This book was cute and I loved the Jewish representation in it but I had a very hard time reading it with how the PDF was set up (weird spaces in between letters in words, etc)

This was my first book with a good amount of jewish rep in it. Faye seems to have manifested the perfect man in Greg and their story was both original and cute. I don’t tend to navigate towards any book with substantial religion rep of any sort, but nonetheless this was different for me and I learned a lot.

Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

4/5 stars

This is a Jewish romance novel with some magical elements. I, admittedly, know very little about Jewish culture and especially about Jewish folklore so this book was interesting, fascinating, educational, and a great read.

Faye is a lawyer turned ceramicist who accidentally hits a beautifully red-haired man on her bike. This man, coincidentally, possesses the physical attributes of her dream man. He also suffers from amnesia and Faye ends up caring for him, later remembering she created a golem of her desired traits in a man (ahem, Greg, bike guy - now seemingly brought to life).

This scenario is complicated by the fact that there are numerous anti-Semitic acts going on her town by a group called the Paper Boys. Is Greg somehow involved? Or is he there to help?

TW: there is some mention of child abuse

I thoroughly enjoyed *Magical Meet Cute* by Jean Meltzer. Reading a romance with a Jewish protagonist was refreshing, providing an interesting glimpse into a culture different from mine. Fiction has a unique power to foster empathy; this book did exactly that. I had no idea there was such a thing as a "Jewitch," and it was fascinating to explore this aspect of the story.

Greg, or Gregolem, was almost too good to be true—almost. His character felt genuine and endearing as if he were a true good guy. On the other hand, Faye drove me a bit coo-coo with some of her outlandish and unsafe choices. At times, her actions seemed to fit the cozy mystery trope of the bumbling heroine who accidentally solves the mystery. Despite this, many of her responses were deeply authentic, especially when viewed through her past traumas. Occasionally, though, she would do something truly unhinged, adding an unpredictable element to her character.

Ultimately, the story is sweet and engaging. I loved the mix of romance and a touch of magical realism, with Faye’s pottery and the intriguing concept of summoning a golem. The narrative kept me hooked, and I appreciated the deeper themes it explored. This book is charming, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a unique and heartwarming romance.

I wanted to love this book! I have loved Jean Meltzer's other books. I love the town of Woodstock and have been there many times so it was nice that the story took place there. But this book was so corny and predictable. The best character was Nelly!

I had a thing for golem science fiction in the 2000s so this sweet rom com was perfect. I laughed a lot and thought this was a lovely novel.

Magical Meet Cute is my second read of Jean Meltzer. I do love all the aspects she writes of being Jewish for me being non Jewish to learn about. This book brought up really important topics that did make me do some research after. At the heart of this , it is still a cute romance set in Woodstock with some kooky residents.

Yeah the reveal of the Paper Boy nazi group was pretty obvious but this was still a cute read.

Thank you to Net Galley , MIRA and Jean Meltzer for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cute romcom that tackles some difficult topics without making the book feel like I was out of place. I am not Jewish and don't know much about the community or their struggles and at first I was worried the book was going to be hard to understand but everything was well described and explained. It allowed me to learn something new while enjoying a romantic story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for letting me read an ARC of this book! I really enjoyed it, I thought the amnesia storyline was fun and the chemistry stayed consistent between Faye and Greg. As someone who isn't Jewish and wasn't brought up in any religion it's always so enjoyable for me to be able to learn about other cultures and ways of life through fiction. I thought this was a really sweet and cute read overall.

As a huge fan of Jean Meltzer, I was so looking forward to this new book of hers. I think there is such a need in the book world for stories centered around Jewish characters, particularly in the romance space. Magical Meet Cute presents an imaginative premise with its blend of whimsical fantasy and romance creating a charming but light-hearted narrative. The story revolves around unexpected magical encounters that intertwine the lives of its characters in quirky and humorous ways. Magical Meet Cute is an escape into a world where love and magic collide.

The storyline may not appeal to everyone due to its highly fantastical elements, which some readers might find too unrealistic for their taste. I personally felt very disconnected from the characters and events. While there were definitely parts of the story that I enjoyed, I found myself disengaged and disinterested often as I was reading. This was a far departure from how I have felt in other books written by Jean Meltzer.

I thought the story of self discovery that faye went thought was a good story., but honestly the writing is what fell flat for me - i didn’t want to continue reading because i found myself getting bored with the tone.

This book was not for me. I did really appreciate the attention to the anti-semitic reality that many still face. Personally, I am not of the Jewish faith so I can't speak to how someone of the faith may relate to this story. I felt like the characters felt flat. I also excited a more magical realism romance and it was that but it felt a little rushed. There were a lot of details about personal growth and that was wonderful. I just didn't find myself rooting for the romance. I did appreciate the mystery going on and I will be looking for other books by this author. The writing was great, but the plot and characters just were not for me.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Book: Magical Meet Cute
Author: Jean Meltzer
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Mira, for sending me an ARC. This is the second book by this author that I have read. I enjoy her writing style a lot. I love the mix of romance and Jewish culture that she brings into her books. While this one is a romance, it does take on some serious topics.

In this one, we follow Faya, who used to be engaged and a top lawyer. She has put that all behind her and now owns a shop where she makes and sells pottery. She enjoys it a lot. She lives above her shop with her hairless dog. Life is great. The only thing missing is a little romance. However, she isn’t the type of woman who needs a man in her life to be happy. Then, it starts. Anti-Semtic flyers and attacks on Jews begin to happen in her small town. Faye doesn’t know where to turn or who to trust. Things are not good. She has friends behind her, which keeps her going. She gets drunk and is upset. She turns to the two things that make her happy: pottery and Jewish magic. She makes a golem, who just happens to look like her ideal man. She doesn’t think any more of it until she runs Greg over with her bike. Grey wakes up and remembers nothing about his past or where he came from. Plus, he looks exactly like the golem Faye made. Is there a freak thing or did Faye perform magic?

It was this set-up that made me want to read this book. As I started by saying, this is the second book I have read by this author, so I did have high expectations. I love the idea of magic and golems. Building something to live to be a protector and always be there for you just adds so much to books. I know there is the chance that the golem could go off and have to be destroyed, but we don’t need to talk about that. I loved the bits of Jewish magical tradition that were so crafty and woven throughout the story. I was not at all familiar with this bit of Jewish culture. The author did an amazing job at explaining it without being info-dumpy and bringing it to life. She did that well with all of the Jewish cultural elements this book contains. I didn’t know a lot of it, so it was nice to learn something new.

Faye is a woman who had it all and gave it up. She was supposed to be married, but her ex dumped her in Lapland. She had her law practice, which made good money, but wasn’t what she wanted. She gave it all up for to chase her childhood dream of being an artist. She did have a full-ride scholarship to art school until her mother broke her wrist. Faye thinks that she can never be the artist she was before. Her work has flaws, which she thinks make it unable to be sold. It eats her up. Her past haunts her. Her mother abused her and her father stood by and let it happen. He did not protect her and it ended up costing Faye everything. All of her actions and thoughts are centred around this trauma. She has never asked for help nor has she gotten it. She thinks she doesn’t need it, that this is how life is supposed to be.

Now, I do not think that a woman needs a man to bring out the best in her. Greg does that. Of course, he is supposed to be made for Faye. He brings out the best in her, helps her see that everything that has not happened to her is not her fault, and brings her back to life. she is at a pretty low point in her life. He takes both the good and bad parts of her and helps her see that it is who she is. He helps her see that her past does not define her but empowers her. I guess that what I am getting at is that he allows her to see herself as she is and helps her realize her potential. He lets her see her strength.

The reason I gave this a four star instead of a five was because I thought there were times that the pacing dragged a little bit. There are some plot holes, but it is what it is. It wasn’t a big deal for me.

Overall, I did enjoy this one. If you are looking for a romance with a bit of magic, I highly encourage you to give this one a go.

This book comes out on August 27, 2024.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/2X7Ezb02BAM

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I was definitely drawn in to reading this novel by the cover art, it was a very fluffy romance with cute characters and a fun storyline. I did really enjoy the way the author blended magic into the story, along with traditional Jewish folklore elements. It's definitely the first book I've read that's done that, I will be on the lookout for more!

Thanks to the author, publisher, and net galley for this arc. Sadly, I just couldn’t connect with the characters in this book. It wasn’t a favorite and didn’t feel relatable.

I really struggled with this book. The plot felt too exaggerated and it was hard to get into. The main character was also pretty unbearable in my opinion, and her relationship with Greg was cringey and awkward.

2.5 stars

There were some positives about this book. Obviously Jewish romance is a genre I love, so I enjoyed the Jewish aspects of this, even though they felt very heavy handed at times. I also enjoyed having dual POV.

Overall, though, I just didn’t like this. I found Faye very annoying and cringey. I also just found so much of this to be completely unbelievable. Characters were too cartoonish, plot lines made no sense, and the writing just often came across as too cliche. I love romances and I’m fine with suspending my disbelief and enjoying something unrealistic, but this was too much for me. Also if I never hear about hard kosher salami (this is not a euphemism) again it’ll be too soon. I had to drag myself through this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

Magical Meet Cute is the latest from Jean Meltzer, one of my favorite novelists in recent years. You can learn more about Jean on her website and social media accounts. Magical Meet Cute is so much more that its cute title and cover make it seem, and that is all because of Jean's magic (pun fully intended).

As is the case with every single one of Jean's books, what starts out as a romance or rom-com, dives deeply into relevant and difficult issues fairly early on. So many layers and nuances make this a difficult book to put down; each page reveals just a smidgen more about the characters, the community, Jewish culture (and folklore, as is the case with this story), and of course, the romance.

I don't want to spoil anything, but I do need to mention some things. (1) While there is mention of certain parts of human anatomy, there is not any overtly open-door love scene within this novel (but yes, this is a "kissing book"). (2) There is a lot to unpack about anti-Semitism in this book, and Jean holds back nothing. It's not easy reading, but it's important. (3) There is a dog! I love dogs. (Also I'm so sorry that Jean's Shadow recently passed over the rainbow bridge.) (4) A lesson learned from the book: We should trust our guts with people who seem sus.

Highly recommended!

This book will be published on August 27, 2024, and please take my advice and preorder, ask your library to order, and spread the Jewish romance joy far and wide.

Beyond adorable and am so glad I took a chance with this author! Jean is a new author to me and her writing for sure has hooked me in. I cannot wait to see what else she has up her sleeve because this story for sure took me away. SWOONED!