The plot of Magical Meet Cute revolves around, well, magic. It seems obvious in the title, however nothing in the promotional summary points to the main character practicing Jewish magic. I’m not a fan of magical romance.

I did enjoy a glimpse into the personal impact of anti-semitism that, as a non-Jewish person, I tend to think isn’t prevalent anymore in the U.S. I’m glad to be reminded that there is work still to be done to eradicate hate.

Otherwise I found the writing heavy and a bit clunky. Not being familiar with golems, perhaps Greg needing to be taught everything while also internally having instincts is on-brand, but for me the story dragged.

This book was just not what I was necessarily expecting upon going into it, therefore it wasn’t my favorite (it was okay for me). With that being said, I would be open to trying a different title by this author, as I loved the writing style!

4.5 stars for a fantastic, magical, and thought-provoking book. I read a different Jean Meltzer book, Kissing Kosher, earlier this year, and I was blown away by the author's ability to infuse complex and important messages into a heartwarming love story.

Magical Meet Cute, a story about a Jewish ceramicist who may or may not have created her ideal man as a golem, did all of that and more. Not only did this story tackle some difficult issues like trauma and anti-semitism, but it was also hilarious, romantic, and hit me with some big ol' twists that I didn't see coming.

I think that the messages in this book are so important for our time. Though I am not Jewish, I felt such empathy and pain for the hatred that so many of my Jewish neighbors deal with. Jean Melter did such a beautiful job writing this part of the story. It is a message that needs to be shared again and again.

Though there are some heavy plot points in the story, overall, it is filled with hope, love, and a little bit of Jewitch magic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Jean Meltzer for the e-ARC!

Cute, quirky romcom that was insightful about the generational struggles of the Jewish people. Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed The Matzah Ball, so I was so excited to read Magical Meet Cute - and I was not disappointed! I loved the elements of magical realism and the balance between seriousness and light hearted romcom was perfect. I loved the storyline of this meet cute, the characters, and I truly think the timing of this book could not be more perfect.

Super engaging and relatable! I really enjoyed the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

This read was really unexpected… I’m so glad I got to take a peek early!!

This book had so many elements that I love. Found family, quirky characters, humor, romance, an MMC that is gentle in his masculinity, magic…. It was just fun and light and charming in those aspects. The characters were easy to love and their life in Woodstock was one that I fell into quickly.

What I wasn’t expecting was the intrigue of a mystery and really moving details about experiences with Judaism, anti-Semitism, hate speech, and White Supremacy. It was such a delicate exploration of parts of Jewish culture that I was not familiar with- I was so interested and wanted to know more. It felt like learning but was so organically woven into the story. The mystery element tied to those more emotional, cultural pieces but was also just intriguing because it was two mysteries coming together- one magic and one in the “real world.”

This book didn’t have spice, if that’s what you’re looking for in a romcom, but the relationship between Faye and Greg was light and charming… I was so thankful for an HEA! They deserved it!!

Read this, enjoy it, fall into the mysticism!!

Also, I want to be Nelly when I grow up. That is all.

I am a big fan of Jean Meltzer book and although I liked this book it wasn’t one of my favorites that she has written.

Faye Kaplan, a ceramicist, believes she conjured up a golem when she meets Greg. The author touched upon some touch subjects in reference to being Jewish, specifically antisemitism, however at times the plot seemed ridiculous.

Thank you to Jean Meltzer, MIRA, and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest opinion. I look forward to Jean Meltzer’s next book!

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were very complex and the setting was gorgeous. I loved the little details, to me they really make the story. I would definitely recommend!

This was just what I needed. I love the banter and can’t wait to read more from the author. Faye and Greg were perfect. I also loved the magical aspects. So well done

Magical Meet Cute is another winner from Jean Meltzer! Not only is this a fun romcom that you can get lost in for hours, but it's a book with a lot of heart and insight. I highly recommend this and the authors other novels.

This book was very feel good. Faye is running from her trauma, and moves to a small town and opens up a pottery store. She is Jewish, so the book is VERY informative of Jewish traditions and the Yiddish language. She is also a “Jewitch” mixing and baking with herbs, using crystals and Jewish witchcraft to cast spells. It was a tad bit heavy on the antisemitism and the story pretty much revolves around her, her fiends, and the MMC trying to figure out who is behind the attacks. And it is a sloooooow burn, closed door romance. Overall I really enjoyed the story.

I absolutely love books with a splash of magic in them. They make you feel a certain way that other fictional books can't quite reach. Magical Meet Cute is that kind of magical book. The main character, Faye, is a potter in Woodstock, NY. She's free spirited and loves sculpting pieces. She's also a Jewitch. The author allows the readers to really see some of the hatred the Jewish receive, and I feel like that's important for others to read about. I know this is fiction, but hatred is not, sadly.
On a lighter note, this is a cute, fun romcom. It had me laughing, smiling, and so many other emotions. Faye drunkenly molds a golem from clay in hopes that it wards off the hatred, and gives a sense of protection the community needs. She didn't expect anything to happen from it, nor did she think he'd become one heck of a good-looking man.
She and him then become friends, and other comfort and safety for one another. You'll love Faye, and you won't be able to resist him. He's her prince charming, her knight in shining armor. And if you like books like that, then you'll love this one.
Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for giving me a chance to read this book and give an honest review.

I am just going to start off by saying that I’m not religiously Jewish; however, my grandpa was. He passed away when I was younger, so I don’t have a ton of memories of him and am limited in my knowledge of the Jewish religion (although I do know some things).

This book was very eye opening to me. I actually had no idea that there were anti-Semitic and people who target Jewish people to this day. I find it terrible and really don’t understand their reasoning behind it.

This story follows Faye, a Jewish pottery shop owner in Woodstock, New York, and she accidentally runs a guy over with her bike, giving him amnesia. Since he has no identification, she decides it’s a great idea if he comes and lives with her until someone comes to claim him or he gets his memory back. However, before this happens, there have been anti-Semitic flyers that were thrown all over town, specifically targeting Faye. Seems like the logical choice for her to just have this stranger come live with her right? He couldn’t be a murderer or anything…actually he isn’t, but still, that was my thought.

Anyways, I ended up really enjoying this book. I thought the Judaism was done well and there was enough information that someone who isn’t familiar with the religion would be able to understand everything. If anything, I think this book should be read by people because, as I said, it’s very eye opening to something that is apparently happening in the world. I thought the plot and mystery was captivating, and I look forward to reading more by this author.

The twist and turns in this book were ridiculous, but at no point did I stop loving it. Had to put it down more than twice to mentally review what I just read. This book does not shy away from hard topics like mental health and antisemitism. It really shows who is gonna show up when it counts.

I really enjoyed this Jewish romcom! As a Jewish romance reader, I rarely get a chance to read books with characters going through the same experiences as me. I loved the little Jewish and Yiddish bits throughout that just add to the overall vibe of the book.

There is an overarching plotline of antisemitism, which was unexpected in a romance novel, but I really appreciated the way it was handled — especially given the current climate of antisemitism worldwide.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. Even though it was definitely written with a Jewish audience in mind, I think overall the storyline is relevant for anyone. I look forward to reading other Jewish rom-coms by this author!

Jean Meltzer does it again. This book is just the right mix of cute, heated and Jewish. The characters are wonderfully written and their are even some surprises in this book.

I will say that this book touches more on anti-Semitism that Jewish people deal with much more than her other books. Jean writes it in a way that it doesn't feel fake but also doesn't make you wish there was a explicit content warning.

4.5 stars

This book really exceeded my expectations!! Faye was so funny and smart and I really enjoyed her journey of finding her self worth. Greg was just the absolute sweetest, even when he had no idea what was going on he was so set on taking care of Faye.
This book also covered some more serious topics, like parental abuse and anti-semitism that I think were handled really well. The book as a whole was a really good balance of funny and serious and I highly recommend it!

Read if you like:
-slow burn
-Jewish witch vibes
-artsy New York neighborhood
-Himbo
-Justice!
-friends to lovers
(I don’t think I’m doing a good job of convincing you to read this book but you should read this book!)
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC!

This book has it's cute moments, but it's much darker than I was expecting. There are really heavy themes here (child abuse, anti-semitism) and while there are absolutely readers who thrive with that type of subject matter, I definitely went into this one expecting something a little bit different. That being said, there are valuable lessons to be learned here and I think everybody deserves their love story, so I hope this book finds the right readers - because they will enjoy it.

I thought this book was really cute! I thought the author did a fantastic job bringing emotion to this novel, but also keeping it fun and quirky.