Big thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for sending a copy of this for me to read and review.

I have really been getting into romances lately and have been enjoying them immensely. This was no exception, I loved the relationship and chemistry between Tamsyn and Ari and how it just seems to grow throughout the book. With a few obstacles thrown in of course, I also loved learning more about there life and culture, I loved how Tamsyn and Ari see it differently and they both celebrate their faith in different ways.

**Note: Thanks to Netgalley, Amber Crewe and Hodder & Stoughton, for providing me with a copy of That Jewish Thing, in exchange for an honest review.**

[SPOILER ALERT]

## Book in One Sentence

Amber Crewe's That Jewish Thing is a contemporary romance novel, which depicts what it means to be Jewish and how it does not only relate to the history, religion, ethnicity and traditions but also love.

## Introduction

The book opens with Tamsyn Rutman, the protagonist of the story, attending a wedding, Tamsyn comes from a Jewish background and tries her best not to let that define her entire being. This is something she holds against people of similar backgrounds, as, according to her, there is more to the world than being bonded by religion or ethnicity. However, by doing so, she does not seem to be expanding her horizons to accommodate different cultures and traditions. More so, she is closed off to her own culture to the point of denying any role or part in it. Enter Ari Marshall, a guy who is proud of his traditions and firmly rooted in them. Ari's stance makes Tamsyn irritated. She thinks that they are different from each other when it comes to personalities and interests. However, along the way, various encounters with him show that they have a lot more in common.

## Themes

### Religion

Religion plays an inexplicable role in the book. This can be easily predicted from the title of the book. Tamsyn, however, has a less positive view when it comes to embracing her religion. She is not against it. She merely wants to break free of its confinement because, according to her, it only held her back while growing up. And, according to her, it is the same for everyone else. However, by trying to carve her individuality over everything else, she seems to defy her culture, past and traditions that bind her together with people of similar backgrounds. Certain actions taken by her seem to be out of a tendency to defy this tradition out of irritation and annoyance — like, not making any Jewish friends/boyfriends, not keeping kosher and avoiding the Jewish traditions and festivals that everyone else near her holds dear.

### Love

In the majority of the story, Tamsyn dates Euan Hegerty, a hotshot chef. They met during an interview and kicked off immediately. Euan is like the epitome of a perfect boyfriend. However, something seems off to Tamsyn. She is very careful not to reveal her personal life to him. Tamsyn wants to hide that part of her life from Euan, even though he is genuinely interested in knowing about them.

While Tamsyn wants to stay away from the traditions, she could not help but bump into Ari Marshall. Ari is a guy who is very comfortable with his ethnicity and culture. With the help of Ari, Tamsyn was able to learn a lot about it and embrace her culture in the end. She also became closer to him as she realised that her initial impression of him was completely oppositely to his real self.

### Individuality

From the very beginning, Tamsyn comes across as someone who is very adamant about protecting her individuality. However, in doing so, sometimes, she defies the very existence she is born into. She is also very protective of not disclosing too much about her background to Euan, which seemed a bit weird, as the very concept of dating someone is to get to know each other. Her idea of individuality was a bit warped, but thankfully, Ari was able to open her eyes to her biases and help her fix them along the way.

## The Ending

The ending was pretty much predictable for me — Ari and Tamsyn get together, and the latter develops a closer connection to her faith. Tamsyn was able to bridge the gap between individuality and culture, and work on her biased view regarding religion and the people who practice it. We do not get to see a proper ending with Euan, but it is justified to say that he serves as the typically perfect guy, who reflects the fact that not all good stuff is perfect for everyone.

## Significance of the Title

Since the story revolves around Jewish traditions and culture, the title of the novel is pretty literal in this case. We get to a lot of practices and rituals relating to Judaism. It forms the very core of the story.

## Final Thoughts

I liked the concept of That Jewish Thing. Although, in this story, the author focuses on one particular religion, I believe that we can derive the essence of the plot and relate to it in different ways, irrespective of religion and culture. I believe that this kind of existential crisis is very common for today's young Millennials and Gen-Z. We are still on a journey of finding ourselves. And with the advent of globalisation and diversity, most of the time, our cultures clash with our identity. In a way, we often struggle to find a good balance between our social and individual roles. Tamsyn enacts that particular struggle in the novel. However, sometimes Tamsyn's personality irritated me. While she wanted to get away from the world she grew up in, because, according to her, no one understands it from outside, she also brushes off Euan's attempts to get to know her culture better and gets quite irritated when he gets something wrong regarding that. Sure, her struggle made sense and I fully empathise with that. However, I did feel like she was holding onto certain biases that could have been outgrown in the long run.

The intricate details of Judaism were beautifully expressed in the book. And it also showed the camaraderie between people, who have not forgotten the ill-gotten atrocities committed against them and yet, they continue to flourish and expand through acts of love and faith. The characters are three-dimensional and well-written. Tamsyn's character development is evident as the story went on. I loved how she went on to fix her biases and grow to love her faith and culture while maintaining a level of individuality.

"Here's the thing you need to remember about who we are. Not just our family, but about the Jewish people. We came very close to not being here at all. And before the Shoah, there are centuries worth of people who don't want us to be here. After the Shoah? Much the same. So, what happens after centuries of persecution? You become defensive and protective. It's a natural instinct."

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (plenty of reviews like that out there already if that's what you're looking for).

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were really well described and three-dimensional, and so the interactions between them felt authentic. I found Tamsyn (the lead female character) a bit self-centred, but I guess she had quite a few issues to deal with (including anti-Semitism at work, her boss sounded vile!). My favourite characters were Ari, Tamsyn's parents, brother, Euan (who I felt a bit sorry for), and Uncle Doodle.

I loved the descriptions of the various family events, the food, the settings etc, and also the fact that the author had helpfully included a glossary for non-Jewish readers.

This is a nice easy read. I learned a lot about the Jewish culture too, as an added bonus.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

This book was such a cheesy cute Jewish romance book.

Tamsyn Rutman is Jewish and at her own cousin's wedding, she was seated next to Ari. The two at first got on wrong foot. Tamsyn despite being Jewish is someone who is not following the Jewish customs and traditions much as her relatives. While working on an assignment, she meets a really hot chef, Euan and falls for him. The problem is...Euan isn't Jewish and her parents certainly won't approve of the relationship.

Besides she keeps meeting Ari....

The story started out really great. It was mainly told from Tamsyn's point of view. Since I wasn't Jewish but have been interested in learning about Jewish culture and traditions, I learned a lot about the Jewish culture in this book--Rosh Hashanah, the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, Yom Kippur and Challa and various Jewish cuisine types. The romantic relationship between Tamsyn and Euan was interesting and intriguing and there were some funny parts in the story that made me laugh out loud. I also like the brother sister relationship between Tamsyn and Ross. Basically, this book talks about what a typical British Jewish family is like. Although I know the ending is predictable (won't divulge too much) I kind of wished the ending happened in a different way.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

At first I wasn't sure that i would enjoy this book, but slowly as it when on I felt myself grow to understand and like the main character Tamsyn. The story was relatable and actually taught me a great deal about the Jewish faith! The start was a little slow and I would loved to have seen a bit more of Ari (MC love interest) but all in all an enjoyable read that will not leave a dry eye in sight!

"whenever she asks me questions about my family or Judaism, I always end up feeling like this exotic creature she's never come across before".

That Jewish thing is a light-hearted tale of Jewish protagonist, Tamsyn, finding herself in her career, her love life and where she falls in her religion. It's exactly the kind of cheesy feel good you would expect with a couple of unlikely scenarios thrown in, but who doesn't love a bit of cringe.

As a Jewish reader, I did die a little bit at how many Yiddish phrases were thrown in, but I appreciated the effort and enjoyed reading the toe-the-line dance of navigating dating in and out of the culture. Jewish guilt is real and she was drowning in it. A little part of me was hoping things didn't end in the inevitable clichéd manner but... I didn't hate it.

I enjoyed the three-pronged approach as well, where Tamsyn openly addresses the antisemitism at work, deciding on a potential partner, and where the internal conflict of dating non-Jewish leaves you falling in your practise of the religion.

It wasn't complex, but it was enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book wasn’t for me sadly. I wasn’t taken by the characters or story and found myself having to look a lot of the references up which made me lose interest and didn’t make for easy reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

That Jewish Thing is such a cute contemporary romance novel. It's also very rooted in what it means to be Jewish, different ways to live it and how it is intertwined with every aspects of your life.. even love. Or maybe specifically how legacy and traditions impact on love life.

I really liked the characters, Tamsyn and Ari, but also Tamsyn's family and Euan (even if he seemed to me maybe too smooth to be true sometimes).

As a non-Jew, there are plenty of aspects of jewishness that I had so idea of. That was very interesting, and thank you Amber Crewe for the glossary at the end.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

That Jewish Thing is a sweet coming of age book about a Jewish young adult, Tamsyn, who is finding her way in life while not really tied into her religion.

Tamsyn attends a family wedding where she briefly meets Ari. Ari is the perfect boy for Tamsyn - one her family would absolutely love her to settle down with. The only problem, Tamsyn isn’t interested in the least. Tamsyn later starts dating a celebrity chef - outside her religious circle - one her parents wouldn’t necessarily approve of - all while spending time with Ari, building a friendship, which helps Tamsyn connect further to her religion.

Readers will be satisfied with the HEA ending - though I think it was a bit rushed (the scene at the mall is a bit cheesy). All in all this is the perfect holiday read! I will definitely be recommending this to my friends.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this love story steeped in modern Jewish culture, peppered with wonderful Hebrew and Yiddish phrases, and Jewish traditions of cultural and religious life.

Tamsyn has always questioned her Jewish identity, As a non religious Jew, she also doesn’t identify fully with her cultural heritage, Shabbat on Friday nights have been spent with her parents and brother with blessings, dinner and TV shows, not deeply observant.
When she meets and interviews an exciting celebrity chef, Euan, she hides her Jewish identity from him.
Denial, anti-semitism, friendship, family ties and of course love, feature heavily in this lovely story. Devastated by the death of a beloved family member, and realising she hasn’t taken time to fully know those close to her, Tamsyn is forced to confront her own identity, beliefs, hopes and her deepest feelings.
Coupled with a thorough glossary at the back, to enable even the newest reader of Jewish literature to check meaning and deepen understanding of the text and Jewish life in general, this book is a modern Jewish masterpiece.

What a lovely little read this was!

A fun contemporary romance that follows Tamsyn as she attends different family events and try’s really hard not to be matched up with someone who her parents consider perfect for her.

Tamsyn, throws herself into work and her life outside of her crazy family however as soon as she starts falling for someone her parents really wouldn’t approve of.. she seems to keep crossing paths with Ari, who her parents are determined she should be with.

Throughout the book, the romance plot is incredibly fun to read, there is also humour, and sarcasm and it is generally an enjoyment to read. You also get the other side where Tamsyn is working on herself and discovering who she is.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves a lighthearted read!

Many thanks to the publisher/author/netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers and the Author for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This was a lovely, clean romance that follows a sort of enemies to lovers romance set within various events in a family. It was great to follow the love interests as they began to realise that they cared for each other; they do take some time together for most of the book, which makes it feel like it is a romance film in its style!

I also really appreciated the glossary of terms after the book had finished, which explains the Yiddish and Hebrew words used. This is particularly helpful if you aren't familiar with these phrases. There was also excellent representation of Judaism and Jewishess.

To summarise, this was a fantastic, clean romance which was well-executed, relatable and made the reader feel a range of emotions. You became invested in the wider family, which really made you want the couple to get together!

DNF
I was hoping the book won't mention Isr*el. As soon as I read that the MC's cousin loved Isr*el so much I said nope! A pity because I was loving the other elements. I won't share my review anywhere or promote the book.

As a person within the Jewish community of north west London, I enjoyed this book and found much of it to be very relatable.
However there are a few minor things that I did not find to be authentic (for example serving a milky dessert at a wedding after a meaty main course).
The main character is not particularly likeable and comes across as quote hostile to her family until you discover some of the reasons for this.
It was a nice read but I did not feel absorbed by the book as I have with others that I have read recently.

The book opens with Tamsyn going to her cousin's wedding. She is single, and knows everyone wants to know why, and will try to set her up. Whilst chatting to her Great Uncle Doodle, she meets Ari - cousin of the groom. They both know they have been set up and things get off to a rocky start.
Then she meets dishy chef Euan. She falls madly in lust with him, but her mind keeps going back to Ari.
Anyone who has grown up in the North west London Jewish community will relate to this likeable, but predictable story. Ideal holiday reading. Sorry if this upsets the author, but I will be recommending it to friends, as it is a fun read.

Thank you to Net Galley, Hodder & Stoughton and Amber Crewe who very kindly provided me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really struggled with my feelings about this book because I did like the supporting characters and the general story but in the end I just really did not like Tamsyn at all which is why the rating for this book ended up low.

I found Tamsyn to be quite annoying and of the opinion that the world revolved around her. She treated everyone around her so badly which made it really hard for me to like her and root for her relationships.

A redeeming quality of this book was Uncle Doodle he was just the best, he made me want to keep reading this book!

I thought that for the most part the pacing was good except for towards the end, I thought that it felt a little rushed and as though the book should have had a few more chapters.

That Jewish Thing is a contemporary romance by Amber Crewe, following Tamsyn as she navigates her faith, personal and work issues and relationships. I really enjoyed the book, with great writing and chemistry between the love interests, as well as complex, integrated family and friendships that were well explained and enhanced the novel (especially Uncle Doodle)! The Judaism was effectively explained, and I loved learning about the culture and faith, and how people grow up within the religion.

The journey Tamsyn goes on was extremely well written and evolved, mirroring real life with important messages and realisations throughout. I feel the situations Tamsyn faced were also especially realistic, portraying discrimination for her religion and gender. In addition, class systems were well merged into the book and showed practical responses to the situations faced. I enjoyed Tamsyn learning about herself and how she can change, whilst staying true to herself.

(I gave this book 4.5/5 stars)

I was so excited when I got approved to read this book and I’m glad I was. This is such a brilliant book with a brilliant concept. It reminded me of my upbringing and I found it so relatable

A really great read with a real insight into Jewish culture and traditions which have always interested me - covering family relations love and death it features the great character Tamsyn who her parents are worried has been left on the shelf, with a great career she doesn’t always stick to all things Jewish and ends up dating a celebrity chef after interviewing him for work. All seems great but as she looks deeper into herself and what is really important things change direction . I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the guide at the end explaining such of the traditions / words used

I'm a big fan of easy to read chick lit; stories that you can almost predict from the start but take you on twists and turns throughout - this is one of those books. What sets it apart is that combined with the usual romance, there's also a struggle and exploration of the Jewish culture of the main character. The story is engaging, I didn't realise how many words we use in English that have Hebrew/yiddish roots, and the characters are easy to relate to. It's a charming story, Amber Crewe's writing is humorous and realistic - you can imagine every part of the story as real life, in fact I had to check it wasn't biographical after the first chapter!

Tamsyn has grown up unaware of how much she fights her Jewish, resenting her parents (as most teens/twenty year olds have a tendency to!) and is determined not to fit into any boxes that are expected of her. She has a career that she's determined will lead to great things and she is not going to be pushed into marrying.
I absolutely loved this, it was easy to read and yet I learnt a lot as I read. Anti-semitism is unfortunately a real issue for so many people today and this book really spells it out, and the importance of Judaism as a culture, not 'just' a religion.