I wanted to be more into this book than I was. It had a lot of tropes & plot points that would’ve been right up my alley, but this didn’t click with me. I DNF around 20%.

I think a lot of readers will love it though!
Thank you for the opportunity.

This book embodies the idea of taking the good with the bad. The concept is a little unique and with so much ugliness in the world, it feels very connected to now. Hate is very prevalent in the world today so be careful if this could be triggering for you. The rest of the premise of the story, out of concern for her safety, Faye crafts a Golem and ends up with a man. There is some definite whimsy there to take some of the sting out of the seriousness of the anti-Semitic flyers and hate in the town. The man adds a bit of romcom aspect but only a bit as the romance was not center stage in the book which is fine with me as I prefer a good mystery. Again, we are taking the good with the bad. If you are looking for love or at least looking to read about it this might not be for you. If you don't mind mystery overshadowing romance, then there is some good in this book.
Another unique aspect of this book was Faye herself who was Jewish and her beliefs were part of the story. In part, they may have been a bit much overwhelming reads with Jewish history and words that we don't understand. The amnesia storyline is fairly commonplace but it was more than amnesia because he forgot how to do basic stuff.
So again, we have to take the good with the bad. However, the one thing i couldn't get over was how could a woman targeted by hate invite someone, a stranger, into her home so easily. Yes, it is possible to feel bad for someone but the better option was to get them help not take them in. People aren't strays and strays can bite the hand that feeds them.
I will say it again. If you read this book, you take the good with the bad. There was a lot you have to overlook and some of it you can overlook because the book is meant to entertain. I just couldn't abide by her reckless with taking in a strange man. Some might enjoy this book but it was not for me. I'm giving it three stars when it reality it is more like a 2.5-2.75.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Dual POV, Jewish Rep, Magic Element, Meet Cute, Amnesia, Forced Proximity

I wish the romance would have been a bigger focus in the book, it felt the romance took a back seat to the mystery elements. I appreciated the Jewish representation (although as a non-Jewish reader I could have used some more information and detail rather than having to put the book down to Google certain things) and the funny full cast of character but ultimately found the tension between Faye and Greg to be lacking the usual spark and tension that's there in romcoms.

I have read Jean Meltzer’s books and often felt so connected to them. Magical Meet Cute started and finished strong, but there were some parts of the story that seemed a bit far-fetched for me. The characters of Faye and Greg were likeable and throughout the pages needed to find themselves and understand the importance of embracing imperfection. The story sheds light on antisemitic acts happening in communities and how it impacts the people living there. There is a lot of power in searching for the truth, trusting your instincts, and surrounding yourself with people who care about the real you. Meltzer also explains some Jewish history throughout her pages, which was fascinating to read about. I am giving it 3.5 stars because some of Faye’s actions were a bit grandiose for me. It was a quick read. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an opportunity for an early and honest review.

Did not finish.
I dnf’d this book at 15%
I am somewhat familiar with Jewish culture, but the frequent use of Hebraic terms with no explanation left me confused.
I also didn’t like the combination of Judaism and witchcraft.
And I do not care for queer books and the main characters best friend was a prominent character.
All in all, this book was simply not at all for me.

This ended up being just average to me. I love the combination of jewish folklore that was new to me and traditional romance. I would recommend this to others during spooky season when they need something light. Even though it's light it does take on more serious topics that I thought were well done. The twist was predictable for me which drew me away from the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by Jean Meltzer and I was initially intrigued by the storyline and Jewish representation. Faye is a self-proclaimed “Jewitch” with a history of childhood trauma and traumatic breakup who encounters antisemitic hate crimes (specifically antisemitic flyers) in her small town of Woodstock, NY. Faye is a gifted ceramist who owns her own ceramic studio and is targeted by a hate group called The Paper Boys. After coming across the antisemitic flyers, Faye drinks a bottle of wine and crafts her own Golem, which is a creature made from clay designed to protect the Jewish people in times of trouble. When she gets into an accident with a mysterious man named Greg the next day, she brings him home under her care as he suffers from a bout of amnesia. As Faye and Greg grow closer, she can’t help but wonder if her Golem came to life in the form of Greg.

Overall I appreciated reading a book with positive Jewish representation and Jewish folklore. This is actually the second new release I’ve read in the past year with a Golem as a main character. Given the rise in antisemitism in recent years, it sadly comes as no surprise to me. I struggled with remaining interested in the romance, however. At times it felt forced and the genitalia references were a little much. That said, the book has led me to follow Meltzer on social media and I look forward to trying out another book by her.

The story is compelling, but I’m not really seeing it as a romance. I wasn’t expecting the mystery to take up the majority of the plot. It’s ok, but not really my thing.

This is the fourth of Jean Meltzer's books I've read, and once again, it did not disappoint! Faye is a Jewitch who owns Magic Mud Pottery in Woodstock, New York. The town gets vandalized with Antisemitic posters. Faye creates a golem out of clay, and then burries it in her backyard. The next day, she hits a man while riding her bike, who upon visiting him in the hospital, has no idea who he is, but freakishly resembles the golem Faye created out of clay. Upon learning Greg has no idea who he is, instead of taking him to a shelter, Faye lets him move in with her. This story is super cute as it encompasses Faye and Greg's friendship, along with Faye's other friends, trying to figure out who he is. The book was wonderful for current times, as it discusses Antisemitism, and Jews, as well as non Jews coming together to help the Jewish community in Woodstock. I absolutely loved this novel, and can't wait to read Jean's upcoming release next year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
*2.5
This was not what I expected.
Faye is a very interesting character with a lot of depth, but she was also very repetitive in her thinking and constantly talking herself down, which became a bit much after the third identical self-doubt internal monologue.
Greg is a golden retriever. I can’t say that I dislike him in any way. At least, not his personality.
I find the premise of the story far fetched. I am all into the amnesia theme; however, forgetting how to make eggs and talk and other everyday stuff sees far-fetched. Maybe this is a legit issue for people who bump their head, but it isn’t written in a believable way. Also, inviting someone into your home when people are blatantly hating your existence is such a dumb move. It made the story more entertaining for sure, but that was nuts on Faye’s part. I would also like to say that their interactions in the early stages are really odd; Faye is being a caregiver to a grown man she doesn’t know…weird.
Her heritage/cutlure/religion was a really enlightening aspect of this story. There was A LOT going on here, and I found myself both intrigued and confused on the Jewitch concept.
I do appreciate the side characters in this story. They bring in enough to be relevant and round out the main character, but really nothing more. I did like Nelly the most. For being an overdone spunky old woman trope, I really like her character and the violence she feels toward the villains. On that note, I think the villainous character (iykyk) was a little bit of a stretch and kinda sucky. To avoid spoilers I am not going to go into further detail on that.
Anyway, this was not my favorite, but I am probably still gonna read more of her books. I love the Jewish representation in rom coms and will forever be a fan!

I tried, over the course of a couple of days, to love this book. The cover, the blurb, all of it spoke to me. But I just couldn’t get through it. Unfortunately, I was bored. I kept reading, hoping it would get better. I made it to about 15% and finally gave up.

This was a pretty good book. It’s my first book I’ve read by the author. It was good the title was a bit misleading but overall it was good

I have enjoyed reading books by this author and this is another fun read for me. I read this book quickly and will continue to read more by this author.

This book was a slog. The writing was so bad. It was heavy handed, repetitive, and boring. I loved the idea of a Jewish MC but every time the author used the term “jewitch,” I cringed. The idea of someone being a super observant Jew and a practicing witch and regularly using the term Goddess could not reconcile themselves in my head. The myth of the Golem is always fun but this might be the worst way I’ve ever seen it used in a book. I’m not sure how this book got published.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. I had a hard time connecting with the characters and the story.

2 ⭐️. The premise sounds lovely -- a witch living in Woodstock NY (one of my favorite towns!) falls in love with a mystery man who enters town. However, the execution was poor and extremely lackluster. The amount of times the characters commented on genitalia (completely out of nowhere!) gave me such an ick. I also HATED the amount of times a cop showed up to "save the day". Very very disappointed in this read.

TY to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my fourth Jean Meltzer book, so it’s safe to say that I’m a fan, and Magical Meet Cute is a spellbinding romance you’ll want to add to your fall TBR.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the Jewitch elements in it. I found myself wanting to pick this back up after I set it down… which, in my opinion, is the true test, on whether I am enjoying a book.

This reminded me a bit of Practical Magic (always a bonus), but it didn’t have quite as many magical elements in it as I was expecting.

I figured out the biggest “twist” in here pretty early on, but I’m ok with it. I think it worked well in the story. However there was one part of the story that didn’t make sense in the beginning, and it was very hard to overlook it without any additional explanations.

Suggested snack pairing: kosher hard salami - plain, or with rye bread and mustard.

Triggers: child abuse, terminal illness, mental illness, death, antisemitism, police brutality, PTSD

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the arc of this book

My review is posted on my Instagram @bedtimesandbooks

This was another great book by Jean Meltzer. I really enjoy her books because they're always a beautiful love story with such a great historical lesson on Jewish history. I really enjoyed how this book touched on the anti-Semitic attacks that were happening in her city, it humanized them in a way. It also showed Jewish folklore which a lot of people aren't privy too.

She made the magical realism but made it in a way that it was too far off that it couldn't be reality at the same time. It also had a great disability representation, and mental heal representation as well.

Thanks to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

I did not finish the book. I read about two chapters, and couldn't keep going. As a religious Jewish person, it was just not a good fit for me.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just could not connect with the characters. I felt like the writing and the dialogue fell flat 😔