That Jewish Thing

I was so excited when I got approved to read this book and I’m glad I was. This is such a brilliant book with a brilliant concept. It reminded me of my upbringing and I found it so relatable

I'm a big fan of easy to read chick lit; stories that you can almost predict from the start but take you on twists and turns throughout - this is one of those books. What sets it apart is that combined with the usual romance, there's also a struggle and exploration of the Jewish culture of the main character. The story is engaging, I didn't realise how many words we use in English that have Hebrew/yiddish roots, and the characters are easy to relate to. It's a charming story, Amber Crewe's writing is humorous and realistic - you can imagine every part of the story as real life, in fact I had to check it wasn't biographical after the first chapter!

Tamsyn has grown up unaware of how much she fights her Jewish, resenting her parents (as most teens/twenty year olds have a tendency to!) and is determined not to fit into any boxes that are expected of her. She has a career that she's determined will lead to great things and she is not going to be pushed into marrying.
I absolutely loved this, it was easy to read and yet I learnt a lot as I read. Anti-semitism is unfortunately a real issue for so many people today and this book really spells it out, and the importance of Judaism as a culture, not 'just' a religion.

Tamsyn Rutman is at yet another wedding, for yet another cousin. She wouldn't mind - the food's pretty good, the location is fabulous and there's a moderately famous singer crooning away - but what is a Jewish wedding if not the perfect opportunity for the bride to do a bit of matchmaking on behalf of her single, workaholic cousin? Tamsyn's not at the table with her parents and her family, she's sitting next to Ari Marshall.
This is a funny story in parts and I loved Tamsyn as we follow her journey to find love.

I loved this book. Even though I’m not part of any religion or group I could really see myself in Tamsyn. Maybe because her problems are so much part of the current city life we all live. And when I say “we” I mean single ladies in the big city. I truly enjoyed this book and soaked up all the cultural differences.

I had and have some good Jewish friends and was in a long term relationship with a Jew. It was lovely to read about Taken and her family. Remembering things I'd heard and seen in Israel. A great, great read. Highly recommended!!!!!!

That Jewish Thing by Amber Crewe is a great novel that is part “coming of age” and part contemporary romance that I really enjoyed.

I really liked the full character cast with this book. The friends and family that are a part of Ari and Tamsyn’s lives are well-developed, complex, and well-ingrained into their lives (whether they want them to be or not lol).

I enjoyed Tamsyn and Ari as well. They had great chemistry and after Tamsyn working through her own issues, questions, and filtering through her own life, she was able to realize it as well.

I loved the inclusion of not only the Jewish faith, but also the culture. A lot of people that haven’t grown up in either/both of these environments do not realize that they are not necessarily one and the same. There were times that I felt like I was hanging out with my own meddling (but well-intentioned) family as I read through the book. And for our non-Jewish friends, the author includes a handy glossary at the end.

4/5 stars

Thank you NG and Hodder & Stoughton for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 5/21/21 no BB listing has been created) and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.