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Kissing Kosher
Step 1: Get the secret recipe. Step 2: Don’t fall in love…
Avital Cohen isn’t wearing underpants—woefully, for unsexy reasons. Chronic pelvic pain has forced her to sideline her photography dreams and her love life. It’s all she can do to manage her family’s kosher bakery, Best Babka in Brooklyn, without collapsing.
She needs hired help.
And distractingly handsome Ethan Lippmann seems the perfect fit.
Except Ethan isn’t there to work—he’s undercover, at the behest of his ironfisted grandfather. Though Lippmann’s is a household name when it comes to mass-produced kosher baked goods, they don’t have the charm of Avital’s bakery. Or her grandfather’s world-famous pumpkin spice babka recipe.
As they bake side by side, Ethan soon finds himself more interested in Avital than in stealing family secrets, especially as he helps her find the chronic pain relief—and pleasure—she’s been missing.
But perfecting the recipe for romance calls for leaving out the lies…even if coming clean means risking everything.
Avital Cohen isn’t wearing underpants—woefully, for unsexy reasons. Chronic pelvic pain has forced her to sideline her photography dreams and her love life. It’s all she can do to manage her family’s kosher bakery, Best Babka in Brooklyn, without collapsing.
She needs hired help.
And distractingly handsome Ethan Lippmann seems the perfect fit.
Except Ethan isn’t there to work—he’s undercover, at the behest of his ironfisted grandfather. Though Lippmann’s is a household name when it comes to mass-produced kosher baked goods, they don’t have the charm of Avital’s bakery. Or her grandfather’s world-famous pumpkin spice babka recipe.
As they bake side by side, Ethan soon finds himself more interested in Avital than in stealing family secrets, especially as he helps her find the chronic pain relief—and pleasure—she’s been missing.
But perfecting the recipe for romance calls for leaving out the lies…even if coming clean means risking everything.
400 pages, ebook
First published August 29, 2023
About the author
Jean Meltzer
5 books1,162 followersJean Meltzer studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch and has earned numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy. She spent five years in rabbinical school before her chronic illness forced her to withdraw, and her father told her she should write a book―just not a Jewish one because no one reads those. She is the author of The Matzah Ball, Mr. Perfect on Paper, and Kissing Kosher. Magical Meet Cute is her fourth book.
Connect with her online at:
Website: www.jeanmeltzer.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeanmeltzer/
FB: www.facebook.com/jeanmeltzerauthor
Newsletter: https://jeanmeltzer.com/newsletter/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Meltzer/e...
***
Hi Everyone,
Just a heads up that I don't accept friend requests on Goodreads. However, please find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I love chit-chatting and making friends! Thank you so much for your understanding.
With Love,
Jean
Connect with her online at:
Website: www.jeanmeltzer.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeanmeltzer/
FB: www.facebook.com/jeanmeltzerauthor
Newsletter: https://jeanmeltzer.com/newsletter/
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/Jean-Meltzer/e...
***
Hi Everyone,
Just a heads up that I don't accept friend requests on Goodreads. However, please find me on Instagram and Facebook, where I love chit-chatting and making friends! Thank you so much for your understanding.
With Love,
Jean
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 826 reviews
September 18, 2023
4 stars!
Ethan Lippmann is sent by his grandfather to pose undercover at the bakery Best Babka in order to steal their secret recipe for pumpkin spice babka. There he meets Avital, who despite her stern personality Ethan is attracted to almost right away. While working there, Ethan begins to become friends with the staff, and starting to become something even more with Avital. But with her chronic pelvic pain, Avital is just trying to get through every day and Ethan doesn't want to betray her.
This is one of those books where every criticism I hear I think it's totally valid and agree with but at the same time, I really enjoyed this book. The author fit quite a few "teaching moments" into the book and they were fairly obvious, but a lot of them I enjoyed. To be fair, I am not Jewish and don't know as much about the faith as I wish but I felt I learned a lot from the book and found it all very interesting. I also think a lot of people will relate to Avital's experience with chronic pain in some way. Not everyone's experience is the same, but it's also nice to see yourself represented in literature.
Without getting too spoilery, one of my favorite aspects of this book was how the characters reacted to each other. When things would happen, when things are revealed throughout the story. I won't say much but I appreciated how the author wrote the character reactions and it was so refreshing to read in a romance novel. I would have liked some more character development of some characters (they tended to be caricatures instead of fleshed out), and I think some of the plot points needed to be weeded down. But overall this was such a fun read and I'm glad I overcame my misgivings (book with an ugly cover) and decided to read it anyway.
Ethan Lippmann is sent by his grandfather to pose undercover at the bakery Best Babka in order to steal their secret recipe for pumpkin spice babka. There he meets Avital, who despite her stern personality Ethan is attracted to almost right away. While working there, Ethan begins to become friends with the staff, and starting to become something even more with Avital. But with her chronic pelvic pain, Avital is just trying to get through every day and Ethan doesn't want to betray her.
This is one of those books where every criticism I hear I think it's totally valid and agree with but at the same time, I really enjoyed this book. The author fit quite a few "teaching moments" into the book and they were fairly obvious, but a lot of them I enjoyed. To be fair, I am not Jewish and don't know as much about the faith as I wish but I felt I learned a lot from the book and found it all very interesting. I also think a lot of people will relate to Avital's experience with chronic pain in some way. Not everyone's experience is the same, but it's also nice to see yourself represented in literature.
Without getting too spoilery, one of my favorite aspects of this book was how the characters reacted to each other. When things would happen, when things are revealed throughout the story. I won't say much but I appreciated how the author wrote the character reactions and it was so refreshing to read in a romance novel. I would have liked some more character development of some characters (they tended to be caricatures instead of fleshed out), and I think some of the plot points needed to be weeded down. But overall this was such a fun read and I'm glad I overcame my misgivings (book with an ugly cover) and decided to read it anyway.
October 5, 2023
4 stars
Kissing Kosher was my first book by Jean Meltzer and I enjoyed it so much. It was a book of two rival bakeries and their grandchildren. Avital Cohen runs her family’s bakery, Best Babka in Brooklyn. Ethan Rosenberg Lippmann goes undercover there, as his family owns Lippmann’s Bakery.
There is so much more to this story than what meets the eye and that’s why I liked it so much. I loved how Avital was not in the dark for too long about Ethan’s identity. I loved the sibling relationships, the representation for not only the Jewish community but for chronic pain and how that tied into the story. Avital was a warrior and Ethan was a gem. I adored them together!
Kissing Kosher was my first book by Jean Meltzer and I enjoyed it so much. It was a book of two rival bakeries and their grandchildren. Avital Cohen runs her family’s bakery, Best Babka in Brooklyn. Ethan Rosenberg Lippmann goes undercover there, as his family owns Lippmann’s Bakery.
There is so much more to this story than what meets the eye and that’s why I liked it so much. I loved how Avital was not in the dark for too long about Ethan’s identity. I loved the sibling relationships, the representation for not only the Jewish community but for chronic pain and how that tied into the story. Avital was a warrior and Ethan was a gem. I adored them together!
Audio book source: Libby
Story Rating: 4 stars
Narrators: Dara Rosenberg
Narration Rating: 4 stars
Genre: Romance
Length: 11h 3m
August 23, 2023
Jean Meltzer is now three-for-three with delightful and poignant Jewish rom-coms. This one deals a lot with chronic pain and she takes it in directions I wasn't even expecting. And even though Ethan is way too young for me, he is swoon-worthy in so many ways. The icing on the cake, so to speak, is all the delicious descriptions of baked goods. It made me miss going to Zadie's Bakery in NJ.
The plot made me think of the movie Hanukkah on Rye in some ways. However, it was way different overall and there were some aspects that were really eye-opening when it comes to chronic pain and how to manage it. Even though I don't share Avital's experiences, thankfully, Jean made her situation feel so relatable. I really liked all the side characters working at Best Babka, especially Tootles. They all had interesting backstories though. (I'd actually love for Jean to write a story about Chaya and find a way to help unchain her from her ex-husband in that novel.)
My main concern was that there was too much time spent on discussing intimacy. Maybe because I know so much about family purity already, it felt like it went on too long. However, I did learn some new things from it, as well. I also felt like the rivalry between the grandfathers seemed unclear at times.
Funny coincidence: It's mentioned that Avital smells like cherry blossoms a lot of the time. I've been using a body wash from Bath and Body Works that smells like cherry blossoms, which I put in my shower prior to reading this novel.
Overall, this was a wonderful story. I even got teary-eyed a few times. It will be published in late August, just in time for High Holiday reading! (However, if you are not Jewish or Jewish and not observant, you will learn a lot of things about customs and rituals while enjoying the ride, so it's definitely worth checking out.) Just don't read it during Yom Kippur or all the food descriptions will make things that much more difficult.
(Trigger warnings at the bottom.)
Movie casting suggestions:
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TW: illness, death of parents, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, agunot (for a minor character)
The plot made me think of the movie Hanukkah on Rye in some ways. However, it was way different overall and there were some aspects that were really eye-opening when it comes to chronic pain and how to manage it. Even though I don't share Avital's experiences, thankfully, Jean made her situation feel so relatable. I really liked all the side characters working at Best Babka, especially Tootles. They all had interesting backstories though. (I'd actually love for Jean to write a story about Chaya and find a way to help unchain her from her ex-husband in that novel.)
My main concern was that there was too much time spent on discussing intimacy. Maybe because I know so much about family purity already, it felt like it went on too long. However, I did learn some new things from it, as well. I also felt like the rivalry between the grandfathers seemed unclear at times.
Funny coincidence: It's mentioned that Avital smells like cherry blossoms a lot of the time. I've been using a body wash from Bath and Body Works that smells like cherry blossoms, which I put in my shower prior to reading this novel.
Overall, this was a wonderful story. I even got teary-eyed a few times. It will be published in late August, just in time for High Holiday reading! (However, if you are not Jewish or Jewish and not observant, you will learn a lot of things about customs and rituals while enjoying the ride, so it's definitely worth checking out.) Just don't read it during Yom Kippur or all the food descriptions will make things that much more difficult.
(Trigger warnings at the bottom.)
Movie casting suggestions:
Avital: Abigail Breslin
Ethan: David Corenswet
Josh: Austin Abrams
Randy: Zachary Gordon
Moishe: Judd Hirsch
Chayim: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine reunion, anyone? Note: I wrote this review prior to his passing.)
Rabbi Jason: Mark Feuerstein
Ethan: David Corenswet
Josh: Austin Abrams
Randy: Zachary Gordon
Moishe: Judd Hirsch
Chayim: Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine reunion, anyone? Note: I wrote this review prior to his passing.)
Rabbi Jason: Mark Feuerstein
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TW: illness, death of parents, emotional abuse, suicidal ideation, agunot (for a minor character)
March 27, 2024
Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer is a standalone contemporary romance novel. Kissing Kosher is set in the Jewish community and showcases a lot of Jewish traditions along with having a main character dealing with a chronic illness and pain but infuses a lovely romance among the heavier topic involved.
For Avital Cohen life is now just about getting through every day in her family bakery all while dealing with chronic pain. Avital was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and deals with pain constantly with little help from her doctor. The bakery wasn’t Avital’s dream but here she is doing her best to help with the long lines of customers enjoying her families Jewish baked goods.
With the bakery at it’s busiest Avital is looking to hire more help when in walks Ethan Rosenberg. Ethan is actually the grandson of the man who was Avital’s family’s biggest competition and has been sent by his grandfather to spy on the bakery. With a few white lies in his application Ethan gets the job where he can’t help but be curious about the bakery’s feisty manager in Avital.
Kissing Kosher is the first book I’ve read by author Jean Meltzer and it won’t be the last either. It’s my understanding that the author always has characters dealing with real problems in her stories and I appreciated the chance to read of a condition I was unfamiliar with and really get a unique story with that premise. I also enjoyed learning more about the Jewish community and traditions that I wasn’t familiar with myself. Even with the heavier topic involved the story had lighthearted humor which also kept the pages turning for me. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
For Avital Cohen life is now just about getting through every day in her family bakery all while dealing with chronic pain. Avital was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and deals with pain constantly with little help from her doctor. The bakery wasn’t Avital’s dream but here she is doing her best to help with the long lines of customers enjoying her families Jewish baked goods.
With the bakery at it’s busiest Avital is looking to hire more help when in walks Ethan Rosenberg. Ethan is actually the grandson of the man who was Avital’s family’s biggest competition and has been sent by his grandfather to spy on the bakery. With a few white lies in his application Ethan gets the job where he can’t help but be curious about the bakery’s feisty manager in Avital.
Kissing Kosher is the first book I’ve read by author Jean Meltzer and it won’t be the last either. It’s my understanding that the author always has characters dealing with real problems in her stories and I appreciated the chance to read of a condition I was unfamiliar with and really get a unique story with that premise. I also enjoyed learning more about the Jewish community and traditions that I wasn’t familiar with myself. Even with the heavier topic involved the story had lighthearted humor which also kept the pages turning for me. Looking forward to reading more from this author!
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/
August 31, 2023
The feud between the Lippmanns and the Cohens because of their bakery, Best Babka Bakery in Brooklyn, still continued after all of these years.
It continued with another idea by Moishe Lippmann that forced his grandson Ethan to get a job at the bakery and to not reveal who he was or what he was after.
What he was after was the recipe for the pumpkin-spiced babka recipe that Chayim Lippman claims Moishe stole from him.
Having that recipe would be the ultimate win because that recipe is literally kept under lock and key by the family and loved by every patron and lover of sweets in Brooklyn.
Ethan presented himself for the job as a seasoned chef who had worked in Paris when he had never baked or worked a day in his life.
Can he pull it off since he has no baking experience?
Well…it seems so since he was not allowed in the kitchen. He was relegated to taking out the trash and assembling the trademarked pink boxes.
While he has no access to the kitchen, he does have another perk - Avital Cohen the owner.
She makes his heart flutter, but it would be a sin to fall in love since their families are such mortal enemies.
Will Ethan and Avital be able to keep apart?
Will Ethan be looking more for love than worrying about stealing the recipe his extremely stern and critical grandfather demands?
KISSING KOSHER was a delightful, entertaining read with some nice surprises. You will love all the characters.
It was also educational for me as I learned about the Jewish culture and customs. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
It continued with another idea by Moishe Lippmann that forced his grandson Ethan to get a job at the bakery and to not reveal who he was or what he was after.
What he was after was the recipe for the pumpkin-spiced babka recipe that Chayim Lippman claims Moishe stole from him.
Having that recipe would be the ultimate win because that recipe is literally kept under lock and key by the family and loved by every patron and lover of sweets in Brooklyn.
Ethan presented himself for the job as a seasoned chef who had worked in Paris when he had never baked or worked a day in his life.
Can he pull it off since he has no baking experience?
Well…it seems so since he was not allowed in the kitchen. He was relegated to taking out the trash and assembling the trademarked pink boxes.
While he has no access to the kitchen, he does have another perk - Avital Cohen the owner.
She makes his heart flutter, but it would be a sin to fall in love since their families are such mortal enemies.
Will Ethan and Avital be able to keep apart?
Will Ethan be looking more for love than worrying about stealing the recipe his extremely stern and critical grandfather demands?
KISSING KOSHER was a delightful, entertaining read with some nice surprises. You will love all the characters.
It was also educational for me as I learned about the Jewish culture and customs. 5/5
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
January 3, 2023
Kissing Kosher
by Jean Meltzer is one of those books you get so absorbed into, the entire world around you fades away. I was transported to the Best Babka bakery in Brooklyn, could feel the rising tension between Avital and Ethan, and cheered them on every step of the way. Daring, poignant, brutally honest but also exquisitely romantic,
Kissing Kosher
is an absolute delight!
September 14, 2023
IDK…Jewish representation is so lacking in the romance genre, but Jean Meltzer’s pacing and heavy-handedness continues to make me cringe. Her previous two books felt less awkward to me, but the problems are consistent. This book is the worst offender thus far, however. We get it, your characters are Jewish! But as a 20-something Jew, neither I nor my peers throw Yiddish around this much. We certainly don’t talk almost exclusively Jewish practices and holidays.
The grandfather antagonist was so over the top, it was almost comical. All the characters are so one-note and over the top, I could hardly stand it. It felt so unreal and manufactured. The scenes between Ethan and Avital were so cringey to me, particularly if anything sexual was involved.
This book feels like lecture after lecture: on chronic pain, on ~intimacy~ (I never need to hear the word again after reading this book), on Kosher law, on medical cannabis, and so on.
The pacing is weird. I listened to the audio book and it was 11 hours…seems long to me. So many chapters devoted to build-up for what felt like no payoff. Every time I hit “play” I thought “…we’re still on the part about weed?”
Not the worst I’ve read, but I can’t recommend it.
The grandfather antagonist was so over the top, it was almost comical. All the characters are so one-note and over the top, I could hardly stand it. It felt so unreal and manufactured. The scenes between Ethan and Avital were so cringey to me, particularly if anything sexual was involved.
This book feels like lecture after lecture: on chronic pain, on ~intimacy~ (I never need to hear the word again after reading this book), on Kosher law, on medical cannabis, and so on.
The pacing is weird. I listened to the audio book and it was 11 hours…seems long to me. So many chapters devoted to build-up for what felt like no payoff. Every time I hit “play” I thought “…we’re still on the part about weed?”
Not the worst I’ve read, but I can’t recommend it.
June 12, 2023
4.5 stars
In Kissing Kosher (publishing in August), Avital is dealing with chronic pain while trying to run her family’s bakery. Is romance in her future with Ethan, whose family has their own highly successful commercial bakery and has been feuding with Avital’s family for decades?
Jean Meltzer is a favorite author of mine, having loved both The Matzah Ball and Mr. Perfect on Paper. She manages to write wonderful romances while also including serious topics. Her heroines tend to have “invisible” diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety and, in this book, chronic pelvic pain. All this while writing interesting characters who live their own versions of Judaism. Kissing Kosher weaves in family relationships (both good and terrible), respect for tradition and a willingness to explore new possibilities. Meltzer manages to make Jewish practices understandable for people who aren’t familiar with them (various Yiddish words are sprinkled throughout and, if not always directly translated, you always get the meaning from the context).
There’s quite a bit of rather frank talk about chronic pain, bodily functions, sex and intimacy, and yet the overall feeling is of a wonderful love story, a variation on the enemies-to-lovers trope. I particularly appreciated the exploration of what intimacy means. There are also fabulous side characters, from Tootles, the ex-con baker to the hippie Rabbi Jason. And a ton of yummy-sounding baked goods!
I would have given this a full 5 stars, but I had some questions about the [possible small spoiler ahead]
Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples for the chance to read this book ahead of publication! All opinions are my own.
In Kissing Kosher (publishing in August), Avital is dealing with chronic pain while trying to run her family’s bakery. Is romance in her future with Ethan, whose family has their own highly successful commercial bakery and has been feuding with Avital’s family for decades?
Jean Meltzer is a favorite author of mine, having loved both The Matzah Ball and Mr. Perfect on Paper. She manages to write wonderful romances while also including serious topics. Her heroines tend to have “invisible” diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety and, in this book, chronic pelvic pain. All this while writing interesting characters who live their own versions of Judaism. Kissing Kosher weaves in family relationships (both good and terrible), respect for tradition and a willingness to explore new possibilities. Meltzer manages to make Jewish practices understandable for people who aren’t familiar with them (various Yiddish words are sprinkled throughout and, if not always directly translated, you always get the meaning from the context).
There’s quite a bit of rather frank talk about chronic pain, bodily functions, sex and intimacy, and yet the overall feeling is of a wonderful love story, a variation on the enemies-to-lovers trope. I particularly appreciated the exploration of what intimacy means. There are also fabulous side characters, from Tootles, the ex-con baker to the hippie Rabbi Jason. And a ton of yummy-sounding baked goods!
I would have given this a full 5 stars, but I had some questions about the [possible small spoiler ahead]
Thank you to the Jewish Federation of Greater Naples for the chance to read this book ahead of publication! All opinions are my own.
April 25, 2023
Avital co-owns a kosher bakery in Brooklyn with her twin brother Josh. She has a health condition which keeps her in almost constant pain, and gave up her dream of being a photographer when she needed more flexible hours. She advertises for help, and a really handsome applicant, Ethan, comes in for an interview. He claims to have gone to culinary school, but his true motive is to get the bakery's secret recipe for pumpkin spice babka. His crochety old grandfather had a falling out with the bakery's founder many years ago, and claims the recipe was stolen. Will Avital and Josh find out who Ethan really is? Can a Romeo and Juliet romance work when the families have been feuding for so long? This is a cute bakery romance--I'm just sorry that it didn't include recipes. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
December 28, 2023
This book unfortunately does not hold a candle to Jean Meltzer's other book The Matzah Ball.
January 17, 2024
I am not one to particularly enjoy romance genre books. There was something more to this book. Aside some of the intimacy discussed, I really did enjoy the character relationships. Chronic illness, family transgenerational trauma, corporate espionage (or was it?) all are part of Kissing Kosher. The book is a bit predictable and I had a sense of the ending by the first few chapters, but I did enjoy the story even if I could cut out just a bit of the intimacy components. I do appreciate the author mentioning in the epilogue the sources they used for writing the book so I do want to give credit for the research that they did to write a more accurate story when it came to some of the medical and religious aspects mentioned in the story. I would give it five stars if the chapters solely about intercourse and physical attraction that was obvious and did not need to be mentioned between two characters were not there.
May 11, 2023
I have absolutely adored everything Jean Meltzer writes but Kissing Kosher was her best yet (and that is saying something because the first two were also fantastic) - the Jewish representation in this novel was phenomenal while also being educational which is wonderful for those less familiar with the Jewish faith who pick up this book. There is romance, humor, wit and the struggles of family and chronic illness - contributing to so much heart in this wonderful book - I highly recommend pre-ordering this one before it releases in August - you are definitely going to want to get to know Avital and Ethan!
Thank you to Harlequin MIRA for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to Harlequin MIRA for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
September 26, 2023
I really enjoyed Jean Meltzer's first book, The Matzo Ball, and I had really, really wanted to love this one. I thought that the story had several good plots. There was a romance brewing between the two main characters, Avital and Ethan. Unfortunately, these two young people had feuding grandfathers so their relationship appeared to be improbable. The second story line was Avital's chronic pain which made her daily life as the co-owner of a successful Jewish Bakery nearly too much to bear. The third story line involved the production and distribution of Medicinal Cannabis.
Theres a Yiddish word that comes to mind: Dayenu - "It would have been enough, it would have sufficed."
Any one of these plot lines Dayenu, it would have been enough. All of them together in one book didn't work for me.
Theres a Yiddish word that comes to mind: Dayenu - "It would have been enough, it would have sufficed."
Any one of these plot lines Dayenu, it would have been enough. All of them together in one book didn't work for me.
October 31, 2023
I don't really know what I expected when I picked this up, but it wasn't a meditation on generational trauma, toxic families, chronic pain, and the difference between sex and intimacy. I REALLY loved this, it absolutely vibed with my current mood of self reflection on what a future could look like inside my own body. Really recommend, but please be mindful of the content. There is on page verbal and financial abuse by a family member, as well a frank depiction of chronic pain, medical treatment of same, and thoughts of suicide. You might find all of the above affirming or it might be too much. I hadn't read anything quite like it and found it moving. I expect mileage can and will vary.
August 3, 2023
4.25 stars
Age Rating: 17+
Spice Level: 1/5
The Matzah Ball remains my favorite Jean Meltzer book…
But this one is my new second favorite!
The disability representation was absolutely incredible. There were so many important discussions around living with chronic pain, medical mistreatment and trauma, pain management, sexual dysfunction religion and identity when you’re living with chronic pain and disability… and of course so much more, Judaism and family.
This book has it all—
Romeo and Juliet-esque feuding families
A feuding food establishmant fight over a secret recipe a la Mr Krabs and Plankton from Spongebob
Marijuana*
And of course, swoony romance
*The book actually has some phenomenal discussions about marijuana, and medical marijuana that I really enjoyed. I loved seeing that stigma tackled and broken down in a book, and I think Jean Meltzer did it wonderfully.
This book was both incredibly fun and incredibly heartfelt. I love Avital and Ethan and the whole Best Babka crew. Sometimes—especially when it came to the rivalry—things got a bit too overdramatic for my taste, but all in all, it really is an amazing, important book that I cannot recommend more. Do be warned—it will leave you desperately craving pumpkin babka!
Rep: Jewish MCs, interstitial cystitis, chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, vulvodynia, fibroids, menstraul problems, medical trauma
CW: chronic pain, suicidal ideation, sex-related pain & sexual dysfunction, ableism, medical trauma/gaslighting doctors/doctors that can’t or won’t help you, abusive parental figure, emotional abuse, parent loss (off page, in the past), cannabis use (medical and non-medical), sexual content
Age Rating: 17+
Spice Level: 1/5
The Matzah Ball remains my favorite Jean Meltzer book…
But this one is my new second favorite!
The disability representation was absolutely incredible. There were so many important discussions around living with chronic pain, medical mistreatment and trauma, pain management, sexual dysfunction religion and identity when you’re living with chronic pain and disability… and of course so much more, Judaism and family.
This book has it all—
Romeo and Juliet-esque feuding families
A feuding food establishmant fight over a secret recipe a la Mr Krabs and Plankton from Spongebob
Marijuana*
And of course, swoony romance
*The book actually has some phenomenal discussions about marijuana, and medical marijuana that I really enjoyed. I loved seeing that stigma tackled and broken down in a book, and I think Jean Meltzer did it wonderfully.
This book was both incredibly fun and incredibly heartfelt. I love Avital and Ethan and the whole Best Babka crew. Sometimes—especially when it came to the rivalry—things got a bit too overdramatic for my taste, but all in all, it really is an amazing, important book that I cannot recommend more. Do be warned—it will leave you desperately craving pumpkin babka!
Rep: Jewish MCs, interstitial cystitis, chronic pelvic pain, sexual dysfunction, vulvodynia, fibroids, menstraul problems, medical trauma
CW: chronic pain, suicidal ideation, sex-related pain & sexual dysfunction, ableism, medical trauma/gaslighting doctors/doctors that can’t or won’t help you, abusive parental figure, emotional abuse, parent loss (off page, in the past), cannabis use (medical and non-medical), sexual content
May 15, 2023
This is Jean Meltzers best book yet!!
Avital Cohen, the owner of Best Babka in Brooklyn, is looking for a new employee, especially because her chronic illness is making it harder and harder to get all the small tasks done needed to run her family’s bakery successfully. When Eric Lippmann comes to interview with a fully stacked resume, Avital hires him without knowing he’s really undercover (sent by his grandfather) to steal a famous recipe. However, as Eric truly gets to know Avital, his intentions for why he is there changes and he realizes that he needs to come clean, even if that means risking it all.
First, this book happened to feature my favorite thing: Jewish desserts. There was a point while reading where I had to go pick up a challah of my own because the writing was so descriptive and made me hungry. Second, I found the romance to be more at the forefront of the story and the chemistry between the two main characters to be a lot stronger compared to Meltzer’s previous books. This made me enjoy the plot so much more even when the characters were acting a tad too dramatic or immature. Also, as always, Meltzer did a great job integrating both the Jewish and chronic illness rep into the story. Even as a Jew myself, I felt like I learned more about the religion/ culture, especially because I am not as observant as Avital. Finally, all the secondary characters brought a ton of laughs, warmth and enjoyment to the story!
Read if you like:
-Dessert
-Jewish rep
-Chronic illness rep
-Family rivalries
-Learning about medical marijuana
-Brooklyn setting
Avital Cohen, the owner of Best Babka in Brooklyn, is looking for a new employee, especially because her chronic illness is making it harder and harder to get all the small tasks done needed to run her family’s bakery successfully. When Eric Lippmann comes to interview with a fully stacked resume, Avital hires him without knowing he’s really undercover (sent by his grandfather) to steal a famous recipe. However, as Eric truly gets to know Avital, his intentions for why he is there changes and he realizes that he needs to come clean, even if that means risking it all.
First, this book happened to feature my favorite thing: Jewish desserts. There was a point while reading where I had to go pick up a challah of my own because the writing was so descriptive and made me hungry. Second, I found the romance to be more at the forefront of the story and the chemistry between the two main characters to be a lot stronger compared to Meltzer’s previous books. This made me enjoy the plot so much more even when the characters were acting a tad too dramatic or immature. Also, as always, Meltzer did a great job integrating both the Jewish and chronic illness rep into the story. Even as a Jew myself, I felt like I learned more about the religion/ culture, especially because I am not as observant as Avital. Finally, all the secondary characters brought a ton of laughs, warmth and enjoyment to the story!
Read if you like:
-Dessert
-Jewish rep
-Chronic illness rep
-Family rivalries
-Learning about medical marijuana
-Brooklyn setting
July 20, 2023
Another purely delightful read from Jean Meltzer. I finished this book quickly, because that's what the author does to you...she has you flipping pages. Meltzer sets up a great love story, a fun, fast-paced Rom-Com filled with quick wit and sexy banter. She's an author who delivers consistent heartfelt stories, one whose novels are a voice for Jewish women as well as those living with chronic pain. Real and relatable. Mazel tov to Jean for bringing these characters to life....a sparkling story from start to finish. Now I need to eat some babka please.
January 24, 2023
Jean Meltzer has a gift for weaving truly hilarious dialogue and narrative with important chronic illness representation and heart-tugging family drama. The grandchildren of feuding grandfathers, Ethan and Avital in Kissing Kosher are a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, but with a much happier ending. I loved every word of this proudly Jewish and sexy romance that highlights the importance of finding joy even in the most painful of times. Simply put, Jean Meltzer is a gem and so are her books.
March 12, 2024
Actual Rating: 3.5/5
This book has a lot of things going for it, but sadly the author has left me feeling lackluster for the second time, although at least this book I could finish. I enjoyed the chronic pain rep and of course the Jewish rep that focused on Jewish joy, but the chemistry between the characters was less than stellar and the family drama had me rolling my eyes especially since it was mostly one sided. Worth picking up at the library but not buying in my opinion!
This book has a lot of things going for it, but sadly the author has left me feeling lackluster for the second time, although at least this book I could finish. I enjoyed the chronic pain rep and of course the Jewish rep that focused on Jewish joy, but the chemistry between the characters was less than stellar and the family drama had me rolling my eyes especially since it was mostly one sided. Worth picking up at the library but not buying in my opinion!
October 26, 2024
2.5 stars. I grabbed this ARC because I remember seeing some potential is the author’s earlier book, and I was interested to see how her writing had developed. Y’all, I got some thoughts.
First, the positives: I rounded up to 3 stars because there are a lot of factors and stresses from the characters’ lives that are incorporated into the story. Both MCs respect each other and a lot of the drama to their relationship comes from their families and life situations, less from trope-y not communicating and making big assumptions. The set-up is very Romeo-and-Juliet. The Jewish identity and heritage of both MCs and most of the side characters is important to the story, and Jewish holidays and customs feature prominently. The FMC has a chronic illness/chronic pain, and that’s also a huge part of the relationship. All these are so great to see!
Now. I have concerns. To start: the FMC decides to try cannabis for her chronic pain, and also hopefully that will allow her to have sex (normally blocked by her pain level). It read as suuuuper sketchy to me that the first time she tried marijuana was also the first time the couple had sex. It’s alluded to that the couple have some physical explorations in the previous weeks but don’t go “all the way.” It’s also problematic because the high the FMC experiences was not at all what she was expecting. I do think there is space in relationships for one or both partners to drink or take substances without it revoking consent. But for her to actually not know what she’s getting into with this form of pot and then to have sex for the first time (with the MMC)? Not right.
And. I am into the discussion of romance as a fantasy genre, what readers connect to, we know it’s different from reality, all that. The relationship, though, was not the most fantasy-universe thing about this book.
1. Prior to the start of the story, the FMC has a sudden-onset pain condition. She gets diagnosed essentially immediately, which is unheard of. Some of my symptoms also started in college, and I didn’t get a diagnosis until 25 (for PCOS), 35 (for MCAS), and, at 40, still waiting to confirm or rule out an additional autoimmune diagnosis. The idea of receiving a diagnosis within a year is unheard of, based on the lived experiences of everyone that I personally know who has an AI disease.
1b. The FMC is frustrated that her doctor— the 4th or 5th “specialist” that she’s seen in the past 2 years— can’t help her. Honestly, almost everything about the day-to-day living for the FMC as a chronic illness sufferer seemed super accurate to me, except for these major things. The notion that you could get in to see that many specialists! I had to wait so long for my intake appointment with my immunologist that my referral *expired*. It was over 14 months. My referral for a rheumatologist was sent 2.5 YEARS ago. This is loo loo.
2. The MMC, who has never washed a dish or cooked a meal, takes to baking like a duck to water. I would probably have glossed over that if he had any artistic talents— but it’s specified in the text that he was never given space or freedom to take up any arts or hobbies— OR if he had a science/chemistry background— but again, his business-accounting-marketing-management education is brought up several times. The part that’s a complete fantasy, though, is that after a couple of weeks’ experience with regular baking, he’s going off-book, able to create GF products and other baked goods with huge substitutions. I’m no slouch in the kitchen, and I’ve been making most things from scratch for over 15 years (wow, that’s depressing, I don’t usually think about how long my journey has been, QUICKLY MOVING ON), and I still struggle with baking. I’m on vacation, so I’ve been in the kitchen every day, trying to perfect some recipes so they don’t need any additional experimentation and can become regular weeknight/weekend things. This week alone, a) from a recipe in a printed cookbook, the wet-dry proportions were so wrong I had the throw the whole thing out, a complete loss (and have you priced coconut flour recently? That’s not a cheap thing to just throw away); b) a second recipe from a real and printed cookbook had texture issues and to be fair, my teen ate all of them because the flavor wasn’t bad but I didn’t even eat a whole one; c) nowhere in town sells barley flour, so I had to make it in my kitchen, using my spice grinder, 1/4c at a time (although the muffins did turn out pretty well, if you can ignore the occasional 1/2 piece of barley that got through); and d) a 4th recipe from a real and published source again had proportion problems— and I was following the directions as written without making additional substitutions, for all of these, btw— that we didn’t eat these cookies as intended so much as literally eat them with a spoon out of a bowl because they did not hold a shape.
ALL THAT TO SAY, if I can’t do it after 15 years, how can I believe this pretty boy with no kitchen experience can knock it out of the park?
Maybe these issues won’t be noticeable to readers not living with the chronic illness. My experiences seem to match up with those of my friends who also have chronic disease, but maybe we’re a weird little pocket and the majority of people with AI diagnoses don’t have the same history.
The writing was very info-dump-y as characters explain things to each other. I don’t hate that, but it may be jarring for some. The narration also tended to be repetitive, and more stuff happened off-screen/in passing than I like.
The story is sweet and the representation is appreciated. For healthy people looking for a beach read, this is fine, but the writer still has a little ways to go before I can actually recommend her. eARC from NetGalley.
First, the positives: I rounded up to 3 stars because there are a lot of factors and stresses from the characters’ lives that are incorporated into the story. Both MCs respect each other and a lot of the drama to their relationship comes from their families and life situations, less from trope-y not communicating and making big assumptions. The set-up is very Romeo-and-Juliet. The Jewish identity and heritage of both MCs and most of the side characters is important to the story, and Jewish holidays and customs feature prominently. The FMC has a chronic illness/chronic pain, and that’s also a huge part of the relationship. All these are so great to see!
Now. I have concerns. To start: the FMC decides to try cannabis for her chronic pain, and also hopefully that will allow her to have sex (normally blocked by her pain level). It read as suuuuper sketchy to me that the first time she tried marijuana was also the first time the couple had sex. It’s alluded to that the couple have some physical explorations in the previous weeks but don’t go “all the way.” It’s also problematic because the high the FMC experiences was not at all what she was expecting. I do think there is space in relationships for one or both partners to drink or take substances without it revoking consent. But for her to actually not know what she’s getting into with this form of pot and then to have sex for the first time (with the MMC)? Not right.
And. I am into the discussion of romance as a fantasy genre, what readers connect to, we know it’s different from reality, all that. The relationship, though, was not the most fantasy-universe thing about this book.
1. Prior to the start of the story, the FMC has a sudden-onset pain condition. She gets diagnosed essentially immediately, which is unheard of. Some of my symptoms also started in college, and I didn’t get a diagnosis until 25 (for PCOS), 35 (for MCAS), and, at 40, still waiting to confirm or rule out an additional autoimmune diagnosis. The idea of receiving a diagnosis within a year is unheard of, based on the lived experiences of everyone that I personally know who has an AI disease.
1b. The FMC is frustrated that her doctor— the 4th or 5th “specialist” that she’s seen in the past 2 years— can’t help her. Honestly, almost everything about the day-to-day living for the FMC as a chronic illness sufferer seemed super accurate to me, except for these major things. The notion that you could get in to see that many specialists! I had to wait so long for my intake appointment with my immunologist that my referral *expired*. It was over 14 months. My referral for a rheumatologist was sent 2.5 YEARS ago. This is loo loo.
2. The MMC, who has never washed a dish or cooked a meal, takes to baking like a duck to water. I would probably have glossed over that if he had any artistic talents— but it’s specified in the text that he was never given space or freedom to take up any arts or hobbies— OR if he had a science/chemistry background— but again, his business-accounting-marketing-management education is brought up several times. The part that’s a complete fantasy, though, is that after a couple of weeks’ experience with regular baking, he’s going off-book, able to create GF products and other baked goods with huge substitutions. I’m no slouch in the kitchen, and I’ve been making most things from scratch for over 15 years (wow, that’s depressing, I don’t usually think about how long my journey has been, QUICKLY MOVING ON), and I still struggle with baking. I’m on vacation, so I’ve been in the kitchen every day, trying to perfect some recipes so they don’t need any additional experimentation and can become regular weeknight/weekend things. This week alone, a) from a recipe in a printed cookbook, the wet-dry proportions were so wrong I had the throw the whole thing out, a complete loss (and have you priced coconut flour recently? That’s not a cheap thing to just throw away); b) a second recipe from a real and printed cookbook had texture issues and to be fair, my teen ate all of them because the flavor wasn’t bad but I didn’t even eat a whole one; c) nowhere in town sells barley flour, so I had to make it in my kitchen, using my spice grinder, 1/4c at a time (although the muffins did turn out pretty well, if you can ignore the occasional 1/2 piece of barley that got through); and d) a 4th recipe from a real and published source again had proportion problems— and I was following the directions as written without making additional substitutions, for all of these, btw— that we didn’t eat these cookies as intended so much as literally eat them with a spoon out of a bowl because they did not hold a shape.
ALL THAT TO SAY, if I can’t do it after 15 years, how can I believe this pretty boy with no kitchen experience can knock it out of the park?
Maybe these issues won’t be noticeable to readers not living with the chronic illness. My experiences seem to match up with those of my friends who also have chronic disease, but maybe we’re a weird little pocket and the majority of people with AI diagnoses don’t have the same history.
The writing was very info-dump-y as characters explain things to each other. I don’t hate that, but it may be jarring for some. The narration also tended to be repetitive, and more stuff happened off-screen/in passing than I like.
The story is sweet and the representation is appreciated. For healthy people looking for a beach read, this is fine, but the writer still has a little ways to go before I can actually recommend her. eARC from NetGalley.
November 3, 2023
This was the right book for me at the right time. I LOVED IT. It was a book I flew through but didn’t want to end.
Adult sibling relationships, family business, chronic illness, grandparent-grandchild dynamics, repairing schisms, small business angst, generational trauma, how to be Jewish (hint: it’s not so cut and dry, and that is ok), cannabis … wow.
Oh and there’s a romance. Sure this could be described as romantic comedy but there is no much more to it.
I really enjoyed the characters - so many side characters shine - and hope this comes to the big screen.
Kissing Kosher is definitely the most complex and well-rounded of Meltzer’s three works to date. Representation really does matter.
4.25
Adult sibling relationships, family business, chronic illness, grandparent-grandchild dynamics, repairing schisms, small business angst, generational trauma, how to be Jewish (hint: it’s not so cut and dry, and that is ok), cannabis … wow.
Oh and there’s a romance. Sure this could be described as romantic comedy but there is no much more to it.
I really enjoyed the characters - so many side characters shine - and hope this comes to the big screen.
Kissing Kosher is definitely the most complex and well-rounded of Meltzer’s three works to date. Representation really does matter.
4.25
August 23, 2023
4.5/ 5 stars
Wow. I really enjoyed this book. This book is a romance set in a Kosher bakery. It's full of Jewish rep and chronic illness rep. I loved it!
Twenty four year old Avital Cohen helps run her family's Jewish bakery in Brooklyn NY. She deals with chronic pelvic pain. And honestly it was completely heartbreaking to read this, especially because this is based on the author's real life.
I adore Jewish rep. And this book is full of it. All of the main characters are Jewish. And I just loved everything about the Kosher bakery.
The other POV is Ethan Rosenberg Lippmann (24). The book alternates between the male and female POVs. I really enjoyed the dynamics in his family. And wow his grandfather was too much!
Overall, this was a wonderful romance full of Jewish rep and chronic illness rep. I truly loved it!
Thanks to HarperCollins Canada and netgalley for allowing me to read this book!
Wow. I really enjoyed this book. This book is a romance set in a Kosher bakery. It's full of Jewish rep and chronic illness rep. I loved it!
Twenty four year old Avital Cohen helps run her family's Jewish bakery in Brooklyn NY. She deals with chronic pelvic pain. And honestly it was completely heartbreaking to read this, especially because this is based on the author's real life.
I adore Jewish rep. And this book is full of it. All of the main characters are Jewish. And I just loved everything about the Kosher bakery.
The other POV is Ethan Rosenberg Lippmann (24). The book alternates between the male and female POVs. I really enjoyed the dynamics in his family. And wow his grandfather was too much!
Overall, this was a wonderful romance full of Jewish rep and chronic illness rep. I truly loved it!
Thanks to HarperCollins Canada and netgalley for allowing me to read this book!
September 3, 2023
This was a beautifully heartfelt and emotional heavy forbidden romance between two Observant Jews in Brooklyn, NYC who hail from two rival families and end up falling in love. Full of AMAZING disability rep (chronic pelvic pain/Interstitial cystitis), intergenerational trauma, grief, food and medicinal marijuana use.
Ethan was the absolute BEST book boyfriend and I was rooting for him and Avital to find a way to overcome their families' feud and figure out a way to be together. I learned so much about the Jewish religion, traditions and sex and found it all fascinating and utterly enthralling. This is Jean Meltzer at her very best and I couldn't get enough!! Great on audio narrated by Dara Rosenberg.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This is perfect for fans of books about reproductive disabilities/chronic pain and authors like Stacey Adgern, Rosie Danan or Uzma Jalaluddin.
Steam level: fade to black, mostly just kissing
Ethan was the absolute BEST book boyfriend and I was rooting for him and Avital to find a way to overcome their families' feud and figure out a way to be together. I learned so much about the Jewish religion, traditions and sex and found it all fascinating and utterly enthralling. This is Jean Meltzer at her very best and I couldn't get enough!! Great on audio narrated by Dara Rosenberg.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This is perfect for fans of books about reproductive disabilities/chronic pain and authors like Stacey Adgern, Rosie Danan or Uzma Jalaluddin.
Steam level: fade to black, mostly just kissing
February 19, 2023
I received an ARC from NetGalley for this book and I absolutely love it. This is my first book hangover in a long time!
A romance between dueling families, with generations of wealth and sorrow. I love this book because it also portrays life with chronic illness and how that affects every facet of one's life. Childhood trauma is another topic tackled, along with taking care of a special needs adult and responsible and helpful marijuana use. "Kissing Kosher" is also fully Jewish, and learning more about these traditions in a contemporary setting was really informative. I also really enjoyed the foray into normalizing marijuana use, in same context of having an alcoholic drink.
While this book does delve deep into some serious/triggering issues, I truly thought it was handled beautifully and respectfully.
I highly recommend reading this book when it's available to the public on August 29th!
A romance between dueling families, with generations of wealth and sorrow. I love this book because it also portrays life with chronic illness and how that affects every facet of one's life. Childhood trauma is another topic tackled, along with taking care of a special needs adult and responsible and helpful marijuana use. "Kissing Kosher" is also fully Jewish, and learning more about these traditions in a contemporary setting was really informative. I also really enjoyed the foray into normalizing marijuana use, in same context of having an alcoholic drink.
While this book does delve deep into some serious/triggering issues, I truly thought it was handled beautifully and respectfully.
I highly recommend reading this book when it's available to the public on August 29th!
Read
July 29, 2023This is the book that broke me. I'm done reading trad published Jewish romance.
This book has every single element it needs in order to be a spectacular, thoughtful, funny, heartwarming book that has every reader cheering from the rooftops for this couple. It's. All. There.
But what happened? What broke me?
It was the scene where the employee of the kosher bakery is joining in a competition under the bakery's name. The kosher bakery. The one with a rabbi on-site to make sure there's no blending of milk and meat and that any meat is kosher.
And the one dish has bacon in it.
And our hero, who keeps kosher, ate six of them.
Also, that dish? Not only did it have completely nonkosher bacon, it also contained cream cheese. So you can cry that it wasn't actual pork bacon but was turkey bacon or beef fry or whatever, but it's still mixing milk and meat and that's a HUGE no-no in the kosher world.
Yet the kosher bakery...
I just can't.
EDITED TO ADD: a kind reader pointed out that salmon bacon is a thing. Which really kind of only makes things worse. We have a main character who explains the hora to the other Jewish character. And no one on the author's editorial team thought to stop and change the wording so it's clear to the reader that salmon bacon is a thing? It would have literally taken only a few words to have cleared up this whole issue.
And it's apparently not a me-only thing. After being alerted to the fact that salmon bacon is a thing, I polled a bunch of my Jewish friends -- because as a Jewish woman, I happen to have a lot of them. Some keep kosher. Some don't. Only one had ever seen salmon bacon on the shelves and she sent me a link. Wow, is it expensive. One non-Jewish friend likes the plant-based bacon at her local Dunkin because she lives somewhere with a high number of kosher-keepers and so they make that accommodation as a matter of business. But she hadn't heard of salmon bacon either.
Also problematic is that when I looked for "How to make salmon bacon" online, I returned a pretty high number of recipes that said, "Cook salmon in bacon fat" and that was the whole recipe. So even if people ARE aware of salmon bacon, there's still a not-small percentage of people who think salmon bacon is salmon cooked in bacon fat, and bacon fat isn't any more kosher than bacon, go figure.
So without any clarification at all that this is a kosher product -- and remember, we've had very basic things explained and I bet even you have done the hora at a wedding or other celebration because it seems to have spilled out of Jewish circles and into secular ones -- it's an editorial failure.
Which still breaks me.
The editorial team involved in this book didn't just let the author down. They torpedoed a book that could have been absolutely amazing. A book that has so many rich concepts, so much that book clubs would love, so much to make readers think about family legacies, about conflicts and how they resonate, sometimes across generations, about medical marijuana, about the different ways rabbis play roles in our lives, sibling love, found family... there's SO. MUCH. HERE.
A full-on developmental edit, a really good line editor, and a fantastic copy editor would have turned this into an award-winning novel. The concepts are present. The execution isn't.
(last lines edited because a kosher product does change things, but it is still inconsistent editing that just is inexcusable.)
This book has every single element it needs in order to be a spectacular, thoughtful, funny, heartwarming book that has every reader cheering from the rooftops for this couple. It's. All. There.
But what happened? What broke me?
It was the scene where the employee of the kosher bakery is joining in a competition under the bakery's name. The kosher bakery. The one with a rabbi on-site to make sure there's no blending of milk and meat and that any meat is kosher.
And the one dish has bacon in it.
And our hero, who keeps kosher, ate six of them.
Also, that dish? Not only did it have completely nonkosher bacon, it also contained cream cheese. So you can cry that it wasn't actual pork bacon but was turkey bacon or beef fry or whatever, but it's still mixing milk and meat and that's a HUGE no-no in the kosher world.
Yet the kosher bakery...
I just can't.
EDITED TO ADD: a kind reader pointed out that salmon bacon is a thing. Which really kind of only makes things worse. We have a main character who explains the hora to the other Jewish character. And no one on the author's editorial team thought to stop and change the wording so it's clear to the reader that salmon bacon is a thing? It would have literally taken only a few words to have cleared up this whole issue.
And it's apparently not a me-only thing. After being alerted to the fact that salmon bacon is a thing, I polled a bunch of my Jewish friends -- because as a Jewish woman, I happen to have a lot of them. Some keep kosher. Some don't. Only one had ever seen salmon bacon on the shelves and she sent me a link. Wow, is it expensive. One non-Jewish friend likes the plant-based bacon at her local Dunkin because she lives somewhere with a high number of kosher-keepers and so they make that accommodation as a matter of business. But she hadn't heard of salmon bacon either.
Also problematic is that when I looked for "How to make salmon bacon" online, I returned a pretty high number of recipes that said, "Cook salmon in bacon fat" and that was the whole recipe. So even if people ARE aware of salmon bacon, there's still a not-small percentage of people who think salmon bacon is salmon cooked in bacon fat, and bacon fat isn't any more kosher than bacon, go figure.
So without any clarification at all that this is a kosher product -- and remember, we've had very basic things explained and I bet even you have done the hora at a wedding or other celebration because it seems to have spilled out of Jewish circles and into secular ones -- it's an editorial failure.
Which still breaks me.
The editorial team involved in this book didn't just let the author down. They torpedoed a book that could have been absolutely amazing. A book that has so many rich concepts, so much that book clubs would love, so much to make readers think about family legacies, about conflicts and how they resonate, sometimes across generations, about medical marijuana, about the different ways rabbis play roles in our lives, sibling love, found family... there's SO. MUCH. HERE.
A full-on developmental edit, a really good line editor, and a fantastic copy editor would have turned this into an award-winning novel. The concepts are present. The execution isn't.
(last lines edited because a kosher product does change things, but it is still inconsistent editing that just is inexcusable.)
September 4, 2023
When I read Jean Meltzer's first book - The Matzah Ball, I cried because I had never felt more seen by a book given the Jewish representation AND the chronic illness representation, despite not having the same chronic illness as the protagonist. Then, when I read the blurb for her upcoming novel, Kissing Kosher, I cried again because chronic pelvic pain is so so rarely represented in romance novels. So needless to say, I've been looking forward to this one for awhile.
I cannot begin to describe all the ways I am grateful for this book. Meltzer once again has masterfully written an extremely true-to-life depiction of chronic illness. I have never wanted to give a book character a hug more than I wanted to give Avi a hug, because there was so many parts of her story that I read and I knew exactly what she was feeling like since I had been there myself. The depiction of chronic pelvic pain was also extremely factual, both in patient experience and medical information, not falling to several tropes that are very easy to fall into. Which I can't say about many examples of this representation.
I will say, I was a little bit nervous going into Kissing Kosher. Meltzer's previous books are either closed door or do not contain sexual content, which is totally fine, I don't think romance novels need to. However, I was unsure how someone could write a novel centering around pelvic pain in a romantic relationship without addressing sex. Doing so would be doing a disservice to those with pelvic pain and doing what many partners and medical professionals (unfortunately) do in real life - treating the issue as too complicated to address or rejecting the idea that those with chronic pelvic pain can have fulfilling sex lives.
However, I think Meltzer handled this issue very well. Sex and pleasure were major themes of the book and discussed at length. I loved reading about Avi and Ethan's journey with this issue and how they worked together for mutual satisfaction (pun intended). While Kissing Kosher does not contain graphic sexual scenes, I didn't feel like it needed to based on the discussions in the book and scenes that are left more vague. In my opinion, Kissing Kosher does have more sexual content than her other two books (no complaints here) and while I think there was definitely room for more specific sex scenes, I didn't necessarily miss them. Additionally, I LOVED the Jewish angle on sex and sexuality. I'm so glad that the two were intertwined in this book.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish fewer silly euphemisms for "vagina" were used. As someone with pelvic pain myself, I am very comfortable using correct anatomical language and think that we should encourage people not to be ashamed of using that language. However, I know that my experience does not reflect everyone's experience in that sense, and it does not need to reflect Avi's. Additionally, this book is marketed as a rivals to lovers romance, and I'm not sure it actually is. Even with the family conflict, Avi and Ethan never really act as rivals themselves.
Overall, I loved Kissing Kosher. It was a fantastic romance, representation aside, and I am so personally grateful for both the Jewish and pelvic pain representation in this book. I had very very high expectations going in that were absolutely met.
5 stars. 5 stars. 5 stars.
I cannot begin to describe all the ways I am grateful for this book. Meltzer once again has masterfully written an extremely true-to-life depiction of chronic illness. I have never wanted to give a book character a hug more than I wanted to give Avi a hug, because there was so many parts of her story that I read and I knew exactly what she was feeling like since I had been there myself. The depiction of chronic pelvic pain was also extremely factual, both in patient experience and medical information, not falling to several tropes that are very easy to fall into. Which I can't say about many examples of this representation.
I will say, I was a little bit nervous going into Kissing Kosher. Meltzer's previous books are either closed door or do not contain sexual content, which is totally fine, I don't think romance novels need to. However, I was unsure how someone could write a novel centering around pelvic pain in a romantic relationship without addressing sex. Doing so would be doing a disservice to those with pelvic pain and doing what many partners and medical professionals (unfortunately) do in real life - treating the issue as too complicated to address or rejecting the idea that those with chronic pelvic pain can have fulfilling sex lives.
However, I think Meltzer handled this issue very well. Sex and pleasure were major themes of the book and discussed at length. I loved reading about Avi and Ethan's journey with this issue and how they worked together for mutual satisfaction (pun intended). While Kissing Kosher does not contain graphic sexual scenes, I didn't feel like it needed to based on the discussions in the book and scenes that are left more vague. In my opinion, Kissing Kosher does have more sexual content than her other two books (no complaints here) and while I think there was definitely room for more specific sex scenes, I didn't necessarily miss them. Additionally, I LOVED the Jewish angle on sex and sexuality. I'm so glad that the two were intertwined in this book.
My only complaint about this book is that I wish fewer silly euphemisms for "vagina" were used. As someone with pelvic pain myself, I am very comfortable using correct anatomical language and think that we should encourage people not to be ashamed of using that language. However, I know that my experience does not reflect everyone's experience in that sense, and it does not need to reflect Avi's. Additionally, this book is marketed as a rivals to lovers romance, and I'm not sure it actually is. Even with the family conflict, Avi and Ethan never really act as rivals themselves.
Overall, I loved Kissing Kosher. It was a fantastic romance, representation aside, and I am so personally grateful for both the Jewish and pelvic pain representation in this book. I had very very high expectations going in that were absolutely met.
5 stars. 5 stars. 5 stars.
August 10, 2023
Finished reading: August 9th 2023
"We're both living in chronic pain. We're both just... trying to figure out how to live alongside the things that have hurt us."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
December 16, 2023
✨workplace romance
✨chronic pain rep
✨hidden identity
✨rivaling families
✨baking
Avital is the general manager of her family business Best Babka, but she is struggling. She has chronic pelvic pain and is finding day-to-day life challenging. Then Ethan comes swooping in to get a job at the bakery and hopefully lessen some of Avital's stress. However, she doesn't know that Ethan may or may not have ulterior motives for wanting to work at Best Babka.
I connected to Avital in so many ways. Chronic pain can be debilitating at times, and it can change your whole world. Her thoughts have been thoughts. Her pain has been my pain. I love how caring Ethan was. The research he does to care for this woman!!! He is everything!! If you are chronically ill or have chronic pain, please read this book!!
REP: chronic pelvic pain
✨chronic pain rep
✨hidden identity
✨rivaling families
✨baking
Avital is the general manager of her family business Best Babka, but she is struggling. She has chronic pelvic pain and is finding day-to-day life challenging. Then Ethan comes swooping in to get a job at the bakery and hopefully lessen some of Avital's stress. However, she doesn't know that Ethan may or may not have ulterior motives for wanting to work at Best Babka.
I connected to Avital in so many ways. Chronic pain can be debilitating at times, and it can change your whole world. Her thoughts have been thoughts. Her pain has been my pain. I love how caring Ethan was. The research he does to care for this woman!!! He is everything!! If you are chronically ill or have chronic pain, please read this book!!
REP: chronic pelvic pain
September 14, 2023
Run, do not walk, to get this audiobook/book! I listened to audiobook and absolutely loved it! My second 5 star read this week.
I have no idea how Jean Meltzer does it! Everything she writes hits me where I need it. I learn more about myself, the Jewish faith, and love.
Yes, there is spice. Yes, there is a lot of intimacy talk. But, it is done tastefully and fits the story. It’s not just thrown in to sell a book.
Thank you @jeanmeltzer for this wonderful, wonderful book!
I have no idea how Jean Meltzer does it! Everything she writes hits me where I need it. I learn more about myself, the Jewish faith, and love.
Yes, there is spice. Yes, there is a lot of intimacy talk. But, it is done tastefully and fits the story. It’s not just thrown in to sell a book.
Thank you @jeanmeltzer for this wonderful, wonderful book!
July 17, 2023
A compassionate, funny and full of real life as only Jean Meltzer can write.
Pubs in August. Don’t miss it.
Thank you Edelweiss and MIRA.
Pubs in August. Don’t miss it.
Thank you Edelweiss and MIRA.
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