sarahbryant717's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
mackaschmitz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mayaapplebaum's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
hplatter's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
nosestuckinabk's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
thebashfulbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
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. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
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. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
daniellesilverstone's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kacarella's review against another edition
4.0
Spoiler
This was a cute romance novel, and I appreciated learning about the author’s experience with her chronic illness and her Jewish religion and culture that she shared through this book. I also appreciated that the main drama was from when they were kids. I will say that it was a bit wild to me that they were talking about getting married before they had really kissed.Quote
“The world is filled with angry and miserable people. Those people are never going to be happy for you. So you go out there and you live your truth. You be the person the universe asked you to be. And anyone who doesn’t celebrate you for it, anyone who doesn’t love you through it, scew em. Because we love you. Just the way you are.”