Girl Meets Goy: A Novel

by Aviva Gat

"A beautifully written lighthearted story! I loved the complex quirky characters and the twisty turny story!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leah Rosenberg moved to New York City to pursue her journalism career and hopefully meet a nice Jewish boy.

But her plans are derailed when Gabe saves her on the Subway platform. Handsome, romantic, intelligent, and ambitious, he’s perfect in every way—except for one.

When her Jewish ex-boyfriend reappears, Leah faces a Should she date the guy who gives her butterflies, even if he goes against everything she’s ever known? Or should she play it safe and rekindle her past relationship?

Join Leah as she explores the happy hours, high rises, and holidays of Manhattan while she figures out if marrying Jewish is more important than following her heart.

Readers LOVE Girl Meets

"Fun and educational"
"Realistic, accurate, and fun!"
"A perfect rom com!"
"An important contemporary topic!"

Genres: Jewish, Romance

246 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 24, 2024

Reviews

[Lauren Hewitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a sweet young adult book - what feels like the first in a series.
Leah is like a young Carrie Bradshaw, coming to New York City one of my favourite places!),to write, meeting her soul mate friends and her first non Jewish boyfriend. ( goyfriend) Her job and room mate are not what she expected, and her romantic life is very different from what she was brought up to believe and live.
The drama was fun and perfect for the situations from workmates to roommate troubles to boyfriend mishaps.

I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted read. And I'm looking forward to finding out what happens next.

[Maya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tldr: A bland romance book that somehow paints every religious group it is trying to highlight in a negative light, while also having a sex scene with weird consent.

I want to preface this review by saying I, myself, share very many similarities with the protagonist. We are both 22-year-old Jewish women who attended Brandeis and continue to struggle with our religious identities and our place in the world as we enter into adulthood. What is most relevant, though, is that we are both in interfaith relationships (and I read this book alongside my boyfriend).

Shortly after moving to NYC, Leah meets Gabe, the love interest in the story. He is quickly introduced as a man who is perfect, loving, handsome, wealthy, etc. The two hit it off, and Leah quickly learns that Gabe is not Jewish, a trait that she has always looked for in a boyfriend. So, throughout the book, she grapples with what that means for her future with Gabe regarding marriage, children, and religious traditions.

These themes are all important aspects to discuss in literature - the feeling of balancing faith with love, and overall uncertainty about the future. However, Girl Meets Goy just...doesn't do that. This is likely because Gabe is not particularly religious. He celebrates Christmas with his family, but there is no compromise between the two because he doesn't have as many meaningful traditions. This leads most of the book to be Leah's internal struggle regarding religion, such as whether they are going to keep a kosher home, rather than how Gabe and Leah actually deal with these issues.

The one time Leah does participate in Gabe's traditions, going to see the Rockefeller Tree lighting, Gabe takes Leah to his coworker's apartment that overlooks the tree, and instead of watching the tree lighting, they end up having sex. Throughout the sex scene, Leah is expressing apprehension because they're missing the tree lighting, and right by a window. However, the next chapter frames the experience as extremely romantic, which is not great messaging to put in a book. Framing anything other than a strong "yes" as consent is dangerous to any young reader (even if young readers are not the target audience).

Further, the way that Leah talks about people who are slightly more religious, or who don't practice exactly the way she does, is a bit harmful. When she is discussing her cousin, who became more religious during and after college, she does it with such hostility that it is quite jarring to read. Leah's ideas promote negative stereotypes of more religious Jews and showcase unnecessary intrareligious animosity. She is also strange regarding Gabe's religious beliefs, and it feels slightly condescending whenever they are discussed. For example, she doesn't bring up an important BBYO moment because she didn't think he would understand the feelings of family. As someone who was active in USY and on my local chapter board, I very much understand the "found family" sentiment that comes with a youth group. At the same time, there are plenty of secular moments that could encapsulate Gabe's understanding??? It just doesn't really make sense and feels as if she is patronizing him.

Further, the way that her entire family is full of Jewish stereotypes is quite harmful to read. I do know and understand that there are Jews who are like her parents and grandma. Those who are against interfaith relationships and think anything less is completely immoral. Characters like that would be quite interesting if they were done well. Unfortunately, these are not done well. Every family member who isn't Shira reads like a walking caricature. If we had gotten into more of their background, why they are like this, or the dialogue felt more natural, the tension between Leah's family could have been interesting to explore. But that is unfortunately not what happened. All we got was an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner and a disastrous wedding that ended Leah and Gabe's relationship. Honestly, for good reason.

Finally, the ending undermines everything that the story aims to promote. From my understanding, the book is supposed to explore interfaith relationships and see that they are possible and can be full of love. Leah ending up with Asher in the end completely reverses this sentiment. It conveys the message that interfaith relationships are impossible. I know that there are two more books, both that very likely center around Gabe. But they do not seem to be as widely read as this one, meaning some people left the book with the impression that Asher and Leah got back together. That is unfortunate, and I hope people don't take this message to heart - because interfaith relationships can be full of love, happiness, and light.

Overall, very little happens in this book. It's pretty boring to read, with moments that irritated me to varying degrees. Aviva Gat also needed a better editor - there were some pretty obvious grammar errors. It's not the absolute worst romance I've ever read, but it's so far from the best. 2/5

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story about Leah, a Jewish girl brought up strictly Jewish, moving to New York City finding her life there is anything but Jewish. Oh, my, she even has an Italian, Catholic goyfriend! How to navigate the family - that is the million dollar question. Do you have the answer?
Highly Recommended.

[Preston Merrill · Rating 2 out of 5]

I chose to read Girl Meets Goy with my girlfriend because we thought it would be a cheesy, fun read about interfaith love. For a book whose focus is on interfaith relationships, it never takes the time to explore this topic in an insightful or nuanced manner. This book never shows Leah sharing her faith (something that she is very passionate about) with her partner at all. There’s a moment where she takes Gabe to her childhood bedroom and when he asks about a cherished trophy from her childhood BBYO camp, she reuses to explain because “he could never understand.” The one time she does show him a traditional Jewish wedding, it ends with them breaking up after a huge family blowup over her boyfriend being non Jewish. These examples show a consistent pattern of Leah’s constant refusal to communicate with her partner about what’s important to her, whether it be something mundane or relationship-breaking. Despite Gabe’s constant acceptance and interest in her faith, Leah is constantly shown choosing not to share or discuss what she believes.

Beyond this, I feel the author’s choice to make Gabe non religious weakens the story sizably. Leah is constantly shown seeing her Judaism as faith at the foremost. Her dad even blatantly says “Judaism isn’t a culture, it’s a religion.” Paring Leah with someone who is also religious, but of a different faith, would have provided a unique dynamic in their relationship and given their differences more tension. Instead, Gabe is written to be non religious, and not care at all about his partner’s faith. Instead of grappling with the natural tension that comes from trying to have a relationship between two people of different religions, the book shows this conflict as a one sided struggle over Gabe’s race, which just comes across as weird and pointless. This books understanding of Christianity and what it means to not be Jewish can be summed up in the line “By default, everyone in the US is Christian, unless they make significant efforts otherwise (like Jews do)” which is just a lazy way to look at both Christianity, and America as a whole.

On top of all this, the final blow is ending the book with Leah getting back with her problematic Jewish boyfriend. The entire book sets up how unhappy Leah was with him and how he basically manipulated her into a situation where he had permission to sleep around during their relationship, and then the last ten pages Leahs like “well maybe he’s not so bad” and gets back with him. Even if there’s a sequel about the pendulum swinging back the other way I don’t care, ending it on that note is stupid and demeaning to the characters and the subject of the book.

[Leah reading & recording · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet, lighthearted and relatable (for American Jewish girls anyway) story that follows Leah as she starts her new post-grad life in NYC. She’s got the apartment, the job, and after a couple of chance encounters, a boyfriend—or as everyone comes to know him, her goyfriend.

[Dahlia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girl Meets Goy by Aviva Gat is a charming, engaging, and easy read that keeps you hooked from start to finish. The story centers on Leah, a character whose journey feels incredibly relatable. We have all found ourselves standing at similar crossroads in life, facing the tough choices and self-discovery that she navigates throughout the book. Gat manages to capture those universal life moments with real heart and warmth.
The pacing makes it a breeze to get through, making it the perfect pick when you want something light yet meaningful. I genuinely enjoyed Leah’s story and am looking forward to picking up the rest of the series to see where her journey leads next!

[Samantha Dolan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, Aviva, for sharing another wonderful book with the world! This might be my favorite one yet. 22 year old Leah, has just arrived in New York City with the hopes of a lavish lifestyle ala Sex and the City & Carrie Bradshaw. But from the beginning it isn’t exactly what she envisioned. The roommate she hoped would become her best friend, isn’t the warm, fuzzy type she imagined, the job she secured just dumped her in a completely different department, and the boy she meets isn’t Jewish.

I loved this book. I was rooting for Leah every step of the way! Most of all, I admired and appreciated how Leah valued her religion, her culture, and her faith and she didn’t let anyone sway that. I can’t wait to read what happens next!!

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

a beautifully written lighthearted story! I loved the complex quirky characters and the twisty turny story! Leah meets a non jewish boy when she moves to NY for her first job. After a fiasco wedding event with her family, things go south in a hurry! while trying to decide on her future love life, Leah has an accident. I don't want to give anything away, but this is a wonderful must read! I look forward to the next book!

[KL Cassanello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leah has led a charmed life. Now she's out of college, learning to navigate a job, a roommate, and a relationship in NYC. It's not the "Sex & the City" lifestyle she imagined. I loved reading this book, bringing back sweet memories of my own young adulthood. I was a bit disappointed late in the story, with the ending not what I had hoped. But I love this author, and trust her to bring me a incredible ending to Leah's story. I received an advance copy of the book, and this is my honest review.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of 22 year old Leah, who moves to New York City to write and hopefully meet her soul mate. Life in New York City is not exactly what she was hoping for. She was imagining the Sex & the City lifestyle. Her job turns out not to be what she wanted. Her roommate, well they are not exactly besties.
The boy she meets is not Jewish, for the girl that was raised strictly Jewish.
The story brought me back my memories of New York City as I grew up.

[Jenifer Goldin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me back

Reading this, I traveled back to my early twenties when my adult life was just beginning. Gat captures the ups and downs with heartfelt emotion and leaves you wanting to find out what happens next!

[Shmuel Yaccoby · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great easy read

When the world ends, who do you want by your side?” A struggling challenge of a young Jewish woman provided through an easy read. Fantastic!

[Sky · Rating 1 out of 5]

Writing is ok. Very poor pacing. The ending feels rushed and unsatisfying.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a very cute story but if you listen to it the narration is done by A.I.which took away from the story. A.I. mispronounced words often and missed grammar.

[Andrea Mass]

Quit at 41%

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Girl Meets Goy” by Aviva Gat is an engaging & delightful read about a young Jewish girl, Leah Rosenberg, who moves to NYC for her dream job. On her first day there she meets Gabe, a non-Jew & starts dating him. Unexpectedly, she bumps into her ex-boyfriend, Asher, at an event in NYC.
Asher, whom she still loves, wants to get back together with her. Leah now faces a moral & ethical dilemma, as she tries to figure out exactly where her heart lies. Should she stay with Gabe or should she go back to Asher? What’s a nice Jewish girl to do? What would you do?