"When you weep, the one you are meant for tastes the salt of your tears." - Sara Glikman, The Matchmaker's Gift
This is a beautifully written and enthralling story of love, loss, friendship, and finding your soulmate. Sara Glikman is a matchmaker, but not just any matchmaker. She makes her first match at 10 years old in 1910. As she grows up and her gift develops, she finds that her calling to make love matches leads her down the challenging road as an unwed female matchmaker, something wholly unheard of during the time and in her Jewish culture. Told in alternating timelines, we also get to know Abby, Sara's granddaughter working as a divorce lawyer. Struggling with the loss of her grandmother in 1994, Abby questions whether she has inherited Sara's gift. I absolutely loved everything about this story, and the close relationship between Abby and her grandmother brings such depth to both characters. This story is engaging and heartfelt, and you simply cannot read it without walking away with a smile. One of those stories that will stay with you long after you finish reading. Thank you so much to Lynda Cohen Loigman, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this arc.

I really enjoyed this book overall, I’m usually a fan of multiple timelines OR dual POV so I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about BOTH. But it flowed nicely and I found each (all of the above) to be equally interesting and attention-keeping.

I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoyed The Lost Apothecary because, although the subject matter was different, the overall tone and format reminded me of that book!

Loved this. The author’s focus on women’s agency (versus just a romantic storyline) was an unexpected and pleasant surprise given the title. And the grandmother reminded me of my own!

really warm and loving, i'm actually so surprised and pleased. i never got the chance to be close with my own grandmothers but there's probably no better feeling

This was such a unique story! I loved the back and forth between generations and the parallels between gramma and granddaughter; their stories were endearing and enjoyable.

There were times where jumping from so many love stories lost me and I had a hard time getting back into the story and its overall pace. It had a slow start as well, but I really liked how the stories intertwined. 3.5 stars for me!

A beautiful story told through dual timelines of a grandmother and her granddaughter, and their ability to "see" when two people are meant to be together. I loved both characters, and the historical settings are richly detailed and evocative. Terrific storytelling!

By no means is this a groundbreaking, earth shattering or cornerstone novel but I've been able to give it out with alot of success. A solid book club recommendation

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. The Matchmaker's Gift is available now!

I absolutely loved this story - what a unique take of a dual timeline where we meet a matchmaker from the past and how her journey is affecting someone in the present. I actually enjoyed both of these timelines equally, and I found this writing style very easy to read - before too long, I realized I was almost halfway done with the book, as I got immersed in the characters. Definitely recommend this one if you like a touch of interesting history with your plots and storylines - I personally thought this one felt like a nice hug.

Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC - The Matchmaker's Gift is out and available today!

This was a very heartfelt story about a young, divorce attorney discovering her matchmaking grandmothers journals after her death. In this dual storyline, you get to learn about Sara’s matchmaking skills in the early/mid 1900’s and in contrast, the story follows Abby in the later 1900’s figuring out life without her grandmother. As Abby is navigating her grief, she learns more about her grandmothers matchmaking skills through her journals and realizes, that she may possess the same gift as her grandmother. But how is a divorce attorney supposed to advocate for love instead of her clients?

This story was very touching and it was wonderful to see how even after her passing, Sara was about to help guide Abby to her true calling.

Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men—men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers, and to demand the recognition she deserves.

Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby’s grandmother leave this library to her and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages? Why does the work Abby once found so compelling suddenly feel inconsequential and flawed? Is Abby willing to sacrifice the career she’s worked so hard for in order to keep her grandmother’s mysterious promise to a stranger? And is there really such a thing as love at first sight?
Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men—men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers, and to demand the recognition she deserves.

Overall 4 stars
Writing Quality 8/10
Image / Illustration Quality 8/10
Character Development 8/10
"Couldn't Put It Down"-ness 8/10
Intellectual Depth 9/10
Originality 9/10

This was such a sweet story and so beautifully written. Thank you so much for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 stars

My favorite part of this story was the dual timeline between grandmother and granddaughter. I loved this story so much, and appreciated the risks the author took including some magical elements within the plot.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Fiddler's ". . .matchmaker, matchmaker make me a match! find me a find, catch me a catch. . ." stayed with me throughout this read, despite Sara's own chagrin about the character Yente. Hard to get around that high profile when it comes to matchmakers.

From the very start of this story, I was looking for the matches, and still was surprised at the ways Sara and Abby reconciled this mixed blessing in their lives. Sometimes the back and forth POV jumps in time don't work for me, but in this book it was smooth and added to the narrative flow. Connecting with the characters was easy, and I appreciated the author's note at the end. I had no idea that matchmaking had so many workers that a union was formed!

As for the end, totally satisfied. Would enjoy a sequel to this one!

A Sincere Thank You to Lynda Cohen Loigman, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review.

When I first read the premise of this book, I wasn’t sure if it would be my cup of tea. I was pleasantly surprised that I ended up absolutely loving this book!

I thoroughly enjoyed this multi-generational story of two matchmakers. Like many, I love the tradition of Jewish matchmakers and for good or bad think of the song from 'Fiddler on the Roof'. Sarah has to fight the men in her community for the ability to use her unconventional and possibly magical gift. I thoroughly enjoyed her spirit and her ability to use this gift to aid others.

The present day storyline centers around her granddaughter, Abby. While grieving the loss of her grandmother, Abby stumbles across some of her grandmother's old journals. As she learns more about her grandmother, she reconsiders her life direction, discovering that she just might have her own gift.

I love this story of two strong women and their pursuit to help others find happiness.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher through Netgalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Today I read a book that felt like it was a cross between a historical novel and a rom-com. It was a fun entertaining story that kept me entertained until the end.

The Matchmaker's Gift written by Lynda Cohen Loigman definitely fits the criteria for the historical fiction genre, but because you are reading about matchmaking and love it reads like a rom com.

Using the dual timeline approach to writing this novel, Loigman follows Sara Glikman as she comes from Europe to the Lower Eastside of the New York. Arriving with her family in New York City as a young girl, Sara has already shown her matchmaking abilities on the boat creating a shidduch for her older sister. As she grows up she finds creative ways to bring together the couples she knows will love each other and stayed married forever. This causes problems in the neighborhood as it takes away business from the Shadchanim. These older men try to stop her but Sara is a strong young woman and stands up to them.

In the alternating plot line we meet Sara's granddaughter, Abby, starts reading the journals her grandmother left her. Abby and her sister grew up with Sara and their mother, Beverly. They are the product of an ugly divorce and Abby becomes a divorce lawyer to help women going through divorce not have the same experience her mother had. Growing with her grandmother's stories, she never really paid attention. Now as she reads through the accounts of the matches, she begins to question whether instead of helping couples end their marriages, she should be helping couples find true love.

3.5⭐️

1910, Sara Glikman has been told that as a woman she could not be a matchmaker. Most matchmakers are older men who only care about the money made from matches and not whether the couple is actually in love. Sara saw something else though…when she found a match, she saw a light around the couple. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara decides that she’s tired of hiding and is ready to start matchmaking full time.

Abby, Sara’s granddaughter, has taken a bit of a different route through life and has become a divorce attorney. Fortunately, matchmaking is in her blood. She only needs to decide whether or not to embrace her grandmother’s belief in matchmaking.

This was a really sweet story. The characters and storyline were very interesting. I loved hearing about Sara and Abby through dual timelines.

I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion

Wow, wow, wow!
This book was absolutely magical…

The dual POV/timeline was the perfect way to tell Abby and Sara’s stories! Although they are living in very different times the underlying themes really build a strong connection between the two characters and the stories of their lives.

The writing was beautiful!! I can’t say enough great things about this book! A must read!

Wow! This isn’t my usual type of novel, but the stories of Sara and Abby are so well entwined that it was captivating. I will definitely be recommending to fellow book lovers! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.