The Marriage Box is the story of Casey, a Syrian Jewish teen who moves from New Orleans to New York at a pivotal time in her life. It’s a coming-of-age story in which we follow Casey’s growth into womanhood and her questioning of her personal beliefs and the beliefs of her friends and family.

I enjoyed reading about the Syrian Jewish experience in the United States. Additionally, the book is set in the 1980s, and I loved all the pop culture references.

I felt Casey’s character development was lacking, but I am a reader who prefers a lot of depth in that area as opposed to a propulsive plot.

Overall, the author has created vivid imagery of nightlife and food as Casey explores both New Orleans and New York. The imagery and '80s vibes make The Marriage Box a solid coming-of-age story.

@currentlyreading__
Book 43 of 2022

Thank you to @NetGalley, the writer @corieadjmi and the publisher @shewritespress for the advanced e-copy of 'The Marriage Box' ahead of publication on 2nd August.

I do love a good coming-of-age story and @coroeadjmi's presentation of the protagonist Casey Cohen is a sensitive one within which we really get to care about her hopes, dreams and ambitions. Feeling torn between her ambitions to study at college and following the tradition route of Syrian Jewish orthodoxy, Casey immerses herself in the rituals and customs of Judaism all the while dreaming of what it would be like to be at college with the associated freedom. Her cousin Tracey has what Casey dreams of and Casey settles for numerous classics on her night-stand so she can discuss Humbert Humbert from 'Lolita' or Jo from 'Little Women' when Tracey returns.

Moving from New Orleans to New York, Casey, at eighteen marries Michael, twenty-three business-man with an Adam's apple moving like a ping-pong ball under his skin. After being taught to be shatra (hospitable), Casey's focus is on keeping house for her husband Michael. With a freezer full of maza-sambousak, kibbeh and laham the descriptions of food were mouth-watering. From the Passover Seder plate, piping-hot beignets with powdered sugar to the pimped up tuna fish sandwich Casey makes for the homeless man she befriends in NYC.

Music serves as a backdrop to make us remember the 1980s timeframe in which the novel is set. Madonna, Michael Jackson, Fleetwood Mac and Cyndi Lauper and Casey dancing is reminiscent of the freedom she so desires; dancing to the blasting music in a crop top and shorts as opposed to the rabbi telling her that music isn't an "essential".

Characters are painted beautifully; the glamorous Middle-Eastern girls being primed for marriage; skin like copper and goddess-like, Rochelle in gold lamé and beautifully manicured fingernails, the Orthodox wedding where "every woman in the room, regardless of age or religiosity, wore a skintight dress (size 2) and Christian Dior stilettos - dolled up like a Barbie with long black hair.

This was definitely an enjoyable read and totally not what I was expecting. I was left satisfied with the conclusion although I wasn't quite sure what Casey's trajectory would be but I am happy that @corieadjmi chose one we could clearly imagine for our protagonist.

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A really well written book characters that come alive and kept me turning the pages.An author I will be following and recommending.#netgalley #shewritespress

This book is really original. I haven't read a book quite like this before. It was also very informative. I liked the characters and the way that the story unfolded too.

a coming of age story centred around a syrian teenager as she makes her way in the traditional world she belongs to. shifting between new orleans and a syrian jewish community in new york, casey cohen makes mistakes, she regrets, she lives, she loves, she yearns to belong to tradition, and she becomes through her desires.

corie adjmi’s writing was so intimate i felt like casey’s friend and confidante. every step she made, i did it alongside her. both hilarious and heart wrenching, at once this book, for me, was both an entertaining read and a rather educational one.

the publication date is the 2nd of august 2022. this is a must-read. we all know and love coming of age stories as girls and women discover themselves, but typically said girls and women are white american. here, we have something different so much so it is a read that will stick with you. here, we have something rare, and it is a shame it is. pre-order it, read it, share it, champion it, and begin conversations of encouragement for publications to give us more diverse stories like this one. i hope this is the start of an overdue shift in the world of contemporary literature.

and finally, thank you to netgalley and she writes press publications for the arc. i just loved it.

This is a well-written book with a believable plot and flushed-out characters. This was such an enjoyable read.

The Marriage Box is the story of Casey, a 15-year-old girl who is forced to move from her hometown of New Orleans, LA back to her parent's orthodox Syrian Community in NY after something happens and her parents want to return her to her roots. I enjoyed Casey's life in NOLA as the book led up to the "incident". There was a lot of foreshadowing of this incident and I felt like the description of the actual incident was a letdown. We finally find out what happened and then it feels like it was glossed over.

Once Casy arrives in NY, I really enjoyed learning more about the community as it was in the 80s. and the culture shock that Casey was experiencing. Her meeting with Michael and subsequent decisions all felt very rushed, while the last few chapters felt like they lasted forever. Other than that, I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot about Orthodox/Jewish Syrian culture.

After a traumatic scene early on, I almost gave up reading The Marriage Box. I tend to avoid books that feature abuse and the scene was intense for me. That being said, I’m so glad I kept reading; the abuse was important to the storyline and I found the rest of the book absolutely fascinating.
An intimate glimpse into a culture I knew very little about, I couldn’t put it down!

Well written with a believable and compelling plot that engaged me all the way through and well developed characters. I really enjoyed it.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, She Writes Press and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Interesting read with characters you’ll be invested in from the beginning.

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. I was really into the plot and the characters and really invested. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in a character driven read.

For a coming of age book, this one has good bones and an interesting premise for a story--one in which a young girl named Casey moves from New Orleans after getting caught in a car with a drug dealer, with her Syrian Jewish parents to Brooklyn, where she wrestles with wanting to follow her own path but gets sucked into the Jewish customs and traditions. Casey, however, stays stagnant throughout the whole book in a very unrealistic way and falls very flat as a character.