Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot
Standalone Hanukkah Romance
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy for review purposes. Ana’s Attic accepts no compensation for reviews, and all reviews contain my honest opinion. This post contains affiliate links.
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Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot would make the perfect Hallmark Hanukkah movie. Abby runs a struggling coffee shop in a small Vermont town. As far as she knows, she’s the only Jewish person around. She’s also a total grouch, especially in the morning. One customer in particular drives her crazy—he’s always so cheerful, and she just can’t stand it.
The town’s main street is also struggling, with nearby towns drawing in tourists with their Christmas festivals. The town planner decides to be different and host a Hanukkah festival (during Christmas week) and asks Abby to run it since she’s the only Jew in town. Abby reluctantly agrees but needs help finding Jewish suppliers, so she turns to a Jewish dating app, hoping to meet someone with connections.
“Hanukkah festivals are different. We need different things, different foods, different setups. You can’t just put blue and white lights and a Star of David on a Christmas tree and say it’s for Hanukkah.”
Surprise! Her annoyingly cheerful customer turns out to be the only other Jew in town. He offers to help but has a favor of his own—he needs Abby to be his fake girlfriend when he goes home for Hanukkah.
Abby is estranged from her family after an awful childhood, but she did love the Jewish community she grew up in. When she returns to New York with Seth, she’s immediately embraced by his family and the Jewish community. It makes her realize how much she misses that sense of belonging—and she may be falling for the guy who introduced her to it.
“Whether or not you choose to be part of your family, or whether you’re part of my family, you’re always part of this family. The Jewish family. You can never lose your place here. You can’t get rid of us. You’re home.”
New York during the holidays is magical, but I especially loved reading about the Hanukkah activities happening around the city. Many of the events featured unique takes on Hanukkah food, which made this book a perfect treat for foodies. The nod to Sadie on a Plate was an extra bonus for fans of Amanda Elliot’s other work.
I was so excited to find a Hanukkah romance that I didn’t even check if there was an audiobook. Turns out, there is one, narrated by Kelli Tager, and it sounds amazing! Since there are so few Hanukkah romances on Audible, I’d recommend going with that if you have the option.
Likes:
- Jewish representation without relying on stereotypes.
- All of the fun and unique Hanukkah pop-ups.
- Abby had so much character growth.
- How well it depicts the idea that you find your people when you’re free to be yourself.
- The holidays in NYC.
- Tackled moments of fear of anti-semitism.
- It would be a great read for non-Jews to learn about Jewish culture and Hanukkah in a fun, accessible way.
- Easter eggs (well, maybe Matzoh balls?) from other Amanda Elliot books.
Dislikes:
- Abby was pretty unlikeable for a while, while Seth was nothing but great to her.
- Not enough time with the couple alone and falling for each other.
- We really needed his POV.
- The ending wrapped up too quickly—I wanted more of the festival!
The Down & Dirty:
While I wished for more couple time and a stronger romantic arc, I still enjoyed this book and appreciated its representation.
Rating: 4 Stars
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willaful says
I kind of hate when the heroine keeps being a pain in the ass for no reason… but I’ll give this one a try.
Ana's Attic says
LOL, this one may not be for you then. But she does have a pretty shitty family background, so she has reason for her grouchiness.