I enjoyed reading Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I adore this author. The format the publisher provided for the ARC was difficult to read. It made it hard to see the humor and satire that Meltzer is known for.

I can say that in release day I snagged the audiobook and laughed plenty, swooned, and learned a lot. This book was wonderfully made and I hope it really takes off this fall-day season.

I ended up dnfing this at 5% I just wasnt connecting with the story at all. I want to love them all but unfortunately my brain says no

I live and breathe Jean Meltzer's books! Magical Meet Cute was just what I needed - I laughed and cried while reading this! I could relate to the fear of antisemitism. This is definitely one of my favorite reads EVER. What I love about Jean Meltzer is that she incorporates serious topics such as chronic illness and antisemitism in this book but also brings a lot of Jewish Joy! It’s the perfect balance. I rave about her books ALL THE TIME — you really can’t go wrong with any of her books!

When Faye knocks a man off his bike he looses his memory and his ability to talk. She takes him home from hospital and cares for him. And there it all takes off. Faye is a Jewitch and deals in magic and spells. She is a potter but makes pieces that aren't quite perfect. She had a troubled childhood with a mother who was mentally ill and a father who did not protect Faye. She has quite a few hang ups because of it.

Greg as they decide to call the knocked over man, has no background that he can remember. He fears he might have something to do with the Paper Boys - a group that have been terrorising the Jewish community.  So Greg sets out to explore with the help of Nelly who has a shop next door to Faye. Nelly is around eighty and quite a character. Will Greg ever find out who he is and what he does. And of course and attraction is growing between Faye and Greg. So if only he can withstand her somewhat crazy magical experiments.

This is your romance read, but it is much more. There is much exploration of anti - Semitism, and the odd thinking of those who persecute. It is about intolerance of one group of people for another. Then there is the issue of our past influences on our lives and how perfection seems to be the goal. And then we miss the beauty of imperfection.  To my mind this is a very issues driven book.

The characters are interesting, the plot intriguing but with little clues along the way that intuitively lead me not to be surprised at how it all played out at the end.  And of course love wins.  A 3.5 stars  read.

'Love is the most reliable cure for wounds of the soul' - Hasidic proverb

This was my first Jean Meltzer book and I will now be reading the others. This is a hilarious Rom-Com. I laughed so much. Yiddish words I had not heard in so long.
Faye is a young "Jewitch", Jewish woman with a painful past, who moves to Woodstock, NY and opens a pottery shop. She has a dog named Hillel that she adopted.
A token is part of Jewish folklore. A creature or human is brought to life.
Greg is he a golem, definitely to good to be true. He helps her learn to take her power back. Stop apologizing for being Jewish, for her past. A story of self discovery for Faye.
The topic of anti-semitism is what we are seeing in our world today. Easy for me to relate to Faye being scared, what us Jews endure daily. Words are powerful. This book has heart and humor.
Magical realism that made this book fun to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Jewish representation and Jewish folklore
Small town romance
Amnesia trope
Forced proximity
Found family
Fighting antisemitism

After experiencing an act of vile antisemitism in her small town, Faye, a Jewitch and a potter, gets drunk and creates a golem, a clay figure from Jewish folklore, a protector of a Jewish community. Faye infuses the golem with all the traits of her perfect man. When Greg, a handsome stranger with all the same characteristics as those she gave her golem but no memory of his past, appears in town and becomes a big part of her life, Faye starts to wonder if her golem came to life.

Magical Meet Cute is an emotional book to read. It's not a fluffy romance because it deals with the heavy topics of antisemitism and (Faye's) childhood trauma and neglect, but it does have lighthearted and sexy moments. There is also a mystery element as Faye, Greg and the townspeople are trying to discover who committed the acts of antisemitism in their small community. I loved the small town setting and Faye's friends, especially Nelly, the octogenarian Nazi hunter. I also appreciated Jewish representation and learning more about the myth of the golem.

Magical Meet Cute is my first book by Jean Meltzer, but it won't be my last. I am looking forward to reading her other novels.

Magical Meet Cute is a sweet romance inspired by Jewish folklore and culture.

Faye Kaplan is a ceramist living in upstate New York. After a failed engagement, she sold her law practice and switched careers, and leaned into her "Jewitch" faith - a combination of Jewish faith and rituals with a deep sense of the divine goddess and natural world. After an anti-Semitic incident in her town rattles her to her core, she creates a little clay figure of her perfect man. The next morning, Faye accidentally hits a man with her bicycle, she feels responsible when he ends up with amnesia. Greg is everything she's wanted - he's kind, funny, loves reading and scrabble - but could he be too good to be true? Could Faye have created a golem by accident??

This was a cute story with some magical elements. The romance between Faye and Greg was sweet and well done. They are attracted to each other and care deeply for one another, but know they can't be together until Greg's memory returns. So the tension is high throughout the book. The story is rich in Jewish folklore and culture, and I expect readers familiar with these elements will find a comfort in some of the customs described in the book. This book also deal with anti-Semitism and its rise, especially in small communities by organized groups. This can be tough to read, but it is important to recognize the harm caused by hate groups and how it affects individuals and communities. There were a few little issues that I had with the book, such as how the hospital released a man with amnesia and aphasia without any issue or follow up treatment, and the use of a somewhat outdated term for a region in Scandinavia. Overall though, it is still an enjoyable read.

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced copy of this book! All opinions are my own.

Magical Meet Cute was not what I was expecting and that is a good thing. It is marked a romance but I think that is really in the background.

Jean Meltzer delivers another book that focuses a lot of Judaism and adds in the bigger problems faced by a lot of people. I love that the book delves so much into religion and an experience of dealing with a large amount of hate.

Faye and Greg as the main characters added a lot. I enjoy dual POVs and it was great in this case because we could get things from Greg's perspective even when he could not really speak.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-ARC of this book. This review is my own opinion.

Thank you Mira Books HTP The Hive and Jean Meltzer for my #gifted copy of Magical Meet Cute! #HTPHive #htpbooks #HiveInfluencer #mirabooks #jeanmeltzer #MagicalMeetCute #jewishjoy

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐂𝐮𝐭𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐉𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐳𝐞𝐫
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟕, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

𝟱★(𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦)

I’m 4/4 when it comes to Jean Meltzer books, but I truly think this one is my favorite one she has written. Each one of her books have touched my heart in a different way, but there was something about Jean’s bravery and courage with this book that just hit different with the topic of anti-semitism. I truly thought Jean did a phenomenal job weaving such a difficult and timely topic into this book and cannot recommend this book enough. It is the perfect blend of romance, with a hint of magical realism, and has a focus on trauma and healing.

After her town is left papered with anti-Semitic flyers, Faye, owner of a pottery shop, gets drunk and decides to find comfort in the pottery wheel and creates a golem protector for the town, adding details to make him into her dream man. With a bad hangover the next day, Faye accidentally hits a super attractive stranger on her bike the next day. The only problem is, the stranger seems to have lost his memory and has no idea who he is or what he is doing in Faye’s town. Now, Faye is determined to help him figure out who he is and determine if maybe she actually summoned a golem.

💙Forced Proximity
💙Jewish Representation
💙Jewish Folklore
💙Scrabble
💙Chronic Pain Representation
💙Amnesia
💙Small Town Romance

“You deserve to be with people who bring out the softness in you, not the survivor.”

Posted on Goodreads on August 27, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around August 27, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on August 27, 2024
**-will post on designated date

When a jewish woman performs a ceremony to get her ideal man she never expects the perfect amnesiac man to land into her lap.... but is he real or is he the golem she summoned? Faye Kaplan used to have the ideal life: she was engaged and had a successful legal practice, but she gave that all up and is much happier with her current life as a potter in New York. The only thing she wants is to find the perfect guy. When anti-Semitic flyers begin appearing around town, Faye decides to find comfort in her pottery and in her own culture.... and decides to add drinking to the mix and thus she creates a golem protector and adds the little details to make him her ideal man. Then to her great shock she accidentally hits a very hot stranger the next day and takes him to the hospital, turns out he has amnesia and Faye feels responsible so she takes him home with her and lets him stay until he can get his memories back. He's everything she could want, he fits all her boxes, and he surprisingly has some very similar details to the golem she carved. Faye can't tell if he is real or if he is the golem she created.... and since he has no memories back he can't tell her either. Is this romance real or was it all a spell? This wasn't exactly a paranormal/fantasy romance but more like magical realism. I honestly just couldn't vibe with the book because it felt a bit all over the place. I never really got invested in the romance or attached to the characters unfortunately. This is my third Jean Meltzer book and at this point I just don't think her books are for me. I just never really love them and find the characters to be hard to get invested in. I wish I could like it more but unfortunately I didn't.

Release Date: August 27,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | MIRA for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Magical Meet Cute was not the book I was expecting. When I started reading it, I thought I was going to be jumping into a sweet fluffy rom-com and while yes there was a sweet romance that developed between our fmc and mmc, it didn't always feel like the forefront of the story. I felt like the story really focused on the antisemitism and the Jewish history and community in Woodstock. As someone who is not Jewish and didn't really know much about it, I loved all of the history and really Jewish stories that Meltzer included.

For me, the side characters were the best part of it all. Don't get me wrong, I thought Faye was a well developed character outside of her very one track mind re: golem but I was never really able to connect with her. While I didn't necessarily connect with Nelly or Melinda or Shully either, they were always people I looked forward to seeing through the story. Greg was great but obviously his story was a little more... shallow in the sense since he was a shell of a person for 85% of the book due to the amnesia.

One of my biggest complaints is that I was expecting magic. From the title to the fmc identified as a "Jewitch", I was thinking there would be actually magic throughout the story instead of the "magic" you see in the real world or crystals and fake spells and etc.

Ultimately, Magical Meet Cute was fine. It's not a book I'll be raving about or recommending but if someone stumbled upon it I think they would enjoy it.

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the perfect romance to get you ready for spooky season! Our female main character is a Jewitch who summons what she thinks is a golem (sort of protector in Jewish mysticism).

This story was more than just a romance with a little magic. It highlighted so many important aspects of being Jewish in the modern era, struggling after growing up in an abusive household, finding yourself, the importance of having a partner who helps you be your best self and gives you room to shine, and SO much more. I found so many things I connected to with Faye (the female main character), more than just the pieces about Jewish identity. I really connected to the pieces about learning to love yourself for all of what you may see as your imperfections and working hard to find a partner who helps to shine bright. ⭐️

Thank you to Jean Meltzer and Netgalley for access to an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I would definitely recommend this book :)

I never thought that one day I'd read a paranormal Jewish romance, but I am here for it!

We find ourselves with Faye, a self-proclaimed Jewitch ceramist. After experiencing an act of anti-Semitism, Faye needs a protector or some means to feel safe. She draws upon her Jewitch and ceramist skills and fashions herself a golem, who is the embodiment her perfect man. You can only imagine how surprised she was when she then hits him with her bike the very next day! Unfortunately, "Greg" gets amnesia. He also doesn't seem to have any ID or anybody looking for him. Feeling quite guilty, Faye accepts him into her home to help him recuperate until they can find out where his home truly resides. As time moves on, Faye isn't sure if he's truly man or if he's the golem she created!

I honestly was not expecting this book to hit as well as it did! There are certain aspects of contemporary that I have not fully delved into, and Jewish romance is one of them. With that said, I love cultural and religious representation in literature. As Faye is a Jewitch, I found her character to be quite fascinating. I've never heard the phrase before! With that said, the theme that I loved the most was the Divine Feminine. I've read quite a few books on the Divine Feminine (non-fiction and fiction, across a variety of genres) and it always pleases me to see it pop up as a central topic.

In Faye's case, the Divine Feminine is deeply rooted within her Jewitch lifestyle. The Divine Feminine also comes up rather specifically during a conversation she has with Greg about Medusa. Admittedly, her part of the discourse was lost on me. Greg, however, saved it when he then told her "There is no difference between a goddess and a monster."

(He only barely saved it with that line as I do think it could have been rephrased. In fact, that entire conversation would have made more sense if it was simply worded differently.)

Do note that what he was trying to say was that a woman can be seen as a monster, but truly be a goddess. As the book goes on, we learn that Faye sees herself as a monster / broken / imperfect, despite everybody else seeing her differently. This makes that Medusa conversation make a lot more sense.

In the end, I was left feeling that we are all perfectly imperfect, that we all have the potentiality to be both a goddess and a monster, and that sometimes real life can seem like a bit of magic.

In case it was missed, do note that anti-Semitism is a big topic in this book. There are acts of vandalism, threats of violence, and conversations about hate groups. A large topic in this book deals with a community hit by such radicals and, as such, there is a lot of fear felt. Domestic abuse also comes up (from the past). Please be wary of all trigger warnings prior to picking up this book as the subject material might be difficult.

I do wish to recommend this book to anybody who wishes to delve into a new witchy culture, loves the Divine Feminine, or enjoys a story (potentially) about an inanimate object coming to life!

Thank you, Net Galley, for giving me this opportunity!

Magical Meet Cute is Jean Meltzer best rom-com yet!

I'm a big fan of Jean Meltzer's books and always get excited when I learn she has a new book coming out. This book has a different vibe from Jean's other books, and I completely love the new vibe. The magical realism element woven into the story makes this book so different. But it's not your traditional magical realism; that's because Jean has put a Jewish twist to it. Our main heroine, Faye, considers herself to be a Jewitch. If you are like me and never heard of a Jewitch before, they are a part of Jewish folklore and are very similar to regular witches but with a Jewish twist. These Jewitches include Jewish beliefs and symbols in their spells and rituals. I loved learning about Jewitches; it was so interesting and fascinating learning about a different part of Jewish culture.

This story was perfection. It is this fabulous blend of charm, humour, drama, crazy shenanigans, and romance. There is so much heart in this book. I loved the story. It's so unique that you cannot help but be hooked. There is this fun lightness to Jean's storytelling that often puts a smile on my face. But in typical Jean fashion, she also tackles some pretty serious issues like anti-Semitism, inter-generational trauma, abuse, childhood trauma, and chronic pain. As always, Jeans handles these issues with thought and care and also in a way that doesn't overwhelm her readers.
This story is a bit bonkers but in the best possible way. Faye runs over Greg, a stranger on the street. He, of course, is the most gorgeous man she has ever laid eyes on. She soon finds out that Greg has amnesia and has no place to go. So, what's a heroine to do but take the drop-dead gorgeous stranger home with her. I really enjoyed Jean's take on the amnesia trope. First, Greg's amnesia is very authentic in that on top of losing his memories; he also doesn't even know how to do basic things, like button up his shirt, which creates plenty of perfect opportunities for swoony cute moments between Faye and Greg. He truly cannot remember who he is and how the world works. He is helpless and relies on Faye to survive. Faye spends much of this book believing that Greg could be the clay golem she made one night. He is the perfect man she moulded in a drunken haze, and it is believed that golems come to life to help, protect, or rescue their creator, which is the role Greg takes in this story. He wants to keep her safe..Sometimes, I even questioned whether Greg was a real man or this magical golem creature.

If you like reverse grump sunshine romances, then you will be delighted by the growing relationship between Faye and Greg. Faye is a bit prickly and standoff-ish. A lot of her prickly behaviour and chronic fear comes from a childhood filled with abuse and inter-generational trauma from anti-Semitism behaviour. Faye is afraid of the world. But she still has this heart of gold and is relatable and likable. Her character growth is an internal one. It was wonderful watching her learn to stand up against this fear she has and do what she wants to do. Greg was a real cinnamon roll of a hero. He was delightful and just warms your heart up in the best possible way. The mystery surrounding his unknown identity and whether he is a man or a golem was so interesting and entertaining. I couldn't help but try to guess who this man really was, and I loved the big reveal of his identity at the end of the book. This is a clean romance, which means that there is no sex in it. The relationship between Faye and Greg is sweet, heartwarming, and oh-so charming. Yes, there is some lusty tension between these two, but it isn't front and centre because that's not what this story and their growing relationship is about. There are so many wonderful quiet moments between Faye and Greg where they really get to know one another… well, maybe not get to know Greg's past because of the whole amnesia bit.

Magical Meet Cute is filled with emotion and heart, and it is a book that I will read again and again.

I got 11 chapters in and just couldn't do it anymore. I felt bad because I like the way she writes; it's very approachable so I thought this would be a quick, fun read (to be fair, it did start out that way). It went downhill pretty quickly. I initially liked the MC; I especially loved her approach to her religion and being a "Jewish witch," but she quickly became super obnoxious. Her decisions and reactions to things felt very blown out of proportion and "woe is me." Honestly, by the third time she rubbed her hand (from a prior issue), I was over it. It's like someone who is seeking sympathetic attention without actually saying, "hey, look at me."

The other issue was the unrealistic reality. Like, I'm here for the magical realism (90% of my reading is fantasy) but the real world stuff felt unrealistic to me. You're telling me that a hospital would release a person with amnesia to a random person just on their say-so, without any proof of a connection. Also, keeping in mind that this is a romance, they get back to her apartment and immediately, first night, start making googly eyes at each other. The man MC can hardly speak and can't remember anything but already ogling her large breasts. The female MC brings a strange man into her house and first night decides to wear sexy PJs (cause that's her only option) instead of the usual flannel bottoms/t-shirt combo. Come on. Honestly, the romance part of this story actually gave me an ick due to how drastic the male MC's amnesia was, kind of like the female MC was taking advantage of him.

There are also some weird timing things going on. She agrees to house him for 3 days while waiting for family to search for him but then there's a weird mention of months down the road how he was getting better with speaking, they were so comfortable with each other, etc. Then in the next chapter, it mentions that them spending a week together. It was odd enough that it threw me off.

I feel bad about DNFing since I really don't like to. Usually, I'll trudge through just to find out what happens in the end but I honestly didn't care whether the male MC was real and just had amnesia or ended up being a golem she created. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for allowing me this advanced reader copy.

I have to admit, I have been on the fence here. There's a ton to love- the characters are great and show good amounts of personal growth as well as showing their closeness. There is a fair representation of the jewish community and folklore, which I found interesting. The fact that they covered the very heavy subject of anti-semetism, was surprising. I was expecting more of a light and fluffy romcom- and it had it's moments! It had a lot more depth than I thought it would.

My issues were with the absolute over-use of the "misunderstanding" trope. Faye thinks she created him- and has to put him down (to hilarious results); Greg thinks he's someone that could hurt her. Neither thinks they are worthy of one another and they don't talk about it- there are some false starts, but they never discuss their feelings. Not really.... In part I get it- the man had amnesia and on Faye's side... well, how would that conversation even go?

..."Hey, this is crazy but you are just my type- to the point I fear I may have created you in a night of fear, frustration and drunkeness. Wanna see where this goes anyways?"

I mean, I get that there's no real good way to clear everything up without hurting one another.... but man that part of the story was painful.

For the most part this was an interesting premise with a good flow to the dual narrative. It was engaging and charming, witty and at times heartbreaking. I respect that, and I did enjoy the book. It just felt like there could have been more. Sadly this isn't going to be one of my favorite books of the year, but it was good. I would give it a three.

On the adult content scale, there is sexual content, language, racism/ antisemetism, and violence. I would say this one was geared toward adults and new adults.

I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of this book from Netgalley working with Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review. My thanks!

rating: 4
spice: 0

this book was sooo cute! it gave me romcom vibes, but it definitely had its serious and sad moments. i learned so much from jewish culture, that was such a plus!

i felt so bad for faye, hearing about how she grew up to the struggles of owning a business.

greg surprised me! i wasn’t sure how i’d like him, but he made me laugh out loud more than once! and his personality reminded me of my partner lol.

i would’ve never guessed the ending, it definitely took me by surprise!

i can’t wait to read more from this author!

this book has:
- violence
- abuse (not by MCs)
- racism (anti-semitism)
- found family
- jewish folklore
- cutest doggy sidekick
- amnesia
- aphasia
- strangers to lovers
- lgbtq+ rep

This was such a wonderful story! The plot was great, the life lessons weaved within the romance story was done super well. The journey through Jewish histy & realism provided through the antisemitic events gives this story a much heavier feel that I was not expecting based on the blurb, title, Cover, etc.
I requested this through NetGalley, and even though I was not prepared for what I read, I still enjoyed every page.

The Jewish Magic was creative & exciting. I love stories of magic, potions, brews, curses, etc. Weave in some romance and I'm hooked!! This story gives you all of that & more.

The attacks on the Jewish businesses in town were written really well. The suspense & intrigue behind finding out who was behind the attacks was exciting to figure out. You get little clues throughout the story but when it comes to a head at the end, you're still gasping!

The relationship between Faye & Greg was cute. I felt the friendship, mutual respect, and admiration between the two of them. They complimented each other so well, it definitely would seem to be too good to be true for a person like Faye. The way she was treated by people who were supposed to love her was horrendous, so she is rightfully jaded.
Greg was such a sweet character. He was a good male character. I liked that his story & chracter doesn't overshadow Faye, the antisemitism, nor the history of Judaism. He was a supporting main character. I liked that.

This was really good overall. This is my first Jean book, and I'll be reading more rather soon. (SORRY TO MY TBR)

Imagine moving to a charming small town to start anew, only to accidentally hit a stranger with your car on the way to the synagogue. That's just the beginning of Faye's unexpected journey in Magical Meet Cute, a modern Jewish love story sprinkled with magic, humor, and an abundance of heart.

Jean Meltzer masterfully intertwines the everyday with the mystical, introducing us to Faye, a former lawyer who has swapped the courtroom for a pottery shop. Faye also happens to be a "Jewitch" (yes, you read that right), blending her Jewish faith with a touch of witchcraft. And what's a romance without a twist? Enter Greg, the handsome stranger with no memory of who he is after a biking accident. Naturally, Faye takes him in because, well, why not? It's a romance, after all—some things you just have to roll with.

What I didn’t expect was to walk away with a deeper understanding of Jewish culture and religion. Meltzer delivers a history lesson wrapped in a heartwarming love story, tackling real-life issues like antisemitism, trauma, and the fight against hate with sensitivity and grace. Things get a little spooky and a lot more intriguing. Meltzer doesn’t shy away from heavy topics, but she balances them beautifully with lighthearted, steamy moments and a good dose of mystery. And I can’t overlook Nelly, the octogenarian Nazi hunter who is as badass as she is heartwarming.

This novel is packed with classic romance tropes—amnesia, forced proximity, small-town charm, and a hint of found-family magic. Plus, there’s a delightful twist: Faye might have accidentally (or not-so-accidentally) created a golem, a protector from Jewish folklore, who may or may not be Greg in the flesh.

Magical Meet Cute is my first book by Jean Meltzer, but it certainly won’t be my last. I’m giving it a solid 4 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who loves small-town romance with a bit of an edge.

Thank you to Jean Meltzer, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for review purposes. Magical Meet Cute is on sale August 27th, 2024.