Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Berkley for gifting me a digital ARC of the new book by Roselle Lim - 4.5 stars!

Sophie Go is a matchmaker - she sees those red threads between potential perfect matches. She went to Singapore to matchmaking school and has come back to Toronto to start her business. But she never really got her certification - something she is trying to keep secret until she can get recertified. She finally moves out of her parents' home and meets a group of seniors in her apartments, affectionately known as the Old Ducks. They become her first clients.

This is a wonderful mix of magical realism, romance and a heartfelt story - I loved it! The thought of those thick, tangled glowing red threads between a perfect pair is a wonderful image. Sophie's confidence and backbone have been tested throughout her life by a mean and domineering mother and she struggles to get move forward. This book showcases the power of a wonderful, honest friend as well as those new friends that become like family. I loved the nicknames of the Old Ducks and how their different personalities really came through but in a true way, not demeaning or stereotypical. Just a great read!

I loved this heartwarming, feel-good coming of age story featuring a young Chinese Canadian woman who returns home to Toronto to help establish herself as a matchmaker.

I loved the touch of magical realism in this story that has Sophie gifted to see people's 'red strings' - the thing that indicates someone's potential for love matches. Sophie gets taken in by a group of seniors she calls the old 'ducks' and sets about making matches to win them over and get endorsements. She also has to deal with a toxic mother who belittles her work and is constantly putting her down.

Truly a pleasure to read, this was a magical story in so many ways, full of found family, memorable characters and perfect for fans of books like Jean Meltzer's Mr. Perfect on paper. Much thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

5/5 ✨ Many thanks to the publisher for inviting me to review Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club! Happy Publication Day to the book as well. I am so excited to see what others think about this wonderful and unique novel!

Magical realism + a wholesome plot is honestly one of the best combinations in books! The entire storyline of SGLHC felt like something out of a booklover's dream - the characters, the unique approach to a well-used plot device (matchmaking), the description of different foods, etc made the book stand out!

I enjoy books about friendships between an older generation of people and Millennials/ Gen-Z, and I felt the same way about SGLHC! The friendship that Sophie formed with the Old Ducks ~ her matchmaking clients was my favourite part of the book! I highlighted so many of their interactions with each other - there was so much to learn and reflect! I cannot stop thinking about the characters tbh. Speaking of friendship, Sophie's relationship with Yanmei, her best friend won my heart too. Their friendship was so lovable and healthy - LOVE TO SEE THAT.

Romance wasn't the main plot of the book, but it was still written beautifully! I loved how everything player out. The portrayal of toxic family relationships - the one Sophie shared with her mother in this book, was well-written too. I cheered for Sophie all throughout her journey towards growth and self-realization. The ending won my heart! ❤️😭 The elements of magical realism surrounding Matchmaking was so fascinating as well.

I am so glad that I got the chance to read this beautiful book early. Everyone, do me a favor and order this beautiful book already!

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is my new favorite of Roselle Lim’s books so far. This early, I’m declaring it as one of my Top 22 Reads of 2022.

Weaving filial piety, magical realism, found family, friendship, the Beatles, food, and romance into a cohesive story requires mad skills and loads of talent. Ms. Lim has those in abundance.

Sophie Go is relatable, sympathetic, and lovable. Her interactions with her parents made my heart ache and helped me appreciate my own more, especially my mother who is as loud in declaring how proud she is of me as Irene Go is in denouncing her daughter.

Sophie’s long-distance friendship with Singapore resident Yanmei resonated loudly with me as I have similar tight friendships in the same country, Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The kind of brutally honest, steadfast support they have is something to aspire for.

The slow build-up of her romance with a certain Mr. who hired her to matchmake for him was sweet and almost satisfied my romantic requirements in a story. I say almost because I always want more. Can never have enough romance.

Finally, the most entertaining, the most heartfelt, and the best part of this book-–Sophie’s connection with the Old Ducks, the seven septuagenarians who became her matchmaking clients, her friends, and her family. Ms. Lim gave each man such wonderfully distinct personalities, they really came alive in my mind. I think someone should adapt this book into a movie just to showcase these amazing characters.

2.5 stars! I really wanted to like this one so much! I almost DNF'd it in the middle but pressed on because I have a hard time DNF'ing books.

A book of matchmaking, helping sweet septuagenarians's find love, and self-discovery of not only herself but finding confidence in her abilities and worth. This book is marketed for romance, but is primarily woman's fiction with romance elements to me.

The concept was great, I think I just did not vibe with the execution. Objectively I think there is a lot in this book that people will enjoy. I loved learning about red thread which I have read in a few other books and think it's so cool! There were so many sweet moments between Sophie and her Old Ducks that gave the book some charm.

I think ultimately there were a lot of storylines happening, as well as some severely unlikeable characters which just made me not look forward to continuing reading the book. Sophie's mother made me so mad throughout the book which made the experience unenjoyable. Unfortunately, this was one that fell short and flat for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Berkley for access to this arc.

There are two sides to this book: the fun and happy part of Sophie with her Old Ducks and the awful part that encompasses Sophie’s relationship with her mother and father. Let me just repeat (and I don’t use this word lightly) that mom is a toxic bitch. She’s hateful, demanding of, demeaning to, and humiliates Sophie while also bossing around her husband. She’s social climbing, grasping, greedy, and a general suck-up to people with whom she wants to get in good. Sophie’s dad goes along with her and her actions rather than making any fuss. Theirs is a sick relationship. Mom is also venal in that she expects Sophie to pony up money to support her mom’s lifestyle all while repeating how dutiful a Chinese daughter Sophie should be. Sophie remembers how her mother was belittled by her own mother for not having the social status and lifestyle of her more successful younger sister but no, there really is no excuse for Sophie’s mom and her dad is more pathetic than anything else.

Now on to the good stuff. Though I wasn’t expecting the magical realism of the “red threads” and despite the fact that they’re mentioned fairly often, they didn’t bother me much. Sophie can see them but she relies more on her skills to make matches and just watches the threads to see if her matches are good ones. And she does have mad skillz. Plus honesty and care for her clients. I loved this as Sophie never does wild or weird matchmaking but puts time and effort into finding potential matches she thinks would work.

I was afraid that the seven older men would be portrayed as jokes for a desperate Sophie to use to attain her goals and little else. Instead the men are all fully fleshed characters and, better still, easy to remember and keep apart. Sophie designates them by a secret code name (something that all matchmakers do to be sure to maintain client privacy) but we meet each one and along with Sophie get to know him. TBH, most of her matches are made fairly easily but the delight in watching them is how Sophie picks up on clues, pushes for her clients to be honest with her and themselves about what they really want, and the follow up care that she gives each one.

I also enjoyed her relationship with her fellow matching making school friend who didn’t hold back on telling Sophie some home truths. The resolution of her relationship with her family took most of the book and a lot of support from her friends but she was the one who finally spoke up for herself. It was more an emotional snap for Sophie that I hope she follows up with some therapy to help her. I think that there would have been enough emotional depth in just watching the Old Ducks deal with their issues without the addition of the ghastly parents. Also though there is a romantic relationship for her – it’s small and a lesser part of the plot. I liked most of the book but, yeah, not the parents. B-

Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club
by Roselle Lim
Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley
Pub Date: Aug 16

Sophie, the diffident but lovable MC, is a matchmaker without credentials trying to succeed in the tough Toronto market. Her mother is emotionally abusive and it's no wonder Sophie lacks confidence.

But all that is soon to change when she discovers a secret group -- the Old Ducks -- in her condo community. They're seventy-something men looking for love and the relationship she develops with them is my favorite part of the book. Poignant, hopeful, utterly compelling, and highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, Berkley Publishing Group, Berkley, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.

#SophieGosLonelyHeartsClub #Roselle Lim #berkleypublishinggroup #NetGalley #matchmakerfiction #HEAfiction #bookstagramcommunity

From the first pages, Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is an engrossing and charming novel. The titular character has made a big career change, and she’s full of ambition and enthusiasm as she begins her dream job as a matchmaker. There’s also a hint of magic: Sophie can see red threads spreading from people’s hearts. If they’re in a relationship, their thread ties with that of their partner. If they’re single and looking for love, their thread floats listlessly, sometimes perking up around potential matches. Sophie’s job is to help her clients find the best possible match, whether it’s their forever partner or just a short and sweet fling.

Despite her excitement to start helping clients, Sophie has some self-doubt and financial constraints – both of which largely stem from her parents. I’ll talk more about that in a moment, but suffice it to say, it’s all Sophie can do to keep her eyes on her matchmaking prize.

Luckily, she does indeed go after clients, ending up taking on a group of seven septuagenarians. Calling themselves the Old Ducks, these 70-something men may be higher up in years, but they still crave love. Some are widowers, others never found The One. Sophie will do all she can to help each of them. Sophie’s friendship with the elderly bachelors is perhaps my favorite aspect of the novel. It’s not often that I get to read about older characters, and especially rare to see friendships form between people separated by so many decades. But just as Sophie helps these kind bachelors find love, they help her grow more confident in herself.

Sophie also has a wonderful friend who’s living in Singapore. Though it’s a long-distance friendship now, Yanmei always stands by Sophie’s side and pushes her in the right direction… sometimes too forcefully, but it comes from a good place!

One fun quirk is that each of Sophie’s male clients is known only by a nickname she gives them. Among the Old Ducks, for example, there is Mr. Sorrow, a widower who hasn’t yet moved on, and Mr. Porcupine, a prickly and distrustful man who doesn’t like her right away. Readers never do learn their real names! (Except for one, but you’ll have to read to find out who and what it is.)

While Sophie’s matching up her clients, she has no time for dating of her own. Does she even want it? She eventually does get a bit of her own romance, but it’s a secondary subplot here. Even so, I quite enjoyed the gentle relationship that eventually blossomed for her.

The biggest conflict in Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club really is Sophie’s toxic relationship with her parents. Her mother is unaffectionate and critical at best, but often turns downright mean and emotionally abusive. Sophie’s dad, though seemingly loving, always chooses his wife over his daughter. Both parents make constant financial demands – often for things that cost thousands of dollars – leaving Sophie barely able to afford rent and her meager diet of ramen. Her parents aren’t just people that can’t get along with their only daughter; they’re full-on villains. Sophie’s mom may be the most evil character I’ve read, at least within this genre. I hated her, and I hated how small she made Sophie feel. It was often hard for me to understand why Sophie constantly gave into them and allowed their abuse to continue, though I do recognize that filial piety is an important aspect in Chinese culture. These attacks from Sophie’s parents got to be a bit much for me, lowering my rating, even though I loved the rest of the book.

Some final, cute details: Fans of the Beatles and various types of candy will likely have fun making note of the various songs and candy brands that are mentioned throughout the novel. And if you love baked goods (as I do), your mouth will be watering thanks to Mr. Regret’s frequent culinary experiments. Yum!

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is a fun yet tender novel that balances magic, love for all ages, and family drama. Sophie is a conflicted yet relatable character, and I loved seeing her find friendship, love, and career success. This is a sweet novel… in more ways than one!

Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club has a bit of magical realism, which just added to the beautiful story. This book was just magical, and I cannot recommend it enough!

Review: I really enjoyed this book! Sophie was a delightful main character. The supporting characters were all great. The writing was lovely. I loved the epilogue! Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who thinks it sounds good! :)

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

Matchmaking is a nice interest of mine in literature. I could never be a matchmaker, but I love this premise and Lim infuses it with magic. All of Roselle Lim's books have this cozy magical feeling to it and Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club is no exception. Besides the mouth watering food descriptions - that's another Lim trademark! Immediately, Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club is a book that focuses on Sophie fighting for her own future, but also navigating her complex family. The pressure of their disapproval with her necessity to fight for herself.

And this made my heart weep for Sophie. Because she is determined, resilient, and passionate even as she struggles to fight for her dreams. Asserting our sense of self and responsibility with our own parents is a theme I would love to see explored more in fiction. And Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club fits the bill. This struggle grounds this fiction with plenty of romance and matchmaking on Sophie's character. On how matchmakers have to find the pieces of ourselves we hide and find others who can speak to us.

This book is seriously adorable and at times very touching. Sophie becomes an outcast after it was found out that she didn’t actually graduate from matchmaking school.
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She needs some clients and somehow finds them in a secret club called the Old Ducks. The Old Ducks are made up of seven septuagenarian bachelors who have never been married. This will be her hardest challenge yet.
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Huge thank you @berkleypub @and @netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Sophie Go moves out of her demanding and demeaning parents' home, determined to make it on her own as a matchmaker in Toronto, even though she is not accredited by the matchmaking school. Her skills are challenged by the Old Ducks, a group of lonely 70-year-old Chinese Canadian men, who hire her to find them suitable wives or partners.

Sophie is a very sympathetic individual as she struggles to help support her parents as well as herself, while trying to show she can do the job she has always dreamed of. She becomes close to the Old Ducks, the septuagenarians who are her clients, mostly likeable characters, each personality having his own foibles, quirks, and skill sets.

The character delineations as well as the clever plot make this novel. Sophie becomes close to the Old Ducks while trying to find them love partners, and you wonder if she will also find her own match along the way.

Magical realism makes this rom com unique. Sophie can see the "red threads" of people's hearts that flare to indicate their interest or willingness to meet a special someone. The matchmaking society or association to which she belongs is a group of people with special magical insights and skills.

This is another absolutely charming and delicious book by Roselle Lim. With the light magical touch ever present but never overwhelming, this story is perfect for no-steam romance readers and contemporary fiction readers alike. Reading about the way Sophie's parents treat her like an ATM and their lack of support for her (and her mother's active acts of sabotage) is difficult and definitely provides plenty of tension for this book as she finds a group of found family members and grows in her confidence as a matchmaker.

A moving story about finding your true family and learning to believe in yourself. Despite being very readable, it took until almost the halfway point for the book to really pull me in, and there were a few elements that didn't quite click for me, personally. The plot thread about the heroine's relationship with her abusive parents was well done but hard to read and much darker than anything I expected going into this book. On the other hand, I fell head over heels for the Old Ducks and for the heroine's amazing bestie Yanmei — we should all have people like them in our corner. Still, I can only recommend this with reservations, for the reasons stated above and because the final act falls into a common trap for books with elderly characters, which I won't spoil but that you can probably guess.

My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Read if you like
❤️Romances
❤️Magic Realism
❤️Matchmaking

This one really looked at self-growth a lot and was filled with such wonderful messaging where it really leans more toward women’s fiction than a romance for most of the book.

I also loved that through that, the messaging to love yourself and that being such a foundation for other areas of life was explored.

The use of supporting characters was so well done in this one as well! I highly recommend other check this out as it was beautifully written!

A delightfully whimsical romance, full of mouth watering confections, and single septuagenarians.

Sophie Go returns to Toronto after attending a prestigious matchmaking school in Shanghai, she is excited to move into her own place and acquire a list of clients. But when it is revealed that her credentials are lacking, she finds herself scrambling for clients to keep her dream alive, offering her services to a group of seven single men in their seventies.

A romantic comedy about a young woman finding her way, and making new friends, with elements of magical realism. A quick and light-hearted read, fun, with great cultural flavor. I loved how Sophie not only brought people together with her job, but also how they became her friends.

I found her parents to be horrifically manipulative and abusive to her, physically, financially, verbally, and emotionally. And I think that it played into the honor and shame culture, but her parents were just so jarringly terrible and outrageous that it took away from the book as a whole.

Overall, a fun, quick read about finding love and finding yourself, in a magical Toronto setting filled with delicious sweets, and steadfast friends.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

*clean whimsical romance with moderate swearing, strong Asian representation and culture, as well as a m-m storyline

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
Roselle Lim has become one of those authors who I don’t know why I keep wanting to try again. I received a NetGalley widget for Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club, so I figured I would give her another go, even if the last two weren’t entirely for me.
The magical elements are more subdued this time around; present, but less obvious. I do like the idea of magically enhanced cognitive abilities to sense compatibility, and how that aids in matchmaking. And I’ve always liked matchmaking stories, so it’s a lot of fun to have a bit of a twist on that.
And speaking of which, I also like the concept of matchmaking for older people. The senior men Sophie interacts with all have such quirky, distinct personalities and a fun nickname to match.
And while the story is silly for the most part, I appreciate the way there are elements of seriousness woven in with regards to Sophie’s complex relationship with her parents, and how that contrasts the much happier bonds she has been able to choose for herself.
And the food…it’s a staple of Lim’s books, and this one is no different. Definitely be prepared for a Chinese food craving when picking up this book!
But despite superficially getting on better with this book than her previous ones, I still feel like there’s something that I can’t put my finger on that leaves me a bit cold. The style of writing? The pacing? There were definitely times where I wondered if it was only me who felt like the book would never end, even if I wasn’t having that bad of a time reading it. Maybe it was just too long for the gimmick to remain interesting for me.
After three attempts, I think I can definitively say Roselle Lim is not the author for me. Magical realism isn’t my thing, although I get the appeal for others.

Love Will Find A Way: Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club

Sophie Go is a matchmaker. She’s able to see the red threads of fate that connect people and is ready to take on new clients and shake off her abusive mother’s venomous grip on her every move. However, when her community finds out that Sophie never graduated from the matchmaking school, courtesy of said mother, and is not accredited by the Matchmaking Guild, her dreams are shattered. Until, she meets the Old Ducks, a group of seven Chinese septuagenarian bachelors. Desperate for clients to prove her worth, Sophie convinces the jaded group of men to take another chance at love and learns more about loneliness, friendship, love and herself as she takes on the hardest challenge of her career.

What I Liked:

Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is a sweet and heartwarming book about the hardships of love, relationships and all that comes with it like grief, loneliness and self-doubt. It’s also about childhood trauma and overcoming adversity. Peppered with rich details about Chinese culture, it’s quite a love letter to growing up Chinese. Rather than a romance, Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is women’s fiction with a hint of romance.

The star of Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is not our narrator herself but rather, the men of the Old Ducks club that she helps. There are seven of them: Mr. Porcupine, Mr. Regret, Mr. Durian, Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Moon, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Sorrow. Each of them have their own unique quirks, distinct personalities and voices which shines a light on how talented Lim is as a writer to be able to distinguish between seven different characters and make each one compelling. I wish we were able to spend just a bit more time with each of them as Sophie sheds a lot of the prejudices and presumptions she had about these elderly bachelors as the story progresses. It was so warm to also see Sophie and the Old Ducks slowly becoming a found family as she begins to accept them as friends rather than just clients; the Ducks even call her their Duckling.

I also really loved how Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club, through Sophie’s eyes and prejudices, shed a light on a growing older population who are sidelined and forgotten despite these being their golden years. The Try Guys did an incredible series highlighting just how the world is created for youth and older people live their lives at a disadvantage due to the natural ageing process of our bodies. Sophie also discovers that her matchmaking skills are utilised to help the older crowd find love and joy.

One of my favourite parts is how Sophie learns to love herself and find herself worthy of love. Part of being a matchmaker means you can’t see your own threads, ensuring that your clients come first and you are not clouded by your own feelings. Probably. The world building surrounding matchmaking is quite dubious and I’ll go over that in the next section. With parents who only demand the most of her and verbally abuse her, Sophie’s natural defence mechanism is to not feel worthy of love. But as she helps the Old Ducks and meets an unlikely suitor through her career, Sophie begins to realise that she does deserve to be loved, she does deserve to feel cherished and wanted. I thought that was so poignant, especially for Asian children as we grow up with this expectation of selfless filial piety and our parents often shame us for not being enough and not giving back as much as we have given them. It was triumphant to have Sophie break those bonds and grow into her own person.

What I Disliked:

While Sophie is not the most interesting character, her lacklustre personality isn’t helped by the fact that the circumstances and predicaments she finds herself in are quite absurd. For one, her verbally abusive parents have a cartoon villain quality. Her mother’s abusiveness and her father’s submissiveness are cartoonishly excessive, often making absurd monetary demands of Sophie and living a life of luxury they cannot afford. Sophie’s mother often dresses her down publicly and shames and humiliates her wherever Sophie goes; her mother has no other motivation except for spite. While I can attest that most Asian parents are fond of bringing up our duties of filial piety and they love to dress us down whenever possible, Asians are also very much about “saving face”. This means to protect their reputation and no Asian wants to lose face in public. Asians are also extremely frugal and would not be living beyond their means; it’s not the Asian way.

Furthermore, Sophie’s financial crisis also seems very ridiculous because the numbers don’t add up. She does possess some meagre savings to support herself and lack of funds is demonstrated by her frequent consumption of candy as sustenance and the occasional cup of ramen. Yet, she is living in a rather nice building where the rent is more than three thousand dollars. The math is not adding up. And this may be a spoiler to some but there is a horrendous third act plot that made no sense in the grand scheme of things and took away from what was already a stellar narrative.

However, the worst offence Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club could make is in its worldbuilding. Matchmaking is infused with light magical realism; after all, Sophie can see red threads coming out of people’s chests. But the workings of matchmaking within the introduced world is very complex and unfortunately, was poorly executed. Firstly, it’s not explained how Sophie develops these powers; she’s just born with them. But, she can also lose them if the Matchmakers Guild doesn’t grant her the accreditation to practice legally. And a bit of spoiler here but Sophie does end up losing her abilities temporarily. So, which is it? Is she born with her powers or are they granted by the guild because they seem to have the power to take them away. If it’s the former, what gives the Guild the rights to deny someone powers they were born with?

Secondly, Sophie seems to make matches based on observation and her instinct. She emphasises a lot that matchmakers have their own unique ways of getting the job done; hers is through intuition. To be honest, it seems like an easy cop out of delving further into worldbuilding. Sophie does meet with potential matches and speaks with them to see if they’d be a good match for her clients but a lot of her matchmaking goes off of intuition. Then, there is no clear beginning or end to the contract between matchmaker and client. When does business stop? Is it when you agree to a first match? Sophie can see the clients threads intertwine and spark up when a match has been found and that’s how she determines the conclusion of the service. But, what about for the client? Does it end in dating, marriage? What if a few months later, the match doesn’t work out? After all, Sophie preaches that there isn’t one true love match because love is infinite. Do they get a refund? Are they able to continue the service? Do they have to pay another hefty sum? It’s not clear and it should be because Sophie charges an exorbitant rate.

I also did not like how Sophie referred to her clients, the Old Ducks, by a nickname. She explains that she uses them for privacy reasons and I like that it translates over even to the readers’ perspective. However, for me, it felt completely disrespectful when you consider Chinese culture whereby we refer to our elders with respect. I didn’t feel that Sophie’s nicknames such as Mr. Durian, Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Regret etc. were very respectful when you consider that Sophie has such revulsion towards durian the fruit. Sophie and even the Old Ducks consistently mock Mr Durian and durian throughout the book. Sophie did have a change of mind about durian once she tried it but the damage is done. Not to mention, Mr. Durian is from Malaysia, runs a fish sauce empire and is a gay man shunned by his family. Is this a book celebrating Asian culture or playing into the whims and fancy of Asian stereotypes? Cli-fucking-ches.

Did I Enjoy It?: Conclusion

To sum it all up, I did struggle quite a bit reading Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club and often found myself wondering if I should give it up, especially at the beginning. But I’m glad I did persevere and push through. It’s definitely a bit of a slow going book and it takes some time to build up. At the heart of it all, despite my misgivings and my frustration with some parts of the book, it was a nice outcome and a light read.

I enjoyed this sweet tale with a touch of magical realism, and it will be a delightful read for those looking for an uplifting read with plenty of friendship and romance.