This was cute! I would have like a little more romance, but it was still a very enjoyable holiday read

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Oh i was so excited for this book but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one :( a bummer. thanks netgalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

The Merry Matchmaker is about Frankie, a middle aged woman, who thinks she knows what's best for everyone when it comes to their romantic life. She owns a shop called Holiday Happiness and is best friends with the Mitch, who owns the hardware store right next door. He even helped her through the loss of her beloved husband 9 years earlier.

For the most part, I enjoyed this book. However, I gave it 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4, because you can't give half stars on this platform) because I liked almost every character but Frankie. She was so busy prying and scheming in her friends and family's love lives and it all ended up going terribly. It's so frustrating that she doesn't learn her lesson and makes terrible decisions about her love life too. It's like she willfully ignores all the clues that are in front of her because she thinks she knows best, when she really doesn't. It literally takes her essentially being slapped in the face for her to realize something about her own love life and the things she does come off as selfish.

Now that I have the bad stuff out of the way, I loved Frankie's family dynamic. She is close with both her mom and sister and it's nice to see them interact (usually). I also really love Mitch. He's a sweet and caring guy who will do anything for Frankie and others in the town. The friendship side of their relationship is sweet, but the romantic meddling side is not.

I did enjoy the side story of Frankie and the Christmas committee. There was fun rivalry there, which I loved.

All in all I think this book was enjoyable, I just really wish that Frankie was written differently.

I have read quite a few by Sheila Roberts now and have enjoyed them all. The main character was a bit pushy perhaps but overall likeable and the town's characters and holiday festivities were fun to read/experience.

The Merry Matchmaker was a cute Christmas read! I loved the characters and the meddling matchmakers. Definitely a feel good holiday read!

The Merry Matchmaker is inspired by Jane Austin's Emma and is a fun Christmas romance. Frankie Lane is a fixer and thinks she knows what is best for everyone else. First she tries to match her divorced sister, Stef, with the new man in town, then she makes her shy employee, Elinor over to match her with one of their customers, and is constantly trying to convince her mom to remarry. She runs Holiday Happiness, a shop where she works with her mother and daughter. She is widowed and has a best friend, Mitch, who she spends a lot of time with. When Elinor's makeover has her falling for Mitch and spending time with him, Frankie suddenly has feelings of jealousy?

This was a fun festive story. Frankie has passed on chairing the Christmas festival this year so she can devote her time to matchmaking. She is quite the woman, one who thinks she knows what is best for everyone, but can't see what is best for herself. I really liked Mitch, he was her BFF, but it was obvious to this reader that he was just biding his time. The Christmas festivities were fun, and I loved the contests to choose Mrs. Claus. There were times that I got frustrated with Frankie, but it all worked out eventually. The characters were all wonderful and played various parts in the story. I always enjoy Sheila Roberts stories. Her writing is wonderful and I always enjoy her sweet, clean romances. Throw in Christmas festivities and family relationships and you have a wonderful Christmas romance.

This was a DNF for me, unfortunately. I couldn't connect with this even though I had heard great things about it. I found every holiday book I tried to read this past season centered around grief and mentally, I was not looking for that in a holiday read. So sorry and thank you for the opportunity,

A cozy, festive read with charming characters and small-town holiday vibes. While a bit predictable, it’s light and heartwarming—a nice pick for the holiday season!

Frankie loves her family and friends and only wants what is best for them. That's why she tries to set-up her shy employee, and finder her daughter a full-time job making her chocolates. She even tried to help a friend by setting him up a profile on a dating app and screening the applicants and setting him up on a date, all done while he has no clue. The problem? Frankie can't see what is in front of her nose and misses out on what can make her happy.

This is a cute romance where the heroine continually misses all the clues and does the wrong thing. It was easy-to-read and a nice little escape. The characters are fun and add to the laughs and groans. Sheila Roberts is a great author.

The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts is a cute, cozy holiday read. Just kind of average for me- easy read.


Thank you NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This one was just average to me. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it, either. I didn't think that the characters were very relatable and that bothered me a little bit. I love a connection to the characters. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

In The Merry Matchmaker by Sheila Roberts, you will find a cute and humorous Christmas story. Frankie who owns a holiday store decides to try help her friends and family members to find love whether they want it or not. What results is a a great holiday rom com!

"The Merry Matchmaker" tells the tale of Frankie Lane, a business owner in a small-town who loves the holidays.

A bit of a romantic, she sees the lives of people she loves and knows something is missing from each one. Her best friend Mitch deserves a loving relationship, as does her younger sister Stef. And her daughter Natalie should be doing more with her talents, while her employee Elinor, who is painfully shy, just needs a gentle shove to "get out there" more.

And while she's busy "helping" everyone else make changes (that they weren't necessarily ready for or interested in), she's able to avoid the fact that her own life is at a standstill. Having lost her husband Ike in an unexpected manner many years before, she refuses to open her heart to anyone new because she just knows she won't be able to survive the pain of another loss.

While I know Frankie's heart was in the right place and things do eventually work out "for the best," I found her behavior to be a bit too much at times. She frequently ignored what others were telling her in the interest of pursuing what she felt was needed. So, her ability to accept and acknowledge boundaries was severely lacking.

If you believe the ends justify the means, you might find this story to be highly entertaining! It was certainly well written. I just wished I enjoyed the main character a bit more.

Thank you to Sheila Roberts, Harlequin Trade, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

The Merry Matchmakers by Sheila Roberts is a holiday romance about Frankie, a widow in her 50s who is determined to play matchmaker for her friends and family. While the book is marketed as inspired by Emma by Jane Austen, it diverges significantly, focusing more on Frankie’s attempts to set up her loved ones rather than on a young, clueless woman finding romance. This leads to a predictable and at times slow plot, especially for readers expecting a lighter, more whimsical story.

Although the book features multiple characters and varying points of view, the large cast can sometimes make it hard to keep track of everyone. The story is heartwarming and cozy, and the holiday setting adds charm, but some readers might find it a bit too interfered with and overly idealistic. Overall, it’s a sweet but somewhat predictable read, more suited for fans of Hallmark-style holiday rom-coms.

One of Sheila Roberts' best! I really enjoyed the characters, and although it was predictable, there was a coziness to that. I will recommend this to library patrons looking for a light, stress-free holiday read.

This was a cute holiday read, but it fell a little flat for me. While the premise had potential, the story felt repetitive at times, and there were just too many character storylines to follow, which made it hard to stay fully engaged. That said, it has all the ingredients for a cozy Hallmark-style Christmas movie. If you love books that give you those hallmark vibes, this one might be worth checking out!

What an insufferable main character! She was such a meddling individual. I wouldn’t take advice from her or seek her out if she was a real person! Loved the small town setting and several of the side characters enough to give this one a 2 star review but ultimately this one fell really flat for me unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Predictable, over the top, and a tad ridiculous. It was festive for sure but so overdone I had a hard time enjoying it.

*The Merry Matchmaker* by Sheila Roberts is a heartwarming and festive read that’s perfect for the holiday season. The story follows a matchmaker who helps people find love during the holidays, all while navigating her own romantic challenges. Roberts' writing is light, charming, and filled with holiday spirit, making it an enjoyable escape for readers looking for a feel-good story. It's a delightful, cozy read that will definitely put you in the mood for the holidays.

🌟REVIEW🌟

The Merry Matchmaker - Sheila Roberts

Here’s the thing about this book: I have already recommended it to several reader friends because it’s just so wholesome and cozy.

The whole story is built around family and community and celebrating the holidays together.

Now, here’s what made it different in my mind. Our main character, Frankie, is a widower. She’s not the 20 something from most Christmas romance novels and maybe, for me, that made her feel more relatable.

She is a mom and a grandma, sister and friend who has lost the love of her life. She is a key leader in the community and thinks she knows what’s best for everyone. Yes, she does some matchmaking, but, obviously, it’s well intentioned but, perhaps, it’s time for her own Christmas miracle?

Read this one if you like
🌲 strong connections between community
🌲 family love and multi generational representation
🌲 second chance at love
🌲 holiday hoopla
🌲 no spice
🌲 friends to lovers romance

My only criticism is that there is a secondary love story between Frankie’s sister and a recent widower. It started far too late into the story to feel like it was running parallel. I would have liked it to be introduced sooner so it could have blended better.

Overall really liked it and thankful for the tone of the story. Cozy, happy. Hopeful. Wholesome. There’s not a lot like that anymore and it just hit the spot.