Unmatched is superb in that it illustrates the quandary of single women that most of us simply do not understand. Lavane shares her struggles and bares her soul of her frustrations and challenges, and it is a heartbreaking read. Some of the dating stories are funny and par for the course. Others are devastatingly brutal... Lavane does not play the blame game or launch irrational rants. She shares her struggles and challenges in an honest and often humorous manner. I have never read anything like this before.               

 - Jewish Link, Ben Rothke

 

Like the immersive experience of a visitor to a museum of the blind, the reader is plunged into an alien environment – the quest of a Jewish woman in search of a compatible mate, along with the raging emotions, the humility, grief, betrayal, despair and faith. The book gets an A+ for achieving the author's expressed goal of sharing the journey. 

- Jewish Action, Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz

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A book unmatched in the world of Orthodox Jewish literature... in a conversational style that is refreshing...  Sarah is impeccably honest about her pain, her mistakes and her resolutions to work on herself.

 - The Jewish Press, Rosally Saltsman
 

Lavane shares her journey toward self-acceptance and self-love, and her realization that every life, married or not, is valuable. Her most important lesson for the "unmatched?" "Don't lose yourself while looking for someone else."

- Jewish Chicago, Michelle Cohen

 

An important book... potentially cathartic for long-time singles and an eye-opening lesson in sensitivity for others.

- Rabbi Jack Abramowitz, author, The God Book and Ask Rabbi Jack

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I never had such an experience reading a memoir. I was captivated throughout.  When it ended, I mourned as though I had lost a profoundly decent, most hilarious and loyal friend. Unmatched indeed.

- Ruchama King Feuerman, author, Seven Blessings

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A must-read for anyone in the dating world! I hung onto every last word and visualized each situation. A poignant memoir that speaks of the pain, heartbreak and stereotypes when you are unmatched in the Jewish world. Her stories are not hers alone…..perhaps the author's vulnerability, honesty and bravery in sharing will make us all more sensitive.

- Jodi Samuels, founder, Jewish International Connection​

 

Another person in Sarah Lavane's situation might have written a diatribe against her community or her religion. But Lavane holds on to her faith with admirable tenacity and is always able to see all sides of a situation. Even when writing about her often-awful dates, she displays sympathy and sensitivity. The writing is excellent and often funny... a lesser woman might have cracked after so many years of disappointments. Yet she keeps her tone positive. All power to her!

- Barbara Bensoussan, author, The Well-Spiced Life

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Unmatched is a memoir bringing awareness, compassion, and understanding to the complexities of dating for Orthodox Jewish women. Lavane provides readers with a brief glimpse into the ‘unmatched’ world. Her stories are relatable and amusing.

- Jewish Voice and Opinion

 

An honest and heartwarming memoir of an Orthodox woman’s travails in the shidduch world. I recommend this book for men and women, married and singles, as it speaks to universal concerns. Thank you,.... for making us all more sensitive to the difficulties of being single and Orthodox today.

- Michael Feldstein

 

The author’s open and genuine voice pulls you at once into the richly depicted days of her life. Amid intriguing glimpses into her Brooklyn childhood and adolescence, her parents and their holocaust history, she weaves the tale of her dating life and the men it was her lot to meet. The fanciful names she gives them, like Swell, Singular, GothGuy, tell us as much about the author’s humor and sensitivity as they do about the characters she dated... She maintains the great effort of living life fully and not letting go of love. Her narrative speaks to us all, women and men, matched and unmatched, childless and childfull, all of us who know what it takes to make it up the mountain every hour of every day. 

 - Paula Lam

 

Inviting the reader to be a fly on the wall as she rides the waves of her always engaging, often flabbergasting, journey in quest of her soul-mate, one cannot help but feel the wide range of emotions the author is experiencing at each stage of her life...  the author pulls no punches in exposing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the orthodox world, even as it is ultimately the "good" that remains her beacon of light, guiding her through the darkness at every turn...  In the final analysis, "Unmatched" is a very important, heroic, and entertaining piece of work that touches the "neshama" (soul) and humanity within the reader, as it opens our eyes and heart to a significant, but all too often misunderstood, segment of our community.

 - Manny

 

Here's to a brave and brilliant daughter of Israel!I appreciate this author's story. It's told so affectionately, and with so much bravery. You'll be cheering for her the whole time. 

 - Gedaliah Wallis

 

Lavane’s story is very relatable, even for those dating outside the Orthodox community. Her experiences are at times funny and at times heartbreaking. Lavane gives a very honest take on the challenges women face.... Her take on the ... frustrations that come with the perceived ‘race to the chuppah’ is refreshing.

- Heidi Slowinski

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Unmatched is a masterpiece and should be required reading for all who are involved with those who are single – matchmakers, well-meaning friends, relatives, colleagues, shul members, Rabbis, Rebbetzins, and teachers.  

- JWS

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This is a well written and engaging memoir by Sarah Lavane. As an Orthodox Jewish woman who married in my mid-30s, I can definitely relate to the author's trials and tribulations in the Modern Orthodox dating world.          

 - CE

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Sarah Lavane’s memoir Unmatched captured my attention from page one, and I didn’t put it down until, with tears flowing, I reluctantly reached the end. Speaking with candor, bravery and perceptiveness, she shares stories from her experiences in trying to find the right man to marry in the Orthodox Jewish world. With a solid grasp of reality, an enduring sense of humor and a profound faith in God, she tells her story, one that is mirrored in the experiences of so many other single Orthodox women. It is tender and gripping and a very worthwhile read.                              

- DC

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