4.5 stars overall

I will be making sure that all of my book friends add Love You a Latke to their holiday tbr this year. This was such a sweet story to kick off holiday reading with. I always enjoy reading about other religions and their community's holiday traditions and learning more about Hanukkah has always interest me. I believe Amanda was sensitive to specific themes within the book and properly expressed how it does seem like Hanukkah always takes second place next to Christmas. I really enjoyed how Abby and Seth's relationship developed over time. Abby's parents constant emotional and mental abuse during her upbringing led her to constantly believe she was not good enough in life, work, and especially when it comes to relationships. I thought it was really beautiful how even though she started out as the grumpy MC deep down she really just was never loved properly in her life. That is before Seth becomes a constant in her every day life and introduces her to his family and friends group. Due to that she once again finds not only herself but a place for herself within the Jewish community which she thought was lost once she cut ties from her parents and moved to Vermont. Abby finding her voice and speaking up when she didn't like Lorna controlling the logistics for the Hanukkah festival really showed her finding self confidence and that she did have a purpose in life. Overall I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more by Amanda. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Abby Cohen is grumpy and she has reason to be. As the only Jew on her small town’s tourism board, she’s been tasked with throwing a Hanukkah festival… in a few weeks, after Hanukkah, and maybe can it really be all about Christmas with some blue thrown in? Abby can’t say no, but she’s not about to let a Hanukkah festival become a Christmas festival in disguise so she turns to the only other Jew in the area for help: her most irritating customer, Seth Abrams. Seth is all-too-happy to help, but he needs something in return: a Nice Jewish Girl to bring home to his family for the holidays. Abby agrees to the bargain but of course, fake dating becomes something much more real as the two spend Hanukkah together in New York City.

Love You a Latke is an entertaining romance with a grumpy heroine, a sunshiny hero, and some lovely Hanukkah spirit. Abby is closed-off with walls that are miles high, covered in spikes…you get the picture. She grew up in an emotionally abusive household and hasn’t been able to open up as a result. When she left home, she also left the Jewish community and she feels the loss keenly. Going home with Seth brings that all back: the traditions, the sense of belonging, the history, and the joy. It was lovely to watch Abby get that part of herself back, to feel rooted in her community again. Seth is a sunshiny hero who has a problem with confrontation. I liked Seth, but I felt like we could have gone deeper into his character – I wanted a bit more from him. I absolutely adored his group of friends and how they absorbed Abby into their circle. As for the romance, it’s a foregone conclusion that Seth and Abby are going to fall in love. But while I absolutely enjoyed them together I did want a touch more to really take this book to the next level.

Amanda Elliot really brings the Hanukkah spirit to Love You a Latke and it’s one of my favorite things about this story. The Jewish representation is solid there were many things that delighted me throughout the story. It definitely made me want to brave the cold and celebrate Hanukkah in New York City.

There are a lot of things to enjoy about Love You a Latke. Abby’s journey is the heart of the book and it’s a road I liked travelling with her. Her romance with Seth may not have been as spectacular as I wanted, but it was still solid and Elliot didn’t inject any false drama to the story to detract from the happily ever after. All in all, this is a great read for anyone wanting a Hanukkah romance.

In a sea of holiday romances Love You A Latke is a breath of fresh air! The Jewish representation is there at the heart of the storyline, this is not your typical Christmas romance with a blue and white cover slapped on it. There is so much that is unique to Jewish culture weaved effortlessly into this book and added a depth to the plot without feeling like it was pandering to a Jewish audience.


Abby Cohen is tasked with putting on a "Hanukkah festival" in her small Vermont town where she thinks she is the only Jew for a few hundred miles. When *plot twist* she discovers a regular at her cafe (Seth, who she happens to find infuriating) for his perpetual optimism is also Jewish. Abby agrees to come home for eight crazy nights to celebrate the holiday with him as his girlfriend to please his overbearing mother, in exchange for him connecting her to a wide network of Jewish vendors to help pull off her last minute Hanukkah miracle. But along the way Abby ends up confronting the alienation of her culture and the alienation of her parents. While Abby seems frigid and cold on the outside, Seth begins to light a candle in her (pun intended).

Overall I really loved this book! The chemistry between Abby and Seth is great, the side characters are entertaining. It would have been a 4 star easily however I found the pacing to be a little rushed at the end and was left wanting by the resolution of a few of the side plots!

Thank you to PRH Audio influencer program for the audiobook and the free book from Berkley.

This has fun fake dating, holidays, grumpy (FMC) vs sunshine (MMC), and he falls first shenanigans. The first 40% is so good!

The downside for me was the development of the romance. The initial growing spark between the two of them was so compelling. When the FMC is in her head trying to convince herself it’s just physical attraction and there’s nooOoo way she could be actually falling for him or when she misinterprets his actions but we as the reader have a suspicion he’s into her too (duh). But then it just stayed like that!! I realized I was at 68% and how much of a slow burn this was turning out to be- but a plateau slow burn as nothing was building.

The city setting and holiday activities and subsequent reflections were a positive and negative. They were fun and interesting, especially hearing the FMC grapple with how she defines and expresses her Jewishness. But some of the less important moments like random interactions with the MMC’s friends or family took away air/page time from what genre this is supposed to be in- romance.

I was not a fan of the narration. I felt it was overacted especially as the FMC is the grumpy and I know girlie was not putting that much oomph in her inner monologue or sounded that wasted when the narrator attempted to put some flair on people’s speech when they were out drinking (not necessary). 4 star rating for the content, I’d give the narration 2.5.

Abby Cohen has been nominated and now in charge of the newly organized “Hanukkah Market” for her small Vermont town because she’s the “token” jew on the council committee and unable to decline. While she does remember the "basics" she feels the need to find another more "qualified" member of the tribe to help because it’s been years since she celebrated or practiced her faith and is a bit rusty.

A creative plan proves successful locating the only other Jewish person in a fifty-mile radius. When she realizes that it's the same guy who frequents her cafe every day will she find a way to ask for his help? Will he agree to help her secure the vendors she needs in time to save the town? It all sounds like a great plan until Seth makes a few requests of his own.

Along the way Abby will rediscover her faith when she meets Seth's family and friends. As she does so, she defends or explain to strangers that there is actually nothing similar between Hanukkah and Christmas, and that can be relatable and/or believable for some readers.

If Abby can find a way to work through her childhood emotional trauma and embrace who she is rather than running away or hiding from it, she might discover that she is loveable. She comes to understand that not everyone is going to hurt her and we are all worthy of her love and affection.

Judaism has so many avenues to practice and observe as well as layers of traditions. The experience can be, and often is different just based on where you live. This is just one sample of how someone could observe and experience the world as a Jewish person. While this is a fictional world some of the explanations character to character feel like a rabbinical orthodox explanation in regards to the history of Hanukkah and well beyond someone who hasn't practiced in a long time.

With so few Hanukkah romance reads available I feel this one missed an opportunity to rise above the "stereotypical" schmaltzy holiday read or token Hallmark Hanukkah movie. The last thing you want is to grumble because the characters have found a way to talk about almost every other Jewish holiday, food favorites and customs taking it over the top. A few parts left me doubtful that this had a sensitivity read because they were uncomfortable.

Overall this is a festive Hanukkah read that has Hallmark movie vibes with ugly sweaters, family mishegaas, schmaltzy banter, hot cocoa, a cookie decorating contest, and whimsical vibes.

I love seeing other holiday traditions being represented in novels and this one was no exception. This was the first ook I ever read from Amanda Elliot and it was incredible. I know they say dont judge a book by its cover but you abosultely shoudl with this one! I was initially drawn by how mucha Iloved this cover and the writitng on the pages made me love it even more. It was so cozy, romantic and full of yoiur favourite tropes (uh em* ONE BED TROPE*). The slow burn and forced proximity between Seth and Abby is absolutely delicious so this book was a 5 stra read for me!

A reverse grumpy/sunshine, fake relationship romance! This is a must holiday read! I loved that this book represented the Jewish community especially around the holidays. I thought it was a fun read and gave me hallmark
Movie vibes.

Abby Cohen is not feeling particularly jolly even though it's the holiday season. She is worried that her small town in Vermont won't do well with tourists, which means her cafe won't either. The town assigns her the task of putting together a Hanukkah festival since Abby is the only Jewish person on the tourism board. However, the local vendors don’t have any experience with Hanukkah, so she needs to seek help elsewhere.

It turns out one of her customers, Seth, is also Jewish and has the perfect solution. His parents have been begging him to bring his girlfriend to their home in New York City for a week to celebrate Hanukkah. Problem is, he doesn't have a girlfriend. If Abby pretends to be his girlfriend for the week, Seth will help her find all the vendors she needs to make the festival a success.

Reluctantly, Abby agrees. She is mesmerized by New York City and everything it has to offer. Thanks to Seth, she meets many vendors to help make her Hanukkah festival a success in Vermont. The one drawback is continuing the pretense of being Seth’s girlfriend. She loves his family and hates deceiving them.

This book is the perfect holiday romance. It put me in the holiday frame of mind even though it's very early in the season. The mix of romance and Hanukkah is enough to warm anyone’s heart. Seth and Abby are two characters I really found myself caring about. I was cheering for them right from the start. In fact, all of the characters are well written and truly come to life with each page.

The author does a wonderful job of creating a beautiful scenario for a romantic comedy. This would be perfect as a Hallmark movie. Love You A Latke is an uplifting, sweet romance. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.







FTC Disclosure: I voluntarily reviewed a free Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot is a heartwarming fake dating small town romance with a grumpy coffee shop owner heroine & the sunshine customer hero that agrees to help her plan the upcoming Hanukkah festival as she becomes his plus one on his trip home.

Love You a Latke is great for those looking to read…
💙 Holiday Romance
💙 Fake Dating
💙 Jewish Representation
💙 Small Town Romance
💙 Grumpy Heroine x Sunshine Hero

I am always such a fan of the dichotomy of the grumpy meets sunshine situation. I thought this one was done super well as you learn the characters back stories & histories & understand why the way they are. I enjoyed watching this slowburn fake dating situation unfold as well as the growing both characters did.

It was so fun as the characters took their trip to New York for Hanukkah & gor to experience the city during the holiday season. I loved all the activities, the festivities, the family & friend group. I loved the showcasing of so many mouthwatering food & beverages throughout the story that made me constantly hungry. This was such a sweet, endearing & entertaining romance!

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

Love You A Latke had my stomach rumbling (and filled my heart with joy). It is a fake dating story about a man and woman in a small town in Vermont who pretend to date for a week at his parents’ place in New York over Hanukkah. This book gave me all the feels. And the descriptions of the Hanukkah foods were off the charts - I want all the latkes and doughnuts. I loved the holiday festivities. I loved the romance. Swoonworthy. I loved all of the family and friend dynamics that all felt so real.

As the only Jew on the tourism board, Abby is essentially guilted into taking charge of the new town festival featuring Hanukkah. But local vendors are unwilling or unable to provide anything close to resembling Hanukkah and, out of desperation, Abby strikes a deal with Seth, the bane of her existence, for his help in exchange for being his fake girlfriend in New York for Hanukkah.
The amount of times a laugh burst out of me while reading Love You a Latke is crazy high. I found it to be equal parts funny and heartbreaking, full of yummy food and found family. @amandapanitch's writing is so easily bingeable and her ability to make grumpy (and relatable) Abby likeable next to sunshine golden retriever Seth is perfect in all of the ways. I especially enjoyed the themes of identity and community and how we can find harmony and appreciation in our differences.
Thank you Berkley & Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

Love You a Latke is an enjoyable, well-written, and engaging holiday romance with a few favorite tropes.

The holidays are approaching but Abby isn’t in the best mood: (1) she’s struggling to keep her cafe afloat; (2) a certain sunshiny customer, Seth, is annoying: and (3) she’s accepted a position to plan a local Hanukkah celebration but she’s short on resources and support. When she seeks help on social media, she discovers that there is one other Jewish person in town….Seth. He’s willing to help her in exchange for her attending Thanksgiving with him in New York City as his fake girlfriend. He needs to get his parents off his back and Abbey can’t afford to turn down his help or his contacts. A deal is struck. Possibilities for complications abound! Can Abby pull off a community Hanukkah celebration? Can she possibly work with Seth and endure Thanksgiving with his family?

I love enemies to lovers, grumpy/sunshine, and fake dating tropes and the wonderful possibilities they present for witty dialogue and hilarious circumstances. One bed is thrown in for good measure! The author doesn’t disappoint! Heavier themes are present, but overall Love You a Latke is entertaining and engaging. Because this is a romance with tried-and-true tropes, we know there will be an HEA….but getting there is so much fun!

I was pleased with the amount of Hanukkah content in this story. As someone who is an outsider and not Jewish, I enjoyed the food, the customs/traditions, and the learning. The Hanukkah content is substantial but not overdone. I appreciate the intentionality and that Hanukkah isn’t simply a backdrop to the action. This might be a clumsy explanation, but I hope you get the idea! If you are an “own voices’ reviewer, please add your thoughts in the comments.

You will love the rural, small-town Vermont setting, the festive Hanukkah celebration, and the aroma of delicious food. New York City adds its own charm. Vivid descriptions place you right into the story.

Abby. is an admirable and likeable character. She cares about her business and her community. She’s a good sport during the fake-dating portion of their agreement. Seth is a sweet and thoughtful guy who follows through on his commitments. I wish we had heard some of the story from his point of view.

I enthusiastically recommend adding this to your holiday TBR! Fans of the tropes mentioned who love a well-written romance and engaging storyline will adore Love You a Latke. Closed-door romance (with some sexual references and inuendo) and limited profanity.

Content Consideration: Abusive parents (in childhood)

Thanks #NetGalley @BerkleyPub #BerkleyBuddyReads for a complimentary e ARC of #LoveYouALatke upon my request. All opinions are my own.

✔️ Fake Dating
✔️ One Bed
✔️ Golden Retriever/Black Cat
✔️ Holiday Romance

What a delightful holiday read! While it is a romance with an HEA and everything, I loved that this one is also about the FMC feeling whole and recapturing the love and comfort she was missing when she left home as leaving her toxic parents kinda also meant leaving her Jewish community behind.

While I enjoyed the romance and yes, of course I'm all about the fake dating and one bed of it all, my favorite parts were seeing Abby feeling the love from Seth's parents.

My one ding on this book is that steam is very low - kissing and makeouts on page.

Steam 🔥
Banter 🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️
Swoon 💕💕💕

This was so cute!! Oh my gosh this is one of my favorite holiday books I've ever read. I loved that it wasn't Christmas-themed. It was a nice change of pace. We could definitely use more Jewish representation in the romance genre so I love that the author decided to include that. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic really worked for me. It was absolutely adorable to watch this ray of sunshine walk into her shop every morning and try to brighten her day. Having the main character of the story be more cynical kept the story from ever getting too cheesy (which can be a pitfall for holiday romances). This was cozy and heartfelt without crossing the line into corny which I very much appreciated. I really loved that the conflicts weren't dragged out too long and the fake dating helped bring them together without adding too much unnecessary drama. Their banter was fantastic and I absolutely believed that they were good for each other. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

I was happily surprised by this Hanukkah romance. This was possibly the first romance novel I’ve read about a Jewish couple, which is interesting because I try to read diverse romances yet this was the rare romance where I felt represented.


Abby is the owner of a small café in Vermont. Born in New York City, she cut ties with her abusive parents long ago. She doesn’t know any other Jews in Vermont, until she gets “volunteered” to create the town’s first-ever Hanukkah festival. She needs help turning Hanukkah traditions into a fun but also meaningful event that will support the town’s small businesses. She teams up with her annoying customer Seth, who she discovers is also from a New York Jewish family.

I love a romance that’s about a lot of other things at the same time. This book is about Abby’s connection to her faith and her culture, how she feels about her religion, and how far she needs to go to assimilate with the (non-Jewish) Vermont community that she loves. Abby also has a traumatic childhood that keeps her from opening up to people. I found Abby’s emotional journey incredibly moving.

The romance was well developed and I appreciated the flaws and complexities of both characters. Nothing felt too simplistic, though I would have liked to see Seth developed a bit more. I appreciated that he had some issues, but considering how supportive his family and friends were, I would have liked to better understand his character. I did like the switch of having a cheerful, outgoing guy and a grumpy girl. If you don’t love dating tropes, this book throws together quite a few: fake dating, enemies to lovers, holidays, cooking, and falling-in-love-with-the-family (that last might not be a real trope).

This was a satisfying romance that addressed what it means to be a modern Jew in a place without a large Jewish community. As Abby explores what the religion and its traditions mean to her, she realizes it’s not just this “New York” part of her that she had to leave behind.

As I’ve hosted a Latke Party for years for my non-Jewish friends, I loved all the references to Jewish/holiday foods, prayers, and symbols. I could really relate to the way Elliott describes what it feels like to be “other”, especially at Christmas-time, and the way Hanukkah is always basically turned into Christmas by well-meaning non-Jews. I also related to the way Elliott writes about Abby’s nervousness about anti-semitism.

I look forward to reading more Jewish romances! A few authors I’ve seen recommended are Rachel Lynn Solomon, Heidi Shertok, Jean Meltzer, Felicia Grossman and Elissa Sussman. Have you read any of these, or can you recommend others?

Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Berkley Publishing Group. This book publishes October 8, 2024.

I enjoyed Amanda Elliot's prior two books so when I saw Love You A Latke I was excited. This was a great book set around Hanukkah with a sweet fake dating element that has you wishing there was a local Hanukkah Festival so you could try all of this delicious food!

I'm not Jewish but I've liked reading more holiday romances that aren't just Christmas the last few years and I love how this book shared a lot about Jewish faith and I especially liked seeing Abby fight for the Hanukkah Festival she knew she deserved to put on instead of a watered down version.

Abby and Seth were adorable together and I liked that his friend group was super welcoming and that his ex and Abby became friends! The food deceptions were the best in the book (like her other books) along with the NYC and Vermont settings.

While there were a few serious elements to this book and in their romance, I liked seeing Abby grow and realize how much she missed her Jewish community and traditions.

Highly recommend reading Love You A Latke this December! Thanks to Berkley Romance for my advanced copy. It came out this week - October 8th!

Despite being not Jewish, I love a Hanukkah romance!! This one definitely didn't disappoint. The swoon was off the charts, the side characters were excellent, and I was rooting for the main characters the whole time. I would definitely read more about these characters and their world!

More Hanukkah romances please! Loved, loved, loved Love You a Latke and it is the perfect holiday read and can someone put together a Hanukkah market, because I need to visit one now!

Café owner Abby is asked to put together a holiday market and Hanukkah gets the spotlight, even if people think you can just throw some blue and white lights on a Christmas tree and call it a Hanukkah tree. Needing help to put the market together, she asks her customer Seth, but Seth needs something in return, for her to be his fake girlfriend as he celebrates the Festival of Lights with his family.

I loved the fake dating trope in the story and how welcoming Seth's family was to Abby, especially with Abby's issues with her parents, it was nice for her to have them to spend time with. The Jewish representation in this was absolutely fantastic and I cannot recommend this book enough!

Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot is a wonderful holiday contemporary romance about Hanukkah. It’s about how Christmas overshadows Hanukkah, how it’s a relatively minor holiday, and how Jewish people find happiness if their holidays or traditions are recognized or acknowledged. But woven throughout is a sweet romance.

The book focuses on Abby and Seth, begins in Vermont, moves to New York City for only eight days, and then returns to Vermont and the Hanukkah Festival, which Abby singularly organizes and showcases all things Hanukkah.

I love how Abby and Seth grow both individually and together as they finally move to being friends and then become more. They craft a small support network and find their way to each other instead of constantly pushing each other away. They learn they have much to offer each other and can accomplish and achieve more with each other’s help. Abby’s eyes are opened to what being a part of a family, a community, and even making friends is like.

The story has a good flow, and many stories are woven together. I liked Seth’s friends’ group and how they had fun in so many different ways and included Abby seamlessly just because she was with Seth. There is closure, but there are still some loose ends. The epilogue was a nice addition, as were the thought-provoking discussion questions.

Love You a Latke is a lovely holiday romance filled with plenty of Hanukkah and Christmas festivities set in a small Vermont town and bustling New York City. A grudging friendship turns into more when Abby and Seth show their true selves to each other. Grab a coffee or other warm drink and sit by a toasty fire with a good book and maybe even someone you love.

I rated the book 4.5 stars but rounded to 5 stars here and on other sites.

I LOVED this book. Elliot has such a great way of sharing Jewish culture in such a relatable way and it was so cool to see myself in a holiday novel.

Abby lives in a small town in Vermont where she is the only Jew. She is a café owner and every morning there is an over the top sunshiney man who comes in for coffee. When the town volunteers her to put together a Hanukkah festival, Abby realizes she needs the help of another Jew. Turns out, Mr. Sunshine is Seth, the only other Jew in town. He’s willing to help her, but only if she spends the 8 nights of Hanukkah in New York with his parents, convincing them that she is his girlfriend.

Sometimes fake dating can be very annoying, but this one is done right. They don’t fall in love too quickly, and build a nice friendship base. As someone who isn’t highly involved with the Jewish community, but grew up Jewish, it was cool to see Abby go through similar things. She hasn’t taken part in her Jewish faith in years, but slowly realizes how much it means to her. I also appreciated how Elliot pointed out the way gentile culture views Hanukah and Judaism.

I also adored all of the relationships. I liked Seth immediately and his friends were so fun. I was worried that his ex-girlfriend was going to be a bitch, but instead, Elliot makes her and Abby unlikely friends which I loved. There is a good balance of Christmas and Hanukkah and I honestly don’t think I could’ve imagined a better Hanukkah novel. I would love to see this as a Hallmark movie.

You don’t have to be Jewish to love this novel. Abby and Seth had great chemistry and Elliot’s writing is fun and relatable. Elliot hits it out of the park again, and I continue to look forward to her next novels.