Dara is a Matchmaker, a prestigious position in Jewish culture she is proud to carry on. As the creator of J-Mate, a Jewish dating site, she continues her family legacy using her tech background. But times have changed since she founded it at 20, and in her mid-thirties, she needs to bring people to the app and find her own J-Mate. She teams up with a local television reporter, Chris, to highlight her app and find her perfect Jewish husband.

Chris is a Christian, single dad, reporter, and widow. He checks none of Dara's boxes for Mr Perfect, but neither can keep their eyes off each other. As they get closer when filming, Chris sees and accepts all of Dara. Dara just needs to accept Chris for who he is...

I've had a lot of friends have to learn how to reconcile their beliefs and expectations for their lives with unexpected experiences, particularly falling in love. Seeing Dara experience this felt very accurate to many people today.

We live in a multicultural world where we become more enmeshed with other religions and races. It's brought more tolerance, but Dara's fear of losing her religious identity and betraying her community/culture/history is valid and rings true for many. Dara's story portrays the feelings many of us have had when trying to navigate multicultural or interracial relationships.

The anxiety, Jewish cultural, and grief representation was informational and respectful in my opinion. My best friend is a Jewish woman from Jersey and I have anxiety so this hit close for me :)

Not to mention the pining, happy ending for side characters (loved that), and grandma we'd all want, this book was a relatable, fun, romcom!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

3.75 stars
1 spice

As a huge fan of her first book ‘The Matzah Ball,’ I was so excited to pick up ‘Mr. Perfect on Paper’ by Jean Meltzer. And it didn’t disappoint! I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend!

While I enjoyed Jean Meltzer's debut novel "The Matzah Ball," I think she really hit her stride with her sophomore release "Mr. Perfect on Paper."

As with her first novel, Meltzer explains many things about the Jewish faith in an easy-to-understand way (not pedantic or preachy at all), which gives all of us insight into our protagonist's world. I love this so much.

The love story in this novel is natural, good, believable, and yes, sometimes heart-crushing. The worlds of dating apps, television, New York, families, and fire engines all converge for the love story of Dara and Chris. It doesn't go like you think it will, and thank goodness we have our fairy ChallahBack Girls to provide the wisdom of the heart for Dara.

Do yourself a favor. If you like rom-coms, pick this one up. You'll be so glad you did.

Summary: When ultra successful tech genius Dara Rabinowitz goes on TV to promote her Jewish dating app J-Date’s newest feature, her grandmother shocks her by sharing Dara’s list of characteristics she is looking for in her “Mr. Perfect”. Number one on the list, he must also be Jewish.

When the host, tv anchor Chris Steadfast, hears her list, it strikes an idea - he will help her find her Mr. Perfect by setting her up on a series of televised dates, designed to not only help her, but to help improve his show’s ratings as well. But sparks fly as Dara spends more time with the widowed and single dad Chris, and soon Dara realizes what she wants and what she needs might not be one in the same.

Thoughts: This book was utterly charming in so many ways. As soon as I felt myself smiling only a few pages in, I knew I was going to like this one. I loved the representation of the Jewish culture and faith and the representation of anxiety, specifically Generalized Anxiety which I too suffer from. Jean Meltzer did an excellent job at showing the reader exactly what Dara goes through as she navigates life surrounded by her faith but with the added mental health struggles that grip so many of us.

I also really loved the way she developed the relationship between Chris and his daughter Lacey, and gave us a glimpse into how hard it is to be a single parent, particularly a single dad raising a pre-teen girl. I laughed at how often he attempted, but ultimately ended up burning breakfast.

As someone who was born into an interfaith family, to an Episcopalian mom and a Jewish dad (although an atheist now), it was really fun to see how the relationship between the two main characters developed in spite of their adherence to different faiths and the turmoil that it added.

While there were a few small issues I had such as contradictory details (how can someone have both olive and porcelain complexions at the same time), overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to reading Meltzer’s previous book, The Matzah Ball, especially as we head into the holidays.

Thank you to NetGalley, Mira, and TLC Book Tours for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun, charming book! I loved it.
Dara and Chris were so cute and I loved getting to know them both. This is a heartwarming and very well written book that I definitely recommend to others. . I devoured it in just a couple of days.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I’m looking forward to reading more by Jean Meltzer in the future.

Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer was an absolute joy to read filled with thought provoking moments and a lot of heart. This is Meltzer’s sophomore novel, and this story proves she was not a one hit wonder with The Matzah Ball. She has created a recipe for entertaining Jewish Hallmark movie-like books.

This book features Dara a third-generation matchmaker who has created an algorithm and brought matchmaking into the 21st century. Although she is terrific at bringing others together, she herself is still single and suffers from generalized anxiety disorder which makes dating not so easy. Her grandmother is still alive and craftily surprises Dara on a morning talk show by sharing Dara’s list of what perfect man. She is so surprised and utterly flabbergasted by this, that the segment goes viral on social media.

Enter Chris, a non-Jewish hunk of a man who works for the morning show, who finds himself increasingly attracted to Dara. And of course, she is definitely feeling the chemistry. But how can they ever be together?

There were many laugh out loud moments, single-parenting struggles, dealing with anxiety, kissing a lot of frogs and figuring out what you need versus what you may want. I applaud the author for including and creating characters that suffer from chronic illnesses. To me, that makes the characters more relatable and allows the reader to learn about different conditions and be compassionate towards them.

4.5 stars: Dara Rabinowitz is a third generation matchmaker, but she does it with technology. She is the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate, but she has not yet found Mr. Right. She knows what she wants in a man, and thus, she has created Mr. Perfect, on paper. When she and her bubbe are invited to appear on national television to celebrate matchmaking and the launch of the updated J-Mate, her grandmother shares Dara's list for what she is looking for in the Perfect Jewish Husband. The show is a ratings hit, but Dara is mortified. The anchor of the show, Chris Steadfast, is a single dad and non-Jewish, so is completely off the table, but there is something there. The network wants Dara's story and they plan to set up dates for her based on her list and film them for the show. One of Dara's biggest issues is that she has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and this is going to be one of the hardest things she has done. Chris also deals with anxiety and he understands what Dara is dealing with and is there to calm her whenever her anxiety rears up. What follows are some pretty hilarious dates as well as a wonderfully developing friendship.

This was a wonderful, uplifting romance, with humour, great characters, frustration, family and friends. The idea that we all have that perfect match in our minds and how it might prevent us from finding our real match, flaws and all was a great theme. The story is told from both Dara's and Chris' POV, so we can see what both of them are thinking, dreaming and hoping. I loved the relationship between Dara and her grandmother. She lives in a retirement home with her best friends, "The ChallahBack Girls" and they were a hoot. They looked out for each other and poked and prodded Dara. Chris was a great character. He was a widower, with an eleven year old daughter, Lacey, who was delightful. She was a mix between a lonely little girl, and preteen who loved Dara from the moment she met her. Who wouldn't love Dara. She was a caring, loyal, smart women who had not had much luck with men. I loved seeing her with Lacey. She is completely open about her anxiety, and I liked how it was portrayed in the story. The storyline was wonderful and the pacing right on. There was a great mix of kindness, frustration, humour and love. The way Jean Meltzer handles the anxiety issues was brilliant. She is honest and compassionate, while bringing out the reality people deal with. With Dara being a devout Jewish woman, I learned a lot about the Jewish customs and beliefs, and I could also see how it can affect the decisions and actions. I was thrilled to see how this story ended, it made my heart happy. If you enjoy romance, humour, family, friendship as well as characters that are well-developed, then you will enjoy Mr. Perfect on Paper.

Jean Meltzer offers up another funny, sweet, poignant story with wonderful protagonists in her new novel Mr. Perfect on Paper.

Dara Robinowitz comes from a long line of shadchaniyot (Jewish matchmakers) and has built an extremely successful company by combining her love of coding with the family business. J-Mate is the most popular Jewish dating app on the market - but the market is constantly changing. Dara knows that to keep her business relevant, she needs to provide her customers with exactly what their fickle little hearts desire. Which is why she has created J-eography, a new feature which will allow Jewish singles to locate other Jewish singles who interest them in their own neighborhood. Gone are the lengthy forms asking about your career, your interests and hobbies, your preferences. This new, more casual approach helps you meet a total stranger and decide for yourself if they are right for you. It goes against the grain for Dara. It triggers all her anxieties - of which she has A LOT - but she is devoted to her firm and determined to see it stay competitive. She even does what she would normally find unthinkable to help it launch - she agrees to an interview on a morning talk show alongside her grandmother in exchange for free publicity. But as the old saying goes, “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Dara has no idea just how much this quickie appearance is going to cost her.

After his wife died, Chris (Christopher) Steadfast packed up his daughter Lacey and all their belongings and moved to the Big Apple. He also gave up being a serious, investigative journalist to anchor Good News New York, a feel-good mid-morning program whose breakout star has been a vegan golden retriever named Bucky. His new work hours allow him to take his daughter to school and go home early enough to spend evenings with her. The atmosphere is a lot less stressful than that of your typical newsroom – or at least it was until a rival show started stealing all their good stories and Chris is advised that cancellation is imminent unless the ratings can be turned around. And then a miracle happens in the form of a clever Jewish bubbe and her sexy granddaughter.

Dara expected that the interview might have glitches given her grandmother’s Alzheimers, which is why she had given the producers a script to work off of and had advised them to direct their questions to her. But she had underestimated her bubbe, Miriam. Before they are ten minutes into their segment, Bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” (created during a drunken evening out) with the viewing audience. Miriam’s charm and Dara’s desperate but sweet attempts to get the interview back on track are television gold and within a day they are a viral sensation.

When Chris sees the viewing numbers of that clip and recognizes just how popular Dara and her bubbe have made the show he comes up with a desperate plan to save his job. He proposes they take Dara’s list seriously and set out to find her the perfect Jewish husband. She wants nothing to do with it - until she learns the show will be canceled unless they can gain a whole lot of new viewers. Chris is Dara’s secret celebrity crush; one she never planned to act on but enjoyed indulging in. (Bucky clips are what keep Dara smiling when her days turn sour.) There is no way she’s giving that up without a fight, so she agrees to Chris’s seemingly crazy idea. But she never expected that Chris, a non-Jewish single dad who isn’t any of Dara’s ‘musts’ for a husband might just be the Mr. Perfect she has been looking for all along.

Ms. Meltzer does an absolutely spectacular job with the cultural aspect of her story. Dara’s Judaism is such a vibrant, integral part of her life and is so beautifully and carefully explained that I felt completely immersed in this aspect of the narrative. I also appreciated very much that Judaism is explained as not just a faith or lifestyle but as a fundamental aspect of Dara’s heritage. Who she is as a person is derived from who her ancestors were and who she wants her children to be.

The author once more does a great job of showcasing living with a chronic illness. Dara has a generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and the way she manages and treats it is woven beautifully into the fabric of the tale. Ms. Meltzer captures with complete credibility the impatience and intolerance of others who don’t understand what being chronically ill means and the frustration and hurt caused when people accuse the sufferer of faking or exaggerating their illness to get out of things they don’t want to do.

Dara is a delightful heroine. She’s smart, talented, driven, strong, quirky, decent, and kind despite all she has going on. She’s a wonderful granddaughter, sister, and friend.

Chris is pretty amazing, too. He is a great dad and friend as well as being a genuinely nice guy, and he becomes a wonderful support for Dara as they work together. When others get frustrated by an anxiety attack she has or when they just don’t know what to say to help her through it, Chris is there. He always knows what to say and how to help her handle her problems while getting the most out of her opportunities.

But while I absolutely adored them as individuals, I didn’t love them as a couple. Dara spends most of the text (hilariously) dating other men, which really put a damper on my enjoyment of the romance. Chris is such a good friend during this period that I found myself more or less accepting that was his permanent position. While there is some longing on both their parts, they both have really good reasons for not acting on those feelings. Reasons that are so well explained in fact, that when they get together at the end of the book, I struggled to accept it and wanted them to be BFFs who found love elsewhere. That, by the way, didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the story. This is a women’s fiction/romance hybrid where the characters don’t acknowledge their love until the end, so their charming friendship, uproarious adventures, and personal journeys take up most of the page space and those are an absolute a joy to read.

Another tiny fly in the ointment is how quickly and easily Lacey accepts Dara into her life. A girl just entering her tweens whose mom has only been dead a couple of years, Lacey can be emotional and angsty (par for the course at that age) and I didn’t buy that she welcomed her dad’s new love so easily and quickly.

The well-communicated love for faith and heritage, excellent descriptions of life with GAD, and the sweet, silly, sometimes slap-sticky humor, make Mr. Perfect on Paper a pleasure to read. I found the story delightful and amusing and think others probably will too - if they keep their romance expectations low.

Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or your local independent retailer
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Dara, the creator and CEO of a Jewish dating app, comes from a long line of matchmakers, so she knows the exact qualities she needs in a husband. Her beloved bubbe shares her checklist for "The Perfect Jewish Husband" on national TV which launches her into a dating show hosted by the handsome Chris Steadfast. As a non-Jewish, single dad, he needs the career stability and ratings that will come with this show but his attraction to Dara starts to get in the way.

Ok, I've read Jewish protagonists before, but nothing like this. I loved all the details on Jewish holidays / traditions that were shared throughout the book. I learned a lot, and could probably learn even more if I invested more time googling some of the Jewish words / references. Dara has Generalized Anxiety Disorder and I thought it was great the way it was described and how it was such a present part of her day to day life. It's something that I'm sure a lot of readers can relate to. I also think everyone can relate to that search for the perfect partner and how you can have all the criteria you want but you can still end up falling for someone, even if they're not what you had in mind.

I recommend this to anyone who loves a feel good rom com with a diverse perspective. Thank you to HTP for the ARC!

This was another great book by Jean Meltzer! I love the fun take on the Jewish rom-com. I understand what she was going for, but I'm not entirely sure I loved the ending. I enjoyed getting there though! I will definitely keep an eye out for Meltzer's future offerings.

CEO of a successful Jewish dating app, Dara Rabinowitz is a wealthy, well known young woman living in Hoboken, NJ. While multi-tasking and list making is her specialty, this perfectionist young woman suffers from GAD, a severe anxiety disorder. This is beyond feeling stressed, Dara’s condition can be completely debilitating. As Dara juggles her hugely popular company called JMate and also keeps a watchful eye on her beloved Bubbe (grandmother) Miriam, she must contend with her disease. When a local daytime television show has Dara and her matchmaking Bubbe as guests they are an unexpected hit and the very charismatic (hot) host Chris Steadfast suggests Dara and her matchmaking business help their diminishing ratings, presently in the tank. Chris takes Dara’s perfect on paper husband list and runs with it. Going viral would put it mildly. The viewers love it and Chris’s show attempts to find the perfect husband for this modern matchmaker through a series of laugh-of-loud dating mishaps. There is one little problem - Dara is falling for Chris, head over heels and everything she has ever believed in. Although he checks none of her boxes, her heart has other plans. Adorable romance with a capital C for comedy. Wonderful and easy to understand references to the Jewish holidays and traditions. I simply had a smile on my face through every single page. Another winner by author Jean Meltzer (The Matzah Ball)

What I enjoyed the most from this novel was all the Jewish traditions and how passionate Dara was about observing them. I didn’t realize how many holidays were in the fall and what their meaning was. I adored Dara’s bubbe, Miriam. She was a firecracker and only wanted her granddaughter to be happy.

Ms. Meltzer also showcased how hard it is for women to “have it all”. Something always gets pushed to the side and for Dara it was finding love. She also showcased living with anxiety and how it affects every aspect of your life.

Mr. Perfect on Paper is a wonderful, lighthearted funny story from author Jean Meltzer, author of The Matzah Ball.

CEO of a Jewish dating app, (J-Mate) and third generation family matchmaker, Dana Rabinowitz knows her love skills. She is a confident woman with incredibly amazing business ideas. She can match two Jewish customers with her eyes closed. As for her own love life…meh! She is afraid to swipe right for her own love life! You see Dana suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and is afraid of well, just about everything. All fears lead to dying!

So, when her team convinces her and her Bubbe, (grandmother) to go on a television show called Good News New York to promote their new app, she is not convinced she can do it, but she is comforted knowing her Bubbe will be there with her. She is also a bit uncomfortable because she has a bit of a crush on the anchor who will be interviewing them, Christopher Steadfast, but him being non-Jewish puts him out of the running as far as Dana is concerned.

Christopher Steadfast is a widow with a young daughter who moved to New York after his wife died. Trying to juggle a career and being both a mother and father to his daughter has made his life a bit hard. But he is so grateful to have her as a memory of the love he had for his late wife.

Unfortunately, things do not go as planned during the interview. Somehow Bubbe seems to take over the talking and produces an actual list Dana had written after a few drinks awhile back which is titled Mr. Perfect on Paper with all the “ingredients” for a perfect Jewish husband. Dana is horrified! But the audience loves it!

With the uptick in ratings from the episode, Chris convinces Dana to do a few more shows in which they try and set her up with her Mr. Perfect on Paper. She meets blind dates which the show has vetted, and they film her on the date.

This is when the true hilarity ensues!

As Dana and Chris begin to spend more time together due to some unfortunate yet funny events, Dana can’t help herself from thinking she could fall hard for him if only he were Jewish. He’s just not perfect on paper. But when Dana seems to meet “the one” who is perfect, she must decide what to do. Chris, who has feelings for Dana can’t do anything to help the situation. It must be up to Dana. She must ponder the question is true love based on what’s written down, or what’s written in the heart.

Mr. Perfect on Paper is funny, entertaining and believe it or not very educational for those who don’t know much about Jewish traditions and sayings. How much did I enjoy this story? It’s Perfect!

Thank you #NetGalley #Mira #JeanMeltzer #PerfectonPaper for the advanced copy.

Mr Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer
Contemporary romance.
Dara is a successful woman with a thriving technology company, a beautiful home and assistants to take care of the details. She is also Jewish and single and keeps a kosher home. Her faith is her history and her everything. In her mid-thirties, Dara decides it’s time to find a husband. Since she is from a family of matchmakers, that should be an easy task but her General Anxiety Disorder holds her back. What can she do in her life to move forward?

I’m not Jewish. But I am a romance reader. And this book was a Perfect romance.
Ok, maybe that’s me but I laughed and cried and rejoiced at the resolution and romance. Yes, I was lost on a lot of the Jewish words but I learned a bunch which always a good thing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that loves a good heartstring-pulling romance story. This is my second book by this author and she has now become an auto-buy.

*******minor spoiler ********
I was so happy at the hints of a potential relationship for the Daniel. He didn’t deserve to be hurt and that glimpse plus a second scene, had me relieved and hopeful for the ending I wanted. *********

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I’m buying a copy to keep and will probably buy copies for friends that I can’t wait to share it with.

Thank you so much to @harpercollinsca for the complimentary ARC of Mr. Perfect On Paper by Jean Meltzer. MPOP published last Tuesday, August 9, 2022 – available now!

Dara Rabinowitz is the creator of J-Date a hugely popular Jewish dating app. Her and her bubbie, Miriam, have agreed to go in Good News, a daytime news show, about being a family of three generations of matchmakers, where she meets, Chris, the lead anchor. He’s not Jewish, and trying to come up with anything he can to save his show before being cancelled.

I said it with Meltzer’s last book, The Matzah Ball, and I’m saying it again – I love how accessible her books are making different aspects of Judaism. The way this book was laid out, with major sections about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simhat Torah, gives readers an easy way to begin to understand the large number of holidays we celebrate in the fall. I really appreciated the thought Chris needed to put in to make what he was planning work and make sense for the holiday.

I didn’t love the romance between the two main characters; some parts were a little too cheesy for me. But it’s a romcom, people reading just for the HEA will happily find it in this book.

I appreciated the way Generalized Anxiety Disorder was portrayed in the book – though I have no experience with this so can’t speak to its accuracy. I was forced to think about what Dara was going through and how GAD could be affecting people in my world.

Overall, a cute little read, with some really amazing Jewish rep and teachings (even a number of details about Jewish Matchmaking that I didn’t know exist!).

MR. PERFECT ON PAPER – Jean Meltzer
Mira Books
ISBN: 978-0-778-8616-2
August 9, 2022
Romantic Comedy

New York City – Present Day

Dara Rabinowitz created a popular Jewish dating app that has made her rich. Unfortunately, she hasn’t tried to find Mr. Perfect for herself. It doesn’t help that Dara suffers from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which means she worries excessively and uncontrollably about daily life events and activities, forcing her to remain in her home. Lucky for her, the company is mostly work from home. But as Dara is now in her mid-thirties and her grandmother is ill, marrying would please her grandmother.

Dara and her grandmother appear on a morning television show called Good News, where they will speak with the host, Christopher Steadfast, about the hugely popular dating app. Dara has been secretly attracted to Chris, but since he’s not Jewish, they can’t date. During the show, her grandmother takes over the interview and reads off a list that Dara secretly created as what she sees as her perfect man. Chris gets the bright idea that Dara should use the dating app to find her perfect match and the show will film her dates to help promote both the app and the show. Dara reluctantly agrees.

Unfortunately, the dates don’t go as planned in MR. PERFECT ON PAPER. The men, while a match according to the app, appear okay, something funnily (or not so funny) happens to ruin the dates for Dara. Through it all, Chris stands by her side, and they soon get to know each other better. By chance, a doctor who is treating Dara during one of her dating mishaps turns out to be Jewish—and meets the requirements that she had on her list. He agrees to a date—and then another. Is the doctor her Mr. Perfect? While things now are on the right track, a funny thing is happening. Chris starts to have feelings for Dara.

Chris is a widower with an eleven-year-old daughter, Lacey, who is his priority. They had moved to New York City after he lost his wife and, with the television show ratings in the hole, it is necessary that Dara’s dating journey prove successful, or he will be without a job. Add in that Dara is Jewish, and he isn’t, Chris knows that there isn’t a chance they can be together unless he and Lacey convert. A lot of the time Chris is just an observer when it comes to Dara’s dates, and he hates what he is seeing. After all, he wants to be her forever. Alas, it can only be a dream…

MR. PERFECT ON PAPER is a quirky tale that focuses a lot on Jewish traditions and that marriages outside the faith are somewhat frowned on. Dara’s GAD has made her approach life carefully, knowing that she could end up with a panic attack if things are not going the way she wants. Chris is great at helping her get through things, and on paper, he should be her Mr. Perfect. But with all the obstacles between them, readers know that somehow, they will make it work. Watch their bumpy road in this entertaining read.

Patti Fischer

Last year I read a cute holiday romance, The Matzah Ball, by Jean Meltzer. It was a nice changeup from all the usual Christmas-themed books that pop up around the holidays, and I learned a lot about Hanukkah celebrations.

Jean Meltzer's new novel, Mr. Perfect on Paper, tells the story of thirty-something Dana Rabinowitz, a matchmaker. She is a third-generation matchmaker, following in her beloved 90 year old bubbe (grandmother) Miriam and her deceased mother's footsteps. Dara took matchmaking into the 21st century creating an app called J-Mate, specifically for Jewish people looking for a marriage mate who shares their values.

Dara has General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), something that many people battle silently. One of the only things that calms her is listening to a police and fire scanner app, which you might think would create more anxiety, but it has a soothing effect on Dara.

Dara and Miriam are invited to appear on Good News, a national afternoon show with a low ratings. At first reluctant to do the show, Dara agrees because it will help her company launch a new feature on their app, because Miriam is so excited to do it, and the fact that Dara has a major crush on the handsome anchorman Chris Steadfast doesn't hurt.

Things are going well until Miriam embarasses Dara by sharing a list Dara made years ago called Mr. Perfect on Paper. The list is an extremely detailed description of the perfect man for Dara. Dara is mortified even more so when the segment goes viral.

Chris decides that the only way to keep his show from being cancelled is to set Dara up on dates to find Mr. Perfect and have the show follow the dates live. Dara reluctantly agrees, knowing the publicity will help her company and she'll get to spend time with Chris.

Since the Jewish holidays are approaching, the dates all revolve about each holiday. Each date is more disasterous (literally) than the previous one, providing for good television but embarassing Dara further. When she meets a man who is Mr. Perfect on Paper, Chris finds that his feelings for Dara are more than professional. But he is not Jewish, and that is a deal breaker for Dara- or is it?

Dara dealing with her GAD elevates this romantic novel, and as someone who isn't very familiar with Judaism, I appreciated learning about the history and culture. Being Jewish is more than a religion to her, it is her identity. If you're looking for a romance that will enlighten as well as entertain you, look no further than Mr. Perfect on Paper.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2022 Rom-Com Blog Tour.

The following review was posted on my blog today, Sunday, August 7th, 2 days before publication. It will be shared on Twitter and Instagram, as well. The blog post includes links to order the books and to its Goodreads page, so readers can add it to their to-be-read books.




“But love—”
“Doesn’t conquer all. (…) It doesn’t, Chris. Look at the divorce rates in America. (…) Do you know what every single one of those couples had when they got married? Love. They all stood in front of an altar and gazed into each other’s eyes, and that’s the problem with these modern notions of love. There’s too much staring into each other’s eyes, and not enough looking in the same direction.”

Genre: Romance, Comedy
Actual Rating: 5 stars
Spicy Meter: 1 fire emoji
Content Warning: Discusses antisemitism, generalized anxiety disorder, and mixed religion discrimination, and mentions car crashes, parent death, aneurysms, and head tumors.

“Mr. Perfect on Paper” is just about what the title suggests. Dara Rabinowitz is a modern Jewish matchmaker, having created a dating app called J-Mate, when she just still hasn’t found her Mr. Perfect. In comes, Chris Steadfast, a news anchor who moved to New York recently after losing his wife. Dara’s “Perfect Jewish Husband” list is broadcasted by her grandmother in live television, pushing in a series of events that lead to Dara and Chris working on a reality TV style segment where they try to find this Mr. Perfect on Paper. But what does it say of Dara when they actually find Mr. Perfect, but all she can think about is Chris (who fits basically none of her requirements)? Will she follow tradition or will she follow love? And why can’t she follow both?

I am not Jewish myself, but I enjoy so much reading and learning about different religions and beliefs, and I must say this is truly a blast for that. This books takes place during the High Holidays, and even though I had read about them before, Jean Meltzer really did deliver at subtly explaining and showing how these holidays are lived—and why.

I loved Dana’s mannerisms and Chris’s insecurities and empathy. They both felt really human to me. Did I like the outcome? I’m not sure, but I still gave it 5 stars because in the end I just wanted Dara to be happy, and that’s the best testament of how this book moved me. But, if what you’re looking for is spice, this book isn’t for you. You’ll get a few kisses and that’s it.

I would recommend this book to readers with exposure to the Jewish religion and traditions, or anyone whose willing to Google a ton of terms you might not understand (that’s what I did, and I loved it). If you’re looking for a light-hearted, clean romance, “Mr. Perfect on Paper” is perfect for you.

If you click here, you’ll be redirected to Goodreads, so you can add the book to your TBR list.

Or you could click here, and be redirected to Amazon, so you can order the book.

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: August 9, 2022

“But what I learned from this journey, from finding my real-life Mr. Perfect on Paper, is that love isn’t something that can be quantified on a list. Love is messy. And terrifying. It shows up when you least expect it, and complicates your life in every way. But it’s also…safe. And comforting. It allows you to be yourself completely, without judgment or fear, and it feels right.”

Read if you like:
❤️Matchmakers
❤️Feel-good stories
❤️Reading Diversely

This one was so cute with the idea of a matchmaker making their ideal attributes for a partner and seeing that what you hope for isn’t always what’s right for you.

I love that this one also gave some insight into the Jewish culture and mental health representation!

I love a good opposites attract type of story and this one did it so well!

I absolutely love Jean’s writing. The Jewish culture/religion is absolutely fascinating to me. This book was soo cute and full of details. It was a fun fast read that I enjoyed very much. It’s a book that will make you feel happy and laugh out loud. If you like rom coms this one’s for you.