With this book cover I was not expecting much from this book, but it surprised me for the better.

The story revolves around grief, family, religion and sexuality which are difficult subjects, but it was done so beautifully. There was even a moment when I was crying like a baby while reading.

Would absolutely recommend!

(I got the audiobook from NetGalley)

A moving coming of age story featuring a young Jewish girl and her twin brother as they travel to Israel to spend a week learning more about their Jewish roots. I enjoyed the snippets of Jewish history sprinkled throughout the story and how the author explored the many different ways there are to be Jewish. Tally and her brother Max, for example were raised interfaith and their father is the Jewish parent (as opposed to the Orthodox viewpoint that to be Jewish you have to have a Jewish mother). Other highlights for me included the Broadway play song titles as chapter titles, the cards against humanity scenes, the focus on grief, mental health and sexuality. Tally and Max lost a close friend because of drunk driving and both are struggling with their guilt and grief. On top of this, Tally has a lot of anxiety over her future and her brother's mental health AND she is grappling with her sexual identity and desire, learning she may be demisexual (on the asexuality spectrum). This book honestly had a LOT going on. There is amazing representation (faith, mental health, sexuality, etc). A great book for teens exploring their Jewish and sexual identity. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!

I cannot fully express how much this book means to me. I am sitting here, post-read, thinking about how much this book would have helped me when I was younger. I cried like three times reading this and I am not usually Like That. I have just never felt so seen and understood while reading something.

As someone raised half Jewish and half Catholic AND as someone who only recently discovered the word "demisexual," this book felt like a love letter to my younger self. She only had books about the Holocaust, but Jewish kids now get wonderful books like this and I am eternally jealous and grateful. Tally is not a character I love (I found her quite juvenile), but she is a character I finally see myself in.

This book is not a propaganda piece. There is a detailed commentary on the problematic nature of Birthright trips, but this setting is a girl going with her synagogue youth group to Israel, not Birthright. There is not a preconceived notion of "this land belongs to just Jews and we have the right to visit." It's not about who does or does not belong in Israel. It was a girl wanting to feel closer to her Jewishness and wrestling with the outdated nature of organized religion. I think these days people conflate anything Jewish and proud with being anti-Palestine.

There is so much pain and complexity in the I/P conflict, but I beg anyone reading this review to understand that talking about Israel and celebrating Jewishness is not supporting the Israeli government or the horrible treatment of Palestinians. We are allowed to be Jewish and joyful and talk about being Jewish and joyful and EXIST in our joy.

I really enjoyed this story.

Tally's journey is so much larger than you originally think. She's grappling with her identity, grief, mental health plus all these huge changes like gearing up to go to college.

I felt like this was an authentic representation of a Jewish teen exploring her roots.

I'm looking forward to see what else Haley Neil writes!

I was very excited to listen to this book as my father is from Israel, I have visited Israel several times, one time being on a trip similar to Tally’s (at similar stage in my life as well). This spoke was very nostalgic for me as it touched on many of the experiences I had on that trip, And was spot on with the friendships formed and the big life moments experienced while on a trip with peers far away from home.

I wish this book was even longer as I really enjoyed the characters in the story!

Unfortunately, I didn't read reviews before requesting this book. Although I understand that it's being review bombed before pub date, it is being review bombed on a topic that I do not have experience in or know enough information about and therefor it's not my place to promote this book. It looks like reviews are either full stars in defense of, or one star sharing about how it may harm the Palestinian refugees and support birthright trips. I admittedly am confused based off of looking at the authors twitter and her response to the uproar and what's being mentioned in the reviews seem to not match/the reviews are assuming things before reading. However, it's not place to say who is right and who is wrong. I will continue learning more on these topics, but for now it's not my place to properly review this book. I'm giving it three stars because I'm neutral. I want to clarify that I'm not sure if the author is causing harm or not, so I don't want to give it 1 star in case she's not and being unrightfully bullied. It's simply not my place to say and the best thing for me to do would be allow those who it personally affects to speak up.

I loved this story and its many plot lines. There is a lot going on in this title. The Jewish and LGBTQ characters really make this pop. Excellent addition to YA collections!

this book was every bit of the YA coming of age story that I wanted!

I loved the conversations surrounding Judaism and kind of religion in general in regards to not feeling 'Jewish enough' (or religious enough) compared to more adherent members of a church. While we do follow the main character as she goes on a Birthright-esque trip to Israel, there was a good deal of conversation regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Obviously that is a huge cultural, religions, historical, territorial conflict with several layers, but this book reflected on the current issues in a way that I think was written very well and appropriately for the target age of this book.

I would definitely recommend looking at Jewish Own Voices reviews as well since there are many things about this story that I can't relate to, or really speak on, but others have great perspective!

This review will be posted on 02/14/2022 to: https://instagram.com/amandas.bookshelf

This coming-of-age novel is centered around a teen girl, Tally, on a group tour of Israel with her twin brother, Max. Over a two week tour, Tally experiences a lot of firsts, travels the homeland of her paternal ancestors, and burgeoning friendships that will shape her. The novel shines in showing Tally living with anxiety, focusing on her mental health, and using healthy strategies to cope. It addresses A LOT of big issues, like grief, death, mental health, Jewish identity, interfaith families, sexuality, homophobia, and sexism. While I thought all were important topics, I wondered if it would've been more powerful to focus on one or two and deeply explore them. As I listened to the audiobook, I had a lot of emotional gut punches for all of these issues to be covered rapid fire. That said, this novel was a marvel and makes a difference to Jewish representation in fiction. #OnceMoreWithChutzpah Rating: 🙂 / liked it
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This book is scheduled for publication on February 22, 2022. Thank you @dreamscape_media for providing me this audiobook ARC via @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook copy! I thoroughly enjoyed my time listening!

I first saw this book on bookstagram with very high praise so I thought I’d check it out! Now I will first say this person who recommended it is an own voices Jewish reviewer and she loved it! She identified with the main character in religious aspects as well as going on a similar trip. I am not Jewish and have never been on a trip to Israel.

However! As someone who enjoys traveling and reading books about travel, I loved this book! I thought the trip was fun and covered a lot of ground that usually happens on trips of this nature (ie beach time, museums, cemetery, great monuments, historical landmarks, local food and shopping etc) I loved seeing Tally grow as a person and make friends along the way.

There is a big “reveal” about halfway thru that completely caught me off-guard and broke my heart. I literally messaged my friend as soon as I heard that and had to tell her how shocked I was! After that, tally really does experience a full on growth and I loved seeing it!

Overall, I enjoyed my time on the trip of a lifetime with tally! I would recommend!

unfortunately I didn't really enjoy the romance and I found the main character kind of grating, but I did love the setting and the culture!!!!! And I also don't know much about this but I know this book had a lot of controversy - i think they did a good job of being as unoffensive as possible while still being true to Israel (not jewish but grew up with a lot of jews and very familiar with the religion and culture)

I have so much love for this book. This coming of age and discovering who you are novel will stay with you long after you close the cover. Tally and her twin brother Max are spending their last winter break as high school seniors on a trip to Israel. After recovering from a traumatic car accident, Tally knows this is just what Max needs to get out of a slump. As they travel across Israel, Tally realizes that maybe it's not just Max that needs to make some changes and that there is still a lot to discover about herself.

I applaud Haley Neil for this debut novel. She tackles some extremely difficult topics including grief, anxiety, sexuality, feeling like you are enough and Jewish representation It is done in a way that does not at all make the reader feel as though she is just trying to cram things in. This is truly a wonderful book.

There's a lot going on in this book! Hang in til the end with me and let's talk about it.
This feels like a very personal story for the author, one that is fiction but based heavily on real experiences. That authenticity comes through in the writing and many teens will see themselves in these pages. I enjoyed learning about the spectrum of Jewish experiences through a whole cast of diverse characters. Tally’s struggle with being good enough and belonging, either as a Jew or as any of the identities a person can claim, is very relatable. I love the strong LGBTQ+ representation, especially the well-written demisexual identity in a main character instead of a token side character! I appreciate that this story sets Tally on a journey without speedily “fixing” her by the ending. Healing from grief and accepting yourself require time and growth. Anxiety doesn’t stop because you recognize it exists. Belief in your own validity doesn’t solidify magically over a two week trip. Readers get to watch Tally face some of the things she’s struggling with and take steps in the right direction.
Now the controversy. Please keep in mind that I have at best a secondhand understanding of the issues at play. This does not personally affect me, and it’s not my place to tell you what to think. I’m only sharing my impressions and trusting you to listen to all sides and be thoughtful in your decisions.
Geopolitics is not what the book is about – it is the story of a young woman on a trip of self-discovery. But the story is centered in a place where the political situation is currently a huge factor. I appreciate the author’s intent in her attempt to respond to early criticism and adjust accordingly. The Israel/Palestine conflict (or related political commentary) comes up briefly a handful of times. These mentions read like background and history lessons, without having any major impact on a story that otherwise does well at addressing some heavy topics. The ability of the main characters to travel joyously around Israel without seeing the experience of people not like themselves feels very privileged. This is a story about Jews and for Jews, and the focus is on Israel being a place of much-needed safety for Jewish people. It does not condone the Israeli government’s actions, but neither does it give Palestinian people a voice or any meaningful representation. The author is allowed to write her own story in this way. I personally wish the book were more sensitive toward people who have a very different experience and will doubtless struggle to pick up this book.

Sadly this book just wasn't for me. I'm not Jewish and that is probably why this book just didn't resonate with me but I felt like the whole book was just drama after drama for no real reason on than to stretch out the book. I was so frustrated with these characters because they wouldn't just talk about what was going on.
I definitely think this book will connect with a ton of people I just wasn't it.

I love the Jewish representation in a YA novel! Highly recommend to all YA readers who are Jewish or want to learn about what Jewish life is like.

DNF'd audiobook arc at ~10%

Some combination of the narrator and the MC immediately made me dislike this book.

The MC has anxiety, which I thought I would relate too, but it felt more like a caricature of anxiety. She also acts as protector, match maker, and emotional guardian for her brother even though something traumatic happened to him and he's healing in his own way.

This book did get review bombed and I don't know how the geopolitical issues where handled in the book because I didn't get very far at all. I think it will be up to each reader to decide if this book is right for them depending on their connection with Israel.

Right off the bat, you need to know that I’m not the typical audience for this Young Adult book! I’m way past that age group, for sure. But the topic really intrigued me and I’m happy to have read/listened to it. The story is told by Tally, a senior in high school in the Boston area, who is on a synagogue-sponsored trip to Israel over her winter break, along with her twin brother Max. They are both dealing (in very different ways) with the death of a best friend, Cat, in a car crash in which Cat was the driver and Max was the passenger. In addition, neither Tally or Max seem to have a strong connection to their Judaism, having been brought up in an interfaith household. The entire book is told in the first person by Tally so you really get into her head.

I didn’t get to tour Israel until a few years ago, after my husband and I retired, so while I couldn’t relate personally to seeing all these sights as a teen, I enjoyed reliving my own experiences along with this group of relatable “kids.” I loved that it was a diverse group, including Jews of color, and that instances of racist encounters were talked about openly. Tally is struggling with not only her faith, but her confidence, and is subject to panic attacks. Sexual orientation is another topic that is covered openly and honestly and is a big part of the book. While definitely told from a Jewish perspective, the author does touch on the controversial aspects of Israel and Palestinians.

Fun note: chapter headings are named after songs from popular musicals, such as Defying Gravity (from Wicked) and It’s Quiet Uptown (from Hamilton). The audiobook narrator, Cody Zuckerman, did a good job with the various voices and accents.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Trigger Warnings: Racism, mental health, alcohol, drunk driving, car accident, mentions of the Holocaust/genocide/murder, death of a friend, grief, bar/club, antisemitism, therapy, sexism

Representation: Jewish, Anxiety, Black, Lesbian, Demisexual, Bisexual

Once More With Chutzpah is the story of Tally, an anxious senior, who takes a trip to Israel with her twin brother Max. While there, Tally tries to help Max, but instead has to face her denial and grief. This trip teaches her a lot about herself and her future.

As a fellow theatre nerd, I love that the chapter titles are songs from different musicals! This was a very cute story! The amount of anxiety that Tally experiences is very relatable. I loved being inside the head of another anxious person.

Overall, I felt this book was very cute. I loved learning more about Judaism and experiencing life as a Jewish person. I thought the writing was easy to read and the story was enjoyable. The cast of characters was great and I wish we could learn more about eat of them. I felt they added great detail and conflict to the story. I would definitely recommend this book! The audiobook was smooth and enjoyable. The voice was easy to listen to and made for an interesting story.

I thought I would love this book as an exploration of trauma and Jewish and queer identities as a young woman dives into her culture, with a splash of musical theatre love. I ultimately decided that this book was not for me, and I encourage readers to deeply research the criticisms of this book and make their own decision.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was given an advance audiobook in exchange for an honest review. First I quite enjoyed the narrator’s voice I thought she gave a very appropriate tone for the overall ARC. Max and Tally were twin siblings that were just leaving their parents together for the first time. They were leaving on a holiday foreign exchange trip to Israel. The home of their paternal family. The twins it appears need to be turning in their college entry papers. Six months ago Max was in a car wreck that killed his girlfriend who was driving drunk.after their high school musical wrap party. Tally has been giving reminders all summer but Max ignores her. As they are going out the door,Tally is throwing grenades at Max letting him know he is going to miss early enrollment completely; and general enrollment too if he waits until they get home to start preparing.. Tally is under the assumption that that is still their plan. Max has been grieving so long.They had both planned on going to BU where their mom is a religious history professor where they would get free tuition. Saving their parents money. .Their mother is Catholic.Sothey have been told,, you aren’t Jewish if the heritage doesn’t come thru the mother’s family families that have to come to terms being a multi religious family. Leaves the family without much faith in anything. There is more drama to ensue, of course, as with any bunch of teenagers on holiday It’s all clean high school drama. A time to determine sexual identity, even demisexual- which was new to me.. This seems like a perfect teenage book. A little much on the anxiety. I started feeling the need to see a counselor myself for sympathy anxiety. I would definitely recommend this book to high school teenagers.To learn of loss and grief. The repercussions to those you leave behind when you choose to drink and drive. Special thanks to #NetGalley,#DreamscapePublishing, #HaleyNeil, for the opportunity to review #OnceMoreWithChutzpah.