Mr. Perfect on Paper

Metzger (The Matzah Ball) answers the contemporary dating question: What’s a Jewish girl to do when she finds a perfect Jewish man (on paper), but her heart’s desire isn’t Jewish? Dara Rabinowitz, the wealthy, anxiety-ridden CEO of J-Mate, the online app for Jewish Singles, is single. When Dara and her Bubbe Miriam appear on a New York morning show to plug J-Mate, Bubbe pulls out Dara’s list describing Mr. Perfect. Dara is humiliated, but the audience is enthralled. Meanwhile, host Chris Steadfast is intrigued by Dara, who is forthright about her general anxiety disorder (GAD) and proud of her Jewish heritage. Chris concocts a scheme to find Dara’s Mr. Perfect, but in the process, they both discover that the right person may be closer than they think. Narrator Dara Rosenberg deftly conveys the humor and real emotion that runs throughout this book. She is particularly adept at personifying Dara’s anxiety, changing her pitch and tone to indicate when Dara’s anxiety is on the rise. She also effectively portrays Chris’s transformation from career-obsessed celebrity host to caring single father.