Book Review:The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

 GOODREADS SUMMARY:

Evelyn Schwartz has the perfect Hanukkah planned: eight jam-packed days producing the live-action televised musical of A Christmas Carol. Who needs family when you’ve got long hours, impossible deadlines, and your dream job? That is, until an accident on set lands her in the medical bay with one of her chronic migraines, and she’s shocked to find her ex-husband, David Adler, filling in for the usual studio doctor.

It’s been two years since David walked away from Evelyn and their life in Manhattan, and his ex-wife is still the same workaholic who puts her career before everything else—especially her health. But when Evelyn begins hallucinating “ghosts” tied to her past heartbreaks, and every single one leads to David, he finds himself spending much more time with her than he anticipated. And denying the still-smoldering chemistry between them becomes impossible.

As Evelyn revisits her ghosts of Hanukkah past, she and David both begin to wonder if they can have a Hanukkah future. But with a high-stakes production ramping up the pressure on Evelyn, and troublesome spirits forcing them both to confront their most difficult shared memories, it might just take a Hanukkah miracle for these two exes to light the flame on their second-chance at love.

TEE'S THOUGHTS

Ever since I read The Matzah Ball I have looked forward to Jean Meltzer's books, especially the Hanukkah ones. I won't lie, every fall I get excited because of the Holiday Romances that are being released, I LOVE THEM...the sparkly tinsel,  the gingerbread, the ribbons and bows, but I am Jewish, so while I love reading all about the glitz of Christmas, my heart is set on the simple act of lighting the candles of the Hanukkiah ( which is the proper name of the menorah we light on Hanukkah ) It is wonderful that Meltzer allows me to eacape to a Jewish Hanukkah story in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the Christmas that most of the time also surrounds the Jewish people that time of the year.

Jean is great at making her stories a bit deeper than a lot of the typical romances you might read. She is not afraid to tackle some tough subjects, such as chronic illness, which I know from following her Insta, she suffers from. For 35 years I have suffered from Crohns, so I appreciate someone who understands the struggles of being chronically ill and brings it to the forefront of a story. 

In the Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah, she has given us a second chance romance featuring a divoced couple in their 30's. They both have very demanding jobs, Evelyn is a TV producer, and ex husband David is a doctor. Some of the hard subjects come up in their breakup, but it is certainly wasn't because they didnt love each other.

Evelyn is producing a play, or live televsion show of The Christmas Carol, so I am sure you can tell where the story is headed. I thought it was brillant of Meltzer to come up with the idea- heck I would never have thought to twist it that away, and that is exactly why she is the writer and I am the reader. Can you imagine 8 days of ghosts reminding you of all you have done wrong in your life?

I was not fond of Evelyn at all. I tried to relate to her, but I just couldn't. I felt she ran from her problems and many times didnt take responsiblity for them. She was kind of bitchy really. I real say however, that as she was visited by the Hanukkah Heartbreak ghosts, I began to warm up to her. Ex husband David, seemed like a sweetie, and while he did rather run from some of the problems, he also just tried to move on with his life and get past the situation. Evelyn def had unresolved tama that she ignored. I really enjoyed David's sister, they had a great relationship.It was never said in the book, but I felt either David was a regular practicing Jew, or that he began to lean on it in the tragedy. Evelyn on the other hand seemed to run away from it.

The book has wonderful holiday ( Hanukkah ) themes throughout, from lighting candles in the Hanukkiah, to Hanukkah pop-ups. These were fun for me to read, but anything very Jewsih in the book is explained should a non jewish person read it, and I hope they do, because it is a great all around story and romance that will have you laughing, crying and seeing all the magic that Hanukkah brings the Jewish people