Jean Meltzer is a nice Jewish girl with a not-so-secret love of Christmas. After a childhood steeped in Jewish tradition, kosher food, loving bubbes, and awkward Jewish summer camp romances, she found her way to NYU Tisch, where she studied dramatic writing and earned numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy.
She spent five years in rabbinical school, finally discovering the magic of Hanukkah for herself, before her chronic illness forced her to withdraw, and her father told her that she should write a book—just not a Jewish one because no one reads those. The Matzah Ball is her first novel. It combines all of the things she loves: warm and supportive families, tight-knit Jewish communities, Ashkenazi baked goods, big and swoony endings, Jewish shtick and humor, Judaism... and, of course, Christmas.
Genres: Romance
New Books
Novels
Jean Meltzer recommends
Three Holidays and a Wedding (2023)
Uzma Jalaluddin and Marissa Stapley
"A heartwarming celebration of love, family and faith, Three Holidays and a Wedding tenderly explores the bonds that bring us to our best selves."
Don't Forget to Write (2023)
Sara Goodman Confino
"The best type of love story... Don't Forget to Write is a wise, warmhearted, and witty tale about women determined to write their own stories."
The Christmas Wager (2023)
Holly Cassidy
"Romance readers are the winner in this spirited holiday romp that turns love into sport in all the best ways."
Marry Me by Midnight (2023)
(Once Upon the East End, book 1)
Felicia Grossman
"Spectacularly Jewish, fiercely feminist, and sizzling with erotic tension . . . MARRY ME BY MIDNIGHT goes down as one of my favorite books of all time."
Someone Just Like You (2023)
Meredith Schorr
"With delightful banter and unexpected twists, swoony romantic antics and outrageous family drama, Meredith Schorr confirms her place on my bookshelves as an auto-buy author. Someone Just Like You is an enchanting tale about the power of forgiveness in forging our happy endings. I read it in one sitting."
Unorthodox Love (2023)
Heidi Shertok
"Subversive, hilarious, and heartfelt . . . Unorthodox Love reminds us all that the things which set us apart, make us the worthiest of being loved."
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