Sonya Lalli

Originally published: London: Orion, 2017, under the title: The arrangement.

The Matchmaker's List

Hana 

really loved the protagonist even though she did stuff that is hard to imagine. She's sensible, <spoiler>hung up on one person</spoiler>, burdened by family expectations and desperate to not be lonely. She's just like any other Indian girl. The language was simple and fluid , plus I loved Nani's Indian english and though i do not appreciate the <spoiler>queerbaiting</spoiler> it was good rep. Maybe not nearly close to perfect, but it's a start. Very character driven plot. Loved the characters, they felt very real. Overall a very enjoyable read.

Kath Lau

Raina is almost thirty and Nani, her grandmother, desperately wants her to get married as soon as possible. She eventually gave in and let her Nani play matchmaker. But Nani doesn’t know that Raina still have feelings for her ex-boyfriend and still hoping that everything will work out for them. This becomes a huge impact on Raina’s decision making and relationship with the people around her.

I actually liked Raina at first but it changed as the book progresses. She became too much and it’s exhausting. I thought she’s a little immature and selfish. Don’t get me wrong, I sometimes consider myself as immature but not when it comes to important matters in my life. I simply lost interest in her and her love life and became more intrigued by her family especially Nani’s relationship with Raina’s mother. My favorite would be Nani. Yes she can be crazy and tiring but she’s a very sweet, understanding and caring person.

I thought the book description was a bit misleading. This book isn’t entirely about matchmaking and blind-dates. There’s actually so much drama going on in this book and they take place one after another. Also, this is more of a women’s fiction novel than a fluffy rom-com.

I liked that there’s an aspect of LGBTQ in the story but I thought the execution was ridiculous and problematic. It could have been handled differently. I didn’t like the romance in this book as well. It felt flat and forced. I wasn’t even rooting for someone to be Raina’s partner. The blind dates were fun to read though. I had my fair share of blind dates but they were not as hilarious as the ones that Raina had.

The writing is still compelling and this was one of the reasons why I decided to finish reading. It was also exciting to read about Indian weddings and celebrations. There are some interesting subjects and discussions which are thought-provoking in this book such as cultural identity, tradition, religion, and culture clash.

F I NA L V E R D I C T : The Matchmaker’s List may not be the best diverse book I read but I still enjoyed it.

Chelsea White

Cute read! There were a lot of aspects that I liked, but some felt like a needless way to stall for time in the story.

Megan Rose

** spoiler alert **
           “It turned out I wasn’t the woman they thought I was. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t change.”

I went back and forth between rooting for Raina to feeling frustrated with her actions. It wasn’t until the end of the novel when she started to take responsibility for everything that had occurred and made the decision to start changing that I was able to connect with her and really started to see things from her perspective. Because I had a harder time connecting with Raina but really enjoyed the scenes with Nani and Asher (helping show that the people you surround yourself with bring out the best in you), I’m giving this 3 stars.

Ana Couto

Thank you to Berkley Books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review!

THE MATCHMAKER’S LIST by Sonya Lalli surprised me in so many wonderful ways. Raina Anand is 29, and her grandmother (aka Nani) is determined to have her married by the time she hits 30, prompting her to put together a lengthy list of suitable bachelors for her beloved granddaughter. Raina is hardly pleased by this, but she agrees to go on a few blind dates to appease her Nani. Yet in true rom-com fashion, things eventually spiral out of control, leaving Raina’s and Nani’s cherished relationship hanging in the balance.

Although this book is obviously categorized under the “romance” genre (and it definitely fits that description), I felt like it was much more focused on the dynamic between Raina and Nani (which I loved!), and Raina’s struggle for autonomy and personal growth in the Indian-immigrant community she was raised in. The book’s synopsis describes this story as “a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it”, and I think that totally nails it. If you’re someone who’s into romance, definitely check this one out (also — can we talk about how cute the cover is?? I’m obsessed).

The Matchmaker's List

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