Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer.
As the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate, matchmaker Dara Rabinowitz knows the formula for lasting love—at least, for everyone else. When it comes to her own love life, she’s been idling indefinitely. Until her beloved bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national television and charming news anchor Chris Steadfast proposes they turn Dara’s search into must-see TV. As a non-Jewish single dad, Chris doesn’t check any of Dara’s boxes. But her hunt for Mr. Perfect is the ratings boost his show desperately needs. If only Chris could ignore his own pesky attraction to Dara—a task much easier said than done when Dara starts questioning if “perfect on paper” can compete with how hard she’s falling for Chris…
I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great. I loved the story. 5*.

Dara a career driven professional Jewish match maker is setting out to find her perfect match on paper with the help of TV host Chris. This is a fun and funny romance story following Dara and her journey to love. Not all love is perfect but you can’t help who you fall for. Feel good and full closer story.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc!

While I don't think this was the most realistic romance, it did make me laugh out loud in multiple moments. Dara and Chris were light and breezy and very entertaining. I enjoyed how they did keep the focus on Jewish marriage traditions and how it affects dating in modern times. Some of the conclusions were a bit simplified, but all in all, it was a very entertaining story. I give Mr. Perfect on Paper 3.5/5 stars.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing an ARC to review.

This was such a cute book! The characters had a great connection. I deal with anxiety issues, so I thought it was fantastic that they talked about it in the book. I’m so glad that Dara found her happy ending, even if it took her a while to get there! Opposites attract and so do these characters!

Dara was too insistent on her perfect man list - we all knew how this was going to end. But I loved watching it play out anyways! Chris was such a sweet guy with a great kid. I enjoyed this one.

A super cute Jewish romance! I love seeing myself represented in books, so Jean Meltzer's books tend to be a hit with me. The validation of my identity is so nice.

I just had to read this book after glowing reviews from so many, including my friend, Kim.

Dara is the creator of a Jewish dating app and also a matchmaker, just like the women in her family before her. She’s also looking for love herself. Her bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national TV, and things blow up from there. A new man comes into her life as she searches for “Mr. Perfect.”

This is such a sweet, feel good story. I enjoyed the Jewish matchmaking and faith cultures and also loved how sensitively the author addressed anxiety. There were some funny moments, too.

Overall, an endearing story with charming characters, and I loved my time spent with them.

I received a gifted copy.

This was such a fun and charming feel good book. It was lovely to see the relationship between Dara and Chris develop with a lot of funny episodes along the way. Dara deals with severe anxiety and it was notable to see how Chris helped her deal with it. I think the pacing of the story was perfect. It was interesting to learn more about Judaism and Dara’s devotion to it. I loved the secondary characters and their part of the book. Check out this fun story!!

Mr Perfect On Paper was a cute story but I didn’t find it amazing. Like all of this author’s books so far, there is a strong storyline of the main character being Jewish and what that means for them and how it might differ from others, and while I love the representation, I do find the overly descriptive explanations really slows down the story a bit.

This was a cute romance book. It wasn't what I was expecting, but an enjoyable read nonetheless. I did feel that the story was a little long and dragged out at times, and that the romance, on the other hand, developed really fast and felt slightly forced. I think I would've felt more connected to the story if I was a more religious person. It was hard to relate to the main character and her reasonings for love and romance also being firmly based on having a shared religion. I appreciate that, that works for a lot of people, I am just not one of the people. All-in-all, Mr. Perfect On Paper was a cute romance read with a hard focus on Judiasm its customs. (FYI do not be expecting any spice in this book, it is a PG romance read)

3.5 stars
I loved the data app concept and the GAD representation. It was a cute rom com with a little more depth. Unfortunately, I didn't really connect with the characters but still thought it was a well written story.

Mr. Perfect on Paper

Oh, How I Wanted to Love This!

Dara has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and is the CEO of J-Mate, a popular Jewish dating app. She, herself, is looking for the perfect man. The number one rule of course, is that he must be Jewishf. To find him, Dara agrees to go on Good News New York, in order to film live segments and be set up on dates. It is there that she meets the host, Chris Steadfast, whom she has always had a crush on. Of course the sparks fly! Too bad he’s not Jewish!

While I learned a lot about GAD, I didn’t find the “budding romance” between Dara and Chris believable, nor did I care about their relationship. Such is life I suppose. That said, the writing here is good and I think this will be a winner for many of you.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for the arc via NetGalley.

received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved The Matzah Ball and Jean Meltzer seems like such a sweet and wonderful lady. I am rooting for her success in everything she writes! It physically pains me to say that I hated this book.

I was so excited when the author announced her second novel and that it featured a protagonist with generalized anxiety disorder. I have the same chronic illness that the protagonist in the Matzah Ball has and felt so, beautifully represented by that book. I also happen to have generalized anxiety disorder so I had high expectations.

I think the first way this book let me down was through it’s depiction of the disorder. In the Matzah Ball, Rachel never felt like her CFS consumed her entire character. She was a person outside of that, with feelings and thoughts and desires. It was beautiful representation. Dara always felt like an after school special dedicated to teaching children about the broad strokes of GAD. It was all she was.

I also found it very hard to empathize with Dara because she is outrageously wealthy…. I just don’t really want to read about the 1% and their fabulous million dollar apartment in Manhattan or their designer gowns and personal assistants when I’m struggling to afford a one bedroom apartment you know?

The romance felt forced and lacked chemistry. I didn’t believe that Dara would throw away a part of her faith that meant so much to her for this average guy who never really shared much about himself outside of his tragic backstory.

Finally, a personal pet peeve of mine is badly written children. I don’t believe Jean has ever met an eleven year old in her entire life after reading this 400 page book.

I loved the Jewish representation and thought the book sparked some very interesting conversations about interfaith marriage and the complications that accompany that. However the book unfortunately just did not work for me. I really hope Jean meltzer gets her groove back in the next one.

Was pleased to see all of the details and thought put into the protagonist's Jewish identity, and the attraction and relationship built out further so it wasn't just "this guy's hot what do I do?!?" Loved all of the humor and little details. Need some more where there both protagonists are Jewish, because the trend of only one of them being Jewish is getting real old. But I really loved this book and will be recommending it to others.

I loved the Matzoh Ball but Mr. Perfect on Paper fell a little flat for me. Some of the dating scenarios felt ridiculous and I was charmed by the connections between the characters but frustrated by the distance between them.
I love Ms. Meltzer’s view into modern Jewish life, and I appreciate the diversity. I have bought it for my collection and will recommend it to patrons. 3 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of the novel in exchange for my honest review.

Jean Meltzer is amazing! I love the worlds she crafts. Think dating-app-meets-Judaism-meets-reality-tv-dating-show. Okay, what I just described is RomCom perfection, right? Well, I think it is. Dara is so easy to love. Clearly, because Chris can't fight his attraction to his leading lady. But nothing comes easy in the world of RomComs. Jean knocked another book out of the park!

This book was amazing, plus it brings awareness to many different different types of diversity. My only complaint is that it took me longer to read than it probably should have, but I think that’s just because of the format that the ARC was sent in.

This was such a cute, funny and heart warming read! Being Jewish, a lot of Dara's quirks and experiences, felt very familiar to me, though intense at times. I fell in love with Chris immediately and the chemistry between him and Dara felt off the charts. This was truly a feel good book and the Jewish charm was really A+. Thank you to Netgalley and MIRA for the ARC.

4.25 Stars
Thank-you Net-Galley for an advanced copy of this book.

I really enjoyed reading about a flawed, real Jewish character with chronic pain in The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer , so I immediately grabbed Mr. Perfect on Paper when I saw it. I am”Jew ‘ish’” in that I don’t really practice the religion, but I do celebrate the holidays with family and identify as Jewish. So I enjoy seeing the representation in books, and her books teach me new things about my religion.

“Judaism places a high value on the sexual satisfaction of the woman in the marriage. In fact, she’s always supposed to…you know…first.”

Dara Rabinowitz is the 34-year-old CEO of J-Mate, the popular Jewish dating app, and she comes from a line of Jewish matchmakers. She also has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and is very open about it. When Dara and her Bubbe (Grandmother) were invited to a daytime talk show, Dara’s carefully planned appearance went off the rails when her grandmother told the entire TV audience Dara’s list of qualities for the perfect man.

The number one requirement: He must be Jewish. Dara is very religious, keeps a kosher home, and her faith means a lot to her. He should also be a doctor or lawyer and have no baggage. The audience of “Good News New York” loved her embarrassing segment so much that the show decided to set her up on dates and air them as live segments. Since it was also boosting J-Mate subscriptions, Dara went along with the plan.

Chris Steadfast is the host of Good News New York, and the show has always soothed Dara. In fact she has always harbored a little crush on him. But when they meet in real life, sparks fly. The widowed single dad and Dara develop feelings for each other, but he isn’t Jewish and doesn’t check off anything on her list, so they fight the attraction while he has to film her going on crazy dates with other men.

Likes:
•A Jewish main character.
•There was a good mix of serious and silly moments.
•I liked that the heroine had anxiety and how open she was about it.
•I learned more about being Jewish.
•Chris’s daughter, Lacey.
•Her grandmother and the “Challahback girls”.

Dislikes:
•3rd Person.
•Sometimes the silly was just too silly, and poor Dara, if this was real life she would have become a horrible meme.
•I think maybe too much of Dara’s personality was her GAD, and at one point she repeated the same information about it a few times in a row. The romance took a back seat to her anxiety.

The Down & Dirty:
Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer was fun and unique. I think any Jew and anyone with Generalized Anxiety Disorder will especially enjoy this romantic comedy, though I think it will appeal to any romcom lover. Jean Meltzer mixed funny and serious for a delightful, sweet romance.

Rating: 4.25 Stars, Closed Doors

Mr. Perfect on Paper was a delightful read by Jean Meltzer. I absolutely enjoyed The Matzah Ball last year and was excited for her next book. What I admire about Jean Meltzer is her willingness to tackle different experiences that aren't covered very often. I have found in the last year how important reading the author's notes can be and started with The Matzah Ball. It provided a great deal of background for the book and an understanding from where Meltzer was approaching her novel. Similarly, Mr. Perfect on Paper tackles a common experience in 2022 for multi-denominational relationships and the challenges they can present both internally and externally.

Meltzer manages to once again tackle serious topics with grace and respect while also weaving them into a story that has many joyful, lighthearted and fun moments. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a romcom with many obstacles. I enjoyed the tv aspect of a show being produced around the MC and loved the inclusion of the grandma in the story so heavily.