Match Me If You Can is a fun friends-to-lovers that evokes several classic romance novels and movies while adding a unique modern twist. We root for the main characters to succeed both in love and in life, and Swati Hegde wove in some interesting side characters as well. Although the pacing in the middle was a bit slow, overall this was a lovely read. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

What a fun book. This is the first book I have read by the author. The writing flowed well with wonderful characterizations. There was a ton of world building in the first third of the book. I must admit I forced myself to plow through while keeping track of the cast of characters with unusual names. The side characters in this book sparkle and kept the story fun.
Overall this slow burn friends-to-lovers romance delivers. There was the expected frustration over the main characters' inability to get on with it. But that's the trope. They had to earn their HEA.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for a review.

Overall, I really like the premise of the book. However, there were two main critiques I had. First, I felt like there were too many characters at play throughout the whole book. Jia has Charu, Damini, her father, and Tanu as her support. Jaiman has Anshuman, Flora, Manoj, and Harish, more or less. I think there wasn’t enough emphasis put on Tanu and Anshuman as the main characters’ “ride or die” and that took away from the familial aspect to the book, which I thought was very central. All of these characters didn’t necessarily push the plot forward, so it felt like they could have been developed more or cut back on.

I also wish the original feelings of the main characters were flushed out more because their mutual pining and tension fell a bit flat. We’re thrown into this scenario where he loves her and she mostly hates him. But, we aren’t given an introduction as to why he loves her. Maybe a childhood anecdote could have been thrown in at the beginning or the wedding scene could have been more developed. On her end, it’s hard to understand why someone who is family would be a nuisance to her. I think that premise relies on the idea that she believes their kiss was acted on because of a bet. But, it’s clear that that would never be the case with this character. I believe if their original relationship before the wedding was developed more at the beginning, it would have been easier to root for them throughout the book.

Overall, this is a very easy book to read. Their careers are probably the biggest selling point of the book. They are interesting and unique, bringing in their industries in a very fun way. The dialogue was fun, smart, and energizing. I also appreciate how this book is set in Mumbai. Most books by South Asian authors take place in the West, so this was a really fun switch up. Thank you Swati Hegde for creating a fun, South Asian, Jane Austen adaptation. Looking forward to reading more of your works in the future!

I absolutely adored the idea behind this book—a matchmaker who struggles with her own love life. It was so cute, and the cover was gorgeous, so I jumped at the chance to read it.

I did struggle a bit with the story. I found that the characters lacked feeling for a good portion of the book—it wasn’t until closer to the middle/end that I felt anything other than their frustration and anger.

Jia was a force, and while it moved the story along, I disliked how she pushed her own ideals into her friend as she tried to set her up, not taking into consideration her friend’s true needs while she focused on her own potential career. Jaiman was so sweet, but sometimes I just wanted to shake him to make him come out of his passive, uncourageous attitude. It felt like he was just turning away from life and letting it happen to him rather than doing what he needed to make himself happy.

Even with my frustrations, I did enjoy the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

Sweet book that had me rooting for the two leads. Jia wasn't my favorite, but I could see parts of myself in her with her strong will and determination. The first part of this book was slow, but as I kept reading, I couldn't put it down. I was satisfied to get the ending I desired!

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde ✨ pub date: June 4, 2024 📚

This book is as gorgeous as the cover would suggest 😍🌆💜
From the first page I was hooked by Jia and Jaiman’s friends to lovers love story and by Swati’s beautiful writing. If you love foodie romances, found family, delightful matchmaking, and immersive settings, this book is for you! You can preorder at the links in @swatihegdeauthor ‘s bio. And if you’re a writer, you can check out her helpful writing resources as well! 📝

I am so excited for Swati's future works after reading this!

It was the perfect mix of Emma with dashes of You've Got Mail and When Harry Met Sally. There's so much mutual pining with angst and miscommunication from this friends to lovers debut.

I'm not the biggest friends to lovers fan, because I find myself getting frustrated with the 'will they or won't they' antics. That being said, Swati's world building and side characters really kept the plot engaging and moving forward with Jia and Jaiman's complex relationship.

I personally love Jaiman. That man is personally everything. I also liked Jia's ambition, but I felt her character to be frustrating at times. Though, if I were in her shoes, I would probably feel the same way.

It's truly just an angst filled slow burn between two best friends from childhood with some matchmaking antics and lovable side characters.

I'm very intrigued to see what Swati writes next!

Thank you Netgalley, Swati Hedge, and Random House for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc; I will be giving my honest review.
This is the first book I have read by Swati Hegde. I have to compliment the overall writing throughout this book. The first 20-30% were heavy on building the characters and setting. At first, I thought a lot was being introduced at once. I was struggling with keeping all the characters straight up until around 40%. Once I hit the 40% mark, the reading flowed easily, and I was very interested in the plot. The dialogue between the characters was realistic and well written. The conversational aspect of this book helped me understand the main characters more. There was quite a few misunderstandings, but it was due to the characters overthinking. I thoroughly liked Jaiman, the MMC. I also liked a few of the secondary characters due to their personalities. Hedge's writing skilled showed during romantic parts of this book. The romance and tension was very evident, and relatable.
"Loving someone means putting hope above fear."

I loved reading about Jai and Jaiman's pending romance in this book, it was nice to read a book that was set in Mumbai. I do hope there are other books with Damini, I loved her banter and character as well as Charu! I personally loved Jaiman's character and found Jia to be a little on the annoying side due to miscommunication. Always glad to see a HEA for the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. I received a copy of the ebook in exchange for my honest review

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

"And learn to put your ego aside and communicate with him. Communication is the only things that can save relationships, period."

This quote was the highlight of the book and also the biggest hypocrisy. There was exactly 0 attempts of communication until the end. And the FMC wasn't tolerable. She was very selfish, obtuse, and unrelatable.

The only saving grace in this book is the MMC. I gave this 3 stars for Jaiman; he's the only reason I pushed through this one, and even though he got his HEA, I didn't leave this book satisfied. Jia didn't have many redeeming qualities, especially in regards to Jaiman. I think she had potential there, but so much time in this book was spent with her trying to match her friend with someone who was douchebag and apparently she never noticed, and the rest was her shit treatment of Jaiman.

Toward the end, before feelings are proclaimed, she questions why Jaiman would do a certain thing if he loved her. Uh because you treated him like shit, lady. As I said, selfish.

Sorry for the overly negative review, but this one got to me for reasons unknown.

First off, this was the first book I've read from this author, and oh my. I don’t usually read about friends to lovers, but this book was so addicting. It made me laugh, made me smile, and made me mad, but in a good way. Not only did it have a romantic relationship that was good, but the family/friend relationships in this book were perfect. Reading how hard Jaiman fell for Jai, I screamed a lot.

There were so many adorable moments in this novel and it was a really clever adaptation of Emma by Jane Austen. Jia was incredibly lovable despite her mistakes and she had amazing chemistry with Jaimon. The ending is also very, very satisfying as are the friendships throughout the story. For me, personally, the reason this story isn't ranked higher is simply because the slow burn matched with the miscommunication trope made it really frustrating at times. The whole book would be one chapter long if the characters just TALKED to each other. But at the same time, the he falls first and pining tropes do help make the slow burn more tolerable. If you like strong character growth, clever and sweet characters, and modern retellings of classics, you'll definitely like this one.

I received an ARC from netgalley.

Jane Austen’s Emma receives a modern Mumbai update in Swati Hegde’s Match Me If You Can. Dating advice guru, aspiring matchmaker, and incognito blogger Jia Deshpande doesn’t believe in “the one” and she’s not sure she’ll ever find love. The only two people she’s been remotely attracted to is her lifelong friend Jaiman and an anonymous blog follower called TheReMix. Pub owner and cocktail extraordinaire Jaiman Patil has always known he’s in love with Jia. But despite being certain she only sees him as a friend and attempting to date multiple other women, he’s still desperately in love with her.

Jia and Jaiman confront each other and themselves as they work towards their dream lives and dream loves. Bolstered by their loving friends and family, they also contend with difficult coworkers and old nemeses.

Hegde transports readers to Mumbai with vibrant descriptions of the fashions and flavors, but never bogs down the pace of the plot. Her cast of characters are warmly likable and charmingly realistic, despite their flaws. With some misunderstandings and miscommunications worthy of a Hallmark movie, the plot teases not “will they, won’t they,” but “when and how will they.” Match Me If You Can is a feel good friends-to-lovers romantic comedy with Indian flair.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This delightful and adorable friends-to-lovers story is full of witty banter and enough angst to make a well-rounded story. The author definitely did a wonderful job of representing Mumbai and, giving me a glimpse of it. I loved both the main characters as they were both very entertaining and relatable. All in all, I lived vicariously through this book.

Jia Deshpande aspires to be a professional matchmaker. She has set up two successful couples so she's got a good base to start. She hopes her blog on love becomes successful, until then she is working at popular lifestyle magazine in Mumbai, while the job is unfulfilling, she hopes it will help her launch her blog and matchmaking career.
Jaiman Patil has been in love with Jia for as long as he can remember. Their two families have always been close and Jia's dad has been his father figure since his family relocated to the US. He has big plans to fulfill his dream of running a successful bar but things are more difficult than he expected. His unrequited feelings for Jia are also hard to deal with.

Pretty much Clueless, set in Mumbai and in book form. I've read books where the characters are wealthy, but these people truly annoyed me with their entitlement. Instead of buying incense from a small shop, Jaiman decides he'll just have to get it from Amazon to save face, rather than coming back to the shop another time. Jia works, but obviously doesn't need to, and I thought, that's great, she wants to make it on her own without her father's money. Yet she has no problem wearing designer shoes and taking advantage of all that her life with daddy's money offers. Why bother wasting time at a job you hate???

The dialagues were extremely cringe and cliché. Also the pregnancy angle, I was totally waiting for it, not at all surprising :eyeroll: Why authors feel the need to knock up every newlywed is beyond me. Do they have no other life goals??
If you're in the mood for a predictable, mindless read, this is it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first read by this author and I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was! In this heartwarming tale, the story unfolds against the backdrop of Mumbai, where Jia attempts to set up her coworker with the perfect match to secure her dream matchmaking column. Little does she know that her childhood friend, the charming pub owner Jaiman Patil, has been harboring deep feelings for her. f you are looking for a fun romance novel to read this year I highly recommend this one!


Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC of this book.

Embark on a captivating journey through a slow burn Mumbai romance with Swati Hegde's enchanting debut, "Match Me if you Can." Hegde weaves a heartwarming tale of love, friendship, and matchmaking, skillfully blending the charm of Jane Austen with a modern Desi twist. The all-BIPOC cast, childhood frenemies-to-lovers trope, and the delightful mix of clueless moments make this a must-read for fans of desi romcoms. Hegde's addictive writing style ensures you'll be hooked from the first page to the last, leaving you eager for more of her delightful storytelling.
Thank you to NetGallery for the eArc in exchange for my honest review.

This was very cute. Set in modern day and a lot of relatable terms and situations.

I felt for her family dynamic. It had many moments that made me giggle.

I've gotten used to reading books about Indian Americans, many of which are great, but this was the first full-fledged Indian book I've come across on NetGalley in my 3 years on here. So, this one's completely set in Mumbai- the financial capital of India and a city in Maharashtra (I'm from the same state though not the same city).

I'll start with the fact that the characters, so authentic and somehow relatable to me in small ways, insignificant as they may feel. Jia and Jaiman had my heart from the start, and I'll always love couples whose love and affection stems from deep friendship. (As long as they don't rush things and get married the next second. That's not what happens in this book, don't worry). The MCs knew each other well, so you can imagine how heart-warming some of the scenes were. They aren't opposites but do have differing opinions which I just loved. They're paring has chemistry and it's just plain cute.

The representation wasn't necessarily bad, but it could've been better considering how much more of our culture can be projected. I could see some of it was very similar to the western storylines and depictions, but I liked how the dressing style and festivals had a place in the book.

Swati Hegde has an immersive writing style, clear in every word, from the banter to the anonymous blog posts, in just loved it and I'll be sure to read more of her books as they come.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This is my first read from Swati Hegde and it won't be the last! I enjoyed getting to know each character and the descriptions of Mumbai. The slow burn in this book was excruciating! So much back and forth and will they or won't they? Fortunately, the end result made up for the angst!