First Chapter Review: Next Year in Jerusalem! by Barbara Becker Holstein

This is a romance, mystery and spiritual awakening novel by positive psychologist Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein. I became familiar with Holstein's work when I read her book for girls, The Truth: I'm a Girl, I'm Smart and I Know Everything. I read the sequel to that book, in addition to other books Holstein had written for women. She submitted the first chapter of Next Year In Jerusalem! for me to review.

BLURB:  Natalie and Maggie, best friends since college, find themselves in the romantic, mystical and intriguing city of Jerusalem when Natalie's husband, David, takes a short sabbatical there.

The appearance of Jack, a diamond dealer and Natalie's old boyfriend from college, creates tension and arousal for Natalie. Will she do things she will come to regret? Maggie meets Jack's friend: tall, dark and handsome. What about her boyfriend back home?

Meanwhile, a mysterious woman named Chaya Sarah soon captivates both women with spiritual experiences. However, her actions and secrecy about herself baffle them, and they become concerned that Chaya Sarah may be involved in more than meets the eye. The mystical energy of Jerusalem along with the reality of terrorism compounds an already intense experience for both women.

COVER: I love everything about this cover. The two women, the setting, and the color scheme. The rich burgundy color is a beautiful contrast against the warm beige of the buildings and the pale sky. The gold dome attracts the eye.

FIRST CHAPTER: Natalie has the next four weeks off to spend in Israel. She feels her freedom already. A headline from the New York Times catches her eye. The article draws Natalie into the past and the mystery that surrounds it.

KEEP READING: Definitely. There's a fair amount of mystery and intrigue in this first chapter. The chapter opens with Natalie thrilled to be free, but we don't know what that means. Free from her daily life? Free from her job? Free from her husband? Free from all three? So, the reader is enticed to continue. Though the chapter is short, it's filled with important details. The article on terrorists Natalie reads in the paper reminds her of her past: college, her friends, and former boyfriends. Her eagerness over traveling to Israel is slightly tempered by the anxiety over her safety while there, but she is determined to go.

Other than an overabundance of exclamation points, I love the style of this first chapter and want to know what happens next.

Paperback: 132 pages
Publisher: Enchanted Self Press (September 13, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0979895235
ISBN-13: 978-0979895234

I received this first chapter from the author. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.

Book Spotlight: Next Year in Jerusalem! by Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein

You may be wondering why I chose the title Next Year in Jerusalem! for my new novel.

Why not Forbidden Romance or Romantic Travel or Spiritual Awakenings or Lust, Memories and Old Friends on Facebook? After all Natalie and Maggie are two women, both caught up in issues that many of us face: a somewhat dull but faithful husband; a bad marriage leading finally to a divorce; a desire for adventure; unsatisfied spiritual longings. They have a great friendship with each other, something research keeps confirming, keeps us young and emotionally happy, but life is far from easy for either women.
So again, why would I focus on a strange title that comes out of a book written thousands of years ago?

Here is one of the reasons. Next Year in Jerusalem! is actually a phrase that shows up at the end of the Haggadah. Those of you who are not Jewish may wonder what that is. The Haggadah is a book that the Jews have used for thousands of years to celebrate and relive the Passover experience. Many people know that the central theme of the story is how the Jews, who were slaves in Egypt, were finally able to escape and began their long journey of 40 years to get to the promised Land, which was Israel. However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that this theme is universal and can be taken metaphorically for all of us. That is why when the Haggadah ends with the fourth glass of wine being drunk, and the words, Next Year in Jerusalem! the phrase becomes so significant.

Read an excerpt!

Natalie didn’t tell David (her husband)about her other dream, the one about Jack, the Jewish fellow from Chicago who’d been around to save her from despair after she decided she wasn’t moving to Iraq. A diamond salesman, Jack now lived in London and traveled back and forth to Israel all the time.

Natalie prided herself on staying in touch with lots of people from her past. Jack was one of them. Occasionally they e-mailed and he’d friended her on Facebook two years ago. Although they hadn’t written recently, if he read her Facebook page he would know she was going to Jerusalem. What if he tried to see her? What if there was still an attraction? Would she tell David? Would he care? Would she act out?

Her life with David was so good and stable and predictable. And boring!

Did I just say boring?

No, she must have meant solid. Or did she mean solid?

Oh, I’m a wreck. I’m miserable and I can’t sleep, she continued to obsess. What about that cute secretary at the college? The one who has a sparkle in her eye whenever she talks to David? How old is she? Forty-two? Divorced and sexy. How would I know if something’s going on there?

I’m going crazy lying here, she began again. Where’s the Xanax? Already packed. Oh, that was dumb.

Purchase Next Year in Jerusalem at Amazon!

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known positive psychologist, inspires thousands with her ENCHANTED SELF®. Around the world people benefit from her techniques to enhance well-being, and to live up to their potential. Known for her ability to make complex psychological concepts easy to understand and to implement, she has now turned her talents to novel writing. “A great fiction read is a great escape, and yet, it is more! It is the gateway to new ways of thinking and behaving.”

Dr. Holstein received her Doctorate in Education from Boston University and her BA degree from Barnard College. Dr. Holstein has been a school psychologist and taught first and second grades. She is in private practice with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein, in Long Branch, New Jersey. Find her at www.enchantedself.com and www.next-year-in-jerusalem.com.


Her previous books include:
THE ENCHANTED SELF, A Positive Therapy
Recipes for Enchantment, The Secret Ingredient is YOU!
The Truth (I’m a girl, I’m smart and I know everything)
Seven Gateways to Happiness: Freeing Your Enchanted Self.