Such a nice surprise, I devour it in one sitting.The plot was good and I loved the heroine.I like the writing, and I hope we can see more from this author.

I loved most of it, I just didn't liked the ending a lot and this is why I give it 4 stars.However, it was a great story.


The Matchmaker's List is sweet, intense and heartwarming.

This was a really good book, with one huge problem. The entire pretending to be gay plotline was a bad idea, and the fallout/criticism of the character in-text never really approached how seriously messed up of a thing it was.

It was really good! I loved the heroine in this novel. the only part that was hard to read at times was the relationship she and her best friend hard to read at times, but it not only explained the main character's background but also choices that she makes throughout the book more than her relationship with her mother.
overall I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author.

This book was not what I was expecting. I enjoyed the read though but it was not really what I would call a romance. In my opinion this is more of a fiction or a women's lit book. Without giving away spoilers, I will say that this book deals with issues that are important but it does not always go about it in the way I thought was appropriate.

It's a great read for what it is but it's not a light fluffy romance.

spoilers!

so. i went into this expecting a romance. this is not a romance - at least, not what a romance reader expects when they pick up a book. yes, she goes on dates and there's a HEAish but if you are reading this expecting a romance, even a light/clean one, you'll be disappointed.

it read more just like normal 'women's fiction' which there is absolutely nothing wrong with, i just had a hard time adjusting my expectations. i could have dealt with that and enjoyed it regardless, i don't need all my books to be steamy romances, but unfortunately this book had other things that didn't work for me.

for one, the main character is pretty unlikable - she pretends to be gay to get her grandmother off her back about dating, which... okay. not okay. but what makes it really not okay is that she keeps it going for a really long time and i really had a problem with that, especially with how she deals with it and the people it impacts. in general she just seemed very unaware of how her actions or words hurt other people and she treated some people really abominably.

on top of that, the guy she's in love with is an ex who treated her poorly and when he comes back he's a complete douche and while i understand she doesn't end up with him, he's unlikable from the get go so the reader is more than likely thinking 'get your shit together girl and move the hell on'. it's annoying that it takes raina so long to figure her shit out, especially because it's so clear to the reader that there is nothing decent about this guy.

as for the other guys, the random guys she goes on dates with, they were all very 'romantic comedy montage of bad first dates with cliche one dimensional characters' and those just seem pointless to read through. this is another point that didn't work for me because i was expecting more of a romance, less of a finding yourself book - i wanted her to develop a relationship with the guy she supposedly ends up with, but we get barely any development there and then all of a sudden she's falling in love while asking him out to coffee. it just moved a bit too fast and i would have preferred more development in their relationship rather than the random dates that didn't really help the book. again, this is because i was expecting more of a romance and i was disappointed in the lack of romance/love story. and perhaps people who pick this up expecting more of a womens fiction book will be annoyed about the romance in it - you can't please everyone.

anyway. this really just did not work for me and i am super bummed. i struggled with my rating - i liked the writing, i know it sounds like i didn't, but i did. if the main character was a bit different and this was more of a romance or not tagged as one in the first place, i think i would have liked it more. but as it was, i had a lot of trouble with the main character in general and pretending to be gay thing.

so, sorry. not for me.

Sonya Lilli is a Canadian writer of Indian heritage. She has written an insightful story of a 29 yr. old woman, Raina, whose Nani has made a list of eligible men for her to meet so she may select a husband and marry before she is 30. It is a tale of lies, deceit, anguish, uncertainty, old boy friend, new boy friend, work, wedding [her friend, Shay], pleasing Nani, cultural expectations. So much is interwoven in this story....read and ponder.

So this book was nothing like what I thought I was getting. This is a good thing and a bad. It's bad if you're looking for a light hearted romance to read. Because that's not what this is. It's an intense story about love, friendship and trauma. The themes in this book were important and well written but this is not what I thought I was getting. I loved that The Matchmaker's List was diverse and tackled important issues. It's a really great read, if you're not expecting a fluffy romance.

I was so excited to get an opportunity to read this book. When I need a break from all the heavy stuff I look for a rom-com and what better than a diverse one?

Raina, is 30 something and her Nani thinks she should be married by now! So Nani becomes the traditional matchmaker. What Nani doesn't know is that Raina is still in love with her ex, Dev. When Dev re-enters her life she hides this from everyone because no one thinks he is as in love with her as she was with him. Well , Dev comes back but does that mean they will end up together or will another match be made that steals her heart ?

I have mixed feelings about this book. I loved Nani, liked Raina, was annoyed by her friends, but I did like the way it all turned out. Reminded me a bit of Dimple met Rishi which was a YA. I actually felt Raina acted more like a 20 something and this book would be more enjoyed by younger adults . Therefore I'd recommend it to younger women rather than middle age.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read.

Raina has finally caved to letting her beloved grandmother set her up on dates to find "the one". But with all the blind dates (not to mention no chemistry whatsoever with any said dates) Raina begins to wonder if this was such a good idea; even if she agreed to it just to appease her grandmother. It when Raina truly finds love for herself that pretty soon the rest of her messy life begins to fall into place.
This book wasn't as cute and adorable as I originally anticipated; it had more meat in the story and to be honest I liked it for that reason. Lalli really dives into Raina's idea of love, how to love and what is love exactly...and the book was more for it.

I went into this title, really wanting to like it, but I found the main character to be really problematic. Immature, fairly incompetent on the job, handles social situations and dealings with other people poorly, self-esteem and regulation issues...in general she was really unsympathetic. Given the cringe-worthy situations she continually puts herself in, maybe she's supposed to be? Maybe we're supposed to see growth? I did not see as much as I would have liked for a woman of her age. The handling of the relationship with the LGTBQ+ character was really bothersome as well.

Raina is nearing 30 and her grandmother wants to see her married. To help her meet "appropriate" men, Noni has concocted a list of eligible bachelors for Raina to date. Raina goes along with the plan just to keep peace in the family, but she is not really interested in the idea. Many amusing moments.

Take your typical chit-lit read and give it depth. That's what The Matchmaker's List is - a book refreshingly full of depth and introspection. Combine cross cultural dating, a not-so-typical Indian grandmother, and you've got a fun, and full of surprises book.

As someone who's never read a romance/love story set in the Indian culture, I found this book fascinating. However, beyond the interesting details of traditional Indian weddings and culture meeting modern day, the characterization is first rate. Raina is an idiot initially, but she's an idiot in a way that we can all relate to and have probably done ourselves at some point in the past. Still, she works through it, very believably, and comes to a better place in the end.

In the end, this is a book about family and growing up to be yourself. Highly recommended.

This was a cute romance, but the main character made some truly baffling choices. Also, there was a weird offhand jab at "thai ladyboys." That was so tonally wrong, such a mismatch with the rest of the book, it was startling. Why include that? Truly bizarre, ESPECIALLY in a book that includes some LGBTQIA themes. Why do that???

I am always on board with romantic comedies especially those starting a nonwhite protagonist, but this one didn't quite do it for me. It dragged in a lot of places and ultimately I found myself perplexed by the man she ultimately chose. I felt that it was too rushed with little build up (ironically)

This book was as fun I had hoped it would be! The main character Rains is multi-dimensional and flawed, and the supporting cast is loveable and real. I am always on the hunt for realistic and diverse romances, so I'm happy to add this one to my list ☺

If I were to change the book in any way, I would have developed the lead up to the HEA/romance in a more detailed way. Regardless, I can't wait to purchase this for my library and talk it up to patrons!

Any time I hear about a brown romance author coming up with a new romance read, I am more than excited. As a brown woman, the feelings that I get seeing someone like myself being represented in a book with a happily ever after are just magical. I have been excited for The Matchmaker's List for precisely that reason since early last year. I wanted so much out of this book and ultimately, these expectations wound up being crushed.

A big part of why this book didn't click for me was my expectations. I went into The Matchmaker's List thinking that it was going to be a romantic comedy of sort. I would hardly categorize this book as such having now read it. It was actually angstier and a little bit darker than I was expecting it to be. Right off the bat, I was thrown off by this. Regardless, I decided to pause my reading for a bit and came back to it with a fresh perspective. Still though, there was just something preventing me from completely enjoying the story. I soon found out that it was the main character, Raina. I wanted to love Raina, but she wasn't my type of heroine. I understood her struggles and why she felt so much pressure from her Nani, her grandmother, wanting her to urgently get married. She often made questionable decisions and I found it hard to connect with her. Becky described her as a hot mess and I think that's a perfect description of Raina. I don't mind reading about hot-mess heroines, but I found that Raina took things too far. [Spoiler: Highlight to read] I absolutely hated that she pretended to be gay to get her Nani off her back. It wasn't a white lie, and it affected and hurt so many people around her. Perhaps if we had seen her working towards fixing this lie sooner I would have grown to care for her, but she dragged it and I thought she got off really easily at the end.

The whole matchmaking process and romances were also emotionally draining for me. I think that was the whole point with the matchmaking process at least, but I don't quite think the author intended for the romances to come across as tedious. So we know that Raina is hung up on this guy that she met and fell in love with while she was in London years ago. She goes on these dates with the guys that her grandmother suggests, but she is undeniably still in love with Dev. When Dev comes back into the picture things get really complicated for Raina. I think I'm going to sound like a broken record but Raina's romantic drama was just too much for me. I didn't like or care for any of the guys that were introduced, mostly because they were one-dimensional and there were so many of them that there was hardly enough time to get to know them. I genuinely disliked Dev as a person and couldn't see what Raina ever even saw in him. When she finally "picked" a guy at the end of the book, I was surprised by how quickly declarations of love came to be. I was honestly even surprised that the person was even a contender. I didn't dislike everything about The Matchmaker's List. There were some elements I really enjoyed - I thought the discussions of culture, dating, and arranged marriage were thought-provoking. I also adored Raina's Nani, who obviously deeply cared for her granddaughter, but wanted the best for her future. Lalli's writing is also strong, which is why I read the book to completion.

My advice to readers going into The Matchmaker's List is to go into it not expecting a contemporary romance, but more of a women's fiction read. I am sad that this didn't work for me, but I do hope that it works for other readers.

Perfect for fans of Bridget Jones’ Diary. She clearly shows the joys and challenges of being a first generation Indian in a tight-knit immigrant community where the pressure on the adult children to marry "right" is intense. A lovely romantic comedy about navigating the matchmaking world.

Raina has grown up with her Nana and Nani, strict Indian grandparents, but she has always done what they wanted. As she approaches thirty, Nani is trying to arrange a match, which leads to a series of dates which are both funny and touching at times. Although on the lighter side, the book is based on themes of acceptance and friendship between cultures and within the Indian culture itself. I recommend as a peek into the customs and conflicts between generations

Writing: 4/5 Plot: 3.5/5 Characters; 4/5

Women’s fiction pairing romcom humor with a smart, capable, protagonist. Complex themes with authentic resolutions. Multi-cultural and sexual diversity interest.

29 year-old Raina Anand is under constant pressure from her beloved Nani to get married. Her best friend is about the tie the knot and the close knit Indian community in her Toronto suburb is all geared up to help her follow suit. However, Raina is keeping a shameful secret — she is still in love with the man she left (in another country) 2 years ago. In order to protect this secret, she allows her Nani to believe she is gay — with broad and surprising consequences.

This is not your typical romcom. There are no firemen, no Fabios flexing muscles, and no ditzy but lovable blondes prepared to make some man very happy. The story continually veers off into unexpected territory and allows the main character to experience real emotional growth while trying to find her way in the world. Opening on Raina’s 29th birthday, the narrative carries through to her 30th, interspersed with reverse-order flashbacks to previous memorable birthdays. Her family is not typical (is anyone’s?). Half Indian, half caucasian, she was raised by her grandparents and only rarely saw her mother who bore her when only 16. But even this is not exactly as it seems — there is depth and nuance in this story.

There is a strong theme of sexual orientation diversity — portrayed in an interesting way because while our first person narrative protagonist is not gay herself, this “small” white lie highlights the clash of tradition and modernism simmering beneath the surface of her small, tight-knit, community.

Fun, witty, writing. Well structured with good messages about diversity, values, and the danger of letting shame drive you into making bad decisions.