Rachel is the daughter of a well-known rabbi who writes Christmas romances. Mickey is her best friend. Jakob is a party planner. Jakob is planning The Matzah Ball, the ultimate Hanukkah party in New York. Rachel has been tasked with writing a Hanukkah romance novel. She needs to a ticket to the ball, but has to volunteer for Jakob in order to get in. This is complicated because she’ll be forced to work closely with him, confusing her feelings (that go back to when they were 12) and risking her health, which only her parents and Mickey know about. The food described and eaten in this book will make you hungry. A lovely romance for the winter season.

The Matzah Ball was a such an interesting look into Judaism and Hanukkah. I love holiday romances so the plot of this one really intrigued me. There were definitely some lines that didn’t sit well with me, but I still appreciated getting to learn more about a religion and holiday I previously knew very little on. We need more diverse reads and having a Hanukkah romance was great to read about.

I didn’t mind the relationship between Rachel and Jacob, but it also wasn’t one that completely blew me away. I think I just expected more chemistry and tension between the two considering they were supposed to be “enemies”. I will say though, having chronic pain rep was great to see. I love that it’s becoming more and more common since so many people live through it every day.

Overall, it was enjoyable and great learning more about a different religion. I would have loved more from the romance but it wasn’t bad overall.

A slow burn romance with great Jewish and chronic illness representation. Enemies to lover's romance, a favourite of mine, however, the backstory of why Rachel and Jacob are enemies didn't quite work for me. This is a slow burn romance and it took me awhile to get into it, but once I did, I quickly read through the second half of the book. The secret profession made me chuckle, and I enjoyed learning more about the Jewish culture. Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins Canada for my advance review copy.

I found The Matzah Ball to be a quick read, albeit a bit heavy on the drama and miscommunication. I particularly enjoyed the disability and Judaism rep this book had. However, after reading the concerns from other readers post-reading this book, I feel unable to leave much more of a review than this as the concerns raised were outside my experiences. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to more books with Jewish main characters!

Okay, I really wanted to love this one, but it was more of an “okay” read for me than anything. I figured I’d share some pros and cons that I had for The Matzah Ball instead of a traditional review.

Pros:

I really felt for Rachel and her Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, because I get what it’s like to have “invisible illnesses” and how people look at you and think you’re fine.
Rachel has a really great best friend in Mickey. I kind of wish we had more of him, to be honest!
I loved that Rachel was an author and it was fun getting a little “behind the scenes” of the publishing industry.
I thought the idea of The Matzah Ball was fun, and it was really cool to see how it all came together!
Cons:

So much of Rachel and Jacob’s relationship is surrounding miscommunications from when they were kids. I really wanted them to just act like grown ups and TALK!
Because they didn’t really clear the air from being kids at camp, they continue to have miscommunications and false ideas about each other.
Secondary characters are also hiding things and it would have been so much better if they’d been honest way before they actually do!
A lot of my complaints come from the characters not being more honest with each other. I think it could have been a better book without all of the lies, miscommunications, and secrets. In the end, I gave this one 3 stars. I’d be curious to see what the author does next though as this is her debut!

This was a fantastic Adult Romance! I loved the chronic illness rep! I definitely recommend!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher!

Well, this one is a tough one to review.

For the record, I am not Jewish so I cannot comment on whether this book portrays the Jewish experience in a correct light and if some of the things said in the book are correct. There are many, many people on Goodreads who are Jewish who have reviewed the book from that aspect so I would suggest seeking out their opinions on that aspect of the novel.

As far as a romance novel goes, this was just okay. I wasn't wowed like I hoped to be. I have been trying to read some romances themed around holidays that aren't Christmas and I've read some gay Hannukah themed romance before, so I thought to give this one a try.

The plot is pretty easy to follow. Rachel is a Jewish woman who has CFS and writes for a living. What her family doesn't know is that she secretly writes Christmas-themed romances to make a living and she's quite famous for it. The market for Christmas romance is saturated, so her publisher only agrees to publish her next novel if it is a Hanukkah-themed romance, and while Rachel is proud to be Jewish, she shies away from some aspects of it as her parents are very prominent figures in her community. Nevertheless, she seeks out visiting them to meet up with Jacob Greenberg, a childhood friend who can get her a ticket to the Matzah Ball, a celebration on the last night of Hannukah, that she hopes will serve as inspiration for her novel.

The one thing I could not get over in this book is how much of the tension and drama comes from the fact that Rachel and Jacob had a falling out...WHEN THEY WERE TWELVE. Like, c'mon. I couldn't even name 90% of the kids I hung out with when I was twelve considering I'm 30 now. So much of this book hinges on the animosity they still harbor, and a major plot point circles around decisions and things done when THEY WERE TWELVE. You don't know anything when you're 12! You're not even in high school yet! These people have spent their lives still wrapped up on shit that happened at a Summer Camp over a decade ago. I just could not give a care about these characters. They were still obsessed with actions of twelve-year-olds and acted like twelve-year-olds even as adults.

The one positive I have for this book is that it portrays CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) which is an illness I've never before seen expressed in a romance novel, though one of my favorite streamers, Alannah Pearce, has this so I knew a bit about what her life is like. It seemed to ring very true for the experiences of those I've read. I did like that that her daily struggles were not undersold and the fact that she cannot do as much as others, even though she may look physically healthy, factored in to a potential relationship as Jacob kept trying to 1. Solve her problems and 2. Pushing her too hard until he grew to understand her condition more accurately.

Overall I think the characters were not my cup of tea. 2.5 stars if I had to rate it.

I really wanted to like this book, as it was exciting that there would be representation for people who don't celebrate Christmas. However I found it sad that the main story was still defined by Christmas, rather than a pure celebration of Hanukkah. Not having that 100% focus on it was disappointing.
Also I found the main couple having this instant connection and all these feelings from when they were 12 kind of ridiculous, not that you don't feel anything at 12 but it seems like such a random age to be so stuck on.
Having seen some other conversations about this book, I was disappointed that she so easily joked about being an assassin for the IOF/Mossad.

I have very mixed thoughts on The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer. The first half of this story I was all in on giving this story five stars. A little over half way through things changed for me. It's not that I would rate it low, just lower than a five.

The first half the book was fun. I could relate to Rachel in the sense of her chronic fatigue syndrome and how people often perceive and treat me and others with chronic illnesses. Rachel's family reminded me a lot of my extended family, and I often found myself really relating to Rachel on multiple levels Our interests were also similar.I enjoyed the characters even if they were sometimes annoying and I thought the overall story was just a fun, light read for this time of year.

Half way through though Jacob really started getting on my nerves. He was always a little snobby and annoying, but he just really starting getting on my nerves. I also found is change too quick and I really struggled with how he did some things. I also found Rachel's attitude towards him changed super quick as well. It just really bothered me.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. There were a few parts I struggled with, but I am glad I read it. 3.75 stars.

I received an eARC from Harlequin through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I have seen this book on both BookTok and Bookstagram. I was interested in reading it so it came across my email as a review request I was so excited. The cover drew me in as well, but the real thing that drew me in was the description of the book. I was excited to read it.

Rachel is the daughter of a well-known Rabbi and a top-notch fertility specialist. She has been raised a Jew her entire life. She is, however, harboring a secret. She is in LOVE with Christmas. Her entire office is decked out to the nines. She is also a very successful and popular Christmas romance author, no one knows it is her because they would disapprove. She also suffers from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Before Hanukkah, her mother tells her that her childhood first love and her enemy will be at their house. He is also coming into town to throw The Matzah Ball Max. Will things implode between Rachel and Jacob or will they be able to figure things out between them? Before I go any farther, the first about 23% of this book absolutely bored me. I almost gave up on it, but once it hit that point I couldn’t put it down at all. I stayed up way too late reading it because I just needed to know what happened next.

I absolutely loved the character of Rachel. She never let her chronic disease rule her life. She knew how to pace herself. She did I will admit pity herself and gave herself more than one pity party but who doesn’t throw themself a pity party. Jacob tries to reconnect with Rachel by pranking her because that is what they did to each other when they were at Jewish summer camp. This book was a sweet romance that was very clean, there was no spicy scenes at all, it was refreshing to read. I don’t think off the top of my head I have read a romance that was that Jewish-themed. There was a smattering of Jewish words that I found myself looking up the meaning to because I didn’t know what they meant. I really want to read more books by this author. I see that she has another book coming out in 2022 and I have already added it to my Amazon wish-list I can’t wait to read it!!

I LOVED THIS BOOK.

I don’t love “holiday” romances because most of them are Christmas themed. I know a lot of people do, but I just can’t get into them. However, this book was exactly what I wanted: a holiday romance for Jews.

The Matzah Ball is about Rachel and Jacob, camp enemies. Rachel is secretly a bestselling Christmas romance author. Jacob is a famous party planner extraordinaire, who has decided to put on the event of the season: The Matzah Ball in New York City. Jacob also happens to live in Paris.

When the two are thrown back together, they must overcome their differences and realize that maybe they don’t hate each other after all.

I loved the Jewish rep in this book. From the holidays, to the Yiddish, to the sayings, to the Jewish parents. Just everything was so on point for me. I ate it up. I really really appreciated that Jean didn’t explain everything or translate all the Yiddish/Hebrew.

Also, Rachel suffers from CFS. I’ll be honest, I really didn’t know much about CFS before reading this book. However, I feel like I learned a ton and learned that I have a ton to learn.

So, moral of the story: if you’re reading holiday romances this winter season, and haven’t added The Matzah Ball to your list, I don’t know what you’re doing.

This was a very cute book, but I do wish Jewish authors would stay away from talking about Israel. The title was also a little disappointing. While Matzah Balls do exist in real life, non-Jews really don't know that, so this only perpetuates the confusion about Hanukkah when so many people already get Jewish holidays wrong. The story was really cute and I like the way Meltzer wrote about a very religious Jewish experience and someone who is very casual about their Judaism. It's a pretty good debut, and I look forward to seeing what Meltzer comes out with next.

The premise of this book was very cute and unique. The deeper look at the Jewish community was so enjoyable. I also really loved the ME/CFS representation.

The reason I struggled with this book was the persistent lack of communication between all of the characters for over 75% of the book. The entire time I felt like screaming JUST TALK TO EACH OTHER.

In a world where most holiday romcoms are Christmas themed (and the Hanukkah ones end up being focused on Christmas anyway), it's refreshing to have a novel like The Matzah Ball. I had been hearing lots of buzz about this one prior to picking it up, and once I was done reading it, I knew I had to feature Jean Meltzer at Chick Lit Central.

The Matzah Ball is a cute and fun story overall. There were a lot of really funny moments. I found myself grinning and laughing a lot. I like that the author used her personal experience with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) for Rachel. I had heard of this illness, but didn't realize how bad it could get. I have friends with chronic illnesses like this and they get the same kinds of insensitive comments, because it's not something you can easily see.

Rachel's Christmas obsession was quirky and I loved that about her. I used to be more into Christmas a while back and sometimes I still enjoy the magic of it, especially in the past year or so when we've all needed some holiday lights and warmth. (I will admit that I love seeing all the Christmas decoration posts on Facebook and Instagram, as much as I like seeing the Hanukkah ones.) I liked the dual perspective of this story and getting to know Jacob better. I absolutely loved his Bubbe and I wish I could try her rugelach! The Matzah Ball itself sounded like a really cool event. I first thought it was going to be a match-up event, as that's what they've been called in the past (the ones that take place on Christmas Eve for Jewish singles). However, I love that it was this giant Hanukkah party that anyone could attend (with a ticket, of course).

I felt that the Judaism was laid on thick when I first started reading it, as it seemed like every other word or phrase was something Jewish or Yiddish and it felt like a Naomi Ragen novel (I like her books, so there's nothing wrong with this, but they also fit in a different genre when it comes to Jewish stories). It felt like Jean was trying too hard to make it stand out in this way when she really didn't need to. However, it balanced out more as the story went on and I was enjoying everything else too much to let it bother me. I did enjoy the Shabbat dinner toward the beginning and it made me miss the days of hosting lots of people for meals. It's nice to have a totally Jewish chick lit story.

I really enjoyed The Matzah Ball and have been recommending it a lot. I already can't wait for Jean's next novel!

Movie casting suggestions:
Rachel: Emmy Rossum
Jacob: Jeremy Jordan
Mickey: Charlie Barnett
Toby: Renée Taylor
Shmuel: Emory Cohen
Dr. Rubinstein: Julianna Margulies

This one was okay. It was sweet, no sexy parts. I learned a lot about Jewish culture-- especially that Hanukkah isn't actually a major holiday in the religion, but because of its proximity to Christmas, it gets blown a lot. A lot of the conflict could have been resolved by talking through and getting over things that happened as dumb 12 year-olds in the midst of their first love. I also appreciated the representation of a main character with chronic fatigue syndrome, and I learned a lot about that, too.

I have conflicting thoughts on this book...

First of all, I wasn't aware of this book's criticisms before picking it up as I actively avoid reviews of books I plan to read so not to sway my judgment preemptively. But there are some sarcastic comments made in here that should 100% have been removed in editing. They are made in a joking manner and not appropriate or necessary. So please check out some own voices reviews if you're interested in picking this up!

On top of some less than fantastic attempts at humor, the romance in here wasn't spectacular. There were so many frustrating miscommunication moments as well as obnoxious/childish pranks on each other. And I just never bought into the progression of the romance or why they even liked each other.

BUT the chronic illness rep was absolutely fantastic. There were so many moments that had me feeling so seen and understood - The way the heroine mapped out her days and energy. The way she would push herself even when she knew she shouldn't (same). Those moments were fantastic and I wanted to highlight them and post them everywhere.

Unfortunately, that just wasn't enough to save this story for me. While I loved the discussions on illness, the actual romance and plot itself was lackluster.

This book is beyond lovable! I love the chronic disease representation as well as all the Jewish faith information. I loved the interactions between the characters and how well they are written.

Such a sweet story! I really enjoyed reading about the traditions of the Jewish faith while following a fun and wholesome romance along the way. Well-worth the read this holiday season!

I loved that this book was unapologetically Jewish, the cultural and religious references were my favorite part. I liked that the heroine has a chronic illness, and while the internalized ableism was hard to read, it was realistic.

The main failure of this book for me is the romance. The main couple had zero chemistry. In place of relationship development, this is presented as a second chance romance between people who barely “dated” when they were twelve. I just didn’t believe this fated mates from
Summer camp storyline. And the hero seemed cruel—he likes to play pranks on the heroine—and also seemed terrible at his job as a party planner, even though his success is supposed to be the whole foundation of the plot.

There are numerous questionable details about the whole party planning thing that don’t make much sense, if you know anything about event planning, you are likely to be annoyed.

I also was troubled by the token Black gay friend. He says “Girl” a LOT and felt like a stereotype.

This story is chock full of holiday romance tropes, and I think readers who are better able to suspend disbelief may enjoy its familiar tropeyness.

Another fun romance that distracted my mind during a time when I wanted to think about literally anything other than my own life.
I loved the storyline and had the fun of texting with author friends about "how publishing doesn't work like that" LOL
We need more Hanukkah romance stories!