"An Observant Wife" is a rich, compassionate, and thought-provoking read. While it may occasionally falter in its execution, it offers valuable insights into the lives of those navigating the complexities of faith, community, and personal desires. If you enjoyed "An Unorthodox Match" or are interested in stories about the intersection of modern life and religious tradition, this book is worth picking up.

Last year I had enjoyed An Unorthodox Match, so I was interested in checking out the sequel, An Observant Wife. This story picks up where the first one left off, but it can be read as a standalone as there is a lot of information to fill in the blanks. It was an interesting read that also gave off the feeling of watching Shtisel, which I still miss. It also felt like an Orthodox soap opera at times.

I enjoyed catching up with the Lehman family and felt so bad about what they were going through due to a really unpleasant situation (trigger warnings listed at the bottom of this review). I wanted them to have a win after everything that was happening to them. The situation is similar to stuff that is actually happening and it's terrifying how far people will go to cover up such horrible behavior.

A lot of what Leah was feeling in this book was so relatable, as a ba'al teshuva ("a Jew from a non-Orthodox background who becomes religiously observant in an Orthodox fashion"-Wikipedia). I definitely felt sympathetic toward her. I also loved her relationship with her step-children.

I don't know that there will be a third book, but I would definitely read it if Naomi decided to continue the Lehman family's story. By projecting the epilogue forward a few years, it leaves lots of room for them to have more experiences.

I have a hard time casting books like this as I want to keep it as authentic to the faith as possible. If Amy Adams were Jewish, she'd be so great as Leah. I sometimes picture Michael Aloni as Yaakov, only because of how this book feels so much like Shtisel.

Trigger warnings below.
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TW: grooming, molestation, intense bullying

Leah has married Yaakov who is an orthodox widower. She is soon aware of the strict religious followings that govern even their private lives. Leah is used to being more free spirited. They are soon tested further by circumstances involving Yaakov’s teenage as they are navigating all of the changes to become a family.

Well I wasn't expecting a sequel or maybe I just forgot, At any rate, this was a good read for anyone who read the Unorthodox Match, because yes, this is a direct sequel to the story, probably taking place within a couple of months later so I wouldn't recommend this book as a stand alone read because I assure you, you will be confused even though there is a bit of reference to the prior book.

This book is a pretty good read for anyone interested in learning about life in the deeply Orthodox communities of this country and across the world, I would caution any reader to take this book at the face value of being fiction. It is a rather dramatic telling of the story of the specific family and their experiences, and some aspects of the book, especially the ending with its neatly wrapped and mainly positive resolution felt unrealistic I didn't appreciate the frequency with which the author kept referring to the adult female character in her thirties as the "young wife" of a man barely in his forties, or her overemphasis of mentions of slim bodies of young women as if it was some kind of ultimate female Godly goal, But still there were enough parts of the book to enjoy.

Follow this fantastic story of three sisters that are to be together at all times,a promise they have made to their father and to each other.. true events this story is based on from this family..just a warm, emotional loving story of what happens in war and when your in a camp that wants to break you and your spirit but no matter what this almost happened but with the three of them and help from others this didn't happen!! Follow these extronally girls as they face the evil that lives all around them up until the time it's destroyed!! You feel like you are in this story with this family..it's such a must read!!...Received from Net Gallery..if you didn't read the first book,it's I'm ,it catches you up but if you do get the chance read the first book,wish I had of done it..

An interesting read that taught me a lot about the Jewish religion that I didn't know. I will warn you that this is not actually a new book - it is a release under a new title by the same author - so if you think you read it before you may have.

I thought Naomi Ragen's An Observant Wife was a pretty good read. I am giving it four and a half stars.

About exactly two years ago, I read and thoroughly enjoyed Ragen's AN UNORTHODOX MATCH. My only real disappointment with it then was that the epilogue wasn't set further into the future - I wasn't ready for Leah's story to end. And I am so glad that Ragen obviously felt the same way! This book picks up right where that one left off - opening with Leah and Yaakov's wedding. Though Leah's match is ultimately accepted by their Boro Park community, her actions still cause tongues to wag. The book covers their relationship and Leah's continued challenges as an outsider to their community. While Shaindel continues to grow and discover more about herself.

The pacing moves a bit slower than the first one, but it's still a compelling read as all of the characters grow and develop. They all come fully to life - and again, Leah's status as a converted member seamless allows more explanation and detail into the narrative without it feeling like a clunky info-dump. Ragen's writing is smooth and if a book club read the first one together, I am sure that they wouldn't want this this follow-up. It's a satisfying continuation for the whole family and shows a different side of the Orthodox community that isn't one I have previously stumbled across in fiction. The glossary included at the end is a nice touch, though I wish that there was a mention of its presence in the beginning - particularly for those reading on an electronic device.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
One of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year was the sequel to one of my favourite reads An Unorthodox Match. Beginning at the wedding of Leah and Yaakov and following them through the first years of their marriage, the two will have to learn to compromise with one another while also dealing with the always watchful eyes of the community.

Naomi Ragen made my day, my week, and even my year by writing this sequel. I loved the chapters that alternated between Yaakov, Leah, and oldest daughter Shaindele. So many challenges and I enjoyed how the author just kept baiting us with little hints of what was to come. I was so satisfied with how this ended. However, I wouldn't be opposed to a trilogy( LOL).


Publication Date 14/09/21
Goodreads review 18/10/21

I received a copy of The Observant Wife from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. I’ve read a few of Naomi Ragen’s books and found them interesting as they delve into the Jewish ultra orthodox world.

The Observant Wife is a sequel to The Unorthodox Match. Since I never read the book or even realized there was a book that told the story of Leah’s and Yaakov’s match. I think I would’ve appreciated this book if I knew the backstory of the family.

I liked this book but found it drawn out and predictable. The story is a set up for #3 of this series.

If this book, or its prequel, has caught your eye and you've passed it by because you're just not into religion, think again. An Unorthodox Match (the predecessor) and An Observant Wife are among the best examples of straightforward culture clash I've ever found in fiction.

You have the viewpoint of Leah, who grew up as Nola in a most secular California, but who sought insight into her vaguely Jewish background. Now she's married, to an ultra-conservative Torah scholar, and living in a closed community which isn't entirely welcoming to her.

It's a universal setup: think of immigrants who draw hostility and derision through their innocent ignorance of established custom.

I was a bit put off by the sheer number of untranslated Yiddish phrases studded throughout the text, until I discovered the glossary in the back of the book. Otherwise, the warmth and wisdom of this family and its disparate members were all-encompassing.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advance readers copy.

Thank you Naomi Ragen for writing An Observant Wife. This story follows her previous book, An Unorthodox Match. It was enjoyable to read about Leah and Yaakov's new life together. I recommend this novel.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I've read every single one of Naomi Ragen's work, and this one was pretty good. I really liked that she did a sequel here with this story, it needed this. However, despite already knowing the characters it took a while to get into the real story - I didn't find the adjustments to marriage and all that means within the religious Jewish community super compelling. I am fairly familiar with what that means, being Jewish myself and have close friends who are Orthodox which certainly helped me with this book considering the amount of Yiddish and Hebrew words scattered throughout (the print copy has a guide to them in the back). Once it got to the tough stuff that is dealt with in the later part of the book, it got much better and I flew through the pages. The character development overall was pretty good, and I really liked the ending. Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the advanced e-copy.

in An Unorthodox Match, we were introduced to Leah, a 30-something woman who turns to ultra-Orthodox Judaism after leading a mostly secular life, desperate for meaning and true connection to something greater than herself. As she enters the religious community of Boro Park in Brooklyn, she comes to care for a widowed man named Yaakov and his motherless children.

Here, in An Observant Wife, we follow Leah and Yaakov as the story continues with their wedding and early marriage. Leah has found true love with a good and kind man who loves her back, and she’s found fulfillment by becoming a mother to his young children, whom she loves unreservedly. She’s also made piece with his 17-year-old daugher Shaindele, who in the first book was set on sabotaging the relationship, but has now come to accept and even appreciate Leah’s innate goodness and the joy she’s brought back to their little family.

While Leah is committed to her family and to the complicated rules of behavior that come with with life in the religious community, the community does not truly accept her. Seemingly innocent moments get blown out of proportion and become the fodder for increasingly hostile gossip. When Shaindele is unwise and gets involved in a secret relationship with the black sheep son of a powerful family, the scandal can only be contained by agreeing to a harsh set of decrees from her school principle, but these in turn put Shaindele at risk. And when Leah and Yaakov take a stand to protect her, their entire way of life, as well as their family’s safety, is on the line.

Without going into detail, I will say that once again the author delivers an insider’s look into a world that feels like a completely alien culture. Even as someone raised in an observant Jewish household, I find this setting among the ultra-Orthodox startling and eye-opening. The rules governing every single moment of one’s life seem oppressive and often degrading to me, yet the author does an effective job of conveying how the people within the community find meaning and reinforcement of their faith by virtue of these guidelines for how to live a proper life.

The book perhaps spends too much time on introspection, as we follow the thoughts and feelings of not just Leah, but also Yaakov, Shaindele, and the family’s grandmother, Fruma Esther. It’s interesting to see how they deal with their lives and their religious obligations, but the plot can bog down when there are pages of contemplation and inner turmoil.

The plot takes some dramatic turns, and by the end, I was very invested in the characters’ well-being and their relationships. I did feel that the wrap-up was a little too neat and ideal, but the path to get there was certainly worthwhile.

Overall, An Observant Wife is a fascinating look into a world that can feel like a throwback to an earlier century for a 21st century reader, yet it’s set very much in the contemporary world of the ultra-Orthodox. I really came to care for the characters and could appreciate their devotion to their way of life, even while knowing that the religious elements that would absolute send me running in the other direction if they ever applied to my own life.

This book and An Unorthodox Match are both worth reading — the unusual setting and the memorable characters bring this world and its people to life.

Leah Lehman was certain she was making the right decision when she married Yaakov, a widower with five children, but the laws that the observant Jews of Boro Park followed were often unclear, with Leah making many unintentional errors that affected the entire family. Seventeen-year-old Shaindele, afraid she could one day be suicidal, like her mother Zissele, rebels by secretly meeting a boy, who had been expelled from his school and was working at the local pizza parlor. His bad boy ways both fascinated and frightened Shaindele, and the fact that he was also the principal’s wayward son made their meeting even more forbidden. Coupled with the fallout from Leah’s errors, the family soon finds itself under attack, with no definite idea from where the directive was issued.

An Observant Wife is a sequel, and it would have been helpful to have read the first book. I had no background on Leah, formerly Lola, except that she was a fairly recent convert to Judaism, and I knew nothing about Yaakov’s two older boys, except that they were in school in Baltimore. I applauded Shaindele’s courage, and appreciated Leah’s devotion in standing behind her stepdaughter, but I felt as though I had entered into the middle of these people’s lives, knowing nothing about them or about their culture. There are many words and phrases in Yiddish that I did not know and could only guess at, which was difficult, and having a glossary at the end is not as helpful on a Kindle as it might be with a physical book. This was an interesting look into a world I knew nothing about, but I found it somewhat difficult to stay engaged.

Learning more about the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community has always been fascinating, and Naomi Ragen does a beautiful job of explaining everything. I was drawn in right away, and the story kept taking enough different turns to keep me intrigued.

I read this without having read the an Unorthodox Match. Though on some level it would have been good to read before I was able easily to read this as a stand alone book. Yaakov and Leah are trying to live their lives together while navigating life in their restrictive community, For Yaakov, it is what he knows. For Leah nee Lola, every day brings new challenges as she continues to adapt to the untraorthodox world that is so very different than the world she grew up in. No matter your community, life happens and we must deal with those realities. It is hard enough and then add in all of the restrictions put upon you by others (everyone), not feeling welcome and knowing that each and every person around you is taking notes and waiting for you to fail, accusing you of terrible things, questioning your very existence, balancing life as a woman, wife, mother all while feeling like there is a target on your back. Oh and teenagers and their angst only serve to make you question every single decision you’ve made up to now. It’s an interesting look (some reality based some fictionalized) and trying to keep it all together while stating true to who you are.

An Observant Wife did not hold up to my expectations following Naomi Ragen’s An Unorthodox Match. I felt that there was too much repetition when the characters were pondering situations and decisions, Other than that it was an interesting read.

Belonging to a Strict Community

Leah and Yaakov are marrying in the orthodox Jewish community of Boro Park, a borough of Brooklyn. It’s a beautiful start for the novel celebrating the love between these two and the joy of being surrounded by friends and family. This book is the sequel to An Unorthodox Match where Leah, a California girl looking to immerse herself in her spirituality, meets Yaakov, a widower with five children.

Now that the couple is married the test of living in a strict religious community confronts them. Yaakov must leave his beloved Yeshiva and go to work as an accountant. Leah works from home and cares for the two youngest children and their seventeen-year-old daughter, Shaindele. Much as she wants to be part of the community, Leah is finding the restrictions difficult. The adjustment of the young couple is not helped when Shairdele, exploring boundaries, starts an inappropriate relationship.

This story is a beautiful love story, but it is also about becoming part of a constrictive community. The author doesn’t sugar coat the problems of people who have embraced the constraints of the community and resent outsiders. They are often not welcoming and are looking for things to criticize about someone like Leah who they consider an outsider.

Although the book is about an orthodox Jewish community many other restrictive religious communities share the same problems and attract the same type of people The author pulls you into the community so that you can feel the joys and problems faced by Leah and Yaakov. I recommend this book. It’s worth reading whether you are Jewish or not. However, I think it would be helpful to read the previous book first because it contains important parts of the backstory.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

An Observant Wife by Naomi Ragen

I enjoyed this follow up to An Unorthodox Match. This story picks up with Leah’s marriage to Yaakov and all the adjustments therein. Jewish orthodoxy has many rules newly converted Leah has to follow.

For most of the story, Ragen fluidly describes the loneliness and joy Leah feels, the daily routines of this new life and problems to solve. Leah and Yaakov are in love, so will this conquer all?

The story gets bogged down in the last third, however, with a major social breech which threatens the entire family. I could see where the storyline was going, but it slowed down the pace considerably at this point.

This is a very worthy read even without having read the first novel. I wish I had paid more attention that there was a glossary at the end of the book for all the Hebrew words I pretended to know in my head. I was close…sometimes.

My gratitude to #StMartinsPress and #NetGalley.