This book tried to do so many things and fell short every time - social commentary on anti-semitism, social media, dating, friendship, LGBTQ rep. She was also the worst sister and friend. I'm sorry, I wanted to love this.

A fun, out of the box fantasy/romance grounded in mystical Jewish lore. Great for fans of contemporary romance looking for something out of the box and edgy. Loved the narrator on the audiobook.

I ended up listening to the audio version of this rather than reading - I struggled with this one. It's much sadder and darker than the marketing implies. Love the Jewish rep and relate to it, but it was a tough read especially when you're coming in primed for romcom. I don't think the marketing did it any favors.

Single, middle-aged, and grieving her father’s death, Eve recalls her Bubbe’s folktales and creates a golem in and act of desparation so she’ll have a date for her younger sister’s upcoming wedding, having decided her British neighbor, Hot Josh, is not a prospect. At first, the golem, named Paul Mudd, is the perfect protective (if looming) companion, and Eve enjoys the distraction and challenge of teaching him how to be in the world (the golem LOVES coffee). In the end, he is perhaps too quick to perceive everyone and everything as a threat, and single-minded in his mission to stamp them out.

This contemporary take on the ancient legend of the golem is creative. Kander balances humor and darkness very well in this novel about the Jewish experience of grief and mourning, Hanukkah, generational trauma, the pressure to be partnered, and longing for love. Anti-semitism and the cold-blooded fear of persecutation is altogether too familiar. Jewish details and customs are authentic, and explained in context in a non-diadatic way. Eve’s at sea-ness–longing for fun, not able to engage with work, missing her dad–is authentic and emotional and understandable for those who have been through the loss of a parent. Balancing joy with grief, and even adding in a little sorrow to our celebrations, is a core part of Jewish culture that is represented very well.

I received an advance reader’s review copy of #IMadeItOutOfClay via #NetGalley courtesy of #Harlequin. A review will post to HLBB 1/2/2025.

If you like romantic comedy this is the perfect Chanukah holiday book to add to your list.

I Made it Out of Clay is written by Beth Kander and includes all the perfect holiday details to make this a Chanukah special. Meet Eve who is about to turn 40 on the second night of Chanukah this year. But even more distressing is that her younger sister is getting married on the first night of Chanukah.

Eve is still single and has had a very bad year. That fact is stated multiple times throughout the book. She is still upset about the loss of her father a year ago. She keeps her phone turned off and misses many text messages and phone calls. She feels slighted by her family and upset that she and her mother do not have a closer relationship. She and her sister are not close.

She works for an advertising agency and her best friends are Sasha and Brian. But Sasha is just coming out of a serious relationship that took her away from her friends for quite awhile.

Riding the train in Chicago se runs into some anti-semitism and she also has memories of her Bubbe telling her about the Holocaust. So much trauma.

But at the top of the list this week is the upcoming wedding and she needs a plus one ! Also the company she works for is going to have layoffs.. and no one knows who is on the chopping block.

She comes home one night and asks the cute guy across the hall to be her plus one..but he is busy.

So when she is down in the laundry room late one night, she spots some leftover clay and builds a golem. He is there to take care of her and protect her from all evil. He rides the subway with her and makes her feel safe. He is her plus one for the wedding.

Of course things go wrong and as it all falls apart it all falls into place and there is a perfect ending.

This was a light entertaining story. There are of course so many unbelievable parts and I guess if you are going to date a golem, I should not be uncomfortable with a sex scene with the golem, but that was the part I thought was the least well written.

I really enjoyed this quirky story. I would say it's marketed wrong for what it is, and the cover and synopsis makes it sound very rom-com but the story is darker and more about a journey of self-discovery. The Golem doesn't even show up until halfway through.

But I love Eve's spiralling pity party, and how leaning on her friends and family is what eventually pulls her out. I'd compare this to Dolly Alderton's Ghosts - a funny and relatable story about a woman's grief and her search for happiness.

Confession time - though I chose this book BECAUSE of the golem element, that ended up being my least favorite bit of the story.

This starts like a light romcom, and I was enjoying the trials and tribulations of Eve. She's not a particularly likeable character, but I sympathized with her concerns over keeping her job, and the pressure to participate in family functions. Like our heroine, I'm not a big fan of returning emails and replying to texts.

Sometimes a gal just wants to be left alone.

Then the fantasy element was introduced, and my interest cooled quickly. So much about the golem is murky, from how he was created to how an inert "statue" got transported, and stashed in the back of a closet. And the "everybody getting amnesia thing" really annoyed me.

I'm usually a fan of dramedy, but this one just didn't work for me.

Still a fan of golems, though . . .

I read the description of this book and after starting was like "hmm, this is reading more fiction, when does the golem come in?" and then at 40% the book gets wild. Eve is preparing for her 40th birthday, which also happens to be the weekend of her sister's Hannukah-themed wedding. Ever since her father and grandmother passed, Eve's relationship with her family has been more strained than ever and she needs to find a date to her sister's wedding as soon as possible.

The story was entertaining, but nothing amazing. I always enjoy reading books with Jewish representation and while this had that, it wasn't overpowering. I thought the representation of the discrimination Jewish people experience was insightful and well-written, especially the incidents on the train. There was a lot going on in this book, and while it was all good, nothing was particularly memorable either.

I liked how everything ending, and I thought Eve had good, albeit unsurprising, growth throughout the story. It was a little frustrating that she automatically assumed her sister and mother didn't want a relationship, but I understand how that dynamic supported the plot. The situation with her best friend was also a WILD coincidence.

I would say if the premise of this one interests you, I recommend reading, but it wasn't a must-read either.

Darker than I expected, and the end wrapped up very quickly. But generally good read that touched on real issues without being too serious.

Evie is single, about to turn 40, and her job is in jeopardy. She's been grieving the death of her father for a year, and her sister is about to be married. Then she creates a golem to be her date to her sister's wedding. He's not what she expected and isn't as easily controlled as she'd hoped. Although I appreciated the author's attempt to craft a story that honors how difficult it is to be depressed and grieving during family events and holidays, this fell flat for me. The premise was good but the execution was lacking.

Eve is turning 40, her father recently died, her job is in jeopardy, AND she doesn’t have a date for her younger sister’s wedding. When the guy she’s liked from afar says no to going to the wedding, Eve gets desperate and remembers her grandmother’s story about creating a golem when you’re in desperate need of help. However once the golem is created, he is not at all what she expected nor easy to control.

I wanted so much to like this one (I love a good golem story) but it fell flat for me. There were some plot points that didn’t work for me - and I didn’t I just love the main character. The ancillary characters were great and I did like some parts and the read was quick, but this was a somewhat forgettable book for me once I was done.

3.5 stars

Thank you to Mira Books and NetGalley for the ARC to review

This was both a funny and poignant novel about how a woman and her family cope after the death of her father. The way Eve dealt with that grief resonated so much with me. I also appreciated the Jewish representation. With the title “I Made it Out Of Clay”, Hanukkah and the golem would obviously be touched on, but seeing rituals like the unveiling & the various reasons for the breaking of the glass during a wedding, was great to see. Definite recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Beth Kander for the ARC!

I’m not a huge holiday romance reader but 𝗜 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝘁 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗹𝗮𝘆, a weird yet darkly funny book, offers a very unique twist on the Jewish golem legend.

Eve is about to turn 40, her sister is getting married, she doesn’t have a date to the wedding and her advertising agency job is feeling precarious. Added to all this stress is Eve’s unresolved grief over her father’s recent passing. In a desperate moment, she makes a golem, a figure traditionally known for protection, and calls him Paul Mudd. Hijinks ensue!

Kander deftly touches on antisemitism as well as Jewish customs and traditions without the narrative ever feeling too ponderous. I especially loved Eve’s handsome British neighbor Josh who also happens to be Jewish (“𝘜𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯! 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘯, 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦!”). The story very cleverly subverts the typical romance tropes while exploring deeper themes of safety and control. This is fun romantasy with authentic Jewish representation, and it makes a perfect holiday read.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a #gifted copy of this book. I also listened to the audiobook and Gail Shalan did a fantastic job with the voices!

Many years ago I read the book, The Golem and The Jenni by Helene Wecker and really enjoyed it so when I saw I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander I was excited to read it. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting but it wasn’t what this book presented. There was no comparison between the two books. I was really disappointed by the way Beth Kander chose to represent the Golem in I Made It Out of Clay. It started out with some promise but quickly grew unrealistic and even violent. It focused on family, friendships, depression, coping with loss, grief, stress, layoffs and antisemitism. The ending had some redeeming elements. Overall, I was disappointed. I don’t think that this was the best book for me to read.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read I Made It Out of Clay by Beth Kander through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I Made It Out of Clay looks deep into grief and pulls out a sexy golem just for the holiday season!
Eve is locked in grief after her father’s grief the previous year. Her mother seems to be moving on and her sister is getting married. Eve feels no one is grieving as much as she is. It’s Christmas time, which is hard for her because though she is Jewish, both she and her father have been fans of the festive side of Christmas. Add to her stress are the looming layoffs at work plus the fact that she is turning forty the day after her sister’s wedding on the first night of Hannukah. And she still doesn’t have a date for the wedding. One night, after a few too many drinks and being verbally assaulted for being a Jew, she tries her hand at Jewish folklore and wakes up with a very sexy golem.
I had trouble liking Eve. This woman just gave up and was just cruising through life. She’s worried about the layoffs at work but she does the bare minimum and spends most of her time trying to hang with her friends. Her biggest issue though is her grief: she wallows in it and blames everyone else for her issues. She hardly ever turns on her phone because of related from losing her dad but she misses invitations and allows herself to believe people don’t want to be with her. Beth Kander captures this idea of depression wonderfully; the lies in our heads are reinforced by our own protective behavior. This helps you understand the character and fuels the plots (as well as the very real and very scary acts of antisemitism that did move me).
The book is rather humorous when not dealing with Eve’s grief or the mentions of antisemitism. While I never laughed out loud, I was rather amused and impressed with Kander’s ability to balance humor and heart. Then in the last 15 percent of the book, everything goes truly dark. While I knew something was going to happen, I didn’t expect it to be as extreme as it was. (Also, Eve. Another reason I don’t like you. If you see something, say something!) While the event itself was handled well, the clean-up of the event felt hollow and too perfect.
But there are good things about this book. This is a book about family. It’s a book about faith. It’s ultimately a book about overcoming grief. And there is some good humor. I just didn’t have it on my bingo card that I would read two books where women would get drunk and use Jewish magic to create a golem but happily, here we are. Overall, I Made it Out of Clay is an uneven tale with heart and humor.

I recently returned from Prague , where the legend of the golem originated. I was pleasantly surprised by this story, as it was not a lighthearted romance, but a serious look at the many challenges facing Eve, a 40 year old Chicago woman, single and Jewish. Eve is trying to cope with the loss of her beloved father, her upcoming 40th birthday, the marriage of her younger sister, but also the rise of antisemitism, impacting her daily life. Memories of her Bubbe, the grandmother who survived the Holocaust, included stories of wishing for a golem to protect her family. There is some magical realism involved, but the story is so much more. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An unusual rom-com, darkly humorous and entertaining. I enjoyed it as it's compelling and made me laugh.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was funny, absurd, and ultimately kind of sadly relatable. It's an emotional roller coaster of a book. I liked all the characters in this one, even when their decisions frustrated me. I read the book during the holiday season and it works as a decent holiday read, even though it's more of a story that takes place during the holidays.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

I saw this book being talked about on Jewish bookstagram prior to the pub day so I was intrigued to request an ARC. I have no regrets because I really enjoyed it a lot! I found myself chuckling at some parts. I was glued from the beginning to the end as we follow Eve’s life. Eve is recently single and turning 40. She was dreading to go to a family wedding without a plus-one so she created a golem. It’s a good mix of fantasy and romance! The book flowed really well and the author did a good job of building the tension. I would highly recommend this read! Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Important. I didn’t realize how important this book was until almost the end, but it’s very important. It’s Chicago-based; I’m a little biased as I live there and love seeing it in the spotlight! I resonated with the main character, Eve, even though I’m not Jewish. However, it’s very necessary to get progressively frustrated with the narrator and to want to jump into the pages and give her a good shake. The tension this book builds, done so well. Keep your imagination wide open and hold space for the supernatural, and you’ll definitely appreciate this. In regard to the book structure, I like how the story is told on a daily basis with multiple chapters within each day, leading up to an eventful weekend. Such a clever way to tell this story. The writing is smooth and easy to absorb. I highly recommend this!