A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I haven't even finished the book yet, but I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS BOOK!!! Last night while reading the Sixth Heartbreak (which BTW Jean....I'm not even a mom and I was almost crying!!!!) I was wanting to laugh out loud at Jared Sparks' antics. There are so many emotions that I feel while reading this. I've been having a hard time with the relationship that I'm in right now, and there's been a lot of great advice hidden between the lines (and also right in front of my face).

Jean, thank you so much for writing such a beautiful book. I think this is one of the first books that I've read of yours, even though I swear that I have a few of your previous books on my Kindle. I truly appreciate that you have brought more information forward about autoimmune disorders and chronic migraines! I was in complete agreement with Evelyn's struggle of making sure that she had enough of the "attack" medication on hand.

I also want to thank your publisher for allowing me the opportunity to ARC read this amazing book! Can I give you more than 5 stars?!

I love all of Jean Meltzer books so I was so happy to receive this book. I love the Jewish representation and the humor she brings in each story. This might be my favorite as the characters felt very real to me with divorce and second chance romance. There is a bit of some heavier topics but that just makes it some much more relatable. This a a perfect holiday book or really any time book for when you want to feel joy.

Jean Meltzer always comes through with the representation! I love how comedy & Jewish identity are always interwoven in her books. I loved David and Evelyn from the moment we met them.

This was absolutely beautifully written - and even though it has a mostly happy ending - it absolutely shattered my heart.

Whilst our situation was a little different, the major trauma that happens in the book had some similarities to a past trauma of our own. Doing my best to not give spoilers here in relation to how the trauma occurred - but it is mentioned as a trigger warning right at the beginning of the book. Whilst we were so blessed that our story surprisingly had a happy ending in our similar trauma, this book gave me so much extra compassion for those who have experienced this, and my heart breaks for them. 🥺😔💔

I adored Evelyn and David, and found them both relatable and loveable for all of their flaws. I loved the Christmas Carol Jewish retelling. In doing my ancestry not that long ago it came up for me that my Great paternal paternal Grandmother was most likely Jewish, it helped to connect me with that likely lost part of my ancestry and gave me a newfound respect and love for traditions I didn’t otherwise know about.

I also liked that trauma and chronic illness were a part of the storyline. My family has dealt with, and continues to deal with and heal from both, so it was nice to feel a little less alone, even if through a fictional character.

Jared’s banter was hilarious, and added an air of lightheartedness to the book as it dealt with some extremely heavy topics.

However, those topics were handled with immense sensitivity, care, love, respect, and kindness, both for Jean (the author’s) own familial experience with that trauma as mentioned in the author’s note, and those others for whom this is a reality.

Whilst raised a Christian, I am quite Spiritual and open to healthy religious beliefs of all kinds, I also liked the spirituality storyline in regards to Jared, even if he was the butt of a lot of jokes and wasn’t always taken seriously.

As someone taking a permaculture diploma who loves animals, I adored the elements that David’s farm added to the storyline.

As a Priest’s daughter, whilst I’m quite open minded, I liked that sex scenes weren’t a major element to the plot, and that it instead focused on Evelyn and David’s healing.

Whilst you’ll definitely need tissues, if you love books that break your heart to put it back together in the best of ways, this is your book.

Thank you NetGalley and Jean Meltzer for the ARC. It was an absolute pleasure to read it. 🥰❤️🫶🏻 5✨

A Jewish take on A Christmas Carol, this book highlights what is frequently missed in the classic tale. Set against the backdrop of people who are hurting from one of the worst experiences life has to offer, this book does an excellent job of revisiting the theme with characters who are more realistic than most. Well worth the read!

Such a fun book to read! It’s a breath of fresh air to read a book tied into Jewish holidays and traditions instead of the thousands of Christmas themed stories that are out there. I had warm fuzzies reading this book and couldn’t wait to finish it.

The story was very cute, even if it was a little cheesy. Regardless of the cheese factor, I smiled, laughed, and cried during this book. I loved that the author tied in real life experiences and turned it into something anyone would enjoy reading.

I have such mixed feelings on this book.

I love that there are warm Jewish romance plots - giving space for us to be us, outside of our tragedies. Just showing Jewish people living their lives.

I love that Jean Metzer isn’t afraid to get real. I ended up crying on the train, in public, but I couldn’t stop reading because I needed to work through it.

On the flip side, I feel like each book Meltzer writes gets more ridiculous than the last. We’re at a point where it’s getting hard to take the books seriously.

I think Perfect on Paper was the best book Meltzer’s written. This one pushed the humour over the fence into nonsense for me.

Thanks NetGalley for an arc. I really enjoyed this book. I’ve read other books in the series and they’re all well written and the main characters are well developed. In this story, the main character is a tv producer who runs into her ex husband on set. The history between the two and the ensuing chaos make for a light read.

Love, love, love this novel by Jean Meltzer! Tv producer Evelyn is preparing for a live action production of A Christmas Carol when her ex-husband, David, appears in the studio as the station doctor. When she ends up in his medical bay after a run in with a piano, she insists she’s fine, other than her migraine. But then she’s visited by the eight heartbreaks of Hanukkah where she’s forced to reconsider what she wants in life. With Meltzer’s signature themes of chronic illness coupled with pregnancy loss, this book had me feeling all the feels. Beautifully written!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m not normally a huge lover of A Christmas Carol rewrites, it is just not a story I love. But this added a fun twist with Hanukkah, I really loved the two main characters. I also thought the main message was an important one and I appreciate the author telling that story. 3.5 stars rounded up.

The Jewish response to 'A Christmas Carol,' Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah follows Evelyn as she lives out her own version of the show she is producing. A second-chance romance, this book tackles several really heavy issues in small doses. Anyone easily triggered by illness, miscarriage, divorce, or other 'real life' issues should be forewarned, but it's done in a very healing way that ultimately helps to heal not only Evelyn but also the people around her. This isn't just a holiday read...it's perfect for any time of the year!

I really enjoyed this book. It was emotional, romantic, and funny. I'm not even Jewish and I have to say I love reading books by this author. I had tears in my eyes. I look forward to reading the next one. I'm grateful that netgalley and the publishers let me read this in exchange for an honest review.

Another stellar romance from the amazing Jean Meltzer! Evelyn is not only executive producing a live TV production of A Christmas Carol, she is currently living a version of it, as she is sent to revisit a different scene from her past on each of the nights of Hanukkah. The consummate workaholic, she does not want to let anything get in her way. Not the ghostly visits, not the non-stop migraines, and certainly not having to work with her ex-husband who she hasn't spoken to in two years. This is a very sweet second chance romance filled with laughter and tears. I loved all of the cameos from Meltzer's previous books as well! Please heed the content warnings, as pregnancy loss plays a large part. Highly recommended for Hanukkah and all year round!