Review~ The Matzah Ball

The Matzah Ball
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Published: September 28, 2021
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.…

If you like an good enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers story, this one’s for you. After meeting at a Jewish summer camp, Rachel and Jacob engaged in a prank war that continued as a cover once they discovered feelings for each other, but misunderstandings drove them apart, only to meet again years later, when Jacob rekindles the animosity by mistake.

I enjoyed both Rachel’s and Jacob’s characters, as well as the supporting characters including Rachel’s best friend and her mother, and Jacob’s grandmother. They each brought their unique perspective to both the past and the present, and helped to fill the story with love and humor.

Pivotal to the story is the Jewish culture and traditions surrounding Hanukkah. The author seamlessly weaves ceremonies, definitions, and the stories behind the various rituals into the story, both educating and entertaining the reader.

And then there’s Rachel’s hidden career and Christmas obsession, and Jacob’s career throwing lavish events. Neither of them are very traditional in the ways they’ve chosen to live their lives.

All in all, I really enjoyed this story. It tugged at my heart strings and made me laugh!

Disclaimer: I received an eARC of this book through Net Galley on behalf of the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.