Predictable but OH so delightful, Mr. Perfect on Paper is about a third-generation matchmaker living with generalized anxiety disorder. Dara Rabinowitz has become a Jewish dating app tycoon and is looking to take J-Mate to the next level. During a media push with her matchmaker grandmother, Dara is horrified when Bubbe takes over the interview and plays the shidduch, challenging Dara to look for her perfect match; the dreamy single-dad goyish host Chris Steadfast offers to capture the whole thing as a recurring segment as double duty to help out their family business (over 10,000 matches made!) and save his failing good news show.

Dara’s perfect husband list limits occupation to doctor or lawyer; no baggage of past marriages or children, and MUST be Jewish. She meets a few men who seem perfect on paper, but all of the dates that trails on end laughably horribly–until she meets an actual doctor who a family member has been trying to set her up with. Maybe it’s beshert! Meanwhile, Chris is (steadfastly) in the background on each date, providing comfort and support, and while the reader can see they are meant to be, it’s clear Dara can’t break tradition to marry a non-Jew, no matter how much she likes him… or can she?

Meltzer beautifully incorporates modern-day Judaism into a rompy dating app rom-com where everyone just has best interests at heart. She doesn’t shy away from the realities of chronic illness, and these details make the story more real, more compelling, and more authentic.

I read #MrPerfectOnPaper via OverDrive from my local public library; after finishing Kissing Kosher, I needed to get my hands on everything else Jean Meltzer ever wrote, and while I didn’t love The Matzah Ball as much, partly because the formatting of the galley edition made it difficult to read, I think this an author who gets better with every book.

https://hiplibrariansbookblog.com/2023/07/05/mr-perfect-on-paper-by-jean-meltzer... ( )

I finished this book despite myself. It was cute and occasionally funny, and it had the emotional heft that I’d expect from a holiday-season romcom on Netflix. In fact, it read as if it had been written for the sole purpose of being adapted into a holiday-season romcom on Netflix, with the climactic scene happening on Chanukah. The main character had nothing about her except anxiety and loving her grandmother, and the book read in parts like a PSA about anxiety, though less so than Meltzer's earlier book was about Fibromyalgia. The hero had nothing about him except grief for his dead wife and worry for his daughter. The book was full of Jewish terms and characters, over-the-top and often unbelievable. It was as if the writer made a list of little Jewish oddities and tried working them into the story with minimal understanding of what they were or how they’re done. I skimmed much of the book. I don’t even really know why I finished it, except that I had a long stretch of time during which all I could do was read. I read this author's earlier book and found it superficial and childish. Even though I didn't enjoy her earlier book, I tried this one because I liked the premise. I won't try more.

That said, I'm not an ideal contemporary romance reader. I often fall for the premise of the books and then find them too shallow and simple to be satisfying. For anyone who actually likes contemporary romance, this book will probably be a winner. It has all the tropes of the genre, a good mix of cuteness, humor, and emotion, and a happy ending. I'm judging the book by standards that don't suit the genre, which isn't really fair to it. As a book, I give it two stars. As a contemporary romance, it deserves better. ( )

Dara Rabinowitz is a third generation matchmaker, and she still has her grandmother Miriam to help her if necessary.

She also is the creator and owner of a dating app - J-Mate.

Dara and her grandmother are guests on a live TV show, and her grandmother definitely wasn't any help according to Dara, but
she actually stole the show with her comments about matchmaking and her granddaughter who makes matches and isn't married.

Dara wanted to crawl under her chair especially since she did have a crush on Chris, the host of the show. He couldn't be for her, though, because he wasn't Jewish.

Dara made matches for everyone but herself.

Will she ever find love and Mr. Perfect for herself?

You will find out when you read this cute, funny, light read...I laughed out loud and also shed some tears at times.

I loved Grandmother Miriam…Dara, Lacey, and Chris were pretty lovable too. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher for an honest review. ( )

Get ready to laugh out loud with this delightful, witty, romantic comedy by the author of “The Matzo Ball.” This time Meltzer has us following a third-generation Jewish matchmaker who thinks she has mapped out a list for the perfect match for herself. With the help of a TV reality show host and her loving Bubbe, things don’t always go as planned. If you are ready for an escape, this lighthearted, funny story is for you!

Mr Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer
Contemporary romance.
Dara is a successful woman with a thriving technology company, a beautiful home and assistants to take care of the details. She is also Jewish and single and keeps a kosher home. Her faith is her history and her everything. In her mid-thirties, Dara decides it’s time to find a husband. Since she is from a family of matchmakers, that should be an easy task but her General Anxiety Disorder holds her back. What can she do in her life to move forward?

I’m not Jewish. But I am a romance reader. And this book was a Perfect romance.
Ok, maybe that’s me but I laughed and cried and rejoiced at the resolution and romance. Yes, I was lost on a lot of the Jewish words but I learned a bunch which always a good thing.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that loves a good heartstring-pulling romance story. This is my second book by this author and she has now become an auto-buy.

*******minor spoiler ********
I was so happy at the hints of a potential relationship for the Daniel. He didn’t deserve to be hurt and that glimpse plus a second scene, had me relieved and hopeful for the ending I wanted. *********

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I’m buying a copy to keep and will probably buy copies for friends that I can’t wait to share it with. ( )