What a lovely surprise this book was!! Immediately, I was immersed in this story and enjoyed the entire ride. You know the feeling you get when you start a book and think, “Oh, I’m going to love this??” It’s exactly what happened to me! This is told in dual timelines, which made me nervous. Fortunately, this one had me invested in both timelines, and I enjoyed them both! I have to admit, I did love Sara’s timeline a little bit more. Jewish match-making? Yes, let’s get into it!! I was so intrigued by it all when I was watching Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (great show)!

Speaking of Sara, she was such an amazing character. Sara’s timeline is in the past- 1910. She’s Abby’s grandmother and we get to learn about her path from a child. She’s got a gift to recognize soulmates and starts matchmaking. Her family is threatened by those that make matches for a living. She starts to do so in secret for years. We get to learn about those matches and her own life. It was such a beautiful story and I was quickly obsessed with Sara and her quick wit.

Many things in Sara’s past were heartbreaking. I was crying for a character I didn’t even know well. The writing in this book is just beautiful and captivating. It was really hard to put down. You keep turning the pages because you need to know what happens. You are rooting for Sara so hard from beginning to end.

Abby is the current timeline in 1994. She’s struggling after her grandmother has just passed away. We get to learn more about their bond with flashbacks of Abby’s past. She’s also had a tough life but she’s made a great life for herself, or so she thought. She starts to learn more about her grandmother’s past and starts to unravel her own life. Abby starts to realize that maybe the great life she’s living isn’t so great after all. She’s lonely and her boss is terrible. I loved her journey from the beginning to the end.

I loved seeing the flashbacks of Abby and Sara. They had such a beautiful relationship that will warm your heart. A grandmother dropping her life in Florida to come to be with her daughter and granddaughters, she’s a gem. I had a really close relationship with my grandpa, who also lived in Florida. It brought back a lot of sweet memories.

I did think some things tie up a little too pretty. It’s okay though because this is fiction and it’s what makes such an emotional story feel so good. There are heartbreaking and intense moments but this story left me with such a smile on my face. It was magical and light heartened in the end.

Overall, I loved this book! I highly recommend this book if you are looking for an immersive story that won’t let you go. I am still thinking about it today! I had such a hard time writing this review because I don’t know if I can correctly express myself. I’m saying this- read this book!! It’s beautiful, full of love and light!

Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an e-arc to review.

“There’s a lid for every pot.”

Jewish Historical fiction isn’t my go to when I read for fun. Far too many are holocaust based and with my family’s history it’s too painful. However when this book was available on NetGalley with Jewish representation and a spark of the divine or magic I was drawn in.

I LOVED this book. The people felt so real to me. I enjoyed the dual timelines showing me religious old world Jewish immigrants and present day Reform Judaism. The book does a great job breaking down the whys of certain jewish practices, I hadn’t known the why for a couple, it was just a comforting learned behavior. The characters were warm and given depth by allowing us to see their insecurities. I have so many notes saying oh, my Jewish camp friends will like this, wow this reminds me of the high holidays or my traditions growing up. Thank you to Lynda for giving me the comfort of a Jewish book that sparks joy. This book is out now so you could wrap yourself in its comfort by Rosh Hashanah. Thank you to St. Martins Press & NetGalley for the gifted copies. My review is an honest account of how I feel about the book.

The Matchmaker’s Gift was such a feel good read. Historical fiction with some magic. Don’t get me wrong, it had some tough themes (divorce, DV, misogyny), but the relationship between Abby and her grandma Sara is so special, and I really enjoyed the way the author shaped the dual narratives and brought them together. She clearly did a ton of research on matchmaking in the Jewish community of NYC in the early 1900s. She really creates a great sense of time and place and the challenges unique to that period. And my only nit to pick with this book is I don’t think the same care was paid with the 1994/Abby narrative, because a few errors made jumped out: Evelyn’s age is wrong, born in 1933 but is somehow 63 in 1994; Abby uses a MetroCard instead of a token on the subway in 1994, but MetroCards only started being introduced in 1994 and weren’t a system wide thing until 1997. I read an eARC so perhaps these were fixed in the final edit. Ultimately it didn’t detract from the overall experience of the book.

You are going to love this book. And believe in soulmates. It bounces back and forth between grandmother, Sara, and granddaughter, Abby. Both are matchmakers which is an inherited gift. Abby doesn't realize she has the gift until she is older, but once she does, the fun begins. Since Abby's timeline is set in the 90's, it's a refreshing change from our over-tech world. I hope you will enjoy this book as much as I did. I received an ARC from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which this is.

This one has a bit of everything I enjoy in a book. It is historical fiction meshed with magical realism, has dual timelines, and has strong female characters all beautifully interwoven and told flawlessly. It's a generational story filled with Jewish matchmaking, the quest for true love, and familial bond with characters that you'll grow attached to by the last page.

My only gripe with it is I didn't connect with the later timeline as quickly as I would have liked, but it thankfully got me eventually. Oh and those shadchanmin's can go kick rocks.

4.5/5⭐️

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. ARC provided by St Martin's Press.

1910: Sara Glikman found out she was a matchmaker when she was ten years old and found a match for her older sister. She soon learns that in New York City, the matchmakers are all older men, and they don’t want any competition from a young girl. In fact, they forbid her to practice matchmaking, so for years, Sara practiced in secret, matching couples and making love matches.

1994: Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful divorce attorney in New York City, and when her beloved grandmother dies, Abby inherits boxes of journals documenting all of Sara’s matchmaking. Abby finds more questions than answers in the boxes and now she must decide if she’s fated for more than helping others dissolve love matches.

This was truly a lovely story that connected two women, a grandmother and granddaughter. It is not only a relationship that is loving and sweet, but these two ladies share a special gift, that of being matchmakers. This is one of those dual timeline books where I enjoyed both timelines equally. I was fascinated with Sara, and how she used her matchmaking gift, but I was equally fascinated with Abby as she struggles to figure out what she really wants to do in life. I especially enjoyed learning about the Jewish matchmaking traditions in the early 20th century. I also learned a lot about Jewish customs, culture, and immigrant experience in New York City. The culture just seemed so real and gave me a glimpse into a world I have never been invited into before. At the end I just wanted more of this author, more books, more pages, and more of the characters in this book!
This was such an enjoyable story and I would recommend it to anyone.

The Matchmaker's Gift is a cup of hot chocolate by a crackling fire under a throw blanket kind of cozy. It may seem cheesy, but this book will melt the coldest of hearts and make you happy.

Sara is the kind of grandmother we all want. She's loving and attentive, wants to share her past with you, and when all else fails, she'll bake you some yummy treats! Amy is a bit of a hard nut to crack because she hated how her mother was treated when her father filed for divorce. But she knows what she wants and works hard to get it.

This is a dual timeline story, switching between Sara's narrative starting in 1910 and Abby's in 1994. But it is easy to know whose narrative you are getting as each chapter is labeled with a year (or year range in a few instances) and the narrator's name. I say narrator, but the story is told in the third person.

I will admit one thing here-I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book when I received my copy from NetGalley. Why? Because the cover gives off such fantastical vibes. And I have been in a weird place with my reading lately. But I am glad that I went for it and read this book. Why? Because it is a beautiful reminder of life and love!

Lynda Cohen Lodgman has created a wonderful story about the role of the Jewish matchmaker, a shadtanch, in two different time periods in New York. Sara and her family has recently arrived by boat from Europe. Her grandparents, parents, a sister and three brothers, share a one bedroom apartment in a tenement area of New York. One of my favorite parts of the book is the author’s descriptions of everyday life in her neighborhood. Sara has her first matchmaking experience happens as a ten-year-old, and the male matchmakers DO NOT like it. The second time period takes place in the 1990’s as Sara’s granddaughter Abby is a young lawyer who is practicing in a firm that specializes in divorces. She is also mourning the recent death of Sara. I appreciate the amount of research that Loigman did and the list of books and newspaper articles that she shared in the author notes. My thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

The matchmakers gift
📚𝓑𝓸𝓸𝓴 𝓡𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀📚
5/5 🌟

This novel have my undivided attention from page one - it brings together two themes I am endlessly curious about: the Jewish immigrant experience and matchmaking (anyone else obsessed with 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑰𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒂𝒏 𝑴𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒓???)

A dual timeline follows gifted matchmaker Sara from her immigration to New York City at age 10 and throughout her life, and her granddaughter, Abby, a family law attorney in1994. The two had a close and loving relationship, but Abby only learns about Sara’s particular “gift” - and the troubles and triumphs it brought - after Sara’s death.

Likeable, well-developed characters inhabit this novel of two women who find their purpose in helping others find their 𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒕, using their gift of being able to see “soulmate connections.”
I was quickly immersed in the finely-weaved storyline without any plot holes, the all-around sweet nature of the story, and the peek into New York City in the early 20th century.

There aren’t a lot of books out there that are purely happy, but this one manages it, complete with a couple of nice twists and truly interesting historical events folded in. The charming cover is sprinkled with symbols that adorably make sense after reading - it was fun to go back and recognize what all of them represent!

I hope you’ll add this wonderful book to your list.

I adored @lyndacohenloigman ‘s 2016 novel 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑻𝒘𝒐-𝑭𝒂𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒚 𝑯𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆, so was thrilled and grateful to obtain an advance reader’s copy from @netgalley and @stmartinspress.

#biblliophile #bookreviews #bookstagrammer #thematchmakersgift#lyndacohenloigman
#netgalley#stmartinspress#whatshouldireadnext #greatread#historicalfiction#jewishimmigration

Abby’s grandmother, Sara would regale her with stories of her matchmaking days of her youth. Abby was quite the skeptic and didn’t quite believe her grandmother’s tales. After Sara dies and Abby inherits her journals, including details off her matches and wedding announcements cut from local papers, she starts to believe and sets out to make some ghost matches of her own.

The Matchmaker’s Gift is a magical, uplifting and inspiring historical fiction novel told in dual timelines, starting in the 1910’s and 1994. It wasn’t completely what I expected from the title, but it hooked me after just a few chapters. I highly recommend this heartwarming, happy book. It’s a must-read in my opinion!

The Matchmaker's Gift
by: Lynda Cohen Loigman
St. Martin's Press
release date: 9/20/22

Love is abundant in New York in The Matchmaker's Gift, in both the past and present. If the process of meeting and matching with one's soulmate was helped along by Sara in the early 1900's and then her granddaughter Abby in the nineties, I think that's magically romantic. The power of family ties and Abby's inheritance of her grandmother's journals blended in Loigman's lovely story of two generations of matchmaking.

Layered with aspects of Jewish culture, thoughts about what really matters in our life calling, and the beauty of finding true love, this book is so gratifying. For anyone who believes in the power of love and family tradition, I recommend letting this gorgeous book warmly sweep you away.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#TheMatchmakersGift #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #LyndaChoenLoigman

First off- mama said not to judge a book by its cover- but I definitely did and this cover is absolutely beautiful! The story definitely followed that theme! We have a dual POV/timeline book where we follow two women who have the gift of matchmaking which is a Jewish tradition. This was a part of this religion that I had never heard about before, and it was incredibly interesting to read about. This definitely a cute feel good book and would be a great fit for anyone who wants to learn more about Jewish culture, and just loves LOVE.

Abby's grandmother, Sara arrived in New York as a teenager in the 1920s and discovered her gift for matchmaking. Years later, her grandaughter, Abby, as a divorce lawyer, seems to be in the opposite occupation, but she soon finds out she has more in common with her grandmother than she thought. This is a really beautiful story about love and family. The relationship between Abby and her grandmother is really touching. In fact, there are many touching relationships in this book. If you like a good romance, you will really love this book which is full of sweet romances. If you haven't found your special someone yet, reading this book will give you hope that there is indeed a true soulmate for everyone.

I’m new to the author and this is a treat. Told in duel timelines, Sara Glikman comes as an immigrant in 1910. At a young age of 13 she makes her first match for her sister. She has the gift to see soul mates. I was surprised to learn that matchmaking was a mans business (unlike in the movies). And her matches are not welcome nor is her competition. Abby is Sara’s granddaughter. Her story is set in the 1990s. She is a successful divorce attorney at a firm specializing in wealthy clients. After the passing of her grandmother she gets journals which includes matches. The journals help her see sparks of potential matches. Her gift causes her to meddle in cases for her current clients.

This is a heartwarming novel. Sara is fighting for a place in a new community. And Abby is learning to trust a new gift with an extra connection to her beloved grandmother. The stories eventually overlap in a delightful way. I was drawn a little more to Abby’s story only because I like lawyer books. Alternating between time periods the pacing is good as are the characters. I love the bits of Jewish wisdom too. This is also a clean book which makes it easy to recommend to my bookclub and others. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. (4.5 stars)

In 1910, Sara Glikman is on an ocean liner headed to the US when she realizes that she has the ability to see if people are soulmates.

Several decades later, her granddaughter is trying to emotionally recover from Sara’s death, and realizing that there was more to her grandmother than she realized.

I really enjoyed this! It had great historical details and interesting characters. Definitely add this one to your list.

My very favorite stories are those with multiple genres beautifully blended together, and presented with a pretty little bow. That’s exactly what you get with the author’s latest, The Matchmaker’s Gift. (Seriously, though. Check out that stunning cover!) It’s not very often that I’d describe a historical fiction novel as heartwarming, but that’s the first word that comes to mind when I think back on this story. Add a touch of magical realism with some romance to the mix, and you’ve got yourself a well-written tale about two women with a special gift for matchmaking!

A few things I loved:
- Dual timelines/perspectives
- Grandmother/granddaughter bond
- New York City setting
- Great representation of Jewish culture and traditions
- Themes of family, true love, and human connection

There’s honestly something for every reader in The Matchmaker’s Gift! Grab a copy of this unique and compelling story today!

Abby is a divorce attorney and she is very close with her grandmother, Sara. When her grandmother passes away, she leaves Abby her journals about her life as a matchmaker. Abby soon realizes she has not reached her full potential and maybe being an attorney is not what she is supposed to be.

This is a story told in two different timelines. It follows Sara in the early 1900s and her granddaughter, Abby, in present day. This has happened to me on the past couple of dual timelines books I have read, I love the present day more. This is unusual and I may have to explore why later. But, I digress.

This story has a bit of everything, Jewish history, romance and a bit of drama! I enjoyed every minute. I loved the characters! Sara is calm cool and collected and very intelligent. Abby is smart and has more empathy than a divorce attorney should have!

Need a fabulous story which will take you away and keep you there…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I was very lucky to receive an early, gifted copy of this wonderful book. Told in dual POVs between Sara's timeline and Abby's, I found The Matchmaker's Gift to be a heartwarming and thought provoking book about love and family. It has a touch of magic to it and any book where there is a Pickle King is awesome. I am really enjoying the increase in Jewish rep in books these days. This one had some really interesting information on the business of matchmaking! I found Abby to be realistic and had no problems with the back and forth in time. I loved the parallel storytelling and overall I found this book to be quite special. I always wish my grandmother was still alive but I wish I could have talked to her about this Jewish representation in this one and gotten her perspective on things. She grew up in a Jewish community in the Bronx and I think she would have enjoyed this book just as much as me.

The Matchmaker's Gift is out today! If you like historical fiction, a dual timeline, strong female characters and a tad bit of magic, then definitely check this one out.

"The heart is big enough to hold both grief and love"

"I see what I see, and I know what I know."

I loved this book and was so drawn into the story of matchmaking. Jewish matchmaking. I was very close with both my grandmothers, so the grandmother/granddaughter connection really hooked me. A historical fiction written in dual time lines with a little magical realism.
Two generations of matchmaking.
A totally captivating, heartwarming story that I just could not put down.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me a copy of Lynda Cohen Loigman newest novel, The Matchmaker’s Gift. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

This is my third book by writer Cohen Loigman and easily my favorite!! It’s wonderful to see the evolution of her storytelling skills. This book was perfection and the audio narration was outstanding.
A reader’s delight!
Told in dual timelines meet Sara & Abby; grandmother & granddaughter. Sara has #TheMatchmakersGift the ability to recognize people’s soulmate. And Abby, scarred from her parent’s divorce doesn’t believe in true love, in fact she’s a divorce lawyer. But when Sara bestows Abby her beloved notebooks will Abby realize there might be something to #TheMatchmakersGift ?!!!
Everything I love was found in this historical fiction. Strong characters, evocative setting, charming romance, page turning plot and a believable storyline. I was truly smitten.

I highly recommend this book in both print and audio format. Available today - September 20, 2022. Pick up your copy, my reader’s intuition lets me know you won’t be disappointed.