Book Review: The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah

If Nobody Wants This had a book baby with a Hallmark Christmas movie…you might get The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer…

This novel is an enjoyable holiday read! I have read a few other books by Jean Meltzer and they tend to be funny, romantic, and swoon-worthy, with some spice. I enjoyed The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah. The FMC Evelyn is a TV producer and workaholic, ready to dig into her greatest opportunity yet, producing a live-action version of A Christmas Carol rather than celebrating the eight days of Hanukkah. She is eating and sleeping TV, even sleeping in her office and not taking breaks when migraines hit. A head injury leads to her seeing versions of ghosts of Hanukkah past. It is clear she has no time for romance and relationship, or is not prioritizing it! She was a pretty extreme workaholic at the beginning, which was not entirely relatable for me, but made for a clear character arc by the end.

The book is a second-chance romance as well, with the FMC Evelyn and MMC David being divorced (several years ago), yet thrown into forced proximity when she is producing a huge television live show and he is the on-call physician for the network.  The novel also shares David’s perspective on the relationship in the present and past, as well as flashbacks to when they knew each other as kids.

My Thoughts

Overall, I think this is a good holiday read with some serious themes that give it depth. I will say it is not all light and fluffy, and for me, delving into the divorce was a little bit upsetting due to my personal experience, so I put down the book for a bit. I picked it back up and I am glad I finished reading. Overall Meltzer’s books are realistic in the sense that they have some practical things about life and often chronic illness representation; in this case, the FMC has migraines with aura, while also dealing with realistic life themes and romance with zingy chemistry.