The Matzah Ball
Matzah Ball is a unique and charming romance that is the perfect blend of reality and a funny fresh holiday romance.
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 appealed to you the most in this story?
It’s a JEWISH rom-com!! Finally, FINALLY there is something other than historical fiction that captures Jewish life. Now don’t get me wrong - My favorite genre is historical fiction and specifically from the WWII time period, but I would love for the world to know more about my people, faith, customs, and weird habit of over feeding everyone in modern times. Meltzer captured this so well in her debut book. Talk about a breath of fresh air!
Actually I have to share something that Meltzer wrote to me:
“I wanted my nieces and nephews to grow in a world where Jewish men and women had stories beyond the lens of victimhood. Where we were sexy, and fun, fell in love…you know, lived like normal people.”
Were the characters and plot cheesy?
This story does have some of cheese we all love having served up to us in a romcom, but all the characters were accessible and relatable. Even the supporting characters felt like they pulled you into their world as they offered real life advice, heartfelt love and support. This was a community that I wanted to be part of and share stories with over Shabbat dinner. Seriously, at times this book felt like one big hug for my soul.
Now there were also parts and commentary that had me laughing out loud often!
How did the author handle writing about chronic illness?
In the Authors Notes, Meltzer shares how she suffers (just like her protagonist) from myalgic encephalomyelitis (also known as chronic fatigue syndrome). Through the whole story Rachel's chronic illness is depicted with sensitivity, empathy and some excellent witty humor. I loved how Rachel was tougher than a Matzos cracker (basically a cardboard cracker) and didn’t let her disability define her. There is no doubt that I learned a lot about this horrible condition. I also love how Meltzer included resources for readers to learn more about CFS at the end of the book.
What was the steam level?
This is a G-rated romance.
How was the pace?
Steady and very engaging.
Do you recommend this book?
If you are looking for a fun romcom that captures Jewish life, family, a bubbe (grandmother) we all would want to have, strong friendships, and a lot of delicious food, then pick this delightful ready up! Oh, and you can pick up some fun new Yiddish and Hebrew terms to use too!
