3.5 stars rounded up. This book was a quick, easy read that had a good small-town feel to it. Katie is happy working in her little town’s bar, and she is determined to fight back when a large corporation wants to tear it down to open up more space for a new hotel and golf course. She starts planning to revive the town’s matchmaking festival that used to be held at the bar. Along the way, she meets Callum, who works for the ‘enemy’. Also featuring a cast of supportive friends/found-family, the townspeople are heartwarming.

I loved Katie, and I loved that she was perfectly happy with her life. A lot of times in small-town set novels, the main character is determined to leave for a bigger life. It was nice to see a character who is happy right where she is. I loved Callum. I loved that he never tried to convince Katie she should want or need more than she had. However, I wish their relationship had had more development to it and had been a little less insta-love. I didn’t feel any strong connection to the two of them together and felt that Callum was far more invested than Katie. Also, the matchmaking festival that was made to be a big piece of the story ended up being mostly background rather than contributing much. I did love the town rallying and being willing to fight for the place that they loved, mirroring Katie’s happiness and contentment with the idea that bigger isn’t always better or necessary.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5
🌶️/5 Spice

Okay, first of all, this was set in a small Irish town; like, come on! It is aaall the cozy vibes. I think having the FMC fight against a big corporation really highlighted the quaint, village feel. Add in the MMC being part of that big corporation…now things are getting interesting!

Katie and Callum were so adorable together. Their chemistry was apparent right away. My absolute favorite part about them is their authenticity. Their feelings and interactions felt real and genuine. They were always straightforward to each other (except for one thing, but it was honestly dealt with so quickly and so well) and even though I could have used just a *smidgen* more of a slow burn, I really liked how they came together.

The side characters were so much fun! Each of them brought a different personality to the story — friendship, family, witty banter, teasing jokes, struggles, lightheartedness and everything in between — which really highlighted the FMC, her personal growth, and the town’s journey.

I think the plot veered off a bit a few times, but overall it was great! It was cute and quirky and hit you straight in the heart. There were definitely laugh out loud moments, but also some that made me tear up and made my chest hurt, in the best way possible.

✅ I would definitely recommend this to those that want a quick little pick-me-up or someone trying to get over a reading slump!

—

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“Anywhere you want to go. If you want me to, I’ll follow.”

All the books that I've read until date written by Catherine Walsh have not disappointed me and this one was no different. Callum & Katie were so cute together! The plot and setting was easy to get into and I loved the vibes it gave off. All the side characters were perfectly constructed too. Especially Katie's grandma! She and her dark humour were the highlight of this book for me lol! Sometimes Katie's actions were over dramatic but I found her quirks to be adorable somehow. Callum was the right guy for her. He handled her freakouts pretty well and made her see how much he loved her by his actions. Overall, the book was fun, lighthearted and full of amazing characters with their own stories who would keep you entertained!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

Another fun, laugh-out-loud, romantic comedy from Catherine Walsh.

The small town of Ennisbawn has been bombarded by a construction company building up a large new hotel just outside of town. Katie works at the pub in town, and will do anything to save the town and pub she loves, including bringing back a Matchmaking Festival. Callum works for the aforementioned construction company, and well, I think you see where this is going.

“𝘏𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘺.”

“𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸?”

“𝘉𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘞𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭. 𝘓𝘦𝘵’𝘴 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯.”

I laughed. I teared up. I had a good time reading this one. There was a point in the later parts of this book where I felt that the plot kid of peteted off a bit, which is why it wasn’t quite a 5 star read for me, but otherwise I really enjoyed it!

If you are looking for a lighthearted read to cheer you up, this is a perfect book to pick up!.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
🌶️🌶️ / 5

What this book is giving:
✅ Romantic Comedy
✅ Small town romance
✅ Laugh out loud moments
✅ Set in Ireland
✅ Fun side characters

absolutely loved reading this! i am a big fan of catherine walsh's other works and this one did not disappoint! the banter and the pacing was perfect, loved the main character and her friends! definitely recommend it if you are looking for a nice and funny read!

*4.25/5

catherine walsh has definitely become an auto-read author for me, every time one of her books is announced i just cant wait to read it and i never feel disappointed by it! i really enjoyed the setting, the main character katie, and her group of friends, nush, gemma, and adam, and her love interest callum, the quips and banter between the characters was as always hilarious. the book is engaging and keeps you reading. my only very small complain is that the development of the relationship between katie and callum was a bit too fast for my liking, but otherwise i just really loved this book, it was a funny and cosy read that i definitely recommend!

arc provided by netgalley and bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

There are so many books with similar cute cartoon covers, yet books by Catherine Walsh are exceptional, perfectly balanced feel-good romcoms that deserve more recognition. The Matchmaker is not an exemption because of:

* great writing, capturing reader's attention from the first page, delightful banter between characters, no stupid miscommunication or ridiculous third act breakup;

* great story, full of heart, depth, laughter and some tears, set in Ireland, in a village, which fights against a big company, building there a hotel and bringing changes that might destroy the community and its cultural heritage;

* great characters - quirky selfless Katie, her grumpy granny, sarcastic single mum Gemma, radical best friend Nush, cute teenager Noah, and many others, and let's not forget Callum, a perfect bookboyfriend, who is kind, supportive and immensely hot, I've rooted for that man since his first appearance, and, oh boy, he hasn't disappointed.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange of honest review.

The Matchmaker is an Irish rom-com about Katie and Callum. Katie lives in a tiny Irish village and a big time developer comes to town to build a fancy hotel and golf course. She meets Callum, who is in charge of the construction site, and can't help being attracted to him. She finds out they have plans to take down the pub that is her final connection to her parents, who met at the towns matchmaking festival. Katie decides she is going to revive the matchmaking festival with the help of the town, bringing it back to life again. Will she be able to bring love to the town and her friends, and will she maybe fall in love in the process?

This was a lighthearted cute romance that I enjoyed. Not only did I like Katie and Callum, but I did enjoy the other townspeople, including her two best friends. I loved Callum and how he didn't try to change Katie, and accepted her for who she was. He really put her first and even when she didn't know it he was caring for her. I also really felt for Katie and her trying to do everything for everyone, and realizing just how much she loved her town.

I did find that there were definitely ebbs in this book and there were a few "extra" conflicts that I didn't think were necessary, but overall I enjoyed myself and read it quickly. I have read all of Catherine Walsh's romances and have really enjoyed them! Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this book. All opinions are 100% mine.

The perfect feel-good romantic comedy what will make you laugh and cry . Katie lives in a small Irish village all her life and doesn't wish to ever leave . When a big construction company comes to village to built a hotel everything change to the quiet village . Katie is very angry with them and especially with Callum . When Callum's boss demands the pub Katie works to be destroyed she is devastated . The pub was the place her late parents met and fell in love . So now she will bring back the matchmaking festival with the help of the villagers . I loved the way Callum put her first . I liked her friends and their love matches . And of course the love Katie has for her grandma .
I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC. Thank you! All thoughts and opinions are my own .

Katie is devastated when she learns that a hotel is going up in her village of Ennisbawn. Not, only that, but the pub she works at is being torn down as well to be replaced by a golf course. Katie meets the man in charge, Callum Dempsey, and can't help her attraction to him. She has a brilliant idea to bring her town back to life by reviving a matchmaking festival that was once held in the village. Will she be able to bring her community back together and find love for her friends, or even herself?

THE MATCHMAKER was my second Catherine Walsh book. This was such a delight to read. I loved Katie and Callum and instantly knew there would be a growing attraction between them. Katie was such a great character and the way the story ended was just perfect. I love that the author added an epilogue. If you enjoy a light and fun romance/romcom, this is sure to be a winner for you.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review will be shared to my Instagram (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

The Matchmaker is a delightful Irish rom-com with likable characters and a great ending!!

Synopsis: When a developer comes to Katie Collin’s tiny Irish village and plans to not only build a fancy hotel but also knock down the pub she calls home, Katie is outraged and decides she will do whatever it takes prevent that from happening. Enter Katie’s plan to revive the town’s matchmaking festival with its old wishing well. What she doesn’t expect though is to fall for the guy who’s supposed to be her enemy.

Thoughts: This was a lighthearted and cute read with a beautiful Irish setting. I loved how the book not only focused on Katie’s romantic relationship but also the relationships with her family and friends. These secondary characters were diverse, fun, and lively, and I looked forward to the scenes they were in. While nothing will ever beat my love for Holiday Romance, I will continue to read all of Walsh’s books.

Read if you like:
-Small town Irish villages
-Matchmaking
-Opposites attract
-Supportive best friends
-Grandmother/granddaughter relationships

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC. This is out 4/18/23

A beautiful book. Insanely romantic and utterly convincing. A bitter-sweet pang in my heart.
I liked the idea behind the novel and the execution of that idea was impressive.