Cover Image: The Unmatchmakers

The Unmatchmakers

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Member Reviews

The cover really drew me in even though there should really be some grass on there....... BUT this was a cute Canadian-set love story with stereotypical Asian parents that have a rival. I really got Romeo and Juliet vibes.

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Even though I failed to read this book before it came out, I got a chance to read it recently. My opinion on this book is divided. I did enjoy quite a bit of it, but on the other hand, there were too many cliché moments that just felt a bit too forced. All in all, it was sweet and fast, but a bit predictable and unpolished.

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Good grief, this book was so good, y'all.

The Unmatchmakers takes the trope of meddling parents (Asian or otherwise) who are trying to get their offspring married off to the "perfect" candidate of their choice and turns it on its head! I kept waiting for it to be revealed that Neil and Leora's mothers were *actually* trying to set them up, but nope, they really, really weren't. Leora's mom especially takes her not my daughter sentiment waaaaay too far--hearing how Leora has had to make adjustments all her life because of her mother's views on relationships is bad enough, but seeing the lengths she goes to here tips it over into OMG territory. It's funny, but at the same time it's so not.

(Truly, how does Jackie Lau make me gasp in indignation one moment and LOL the other? She's like some kind of writing magician, I think.)

To add to the delightfulness that is this book, Neil and Leora are also a grumpy/sunshine, opposites attract pairing. I think I was just as excited as Leora every time she caused buttoned-up, ultra serious Neil to quirk a little half smile because of something she said or did. And gah, when he let his guard down and opened up to her at last? Absolutely delicious!

The Unmatchmakers is a relatively short read, perfect for picking up while visiting your very own vacation home on the lake. Or, if you must, reading on a lazy summer afternoon at your own home. (Darn it, why don't I own a vacation home on a lake again? Oh well, maybe some day...)

Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
(I honestly can't believe how many books this summer are getting a 4 1/2 star rating from me, but truly, they are just that good. These authors are 100% bringing their A game!)

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

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The Unmatchmakers subverts the trope of meddling, matchmaking parents by giving us two moms who would go to any hilarious lengths to keep their children (romantically) apart...so there's still some high-key meddling. Three best friends are the found family glue that holds the story together. These women were each other's support system when they all found themselves raising kids in an unconventional way, i.e. without husbands. Now, they co-own a lakehouse and have reunited their children to celebrate the new property with some quality time. God forbid any of those grown children should try and date each other, though. Protagonist Leora's mom, Henry, has zero trust for romantic love and tries to protect her daughter from hurt by quashing any dreams of princess-style happily ever after that she may have. By extension, Henry disapproves of Leora's feminine style and schoolteacher profession, putting a wedge between them.

Let's talk romance (sorry, Henry). Leora and Neil haven't seen each other since growing up, and when they start finding time to get to know each other in the mornings before everyone else at the lakehouse wakes up (ew, early risers) and in stolen moments between maternal plots at separation, they find a pleasant opposites attract situation developing. It's not opposition in a furious hate-fire kind of way. It's just that Leora is all over-the-top enthusiasm whereas Neil goes the reserved, down-to-earth route. Note that there is a brief but heartfelt conversation about how Neil is autistic, so that is part of his different worldview from Leora. They complement one another well and feel comfortable together-- enough so that they are tempted to challenge their moms' wishes for a chance at happiness.

The story is mostly breezy, comedic fare but gets a bit serious right at the end. It's a short book, so all the big feelings, release of sexual tension, and final act fears come in a flurry at the end after dodging moms and guilt for most of the story. The characters are self-aware about the speed things are going, but it still feels abrupt as a reader. Any issues resolve themselves with minimal time and fuss, wrapping everything up with a neat, "true love" bow. Honestly, I found the tension between the three moms more compelling, emotions-wise, than the romance. It turns out that some things have been bottled up over the years that come to a head over the "our kids are trying to make heart eyes at each other behind our backs" drama. And the potential of that arc isn't fully met since it's a side plot and is slapped back together in a similar rush to the romance storyline.

This is a fun, quick read with loveable characters who deserve every happiness. It's a bit too speedy for me to dig in and get obsessed, but it's enjoyable, nonetheless. Thanks to Kobo for my copy to read and review.

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I’ve been reading a bit by this author, and really enjoying everything. I thought this was an absolutely adorable book with the cutest storyline. Usually you would think parents would want their children together, but not in this one.

Leora’s character was so fun, I liked reading from her perspective so much. Neil was a great love interest and I was rooting for them the whole time. I loved how their mothers intervened so much, I found it very endearing.

The setting was so perfect, I love when people reconvene and reconnect at cabins or summer houses. I think the Goodreads synopsis did the best job explaining the premise. I highly suggest picking up this one.

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Loved this one. A mom that's not trying to fix her daughter up her her best friend's son. Instead it's kind of like both mom's are trying to keep the kids part. So of course chaos inures and I loved it.

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"𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑰 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆. 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕."

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🔥.5
Tropes: Childhood friends to lovers, forced proximity, insta lust, vacation romance

If you're looking for a cute summer read that is quick, this is the one for you! Leora is on vacation with her mom, her mom's two best friends, and their adult children. When Leora arrives to the house, she believes she's alone and goes out to sit on the dock. While out there, she sees a gorgeous man come out of the water and she's so stunned that she almost falls in, but he saves her. Who is the gorgeous man? The son of her mom's best friend and someone she grew up with.

They haven't seen each other in ten years and Leora is seeing Neil in a new light. There are some cute moments of them connecting together over early mornings, what kind of beach towel a person should have, and the proper way to make a s'more. Leora and Neil are into one another, but their mothers, who are notoriously anti-relationships, are doing everything they can to keep them a part.

I enjoyed this story and thought it had a good mix of funny and serious moments. This would've been rated higher for me if the pacing had been worked out. This is one of those rare times that I think a story could have benefitted from being longer. Since this is under 200 pages, there just wasn't enough there to fully flesh out the story. It felt a bit disjointed at times and the pacing was off. I really felt this when it went from Leora silently liking Neil, to a few kisses, to full on hooking up. It felt like I missed a part, but I didn't. I think if this had been a dual POV that could've helped as well. The potential is there, it just needed to be longer.

Thank you to Jackie and Valentine PR for the ARC!

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It's a super short childhood friend to lovers who reunite for a week of vacation - what could go wrong with two meddling mothers trying to create some chemistry between their two kids?

Was it perfect? No, but it's such a sweet bubbly book that was swoon-worthy cover to cover.

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Absolutely adorable and funny rom-com from Jackie Lau. The main characters Leora and Neil are just so cute and I liked the pacing of their romance, although it was a little insta-love there for a few minutes. Their Moms and Aunts are just so funny and also infuriating but in a way that is not forced or takes away from the enjoyment of the novel. But I would have LOVED more of the other random love story that was thrown in there, maybe a book told from their side would also be a good idea?

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I loved this book so much more than I expected to after the first chapter or two. Once I got into it I could barely put it down. This book was fun and charming, and I will definitely be looking for other books by Jackie Lau!

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Earlier this year, I read the author's "Donut Fall in Love" and enjoyed it a lot, so was happy to be an early reviewer for this short & quick novel (?novella?), "The Unmatchmakers". I enjoyed the AAPI MC's, Neil and Leora, and their Mother"s, the Canadian setting in a camp and the sweet romance. Easy read & fun - recommend! My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary DRC, the exchange of which did not affect my willing review.

Note: I couldn't find the book listed on Amazon to post a review.

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Fun to read and entertaining but it seemed to be missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it was a little too much "fluff" for me and not enough "depth". I know it is intended to be a fluffy easy romance, but I felt like it needed a little more. I also wasn't super excited about the love interest. There wasn't enough character development there and frankly he came across as kind boring. With that said, I did still enjoy this book. The beginning was a bit slow but once it got going, I flew through it.

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Extremely quick and cute read about two childhood friends who want to explore a deeper relationship despite (unreasonable) interference by their mothers.

Everything in this book progressed quickly because of the short length, but it still put a smile on my face! Who knew s'mores could be so sexy...

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It is never quite a romance without some meddling family. Cut characters and premise with great characterization. A fun read!

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Jackie Lau’s books are always a delight and that holds true for The Unmatchmakers. In this story, she takes the stereotype of match making Asian mothers and turns it on its head. Told from Leora’s point of view, this story centers on a reunion of sorts. Leora joins her mother, her mother’s friends, and their children for a week at their new lake house. There she is reunited with Neil (one of the friend’s sons) and is immediately head over heels for this shy, attractive guy in glasses. As Neil and Leora grow closer together and are clearly attracted to each other, their mother’s start to get in the way. Hilarious antics ensure as the moms try to keep them apart. Even amid the humor and heart, there is the undercurrent of generational trauma; the moms are being influenced by their past heartbreaks in trying to keep Neil and Leora apart. This leads to heartfelt healing throughout the book as well. The only think that would have made this book better is scenes from Neil’s POV. But even then, Leora’s voice worked as the story teller and I didn’t mind it. Honestly, this book was a quick read, engaging and as delicious as S’mores!

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Great book!! First book I’ve read by Jackie Lau and I wasn’t disappointed. It was funny, cute and mischievous. Great Canadian country camping book. I highly recommend.

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Thank you to Kobo Books for my advanced copy of THE UNMATCHMAKERS. Please note I was part of a paid campaign to promote the launch of this book.

If you've read EVERY SUMMER AFTER and are craving more, this could give you a small taste, but not quite the same flavour? Taking place in Ontario cottage-country, THE UNMATCHMAKERS is a forced-proximity friends-to-lovers romantic comedy, but doesn't have quite the same FEEL as EVERY SUMMER AFTER (I mean, that makes sense since it's a rom-com), but still an enjoyable summer read! Especially for those who feel their parents LOVE to get involved more than they should...I think any Ontarian would appreciate this given the cottage-country vibes. This one is full of the whole bag of Timbits!

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The Asian representation piqued my interest, but it was the promise of slush Canadian countryside landscape that drew me in the most. I have to say, the book fulfilled its promise on the setting and representation, but the inherent love story did not do it for me. I think friends-to-lovers is criminally underrated (in favor of enemies to lovers, which I will never understand). However, the romantic connection that grew between the characters was insta-love. I feel as if this is actually easy to navigate around for a friends-to-lovers trope, so in my opinion this is lazy romance writing.

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Heat Factor: An uptight hero who gets dirty in the sheets.
Character Chemistry: “There are two kinds of people in the world. Ones who buy beach towels with brightly colored unicorns or starfish, and ones who buy plain, dull colors.”
Plot: Instead of trying to hook Leora up with her friend’s hot architect son, Leora’s mom is actively discouraging the relationship.
Overall: I read this at the beach and it was exactly what I wanted.

Leora is going on vacation with her mother and her mother’s friends and her mother’s friends’ adult children. Cue the grimace face!

Except then Leora arrives at the lake house and there’s a grade-A hottie there who…knows her name? What sorcery is this?!? Turns out Neil Choy, who Leora used to torment when they were like, eight, is all grown up and very attractive. And does things like iron his shirt in the living room. *fans self*

But all this weird stuff keeps happening. The moms spend many hours telling embarrassing stories. Leora’s bikini goes missing. Leora gets sent on a wild scavenger hunt across the wilds of Canada for graham crackers. It seems like, maybe, their respective moms are trying to keep Leora and Neil apart. Could that be possible?

Yes, yes it is.

I loved the premise of this book. Meddling relatives in romance—not least in other romances by Jackie Lau—are generally trying to get their children paired off and making grandbabies, not blocking their children from romantic endeavors. While the lengths Leora’s mom went to were perhaps unbelievable, the place from where she meddles is recognizable. To wit: the dreams she has for her daughter are not the dreams that Leora has for herself.

This book is a bit of a departure from Lau’s normal style in that it’s told from a single POV, from Leora’s perspective. (I notice these things now that we talked about them! Thanks, Erin and Ingrid for teaching me to pay attention to craft and not just themes!) While I’m generally not a huge fan of single-POV stories since I want to know what *everyone* is thinking, I thought this was an effective choice. First, Neil is taciturn and buttoned-up, which is the perfect kind of opaque hero. Tell me I’m wrong. He’s not so opaque that this book qualifies for slow burn territory, but there is a bit of delicious “he must think I’m annoying” / it’s obvious to the reader he actually thinks you’re the cat’s pajamas dynamic going on. Second, both Leora and Neil ultimately face the same challenge of their respective moms not supporting their adult decisions; getting the story from both perspectives may have gotten repetitive. By only focusing on Leora, Lau could dig into that meaty mother-daughter relationship more fully. And finally, Leora’s voice is fun—there’s a bit of sass, but mostly it’s a straightforward, breezy retelling of events and her reactions to them. There’s enough voice that Leora is a distinct character, but not so much that it overwhelms the story (or makes her seem like an unreliable narrator). My point is—given that we’re in a first-person single-POV story, I liked spending time with the narrator.

Overall, this was just a really fun read. Lau consistently delivers, and The Unmatchmakers is no exception.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

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✨ARC REVIEW✨

The Unmatchmakers by Jackie Lau
⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

Overall, this book was a good quick read with a secret relationship I didn’t see coming on top of the one taking place on the front lines. This book has childhood friends to strangers to lovers, forced proximity and nosey moms who like to sabotage!

This book took me a while to get into. I can’t imagine having a parent who pushes me away from dating/relationships/love! I actually have the opposite experience with a mom always asking when I’m going to find a man😂While I loved the friendship the moms had and the fact that they bought a vacation lake house together, (new goals for me and my bestie) if they were afraid that Neil and Leora would be into each other, then don’t take a vacation all together! I did however, appreciate the creative lengths the moms went to to create distance between them or try to make them unappealing, it made the story pretty funny! Any other mom would be begging her daughter to settle down and marry someone like Neil, someone who cooks, cleans, irons, and you know will take care of your daughter (I know my mom would be planning the proposal after the first date🤣)

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