*RATED 1 STAR here for feedback purposes only.

I just couldn't get into this book. The premise of the story was really interesting and I looked forward to reading it but really unlikeable characters made it hard to push through. I wanted to be rooting for someone but I never felt compelled to see what happened with them.
The writing was good and I would definitely try reading this author again but this book just didn't work for me.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

At nearly 30 years of age, Raina has a successful career in the finance industry but is still single so her Indian grandmother gives her a list of potential suitors. Raini begrudgingly goes on several dates but then a former lover returns and Raina finds herself lying to her family.
Centred around the cultural pressure to settle down, this story features a flawed heroine whose narration often backtracks to a past birthday. I usually find books highlighting a different culture fascinating but this one just wasn’t a match made in heaven for me.

Raina is twenty-nine. Her Nani desperately wants to see her married before she turns thirty. Raina, however is not ready. After all, she isn’t dating anyone and her breakup with her last boyfriend, Dev, two years ago left her completely broken hearted. Her Nani and her best friend Shay seem to think that marriage will somehow make everything better. Nani has it all figured out – she comes up with a matchmakers list – a list of potential suitors for her Raina. Let the games begin! Unfortunately this book was disappointing to me. I think the author truly missed the mark when it came to having her pretend she was gay. After that, the commentary about being gay really bothered me and I lost a lot of interest.

This was not a bad book but just meh for me. My favorite part about it is the cultural aspect. We deep dive into Indian wedding ceremonies and different customs. There's also a lot of the social day to day structures that made this intriguing. I particularly liked the bond of the Aunties. Their chatter and social groups were hilarious.
I couldn't bond with the heroine because I did not understand any of the decisions she was making. It was also very slow pacing so we were dredging through years of repressed feelings. The last quarter was pretty good but it cleared up everything very quickly.

I was very excited to read this book and had super high expectations for this. I have been putting off doing this review because I didn't know how to put in words how this book made me feel without mangling the book.

Raina decided that she wants to have her grandmother Nani help her find a man. I was expecting this to be a romance and I was pretty much thrown completely off guard with this book. Raina is feeling extreme pressure from her grandmother about getting married. But, Raina made so many questionable and odd decisions throughout this book. My biggest issue and in all honesty I was completely shocked that the author would have used this in her book... but Raina pretended to be gay during her dating process. Ok.. I don't even know where to start but this was absolutely appalling to me. I can't image someone that identifies as LGBTQ would think reading this book.

I'm not exactly sure what the author was trying to do here? But... after I read this part.... the entire book was ruined for me. This book is supposed to be about culture and love etc. How can this be about different cultures with "pretending" to be gay. Yikes... No... just plain wrong.

So... ok your family having extreme pressure on you to get married and settle down. Clear up in the book right away that Raina wasn't a lesbian. Don't have this through the ENTIRE book and continue to make this a theme? Why... that's just wrong.

I didn't like this book at all and would not recommend this. This was definitely not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

1.5 stars for me on this one.

Publication date: 2/5/19
Published to Goodreads: 1/22/19

3.5 Stars
This has all the marks of Past Family Culture meets new Life Lessons. It has humor and heart. It has the journey of how to balance family traditions with what is now in the current times important as well.

Copy received via Netgalley for an honest review

I really wanted to really enjoy this book, however to me it fell flat.

I liked the premise of the book, and I thought things could have been funnier, more of a rom-com than we got.

Though the main thing that made this fall flat for me was our leading lady Raina. Though she is nearly 30 years old, she came off as immature. I was sure at times I was reading about a 14 year old girl not a smart, successful woman.

I just didn't get her. She came across as childish and selfish and like she was going to stamp her foot and chuck a tanty every second page.

But this could just be me.

I really think that this book had potential. This might be a case of it's not you, it's me.

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “The Matchmaker’s List ” by Sonya Lalli, Berkley Books , January 22, 2019

Sonya Lalli , Author of “The Matchmaker’s List” has written an entertaining, witty, emotional, intense, and heart-warming novel. The Genres for this novel are Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, and Humor. The timeline for the story is in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The author describes her colorful cast of characters as complex, complicated and quirky.

Raina Anand is a modern young professional that appears to have everything. She has a high-paying , prestigious job and wonderful friends and family that care about her. Raina doesn’t realize as she is approaching thirty, that she is about to be part of her Grandmother’s attempts at finding her a husband anyway she can. Raina’s grandmother is playing matchmaker, and her attempts at finding Raina a husband are very amusing. The Grandmother’s list of Indian suitors is quite a long list, and Raina is not happy with this at all. Especially when she realizes that her Grandmother places an advertisement online. Raina’s grandmother is a traditional Indian grandmother, who tries to be very modern and understanding.

With Raina’s 30th Birthday approaching, and her best friend getting married, there is a lot of pressure to find someone. Raina finds that her grandmother’s attempts at finding her love is causing many problems. I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of family, friends, love, emotional support and hope. I would highly recommend this delightful novel for those readers who enjoy an easy and charming read. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I really liked the "idea" of this book. A list of approved matches and some blind dates that were funny, The first half of the book was enjoyable, it lost me when Raina started "pretending" to be something she was not. I had a very hard time connecting to the story after the plot took a different direction.

I'm not sure why, but I always enjoy a book that incorporates Indian culture. I love the sense of community, the traditions, and the struggles that surround those traditions in today's cultures always seem to make for compelling stories.

Raina's is no different. She's nearing 30 and - gasp - unmarried! We see her fight with her nani's desires for her and her future and her own wants. It takes her a long time to figure out what she wants her life to look like - with plenty (and I mean plenty) of struggles along the way, but in the end she gets there.

The reason my rating isn't higher is that there are some pretty big elements of this book that didn't sit so well with me. 1. The drama. Asher is right when he says Raina is too complicated. She brought 90% of her problems upon herself, and they dragged out for soooooo loooonnng. I get a book needs some conflict, but maybe not so much. 2. The lie. You know the one I'm talking about. Not so good. And Raina knows it, which is why it's so frustrating that she continues lying for so long.

I still think this book is worth a read. The discussion surrounding acceptance, cultural identity, familial pressure is something that is relevant to everyone, Indian or not.

This was an interesting novel. I don't agree with its categorization as a romantic comedy (or as a romance novel in general); it's much more a coming of age novel, albeit one where the protagonist, despite a too-0neat ending, doesn't know what she wants.

Raina is a half-Indian Canadian woman who was raised by her grandparents. Nearing 30, she feels deeply unmoored. Two years prior to the start of the novel, deep in the throes of a breakup, she agreed to start dating people her grandmother suggested with the goal of getting married--an arranged marriage. Many of the dates are duds, but it's hard to tell if that's because the guys she meets are jerks or because Raina is still hung up on a very charming, pretty terrible ex-boyfriend (who may not be entirely out of the picture). To cap it all off, her best friend is getting married, and the enormity of a formal Hindi wedding is causing tension.

Overcome by the pressures of finding a husband (and making up for her mother's wild youth), Raina gets caught in a lie: she allows her grandmother to think that Raina is gay. Raina is not, in fact, gay, or even remotely queer; but this revelation causes an enormous rift in her community, and causes problems for a close friend, who is qay, and who fears coming out in their close-knit South Asian immigrant community. ON TOP OF THAT, Raina may be finally falling out of love with her ex, and falling in love with Asher, who doesn't appear in the novel enough for me to get much of a read on other than "generic charming white guy."

There's a lot going on in here.

The writing is very good and very compelling; I finished the novel in one sitting, and I was honestly curious to see how things turned out ("I'm at 87 percent and I still have no idea where the romantic comedy part of this book is," I said to myself.) I didn't find many of Raina's choices very comprehensible; I cannot fathom thinking that it's easier to claim a queer identity than it is to just say, "I am really overwhelmed and I do not want to go on any more dates right now." Even if the novel is set in the tolerant, mythical land of Canada, that plot choice did a disservice to the queer stories that were already present.

I think it will make an excellent book club title; there's a lot to unpack here. I've rated it as 2 stars, but I think it's closer to 2.5; I didn't dislike the novel, but there are a number of sections that are a little unwieldy, and it's hard to take the happy ending very seriously. It's just too easy, and it doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the book, which has Raina striving to figure out what she really wants.

Netgalley review.

After seeing the cover and blurb for The Matchmaker's List, I was excited to get my hands on it. It sounded like a fun (oh, those meddling matchmaking grandmothers!) and diverse read. Though I enjoyed the multicultural aspect of the story a lot, and there are plenty of silly and hilarious moments, I wouldn't consider this one truly a romcom. It was much more poignant and polarizing than I anticipated.

Our heroine, Raina, was sadly one of the main reasons why I did not love this book. I can definitely relate to the overwhelming pressures that family, friends, and community can unwittingly place on an individual. Even with this and the sadness surrounding her childhood, I had a hard time sympathizing with Raina because of her behavior throughout the book. I understand that it was part of her character arc to grow and recognize certain truths, but it was frustrating to see an almost 30 year old woman act this way. I don't want to be spoilery, but a good part of the book has her basically being a doormat (I wanted to throat punch Dev so badly!) and then she tells a lie by omission that ends up having HUGE repercussions. There were so many opportunities to come clean and explain, but over and over fear ruled her and she let the lie perpetuate and change lives. The situation with Asher felt forced and I'm a bit skeptical of the declarations that were made given their sporadic history. I really just wanted more from Raina and when she finally did come into her own, it just felt like too little too late.

Something I did love, however, was the overall message of love and acceptance. Yes, this is a romance, but it's more a romance about falling in love with yourself. Loving who you are and recognizing that you are enough exactly as you are. The writing was entertaining, but sometimes too detailed and descriptive for me. Overall I did enjoy Raina's journey and think the book's message will resonate with readers.

*I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this book*

I will start by saying that this was a really interesting concept and that I was looking forward to reading the story. HOWEVER. However, the execution just really wasn’t great. The writing and plotting was rough and took me out of the story multiple times. There were several instances where plot points or actions were repeated and it was clear that careful editing had not been exercised. Additionally, there were a lot of choices that the main character made that didn’t seem like real, human choices that a genuine actual person would make. For instance, who would lie and tell their whole community that they’re gay in order to get out of some arranged dates? And who would stay with someone who was as uninvested in a relationship as Dev was? Seriously, that guy sucked.

There were some good points. The book wasn’t as formulaic as most romcoms tend to be, which was nice. The main character had some serious flaws, which I always support in an MC, and there were certainly moments where I was invested in her growth, though those tended to be few and far between. In all honesty, I didn’t hate this book but I just didn’t really like it that much. I wanted to like it more, and I did enjoy getting a look into the culture, but it just didn’t do it for me.

As Raina's 30th birthday approaches, she's feeling the pressure from all sides. She's got a high stress job, she's busy with maid-of-honor duties for her best friend's approaching wedding, and her grandmother is pushing her to find a husband. And even though she let's her Nani push her into dates with any eligible bachelor she can find, she's scared to admit that she's not over her ex. With her Nani's voice in her ear, how can she figure out what she really wants?

I really enjoyed this book. I love that Raina is an imperfect heroine, even if it's painful sometimes to watch her life snowball into chaos from bad choices. The Matchmaker's List is a great portrayal of modern love, family expectations, and finding your own path. As a queer person, I was a little uncomfortable with one part of the plot dealing with sexuality (no spoilers!) but I think it was ultimately handled and resolved well. Overall, definitely worth a read for romance and romcom lovers!

I'm just not in a romance mood lately so I don't blame this book for not hooking me. Definitely a me-not-you situation

This book had a lot of potential, especially with the Indian representation. I was excited to read about the culture of dating as well as the elaboration behind a wedding. While that part was interesting, the rest of it fell short of my expectations. It started out funny but it quickly fell by the wayside to become convoluted. Cutting back and forth from the present to different points in the past felt more clunky than anything else. Raina was not a character that I sympathized with and she honestly felt immature for her age. While I understood some of her motivations, other times were just nitpicky and annoying. Don't even get me started on <spoiler> the gay rumor that she essentially didn't stop. It just got completely out of hand and it was handled poorly </spoiler>. I was more interested in the supporting characters and her best friend more than her. I didn't even like any of the guys enough to root for any of them. Overall, this was a disappointment.

This story was an entertaining, interesting, quick read. Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella or Jane Green, but with a welcome difference in setting and character to the Toronto-area Indian community. Raina's life seems well put together to others, but in reality she's struggling with a demanding job, a well-meaning but determined grandmother, and is still hung up on an ex she remembers as perfect. Raina makes a lot of mistakes in her quest to manage all these issues, including some that are pretty harmful, selfish, and shortsighted. Somehow I still found myself rooting for her and hoping she'd find her way- whether or not that included a love interest at the end.

Loved this nicely done romance that sheds light on the challenges of successfully navigating life and love as the adult child of Indian immigrants. A great read that made me laugh, smile, feel and think.

This had SUPER cute moments, and I felt like a bunch of the characters were really nuanced, but then...the flashbacks were totally gratuitous and I didn't buy the whole Dev thing at ALL. (The second time.) It's also nooooot really a romance novel, by my estimation, but more of a chick lit book. Which is fine, but I probably wouldn't have read it if I had understood that. Yeah. YMMV, especially if you really like taaaame chick lit.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Although I generally enjoy chicklit and I appreciate the diverse characters introduced in this novel, I lost interest in it part way through. First of all, there were too many potential boyfriends that distracted from the interesting relationship between the main character and her grandmother,. When the main character decided to let her grandmother think she is a lesbian to put her off of her matchmaking attempts, I was completely turned off and stopped reading. The struggles of the LGBTQ community are not a suitable plot point for the character's conflict with her grandmother. I found that weak and distasteful. I'm giving 3 stars for the parts of the writing and characters that I enjoyed up until I stopped reading. I don't post unfavorable reviews, so this feedback is for Netgallley alone.