Love You a Latke by 
To end the holiday romance season, an absolutely adorable Hanukkah romance! I was purposely looking for a Hanukkah romance considering the market is so overly saturated with only Christmas romances when they market it as holiday romances. Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot was the one that looked cute and fit what I was looking for. Expectations were absolutely met and surpassed! This was a cute, closed door romance that very much embodied the spirit of Hanukkah, while also left me feeling homesick.
The chemistry between Abby and Seth was there from the very start. Ugh I wish we got Seth’s POV because he’s such a golden retriever, but I’m sure his chapters would likely just be him going on about how in love with Abby he is, how he hopes she’ll one day feel the same, etc. He is so sunshiney, it’s sick. Meanwhile, Abby is a realist verging on pessimist and given her upbringing, it makes sense. Elliot did a great job showcasing how Abby and Seth really do balance each other out to bring out the best in the other. They push each other out of their comfort zone, respectfully.
Major side character Freya was a fun surprise. I admit, I was suspicious at first and thought we were going to go down a very nasty road, as is typical with romances. Instead, Elliot knocks it out of the park with women supporting women and I want more of this! Pacing was steady and we touched upon Abby’s plot of planning this Hanukkah festival regularly as we go through Seth’s plot (in my mind) to win Abby over. The setting killed me. It made me miss home so badly as this took place in NYC. Hearing all of the amazing foods, talking about the Queens Night Market, the little pop-up holiday stores, all of that made me so homesick. You could really feel that this was written by someone who knows, who’s experienced all of this. I also really loved how, despite being a Hanukkah romance, Elliot made sure to make it accessible for everyone while also providing context and history.
And now I know I’m rambling on, but another thing I absolutely loved about this was the representation of holidays without family. Abby is estranged/NC from her family due to an abusive upbringing. Constantly, she mentions having been bombarded by folks telling her the same rhetoric I have heard. The excuses that they are family, you have to forgive them, surely it wasn’t that bad, etc. To see that represented so realistically felt so validating, especially the ending. I know some might dislike that everything isn’t tied up neatly with a bow, but that’s not what life is like and while so many Christmas romances do that, I’m glad this holiday romance didn’t.
I absolutely recommend Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot. It is a great holiday romance that embodies the ideals of Hanukkah and makes it mainstream for non Jewish readers. The banter and chemistry between leads Abby and Seth is fantastic and it definitely feels happy and validating.
quotes
You and your family and your friends, you’re so normal and good, unlike me. I’m not normal. There’s something wrong with me and I don’t think I can ever fix it and be normal like you and I’m sad, so sad.
Chapter 18 | Page 197
He raised an eyebrow when he saw me on the weight bench, my sparkly dress brushing the floor. “Wow. That’s dedication.”
Chapter 23 | Page 249
