I understand that there is some controversy surrounding this book, and while I am neither Jewish or Palestinian I feel that the author's intent was not to upset anyone. Haley Neil is herself Jewish so this is an own-voices novel about visiting Israel, a place in which Jewish people are in the majority. This is also from the viewpoint of a girl who is an American Jewish person, so her viewpoint is probably slightly different than what most people seem to want. This is a book about one girl's journey, there is no political agenda here and judging a book based on a blurb (which also says nothing political) without actually reading it first seems like a rush to judgment.

Tally is going on a temple exchange trip to Israel with her twin brother Max and other teenagers in order to find out more about her Jewish heritage. Things have been going....not so great for Tally recently, her best friend was killed in a car accident that also injured her brother. While Tally has also gotten into her dream college early decision, she still feels that before she leaves that she needs to fix her brother. Tally wants to move on with her life, but feels that Max is stuck and depressed. But apparently Max doesn't feel that he needs fixing, and that maybe Tally needs to face her grief about their friend's death herself. This is a trip of a lifetime for Tally, and she wants to learn all that she can about being Jewish, feel a connection to her faith. But most of all, she ends up learning about herself (and her brother) in the process.

This is a coming of age tale that just happens to take place in Israel, and while there is some mention of the conflict, it isn't the focus of the story.

such a cute YA book with incredible Jewish rep! I thoroughly enjoyed this and have recommended broadly

There were a lot of great things about this story: queer representation, Jewish rep, the struggle with your religion and culture, what it means to travel through a diaspora. All of this is great, but I had a hard time to get past the narrator and how repetitive she was. She sounded and acted like she was just entering high school, not about to leave it.

Love the cultural aspect of this book. I am always interested in learning about other cultures. This was a good book that hit on some tough subjects. Coming up age, death, depression. I enjoyed it

brief synopsis: Tally is a senior and high school and heads with her twin brother Max on a temple youth group to Israel. Tally is heading to BU early decision. she struggles with anxiety, panic, grief, sexuality, and interfaith Jewishness. content warnings for death and grief.
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YA Israel story feels like actually traveling there. like a warm Jewish blanket. excellent representation for mental health and complex Jewish identity. thoughtful exploration of Israeli Palestinian conflict, sexism at the Western Wall, and much more.
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already recommended ONCE MORE WITH CHUTZPAH to a Jewish student and to school library.

Unfortunately, this book was just okay for me. I felt like the story was concluded a bit too quickly and easily.

Additionally, while I appreciate that they did try to show how these trips can be different based on the assigned guide - but it still felt a bit strange to read a book that really promoted Birthright, without more critical conversations about Palestine.

Overall, I am extremely glad that more positive Jewish rep is being published and love YA stories.

I loved this book. It was cute but also handled some deep subjects. I laughed and cried in this one but enjoyed every minute. There was so much character growth and discover for Tally. This book was about her journey to learn about herself. I was a big fan of the pop culture references. They make it so much fun! I am definitely looking forward to what Haley Neil writes next. The audiobook format was good as was the narration. Thank you to Netgalley for an Audio arc in exchange for my honest review.

exchange trip to over school break together. Tally struggles with her mental health, learning about her sexuality and being Jewish and Christian. She is also very concerned about Max, who was in a horrible car accident Tally worries he has not recovered mentally from. As they travel they have new experiences, meet new people and learn about each other and themselves. I liked this book overall. It was a good read. The characters had depth, and the plot wasn’t completely predictable. I felt for the characters and their struggles. The audiobook format was great, and I enjoyed the narrators take. I would recommend this book to any one who is a teen or who has been a teen.

I really enjoyed the audiobook of Once More with Chutzpah. I found the narrator to be a accurate representation of what I expected and the story felt real through her.

The story itself is a great YA coming of age story for a Jewish teen on a trip through Israel. Many of the people I grew up with went on similar trips, and it is clear that Haley Neil wrote the book based on her own experiences.

This is another great book showcasing modern, everyday Judaism which has been so lacking up until recently.

I look forward to reading future books from Neil..

5 stars!

A great, Jewish, queer read. Sweet, relatable story (as an Asexual person) with smooth narration and flowing lines. A wholesome read with no real antagonists to be found.

Tally, our Jewish, demi-sexual MC, is likeable, unapologetically vulnerable, and honest. I feel like I got to see a small part of Israel just by listening to Tally’s travel’s through the country. Would definitely recommend this YA read to just about anyone.

I’m not a huge fan of explicit scenes in YA books so fortunately this book has NONE. A+++

(I received an ALC for free via NetGalley in return for an honest review.)

Once More with Chutzpah was cute but slow in my opinion. There were a lot of pop culture references that I felt took away from the narrative of the story and broke my flow of reading. I thought it was a good read but honestly just good and not great.

I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I requested this book because of the asexual representation. I thought it was handled well and provided a nice explanation of what being demisexual means for some. I know that this is not a "one size fits all" term, but the way Tally comes about her realization and the feelings she has were very relatable to me.

I am not Jewish, but I appreciated the Jewish representation within this book. I especially appreciated that this book addressed people within the faith not feeling Jewish enough for a variety of reasons and the conversations that stemmed from that.

This book also deals with grief in a way that feels very real because everyone processes things differently. I was not expecting the twist that came about half way through, but it certainly made me feel even more connected to Tally's character.

I am reviewing this book as someone in their 30s and this book is very clearly YA. I am not a believer that YA is only for teens to enjoy, but I do think this is a story that would be more enjoyable to a younger demographic than myself. It is also the type of book that I wish there were more of when I was actually a teen.

The premise of this book is so interesting and it covers a lot of important issues, including Jewish identity, mental health struggles, and sexual identity. However, I don't think this book did any of those issues justice. It was choppy and the plot jumped around. I also felt like it trivialized some of these things.

The narration of this book did not fully connect with the character or storyline either, making it hard to follow. Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review of the book.

The narration of this audiobook was good; I was easily able to tell the characters apart when they spoke. I was able to listen at 1.75 and still understand everything that was being said, which is always a bonus.

The story was told well. I like that Tally was dealing with so much at such a young age, it makes the story more relatable. Tally's focus on her brother's problems instead of her own is something I think we can all relate to; it is easier to see a "solution" when the problem isn't yours.

I really enjoyed when the group shared their stories of not being "Jewish enough" it was eye opening and I hope that this discussion helps others deal with this issue.

A solid debut full of heart, adorable character, and in the absolute best setting imaginable!

Tally's journey was beautiful and poignant, and I loved seeing her make connections in Israel, fully immerse herself in the people and culture, and ultimately learn more about herself. I really rooted for her, and though she's more juvenile for her age, I think her growth was done wonderfully. I will say her dialogue with David was a little too cheesy for me, but it's a small qualm I had.

The setting is just... everything. Israel is near and dear to my heart, so I relished every moment. I felt fully immersed, though that is because I've been there and am very familiar with all the sights they visited. I wish there was a liiitle more description of the historical sights, such as Tzfat, which is so rich in Jewish culture and history. But either way, I loved it all. The chapter and description of Yad Vashem were expertly done, though. It was described in fantastic detail, and had me weeping at the end.,

The integration of show tune lyrics was fantastic and really added to the vibe of the novel, and created a playlist on its own.

The audiobook was fine, but the pronunciation of some words and names were.... very off. It really took me out of the narrative.

Overall, a solid debut, with a beautiful message and story, and I really look forward to reading more from Neill!

In Once More with Chutzpah, Tally and her twin brother Max travel to Israel during winter break of their senior year. Tally's convinced the trip will allow Max to move past the grief and lack of ambition he's faced after he was in a major accident while a friend was drunk driving. Max wound up in the hospital, and the driver died.

As Tally starts orchestrating how she'll get Max to go back to "normal", Tally starts to realize she's struggling too. Through Tally's journey to save her brother, she saves herself and finally starts addressing her grief, anxiety, and sexuality. Set alongside complex conversations on what it means to be Jewish and how to build a life of faith despite so many conflicting ideas of how to be Jewish, Once More with Chutzpah explores so many personal transformations teens encounter.

I started the book looking forward to the positive Jewish representation, and I was pleasantly surprised to the complexity of stories told. Once More with Chutzpah includes religious, cultural, racial, sexuality, gender identity, and mental health representation. That seems like a lot for a 277 page book, but none of it seems forced. It all relates back to the certain themes of making your identity truly yours.

This book is a delight. I remember there being a lot of discussion when this book was announced around the optics and politics involved, but I think this book handled it really well. The representation was great, there was a lot of growth from the main character, and there was a twist that made me gasp.

Reviewing
Once More with Chutzpah
By Haley Neil

A wonderful Coming of age story with a well written LGBTQ twist. I love the setting, getting to experience different parts of Israel with this inquisitive and energetic youth group was eye opening. The characters were entertaining and showed immense growth both individually and as a group. The dynamic relationships bring positive tension, engaging and sometimes realistically cringe worthy conversations, and keep reader wanting more. Overall I believe readers will enjoy joining this vibrant Jewish youth group on their fun and emotional journey to Israel.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ For flirty and informative stars for this G rated coming of age YA novel.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for the advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This story explores grief, mental health, sexuality, faith and friendship as a Tally and her twin, Max, embark on a trip to Israel to explore their ancestry and faith.

Tally decides that she and Max need this trip after their friend is killed and Max is injured in a drunk driving accident. Tally believes that the trip will bring Max back out of his shell. However, as the trip progresses Max continues to be distant, so Tally gets some help from her new friends. But then the trip gets flipped on its head and we see that it's actually Tally that might need the extra help.

This book explores so many difficult topics and it does so with grace. The way the author ties these topics into what the group is exploring in Israel is fantastic. I continuously applaud current YA books for showing their characters asking for help, especially when it comes to mental health.

This was an interesting story of a girl trying to find her sexuality and also trying to help her brother through his pain from a car accident. He hasn't been himself and they used to be so close and all she wants to do is help him no matter how much he pushes her away.
During all this she questions her sexuality and romance that possibly could make her for a face of judgement in the Jewish community.
I'm a person who believes in, love and be who you want to be no matter what someone else thinks. It's your body and mind and everyone is made differently, It was a really good audiobook to listen to and would love to sit down and actually slowly read the book as well.,