Publication Date: August 27, 2024
“A laugh-out-loud funny romance with depth and heart, readers will love this spellbinding novel!” —Debbie Macomber, #1 New York Times bestselling author
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.
Magical Meet Cute by Jean Meltzer follows the story of Fay Kaplan, a woman who left her successful legal practice in Manhattan to become a potter and self-proclaimed “Jewitch” in Woodstock. Faye much prefers her new life in Woodstock and is found less than prepared when a handsome stranger enters her life.
One evening, after returning from a town event, Faye returns to her business to find it covered in anti-Semitic posters. Feeling uneasy and afraid, Faye turns to her only resources: wine and magic. In the early hours of the morning, Faye molds a Golem from her clay. A Golem is seen as a protector, and legend has it that it can even come to life.
When a muscular, attractive, kind stranger mysteriously appears in town, Faye is thrown for a loop. We follow along as Fay navigates her feelings for Greg. Greg searches for his lost memories and the culprits behind the anti-Semitic threats, and Fay confronts the emotional trauma she has swept under the rug.
Is Greg’s appearance in town truly a coincidence? Will Faye find the answers she’s looking for? And is Woodstock safe for Fay and her friends?
Magical Meet Cute is a fun, quirky romance novel with very serious elements mixed in. Yes, it’s funny that Faye thinks Greg is a Golem she conjured from clay. However, the more serious element of this is that because of Faye’s past trauma with her mother, she doesn’t believe that she is worthy of the affection Greg is showing her. Therefore, in her head, the only plausible explanation is that Greg is not real, and she needs to get rid of him.
I think Meltzer also did a great job touching on the anti-Semitic issues. Faye and her friends all led quiet lives. They didn’t bother anyone or cause problems, and yet they were still targeted simply because they were Jewish. I think it’s great how Meltzer showcased these issues and the severity behind anti-Semitic thinking.
I’ll admit, at first I thought it was a little far-fetched that Faye believed for so long that Greg was a Golem. However, once I thought more about Faye, her past, her parents, and her failed engagement, it did make a lot of sense. I think this book shows how much power words hold over people and how important it is to look for the truth and not believe the lies.
In Magical Meet Cute, has Faye found her magical protector? Or will her mysterious visitor provide more than she bargained for?
Jean Meltzer studied dramatic writing at NYU Tisch and has earned numerous awards for her work in television, including a daytime Emmy. She spent five years in rabbinical school before her chronic illness forced her to withdraw, and her father told her she should write a book—just not a Jewish one because no one reads those. Magical Meet Cute is her fourth novel.
