I loved Callum and Katie, ennisbawn is so cute and i want to escape there for a holiday. This was such a quick fun read that definitely gave me better than hallmark vibes.
All of the characters were lovable and relatable, i loved that the side characters didn’t feel one dimensional.

A fun and quirky read. I loved getting to know the main charater and finding where their story lead. Would happily reccomend

I really enjoyed this sweet small town romance. Katie loves her small Irish town, and her mother is the town matchmaker, something Katie will inherit. She’s heard of a developer named Callum who paves over everything he sees, so when he’s her town, she pickets and will do whatever it takes to keep her town out of the hands of the annoyingly good looking Callum.

This book has cute premise and interesting characters, 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This book was so so fun! I loved reading it and was instantly hooked to Katie and Callum’s love story.

Katie loves her hometown and refuses to stand by as developers come in and start trying to turn the home she loves into a horrible hotel. They’re planning to knock down the pub she works in and is the last connection to her parents as they met at the pub as part of the once famous matchmaking festival. Katie comes up with a plan to save the pub, by reviving the festival and fixing up the wishing well that played a large part in it. She has a lot stacked against her, but is determined to save her home.

‘Or maybe, it’s because I don’t know how I’m going to tear down your favourite place in the world when I can barely stand the thought of you getting caught in the rain.’

Unfortunately for her, Callum is one of the developers and he is incredibly attractive. Katie can’t help but gravitate towards him and as they keep bumping into each other around town, feelings start to grow. There was a lot of tension between these two and I was so here for it!

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

I really enjoyed this one and will continue to read Catherine Walsh’s books as they never fail to make me smile, swoon, and obsessed with the characters.

Catherine Walsh's humour remains top-tier. No other romance author makes me genuinely cackle like she does!
While the overall story wasn't personally as gripping as Holiday Romance was, I don't believe in comparing different books from the same author; they're different stories and should be treated as such.
Growing to appreciate both Katie and Callum was easy and I was rooting for them from the get-go.
I think this would be a perfect book for those who are unsure whether romance is a genre they might enjoy and would definitely recommend!

This book was short and sweet! The small town and its citizens had so much character that it was hard not to fall in love with it. I rated it 3 stars because I couldn't see myself wanting to read it again or recommending it as a must-read to friends.

I really enjoyed Catherine Walsh’s book Holiday Romance and was excited to read her newest release, The Matchmaker. This story is about Katie and Callum, who battle it out over a pub in Katie’s small village.

This was a fun, sweet, and cute story. I liked the character’s personalities and their banter throughout the story. Even after a rough meeting, Callum is intrigued by Katie and it was fun to see this progress throughout their “battle.” I always love enemies to lovers trope and this was a fun take on it.

The romance did feel a little overshadowed by the plot at times and I did struggle to see their actual romantic connection for a while. Although the plot did keep my attention, I would have liked more development between Katie and Callum before the end. I like to see more of the couple together, even with enemies to lovers stories. Overall, great writing as always and an enjoyable story.

I loved this book. I read it about a month ago and I honestly just keep finding myself thinking about it often. This was so lighthearted and exactly what I needed. I was hooked from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. I definitely want to read more of Catherine’s books.

Since reading Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh I’ve been very keen to read everything else she’s ever written. This did not disappoint. It was fun, swoony and hit all the right notes.

There are a couple of factors that I use to differentiate between a general 'chick-lit'/woman's fiction and a romance book, at least to classify it on my blog. If the story within the pages is all about the balance between two people, preferably with both viewpoints, then it counts as a romance. If the romance is a side product of the growth of the lead protagonist (as it usually is) and the machinations and plans during the narrative are for a higher purpose, it is not solely a romantic book.
This story falls under the latter criteria. Although the central plot revolves around matchmaking and couples finding happily ever afters, it is more about Katie Collins finding out what she truly wants in life.
Katie has been living in the same small town forever. She works at the local pub, the same one where her parents met and where she once did her homework. Suffice it to say she is extremely attached to it. When the local developers who have big plans for the neighbouring area (and are in the process of realising them) decide they want to buy the pub as well, Katie has a new agenda.
I liked how the practicalities of hosting a matchmaking event are handled. On the first day, when people are to meet the ones who technically match up to them, things do not go according to plan. The entire scheme is to bring new interest into their town and give them the freedom to retain the 'feel' of their community.
I also liked the final realistic relationship between erstwhile enemies when forced into regular proximity. I have read two other books by the author and like the narrative style. The characters and their conversations are always entertaining, and I ended up reading this in very few sittings.
I would recommend this book and the author for fans of this genre.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Katie is determined to save her small Irish Village of Ennisbawn from a developer that wants to turn it in a touristy area. Callum is working as part of the construction crew with the developer, but after meeting Katie, he's had a change of heart and wants to help her as she makes a decision to bring back an old village tradition of a Matchmaker festival.

I previously read Holiday Romance from Catherine Walsh and I was smitten from the first page. The Matchmaker took a whopping 50% before I felt like I was actually interested in reading the book.
I almost DNF'ed at 40% because I struggled with just not feeling interested. Katie and Callum had very little chemistry, I was actually more invested in the relationship of the side characters.

Overall, just eh about the finished book.

However, huge thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The opinion is 100% my own.

This story was absolutely adorable and gave me all the feels. The characters were sweet and I immediately fell in love with them. This was a great enemies to lovers story that was right up my alley. Kate has lived all her life in a quaint Irish village, and she loves it just the way it is. But then Callum comes to town wanting to build hotels and tear down smaller businesses, such as the pub where her parents had met at the matchmaking festival that was always held there. Kate decides to revive the festival in an effort to save the town and the pub, and Callum ends up helping her and is quite successful at charming her in the process. I was pulled into the story from the start and remained engaged till the end. Such a fun-filled romance that left me with a smile on my face! If you're looking for a heartwarming, funny, cute romance, then I would definitely recommend you give this a try!
I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Was a great book. Love the whole matchmaking process. I hate that the pub is possibly getting torn down. Then Katie finds something in Callum that would change everything. The whole coming out of nowhere romance is my favorite thing about the book

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my gifted copy. I’m a bit late to the party, but wanted to share my thoughts. ’The Matchmaker’ is a sweet easy read, however the plot could do with more depth, accompanied by stronger visuals.

3.5/5

Last year, I read 'Holiday Romance', my first encounter with Catherine Walsh. I loved that book! It was fun, romantic, sweet and the perfect holiday romance (you wouldn't say with that title). Since that moment I wanted to read every book of this author, so I knew I needed to read 'The Matchmaker'.

And this book was also so cute! It was not as cute or good as 'Holiday Romance', but I loved the atmosphere of the small Irish village and all the people in it. I also loved that fact that the book is not completely or only about romance. This book is about Katie, who finds herself while saving her place of work and her village. I loved the way she didn't give up, even though everything did not according to plan.

But I have to say, in the beginning I thought Katie was a little bit 'whiney'. She's grown a lot over the book, but in the beginning she was not the most likable character. Luckily that changes quickly.
And Callum? Where can we find a Callum? Absolutely a man written by a woman, but don't we all love them?

I would absolute recommend this one!

4 stars!

Another fun sweet romcom by Catherine Walsh! The I loved the characters and their sense of humors and the small town setting was perfect!! If you love the save-a small-town romance trope then definitely read this!

Enjoyable but not my favourite by this author. Full of banter and some serious issues to balance it out. If you like insta love then this book had that vibe. A good enemies to lovers story in a great setting.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I want to start by saying that I absolutely adored this book!

I enjoyed the setting, characters and plot line. I really liked Walsh's writing and would love to read more from this author.
I did, however, have a tiny issue with the pacing - hence it not being 5 stars.

I thought this was a cute book that had a good balance of tropes and plots but I had some struggles with characters and pacing.

The female MC was my fav of the book, but didn’t feel strong attachments to the others.

Appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC.

Catherine Walsh’s The Match Maker transports readers to Ennisbawn, a small ( fictional) town in the Irish countryside. When a big corporation begins buying Ennisbawn in hopes of turning it into a tourist attraction, locals fear their charming town will cease to exist. Spearheaded by Katie, the town bartender, the town devises a plan to bring back their match making festival. Will the attention and money raised be enough to save their town? Or will Ennisbawn be lost forever?

Having read Walsh’s previous works, I knew I could count on her for a cute read. I was once again immediately drawn into the story. Walsh does a fantastic job creating well-rounded characters. In fact, I was so invested that I loved some of the secondary characters just as much as the primary ones.

The one thing I will say I wish had been different was the title of the book. I found it to be a bit misleading. While Katie does spend some time as a match maker, she primarily focuses her attention on being the spokesperson and coordinator of the festival.

Special thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read this books in exchange for my honest feedback.