A Fun and lighthearted read but not enough character growth or development for me. Neil was a good male lead but needed to have more development and growth to make their relationship believable.

What a fun, summer read!

The characters in this story are awesome - they're strong women characters with their children. The 3 moms have pooled together and purchased a summer lake home. They invite their children to spend a week with them. There Leora meets Neil again, as adults, and sparks fly over s'mores. It's a fun story, that instead of the normal matchmaking stories - their mothers are trying to keep them from hooking up. All kinds of chaos breaks out.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

A charming read, with a summer-y feel that incorporates both sunniness and storminess. Leora's first-person pov is very enjoyable. For the most part, this fits in the traditional rom-com box: a focus on situational comedy that both develops and complicates the main relationship, silliness is highlighted and enjoyed, etc. The heaviness of what lies behind the silliness, however, is a pretty significant shadow.

I always enjoy the way Jackie Lau approaches the big tropes in her stories, both fulfilling and thwarting them in ways that feel true to her characters. I really enjoyed that here, with Leora's and Neil's mixed reactions to being "unmatchmaked" and the way their shared history, and their mothers' histories, played a role in how they felt and the various choices they made. This is where the book's heaviness comes in, because Leora's relationship with her mother is difficult, and it's one of those things that while it might improve or might shapeshift, it won't resolve into a clean-cut personal-transformation happy ending that genre readers sometimes demand.

first of all, let’s talk about that cover!! it’s just so pretty!!

childhood friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in over a decade? so fun!

this book had its funny moments; the meddling was truly something

jackie lau has become an instant buy author for me, her writing is just excellent

very grateful that jackie always gives us epilogues

4.5 because something felt… off? idk but overall the book was very enjoyable! can’t wait for everyone else to fall in love with neil and leora as well

The unmatchmakers is about a group of 3 women who came together after being burned by the men in their lives, forming an unbreakable bond. The group of mom's include Henrietta, Tanya, and Dee. They all chip in to buy a vacation home big enough to bring all of their kids each summer. Leora (Henrietta's daughter) reunites with Neil (Tanya's son) and the attraction is palpable. The two met each other as kids and 10 years later they can see that each of them had a bit of a glow up. Leora is in love with the idea of love and fantasizes about romance and having a picturesque relationship. Neil is a type A guy, that wakes up early for morning kayak session and irons polos before the day begins. Each of them are trying to fight off the attraction for the sake of their moms over the fear of ruining their friendship. But with gestures of touching and spending time together the mom's come to the realization that the two are into each other and try to plot to keep them apart...hence the unmatchmakers.

This is an interesting book that was a quick read and easy to follow. I enjoy the Asian American cast as I can find their actions very relatable. I enjoy the relationship between Henrietta and Leora as you see one tiger mom trying to get in the way of a relationship since she can't fathom any man being good enough for her. I also like seeing the slow build of the relationship between Neil and Leora as they try to figure out what it is that they want.

I rate this book a 3.5/5 since it was easy to read and interesting. This is a different take on the typical matchmaking parents trying to find relationships for their children. It was a funny book but also goes over important takes such as not staying in a toxic relationship. This is good for people who are looking for an Asian American character group and people that like reading about forbidden romance relationships.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kobo Originals for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

As of this review, I’ve read everything Jackie Lau has currently published and I have loved every one! This one is no different and may actually be my favorite.

The Unmatchmakers is a nice spin on the typical matchmaking parents trope, in that the parents are the exact opposite! Leora and Neil have known each other most of their lives only through their mother’s friendship—but a weeks vacation away changes everything.

I really like our main couple, Leora and Neil. They’re both the children of women who have been disappointed and betrayed by their romantic relationships and that has given them both baggage when it comes to love. Leora falls in love too easily in reaction to her mother discouraging all romance and relationships. Neil holds himself back from love because the last thing he wants is to be like his absent father. Both their mothers are against any possibility of them dating, much less falling in love, so of course it’s practically meant to happen.

I really loved the family dynamics in this book. Jackie Lau writes families and friendships so well, the reader becomes just as invested in them as the romance. But the romance is also so good and steamy. Jackie Lau is a must read author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo Originals for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

i've been incredibly eager and excited to get my hands on a book by jackie lau. as an asian woman from toronto, and an avid romance fan to boot, i felt that her #ownvoices stories seemed precisely my jam.

i was intrigued by the premise of the unmatchmakers. it seemed so fresh and novel - you often hear about matchmaking parents conspiring to push their kids together (especially in stories by/about [chinese] immigrant parents) that it was a refreshing change to see exactly the opposite!

unfortunately, the execution of this idea truly fell flat for me. i didn't realize that the romance plot would be based so heavily on insta-love, which made leora and neil's chemistry utterly unbelievable. i didn't find myself invested in - let alone rooting for - this pairing because it all seemed so fast as to be flatly absurd. i also personally had a hard time connecting with leora's narration; her voice seemed a trifle juvenile, if earnest.

overall, although this book was not the one for me, i did enjoy reading a romance set in ontario's cottage country (a criminally under-used setting). i always love supporting stories by/about women of colour, and i hope more of these stories will be published.


many thanks to the author, netgalley, and kobo originals for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A spicy read from an "Own Voices" author. Two adult children of best friends, after seeing each other for the first time in 10 years feel a true attraction to each other, but their mothers (jaded by their own experiences as single mothers) are both completely against the relationship. Will love triumph over family loyalty? I'm crossing my fingers for these kids!

Were the characters layered? No. Did I ever figure out why these two hadn't seen each other for 10 years? Not really. No matter. I enjoyed this quick, fun read. My thanks to the author, the publisher, and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. #TheUnmatchmakers

This is the funniest book. I laughed out loud so many times. The characters are great and delightful.
Three lifelong friends have bought a lakeside vacation home and gather together there with their adult kids. Two of the kids, Neil and Leora, find an instant attraction to the chagrin of theri “No relationship is a good relationship” mothers. The mother’s antics ensue as they try to separate Neil and Leora. But,if you force it too far, expect disastrous results.
I have already found another Jackie Lau novel to read because laughter is always good.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are
my own.

This was a very funny read. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a steamy, low angst read perfect to read in one sitting.

I really liked Leora and Neil, they were great MCs, even though Leora was one awkward fall away for me to get a bit annoyed. The blurb says this is friends to lovers but it isn’t because they haven’t seen each other for like 10 years and they weren’t friends as kids so don’t expect that trope if it’s what made you pick this one. I liked how, even though the book takes place in like, a week, their relationship doesn’t feel very forced.

What I didn’t truly enjoy was their mother’s meddling to keep them apart. I thought there was gonna be a reason, but the one they give is very selfish and self centered, so that kinda made me sad.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think it’s a perfect summer read.

Rating: 3/5
Steam level: 2/5

Thanks to Valentine PR for my ARC. Opinions are my own!

First of all, that cover is just gorgeous and was exactly what made me pick this up. I had a great time reading this book. This is about Leona and Neil, childhood friends who reunite after many years. Being in such forced proximity definitely amped up their feelings and chemistry. The only problem is their mothers, who don't want them to be together. These two were cute and the antic were so much fun. If you're looking for a summer read with childhood best friends trope, I'd recommend this!

I love this unmatchmaking matchmaking romance

You’d think my mother would be trying to set me up with architect Neil Choy, the unmarried son of her best friend. But you’d be wrong.

My single mother has always been fiercely independent. Since I was a small child, she’s always told me not to believe in fairy tales and that I don’t need a man. So she’s failed to mention that Neil is a total hottie in glasses. When I see him for the first time in a decade, on a multi-family cottage vacation, I’m in for quite a shock. (In fact, I nearly fall in the lake, but let’s keep that a secret.)

He sure can grill a mean steak and mix a killer cocktail, plus he’s pretty impressive in a kayak. Yes, he’s a little stern and grumpy, but that just makes him more fun to tease—and makes it more satisfying when he quirks his lips in my direction.

Even though my mind is spinning romantic fantasies, I’m not entirely sure how he feels. And I’m afraid that if anything happens between us, it’ll screw up the friendship between our staunchly anti-relationship mothers. Especially since they’ve been acting increasingly weird since we arrived—I will never forgive them for the S’mores Incident. In fact, I think they’re trying to sabotage my love life, and I’m starting to worry that I won’t make it through this bizarre summer vacation…

Synopsis: Leora's mom and her mom's two best friends have bought a vacation house on a lake, and they're all going up to the lake with their adult kids for a vacation. Leora hasn't seen the other "kids" in years and is shocked to find that Neil has become super hot! They're both attracted to each other, but there's one big issue: their moms. Both Leora's mom and Neil's mom are single after their marriages ended poorly, and want their children to stay single. The moms end up trying to embarrass Leora and Neil and get into a bunch of hijinks to try to keep them apart! Leora and Neil are afraid that their budding relationship will drive a wedge between the mom and don't want them to have a falling out, but as the vacation goes on it gets harder and harder to deny their mutual attraction.

Review: Overall I think the premise of this book was good and while it has a lot of fun moments, I think that it suffered from a few issues. The first was pacing - this was a short book and there was a lot of story to try to condense into it! But there was a lot of extra details that were not advancing the storyline so then the storyline felt very compressed. Leora sees Neil right after getting to the lake house and basically falls in insta-love at first sight. Neil never felt like a very well developed character - we don't get any understanding of why he is attracted to Leora. Because of these two issues their relationship/attraction never felt very well developed or believable.

The second main issue is the fact that Leora's mom wants her to be single forever. I partially understand this because her own relationship ended badly, but I think it went a bit too far in the book. It isn't that she wants Leora to be a strong, independent woman - she just basically hates love and thinks Leora should never fall in love. She never let Leora play with dolls as a child or read books where the characters fall in love or anything like that, and once paid one of Leora's boyfriends to break up with her. It actually seems like incredibly toxic and harmful parenting and goes way beyond being funny.

There were still a lot of cute and funny moments and it was a quick read that was still entertaining! I enjoyed the use of the friends to lovers and forced proximity tropes.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Unmatchmakers! This book will be released on June 28, 2022!

‘I feel like I belong here. With him. In this moment’
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rating: 4,75/5
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tropes: childhood friends to lovers, (sort of) forbidden dating, grumpy x sunshine
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Thank you NetGalley and KOBO Original for the arc. 
It's the summer holiday and Leora is going to spend a week in the cabin bought by her mother and her mother's friends with them and their childrens that she hasn't seen in years. One of those children is Neil, after seeing him after 10 years Leora is blown away and starts to develop a crush on him, because he is the perfect man. But there is one catch, their mothers, who are anti-relationship after being deceived by them, don't approve of them dating and will do everything to separate them from each other.
This book is a short, summer read. I really loved it and it was so fun to read. I really loved Leora and Neil's relationship, and the little flashback from when they were children was so cute. I especially loved Leora as she is the main character, she is so fun to read about and I was so proud of her for standing up to her mother and for wanting to do everything for her relationship with Neil. I also loved how the book was more focused on everyone's friendship and friends activities than just on the romance.
Overall this book is a fun book for rom-coms fans about characters who want to date each other despite their mothers attempts to separate them
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rep: hong kongese characters + li on the autism spectrum
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genre: Adult romance (+ steamy scenes)-#TheUnmatchmakers #NetGalley

This is my first Jackie Lau book. The premise sounded intriguing, having parents trying to keep their kids away from each other is quite different from the usual.
Leora has always been told by her mother that she didn't need a man. She projects her fears on her daughter, and I like how Leora stood up for herself and her happiness.
Neil is the strong silent type, completely the opposite of Leora, but I found that they balance each other really well.
Overall, a very nice romcom with relatable moments.

A fun summer read. Leora has a meddling mother, she wants her daughter to not make her mistakes. She is the anti relationship mom and she travels with her two lifelong friends, the aunties. When the three of them make an investment of a lake side vacation home they all get together for a vacation. The moms, the kids, now adults and all their memories. When Leora gets to the lake house and see's a hot man climbing out of the lake and realizes he's her aunties boy all grown up she finds herself conflicted with lust and parental disapproval. And so the challange begins. :D
It was fun watching these friends trying to discourage the flames growing between these two. It was different from many romances, the parents trying to kill the love in so many sneaky ways. it was silly at times, a bit unrealistic, and the perfect beach read. Short funny and not serious. I was lucky to get and ARC from the publishers for an honest review.

The Unmatchmakers was a cute and funny romcom, albeit short (it's really more of a novella). I enjoyed the setting of a lakefront vacation home a few hours drive from Toronto, and the dynamic of the bickering best-friend moms reminded me of the aunties from 'Dial A for Aunties'. That being said, the story focused a lot more on Leora and her mother's contrasting views on relationships than the actual romance between Leora and Neil. The leads' interactions left me wanting a bit more, and since they had known each other since they were kids I expected a deeper connection between them. Overall this was a light, fun, and enjoyable read like the author's other novel 'Donut Fall In Love'.

Thank you to Netgalley and Valentine PR for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Usually I am not one for a shorter story but this one was cute and I really enjoyed it. Obviously, one of the reasons for requesting this one was because of the cover. Haha, I’m predictable at this point when it comes to that!

The book follows one point-of-view and it comes from Leora. She is meeting her mom and childhood friends for a week long trip on a lake. There isn’t much character development and what we do get is about growth. There are quite a few characters that have growth and it was nice to see how each one dealt with the situations that were handed to them for the growth to happen. I feel like her mom and auntie had the most since they really don’t believe in love.

The families reminded me a lot of Dial A for Aunties. Leora’s mom and aunties were hilarious. I never thought I would read a book where the moms will do anything to break up their children. It was insane the lengths they would try to go. It definitely made the book very comedic.

If you are a steamy romance reader, there are two scenes that take place between the couple and a lot of lead-up to it all.

Overall, this was cute and would be a nice book to take on a summer vacation, especially because it is on the shorter side. I’m not one for friend-to-lovers but this one sure makes me want to change my mind.

I really enjoyed this book. Leora is really likable. She is a romantic in spite of her mother's attempts to inhibit that. She is resilient and optimistic, and she likes herself. When she sees Neil for the first time in 10 years, she is blown away, but she knows that her mother and Neil's mother wouldn't like the two of them to couple up. She tries to keep a lid on her reaction to him, but he is just too adorable. He is respectful, thoughtful, and intelligent. Shoot, I was ready to fight Leora for him, LOL. He is also trying to keep a bit of distance because he doesn't want to upset their mothers, but he eventually can't fight his attraction anymore. It was all very swoony.
I liked that he and Leora had known each other for so long. Their coupledom happens fast, but they already have a shared background that gives them a solid foundation. Leora mentions several times that she is glad that he already knows how her mother is and why. I also liked their conversations with each other because they were fun and filled with chemistry.
The mothers are completely over the top in a fun way. They provide lots of comedy but also some heartfelt moments. Everyone has to face their parents' expectations and baggage at some point, and Leora and Neil do it in a much funnier way than most of us probably do. Still, they are respectful and understanding of their mothers' struggles while standing up for themselves. All of this means that this is the best novel that I have read by Lau, and I definitely recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and KOBO Original for the arc! #TheUnmatchmakers #NetGalley

The description of the book is what mainly drew me in to this story. However, right from the beginning the writing really did not connect with me. There were times where things were written that weren't necessarily needed and did not make the writing enjoyable

The plot potential was there, it just wasn't written well enough for me to get fully involve in the book.