Mr. Perfect on Paper by Jean Meltzer: Dara Rabinowitz took her diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety 
Disorder and chose to focus on things like creating a renowned dating app for Jewish people to find their matches. She found ways to cope with the panic attacks and keep her anxiety under control, so when she is offered time on her favorite daily news show to speak about her family legacy as match makers and also promote her app JMate, she immediately knows that they need to follow a script to manage her anxiety. What she doesn’t expect is for her grandmother to go off script about a checklist that her sister and she made when they were heavily intoxicated that outlines what would make for her perfect husband.
When Christopher Steadfast originally saw the script provided by the matchmakers, he groaned in anguish. He had worked so hard to make his show as genuine and meaningful as possible, which is not what happens when a script is involved. When he finds out that his show is on the verge of cancellation, he is even more nervous for how the interview will go. Being the single parent of a young daughter, he can’t let the show be cancelled and have to uproot their lives again. When Dara’s bubbe goes off script, it’s the perfect thing for him. As he leans into their conversation, he can sense the stress that Dara is feeling, but he lets the entire process play out. It turns out that Dara and her list are a hit online and might just be the thing that he needs to help his show bounce back.
When Chris approaches Dara with a proposal to help her find that perfect husband on the show, she is open and honest about her anxiety and pushes all the planning onto him. As the two focus on Dara’s potential suitors as well as the themed dates around the Jewish holidays, they find themselves learning more about each other and looking forward to seeing each other at the tapings. When Dara’s dates turn out catastrophic one after another even leading to a hospital visit, neither know whether they should continue. When Dara’s dream man turns up in the form of a doctor at the hospital, she decides to continue the dates. There’s only one issue: she feels absolutely nothing when he kisses her. Dara has to decide what the perfect match for her is.
First off, I love Dara. Immediately you know that she is a strong woman when she is so open about her diagnosis instead of hiding it away. She knows what she wants, but also is afraid to go for it and let everyone down. Through the course of the story, she learns what she deserves not only in love but in her life as well. Even though she was afraid to let others down, she realizes that she has to do what is best for her in order to be the happiest version of herself.
In my opinion, this book evokes a lot of similar feelings that Helen Hoang’s books gave me. It showed that even though someone may be different, they are just as deserving of love and finding their soulmate. It isn’t necessarily the same for everyone, and this book highlights that sentiment. Truly, I loved every page and couldn’t put it down. I honestly liked this book a lot better than The Matzah Ball and felt that I could connect with the characters a lot more.
Book Info:
Publication: August 9, 2022 | Mira |
From the author of The Matzah Ball comes a pitch-perfect romcom following a third-generation Jewish matchmaker who unwittingly finds her own search for love thrust into the spotlight…
The perfect Jewish husband should be:
* A doctor or lawyer (preferably a doctor)
* Baggage-free (no previous marriages, no children)
* And of course—he must be Jewish
As the creator and CEO of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate, matchmaker Dara Rabinowitz knows the formula for lasting love—at least, for everyone else. When it comes to her own love life, she’s been idling indefinitely. Until her beloved bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national television and charming news anchor Chris Steadfast proposes they turn Dara’s search into must-see TV.
As a non-Jewish single dad, Chris doesn’t check any of Dara’s boxes. But her hunt for Mr. Perfect is the ratings boost his show desperately needs. If only Chris could ignore his own pesky attraction to Dara—a task much easier said than done when Dara starts questioning if “perfect on paper” can compete with how hard she’s falling for Chris…
