I thought this was a great book to read over the holidays. I liked both characters and I liked that the book focused on a holiday besides Christmas, it there were some things about both main that just annoyed me.

Great book. I enjoyed reading a Jewish (Christmas) romance. I felt that it had great representation for a character with chronic illness. It had its funny moments and some cring-worthy ones as well but overall I enjoyed the read!

Oh man, this story. Where do I even begin? It was a cute holiday romance. I did love all the Jewish and Hanukkah references, the food descriptions were so well done, and there were a few things I learned about the Jewish culture that I never knew. Though I'm usually not one for a romance book with zero smut. Anyway, I digress, I will say, there were a few things about this book that bothered me, which is why it only got a 2.5 rounded down to 2 since half stars don't exist on NetGalley and I believe the things that bothered me about this novel deserve the three star deduction.

First: “Rachel wanted to tell people the truth about what she did for a living, but coming out wasn’t that easy. She couldn’t just stand up on the bima, like Mickey had done at his bar mitzvah all those years prior, and tell everyone the truth.“ --- In case you’re a little lost, though this does happen in the very first chapter, the main character is comparing her telling people she writes Christmas themed romance novels to her friend coming out as gay. I was honestly so taken aback by this comparison that I really had to push myself to continue. As a bisexual, the fact that coming out was compared to basically telling people Christmas is your favourite, really hurt. Coming out isn't easy. For some, its traumatically life changing - for the author to compare it to something so trivial, made me feel shame for Meltzer.

Second: The MC joked about being a part of IOF and killing Palestinians and it was supposed to be flirty banter. Nothing about IOF killing Palestinians is funny. The author deserves to take a good long look in the mirror and think before using genocide as "witty, flirtatious banter" SMH.

Those were my two biggest concerns, and why this book won't get recommended by me, or even purchased and added to my shelf. I refuse to support an author who can easily and without hesitation write these things.

Great choice for winter reading programs seeking titles that celebrate holidays other than Christmas, and for characters experiencing and successfully coping with chronic illness. It was a fun read that also explored serious themes in an approachable way.

Really enjoyed this book! Such a fun read with great character development! Such a fun one and great to grab!

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There are very few books that have Jewish/Hanukkah representation during the Christmas season.

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.

But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.

I liked that this book was the different norm than just a Xmas story. There is also disability rep with the main character. She has Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. What I didn't like about this story is the grudge that Rachel and Jacob had for many years. Almost 18 years! This made it seem like their interactions were a little childish. Also I didn't like that the main character was obsessed with Christmas. It would have been nice to read a nice Hanukkah story that is normally not seen in mainstream.

Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt, is a single rabbi’s daughter who secretly loves Christmas and writes bestselling Christmas holiday novels under a pseudonym so that no one in her family/circle of friends can judge her. Rachel also suffers from a chronic disease: myalgic encephalomyelitis ( chronic fatigue syndrome) which affects her entire body, there are days when she can't even get out of bed....it's a real disease that most people seem to trivialize because it's "invisible" so she tends to keep her diagnosis hidden. When her publisher informs her that they are only interested in receiving a Jewish holiday novel, Rachel quickly finds inspiration in an upcoming Matzah Ball music celebration being thrown by Jacob Greenberg. She and Jacob had "a thing" one summer at camp when they were 12, it ended badly, and they've both held onto grudges. When Rachel learns the Matzah Ball is sold out, Jacob agrees to give her a reserved ticket as long as she volunteers for the week long set up.....oh and what a long week it turns out to be.

I am a fan of holiday romance books no matter what time of the year and for the most part The Matzah Ball was a cute one, very reminiscent of a Hallmark movie. I appreciated that it was something different and all of the representation it included, from the Jewish references to the Hanukkah holiday itself and the MC living with a chronic/invisible illness. (The author notes that she suffers from the same diagnosis as Rachel does in the book). Here's to hoping that there are more Jewish/Hanukkah rom-coms published in the future. Enemies to lovers is my favorite romance trope but the fact that what made them enemies was something that happened when they were 12....coupled with the constant miscommunications/misunderstandings made the romance angle miss the mark for me personally.

I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. True Rating: 3.5 stars

I love reading different holiday-themed romance books. We need more representation in the romance book community. Let's have it all.
I was beyond excited to read about a Hanukkah theme romance story. I am more than willing to read about different representations in the book community. All are welcome in my world.
Did I totally fall in love with this book? Sadly, no. But did I enjoy reading this book? Definitely, yes. The only problem I had with the book was the characters' chemistry. I just don't feel the chemistry. I need some attraction or sparks between them. It was just a bit too forced that I could not get over it. But I truly enjoyed the female character embracing her culture after many years. It's always hard at first, but then, as time goes on, you get there.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of The Matzah Ball!

I thought the idea of this book was cute, and I was interested to see what the author did with the Christmas romance trope in order to make it Jewish instead. Unfortunately, I felt that the characters were all playing out old stereotypes, and the storyline wasn't really that engaging. It was a cute romance, but it lacked the depth that I was hoping for. I also didn't like how it basically read like a Hallmark Christmas story but with Jews and Hanukkah instead. Unfortunately, this one was a total miss for me.

I was excited about this one but got bored after half way through. It wasn't as captivating as I thought it would have been. The characters were great. I loved how they were developed. There was just something missing in the story for me. I didn't finish it.

This was a solid 3.5 star read for me.

I loved that it was a holiday book about Jewish traditions, rather than about Christmas. But I also loved that there was Christmas in it too. I thought both the main characters were quirky and interesting, and I really, really loved that Rachel, our heroine, suffered from a chronic illness that many people are not very familiar with. She felt very real and like someone I would absolutely want to be best friends with. And I thought her feelings and reactions to Jacob also were pretty real, though I wondered if someone would really hold a grudge for as long as these two have been holding one against each other. I guess if you are stubborn and proud (something both of them definitely are), then it's possible.

I absolutely loved Rachel's parents and Jacob's bubbe, and the wonderful bits of Yiddish and Hebrew mixed into so much of the story. It felt at once like an important take on the fact that *everyone* is worthy of love, no matter their past or their internal struggles, and also like a very light and easy romantic read for the holidays. I'd suggest picking it up if you like contemporary rom coms!

This is such a fun holiday romance and it will make you very, very hungry for all your favorite Jewish treats.

Is there such a thing a perfect holiday romance? Maybe if you are a Jewish romance reader who has been bombarded with Christmas romances for 34 years of your life and finally a Hanukkah romance comes your way. That's what happened to me with Jean Meltzer's The Matzah Ball.

Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is an author who loves Christmas - okay, as a kid, I asked every year why I couldn't have lights and tree - it's really hard when you see everyone else have this bright blingy holiday that's advertised everywhere and it's tough not to want that too... so how can we blame Rachel? Of course, I don't - but she is worried her Rabbi father and his congregation might, so she keeps this love of hers a secret - oh, as well as the fact that she writes Christmas romances under a pseudonym. When her publisher asks her to write a Hanukkah romance, Rachel ends up reunited with her summer camp arch-enemy, Jacob Greenberg.

There is so much I loved about this book and I cannot even tell you the pure JOY it brought me having a traditionally published Hanukkah book on my shelf - as we always say, representation matters, and this is why.

I adore holiday books and was thrilled to see a holiday book that wasn't 100% centered on Christmas. Recommended it to patrons and they loved it as well. I hope we get more!

I thought the Matzah Ball would be an entertaining holiday read and was especially interested because of Hanukkah. After reading a couple of chapters, I decided not to continue as the story arc, a past childhood romance gone wrong, seemed all to commonplace.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin books for the opportunity to review this eARC.

As someone who grew up in an orthodox home and education system, I loved this book from the first page.

It brought back all of the good parts of an orthodox religion; food and guilt.

I actually really enjoyed this book, I thought it was sweet, and that the characters both had issues that they were able to finally acknowledge and help each other get through.

One thing that I really did appreciate about this book, and the writing, and the author, was the utmost respect given to all religions, and the path that each of us choose to take in our own lives once we leave our family home. There was no shaming involved, there was no preaching, it was "do what you can, when you can, as long as you feel good about it", and I really respected that aspect of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have several opinions about this book, but as it's supposed to be a light-hearted romance, I don't know if any of them are worth sharing. All in all, a perfectly average Hanukkah romance.

One thing I thought the author could have done better was the consistency in reminders about Rachel's disability. It seemed as if every time Rachel was going through hardship, the narration had to remind people that her disability was invisible, but I thought most readers wouldn't have needed so many reminders after the third or fourth one--as that's an important aspect of the character's life, it's something that would be remembered regardless of repetition by most readers. I'd also mention that the death-grip they both had on how they'd perceiveably treated one another at camp in their...preteens? tweens? was a bit childish for their adult selves.

Overall, this book was a surface-level read. As stated above, a perfectly average read.

This was fun and really had everything. A heroine who makes a living at loving Christmas, even though she is Jewish and daughter of a rabbi. Rachel Rubenstein Goldblatt is also realistically navigating having a chronic disease. Enter a successful love interest from the past, Jacob Greenberg who has returned to New York City to host a big fundraiser, The Matzah Ball Max. There were visually stimulating descriptions of the set up for the ball, plus Rachel's somewhat cockamamie scheme to get a ticket to the ball, all while trying to keep her professional secret, secret. There were both funny and heartwarming moments and visually stimulating descriptions of the ball. And I know that the threads of Jewish Summer Camp can run long, so to have their past at Camp Ahava help mold their present was satisfying.

This was such a fun read! I will definitely read more from this author as I loved the pace, the story and the main character. Not to mention the love interest and side characters were loveable as well.

When I looked at the online reviews of this I was almost afraid. How could what sounded like a rom-com also be about genocide and so polarizing?
I found this book lighthearted and quirky, a story about 2 people looking for love and happiness while staying true to their heritage. This is a romance in the true spirit of the holidays. Like a Hallmark Christmas movie, it's completely over the top and I thoroughly enjoyed it.