“Meltzer’s latest novel follows a vulnerable, authentic journey about learning to navigate pain of all dimensions—individual and generational—and the boundaries people can set for themselves while also advocating for others who might not be capable of speaking up for themselves. Avital and Ethan approach their steadily deepening relationship with understanding and maturity, learning to embrace one another for who they truly are without caveats… An unflinchingly honest romance.”
Kirkus (STARRED REVIEW)

“Meltzer turns a heroine struggling with serious, chronic, pelvic pain into a winning romantic character… a wonderful, insightful, and humorous love story.” 
Booklist (STARRED REVIEW)

“Meltzer’s excellent writing transports readers to the rich, lived-in world of Best Babka in Brooklyn… She deftly weaves both Jewish culture and Avital’s chronic illness into this poignant, brutally honest story and does an excellent job of tackling serious topics…a great addition to romance shelves.” 
Library Journal

“Meltzer’s depiction of Avital’s chronic illness–which leaves her unable to have sex–is frank and nuanced. While romance is unable to fully fix each other’s problems, Avital and Ethan’s love lessens both of their pain. It’s a winning recipe for contemporary romance grounded in real-world issues. 
Publishers Marketplace 

“Jean Meltzer returns with a delightful romp in KISSING KOSHER, the story of Avital, a woman who runs her family’s Jewish bakery in Brooklyn despite a painful health condition, and Ethan, a charming man who comes to work at the bakery with a secret agenda of his own. When their lives connect in unexpected ways, plans are upended and humor abounds. KISSING KOSHER is everything readers could want a Jewish romantic comedy to be: sweet, soulful, spirited and stirring!”
Pam Jenoff, NYT Bestselling Author of CODE NAME SAPPHIRE

“Kissing Kosher by Jean Meltzer is one of those books you get so absorbed into, the entire world around you fades away. I was transported to the Best Babka bakery in Brooklyn, could feel the rising tension between Avital and Ethan, and cheered them on every step of the way. Daring, poignant, brutally honest but also exquisitely romantic, Kissing Kosher is an absolute delight!”
Holly Cassidy, author of The Christmas Wager

“A truly fabulous story about finding your soul and your soul mate and getting high on edibles and life. Jean Meltzer has written a powerfully heartwarming, passionate, sometimes painful, but endlessly entertaining Jewish Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending that had me wiping away tears. The characters leap off the page and into your heart and you’re rooting for even those who seem irredeemable. Kissing Kosher is chronic joy! “
NYT bestseller, M.J. Rose, The Jeweler of Stolen Dreams

“Kissing Kosher is full of heart, wisdom, and poignancy without sacrificing the fun and exactly what I want to read over and over again.”
Felicia Grossman, Author of Appetites & Vices 

“Kissing Kosher is the story Jean Meltzer was born to tell—propulsive, sexy, brutally honest, and overflowing with heart and hope. Readers will devour this one-of-a-kind novel, that covers everything from relationships, intimacy, and sex, to family dysfunction and intergenerational trauma. Jean writes romance the way your Bubbe bakes challah—with devotion, delight, and loads of love.”
Lynda Cohen Loigman, bestselling author of The Matchmaker’s Gift and The Two-Family House

“Jean Meltzer has a gift for weaving truly hilarious dialogue and narrative with important chronic illness representation and heart-tugging family drama. The grandchildren of feuding grandfathers, Ethan and Avital in Kissing Kosher are a modern-day Romeo and Juliet, but with a much happier ending. I loved every word of this proudly Jewish and sexy romance that highlights the importance of finding joy even in the most painful of times. Simply put, Jean Meltzer is a gem and so are her books.”
Meredith Schorr, author of As Seen on TV and Someone Just Like You

“Take the sweetest, most tender love story, braid it with the beauty of Jewish tradition, bake until it heats up with a family feud, and you’ve got Kissing Kosher. This delicious romance is more satisfying than the best dessert.”
Amanda Elliot, author of Best Served Hot and Sadie on a Plate

“Long after I finished Kissing Kosher, I found Avital and Ethan taking space in my head. Their love story is a triumph as delicious and sweet as a babka on Friday night. A good portion of Kissing Kosher takes place in a Brooklyn bakery–and the book is baked just right.”
Marilyn Simon Rothstein, Author, Crazy to Leave You, Husbands and Other Sharp Objects

“Jean Meltzer’s writing sparkles! Kissing Kosher is a beautiful babka of a book, with multiple layers tied together by a romance that is as sweet as it is vulnerable.”
Stacey Agdern, author of the B’nai Mitzvah Mistake

“Better than babka! A dash of Romeo and Juliet, a helping of much needed chronic pain representation, and a whole lot of love: Meltzer delivers the perfect recipe in this delightful romance! This book is an absolute treat.”
Haley Neil, author of Once More with Chutzpah and Planning Perfect 

“Jean has done it again! Another chronically fabulous heroine, stumbling her way – with multiple toilet breaks – to personal fulfilment and love. Kissing Kosher is funny, heart-breaking, hunger-inducing, honest and surprising in the best way. I loved this book but more than that, I needed it. It made me laugh – a lot – and cry, it ripped my heart out and filled me up with love – though unfortunately it did not fill me up with pumpkin-spiced babka! This story is bursting with kindness, understanding, forgiveness, and swoon worthy romance. Simply put, Jean’s writing is joyous, and you need it in your life! And now I’m off to try and score myself some babka!”
Jenny Bayliss, author of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe

“Kissing Kosher is everything my big Jewish food-loving heart could ever want in a book – mouthwatering babka (I would give anything to get my hands on the recipe!), a sexy but sensitive lead, and a heroine struggling with chronic pain who finds a way to love and live and not give up on her dreams. I laughed, I cried, I craved Pumpkin Spice Babka! A powerful read about faith, family and fabulous dessert.” 
Rena Rossner, author of THE SISTERS OF THE WINTER WOOD