say that YA books can’t teach you anything.

The characters are what annoyed me in this tho. She was being so privileged and spoiled and she basically ruined my idea of the book. I hold grudges, and the short time I wasn’t fuming at her, I was wondering how the hell sweet Noah didn’t or wouldn’t write her off. Especially after the way she was treating him because of what she believed the holiday to be. It didn’t give her any personality, just made her look terrible. And like I get it. Even when I got married I missed out on how I used to do things, but I welcomed the chance to get to know more people in my extended family. She wasn’t trying to give anyone the chance and that annoyed me. Noah went out of his way to make things special for her and she just was like ok, and? But i get it. She was sad and a teen. But she didn’t need to tear down everything and everyone to make them sad too. And she didn’t treat Noah any better. He tried so hard to give her a big city Hanukkah there in that small town, and she made him seem petty and immature. Like it wasn’t impressive. He didn’t have to do any of that but he did.

And for this to be a romance book, I don’t feel like they had any chemistry at all. Especially after she didn’t listen to a word he said about how he wanted the shop to be run. I get that he may have needed the push, but the way she went about it was all wrong. Also I thought it was weird to do that with a video about a bagel. But a “cute boy and food” is a dangerous combo, so I guess it was ok. Although I don’t believe that there is a person on this planet that doesn’t believe in the power of social media marketing lol And then when she mentioned the L word on day 4, I was done. She was still actively complaining about things and still was like everything that’s being done on my behalf sucks, but I still love him y’all! Like what? At the very least it should have been something like I’m warming up to you. And the L word shouldn’t have been used at all in a book that only spanned 8 days lol It was so weird and i didn’t believe it for a second.

The narrator was ok, but they really annoyed me when they got to Noah. WE DO NOT HAVE A TEXAS TWANG! Please stop giving us those Texas accents. I know we’re not all a monolith, but at the very least give us less of one if you’re going to do it. Stop trying to “lay it on so thick that we know what you’re doing.” Trust me, those of us that are from Texas likely already do and I hate it. (And before you say, Nikki, aren’t you from a big city tho? Yes, and I had a grandpa who lived out in the sticks too and I still know that it is ok to celebrate holidays in new ways, it doesn’t always have to be with the same way, with the same people, etc.)

This was ok but I wanted more. More chemistry and more believable moments. This taught me some new things and I was thankful for that, but I would have rathered a book that was a bit more well rounded in the end. If you got to the end you know what happened. I’d be interested to see if more books about different holidays were to come out. Especially since I’ve heard so many people say this is one of the least big ones.

This was a cute and important novel! I'd read some review early on about there not being enough romance in the book, but there is tons of romance in this book, it just probably wasn't the type of romance that person was looking for. This is the kind of romance for those in the "bring me flowers and give me candy" camp. It was extremely sweet. I also love that there was a lot of commentary on the resilience of the Jewish people and how though they might hide in the society that they escape into, they still hang on to their practices.

I love that there are more Jewish books coming on the scene, and Hanukkah is a great way to introduce even more. This was a very YA book and was super sweet. I think if you go into it expecting a more adult leaning book you’ll be disappointed but taking it as YA is exactly the perfect way to approach it. A bit cheesy but who doesn’t love that around the holidays?!

While this did read like the YA novel it was, it was a cute and sweet Hanukkah story. And I'm glad to see that there's more Jewish joy an rom coms showing up in the young adult genre.

A super cute Hanukkah YA rom-com. It did feel a bit Hallmark-y with the insta love, though. I don't usually love insta love, but I did love the Jewish rep and having a Hanukkah book. I'll be recommending this one!

Eight Dates and Nights was a super cute young adult romance. The romance was cute, though I definitely found it young adult, skewing to the younger side, as a lot of the romance was cheesy. I think this would work for 7-12th graders, likely better with most middle schoolers. The characters were great and kept me wanting to read more to find out what happened. I appreciated how both main characters changed and we got to see character development in many of the characters. I think some of the plot could have been developed more -- for example, the rift with her family seemed under-developed. We learn that the rift was because of a disagreement about how the family expressed (or didn't) their jewishness. However, I don't see why this would cause a rift for so long nor why the family would join her in Texas later but not originally; why wouldn't the family go together? My favorite aspect of the book, and the one that I think makes this book unique and special, is the Jewish representation. Not only was this book about Hannukah (hard to find good Hannukah representation, especially in YA literature!), but there were really thoughtful and well done conversations about how people view their Jewish identity, what it means to be Jewish to each person, and how people express their religion. I would recommend this as a Hannukah present for sure! I also think it would be a great addition to any library.

This was amazing and perfect for the season. It got me right in the mood and left me wishing there were more pages at the end. Highly rec. also amazing representation.