I didnt know what to expect from this book but i found it an enjoyable read, there were some tough themes that were dealt with in a real and lighthearted way infused with a sense of humour that I loved.

The Matzah Ball introduced me to a culture and religion with which I am familiar only in passing. Rachel is not just Jewish but she is also the daughter of a well-regarded rabbi. Brought up to behave in a way that will not reflect badly on him, she is now an adult hiding secrets from those she loves. And those she loves are the only ones who know the bigger secret she is hiding. Throw in the boy she loved twenty years ago and you have all the makings of a seasonal romance.

The appeal of the whole sentimental mush that passes for Christmas in fiction and film has passed me by. But not Rachel. Secretly, she loves all things Christmas. It is her guilty secret, kept from her parents. And they are the keepers of a less guilty secret: that Rachel is living with a chronic illness. Trying to hide a part of her life from all but her old friend Mickey has always caused Rachel stress and her life gets more and more complicated as the book goes on.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I'm looking forward to reading more by Jean Meltzer.

Sometimes you let go of childhood irritations….but in this book they form the essence of the relationship between the two characters.
Rachel and Jacob met at Jewish summer camp. They were twelve, loved pranking each other but also each thought there was a chance of something more developing. Unfortunately, things were not to be. Rachel got upset that Jacob told everyone he was going to kiss her (he didn’t) and he got cross that she stood him up at the dance (she didn’t). Since then, they haven’t spoken.
Of course, in this scenario it’s then inevitable that they will end up forced into a situation where they have to spend time together. They, naturally, still like each other but they, oddly, can’t talk about what happened so keep falling out.
This romance is played out against a backdrop of a Hanukkah ball, an attempt to make Judaism trendy. There’s also a rather weird storyline concerning Rachel and her guilty secret of how she makes her money when she has a crippling chronic illness. It was t quite what I expected.
This was a bit of a crash course in Judaism, with the romance coming to the fore as and when there needed to be something moving along. It was light-hearted fun, and an entertaining enough read though the book would have been much shorter if they’d just spoken to each other.

A great festive read!

Rachel is Jewish, but secretly loves Christmas, so much so that she has secretly written many Christmas novels.
When her published wants her to write a Hanukkah story, she needs to get Jacob to invite her to the Matzah ball he is organising.

They haven't seen each other for years, since the summer camp when they fell out, so will they have a chance now?

Great characters, and also interesting to find out more about a Jewish festival I knew very little about.

Whip smart and hilarious, I loved every minute of this book! A perfectly chaotic Jewish/Christmas love story with misunderstandings and misconceptions galore, with a fizzing sexy romance to boot!

I loved how well each main and supporting character was given some depth and their role in the story had purpose. I could easily picture each scene and could definitely imagine it as a film! I would love to read more from this author immediately, I look forward to following her in the future!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this ebook.in exchange for an honest review.