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!