Utterly charming! A lovely, cozy, and gentle comfort read.

The Matchmaker’s Gift focuses on exploring the natural matchmaking gift Sara has and whether that gift may have been passed on to her granddaughter Abby. The book moves back and forth in time and alternates between Sara’s and Abby’s stories. It was a delight to read about the matches Sara made as a young woman and about how she rallied against conventions and a traditionally male role. Abby is a divorce lawyer who wants to help people get out of marriages that aren’t working and it was fun to follow her progression and doubts about whether this was the right career choice.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a low anxiety, heart-warming read.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I've read all of Loigman's books, but I was particularly drawn to her latest because of the gorgeous cover. And this is the case where the inside is even more beautiful than the outside. I devoured this generational story of matchmaking and the powerful lessons of love and family. Loigman exquisitely writes with heart and history, two women bravely charting their own course with the help of a little magic. Fantastic, insightful read.

"I see what I see, and I know what I know." I absolutely love this quote from this book!

This is a wonderful story told in two timelines of Sara and her granddaughter Abby.
Sara started her journey in the very early 1900's at a time when women were not equal.
She realizes she has a "gift" that can assist people in finding their soul mates. This is a matchmaker.
Sara learns that to follow her intuitions, she must advocate for herself during these challenging times. Many are not happy and will call her a fraud.

Years later in the 1990's- her granddaughter, Abby begins reading through journals that Sara has left upon her death specifically for her, thus opening a whole new world of information for Abby to ponder as she sees that she also has this talent.
Her job of being a divorce lawyer may create turmoil and Abby needs to decide which is more important.
Will she follow her grandmother's hopes?
Is this a curse or a blessing? You decide.

This is an excellent, well written story that I really enjoyed!
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for this ARC and allowing me to provide my review.

It was a nice story about a Jewish girl who had the gift of seeing when two people were soulmates, which brought her trouble with the male matchmakers who were, according to them, losing money every time she made a match. On the other side, there's the story of her granddaughter, a divorce lawyer who seems to have inherited the same gift, and though she was not in trouble with any male matchmaker, her gift almost costs her job after putting upside down the lives of several of her clients. The book is nicely written but at the beginning,
the story of Abby is boring, while her grandmother's is more interesting. Towards the end of the book, the opposite happened.
The book would have been better had the author been able to keep the reader interested in both stories at the same time. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

What a beautiful, heartwarming and engaging story!
I loved this book - so much hope and positivity!
A historical fiction - story with dual timeline!
Quotes with deep meanings spread through out the book like glitter!
Strong women who fight against all odds!
The characters are well developed and the story flows through smoothly!
This is my first book by the author and I plan to read more books written by her!
**
Thank you to Lynda Cohen Loigman, @netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Advance Reader Copy.

This book was really cute. Yes it had a bit of magic to it (seeing someone’s soulmate) but I loved how it was played out. Alternating viewpoints drives me crazy but I really liked both of the characters so it was kind of ok. Feel good book, and I enjoyed it.

From an early age Sara Glickman was able to see love. Not just the love of her family for her, but love between others. This ability helps Sara become one of the first unmarried female matchmakers, something that at the time was mostly done by older men.

When Sara passes away she leaves her grand daughter, Abby, her handwritten journals, which reveal so much to Abby. As a divorce lawyer, Abby was the opposite of her grandmother. But as she reads on, she has to question whether she has the gift of seeing love as well and whether to leave her career behind and take a different approach to marriage.

I normally don’t care for books that are told from more than one perspective in different time periods, but this book is an exception. I loved everything about it. I even had quite a few flashbacks to my neighbors speaking Yiddish when I was younger…this book hit all the possible marks to make it one that brought not only a story to life, but many memories from my past back to life too. You’re going to want to read this one!

This book was an absolute delight to read. Charming, heartfelt and inspiring, the story kept me engaged throughout - a much-needed breath of fresh air during these tumultuous times. I hope the author is seriously contemplating writing a sequel; I’d love to experience the granddaughter’s exploration of her gift.

Sara Glikman recognized her destiny at the tender age of 10 when her intuitive gift to perceive soulmates revealed itself. The year is 1910 and the setting is a lower-class NYC neighborhood populated by immigrant Jewish families steeped in the traditions practices of their “old world” faith. Sara’s unusual ability marked her as a threat to the all-male, professional matchmakers who arranged marriages by contract for a significant fee. Consequently she kept her gift a secret, working covertly to arrange meetings, until she turned twenty-one when severe poverty necessitated her to support her family and declare herself as a matchmaker. When confronted with her lack of qualifications, her response was, “I see what I see and I know what I know.”

Abby, the granddaughter of the beloved matriarch, is an attorney working as an associate of a high profile woman specializing in divorce and prenuptial agreements. Upon Sara’s death, she receives boxes of books chronicling her grandmother’s “matches.” Puzzled by this inheritance, Abby begins to become aware that she may also have this gift, which puts her at odds with the business practices of her profession as defined by her boss. Eventually she reaches a cross-road whereby she must chose to honor her gift or repress it to ensure the security of her job.

The book tracks two timelines and alternates chapters between Sara (starting in 1910 until her death at age 94) and Abby (in the “present” of 1994). While in some books this literary device results in a fragmented feel in the writing, I felt the author achieved smooth transitions between time periods and perspectives. The relationship between the two women is one of deep respect and love, transcending any generational gap. Both women, under very different circumstances, face opposition to their authentic self-expression and are challenged to decide how they want to address this limitation.

Overall this was a very enjoyable, worthwhile read. I highly recommend it for those who enjoy historical fiction.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

Really adored this one! Told by two perspectives Abby and her grandmother Sara, who has a divine gift of seeing soulmates. This book kept me up reading long past bedtime. A magical, intriguing story and memorable characters make this one a 5 star. A huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing this ARC. Highly recommend it!

Jumping between modern day (well, mid-90s) and various points from 1910-1994, this book follows both Abby and her grandmother, Sara, as they go about their lives in the lower East Side. Sara makes her first match at the age of ten, and continues to matchmake most of her life. Abby doesn't realize she has the gift, too....until she does. It's a sweet, intergenerational story, sprinkled with Jewish culture and Yiddish sayings that bring an authentic vibe. I liked that it was set in the 90s, before life was complicated by social media and too-much technology. The story focused on the people, and the relationships that were organically created. This was a first from this author for me, but I'll be looking for more!

Oh my! This story is both captivating and sweet to the core. It’s one of those stories that takes you in and makes you want to . become a part of the family. I enjoyed wandering the New York streets in two time periods with two strong female characters. And really loved learning about the Jewish match making culture.

Sigh! I just loved this so much. Now I need to figure out how to incorporate some of my newly learned Yiddish (soulmate worthy) words into my vocabulary.

Note: Alice Huffman fans will like this one. Slightly magical and a lot of heart.

The Matchmaker’s Gift
By Lynda Cohen Loigman

Lynda Cohen Loigman is one of my favorite authors. This is the third book of hers that I have read. The Wartime Sisters and The Two Family House are the other two. As in the first two, I read this one in a matter of days. Ms. Loigman writes in a style that keeps the reader reading. I eagerly ate up each page quickly turning to the next. When the story ended, I wanted more. This is the sign of a well-written book.

The Matchmaker’s Gift follows the life of two extraordinary women, Sara Glickman and her granddaughter, Abby. Sara was a shadchan, a matchmaker before it was possible for a female, especially an unmarried female, to be one. Many years later, after Sara’s death, Abby is faced with the question of whether she inherited her grandmother’s powers to “see” love.

Run, not walk, to get your copy of this amazing story. While you are at it, get the other two also.
03.09.22

Wow, just wow! I really enjoyed reading this book! It is beautiful written, I was invested in the story within the first chapters! I love that this is the kind of book you can read easily, it’s so good that you don’t want to stop! It took me a day to finish it and I even didn’t feel the time. The characters are well written too, it’s easy to connect with them specially with Sara and Abby.
I definitely recommend reading this! Can’t wait until it comes out so more people can discover this amazing story! probably i will read it again!

Three for three!!

I loved this book just as much as I loved Ms. Loigman's first two novels: "The Two-Family House" and "The Wartime Sisters". Although the story explores Sara's matchmaking skills, it evenly shares the special bond of Grandmother and Granddaughter. The story was incredibly laid out and hooked me from the beginning! The true test of a novel is whether or not I am thinking about the characters when I'm not reading....I needed to know about Sara's path and about Abby's self-discovery.

This book absolutely did not disappoint! I am so happy to have had the opportunity to read the ARC and I'm glad that Ms. Loigman decided to pause the story she was writing to pursue this one. Good Call!! I am looking forward to your next wonderful novel....hopefully very soon!

Sara learned early she had an incredible gift of bringing soulmates together, but in her traditional Jewish community,
matchmaking was dominated by devout older men who saw her gift as an affront to their customs. Abby is a successful, up and coming divorce lawyer who adores her grandma Sara but doesn’t share her interest in matchmaking. The Matchmaker’s Gift follows both women as they grapple with love, loss, and what’s worth fighting for.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I liked learning about the Jewish community in New York’s Lower East Side that Sara grows up in—I was not aware that matchmaking was a highly esteemed profession. The Matchmaker’s Gift is a fun, mostly light read.

I enjoy reading each book by Lynda Cohen Loigmsn. Her stories are a bit lighter than I usually enjoy but her characters are so deep and engaging that I just want to keep reading about them. I was a bit annoyed with some of the coincidences as the story developed which is what kept me from giving this a full 5 stars but I highly recommend it when you are looking for a book that keeps you smiling and keeps you rooting for each (ok almost each) character in the book.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the third novel I’ve read by Lynda Cohen Loigman. ….
“The Two-Family House” and “The Wartime Sisters”….

I enjoy Lynda’s books. She writes the type of books where I want to snuggle up in my blanket…cozy-up ….and join the family cast of characters. Always with Jewish droplet themes and culture, family loyalty- history - ( historical fiction) - purpose and love.
Lynda added a little magical realism in this book …..or shall I say ‘precious’ — sweet — ‘adorable’ — heart-endearing magical-historical-realism.
And it’s told in duo timelines
Both stories are equally good with the transitions as smooth as a baby’s tush.

We are first introduced to Sara Glikman when she’s just ten years old. She had traveled for a week from Kalarash to Libava with her parents, her sister, Hindel and three unruly brothers to board the giant steam ship headed for New York.
On that ship — Sara’s matchmaking gifts was sprouting ….(maybe a coincidence- maybe not)….
Ha! NOT!

The possibility that a young, untrained girl could match two souls according to God‘s will was a severe insult to the profession of the ‘shadchanium’ (a jewish professional matchmaker).
A female matchmaker was rare enough, but an unmarried one was never tolerated by the people in their community.

I am reminded that every generation had women a little ahead of their time — all different styles (loud or even quietly)…
Sara and Abby were both organically driven feminists.

We continue to follow Sara as she grows - enjoying ‘her’ gifts, her ‘soul’.
Sara lived to be 94 years old. When she died, she was still independent-lived on her own, did her own errands, and cooked her own meals….
and she delicately and appropriately challenged traditional orthodox ways — The journey we take with her is simply marvelous….allowing us to reflect our own values, integrity, and — once again: purpose!
What matters to us most!

We’re also introduced to Abby, Sara’s granddaughter -
Loved this woman…
Ha… she reminded me a little of myself. …her mind could be her nemesis at times.

Both Sara and Abby have characteristics to admire.

Starting in 1944, we get a well-rounded background of Abby, her sister Hannah, and their parents, (divorced when the girls were not yet teenagers.
I can’t tell you the entire story!!
No spoilers!!
However, we are invited into Abby’s present life - as a lawyer - the people she works with - friendships she develops…. and that ‘inner voice kicking strong.

The minor characters are both yummy appetizers and the delicious desserts, as well
It really is a snuggle-to-enjoy-novel.

The dialogue is genuine and it feels like we are in the same room with the characters.

Abby shared a special closeness with grandmother.
The kind we all wish we had and are thankful if we ‘have’ experience this type of a relationship with a grandparent.
Abby was heartbroken when Sara died.
Old memories, stories, and her grandmother’s beliefs begin to weigh heavier in her own thinking, after Sara’s death.
The ‘only’ time when Abby and Sara had ever argued about anything was when talking about love, marriage, soulmates, matchmaking, and divorces.
Just a little amusing— that Sarah spent her life inspired by love and happy marriages…
where Abby didn’t believe in marriage and was a divorce lawyer.

It’s a beautiful book … and fact is — I love Lynda — (she can’t not write without strong feelings of love)

My little heart sings when reading books by authors whom I sincerely love as people.

Its also a treat to read about traditional meals often served in Jewish homes…..
crazy high calorie yummy meals to boot!!
I can gain weight just reading about a yummy Shabbat dinner in a ‘book’….
Kugel, babka, eggplant Parmesan, tiramisu, etc. etc.
But
what I love best is the ‘love’ feelings.
I’m a sucker for love.
I’m a sucker for families…
who have managed to treasure and shield their little ménage.

I’ll leave you with one of my excerpts in this novel:

“There is too much cruelty in this world. I’ve seen it and I know you’ve seen some, too.
It isn’t enough to fight against cruelty. My whole life, I fought ‘for’ love. Not just romantic love, you understand. The love of a parent for a child. The love of one friend for another. Fight ‘for’ something, sweetheart. Not just against. That’s the best advice I can give you. And if you can’t decide what you want to fight for, love is as good a cause as any”.

Congrats to Lynda on this 3rd novel. I’ll continue to read every book she writes.

This may be the best book I read all year! The Matchmaker's Gift is a dual timeline novel which tells the story of Sara who in 1910 at age 10 realizes she has a gift for helping others find love and makes her first of many love matches. The second timeline is that of Sara's granddaughter, Abby, who is a lawyer in 1994. The writing and the story line are just so much fun to read. Towards the end, I really didn't want this novel to end. I hope someone in the Hollywood elite decides to turn this book into a movie - or at least the author writes a sequel! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

A dual timeline novel that is a wonderfully enjoyable read- but also one which weaves threads of historical fiction, magical realism, family, loyalty, and a dash of what it means to be a feminist at the beginning and end of the 20th century. While I loved Loigman's prior novels, this one somehow felt both lighter and deeper than her prior books - as grandmother Sara and granddaughter Abby both tap into their own parallel journeys to find true purpose in their lives - and how that definition both evolves and morphs as they grow up, grow older and develop wisdom that is both passed down and yet ultimately can only be found inside oneself. I loved the sprinkling of Yiddish and and Sara's many sage observations about life, love, family and finding one's bashert (soul mate). Many little pearls of wisdom are sprinkled throughout this multigenerational story. Highly recommend! *Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh my goodness! This is such a captivating , exhilarating, feelgood, heart warming and also magical historical fiction with loveliest characters: a true talented matchmaker grandma who brings love and joy to people’s lives and her rational, aspiring divorce lawyer granddaughter who suffers from loneliness, grief, having no clue what she’ll do with the journals she’s inherited.

After watching season 4 of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I wanted to dig out more about matchmaking tradition in Jewish culture. I learned that shidduch is is a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage. The correct term for a Jewish matchmaker is shadchanit for a woman, shadchan for a man.
I found out there are so many websites of the companies promising you to find ideal match which also picked my interest!

This book starts at the beginning of 20th century and Sara Glikman could be considered as the first woman matchmaker of the history: because only men could practice this sacred and important mission and a woman’s attempt to matchmake has been considered as sacrilegious act at those times!

We luckily move back and forth between two timelines: early 1900’s and 1994: introducing us Sara’s granddaughter Abby, a successful divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients at young age.

I enjoyed to read both of the timelines and I truly devoured the stories belong to couples Sara has matched. Feminism, traditional, religion, family bounding blended in this marvelous historical journey.

Sara who was born on 1900, starting her practice by finding her sister a proper husband when she was only 10 years old! She sees a light that connects the soulmates. With her special talent she can bring more love and hope to her community even though that vocation is dominated by older men who may easily see a talented young woman as a threat to their traditions and livelihood.

And when we move forward to Abby’s timeline, we see Abby’s predicament after reading her grandma’s journals that include the soul mates she’s matched. Rational mind of Abby resists to believe in love after being witnessed her parents’ painful divorce. But what if her grandma’s talent is real and what if everyone has his/ her own old soul mate to meet! As many people say,” there’s a lid for every pot!”

She starts to question her own life choices and her clients’ relationships as well.

Overall: I loved both of these powerful and brave women’s journeys and magic they created by listening to their hearts and doing the right thing!

I feel so lighthearted and happier after reading this amazing book and I highly recommend to anyone who still believe in true power of love!

Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.