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Book Review of The Matzah Ball

The Matzah Ball
The Matzah Ball
Author: Jean Meltzer
Genres: Literature & Fiction, Romance
Book Type: Paperback
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Helpful Score: 1


Rachel and Jacob met at summer camp. They went from enemies to friends to something more (as much as a 12 your old can anyway). Until Rachel thought Jacob did something which caused her to react. Her reaction let to his thinking she abandoned him. Even though they were 12, that summer left an impact (Jacob's parents were divorcing, his mom has MS, and he was moving to France). He was a little shit to him mom and he has regrets about his childhood behaviors. Rachel's dad is a Rabbi and she feels pressure to act a certain way because of that. She cares what people think.
Grownup Rachel is a romance writer. It's scandalous because she writes Christmas romances (under a pen name). She loves Christmas (the scandal!). She runs into a problem when her publisher wants her to write a Hanukkah romance. Enter Jacob and his Matzah Ball. Jacob has his own event planning company and rolls in the dough.
I thought this had a good balance with showing how someone has learned to live with chronic illness (Rachel has myalgic encephalomyelitis or as it's more commonly named- chronic fatigue syndrome). Also as someone who is not Jewish, the author did a good job of explaining Jewish customs/sayings without being preachy. I thought both characters are relatable and each have made their own assumptions they need to get over.