Mr. Perfect on Paper

Meltzer (The Matzah Ball) lovingly highlights Jewish Modern Orthodox life using rom-com tropes people of all faiths love. Dara Rabinowitz, the creator of a successful Jewish dating app, is mortified when her grandmother reveals on national TV that Dara doesn’t have a love match herself. Dara wants romance, but her criteria for a husband is very specific, and her anxiety disorder makes her wary of dating. After the segment with her grandmother goes viral, newscaster Chris Steadfast convinces Dara to try dating on TV, hoping to save his show’s ratings, promote Dara’s app, and bolster her chances at finding love. Despite Chris’s best intentions, the quest for Dara’s perfect match is comically disastrous and the strongest connection that forms is between Chris and Dara themselves. Widowed father Chris easily helps Dara through anxious moments and his daughter charms her as well—but Chris isn’t Jewish, and to be together Dara will have to reconsider her criteria for a perfect match. Meltzer’s refreshing characters and the grounded, real-world obstacles to their relationship make them an easy couple to cheer. Jewish readers will enjoy seeing their culture reflected, and Meltzer provides plenty of context on Jewish holidays and culture for the nonobservant and non-Jewish audience. It’s an accessible, adorable romance. Agent: Carolyn Forde, Transatlantic Literary. (Aug.)