Jean Meltzer's books are always charming and authentic representation of contemporary Jewish life. Thank you for the advance review copy. . I look forward to her next book.

This was like matzo ball soup in book form. With everything going on in the world and in the aftermath of October 7th, it was nice to read a story about being a Jewitch woman and her golem (or human?). This was a cute story and handled some serious issues about past trauma and antisemitism. I loved the main characters and rooted for them every step of the way. Nelly is, by far, one of my favorite side characters ever. We all need a Nelly in our lives!

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher.

I wanted to like this book. But the awkward world building and language usage was too hard for me to get through.

I enjoyed reading Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer!

This book was a good rom com that tackled some bigger issues . I loved the mix of romance with magical realism. It did have a “seven year slip” feel and I loved that. I liked the Jewish representation as well!

Overall this was an enjoyable read but not my absolute favorite.

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC!

MAGICAL MEET CUTE by JEAN MELTZER was absolutely that...a magical meet cute. The book itself was adorable and full of cute fluffy moments. Weaving bits of magical elements into the mix and Jewish folklore made it to be a book I will remember! Jean's humor kept me interested and it added more to a pretty predictable (but enjoyable!!) plot! This is the type of book I would read during the cozy fall season as it checks every box of a need-to-read autumn rom com!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC!

Book Review
Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

Tropes and Triggers
Jewish folklore and Semitic history
Racism/ Hate crimes
Magical realism- in the form of a Golem, spells etc.
Small town in need of a savior
Disability rep
Childhood abuse

MC
Faye - refers to herself as a Jewitch, former lawyer, with a traumatic childhood and a recent bad break up she has started her life fresh as a potter but often gets mired in in the negative thoughts her past self whispers in her ear
Greg- Golem or man… its a mystery
Nellie- meddling neighbour full of sass and spice
Eric- potential suitor and protector, local police Chief
The Paper Boys- local criminal element that has recently targeted the town with anti-semitic propaganda

Thoughts
✅ I had difficulty suspending reality to accept to idea of a Golem but Greg’s ginger cinnamon roll vibes made him attractive , I wish his true identity was revealed much earlier
✅ The self healing journey Faye is undertaking held my attention- I appreciated seeing Faye find her voice and a path forward from her past traumas
✅ The author addressed a variety of complex social justice issues with care and compassion but it felt like a lot - almost too much for me- the romance did not feel at the forefront of the story
✅ Quite honestly- I think I would have liked this book more withOUT the “magic elements “

Overall
While all of these details may work individually, for me the pieces didnt fit seamlessly together . A miss for me from this author.

Thanks to @netgalley @mirabooks for my digital ARC in return for an honest review. Opinions expressed are my own.

i loved the jewish rep i this book as well as the romance it was very exciting and happy and reminded me of the magic i felt when i read the seven year slip

I Loved this book! The Jewish representation along with a magical love story was just what I needed to cure the reading slump i was in. The story was original and definitely so cute!

I’m a Jean Meltzer super fan and this book was exactly what I needed with what is going on in the world right now. I’m sure when Jean wrote this, she didn’t realize that antisemitism would be on the rise all over the world and I would need the comfort of her words to help me explain as a Jew how I feel in the climate we are in.

This was a great story of not only learning more about Golems, something I have heard bits and pieces about in my Jewish journey, but of self discovery as well. I loved how unapologetic Faye was in her Judaism, even when people wanted her to tone it down a bit, and I liked the bit of mystery that was mixed in to the story as well.

I throughly enjoyed the story and all the information about the Jewish faith and culture. The magical element made for a fun twist. The book captured my attention and made me interested to read other book by this author.

This book was cute and I loved the Jewish representation in it but I had a very hard time reading it with how the PDF was set up (weird spaces in between letters in words, etc)

This was my first book with a good amount of jewish rep in it. Faye seems to have manifested the perfect man in Greg and their story was both original and cute. I don’t tend to navigate towards any book with substantial religion rep of any sort, but nonetheless this was different for me and I learned a lot.

Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

This is a Jewish romance novel with some magical elements. I, admittedly, know very little about Jewish culture and especially about Jewish folklore so this book was interesting, fascinating, educational, and a great read.

Faye is a lawyer turned ceramicist who accidentally hits a beautifully red-haired man on her bike. This man, coincidentally, possesses the physical attributes of her dream man. He also suffers from amnesia and Faye ends up caring for him, later remembering she created a golem of her desired traits in a man (ahem, Greg, bike guy - now seemingly brought to life).

This scenario is complicated by the fact that there are numerous anti-Semitic acts going on her town by a group called the Paper Boys. Is Greg somehow involved? Or is he there to help?

TW: there is some mention of child abuse

I thoroughly enjoyed *Magical Meet Cute* by Jean Meltzer. Reading a romance with a Jewish protagonist was refreshing, providing an interesting glimpse into a culture different from mine. Fiction has a unique power to foster empathy; this book did exactly that. I had no idea there was such a thing as a "Jewitch," and it was fascinating to explore this aspect of the story.

Greg, or Gregolem, was almost too good to be true—almost. His character felt genuine and endearing as if he were a true good guy. On the other hand, Faye drove me a bit coo-coo with some of her outlandish and unsafe choices. At times, her actions seemed to fit the cozy mystery trope of the bumbling heroine who accidentally solves the mystery. Despite this, many of her responses were deeply authentic, especially when viewed through her past traumas. Occasionally, though, she would do something truly unhinged, adding an unpredictable element to her character.

Ultimately, the story is sweet and engaging. I loved the mix of romance and a touch of magical realism, with Faye’s pottery and the intriguing concept of summoning a golem. The narrative kept me hooked, and I appreciated the deeper themes it explored. This book is charming, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a unique and heartwarming romance.

I wanted to love this book! I have loved Jean Meltzer's other books. I love the town of Woodstock and have been there many times so it was nice that the story took place there. But this book was so corny and predictable. The best character was Nelly!

I had a thing for golem science fiction in the 2000s so this sweet rom com was perfect. I laughed a lot and thought this was a lovely novel.

Magical Meet Cute is my second read of Jean Meltzer. I do love all the aspects she writes of being Jewish for me being non Jewish to learn about. This book brought up really important topics that did make me do some research after. At the heart of this , it is still a cute romance set in Woodstock with some kooky residents.

Yeah the reveal of the Paper Boy nazi group was pretty obvious but this was still a cute read.

Thank you to Net Galley , MIRA and Jean Meltzer for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cute romcom that tackles some difficult topics without making the book feel like I was out of place. I am not Jewish and don't know much about the community or their struggles and at first I was worried the book was going to be hard to understand but everything was well described and explained. It allowed me to learn something new while enjoying a romantic story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for letting me read an ARC of this book! I really enjoyed it, I thought the amnesia storyline was fun and the chemistry stayed consistent between Faye and Greg. As someone who isn't Jewish and wasn't brought up in any religion it's always so enjoyable for me to be able to learn about other cultures and ways of life through fiction. I thought this was a really sweet and cute read overall.

As a huge fan of Jean Meltzer, I was so looking forward to this new book of hers. I think there is such a need in the book world for stories centered around Jewish characters, particularly in the romance space. Magical Meet Cute presents an imaginative premise with its blend of whimsical fantasy and romance creating a charming but light-hearted narrative. The story revolves around unexpected magical encounters that intertwine the lives of its characters in quirky and humorous ways. Magical Meet Cute is an escape into a world where love and magic collide.

The storyline may not appeal to everyone due to its highly fantastical elements, which some readers might find too unrealistic for their taste. I personally felt very disconnected from the characters and events. While there were definitely parts of the story that I enjoyed, I found myself disengaged and disinterested often as I was reading. This was a far departure from how I have felt in other books written by Jean Meltzer.