The Merry Matchmaker is the perfect holiday romance. With a meddling main character with a big heart and the best intentions, she was the perfect buttinsky (my made up word)

You can always count on Sheila Roberts to craft a tale that makes you feel good and put a smile on your face. You are always happier than when you began.

The Merry Matchmaker is a fun holiday book set in a special little town. The Matchmaker is so busy setting up others that she almost loses what is dear to her.

Delightful holiday read about finding love in a small town.
This was a charming, sweet read and one I recommend for all romcom and holiday romance fans!

Such a cute holiday romance! If you love a cozy sweet romance then this one is for you. It’s lovely and so heartwarming. Perfect if you have a side of coco nearby

Sheila Roberts has a delightful new Christmas book that you’ll want to add to your holiday TBR! In this charming tale, Frankie Lane runs a holiday store in a small town and believes she knows what's best for everyone, often meddling in the lives of her sister Stef, daughter Natalie, employee Elinor, and long-time friend Mitch. While her intentions are good, she tends to overlook her own happiness, especially after losing her husband. When one of her well-meaning projects goes awry, Frankie realizes she needs to prioritize herself for a change. Inspired by Jane Austen's *Emma*, this engaging read features multiple POVs and captures the enchanting atmosphere of a small town during the holidays. The drama from Frankie's meddling is entertaining, and her epiphany is particularly satisfying. Although the outcome is predictable, the journey is a joy, making this a heartwarming, cozy holiday read that I highly recommend!

What if all you wanted to do was to help other people be happy but you couldn’t help but fail miserably at it! Some people don’t know when to stop “trying” to help!

Grab some coco, your big fuzzy socks, and prop yourself up next to the fireplace because this book is sure to charm you with some small-town holiday escapism.

I can see the Jane Austen in this book, with all of Frankie’s meddling. Always from a kind place, but she’s obviously avoiding her own feelings and life. While that annoyed me, I couldn’t help but fall for all the charm in this book.

The town, the characters, the Christmas vibes and how everyone in the town gets into the holiday spirit. The budding romances, and the adorable way everything came together for a happy ending. It melted my little holiday heart 💝

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Sheila Roberts for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Mira Publishing for the digital copy of this novel!
This novel is a perfect read, especially if you want a small-town holiday romance.

The novel itself is marketed as being inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma but (and don’t judge me for this) I have never read Emma before. So, if I talk about anything, that is an Emma reference, it will most definitely go over my head.

Now did I enjoy this novel? Yes and no.
I really enjoy the side storyline of Stef and her love interest, to the point where I wish that the whole novel’s plotline was about Stef and the man that she falls in love with. I honestly wished I could feel the same way about Frankie’s love interest. But the issue I had was that Frankie and her love interest had no chemistry! I understood that Frankie was still grieving her late husband, but I wish there were more romantic scenes between them.

At times I wasn’t the biggest fan of Frankie mostly because I found her as someone, I couldn’t relate to nor understand her meddling ways. I wish that this novel was just a single POV, instead of three different POV’s. I felt like the novel was all over the place with all the different characters, and I would have enjoyed it more if we just focused on Frankie.
As for the matchmaking, I was expecting something more. I wanted to see Frankie setting people up even if it did blow up in her face. Yes, I do understand that the characters did match up, but I guess I wanted something more than what was given.
Regardless, I still liked this novel even though I couldn’t relate to it. I think that there is someone out there who will love this book and relate to it. It just wasn’t for me. Even though I did enjoy Stef’s storyline the best.
Side note: Why name that poor child Corky?

This novel is going to be a part of my TikTok series called 25 Holiday Books in December!

A magical Christmas read! Frankie, who is widow and the merry matchmaker, always trying to fix everyone up but herself. She feels she had her HEA, and it can never be replaced. Even though her HEA may be a a guy that has been her friend forever. Loved all the Christmas preparations, nothing better to get you in the mood for the holidays. I will say Corky stole my heart, all he was asking Santa for was a new mom. Could Frankie help this little guy?

I think women will really appreciate the depth of this story-- characters well developed, plot moves at an appropriate pace, strong sense of place, etc. Feels like the Hallmark movies we look forward to passively watching on TV in the background all year.

This book is such an adorable retelling of Jane Austen Emma. The special twist on this is that it takes place at Christmas time. There are people who have sworn off love people who are divorced, widows, and people who are unlovable, but our main character does everything she can to find the perfect match for everyone… Maybe even herself.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. like with previous titles, i do not enjoy the jane austen remakes or ones that borrow themes from them. the winter setting was nice. the story was well written.

The book includes delightful moments and even holiday recipes, adding to the festive spirit. Readers appreciate how Roberts combines humor with heartfelt moments, making The Merry Matchmaker a great choice for those looking for a light-hearted read during the holiday season

Shiela Roberts continues to amaze me with her continual amazing books! This is jsut the perfect, cute contemporary holiday read full of coziness and fun! I absolutely love Emma by Jane Austen so this was a very clear insta-read for me. The modern take on the classic is going to be the perfect book for gift giving this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
I thought this was a delightful holiday novel. Sheila Roberts has once again written a wonderfully cozy holiday romance. I enjoyed all the characters. This book would make a charming Hallmark Channel Original Movie.

Many thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this book.

Connect with me for more reviews and content:
https://linktr.ee/bookreviewsbyjules
(includes links to my Instagram, Goodreads, TikTok, Storygraph, blog, and Substack newsletter)
If you're an author or publisher with questions about my reviews, stats, reach, or engagement, feel free to email me. I'm also open to book review requests. Thank you for taking the time to read my review, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

First I would like to thank Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC of the novel.

This was a cute holiday read that is based on Jane Austin’s Emma. I thought this book had some sweet elements and the love and friendship in this novel was done well. I did find the main character a little over the top for my liking.

The Christmas elements were great. I love a good cosy Christmas novel.

I rated it 3.25/5 stars rounded to 3 stars for this review.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for feedback.
Frankie lives in a small town and owns a holiday shop. As merry as her shop is, Frankie is sad and lonely after the death of her husband, Ike. To compensate for her own unhappiness, she tries to make sure everyone else is happy - her mother, Adele, after death of her father, her sister, Steph, after a divorce, and her employee, Elinor, after moving into town.
Will everyone find their happiness before the year is out? A great holiday read rich with friendship, family ties, and love!

This book was enjoyable. It was sweet and pleasant. The characters were a little too straightfoward for my taste. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy them, but I felt like the conflicts and characters were thrown at me quickly and I understood it quickly.

I didn't love this and I didn't hate it. I don't know how often I would recommend it to somebody else though.

2.5 "meh" stars, rounded up cuz it's a holiday book. Never read this author before, but the marketing described this as "Austen's Emma at during Christmas" or something, which was just total 💩 This story did not feature a sweet, but "clueless" young women who lives with her doting Dad & has a hunky guy under her nose, NOPE, this was about a widow in her 50's who's got a mom, daughter & sis she'd like to fix up with various townsfolk, so "Matchmaking" was the whole similarity???🤷🏻‍♀️ And it was SO predictable & boring AF!!! I guess it would play to Hallmark holiday rom-com set, so that's who iy should have been pitched to. Big fail for me

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was the such a cozy and perfect holiday read. This is a Christmas story based on Jane Austin's Emma.