Thanks to NetGalley for a free advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
If a Jewy Hallmark movie turned into a book, Mr. Perfect on Paper would be that book. It is an adorable, funny, sometimes serious, absolutely lovely read - the perfect beach read (I literally finished it on the way home from the beach). Jean Meltzer, author of the equally charming “The Matzah Ball,” has done it again.

Dara Rabinowitz, third generation shadchanit (matchmaker) and founder of “J-Mate” is looking for her bashert, sort of, when she and her bubbie go on a morning news show to talk about the business. Bubbie has other ideas and shares a list of the characteristics that make up the perfect Jewish match, according to Dara and her cousin, written when they were young teens. The morning show, hosted by one Christopher Steadfast, decides to help Dara find her perfect match. From chapter three, we think we know where this is heading, but does it matter? No, it does not, because like the best Hallmark movies we are in it for the romantic ride and not for the intellectual thrill. There are some serious and important elements, such as Dara’s anxiety disorder, disclosed without shame in chapter one and that serves as a vehicle to determine who is really perfect for her (hint: the person who doesn’t blow it off as “fixable”). I can’t wait for the movie. Four stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Dara is the founder of JMate, an online dating community for the Jewish community to find true love. She’s a member too, but her anxiety gets the best of her and she rarely connects with anyone for the fear of what will happen. When she scores an interview on one of her favorite day time talk shows, her life changes forever (and her anxiety gets worse than ever). This story of a wonderful woman who is committed to her religion dealing with a common but not talked about enough mental health disorder is the next big romance hit. The story is beautifully written and the ending is the perfect tear jerker. Happy tears of course!!

In Meltzer's previous book, The Matzah Ball (which I read last winter and absolutely loved), lots of characters in comment on how odd it was that the main character would be writing a Hanukkah romance when it's not even the best Jewish holiday. Mr. Perfect on Paper delivers on a romance that spans a number of Jewish holidays starting with Rosh Hashanah in September and going all the way to the last day of Hanukkah in December.

Throughout the course of Mr. Perfect on Paper, we follow lead characters Dara and Chris. Dara is a third-generation Jewish matchmaker who's 34, single, and has a bubbe who thinks it's time for her to find a husband. Chris is a single father and a news anchor on a local daytime show. Even though he's not her Mr. Perfect on Paper, from the very first time they meet you get the feeling that he may be Mr. Perfect for Dara anyway.

This book is a wild ride filled with unfortunate dates, a well-illustrated cast of supporting characters, and romantic leads you can't help rooting for.

Thanks Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!

This is my first Meltzer book and I am tempted enough to pick up her other titles. What really struck me about this book was Metlzer's handling of Dara's GAD and being deeply humane about it. GAD is a terrible disease (I also suffer) and I could relate to some of Dara's anxieties and quirks about things. Fighting through GAD is not easy but Chris supporting Dara was beautiful. Loving someone with a mental illness is never easy, but is love ever easy?, but it does add on a layer of complexity that if unchecked, can cause a lot of damage. Metlizer handled this very well and I'm impressed. It was truly a beautiful way of explaining and showcasing GAD without being cheap or using it as a ploy.

Mr. Perfect on Paper is a feel good rom com book. While reading it I feel like I am watching a Christmas hallmark movie. I love the Character development of Dara and Chris throughout the book. What I don't love is the love triangle and how Dara push Chris because she thinks she have feelings for someone else.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Mr. Perfect on Paper is charming and unlike any romance I have read! A Jewish female protagonist who loves her faith and lives with severe anxiety? A single dad struggling to move on from the loss of his wife? The MCs were unique and flawed enough to make them relatable. And I learned a ton about the Jewish High Holidays!

For me there were pacing issues regarding the first 3 dates, and I would have liked to see more development with Dr. Daniel throughout more of the book. And did some scenes make me cringe with their awkwardness? Yes, yes they did.

Thank you Netgalley Harlequin Publishing for the ARC!

Dara is the CEO of a Jewish dating app, J-Mate. When doing a news segment with her favourite anchorman, Chris, her grandmother publicly shares Dara’s wishlist for the “perfect Jewish husband”. This spirals into a TV segment following Dara on dates with men who seem to meet her criteria. But maybe her real perfect partner isn’t any of the things on her list!

I was super excited to read this book after enjoying the Matzah Ball. This did not disappoint! Dara is a very relatable main character and I appreciated the mental health representation in this story. Dara’s relationship with her grandmother is also so sweet and I laughed out loud when Dara called her grandmother’s friends the Challahback Girls.

This was a super cute, no spice, slow burn romance that I enjoyed very much.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer was wonderful! No sophomore slump here!

Dara is a third generation matchmaker. She invented a Jewish dating site. Yay for Women in Tech representation! She has all sorts of great things going for her, but she is still single. I'm not going to get into the whole, you don't need to have a partner to be fulfilled, this is a romance book.

Dara has generalized anxiety disorder and she gets panic attacks, the representation in this story is wonderful! Dara has found so many ways to help manage her mental health, but she still gets flares and panic attacks, her character is so multifaceted and real. It's wonderful to read. It's way part time to end the stigma around mental health!

Chris is trying to save his show so he can continue to live in his Brooklyn neighborhood and not uproot his daughter again. He enlists Dara to join his show in search of the perfect Jewish husband. Each date takes place around Jewish Holiday events, and each date turns into a disaster! It's honestly so much fun to read. Dara is real, she is authentic, and the viewers love her. As a reader you feel terrible for her.

Will she find her Mr. Perfect? Because this is a romance, we get our happy ending. But it takes some twists and turns to get there. And it almost veers off the road.

I absolutely LOVED the grand gesture at the end. The fire station made me laugh so hard. It's an emergency!

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Dara is a multi-millionaire businesswoman who started a Jewish dating app with anxiety and likes her life JUST right. Chris is a widowed, single father who is a news anchor. he concocts a scheme to save the rating for his show and boost Dara's dating life.

This was a cute rom-com, it was almost hallmark-like.

But even with that, I felt like the book was just OK. I kept waiting for more, but it never happened. I did enjoy learning more about Jewish culture, but even with that added addition, it was just OK.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I’d say this was a solid 3.5 stars. I really liked seeing Dara and Chris’s character growth throughout the book. I also felt like the reasons why they fell in love were shown really well. Although I don’t enjoy love triangles, this really wasn’t one since it was more Dara trying to push away her feelings for Chris for someone she thought she should be with instead. I just felt like there wasn’t enough time spent on certain aspects of the book, like Chris and Dara getting to know each other, or Dara really coming to terms with reconciling her faith and her love for Chris (although she thought about it a lot, I’m not really sure there was a solid conclusion), but we didn’t get to know much about Dara’s background or her overcoming her reliance on her grandmother. I also felt like a lot was left missing between the last chapter and the epilogue, and I really wanted to know how it was all resolved. Still, I had fun reading this.

This book was nothing to write home about but it was still a pleasurable read to me. Not sure that it would be one that I would keep on my radar in a few years but I did enjoy it

Even though I made it through to the end, I think I gave up on the spirit of this book right around the 40% mark. Because while I enjoyed the start, and learning about the lead character’s faith, their family’s history of matchmaking, when we finally got to the supposedly “com” portion of this romcom, I was immediately checked out.

The series of dates Dara goes on, all curated by the non-Jewish man she’s obviously going to end up with, had these mishaps that were completely ridiculous to the point of incredulity. Worse, we’re meant to believe the whole situation made Dara, a multimillionaire creator of a dating app, relatable as opposed to instantly meme’d and mocked. Sure sure, have you even seen the internet?

Also, while I appreciated the conversation around her generalized anxiety disorder, I swear we heard the same spiel about it three or four times in quick succession. Less tell, more show, please. But even worse than that, Dara had these really unreasonable reactions to her terrible dates (maybe not after all of them, but I swear it happened more than once) where she blamed these bizarre situations on Chris, the man bending over backwards to set things up — sure, there’s something in it for him, don’t get me wrong, but still. Brutal.

But she wasn’t the only one to have bizarre seemingly out-of-character reactions, Chris did, too. Showing odd moments of snappish behaviour or temper during situations that didn’t deserve said reactions to begin with. It really took me out of the story because it almost felt like the author didn’t actually know her characters.

However, the real thing that sold the deal? When, for reasons I won’t get into, these two almost kiss, Dara is immediately introduced to someone else and she just.. drops Chris like a hot potato, flirting and carrying on with someone else, right in front of him. Sure, she’s still believing him to be a non-viable option but it was gross to watch.

Honestly, beyond feeling empathy for Dara’s anxiety, I didn’t like her all. Chris was easier to like, with his charming persona that had, much like Dara’s professional mien, hidden depths and a tragic backstory — but even he couldn’t save this. He just helped to make it less painful.

I know nailing comedic beats and humour is very hard, and also subjective, but I’m a pretty easy to entertain human and this just wasn’t it. But to have the romance fail, too? What else is left.

Sadly, I’m not sure I would read from this author again, and I definitely can’t recommend.

I really really enjoyed this book! It was super cute! The characters and storyline were pretty brilliant!

NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA provided an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4 ⭐️

Oh how I laugh when people make lists of a perfect partner!

Our girlboss Dara is a multi-millionaire businesswoman who started a Jewish dating app but still hasn’t managed to find her Mr. Right. Enter our love interest, Chris, a news anchor by day and widowed single father to a witty daughter. He checks none of the boxes on Dara’s list and that is where the fun begins 😉

I adored this book! It kept me laughing, and Dara’s vulnerable honesty about living with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) was very refreshing to read. Bubbe Miriam and the Challahback Girls were hilarious and Lacey has my heart.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing-MIRA and Netgalley for an ARC of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Though the concept of MR. PERFECT ON PAPER is not necessarily a new one (high-powered business woman searching for man who checks off all the boxes of her ideal match, only to fall for someone who checks none of them), there were definitely some aspects that make it unique. Not only is Dara, a third-generation matchmaker, Jewish, but she also deals with general anxiety disorder. One of the things I’ve appreciated in the now two books I’ve read from Jean Meltzer are how the characters have struggles that are often not talked about openly. Meltzer’s characters, however, are honest about these struggles because that’s simply another aspect of their life, much like a physical feature or an aspect of their personality.

There were also so many other things to enjoy about MR. PERFECT ON PAPER. I loved the meddling bubbe and her nursing home friends, as well as the neighborhood fire crew who come to the rescue in more ways than one. I also loved the inclusion and explanations of the Jewish high holidays that I have heard of, but didn’t necessarily understand the meanings behind and the traditions that came with them. My one main complaint, however, is that, for a story that was about these two main characters falling in love, I didn’t necessarily feel any sort of connection between them. It felt as if they spent a few hours at a time together over a few months and suddenly were so in love that Chris was ready to convert to Judaism—another huge life change for him and his daughter—despite never having even kissed Dara (the only reason Dara knew Dr. Daniel wasn’t right for her, even though he checked all of her boxes). I wish I had seen more scenes where the two interacted and delved deeper into their personal lives so I could actually feel the love between them.

After reading and loving The Matzah Ball last year, I was excited to see what Jean Meltzer had up her sleeves this time around. I’m happy to say Mr Perfect on Paper didn’t disappoint.

I was provided with an ARC thanks to Harper Collins Canada/Net Galley

Dara comes from a long line of matchmakers and is the creator of a popular Jewish dating app. During a TV interview her grandmother tells the world Dara is still single and goes on to read a list of characteristics of her perfect man that Dara wrote down one night while drunk - she is mortified.

But Dara is a hit, the viewers loved her segment and Chris, the talk show host, has an idea. Why not help Dara find “Mr Perfect on Paper” through a series of televised dates. Dara begrudgingly agrees and soon finds herself in one awkward situation after another.

Beyond the main storyline, Melzer once again brings awareness to chronic illness (in this case generalized anxiety disorder), loss an other hard topics with grace. Additionally, she uses this as an opportunity to highlight some of the Jewish high holidays and traditions. Learning about other religions and traditions besides my own is always really interesting to me so I loved that aspect!

Mr. Perfect on Paper is a heartwarming story about love and second chances. Dara Rabinowitz deals with love all the time. She is the founder of a popular Jewish dating app but doesn't have much luck in her own love life. She suffers from anxiety and panic attacks which keeps her from the dating game but she knows exactly what she wants. She has a list. She meets Chris during an interview and they decide to turn her search for love into a tv show. Chris is a charming single dad and they hit it off immediately. The only problem is he's not Jewish or anything she thought she wanted. Dara is forced to choose between her heart or her "perfect man." Overall this story was cute and full of heart. I really enjoyed it.

I will not get to finish this book, as I had requested so many when I started my account. I didn’t think I would get approved for so many, and now several of my books are already archived, while I have many still active.

Romance is not my favourite genre, and I have realized this recently.

This is not the fault of the author. I’m a student as well as a mom and business owner, so I’ve been slacking in the reading department.

What an absolute adorable and hilarious read! A true rom-com!

Dara, a 3rd generation Matchmaker and creator of J-mate (a Jewish dating site) is thrust into dating on live television after a hilarious segment of her and her Bubbe on Good News goes viral.

Chris, single dad and host of Good News is about to lose his job when he comes up with a brilliant idea to help Dara find her perfect Jewish husband as a series on Good news.

With views of Good News Skyrocketing and after many hilariously failed dates, Dara finally finds her Mr.Perfect that ticks all her boxes. The problem? Dara is head over heels for Chris!

Chris is the complete opposite of everything Dara was looking for, yet he’s all she can think about! Can Dara change her outlook on what Mr. Perfect is or will she marry the man that ticked all her boxes?

Not only did I really enjoy the story but I loved how many topics the Author wrote in, Mental health being the biggest. It was a great introduction to the Jewish culture and a great representation of Anxiety Disorder. Beautifully done! 5/5 stars!

Dara Rabinowitz has made a fortune turning her family's matchmaking legacy into the Jewish dating app J-Mate, but she hasn't used those skills to find her own perfect match, so her grandmother forces her hand by announcing Dara's "perfect husband requirements" on live television. Dara is humiliated, but it turns out to be a ratings boon for both J-Mate and the daytime TV show when the producers turn her search into a series of segments on the show.

Widowed single father Chris Steadfast is the exact opposite of Dara's criteria, but they gradually get to know one another through the string of hilariously disastrous dates his show's camera crew films and broadcasts. Unfortunately, Dara's insistence on only marrying a Jewish man blinds her to the perfect match right in front of her and has her clinging to one that's only perfect on paper.

What I loved about this book was the way mental illnesses, grief, and Judaism are addressed. I learned so much about all three! Dara struggles with all sorts of mental health challenges, particularly anxiety, and she has developed strategies and coping mechanisms to handle them. I thought those aspects of her character were so well done. Plus having the dates all relate to various Jewish holidays and traditions gave the opportunity to tell readers about the history and meanings of each, which was interesting.

Unfortunately, the secondary characters in this book are pretty one-dimensional. Even Dara's beloved Bubbe doesn't feel like a fleshed-out character. Frankly, it was difficult to believe that an expert matchmaker wouldn't notice how unhappy Dara was. Dr. Daniel was a perfectly nice person, just completely wrong for Dara. I suspect this book would work much better as a movie, where a good set of actors could use nonverbal communication to develop into 3D people both figuratively and literally. And that climactic scene at Bubbe's party would make a very dramatic, cinematic movie ending.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary. The New York/New Jersey setting might also appeal to some readers. No sex or violence, and if there was any swearing, it was so mild I can't remember it. It's a pretty fast-paced read.