The Matzah Ball: A Novel

This is an LOL funny rom-com about a chronically ill Jewish woman who has made a successful (& secret) career as a Christmas romance novelist. I have read many holiday rom-coms over the years but this is my first ever Hanukkah romance. This standalone novel is the first I have read by the author. Cute and easy read! Check out The Matzah Ball: A Novel by Jean Meltzer and be sure to get this contemporary rom-com wherever you buy books! TAGS: fiction, romance, contemporary romance, women's fiction, chick lit, rom-com, romantic comedy, jewish, hannukah, holiday, religion *Thanks to Edelweiss, Mira Books & Jean Meltzer for providing a free eARC in exchange for my honest review #TheMatzahBall #chronicallyfabulous #Edelweiss @edelweiss_squad #MiraBooks @_mira_books_ #JeanMeltzer @jeanmeltzer

The Matzah Ball, by Jean Meltzer, is a fun, romantic holiday book, that is different than the usual Christmas book we’re all used to. The heroine, Rachel, has a chronic disease, but she doesn’t let it define her, and she’s one tough cookie. Rachel, the daughter of a famous Rabbi father, and her mother is a top fertility specialist. As a good Jewish girl, she hides her love of Christmas and especially her job as a Chrismas Romance writer. Only her best friend Mickey knows her love of everything Christmas and knows her pen name is Margot Cross, the famous Christmas Romance author. When her publisher tells her to write a Jewish holiday story, Rachel is distressed, as she loves Christmas and can’t find the magic in Jewish holidays that she finds in Christmas. But, when she sees an ad for a huge Matzah Ball celebration, she hopes she can find some holiday magic at the ball. The only problem is the event coordinator for the Matzah Ball is her old summer camp nemesis, Jacob Greenberg, who she hasn’t seen in over twenty years. The Matzah Ball is a nice holiday story that is so different from the usual Christmas stories, and I enjoyed reading about a different holiday tradition. The book started off a bit slow, there were a lot of explanations about the Jewish holiday traditions of Hanukkah and Rachels’ chronic illness. I didn’t know much about Hanukkah traditions, nor Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I appreciated the explanations, however, it did drag the story down a bit at the beginning. At first, I didn’t think much of Rachel and thought she was very defensive and somewhat whiney. But, after a bit, she found her zip and her voice and she was fearless. I enjoyed her growth during the story and found myself liking her and rooting for her happy ending. Jacob was perfect for Rachel, he knew how to deal with her illness and yet force her to see herself as a fearless woman who should demand more of herself. I recommend this delightful holiday story to anyone and everyone who loves a good holiday story. I received a complimentary copy of this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Matzah Ball, by Jean Meltzer, is a fun, romantic holiday book, different than the usual holiday book we’re all used to. The heroine, Rachel, has a chronic disease which she refuses to let define her. Rachel, the daughter of a famous Rabbi father, and a top fertility specialist, is a good Jewish girl, who hides her love of Christmas and especially since her job as a Christmas Romance writer. Only her best friend Mickey knows about her love of everything Christmas and that her pen name is Margot Cross, a famous Christmas Romance author. When her publisher asks her to write a Jewish holiday story, Rachel is anxious, as she loves Christmas and hasn’t found the magic in the Jewish holidays that she finds in Christmas. Seeing an ad for a huge Matzah Ball celebration, Rachel wonders if she can find holiday magic at the ball. The only problem is the event coordinator for the Matzah Ball is her old summer camp nemesis, Jacob Greenberg; who she hasn’t seen in over twenty years. Jacob was perfect foil for Rachel. He was able to deal with her illness, yet force her to see herself as a fearless woman who should demand more of herself. The Matzah Ball is a nice holiday story that explores the different holiday traditions. I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.