Jean Meltzer's MR. PERFECT ON PAPER

Thanks to partners NetGalley and Harlequin Books for the digital ARC of Jean Meltzer’s Mr. Perfect on Paper. The book is out today!

Dara Rabinowitz is a third-generation Jewish matchmaker . . . who hasn’t made a match for herself. She’s used her family’s expertise to create a wildly successful Jewish dating app and teams up with her grandmother to go on a morning show with the aim of promoting the newest update of the app.

The host of the morning show just so happens to be Dara’s non-Jewish crush, Chris Steadfast. Chris is desperate to grab attention for the show, which is in danger of being canceled. So, when Dara’s grandmother embarrassed her completely by sharing Dara’s list of “must haves” in a man, Chris sees an opportunity: his show will focus on the attempt to find the perfect man for Dara. But is her perfect man really the man she’s envisioned?

Like Meltzer’s debut novel, The Matzah Ball, Mr. Perfect on Paper shows off the author’s touch with characters. Dara lives with generalized anxiety disorder, and the way that’s woven into the plot works beautifully to show how Dara works to cope with different situations. Her commitment to her Judaism is also such an important part of the novel that was a big strength for me.

I didn’t find the chemistry between Dara and Chris quite as believable or compelling as I would have hoped based on The Matzah Ball, but I liked their individual storylines, which alternate between their points of view, and watching Dara’s dates with potential matches is hilarious.

Overall, this is a sweet, unique romance novel that I enjoyed from beginning to end, even if the central relationship wasn’t the strongest component.

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