Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer

Published by MIRA ISBN 9780778334415

Trade paperback, $18.99, 400 pages

From the publisher:

From the author of the buzzy The Matzah Ball comes a romantic comedy for fans of Sally Thorne, about a lonely potter who drunkenly creates a golem doll of her perfect match—and meets the man of her dreams the next day.

Is he the real deal…or did she truly summon a golem?

Faye Kaplan used to be engaged. She also used to have a successful legal practice. But she much prefers her new life as a potter in Woodstock, New York. The only thing missing is the perfect guy.

Not that she needs one. She’s definitely happy alone.

That is, until she finds her town papered with anti-Semitic flyers after yet another failed singles event at the synagogue. Desperate for comfort, Faye drunkenly turns to the only thing guaranteed to soothe her—pottery. A golem protector is just what her town needs…and adding all the little details to make him her ideal man can’t hurt, right?

When a seriously hot stranger mysteriously turns up the next day, Greg seems too good to be true—if you ignore the fact that Faye hit him with her bike. And that he subsequently lost his memory…

But otherwise, the man checks Every. Single. Box. Causing Faye to wonder if Greg’s sudden and spicy appearance might be anything but a coincidence.

My thoughts:

I have enjoyed reading Jean Meltzer's romance novels for many reasons. Her characters are interesting and not the stock "perfect" romance protagonists, they have serious issues to deal with- Avital in Kissing Kosher has a chronic health issue (as does Meltzer herself), Dara in Mr. Perfect On Paper has General Anxiety Disorder, and Faye in Magical Meet Cute was subjected to trauma and abuse by her mother as a child.

Meltzer is Jewish and I am not so I find learning about Jewish cultures and traditions enlightening. In Magical Meet Cute Faye is artistic and has mystical beliefs, and the reader learns more about what that entails. 

I am familiar with the Woodstock area of upstate New York, which most people know as the place where the famous 1969 concert was held. The Woodstock of today is filled with artists, musicians, and a tight-knit community of caring people. In Magical Meet Cute, even that Woodstock is not immune to the problems of the world, where anti-Semitism has reared its ugly head.

The novel is a romantic comedy- Faye's sometimes comical efforts to discover if Greg is a golem she conjured and her elderly neighbor Nelly is a hoot- but the serious tones of anti-Semitism add gravity to the story. There are a few twists here (one which I guessed) but the big mystery is finding out who Greg really is, and I was totally invested in that.

Although I don't usually read romances with magical elements, I truly enjoyed Magical Meet Cute and I would recommend it to anyone who likes a good romance with intriguing characters and a small town setting.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2024 Blog Tours.

The Backtrack by Erin La Rosa

The Backtrack by Erin LaRosa

Published by Canary Street Press ISBN 9781335009456

Trade paperback, $18.99, 304 pages

From the publisher:

ABOUT THE BOOK:

From the author of FOR BUTTER OR WORSE and PLOT TWIST comes a new speculative contemporary romance. One woman is sucked into the past—and shown glimpses of what her life could have been—as she listens to nostalgic hits on her old CD player. For fans of Rebecca Serle and Allison Winn Scotch.

When pilot Sam Leto jet-setted out of small town Georgia, she promised she’d never be back—even though it meant leaving behind her best friend, Damon Rocha. Now on a forced vacation home to pack up her childhood house (and help her injured grandmother), Sam is unexpectedly hit with nostalgia from her teens--especially her bedroom, perfectly preserved from the time she left all those years ago. Sam discovers an old CD player among her teenage possessions, and in listening to the burned disc inside, she receives flashbacks from her past life--senior prom, graduation, leaving home. But the memories aren't as she remembers them. They show an alternate past. What could have been. If she never left Georgia all those years ago, would she now have the life (and love) she always wanted for herself?

My Thoughts:

I liked that Sam has an unusual occupation- she's a pilot who flies international routes. We don't see that often in romance novels. Sam and her in-flight crew play the "What If" game with passengers. They seat people together that they believe will make a connection- friendship or romantic- and see if anything develops.

When Sam's old CD player from high school plays a disc her marching bandmate and best friend-wannabe-boyfriend Damon gave her, she sees snippets of an alternate life she could have led- the ultimate "What If" game. It begins with the night that changed everything: the night Damon asked to kiss Sam and she said no.

In Sam's alternate past, she says yes and each song on the disc plays out a different incident related to the song and her life. Sam writes down what happens in each incident and tries to piece together what it could possibly mean.

Now that Sam is back in the hometown she ran away from after high school, she has to face Damon as she cares for her sassy grandmother. (I love a good sassy grandmother!) Does Sam have romantic feelings for Damon and does he still feel the same for her? If so, what do they do about it?

The Backtrack brings the reader back to their own high school days, and I'm guessing many will relate to the outsider status that Sam and Damon shared. It creates a nostalgic feeling in the reader, and readers may reflect on their own "What If" moments from that time.

Anyone who came of age in the 2000's will truly enjoy all the music references, and there is a playlist at the end of the book.

I enjoyed the nostalgic aspects of the story, and the romance of the guy-she-got-away-from is well-done. While I don't usually look for magical aspects in a story, I found this one intriguing. I recommend The Backtrack.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Summer 2024 Blog Tour.