I don't know why this would be compared to Eleanor Oliphant- totally different vibe among other things- but it's a intriguing look at a woman who leaves her Orthodox Jewish community when she falls in love with a secular man. It's a different world. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The storyline was interesting, but something was missing. I tried several times to get into this book; unfortunately, the writing style did not resonate with me.

I really, really wanted to enjoy The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom, but sadly this story just wasn't for me. I didn't feel like any of the characters were completely whole and there was a lot of back and forth that complicated the overall storyline and made it not as enjoyable as it could have been.

Tried and tried but just couldn’t fall in love with this.... I realize I’m probably in the majority here but couldn’t find enough redeeming qualities to this tale to complete it. May try again soon but for now, I’ll say, “No thank you - I’ll not have one now”.
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

I really enjoyed this book and thought that it was well-written. My interest was kept throughout the entire novel and I am thankful for the opportunity to read the book. I look forward to reading more books by Beth Miller.

The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom by Beth Miller is a really uplifting and funny story about being true to yourself.

Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

This book was provided as a digital ARC through NetGalley in return for a fair and honest review,

This book was a delight from beginning to end. Aliza/Eliza has grown up in the world of Orthodox Jewish practices and is arranged to marry a man chosen and approved by her family. It is, by all apparent means, a good match. However, just as she is to marry this man, she meets someone. Capital S Someone. Someone who shows her that life is not always carefully planned and executed. She finds a new world waiting outside her faith and takes the leap, leaving her intended groom "at the altar".

This book was so beautifully executed that the reader could feel for each character and root for each one by turns, all the while knowing that there is no one-hundred percent happy ending for all. I loved this book and will certainly pick it up and read it again!

A beautifully written book a book about religion love family.A moving book about how love can change your life and how secrets can be exposed.Highly recommend.#netgalley#bookoutture

This was a great love story, along with a musing on friendship, family, religion and duty. At times I got a little annoyed with the main character, but I actually think that was because she was so well-written that she felt like a real person you could shake by the shoulders when she was being annoying! A great book, perfect for fans of character driven family drama.

This is a story of marriage that tries to straddle two faiths. Eliza flees from an arranged marriage with Alex and has to accept the fact that he life with family is about over. Her daughter is fascinated with the story of how her parents eloped and married until one evening she finds a shoe box in her mother's closet. Now she is mad and upset with Eliza like a normal 14 year old. This is a sweet story but I couldn't get really into the religious aspect. Eliza seems to want whatever she couldn't have. I received a copy of his ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Echoing another reviewer when I say that I would NEVER have picked up this book if the cover had changed to its current one (guilty for judging a book by its cover). I wish I could say that I was pleasantly surprised, but I wasn't.

While I can appreciate the introspection into Aliza/Eliza's falling out from her orthodox Jewish upbringing while experiencing the secular world for the first time, I just couldn't get into it. I really disliked Alex as well as he was overbearing and ignorant of his new wife's reluctance to try new things. I also vehemently disagree with this book being even close to Eleanor Oliphant or The Keeper of Lost Things - I'm not at all sure where the comparison to these books came from. I wish I could pull something good into this review but I felt overall that the story fell flat and I couldn't decide if it was a character study or just plain boring.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

This was a really great read. It was heartfelt, sensitive and, at times, laugh-out-loud funny.

I really enjoyed it. I quickly found myself lost in the world of Eliza and non-Jewish Alex and I wanted to keep learning about their lives. Eliza was the perfect main character - very likeable but so frustrating, in equal measures. She was extremely hard to understand some of the time, but it’s easy to make unwise choices when life is confusing and messy.

This book was so good that I will be adding Beth Miller to my list of newly discovered authors, for sure!

Told in a pleasant and conversational style, “The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom” was such a worthwhile read and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author, Beth Miller for my complimentary copy of The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom. My honest review is entirely voluntary.

The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom was ....interesting. It kept my interest and I couldn't decide how I felt about it most of the way through! Its an easy and quick read and will leave you wondering "hm?".

Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing an electronic copy for review. This novel centers on Eliza Bloom, who rejects her orthodox Jewish roots and family for love, but then finds herself torn between the excitement of her new life and the comfort of life she was familiar with. Several twists and turns, narration goes from past to present, but ultimately it is a novel about friendship, family, and love. I enjoyed this quick read.

I thought this story was a hot mess from start to finish. As a Jewish woman raised in an Orthodox home and community this book was offensive. Aliza’s upbringing does not reflect anything near to the way the majority of Orthodox families I know conduct themselves or live. I think this book represents a false picture for those who are not familiar with Judaism and the traditions and culture. I will not be posting any reviews.

No stars!!!!!

Utterly gorgeous. I'm not going to tell you how many train stops I nearly missed because I was too busy reading to notice where I'd got to. Let's just say work was lucky to get me that week! Convincing, fascinating and an absolute delight.

While it felt like a long read, it is still a book I’d recommend so that younger people I teach can see a living religion in a contemporary and ethically rich environment.

Eliza Bloom grew up an an Orthodox Jew, which means eating only kosher foods, an arranged marriage before the age of 25, no touching of the opposite sex, and certainly no sneaking around with a boy ... especially one other than your fiancée. But this is just the scandal Eliza finds herself entangled in within the pages of The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom by Beth Miller.

Admittedly, I am a reader who judges a book by its cover, and that’s why I picked up an ARC of The Two Hearts of Eliza Bloom. The cover of the ARC was bold, cute, and quirky - so unlike the cover featuring the girl holding the umbrella, which is on Goodreads. The ARC communicated that this book would be a fun contemporary romance, but the new cover probably proves to be more accurate. I didn’t enjoy this book. It was rather boring and dragged out a very simple plot over far too many pages. I couldn’t wait for this novel to be over, and it just felt like it was never going to end.

I didn’t realize this was a Jewish novel, or else I probably would not have picked it up. There is much information on Orthodox Judaism covered in this novel, and while this may have been one of the more interesting aspects of the book, it was completely foreign and unrelatable if you are not Jewish.

The characters were self-absorbed and unlikeable. I didn’t care one iota for them or their story, and quite frankly, found the large cast of characters to be unremarkable, and therefore confusing to keep straight.

So what kept me reading? The summary promised a big reveal, a secret scandal, but this too was a letdown. There’s nothing special about Eliza’s story or what she’s been through. Even worse, she was a silly, frivolous character who I just never connected with.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

What an interesting,insightful.read. I knew little about the Orthodox Jewish lifestyle so I felt I learnt a lot.