The Matzah Ball: A Novel

Apart from taking the name of Jesus in vain 3x, the book was outstanding and clean, which I greatly appreciate. It was so much more than a rom com. I learned new words and expressions, Jewish customs and traditions, while two people struggled with all that life has thrown their way. I am a Christian who learned through DNA just a few years ago that my biological father was Ashkenazi. Where does one begin to assimilate any of that heritage? I absolutely loved the flawed characters, trying to find their way, heal relationships, and the added reality of a chronic illness, with a dose of history and culture! Baruch Hashem is my new favorite saying. Thank you so much for this book.

What a mashup of Christmas, Jewish culture and tradition, and disability! I loved the Yiddishkeit (and Yiddish), but had to stop to look up words I didn't know. I liked the learning, but kind of wish there was a glossary somewhere in the book.I was deeply impressed by the accuracy and compassion of the description of the heroine with ME/CFS, how the condition impacted her decision making, her choices, the episodic nature of it. That she could in one scene be sprinting through New York, and the next day be bedridden, yes, this is what it's like.Something that bugs me with a lot of romance novels is when the factors separating the two lead characters are excessively arbitrary and lacking in credibility. This didn't do that, but there were places where it edged perilously close to it. There were scenes where things happened really fast that should probably have taken a while to unfold, but the structure of the story forced everything into a really tight timeline (the 8 days of Hannukah/Chanukah). Clever, delightful, accurate. I look forward to more from this author.

I loved, loved, loved this book. I don't know if anything I can say will do the book justice.The hero and heroine: I felt so close to Rachel and I'd love to have her as a friend. I don't have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome but arelative of mine does. I have arthritis and sometimes I'm in a lot of pain but I can't imagine what it would be like to have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. The rabbi's daughter who loves Christmas and writes Christmas romances? Yes, we could definitely be friends. I'm Jewish and I love Chanukah. Jelly donuts, latkes, and eight presents? What's not to like? I also like Christmas. I like the snow and cold weather, not to mention, the lights and decorations, and the old school Christmas movies like Meet Me in St. Louis and Little Women. And oh, the songs! I like to change the words and make them Chanukah songs.Then there's Jacob who turns out to be a mensch. I'll admit I wasn't too impressed with him when I thought he humiliated Rachel at camp or when he made her wear the matzo ball costume. I'm glad I found out what he was really like.Bubbe and Mickey: I loved them both so much! Tobe was sweet and fun and reminded me of my grandma. My grandma wasn't a world traveler, but she watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show with me and fixed me wonderful things to eat like rice pudding and rum balls. And she called me Nancele. And Mickey was a true friend who did anything for Rachel.The writing and the descriptions about Jewish traditions and Christmas was terrific. I did think Rachel and Jacob were a little young to fall in love. Maybe if they had been childhood friends and then fallen in love at camp, it would have been less of a problem.I got the audio version of this and the narrator brought the whole story to life for me. I'll keep it on my tablet so I can listen to it every year. I can imagine it as a movie. It's the best Chanukah story I've read in a long time! I can't wait to read more from this author.

This book was sweet and fun, and I enjoyed listening to it a lot. It had a good moral message along with a very sweet romance. I honestly also learned a lot about Judaism from this book.

I enjoyed this story. Rachel and Jacob were very likable and realistic characters. The only drawback for me was not understanding the most of the Jewish references and words. In the beginning it was hard to look past that to the storyline. I had to start glancing over them to start really getting into the story. Overall, I definitely think it’s worth the read, Jewish or not.

This is the Hanukkah book I didn’t know I needed! Rachel and Jacobs camp history and their enemies to lovers dynamic were played out on the stage of the Matzah Ball coming to fruition- and it all happened inside a richly developed Jewish New York. There were details that I, a non-Jew, learned something from, but that I could see being important to those in the Jewish community reading this book.So great! I’m glad this one came to my attention!

I loved this book. There is humor and a very clever premise. The characters were relatable and engaging.I expected more of a comedy story but the it has substance and meaning beyond the first impression. I loved that the author wove in history and the Jewish experience to give her characters more dimension. But it is basically, a very typical holiday romance story with the two characters who hate each other but wind up together. If you like this type of story, this book fits in well.I thought the author went a little heavy on the ME/CFS illness aspect. But I have had it for years and know people less functional than the character Rachel, as there are all levels of ability. So, I could overlook that part. I also thought the out of the gate reason she wanted a ticket to the ball was very weak. This is a rabbi’s daughter, she knows more about Hannukah than anyone else and the premise that either she or her publisher would doubt that was really hollow, so I began to question the book. But I thought it turned around at least enough to overlook the weaknesses in logic at times.It is basically well written and moved at a good pace. I loved the inclusion of Yiddish words and definitions for those not familiar with Jewish culture to draw them even further into the story. I thought it a completely enjoyable read. Characters and some humor can often make you overlook details that don’t work if you think about them.

One cliche after another, a book based on characters hung up on something that happened when they were 12 ?! Come on, we romance readers like fluff but we are also looking for a logical interesting Story….

A fun romantic comedy book. It feels like reading a Christmas hallmark movie but with a bit more substance. Interesting insight into the world of Jewish Hanukkah traditions.

The plot and story was on the right track. The main character Racheal was still likeable at times but her and Jacob were foolishly holding onto stuff that happened WHEN THEY WERE 12! That premise was completely foolish and as an adult hard to grasp. In fact often made me roll my eyes and want to shake them and tell the to grow up. They were both supposed to be accomplished adults and were complete children emotionally.Other aspects of the novel were nice but the main characters were a turn off

This book is amazing! It has made me realise i know nothing about jewish culture or the religion but i want to know more! I loved everything about this book and will be on the look out for more by the author

It's a Christmas gift