This is a cute and fun vacation story, Leora and Neil have known each other since they were kids because their moms are best friends, but they can't stand each other ever since, now they are adults, and their mothers organize a vacation together, when Leora and Neil meet again on vacations, the attraction arises between them, but their mothers are determined that nothing happens between them because both have had bad experiences in relationships. This story made me laugh a lot, and how their mothers do the unthinkable to make them stay away, but the attraction is more powerful and boom, when they finally give in to what they feel the chemistry is explosive. The Unmatchers is a fun, sexy and light story perfect for fans of rom-coms.

This book was not what I thought it would be. I thought it would be a funny, exciting book about two best friends that will keep their children apart from dating each other. But it was different.

I was shocked at how short the book was. It gave depth plot line rather than focusing on the romance. The pacing was odd. The book focused more on the friends group activities and chats rather than on the romance plot. It wasn’t well done. The insta-love was “insta-loving” and I very much did not enjoy that.

Both characters were a bit boring. I haven’t learned much about them and even their chemistry wasn’t that good.

The book fell short for me. I was hoping for a funny, quick romance novella and it wasn’t that for me.

Well this book was fun. I normally prefer watching romantic comedies to reading them as I tend to get impatient with the inevitable. Instead I found this one quick to get into and hilarious. It didn’t hurt that is was under 200 pages. I was thrown off by the sex scene - is that usually in romcom books? Clutch my pearls I wasn’t expecting one of those!

The idea of a story around Asians mothers NOT wanting to set up their kids was quirky and refreshing. The mothers have their reasons and it’s both thoughtful and comedic. The MC, Leora (along with the rest of the characters), is adorable, funny and easy to love. Recommend for fans of Dial A For Aunties.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This bite-sized novel was just what we were looking for for summer vacation! It's got Jackie Lau's trademark Canadian setting and Asian-Canadian characters, a super fun rom-com set-up, and an all-around perfect couple. Leora and Neil grew up around each other. Their mothers are two of a threesome of single mom BFFs who just went in on a vacation house together. To celebrate, all of the families are invited for a weeklong vacation. That's where Neil and Leora see each other for the first time in years. You'd think that two best friends would be over the moon that their adult children are falling in love - but instead, Leora's and Neil's mothers are doing everything they can to sabotage the relationship. Leora and Neil will have to decide if a budding connection is worth family disapproval.

Leora is a cheerful, social, romance-novel-reading second grade teacher, while Neil is a serious architect. Although the novel is short, the background from Neil and Leora's shared childhood makes their connection believable. Even the inevitable third act conflict feels in-character on both parties' parts. The book is also hilarious! Leora knows just how far she can push Neil, while he knows that her teasing is based on years of acquaintance. Their mutual respect really shines through.

And, in case you were wondering (cause we were), this is a real romcom in that it is real funny, but it's also a real romance in that it is sexy! Neil knows his way around the bedroom and Leora knows what she wants and how to ask for it. And if they get interrupted a few times by their moms (which, totally plausible and totally cringe), they make up for it later.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

This is my first book by Jackie Lau but definitely won’t be my last. What a quick fun romcom that is a perfect beach book. I loved the characters as they all had their own unique quirks that made them so relatable. A book that not only makes you smile, but makes you feel like a s’more inside.

Well, this didn't turn out as I thought from the description. To be honest, I thought it would be fun to see two best friends try to keep their children apart, possibly in very funny scenarios.

But, the situations were completely different. The plot takes itself too seriously and it's frankly ridiculous. Leora and Neil are childhood friends and haven't seen each other in years, but then they have to spend a week (ONE WEEK) together at a new vacation home their moms bought.

To say it's insta-love would be an understatement, and man, I am totally not a fan of insta-love. But, while the two try to work it out whether the other is interested (in the span of a short week), their mothers try to keep them apart because... they've sworn off love, so their children should, too.

Throughout the book, Leora complains that she wishes to have a mother who would be there to set her up, but, let's face it, 90% of moms are like that, and absolutely no one likes it.

Leora's relationship with Neil feels rushed and their interactions are so superficial (although, in her fantasies, Leora is ready to marry him since the first time she laid eyes on him), and it doesn't make any sense.

Again, I expected their mom's meddling to be funny and cute, but it was cringe. There were hints of deeper issues going on, but absolutely no one in the book went to therapy and dismissed it as useless. The characters didn't feel complex, or real, so it made it harder to connect to them.

The only thing good about this book is the fact that it's super short (less than 200 pages), and it flows pretty quickly, so I managed to read it all in a couple of days. For me, it's about 1.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kobo for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a very cute summer rom-com. It's a super fast read, with minimal drama, perfect for a weekend at the cottage.

The Unmatchmakers is about a bunch of childhood friends reuniting for a week of vacation at their newly purchased home. Leora and Neil haven't seen one other in a long time, but things have changed since their previous encounter. They end up falling in love, but their mothers are the main issue.

Both of their mothers have had disastrous relationships in the past. They have made it a point to ensure that their children's partnerships do not survive long. Which, in my opinion, is wrong. Just because your love life has taken a turn for the worse doesn't mean you have to drag your children down with you and become enraged that they desire to fall in love. They act as if they don't want their children to fall in love with anyone! They’re own kids don’t have a say in their own relationships. I mean Leora mother payed a guy $200 just to break up with her???

It's okay if they didn't want to fall in love and marry, but their mothers are making this decision for them, which isn't acceptable. Please, for the love of god, listen to your children and set your own feelings aside. That part irritated me tremendously. And these mothers will go to every length to ensure that Leora and Neil do not fall in love and keep away from one other. They were simply not acceptable.

If I'm being honest, the two of them were a little boring. It's as if we don't know anything about them and they're just... blah.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸

The Unmatchmakers is a friends-to-lovers, forced proximity, contemporary romance read, and is a perfect addition to your summer-read-TBR.
It's a fast paced book making time fly by like nothing and very likely a book you'll read in one sitting. The characters are very lovable and very relatable.

Jackie Lau creates another pair of great people with a great story ahead of them! Definitely a book worth reading!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of “The Unmatchmakers.” I enjoyed this book and it was a fast, fun read, perfect for the start of summer. It is the story of childhood friends, Neil and Leora, who meet again as adults after their mothers purchase a vacation home together. They are immediately drawn to one another but to their surprise, their mothers do not approve and actively try to keep them apart. The mothers were humorous, if slightly unbelievable and Neil and Leora had good chemistry. Neil was the perfect hero, very sweet and caring towards Leora. The story was very low angst, with most of the drama arising from the mothers. Overall, I would recommend this read, especially if you are a fam of Jackie Lau - you will not be disappointed!

<i>thank you netgalley and kobo for an earc of this book!</i>

<b>rating:</b> 2.5 stars

maybe i need to lower my expectations, because this book was honestly a massive disappointment.

given the length of the book, i didn’t expect an in depth plot line or anything beyond the romance, but the entire book just felt very off. the pacing was a mess, the establishment of the romance wasn’t done well (for the fact that it’s meant to be a quick, short romance), and the author tries to establish a plot line and conflict that misses.

leora and neil are childhood family friends who reunite for a summer vacation and end up falling for one another, but there’s a small issue–her mom doesn’t want her dating him, nor does his mom really want him falling for her. sounds cute, right? here’s where it goes wrong.

from the get go, neil’s introduction isn’t done well. leora just sees him, thinks he’s hot, and then suddenly realizes he’s neil…what? you’d think for being childhood friends there’d be some early recognition or something but i don’t know i didn’t particularly like it. into neil’s actual character, he’s SO bland, he’s meant to be a stoic, kinda grumpy esque character but he genuinely just comes off as boring and a little weird, if i’m being honest. and then he has this sudden jump to wanting to make out and have sex with leora, and it’s just like… huh??

the mother plotline is also just odd. it gets properly introduced around 70% in, which is kinda weird considering the length of the book, and all in all it’s just odd. it builds a conflict that’s just too BIG for a less than 200 page book, and then the resolution is done in such a random way that you’re left feeling like the ending payoff of the book isn’t worth it.

all in all, this was just a big miss for me. i was really hoping for a funny, quick romcom, but this honestly just read as nothing like that. i would have DNFed if we’re being honest, if not for the length of the book.

I'm not quite sure what to think about this one, though I think the longer I process it, the more I'd drop my rating.
Leora and Neil have known each other since they were kids. Their moms are best friends and they've bought a holiday home together and reunited the families for a big trip. Leora and Neil have a fairly typical typical romance glow up meeting and things grow from there. I genuinely didn't feel their connection though, although they seem to spend a great deal of time together on page, I don't recall massive amounts of dialogue between them helping them to learn each other and fall in love.
Most of the story centres around the moms and their selfish desires and ridiculous antics to keep Leora and Neil apart. I'm not sure I'd have been as forgiving as they were once they figured everything out.
Thank you to netgalley, the publishers and the author for the arc in exchange for an honest review

I liked this book a lot. The grumpy-sunshine trope really works here and the addition of a meddling extended family was *chef’s kiss*. All in all, it’s a great romcom to relax with.

The Unmatchmakers by Jackie Lau was undeniably amazing!

This wonderful, sweet forced-proximity, friends-to-lovers romantic comedy haze me reading till early hours of the morning.
It was funny and silly and sweet, beautifully written, with thoughtful characters.
There was so much depth and heart written into it.
The humor, friendship, and struggles are all relatable on some level.
The author does a great job of getting readers into the mind and heart of her main characters.
The Unmatchmakers was adorable and exactly what I needed right now.
A fun, flirty, and heartwarming story that somehow weaves together the right amount of romance that I adored!

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Kobo Originals,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

*This review is written for readers, NOT the author!!*

I was given this book as an ARC from NetGalley. The review is my honest opinion.

This book is short and I would consider it more like a novella rather than a novel. I am not sure how long the book itself is but I would estimate it to be 150-200 pages.

This book follows Leora as she goes on a vacation to a lake house with her mom, her mom's friends, and their children. There, she reconnects with Neil. The book's setting takes place outside of Toronto in the rural part which I liked.

The reason I gave this book a low rating is that Leora mentions her 'romantic fantasies' sooooo many times, that it's annoying. It was super cheesy and cliche and not in a good way. The book takes place over a week so the relationship happens quickly and I am not a huge fan of insta-love. I thought the mother's being friends would be cute but it turned out to be super annoying. I was unable to connect with Leora and it was hard to get behind the "girly girl" side of her (for reference, she liked UNICORN towels in her late twenties). I found it really annoying but this could be something others would like. I thought she was shallow and trying too hard.

Neil had more depth but I personally didn't LOVE him. However, I found it cute how he would cook for her as well as make her drinks.

None of the characters were complex which I found unsatisfying. As for the plot, I found it hard to root for Neil and Leora when it happened so quickly and I couldn't connect with the characters. The aspect of their mothers was poorly written, as well. Dee and her family were the only saving grace. Personally, I do not think this book is worth the time, though I may not have been the best audience to judge being that I don't like insta-love.

Oh my god. So I read this entire book in less than 4 hours, even including the one hour boat trip i went on in the middle of those four hours, while on vacation. This book was AMAZING. I have never read from this author before, but I can guarantee that I will be reading more of her books in the future. I am very much hoping for more of these characters somewhere down the road, because I love them all! They were all so realistically portrayed, with flaws and amazing features both shown. Five star read, and I cannot recommend it to any romance fan enough.

Such a fun opposites attract summer romance between two childhood friends who reunite when their mothers buy a vacation home in Ontario's cottage country. If you're looking for an entertaining beach read this book is the perfect fit!

Leona and Neil haven't seen one another in years but when they find themselves spending a week together with their families they can't help but feel the chemistry. Unlike many Asian mothers though, theirs aren't trying to match them up and instead are actively trying to keep them apart.

The couple have to decide whether it's more important to make their mother's happy or give in to their feelings. I really loved the antics, the banter, how real Neil felt as a neurodiverse man who loved to bake. The author should also really get paid for endorsing Timbits in the book lol!! I was fully on board for all the Canadianisms though.

Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy. Perfect for fans of Jesse Q Sutanto and Jayci Lee. This book looks like it's going to be a Kobo Original and might not be out in hardcopy for a while unfortunately which is a shame because the cover is so cute and I want a copy for my shelves!!

The Unmatchmakers by Jackie Lau!

I've never read this author before but I enjoyed this one and will be keeping an eye out for what else Jackie publishes!

Set on a week long vacation with old family friends who haven't seen each other for ten years, The Unmatchmakers is the story of two friends whose kindling romance is repeatedly interrupted by meddling mothers whose past bad experiences lead to them wanting their children to avoid relationships.

This book was a lot of fun, a super quick read that would be perfect for a week long vacation - just like how the characters in this book spent so much time reading together (which I really enjoyed!)

I did like both Leora and Neil as the main character and love interest, though as I prefer romances with dual POVs, I do wish we got to know Neil just as much as Leora.

The three mother characters were also interesting, their dynamic really felt like lifelong friends, and so were all the other siblings who were along on the trip as well. I do like that there wasn't any unnecessary drama between them.

Overall, a fun read, and I'm grateful to Netgalley for sending it to me early for review!

I always love the idea of meddling family and this rom-com encapsulated what I’d expect. It also pushed what I wanted. I do wish the vacation lasted longer than just a week so the MCs could have more time to connect.

A spectacular Canadian cottage country setting, two mischievous mothers trying to matchmake their kids and a lighthearted friends to lovers theme! I’m sold!

This book is quick, unputdownable, feelgood read! First you fell for its fantastic cover and then you get lost yourself in entertaining, sweet, soft, swoon story!

I loved main character Leora from the beginning. Hottie in glass Neil: for childhood friend was so reserved and it took a little time for me to like this character. The way Leora realizes she has feelings for him was a little instant but this book is fast paced, quick read so insta love perfectly fit in the execution.

I absolutely recommend to all feelgood romance lovers! Definitely great escape from reality and enjoy Canadian sightseeings!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kobo Originals for sharing this lovely digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.