I was happily surprised by this Hanukkah romance. This was possibly the first romance novel I’ve read about a Jewish couple, which is interesting because I try to read diverse romances yet this was the rare romance where I felt represented.
Abby is the owner of a small café in Vermont. Born in New York City, she cut ties with her abusive parents long ago. She doesn’t know any other Jews in Vermont, until she gets “volunteered” to create the town’s first-ever Hanukkah festival. She needs help turning Hanukkah traditions into a fun but also meaningful event that will support the town’s small businesses. She teams up with her annoying customer Seth, who she discovers is also from a New York Jewish family.
I love a romance that’s about a lot of other things at the same time. This book is about Abby’s connection to her faith and her culture, how she feels about her religion, and how far she needs to go to assimilate with the (non-Jewish) Vermont community that she loves. Abby also has a traumatic childhood that keeps her from opening up to people. I found Abby’s emotional journey incredibly moving.
The romance was well developed and I appreciated the flaws and complexities of both characters. Nothing felt too simplistic, though I would have liked to see Seth developed a bit more. I appreciated that he had some issues, but considering how supportive his family and friends were, I would have liked to better understand his character. I did like the switch of having a cheerful, outgoing guy and a grumpy girl. If you don’t love dating tropes, this book throws together quite a few: fake dating, enemies to lovers, holidays, cooking, and falling-in-love-with-the-family (that last might not be a real trope).
This was a satisfying romance that addressed what it means to be a modern Jew in a place without a large Jewish community. As Abby explores what the religion and its traditions mean to her, she realizes it’s not just this “New York” part of her that she had to leave behind.
As I’ve hosted a Latke Party for years for my non-Jewish friends, I loved all the references to Jewish/holiday foods, prayers, and symbols. I could really relate to the way Elliott describes what it feels like to be “other”, especially at Christmas-time, and the way Hanukkah is always basically turned into Christmas by well-meaning non-Jews. I also related to the way Elliott writes about Abby’s nervousness about anti-semitism.
I look forward to reading more Jewish romances! A few authors I’ve seen recommended are Rachel Lynn Solomon, Heidi Shertok, Jean Meltzer, Felicia Grossman and Elissa Sussman. Have you read any of these, or can you recommend others?
Note: I received an advanced review copy of this book from NetGalley and publisher Berkley Publishing Group. This book publishes October 8, 2024.
