I couldn’t even get through this book; I dnf’d at about 40%. I didn’t like any of the characters and the writing wasn’t engaging.

I thought that this book was an interesting coming of age story. It jumped around a bit here and there. This book talks about a boy from New York City who moves to a small town in Tennessee.  How does Yosef handle the transition, the friends, this new life that he is dealt?

God, yes, give me all the Jewish rep in YA books! Did I request this book solely based on the title? Absolutely. Was the book one of the most engrossing and original ones I've read in the past year? 1000%. As a Jew who was born and raised in the South, I'm not sure how to put into words how much this book meant to me and how much it means to me that the publishing industry is starting to recognize authors and stories like this one.

Yosef Bamberger is happy living and worshiping in Brooklyn during the early seventies. Big plans are being made for his upcoming Bar Mitzvah, and life is good. Then Dad comes home with the news that he's accepted a new job, and the family will be relocating . . . to Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Yeah. Not a lot of Jews there, and boy, does Yosef find that out in a hurry.

Once again, I was suckered in by a great title. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes, eh, not so much.

The title suggests that this will be a nonstop laugh riot, but Yosef's misadventures with corporal punishment and antisemitism are more harrowing than humorous. And, while this one has some great moments - Mom's reaction to finding not a 'Playboy', but a 'Holy Bible' beneath her Jewish son's mattress is priceless - the book needed some serious editing. All the backstory about mom, dad, and both grandparents only serves to steal focus and distract from Yosef's attempts to fit in, and find himself. And, oy veh - Mom's favorite outfit? It's spelled mumu or muumuu - NOT - moomoo.

What an absolute gem.

This is a beautiful coming of age story. But it's also so much more than that. The book perfectly captures the day to day life of Jews living in Brooklyn in the 60s and 70s. I found I could picture their morning routine, Imagine how they walked and hear their voices in my head.

Yosef is a great characters. He is flawed and yet you find yourself rooting for him. And it really did feel like his voice in my head. The characterisations were fantastic.

This isn't my normal read, but I'm so pleased I picked this one up. I actually found myself laughing in public sometimes. This is a really genuine and feel good novel. Highly recommend.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jewbilly had some really interesting characters and settings, but stylistically wasn't my cup of tea. The author jumped around a lot with different characters and time periods, but without enough framing to help the audience feel grounded. I think perhaps the lack of editing and unfinished feel of the design of the ebook contributed to my less than stellar experience.

Ultimately I ran out of time to read this book, although the plot looks interesting and I will definitely try to get my hands on a published copy when I have the time. Sorry!

Jewbilly is a coming of age story about Yosef Bamberger and his family. It’s a funny and heartwarming story which depicts Yosef’s life moving from everything he knows and loves in New York to a small town in Tennessee. The book is a like a mix of Adrian Mole and the TV show The Goldbergs. Brilliant page turning read !

A great coming of age novel. This book tells about religion, new homes, and growing up. Friendship can come in the unlikely of places.

I thought the voice in this was really wonderful and, on a personal note, as a Jew who came of age in the South, I was really eager to read this title. It straddles the line between Upper Middle Grade and Lower YA, so if you're going in expecting the characters to act more mature (as is true for typical YA fare of late) this may not be the title for you. Upper MG is a really wonderful and flourishing age category though, and I think this book is a great addition to it.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jewbilly is an interesting take on a coming-of-age story. It is well plotted, with interesting characters and with compelling insight into life of a Jewish young boy in the South.

I am not this book's target audience, so the extent to which I can relate to these characters only goes so far, but I still felt attached to them, I felt their pain and celebrated their successes right along side them.

I would imagine if you're buying this for a teen reader, then this book hits the nail on the head. I would completely recommend.

3.5 stars (rounded up)

This is a well written book. It has some fine lines, a few well conceived set pieces, a fair share of perceptive and insightful observations, and lean dialogue. That said, try as I might I found neither the characters, nor their situations, nor the overall narrative engaging enough to arouse or hold my curiosity and attention. As a consequence, it doesn't seem fair to write much more of a review, apart from encouraging inquisitive readers to give the book a try.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Jewbilly in exchange for an honest review.

I think the main reason I didn't love this one is because it does a really, really good job at catering towards its target demographic and I'm so used to books about young teen boys being written to be enjoyed by older-teens, faux-deep preteens, and adults. Like if I was a 14 year old boy? I would have loved this so if you are, give it a go.