An Unorthodox Match By Naomi Ragen

An interesting story involving a Jewish girl from New York who falls in love with an Orthodox Jewish widower’s struggling family as she volunteers to help them out in a rough patch. It is her mitzvah.

Lola,now Leah, a new Orthodox convert, comes from a quasi Jewish family herself and has found solace in the orthodoxy of her faith. She likes the clear cut rules and boundaries set within. Leah also wishes to find a mate to leave her former unfulfilling life behind.

There is much for the reader to discover here about Orthodox Judaism and its tenets, customs, holidays, ups and downs. There is plenty of Hebrew and Yiddish to be learned in this book. Leah loves Yaakov’s children and the Orthodox life more and more everyday.

This well written and informational tale will widen your scope about the life of Orthodox Jews. You will feel for the family and Leah as their conflicts turn into triumphs and Leah prays to find the love she was hoping for in this tight knit community.
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Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Jordan Hanley who invited me to check out a digital galley via Netgalley. All opinion expressed are my own.

Prior to reading, I had absolutely no experience with Naomi Ragen's novels. However, after reading An Unorthodox Match, I find myself willing to seek out her other books. I felt that the exploration of different faiths, love, happiness, and acceptance weaved together to make a compelling story. From my personal reading experience, it was the ups and downs of the parental and child relationships certainly carried the novel and kept me reading.


Goodreads Review 26/03/19
Publication Date: 24/09/19

I had never heard of this author before and didn’t quite know what to expect. I was so pleasantly surprised by this novel of faith, love, and acceptance. While Leah and Yaakov were wonderful characters, to me the minor characters were where the writer’s talent shone. I love how thoughtfully written this was, and I learned so much about Orthodox Jewish faith and culture. At times humorous, compelling throughout, and often encouraging of my own reflection, this was a five star read for me!

Thank you Netgalley for a complimentary advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

I loved the setting, but the characters were too cliched for me to be able to enjoy this book. I wish it had been more subtle.

Yaakov is a father, a widower and a Talmudic scholar. As a widower with his wife now gone for a year, he alone is responsible for his five children. He alone has a home to put in order, children to raise and overwhelming challenges, both financial and spiritual. How will he go forward, how will he provide for his family?

Lola/Leah is a secular Jew who at the age of 34 is disappointed with her life and is now gravitating towards a more spiritual life, turning to the Orthodox community in Brooklyn. She is now converting to become an Orthodox Jew, which is no easy feat. Will the religious community accept her, will she fit in and accept their reality which is so different from her own background? Added to all of this, is her mother who is pulling her in the opposite direction, not accepting her daughter's decision to "convert" calling her a "born-again Jew." Yet, Leah's spirituality far exceeds her mother's expectations of her
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This book was an amazing read, in that I learned so much more about my own religion. While I am a "secular" Jew, there is a great difference between how I look at Judaism as opposed to how the Orthodox view it. Reading the novel, it does provide "food for thought" (kosher no doubt). How they resolve their different points of view and blend with each other has made this a beautiful story.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lola born a Jew, but is not and has never been a practicing one. As she become more spiritual she wants to be known as Leah and eventually hopes to be accepted by a orthodox congregation in New York, far from the hustle and bustle of California where she was raised. She wants a family - to be a wife and have children. Even though her mother is completely against her, Leah continues her journey to happiness. The book provides a window into the Orthodox way of life, the language, the customs are all there. They add very nicely to the story. For non-Yiddish speaking people there is a very nice glossary at the back - thank goodness. This book would be a wonderful addition to any library.

I do not give five stars easily but “An Unorthodox Match” earns each of those five stars! At its simplest, it is the story of Leah a women recently converting to Orthodox Judaism, and Yaakov, a Talmud Scholar, and recent widow. The book explores the challenges they face in searching for a meaningful relationship while honoring the tenants of their faith. The book takes nothing for granted, however, and there is not simply one right answer on how to live. The grace of this book is that it takes the assumptions we make not only about our own religion but others’ religion and holds them up to examination and light. As the characters struggle to be true to their faith in a rich and meaningful way we are taken on a journey that allows the reader to explore their own spiritual choices. And while the focus is Judaism, the book touches Catholicism, Buddhism, and Sikhism as well. Reading “An Unorthodox Match”, left me feeling like I had just taken a wondrous adventure to a foreign country! And like all foreign travel, it expanded my knowledge and challenged my own beliefs. I thoroughly recommend this book! It was the first time I have read Naomi Ragen, but it certainly will not be the last! I was honored to receive a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

At first, I thought this book was going to show, how the secular world is bad, and Jewish Orthodox is good. However, it turned out to be a very honest insight into both worlds. There is a lot of soul searching, looking for what matters, finding an anchor, dealing with loss, and loneliness. The author is not hiding any flaws of the religious community, she is exposing the hypocrisy, but in a kind and humorous way. The story is not heavy on tradition or kosher laws, but rather on human heart, and doing what is right.

The characters are well developed, we get to know everyone, and can sympathize. The cover of the book does not do it justice. Leah is a lot more modest than the pictures shows. Also she has a small tattoo on her wrist, and not a huge one on her back. There is neither huge contrast between them, nor scandal. Both Yaakov and Leah are very proper characters.

I really enjoyed diving into the Orthodox world of New York, which felt like a completely different place and time, and getting to know these characters. The author does a great job with backstory and character development, making you feel as though you're voyeuristically observing them, and also really takes care to add lots of little details and Yiddish to educate the reader (who may not be familiar with the subject) about Judaism and orthodoxy. There were parts that moved a little slow for my tastes, but the last 10% of the book made up for it, with some surprise twists and a sweet ending.

This special book will stir all your emotions - it is a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. The author has managed to shine a light on a community that seems to be so different but learning about this community shows us that we are all alike, that we all have similar thoughts, feeling and emotions. This book and these characters will stay with you long after you have finished the last page.