The last novel I read in 2025 was The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer. If you have been reading my blog for a while, you may remember I have written about each of Jean Meltzer’s four previous novels. (Click here to read my post about Ms. Meltzer’s fourth novel, Magical Meet Cute. That post includes links to my posts on each of Ms. Meltzer’s other novels.)

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah definitely has A Christmas Carol-feeling to it. And, it’s a rom-com. But, it’s so much more. 

Ms. Meltzer has a wonderful way of writing fun-to-read novels that also include serious, heavy topics. In fact, the letter to the reader at the beginning of the book acts as a gentle warning:

“This book contains depictions of chronic illness and disability, including migraines, as well as discussions on divorce, grief, infertility, pregnancy loss, termination for medical reasons, abortion, and fetal anomalies.”

I applaud Ms. Meltzer and the mindful way she goes about making sure her books offer diverse representation. Our main character, Evelyn Schwartz, is a Jewish woman who lives with chronic migraines. And, Evelyn’s sister-in-law (her husband’s sister) lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Near the end of the letter to the reader, she wrote: “I always say that there is no greater honor as an author than being a voice for the voiceless.”

This week I’m sharing some of my favorite passages from The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah:

“‘But that’s the funny thing about mistakes, right?’ she asked him directly. ‘Without them, we don’t grow. So you have to grow through it. All the good. All the bad. The blunder years. The heartbreaks. Because otherwise, how do you learn, how you do you change, how do you find the people and things worth your time … or not?’”

“And he was so patient. He didn’t tell her that she was being hysterical. He didn’t ask her to bottle it up so they could get back to the wedding ceremony and all the guests that were waiting. He let her cry. Somehow, he found a way to be both her rock and her security blanket, until finally, she found the wherewithal to go back inside.” 

“He reached over and took her hand. Grief was such a powerful force. It twisted your mind, filled you with sorrow. It made you desperate to believe that your memories could be turned back into reality. But there couldn’t be grief without love.” 

“He raised one eyebrow at his sister. ‘How did you get so wise?’
“She smirked. ‘Lifelong disability and pain, and because every cloud has a silver lining. My silver lining is you, being your big sister. Bossing you around, telling you what to do, sharing my knowledge as an elder. It’s hard to be this wise and beautiful.’”

“‘And maybe that’s my takeaway for this Hanukkah. For this entire experience. The world is filled with heartbreaks. We lose the people we love, we make mistakes, we hurt each other… sometimes we even do unforgivable things. But despite all the pain and grief of life, there can still be miracles. Magic can happen. Ghosts can show up, enemies can make amends —‘
“‘And two people who have fallen apart can fall in love again.’” 

“They returned to kissing. Their hands tore at each other, hungry and passionate, as they made their way to the bedroom. And it felt right. He felt right. Like past, present and future merging together — there was hope beyond the grand finale.
“For love, it turned out, was the greatest miracle of all.”

And from the author’s note at the back of the book: “I wrote this story because I have always written books where things that are not seen are made visible.”

Please note: I am including a link to buy the book that I’m highlighting this week. If you use my link, I do make a small commission on your purchase at no additional cost to you. I am working with Bookshop.org which also sends a portion of the profit to support local, independent bookstores.