I rarely read at the gym but that’s where I started reading this book.  Big mistake – 30 minutes on the treadmill and I forgot to increase the speed.  So, I switched to the bikes – another 20 minutes but no increase in speed or resistance.  I was enjoying the book so much I passed on the arm weights (could not figure out how to do any of the machines while holding my kindle!!!) So, not a great workout but WOW what a great book.  I finished it in one day!

This book is my world.  I have celebrated Merry Hanukkah for the last 32 years.  I could relate so well to Rhonda it was scary.  Most importantly I want to know how the author got the information for the Women’s room scene at the Wedding reception from my wedding over 30+ years ago!! And was there a camera I did not know about in my kitchen when I attempted my first latkes?

I laughed and grimaced at all the attempts of the main character to give Hanukkah or Chanukah or however you spell it because there is no right way, an even field with Christmas as well as deal with a newly blended family.  Been there, done that and did not handle it nearly as well.

This book gets one of my rare 5 stars – it is very well done but it is also ME and I wish I had read it 30+ years ago so I would not have felt so alone in the situation of trying to celebrate Merry Hanukkah!  A prefect read for any time of the year.

For a glimpse of this author check her out on Twitter Here!

This book is officially coming out on September 18 but you can pre-order it now on the A place that shall not be named on this blog.

SUMMARY

Meet Rhonda, a semi-neurotic ad agent and Christmas fanatic, who decides she’s going to make a fabulous Hanukkah celebration for her new husband James and his family. In the midst of trying to create the perfect day, Rhonda meets with various roadblocks: a hostile mother-in-law who takes the joy out of any day, recipes she can’t seem to master, a looming work deadline that’s sure to do her in, as well as an intrinsic belief that somehow the holidays are about something more…and that the “perfect” day isn’t always what it seems.

Merry Hanukkah is for all those celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas, and for the Holiday Junkie in all of us. It’s a hilarious journey revealing the truth of what we value the most: faith, family, friendship, and love.