“Sumptuous Semite” Ethan and reluctant family bakery manager Avital are the central characters in this Hebrew Romeo and Juliet or Jewish Hatfields and McCoys story. Former business partners who have become bitter enemies have passed down their animosity to subsequent generations. In Kissing Kosher Ethan and Avital, the rivals' grandchildren, are on the front lines of this bakery “war”.

Jean Meltzer is great at chronic pain, chronic illness representation. Avital is trying to not make her pain her identity but she begins to acknowledge how her chronic affects her entire life and has irrevocably changed her going forward. Then Avital starts finding joy whenever and wherever she can. Ethan is also dealing with pain, the emotional pain from the verbal abuse he endures from his grandfather. He discovers boundaries are necessary especially with family.

I loved reading the Jewish perspective about sex and intimacy from the great character of Rabbi Jason.
Loved this quote as well: “If your heart is in the right place, it will never lead you in the wrong direction”

Knowing the background of Ethan’s grandfather, his transgenerational trauma doesn’t really help take away from his verbal abusive treatment of Ethan. He's just a petty tyrant.

Thank you NetGalley and MIRA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Kissing Kosher is a Jewish family-centered novel about Avital (Avi) and her family's bakery, Best Babka. Avital's family, the Cohens, are rivals of the Lippmann's label, as the grandfather's of each family used to be best friends. Ethan gets a job at Best Babka and meets Avi, and through the entire story we learn about the Cohen and Lippmann families, the importance of found family, and overcoming a variety of circumstances. Avi experiences chronic pain and needs a l0t of support from others to get through the daily bakery grind. My favorite character is the marijuana growhouse owning Rabbi - he really has some wise words! Meltzer writes with the background knowledge of these characters and writes through experience, which really helped the story evolve. This is her third book (my first of hers) and I really enjoyed reading it. I sure hope a sequel or novella comes out - I'd love to see what happens next.
#kissingkosher #netgalley

This book has multiple basic mistakes about Hebrew and Yiddish and Judaism. Zeyde is Yiddish not Hebrew, for example. No one was baking pumpkin spice babka in the 1950s. And I could go on and on. It would have be nice to have had someone check these basic facts which otherwise take away from a fun read

I can't say enough positive things about this book. Avi and Ethan are both the grandchildren of two families in a long-standing feud regarding their kosher bakeries. Ethan is sent undercover by his unloving grandfather to infiltrate the bakery of Avi's family and find the secret recipe of their famous babka. Along the way, Avi and Ethan begin a slow burn relationship in which one another is able to empathize and help each other heal from their mutual trauma. Avi, a former photographer, gave up her career and life in LA to return to Brooklyn and the family business; she suffers from a painful chronic illness and needed more flexibility to manage her condition. Ethan blames himself for the death of his parents and the disabling of his sister from an accident when he was younger. Together they find healing not just for themselves, but for their feuding families.

The book is a lovely tale of self-acceptance, unconditional love, forgiveness, Jewish culture and one of the best depictions I've ever read of how someone with chronic illness navigates life. Five out of five stars.


I just reviewed Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer. #KissingKosher #NetGalley

I adored THE MATZAH BALL so I was very excited to read Jean Meltzer's new novel. It lived up to my expectations and then some! Absolutely recommend.

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

A Jewish romance!!!!! I was so elated when I saw this story on netgalley and it was just as much of a pleasure to read as I expected. Growing up jew-ish there weren't stories that really showed this part of me. IT was magical that it mixed with romance.

I love Jean Meltzer! I love the representation her books contain and I enjoy learning about the Jewish faith and traditions. This book was very sweet and addresses so many things you often don’t see in a romcom—chronic illness, grief, trauma—unless it’s one written by Jean Meltzer!

A modern day Romeo & Juliet with a happy ending...woven with Jewish culture throughout. Meltzer's books do an amazing job of bringing some very difficult issues, including both medical and life experiences, to life in a way that is respectful to those who suffer with them and yet not overwhelming for the reader. The writing is both serious and witty, setting a perfect pace for an adventure. I will have to add this one to my shelf when it comes out in print! The supporting cast here was also full of great characters...my favorite being, of course, Tootles.

Fun and engaging rom com, with likable characters and slightly contrived plot, but who minds that when the meet cute, fight cute, get back together cute works so well? Notable for Jewish representation and for representation of disability and recommended to fans of light hearted HEA romances.

Kissing Kosher: A Novel by Jean Meltzer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s official. I’m a Jean Meltzer book addict. I just finished Mr. Perfect on Paper when I saw an opportunity to read an advanced copy of Kissing Kosher on NetGalley. I gobbled this book up in 24 hours. What did I love about it? The yiddishkeit is what really draws me to Jean Meltzer’s books, starting with The Matzah Ball. I love seeing elements of Judaism threaded throughout the text. Jean has a knack for explaining Jewish traditions, rituals, and even language without it seeming forced or hearing the author’s “voice”. Then there’s the romcom aspect. Funny, romantic, but with real world issues. In this case, (tw) verbal abuse, chronic disease, and pain management. The only bad thing is now I will probably have to wait what will seem like a lifetime for Jean’s fourth book!

This is a special edition of Your Next Jewish Read. Kissing Kosher: A Novel by Jean Meltzer (Author of Mr. Perfect on Paper) will be available on August 29, 2023.

I received an ARC from NetGalley for this book and I absolutely love it. This is my first book hangover in a long time!

A romance between dueling families, with generations of wealth and sorrow. I love this book because it also portrays life with chronic illness and how that affects every facet of one's life. Childhood trauma is another topic tackled, along with taking care of a special needs adult and responsible and helpful marijuana use. "Kissing Kosher" is also fully Jewish, and learning more about these traditions in a contemporary setting was really informative. I also really enjoyed the foray into normalizing marijuana use, in same context of having an alcoholic drink.

While this book does delve deep into some serious/triggering issues, I truly thought it was handled beautifully and respectfully.

I highly recommend reading this book when it's available to the public on August 29th!

I recently read "Kissing Kosher" by Jean Meltzer, and it had me laughing out loud from beginning to end. A sweet, spicy, romantic story full of misadventures.