Review: The Matzah Ball

What better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than a long overdue review about a book set during Hanukkah! I read Jean Meltzer’s debut novel back in December and it was a really fun rom com that celebrated a holiday other than Christmas – something we don’t see a whole lot of. There are mixed reviews of The Matzah Ball but I fell into the “enjoyed it” camp.

Here’s the book’s description:

Oy! to the world
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach.
But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy—Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah—and Jacob—in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze.

What this book excels at is diverse representation. Not only are readers being treated to a Hanukkah story but Rachel also has a chronic illness. Both of these things come from Meltzer’s own life so Rachel’s character was really authentic and that came through in the story. When are we going to get to a point where I’m not noting how great it was to be reading about character who aren’t represented enough in books? I think we’re getting closer but there’s a hell of a lot more work to be done.

Now. The actual romance of this one was…not as well executed as it could have been. I love a good second chance romance but the initial romance between Rachel and Jacob was so long ago and they were so young that the insta-attraction was confusing. Jacob acted like a complete ass and Rachel was so desperate to get to his big party that she just allowed it to happen. How is this a good foundation for a romance?

Speaking of desperate to get to the party – Meltzer didn’t quite manage to convince me that Jacob’s Matzah Ball was the ONLY way Rachel would be able to be inspired to write a Hanukkah novel. There had to have been another way. Say, realizing how biased she was and how much her personal upbringing, the daughter of a rabbi, didn’t allow her to see how Hanukkah could be just as special as Christmas. I could sort of understand it but, in the end, it was hard to buy.

I did really enjoy the “com” of this rom com. Meltzer is funny and I found myself smiling throughout the novel. I think that was part of why I did end up enjoying this book as much as I did. It was fun and amusing and I liked spending time in the world Meltzer created.

And this cover! How freaking CUTE is it?

The Matzah Ball was entertaining and I had fun reading Jean Meltzer’s debut novel. She has another book coming out later this year that I think I’ll have to check out. Hopefully she’s grown as an author and this one is even better than her first.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Harlequin, via NetGalley, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*