Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! Wow do I love a Jewish romance. This very sweet, YA, Hanukkah romance was just what I needed to kick off my holiday reading. It also doesn’t hurt that I was reading it during Yom Kippur - I was in the Jewish holiday mindset (albeit VERY different holidays). There were details in this that I found so over the top (what teenage boy is this thoughtful?), but that’s part of the fun of a saccharine romance. I will say, there is one plot point that didn’t happen that my romantic heart was hoping for - there was a pair of characters that I wanted to get together, but didn’t (it wasn’t even hinted at, I just wanted it!). This was a delightful quick read to get you in the Hanukkah spirit!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As a Jewish Texan who has been stuck in Texas before I loved this story. My name is also hana and I live in New York. I saw a lot of myself in this story. I love how Hannah is aware of her Jewish identity and what it means to her. I would have loved to have this story when I was growing up.

I LOVE A HANUKKAH ROMANCE OMG!! As someone who was raised Jewish, this is amazing. If you enjoyed this definitely read Eight Nights of Flirting by Hannah Reynolds! I love all the Jewish romances popping up left and right!

First things first, thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Random House - Underlined for allowing me to read this arc!

This book was honestly so cheesy and cute that words cannot describe it. I honestly wish there were more books and movies (!!!) that surround Hanukkah and some not all Jewish holidays. If there's a Christmas/Valentine's Day/Thanksgiving, etc. book why can't we try for more Jewish representation!

I think the thing I loved the most about this book is Hannah. Hannah right off the bat describes her family dynamic with Judaism, her grandmother (who she is visiting in a small town in Texas) wasn't Jewish, her husband was, but were not that religious so Hannah's father's up bring wasn't that strict. Her mother on the other hand grew up more Conservative. Hannah having grown up in NYC has been surrounded her whole life to this religion and coming to her grandmother's small town is like a big 180 for her. I felt it was very important for this to be brought up because while you may consider yourself Jewish there are so many ways, especially now, on how you interpret it. I personally know that.

You now have Noah who helps run the only Jewish deli in town that has been in his family for generations. He tries to bring spark to Hanukkah, HE EVEN HAS A RABBI GNOME SO CUTE!

Being stuck in this small town with very little Jewish representation Noah tries to spread the Hanukkah spirit, yes you called it, for 8 nights for Hannah. Personally each night getting better than the next.

So thank you again #NetGalley and Penguin Random House - Underlined for allowing me to read this wonderful book! This is definitely a must if you are into holiday rom-coms and you don't need to be Jewish to get it! Shalom, y'all! 👋🏻

This was cute, fun, and lighthearted. It was an easy read, perfect for December.

I felt very old reading this though. I’m 25 and relatively hip, but I felt very dated when I didn’t understand the TikTok and general young person references. Sigh. I might be too old for YA.

Thank you to Underlined/NetGalley for a copy of Eight Dates and Nights in exchange for an honest review.

Shalom, Y'all!

Betsy Aldredge's Eight Dates and Nights' Hannah has a Jewish answer or explanation for everything, and I love it. There may be some who wonder if this is realistic. Those people aren't Jewish. Do teens really talk about being Jewish this much? Yes, yes, they do. It's delightful.

What I find more unrealistic is that a teen so in touch with her Judaism doesn't realize that a town called "Rosenblum" has Jewish roots. I know people from cities can get a bit narrow-minded about the South, but c'mon. I mean, Jewish people exist in Texas, y'all. A few other moments hit me as over the top, but they venture into spoiler territory. Minor quibbles, though.

As an aside, as someone who tries to use inclusive language, I will now incorporate "Shalom, y'all" into my daily life.

Who Is It For?

There's no getting around it: Eight Dates and Nights is a Hallmark holiday movie, but make it for teens. And like the annual one or two Hallmark Hanukkah movies, there's some overexplaining for the gentiles in the back. 

That doesn't mean Jewish teens won't get a kick out of Betsy Aldredge's book. On the contrary, this is a book where they might finally see themselves on the page. (Halleluyah!)  That's worth a lot. When you're a member of a minority -- any minority -- seeing yourself in media is a powerful thing. And while I've seen other minority groups getting more and more books about them, I haven't seen an influx in Jewish YA in recent years. That makes Eight Dates and Nights something extraordinary. 

Should You Read It?

If you like taffy-sweet books with a grumpy/sunshine couple, then yes, absolutely. This might be a more challenging book to swallow if you're not a fan of such a pairing. Speaking of swallowing, cynical foodies out there might still love Eight Dates and Nights. Especially those who love pickles. (No. None of that was euphemistic.) In any case, this is a cute book, perfect for the holiday. 

Eight Dates and Nights hits shelves on October 03, 2023. You can pick up a copy at your local indie bookstore or library.📚 🕎👩‍❤️‍👨

This was a charming reverse grumpy/sunshine YA holiday romance between two Jewish teens spending Hanukkah in a small Texas town. Guilted into visiting her grandmother for the holidays, New Yorker Hannah resents missing out on time with her friends and family back in the city, only to find herself stranded when a freak snow storm hits. Luckily, local boy Noah is all too happy to volunteer to be her guide and goes above and beyond to make her have a great Hannukah, taking Hannah on a series of Jewish themed dates full of latkes and family history (both his and hers).
This was a little insta-lovey but it was really cute. I liked the focus on Jewish heritage and it was a well-written story. It was light and fun and a solid holiday read.

A cute and fun romcom. I think at times it touched a little to close to a hallmark movie, however I did eat that up and had a very fun time reading it

This was super cute!! I don't normally see lots of Hanukkah romance books so I saw this and just knew that I should broaden my horizons to read this one. I'm not Jewish so I can't speak to the accuracy of the representation in this book, but it seemed to me like it was done well.

This book was seriously a breeze to get through. I don't know if it felt so short because it was actually short or if it was because Hannah and Noah basically had love at third sight. Not complaining though, that kind of thing can be cute if done well. Them bonding over pickles was super cute, and Hannah bonding with her Nana made my heart happy.

In all this was cute, fluffy, light, and pure holiday fun. I would definitely recommend.

I really like the premise of this book, and I don't know a lot of Hannukah romance books for teens. However, I'm not a huge fan of the writing style. In my opinion, Hannah doesn't read as a seventeen year old. She reads a bit younger. This is probably just me but I felt like some of the descriptions weren't the best either. For example, I felt like the description of the deli was a list of bullet points on what the space looked like. We weren't really looking at the space through Hannah's eyes which I think would have been more impactful.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Penguin Random House - Underlined for allowing me to read an eARC of this title.

This is a Hallmark-esque YA Rom-Com set during Hanukkah. Hannah enjoys a" quiet, dignified, meaningful" traditional Hanukkah celebrations with her family. But this year, she is stuck in "the middle-of-nowhere East Texas" during the holiday season. Missing her NYC family and friends she is homesick and a bit grumpy. Then she finds the small Jewish Deli in town and meets Noah Blum. To Hannah, Noah's idea of Hanukkah is very commercialized.
The Deli is struggling and Noah;s grandfather needs a break. Hannah agrees to help out at the Deli and Noah will show her how he celebrates Hanukkah in the small town. Of course there is romance and some laughs.

I really enjoyed this book. I learned about some Hanukkah traditions. I wish there were recipes, because some of the food they discuss sounds amazing. I believe my students will enjoy this rom-com.
It is clean, there are a few kisses.

What a cute quick YA holiday read. Hannah is a Jewish girl raised in NYC. Her family send her to visit her grandmother in rural east Texas over holiday break and an unexpected storm grounds her throughout Hanukkah.

Noah is a teen boy who is trying to carry on the legacy of his family’s Jewish deli.

Hannah and Noah work together to give the deli a future while simultaneously falling in love.

This book has it all and is such a perfect read for this holiday season.

Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge
Release Date: 10/3/23
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Publishing for allowing me to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a treat this book was! In Eight Dates and Nights, high school senior and New Yorker Hannah is sent to small town Texas to spend part of the Hannukah holiday with her estranged Grandmother. A girl who enjoys traditional celebrations, Hannah is not happy about spending her holiday with a Grandmother she barely knows. But when she happens upon Blum & Sons, the town’s surprisingly delicious Jewish deli and meets Noah, the grandson of the owner, she is not AS unhappy about the freak snowstorm that threatens to keep her in Texas longer than planned.

This was a sweet holiday romance with really likable teenage characters. I’m glad I had a chance to read it! I think it would be a great addition to any holiday TBR.

This was a cute YA romance. If you are looking for a cute light holiday read I would suggest this one.

4.5
I absolutely adored this book. The title was perfectly fitting and I loved that the book took place over all eight nights of Hanukkah plus a little extra beforehand. Hannah and Noah were a great duo, and while it was definitely a little too insta lovey for my typical tastes, I really enjoyed this pairing. What really made me love this book was the depictions of Judaism in different places. Hannah, a NYC girl was so used to constantly being surrounded by Jewish things and people that when she went to Texas to visit her grandmother, it was a bit of a culture shock. There was a conversation/scene about taking your Jewish community for granted and I thought this was so important. I also loved all the little dates. Noah was like a walking Hanukkah advertisement, but there was clear reason for all his shenanigans and I just really liked him as a character. This was a great quick read, and honestly I could have read more, it was just that cute! Thank you to Random House Children's and Underlined books for sending me an e-ARC of this book to read and review.

This book was super cute! I loved the touch of it being set in a small Texas town. I thought the book was written perfectly and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for allowing me to read a digital ARC of Eight Dates and Nights by Betsy Aldredge. This YA holiday romance will be out October 2, 2023. All opinions are my own.

Hannah is a New Yorker who hates the commercialization of Hanukkah. She prefers to spend it quietly at home with her family and friends. This year, though, she’s stuck in Texas visiting her grandma on her horse farm. She’s lonely and missing a reliable Wi-Fi connection when she wanders into the only Jewish deli in the small Texas town. It instantly reminds her of New York and home. That’s where she meets Noah, a cute Jewish guy full over over the top Festival of Lights spirit. He’s determined to share his version of Hanukkah with her to ensure she has good time while in Texas. The two get closer one Hanukkah date at a time and Hannah begins to wonder if there may be more to Hanukkah than she thought.

I loved this story. It is adorable and witty. It even has a Hanukkah gnome named Mordechai. I loved Hannah and Noah and their families. I also loved that I got to learn about Hanukkah and Judaism. I love a good holiday book and I always appreciate when I find one that’s not Christmas related. Normally, when I find a non-Christmas book, it just includes the other holiday, but doesn’t give me much information about it. I really appreciated that I got to learn a little bit about Hanukkah while enjoying a fun and flirty story. This book is cute, hopeful, and a perfect holiday read. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a non-Christmas holiday book.

This was too CUTE and full of hope, heart, and history. I loved the message of opening your heart and mind to new possibilities, while finding community and belonging in unlikely places.

Hannah and Noah were adorable 🥰 Even though their relationship veered a bit into insta love territory, I found their chemistry more believable because it was centered around a shared history rather than a brief moment of attraction. I loved how Noah sought to gently nudge Hannah into broadening her mindset when it came to holiday celebrations - helping Hannah preserve her family’s traditions, while making the most of being somewhere unfamiliar for Hanukkah, welcoming her into his family and local community, and sharing light and love with strangers who quickly became friends.

While a smidge predictable, the ending was very sweet and full of warm fuzzies that made my heart happy. This grumpy sunshine YA romance was tender, the humor heartfelt and without being cheesy, and the themes of faith, family, and friendship were beautifully written.

This book was an absolute delight! A charming story about two Jewish teens set during Hanukkah in Texas. I loved that both main characters were Jewish, as well as the many references to Jewish culture and tradition. Plus, we need more Jewish stories set in locations that people don't immediately think of as Jewish, like Texas. I'll definitely be reading this one again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A New York City girl finds herself spending the holidays with her grandmother in Texas... what she didn't expect was to be spending Hanukkah with the cute deli boy who wants nothing more to show her the wonders of the holiday and maybe get her to fall in love with him. Hannah Levin wants nothing more than to spend her holidays in the city with her family and friends but has to go spend it with her grandmother in Texas when her brother can't make it. Feeling lonely and missing wifi she finds herself wandering into an old deli where she meets the only other Jewish teen around, Noah. From the moment Noah and Hannah meet they can't help begin to fall for one another. In exchange for Hannah helping Noah around the deli he will show her the best Hanukkah ever... but can this new romance really work when they are both so different and live in different places? This was a sweet holiday romance and I do adore a grumpy x sunshine , city girl x country boy trope. It overall was a fun read and definitely a good one for the holiday!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Underlined for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*