I didn’t like this book at all and it wasn’t my cup of tea. The character was so unlikable. I found the writing to be bland.

Playing with Matches was such a fun and witty read. Sasha, desperate for a job to fund her New York lifestyle, lands a job as a matchmaker, despite no previous experience. Playing with Matches takes us on Sasha’s journey as she learns what it takes to make people “click” and how what lines up on paper does not always make a perfect match. Meanwhile, Sasha’s own love life takes an embarrassing fall and she finds herself immediately drawn to an off-limit pseudo client. Sasha was an enjoyable main character, I found her to be relatable and engaging. Her wit and desire to achieve in helping her clients find true love was inspiring, all while trying to mend her own broken heart. I strongly recommend Playing with Matches as a perfect vacation read!
Thank you to the publisher and Netgallery for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

When the journalism career doesn't materialize like recent grad Sasha wishes it would, she takes on a position as a matchmaker at Bliss. She isn't prepared for the bar being held so high for some of these clients and the dating scene isn't as easy to navigate for others.

I absolutely adored this book. I’m actually the same age as the MC, and I really related to her, I found her funny an relatable and I was really rooting for her, while also seeing some of the faults she had- the way she treated Caroline specifically and even how she talked about her. It showed me how she had a lot of room to grow as a person, and no spoilers but I thought that contributed to the end well. However, I do feel that the last bit/ resolution was a little rushed and felt incomplete, maybe a little more explanation or fleshing out of the Mindy things would be better. Shoutout to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc, I’ve already recommended this book to many!

Book Review 🔥: Playing With Matches – Erica. .
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Don’t you just love when a book comes to you at a time when you need it? The last two books I read left me with a mix of emotions. Ghosted had me feeling a tad let down and disappointed, while the Lilac Girls left me literally in tears on my couch after the final page and author’s note. So needless to say, Playing with Matches was much needed. .
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Synopsis: After college, Sasha lands her first real-world job as a matchmaker at the premiere dating site, Bliss and she seems to have it all – a real-life income, an NYC apartment, a best friend and roommate, the seemingly perfect boyfriend, and a career that turns heads at parties. But one day she makes a discovery during a client social media Tinder sweep that has the potential to turn her love life - and professional life- upside down. .
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This book was a light and refreshing read (especially the ending), and it was so easy to find yourself relating to Sasha – fumbling through the beginning years of life after college, both socially and professionally, the dating scene in a large city, and let’s face it, online dating. Also I couldn’t help but laugh at some of the dates Sasha recounted - both for herself, her roommate Caroline, and her Bliss clients - some all too familiar! .
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Rating: 4/5 ⭐️s
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Book in Emojis: 🏙, 💕 , 🤳
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Thank you @netgalley and @simonandschuster for the free e-copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

I’m torn - on one hand, I read the book in 1 day - on the other, I think I did so because I kind of wanted it to end already. As someone who has lived in the city for a long time, I couldn’t get past all of the nights out, drinking and events that Sasha participated in, while only earning a couple hundred dollars a month....I guess maybe I wanted more honesty about that part of the book, but I am glad that she ended up being a strong woman by the end

Thank you NetGalley for a digital ARC. 3.5 Stars for an engaging read, a main character with great wit and a creative premise. This was a fun read.

Sasha Goldberg is your typical college grad, struggling with NYC life, searching for a job, career, future. Obsessed with his work in finance, her longtime boyfriend Jonathan has always been way out of her league - even though he repeatedly pledges his allegiance, Sasha begins to seriously wonder if he is even listening when they speak. Sasha finds a job as a matchmaker at an exclusive dating service called Bliss. She uses her writing skills and common sense to help her clients find true love. Sasha learns all the new dating apps and hand picks their perfect match to arrange a date. She meets a slew of men that are SO good on paper (or rather on-screen) but very quickly realizes this is a lot harder than it looks. One hysterical bump in the road after another, this laugh out loud, very adorable story is a (most likely) realistic look at the dating app world and how it has forced people to make a ridiculous life check list when really, as mysterious as it can be, love just doesn’t work like that. Highly recommend this entertaining end of summer read!

This was a light and easy read that’s perfect for the beach or relaxing weekend at home.

Sasha is trying to get by in NYC. Desperate for a job, she accepts a position as a matchmaker for a big matchmaking company. She’s young, inexperienced and doesn’t know what she’s doing. But at least she has a job and is in a committed long-term relationship. Even though her boyfriend works long hours, and seems to be putting his career before her, she’s happy.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t last long.

The story did feel predictable the majority of the time. Even the ending didn’t surprise me all that much. Once a particular thing happened, I could tell what was coming. Probably because I’ve read too many romance books and in those when this one thing happens, it’s a dead giveaway for what is coming.

The parts where we learn what each of the men were looking for when it came to a partner was very disheartening, but so was the list of musts the women had. My favorite couple by far was Eddie and Diane, who were so sweet together.

I didn’t feel like it was a groundbreaking novel or anything, but that’s okay. Not every book can or should be that. Sometimes you just need something fun to escape with. Y’all know I love those kinds of books; heck one of my favorite genres is romance, so I’m not exactly sure why this light read didn’t hit it out of the park for me.

Overall, if you’re looking for something light and quick to read to finish off the summer, this might be a good option for you.

Cute, fun read! Chick lit at its best and undoubtedly a great beach read. Interesting characters and unique story line. Strongly recommend.

Playing with Matches by Hannah Orenstein.

Such a good summer read. Thank you to NetGalley & to the publisher for my ARC of this book. I will not give any spoilers. I would recommend this book to friends and family.

I would love to read more by this author. It was a quick, fun, read.

This was a great book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Hannah Orenstein in the future--you have a devoted fan!

A light rom com, aimed for a new adult demographic. Sasha finds work as a match,American in New York, for singles looking for that perfect person. At the same time,her relationship is floundering. A quick summer read.

The perfect beach read! Really enjoyed this one. Had a chick-lit vibe to it. Super fun!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun, light-hearted book. Perfect for a vacation read or just a day at the beach. I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the plot was different and engaging.

Playing with Matches had been recommended to me by someone who shares similar tastes in novels. She knows my preferences too well, as I really enjoyed this story and had a hard time putting it down. I was thinking about it whenever I wasn't immersed in the pages.

Hannah Orenstein uses sharp and witty dialogue to make her characters come to life. I love that the story is set in NYC and you can really feel the vibe of the city through her descriptions. Sasha was easily relatable, even though we're about 20 years apart in age. The concept is clever and reminded me a bit of Run Catch Kiss, which is a book I enjoyed reading a long time ago.

Similarly to Run Catch Kiss, this novel doesn't end the way I expected it to. A lot of conflict is introduced closer to the last quarter and I was wondering what was going to happen for Sasha. There is a lot of room for a sequel and I would love to see that happen!

Dream movie cast:
Sasha: Allie Grant
Caroline: Meghann Fahy
Jonathan: Patrick Schwarzenegger
Adam: Bob Morley
Mindy: Ari Graynor
Eddie: Bobby Moynihan

Definitely should be on a girls summer book list! Loved this book! It was a very quick read. The authors writing style is very casual and makes you feel like you are right there with Sasha. I also found the matchmaking piece very interesting with the use of dating apps! I recommend this book to the single girls out there to show we are not alone and that there is always a crazy store up ahead. I will be looking for more of Hannah Orenstein's books :)

This one was super cute! The concept was timely and the characters extremely likeable. The world of online dating is not an easy one and I can see where a matchmaking service could come into play with all of the options that are available out there. At the same time that Sasha is trying to help her clients, her own love life takes an unexpected turn. The writing was good and the humor spot on! I look forward to other books by this author!

A light, breezy fun, romantic comedy. In "Playing with Matches", NYU journalism major, Sasha Goldberg, has her dream career fall apart and in a last ditch effort to get a job, any job, she ends up working as an elite matchmaker at an elite dating service and hilarity ensues. It was delightly cringeworthy to read about the dating escapades of her clients and even Sasha herself, as she falls for one of her clients.

The author has a great voice, The title of the book and cover art is clever. I have been a fan of her past work at Cosmo and recently at Elite Daily. She perfectly encompasses what it's like to be a recent graduate and navigating a job that has nothing to do with your degree and how to manage friendship, and the dating scene when you're paid to be an expert.. I'm excited to see what comes next for her.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.

Sasha Goldberg's plans as a writer are quickly derailed when her boss tells her he doesn't have the funds to hire her on after her graduation. She's stuck--in New York City--without a Plan B. When she sees a job listing for a matchmaker, she's intrigued. Sasha's secret is that her parents met through a kind of matchmaker: her father chose her mom through a catalog and paid for her to come to the United States from Russia. Of course, it didn't exactly work out (they're divorced), but Sasha uses the story to get hired on at Bliss, an exclusive NYC matchmaking service. She's hopeful the job will tide her over while she waits for a writing gig. And, she thinks, she has to know something about love, since she's successfully with her boyfriend, Jonathan, who works around-the-clock in his Wall Street gig. But matchmaking isn't as easy as it looks--it's a lot of stressful Tinder swiping and tracking down potential mates in random ways--and it becomes even more complicated when Sasha develops a crush on one of her client's matches. One of the firm's rules is that matches are off-limits. Sasha's struggling: can she keep it all together?

This is one of those books where I find myself going into it warily, because you just know things are going to come crashing down, and you (me) are not 100% sure you want to be there for all of it. It's not a secret (it's in the book description) that Sasha and Jonathan break up and that she gets into a relationship with Adam, one of her client's matches. For some reason, I often have an issue with these sorts of books where the character just makes bad choices: Sasha makes no attempt to avoid what will be an inevitable downfall with Adam, so I found myself cringing as she made a string of poor decisions.

That's not to say Sasha isn't an engaging character. This book is very readable, and I certainly liked Sasha and reading about her life. However, I can't lie:I probably am a little older than the target audience for this novel. It offers a fun and engaging look at the dating scene in New York, but there wasn't a lot I could relate to. I felt protective of Sasha, not empathetic to her, if that makes any sense. Honestly, the book just made me feel relieved I no longer have to date or deal with basically anything Sasha had to endure during the course of this novel.

Still, Orenstein does a good job at capturing Sasha's voice and what it's like to be a young twenty-something trying to survive in the city. Sasha's relationship with her best friend Caroline and her mom are well-done. I didn't think there was as much overall about matchmaking as a job as I'd hoped--it seemed to be a lot of Tinder swiping and chatting--so that was a little bit of a bummer, but there was enough to know it's a job I'd never want!

Overall, if you're young and still dating, you'll probably really enjoy this book--especially if you live in a city. If not, some of its essence may be a bit lost of you, but you'll still like Orenstein's witty writing and the arc of Sasha's struggles. 3.5 stars.