This book goes back and forth between two perspectives: Sara (1910-1990) and her granddaughter, Abby (1994-1995). This was a heartwarming story about Sara and her controversial matchmaking gift and Abby realizing her similar gifts after her grandmother passed away. Abby finds her gift while reading Sara’s journals. I love this story, and I especially loved the relationship Abby had with her grandmother. I also liked how this is a love story but not about the main character finding love. I think it’s a refreshing take on love.

I was gifted an advanced reader copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley to read and review voluntarily and honestly.

This is a story told in 2 timelines. Sara lives in the early 1900s, and her grandaughter Abby is more current. Sara is not just any matchmaker -she can literally see the soul connection between people who are meant to be together. Ironically, her grandaughter is a divorce attorney.

Sara dies, and leaves her journals to Abby, who tries to figure out what they mean, and what her grandmothers past was like.

This was cute and charming and I really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I expected it to be.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3- only because there was no wow - no ooomph..

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

In The Matchmaker’s Gift, Lynda Cohen Loigman delivers a dual-timeline tale that combines humor and romance with a sprinkling of magic. Meticulously researched, the novel effortlessly moves back and forth in time—artfully capturing the male-dominated world of the Lower East Side in the early 1900s and the less restrictive 1990s—as two generations of women share and come to accept their gift of matchmaking. Filled with beautifully drawn characters, The Matchmaker’s Gift is charming and heartwarming; a feel-good read that has arrived at just the right time. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Matchmaker’s Gift, by Lynda Cohen Loigman, tells the story of a grandmother and granddaughter who share a special ability.

I’ve really enjoyed Lynda Cohen Loigman’s other novels, The Wartime Sisters and The Two-Family House. The Two-Family House is a warm, complicated, character-driven family story that hinges on a wild coincidence. I loved the book and recommend it, but readers really do have to just roll with one unrealistic event. Here in The Matchmaker’s Gift, there’s a magical realism element instead, with the character-driven family novel, which somehow makes it all easier to accept. Sara, and her granddaughter Abby, can both see a special golden light connecting true love.

There are two storylines in this novel. One is a historical story of Sara Glikman, a new immigrant to New York City with a supernatural gift for matchmaking. Sometimes these pairings are romance-novel perfection, like getting her sad sister to borrow a handkerchief from her future brother-in-law, and starting their long and happy marriage. But sometimes it’s comical, when she notices that the heirs of two rival deli are soulmates, or stressful, like discovering her boyfriend is very much meant for someone else. Sara’s storyline blends her supernatural power with the struggles of the family restarting their life in a new country.

Matchmaking is the usual way to meet a spouse in the Glikmans’ Jewish community, but unfortunately for Sara, the existing matchmakers aren’t too pleased with some else taking their job and their profits. I guess my picture of a Jewish matchmaker was the neighborhood yenta, with many single nieces and nephews to introduce to other single nephews and nieces from other good families, like some of the scenes in Last Summer at The Golden Hotel. Instead, these are old-school, old-country matchmakers, mostly men. This blend of Sara’s magical abilities, plus the customs and struggles of her Jewish New York life makes such a great story. There are so many historical meet-cutes, thanks to Sara.

The second storyline is about Sara’s granddaughter, Abby. It’s not quite modern-day, the Manhattan divorce lawyer storyline really feels like a half-remembered 80s movie. After her grandmother’s death, Abby begins to read her grandmother’s old journals and finds notes and comments about the couples Sara brought together. As she reads (and grieves for her grandmother, in realistic and moving scenes), Abby begins to notice the same kind of golden light, with similar unintended consequences in her own life. As a busy divorce lawyer, it’s particularly stressful to see clearly who really should be together.

I don’t always love dual timeline novels because they can be jumpy, but in this case, I felt like I was reading two very solid, compelling novels. They’re two wildly different stories, one about bringing the old-country customs to New York, and one eighties romcom, tied together by family.

There’s an exploration into the not-perfect matches in both timelines. I think most of us have a perfectly nice ex or two — someone who was a good person, but just not quite right. The novel explores a few different relationships between good people who genuinely like each other, but who just aren’t meant to be. I found this touching and realistic.

And this paragraph is a mild spoiler, because this part comes pretty far along in the story, but I don’t think it destroys any tension to share it. Later in life, Sara’s special observation also highlights women in unsafe marriages. Again, there’s a magical realism here with the practical realities of getting women to safety, and again, we see the connections of the community. This continues to add depth and complexity to our characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. It was an incredibly fast read for me because I just couldn’t wait to see what kind of true love and/or disasters their golden light would bring about next! And I also wanted to read slowly to have more time with Sara and Abby.

What a gem of a novel! Sara Glikman has an unusual gift. She can see soul mates. Starting with a match she made for her sister in 1910, she helps people in her Lower East Side neighborhood when she sees their match. While the men who are the matchmakers in her neighborhood protest, she presents some of her matches as coincidences, to avoid the wrath of the older male matchmakers. In 1994, we are introduced to Abby, Sara's lawyer granddaughter. After watching her mother struggle during her divorce, Abby decided to become a divorce lawyer to try to help people not suffer in the same way her mother had. However, Abby discovers, now that her grandmother has passed away, that she has inherited the gift from her grandmother. As Abby learns more about her grandmother's work over the year through her grandmother's journals, Abby learns that this gift is special and sometimes we cannot fight our destiny.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: Sept. 20, 2022

This novel is women's fiction written in the form of historical fiction. I suspected as much after reading the blurb. I’m not usually a fan of women’s fiction, but the Lower East Side of Manhattan is the setting of one of the protagonists in the story. My home was in that neighborhood decades ago, in a subsidized apartment not far from the district's gritty alleys and tenement-style apartments, which in the 1970s, were filled with the neighborhood's Jewish, Italian and Chinese heritage. I read the book out of nostalgia.

In this dual timeline novel, the author weaves together the tale of a child, Sara, in 1910 who is blessed with the gift of making marriage matches but only for those in true love. This gift remained with her until she passed away in her golden years. She explains to her granddaughter, Abby, that when she has found two soul mates, she simply knows, sees, and feels it. In this story, there is a lot of sweet-natured magical realism. Her granddaughter refuses to believe in such nonsense until she recognizes that she, too, possesses the ability.

Loigman brings feminism into the novel long before it was even a word. When Sara was in her twenties, devout older men who do not believe a matchmaker should be female take Sara to a religious court in an attempt to stop her matchmaking. Without giving spoilers, I will share the decision was not very believable. I loved reading about my old hangouts but this book while charming was too predictable for me to truly enjoy.

The Matchmaker's Gift is a beautiful story interweaving two generations with a delicate balance of cause and affect. Grandmother and granddaughter share a gift of matchmaking. Sara navigates the male dominant Jewish matchmakers of the early twentieth century while Abby struggles to understand the gift passed to her from her grandmother. This book is a reminder to learn from the past because some of the lessons can make our future so much easier.
I voluntarily received a copy of the book from Netgalley.

This book is something special and is utterly charming and magical. I especially loved the chapters from Sara's point of view in the 1910s and 1920s. She was such a breath of fresh air, she warmed my heart to no end and was way ahead of her time. The writing is captivating and Lynda Cohen Loigman is a consummate storyteller. This story was wondrously romantic and swept me away to another time and place. I loved the characters and appreciated learning about the Jewish culture and traditions. The two timelines flowed seamlessly together...the same, but different. As much as I loved Sara it made me laugh that her granddaughter, Abby was just like her as I take after my grandmother in so many ways. This novel is such a wonderful take on the custom of matchmaking, with a sprinkle of enchantment throughout. I would be remiss if I did not mention that fabulous cover and how it perfectly fits the wonderful story inside, it is gorgeous!

Judge this book by its cover - both are amazing! THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman was a stand out read not only for 2022 but for the past few years. I’ve been a big supporter of Loigman since she wrote her debut novel, The Two-Family House (which everyone should read). That novel showed an excellence in writing style and the ability to tell a story from multiple perspectives. While THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT had a much different feel than others due to the magical component, there were lots of similarities from her other novels. All her novels feature strong characters balancing the weight of family responsibilities with tugs to help others recognize their full potential. All her novels have family relationships that are impacted by secrets and the weight of expectations. All of them contain an emphasis on the connections of Jewish communities and the passion of their traditions. And all of them are worth reading.

As mentioned, THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT contains a magical element tied to Sara’s ability to see matches between people even if she is unable to act on them officially because she is not of age, not married, and not a man. She is pulled by the possibility of helping her family as well as helping people she cares about to get connected to the right people which angers that community of men that make livings off matchmaking. You get invested quickly in Sara’s character as you follow her circumstances starting in 1910. And then you meet her granddaughter Abby who is navigating being a successful divorce attorney in the 1990s. The story draws you in and keeps you there for decades. I really feel like this read was special and hope book clubs take a minute to discuss it. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.25/5 stars

The book follows Sara, a Jewish matchmaker, from the 1920s to the 1990s and her granddaughter Abby, the soon-to-be matchmaker who’s currently a divorce lawyer in the 1990s. The timelines eventually come together and were very well connected. Although, it was fiction, the author really did justice to the history of Jewish matchmaking and bringing in Jewish culture. We witness Sara’s journey to being recognized as woman Jewish matchmaker and Abby’s journey to believing in love again. I felt less connected to Abby’s story due to the simplicity in comparison to Sara’s story. I wanted more depth.

Overall, it’s a beautiful heartfelt story. I would definitely recommend to those interested in a light-hearted sweet romance/coming of age and interested in learning about Jewish matchmaking and Jewish culture.


Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to say that I absolutely adore this book cover! It is so appropriate for this story. There are many symbols on the cover that relate to the story and the magic dust scattered is very appropriate.

I like to expand my knowledge of different cultures and religions and this book definitely increased my understanding of Jewish customs, although it was done in the normal course of the story and is not forced upon the reader. Tradition plays a huge part in the story and it can be what brings people together or splits them apart.

This story is told in a dual timeline, mainly the lives of a grandmother and her granddaughter, and it is worth noting that the grandmother paved the road for a much brighter future for her granddaughter and all other woman by standing up for herself and fighting for equality.

I generally do not like dual timeline stories, but that was not the case with this book! A dual time line was absolutely the way for this story to be told. I was drawn into the book from the first chapter and my interest was held until the end. It is a book that I wanted to race through to find out what happens and also at the same time, I did not want it to end.

The author created wonderful, life-like, memorable characters and a fantastic, original plot. I truly enjoyed this book so very much.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This is not a book I probably would have just picked up, but I saw in on Netgalley and it was definitely worth the read! I learned about Jewish culture and loved the split-time story. The characters drew you in right away and I absolutely did not want this book to end!

I received a complimentary copy of The Matchmaker's Gift from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a lovely novel. Sara's gift is something I have always imagined would be the most wonderful gift in the world. Just being a part of this environment for the duration of this book was wonderful! Abby, the skeptical divorce lawyer granddaughter, is lucky to learn about her grandmother's talents and experiences in matchmaking by reading her journals. This was a very feel-good read!

This book was a sheer delight in all respects. From the moment I started reading to the moment I put the book down I was thoroughly captivated. These are difficult days and finding a book that did such a good job of lifting my spirits was a real gift. Many thanks to #NetGalley , St. Martin's Press and the author for inviting me to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own!

"1910: Sara was ten years old when she made her first match."
So starts this story of young Sara who emigrates with her family from Moldova to New York on a giant steamship. Along the way she manages to introduce her older sister to a young man who will ultimately become her husband. This was no mean feat, as her sister Hindel was mourning the love she was leaving behind. As this first chapter rolled itself out I felt as if I was right there listening to family interact and hearing words of wisdom - "The Ocean is full enough. If you don't stop crying you'll drown the fish." To be honest, as I read I felt almost as if I was watching a scene from Fiddler on the Roof (and I say that in a good way as I absolutely loved that movie!). While Sara might not be a matchmaker such as I was familiar with from the movie, she clearly had a gift all of her own. I loved how the author described her. When asked how she had picked out this young man for her sister, "She chose her words like fruits at the market, weighing each one before she spoke." It was difficult to explain to others that there was some sort of phenomenom that just let her see when a relationship would work out (and sometimes when it would not).

The book is set in a dual timeline. While it starts with Sara and her story, the reader is also treated to the story of her grand-daughter Abby which is set in 1994 just after Sara's death. Abby is a lawyer (who works at a firm which specializes in divorce) who loves her grandmother dearly and shares a deep bond with her. The news of her death is earth shattering. As a reader we are treated to vignettes from when Sara and Abby interacted with each other and the love that they shared. Again I felt like a little fly on the wall listening in and experiencing the love and laughter. Abby has lived through the divorce of her parents which impacted her choice of law career, but her grandmother has given her so much love and advice that has stuck with her and now becomes clearer as she mourns her loss. " Listen to me, sweetheart. Some things never change. Don't you remember the stories I used to tell you? I should have made you listen better." "One day my brilliant skeptic, I'll be gone, and all of my stories will belong to you. When the time comes try to remember what I taught you. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a few love matches of your own."

Through the chapters that focus on Sara, the reader will learn much about the Jewish culture in particular as refers to matchmaking but beyond that as well. Matchmakers were typically men and were called Shadchan. A female matchmaker was called a Shadchanit. They men looked upon their calling as a job and it could be a job that paid very well. When they learned that young Sara was arranging matches for people, they were not at all happy as they felt she was cutting into their earnings (even if she didn't ask for any financial compensation). Their disapproval of her only grows as she matures into a young women who is relied on more and more by her family.

After Sara's death, Abby inherits some papers and journals that her grandmother has left behind for her. Rather than telling a story outright, they list all the different couples that Sara had matched throughout her lifetime and one of the pleasures of the book was in learning more about each of these couples. Through the stories and their time the author introduces the reader (and Abby) to very timely topics regarding the role of women and their rights. Sara has always known she has a calling to be a matchmaker but when the disapproval of the Chadchan becomes increasingly intense after the death of her father, she is basically forced to go away to school at a prestigious college where she feels much like a fish out of water. On her return she is forced to defend herself in the synagogue before an angry bunch of men and some rabbi. Sara prevails!

As time goes by Sara finds her own love, settles down and raises her family but after WW2 she is called to use her gift again to help the Jewish community to rebound after the Holocaust and to prosper. As Abby learns more about her grandmothers life she begins to question her own lifestyle and a job that really isn't making her very happy. The advice her grandmother has given her begins to impact how she relates to her clients, often not in a way that is pleasing to her boss!

This book is filled with so many wonderful stories, not the least of which is the relationship of these two women separated by a generation but held together by a love that lingers well beyond life. As Abby absorbs more and more of her grandmothers wisdom, her own life changes and she begins to find her own life calling. This book will linger with me a very long time and be one to reread and treasure. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves history and the stories passed on from one generation to the next.

Excellent story of a granddaughters inheritance of being able to match couples.
The characters were well defined. Sara Glikman found her calling at 10 years old, traveling to America. She matched her sister Hindel.
Abby, Sara’s granddaughter finds herself with the same calling.
The story weaves together these matches of Sara and Abby..

This book moved a little slow for me. It was a unique story about matchmaking. Unmarried women were not allowed to make matches. In part because this was income taken away from official matchmakers, and partly because women were not considered to be capable of doing what was meant to be a man’s profession. Very similar to women in this day and age having to push themselves into certain careers and fight for equal reimbursement. I love the way the past and the present came together in this story. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story of love, hope, magic, and soulmates. The author creates a feel good, heartwarming story filled with light, family, tradition, religion, and love that is inspired by old world Jewish matchmaking in New York City. The novel is told through a dual timeline during early twentieth century and 1994. Sara Glikman finds her true calling at an early age of ten after seeing a ray of light connecting her sister and her husband-to-be together. This rare gift while extraordinary, is not well received by the established male matchmakers in her community, who in turn threaten her family. Although she tries to ignore it, Sara continues to see future soulmates and therefore is forced to operate in secret, facilitating matches behind the scenes leading to some high-profile matches. Despite the challenges she faced, Sara was a true believer in love and would not let anyone or anything stand in her way of securing future happiness for her matches. Abby, Sara’s granddaughter, is a single divorce attorney working at a large prestigious New York City law firm that handles high profile clients. Abby was deeply hurt by her parent’s divorce and as such, does not share Sara’s optimism for love and soulmates. When Sara passes away, she leaves her journals filled with newspaper clippings and notes about her matches to Abby. The journals open Abby’s eyes and give her new perspective while dealing with two high profile clients at work, one facing a divorce and one embarking on a new marriage. Will love prevail?

The author does a fantastic job of presenting the dual storyline. Both stories are engaging and keep the readers attention. Often, readers favor one storyline over the other, however, here the stories both past and present are equally satisfying filled with interest, history, emotion, family, heartbreak, love, and hope. The author takes the reader on an emotional journey and does an excellent job with creating strong and inspiring female lead characters, each facing various challenges unique to women operating in a space that is traditionally reserved for men. The characters are well-developed, and the author does a wonderful job of portraying the characters thoughts, feelings, emotions, and insecurities making them likeable and relatable. The dual storyline transitions back and forth seamlessly and the reader is actively engaged in both past and present storylines. The novel is thought provoking forcing the reader to examine the characters choices, dilemmas, and behaviors throughout the novel. The novel is well researched and detailed as to the surroundings and characters. I enjoyed the incorporation of Jewish customs, traditions, culture, legal process, and Yiddish phrases creating a wonderful backdrop for the novel. The novel is a nostalgic glimpse into the life of matchmakers and setups prior to the success of online dating sites. The author cleverly allows both Sara and Abby to blend the best of the old traditions with the new in an everchanging world of matchmaking.

This is a magical story that leaves the reader with feelings of love, hope, new beginnings, and the powerful message that it is never too late to find love. While the novel is not entirely believable at times and forces the reader to suspend logical reasoning and believe in magic, it is well worth the risk and adventure as it is a great story with an upbeat and fairy tale ending. This novel is a fantastic read, quick and captivating. It is a real page turner and hard to put down until the end. There is no stronger message than the power of love.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and the author for an ARC and the opportunity to offer a review.

This novel is an intergenerational story of Sara and her granddaughter, Abby. Both are gifted with the ability to "see" connections between strangers who are in fact, destined to become soul mates. Sara embraces her gift, and despite opposition from the paid matchmakers in the Jewish enclave where she lives on the lower east side of Manhattan, makes many successful matches.

Abby, unaware of her gift, is a divorce lawyer more used to dismantling marriages than making them. She has a nagging dissatisfaction with her job and when the opportunity arises to help a couple keep their relationship intact, she does. She angers her boss and is fired. As she reconsiders career choices, Abby is compelled to help a young woman make a match and realizes she may just have some of her grandmother's magic.

I was so touched by this story and by the closeness between grandmother and granddaughter. I adored Sara's witty and clever words of wisdom, such as "when a thief kisses you, count your teeth." It reminded me of my own great-grandmother, a fiesty southern lady, who had many cautionary sayings of her own.

This was the first novel by Lynda Cohen Loigman that I had read, but it won't the last.
5 stars.

An absolutely charming novel. This is a dual timeline novel focusing on a woman, Sara, and her granddaughter, Abby, following parallel journeys generations apart. Sara possesses a magical gift of matchmaking. She first discovers this at age 10 on her journey to America when she matches her sister. She continues practicing this gift, first in secret and then openly in the lower East Side Jewish community. As a young, unmarried woman (3 strikes!) she is a challenge to the traditional male matchmaking profession, which is motivated by money not the desire to match soulmates. Two generations later, Abby has become a high-profile divorce lawyer. Seemingly a very different path from her grandmother, although she too has made her way in a male dominated profession. Abby inherits her grandmother's matchmaking journals and comes to realize that she too may have a proclivity toward matchmaking. She starts exercising a little bit of her abilities by counseling clients that perhaps shouldn't divorce, or engaged couples that perhaps are not right for each other. I greatly enjoyed both timelines. The novel is full of historical detail and is a heartwarming reflection on love. The magical realism elements were perfect and not overdone.

This book was an absolute delight. The relationship between Sara and Abby, and the visiting of their individual timelines throughout the book feels like being wrapped in a hug. The legacy passed between these two women is warm, loving and magical. I loved watching Abby find new purpose in her life through her grandmother’s posthumous nudging.

Not only are the characters endearing and the premise interesting, but this book is also superbly well written. The transitions between the storylines are flawless and there is no fluff- every detail included in the story adds value to the whole.

The cherry on top was reaching the notes at the end and discovering that the character of Sara was inspired by a real person!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction, strong women and family relationships.