This look into Nura, a Pakistani matchmaker's life, is light, good fun with a few darker moments and themes thrown in. A friends to lovers romance with a mystery subplot as well, it portrays two generations of a woman owned business with its accompanying ups and downs. We try to figure out who is undermining Nura's matchmaking business, and the eventual reveal surprised me. I thought I had it figured out, but was wrong.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing this ARC for my voluntary and honest review!

This was such a fun blend of rom-com and cozy mystery, with a dash of thriller. I loved the author’s style and immersive descriptions; it was a truly unique storyline. The end was a bit too rushed for me and some wrap-up pieces came out of left field. Overall not too many criticisms from me though!

3.5 stars.
Nura Khan lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and works as a matchmaker for wealthy clients. She is the third woman in her family to do this work, and Nura has expanded the business her aunt Khala brought her in on into a well regarded endeavour with a solid track record of successfully pairing people up leading to their subsequent marriages.

Things begin to go wrong when right before a marriage ceremony the bride calls off the wedding because of unsavoury details revealed about her fiancé. Nura is shocked and disbelieving, and has her team work late into the night to determine that the information left for the bride was false. It's immaterial, however, for the affected families, who excoriate Nura.

Then, another wedding is called off, and the online chatter about Nura and her company becomes increasingly negative and persistent. Despite her and her team's every effort to counter the slander and false claims, they begin to lose more clients.

Nura is also under pressure personally. Her beloved aunt who took her in when Nura's mother died years earlier is losing her memory, and Nura is desperate for something to halt or reverse the situation. Her older cousin is also back in town with her young daughter, after a failed marriage, and her barely concealed frustration with how Nura puts the business before everything else, despite stating the opposite.

Nura has also fallen for her best friend Azar, whom she has known since they were kids. He's been pretending to act as her boyfriend for every wedding she attends for business, and both are feeling the strain of Nura's total focus on her business. Nura's second in command Darcy, though also getting married soon, is leading the effort to determine who is behind the attacks on the matchmaking business, with danger mounting for Nura.

This was compelling, and though I figured out the culprit early on, I still enjoyed this book. There were enough red herrings and twists to keep me engaged, and the romance is satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Recommended for: readers who love Rom-Com and Cozy Mysteries

Summary: Nura is a third generation Matchmaker. She runs her family’s matchmaking business and dating app. Everything is running well, until someone starts to sabotage the weddings of some clients and threaten Nura’s life. She believes she can handle this with her in-house investigators until it starts to affect her family. Can they stop the threats? And can they recover from the negative effects on the company’s publicity?

Review: This book looks like a cozy mystery mixed with a Rom-Com, but ends up being a very complicated mystery with the makings of a thriller. I was sucked in for the majority of the story and enjoyed the ride!

The author successfully merged a rom com with a mystery with ethnic flair, and it was very entertaining . Nora inherited her aunt’s matchmaking business, modernizing it to fit the current times. When someone begins to threaten both her business and reputation, Nura has to use the investigative skills her staff employs when vetting their matchmaking candidates. Nura’s family, which includes her beloved aunt, cousin and cousin’s young daughter, are her port in the storm. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5
This was my first book by this author, and it didn’t disappoint. The book was very interesting, and it was really interesting to read about different kinds of relationships and different cultures. I also felt a seen in many of the family dynamics, which reminded me of my family.

The Matchmaker is Aisha Saeed’s debut adult novel. It is an entertaining mash-up of rom-com/mystery genres featuring Nura Khan, a successful third generation matchmaker, who runs a successful business arranging possible relationships for high-profile clients. Ironically, Nura is unable to arrange a relationship for herself, as she is secretly in love with her childhood friend who accompanies her to weddings posing as her fiancé, but who she believes is not interested in taking their friendship to the next level.

The plot is primarily driven by the mystery, as Nura’s clients’s marriages begin to be sabotaged. Nura’s reputation as a matchmaker is also attacked online, and she begins to be personally stalked by an unknown assailant. I found the resolution of the mystery unpredictable yet satisfying, although the book’s primary focus on the mystery did make development of the rom-com elements less developed. Overall, this would be a great pick for a beach read. 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4.0).

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House/Bantam Books for providing me with a complimentary advanced reader’s copy of this book.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was super super interesting and much more mystery/thriller than I was expecting going into it. Unfortunately I did predict who the “bad guy” was, but the way it got there and all the little twists were actually insane. There were definitely a few loose ends left at the end, but that also may just be leaving room for another book in this world.

Thank you to Bantam and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

In this--first adult novel by author Aisha Speed--we follow a high-end matchmaker who stumbles into murder and mayhem. This sounds like a cozy-set up, right? It sounds like it. But yet . . . it's not, really. It's sort of a murder/mystery but with a sort of "cozy" set up. I felt like the novel didn't straddle the genres nor merge them, which left me feeling like I was often outside of the narration.

I did like the protagonist's (Nura's) background being a central part of the story--her family is Pakistani and the matchmaking business caters (mostly) to the Desi culture. That was interesting and unique. As for Nura--she seemed hopelessly narcissistic to me. (When she noted that her career running an exclusive matchmaking service was so much more invasive and central to her life than the career of her bestie, who is an emergency care (I think) doctor, I sort of gave up on her. I also felt like the disparate subplots didn't all tie in well together plus the culprit behind the mayhem was a bit weak.

All in all, it was okay but just missed the mark for me in a couple of ways. I think this author has potential, though, as an adult story teller so I'll be willing to try whatever she writes next.

The Matchmaker is a great cross between a cozy mystery and a mystery/thriller. I loved the premise and the cultural element of the story itself. It was thrilling to follow a society matchmaker while the weddings of her "matches" were targeted. The story then got surprisingly darker, which I enjoyed (I thought this would be a cozy mystery based on the beginning). I also enjoyed the romance that weaved throughout. Great book!

Nura’s matchmaking business, which she inherited from her aunt, is thriving. Nura has a great group of trusted employees, her word of mouth is great - there are really two main problems - the first is that she is still single and in love with her best friend, the second is that someone is trying to sabotage her business. Weddings are getting ruined and a bride and groom is even kidnapped. Nura has to investigate who is trying to ruin her, an possibly kill her as well.

This was a cute fast read that I’m glad I picked up between some heavy ones. The story sucked me right in with a fun plot and a mystery. Throughout the book there were a few twists and I enjoyed watching the multiple mysteries unfold. I didn’t know what to expect when I picked this one up but I was pleasantly surprised. Did everything wrap up a bit too neatly into a bow at the end, yes? Was I ok with it, yes.

Thank you to Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC to review

Dnf @ 40%

Not in the right mental headspace to be reading about missing cats

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review

The Matchmaker is a fun romance/mystery that will keep you guessing! The main characters were enjoyable to read and root for while the mystery element was a light-hearted whodunit!

The Matchmaker was a great read! Fast paced, with a multi genre touch. You’ve got some romance, some mystery, some suspense. The story follows Nura, a prolific matchmaker. She’s at the height of her success, when suddenly someone starts stalking her and sabotaging her business. Causing her to lose many clients through insane chaos lol Nura is barley hanging on by a string while she’s trying to save her company, find the person responsible for her attempted downfall, navigating uncovered fsmily severets, AND navigating her feelings for a life long pal, Azur. What a whirlwind!

When a high-profile matchmaker finds herself in the middle of a scandal after one of her matches implodes in public, she learns that someone is out for revenge. She’ll have to work with her best guy friend and her team to figure out what’s going on before there’s further threat to her life…or her reputation. Young adult author Aisha Saeed debuts with a romantic thriller that mostly hits all the right marks in her newest book The Matchmaker.

Nura Khan has taken her khaala’s matchmaking business to the next level. Although her aunt learned everything she knew from her own mother, Nura has brought the entire venture into the 21st century with the Piyar (Love) app. The clients who Nura and her team have matched successfully can’t sing enough of their praises, and Nura gets invited to some of the most upscale weddings in Atlanta this side of the Mississippi.

Even with such a forward-thinking outlook, though, some things don’t change. Like the flak Nura gets from all the well-meaning aunties in town about why such a successful matchmaker is still single past 30. Nura’s not opposed to love in the least; she just doesn’t have time for it. Piyar is truly her first love.

To silence all the wagging tongues, Nura has enlisted her childhood guy friend, Azar, to be her plus-one to every event. It doesn’t hurt that Azar is a successful doctor and smoking hot. One look at him, and all the aunties grin at Nura with approval. So does Nura, although she won’t let Azar know it. They had a near-kiss ages ago that still makes Nura blush with embarrassment, and she doesn’t want to do anything to hurt their friendship again.

Someone is clearly out to hurt her, though. At one of the weddings of a match she oversaw, the engaged couple have a major falling out and Nura gets blamed for not doing her due diligence in vetting. Nura is blindsided. She always vets everyone; the strict code of rules she set for Piyar when she took over the business makes sure that every little dark corner of a person’s life gets illuminated. Nura is furious that someone would mess with that and her reputation.

Her team reassures her it has to be a one-off—a disgruntled ex-client who was either rejected by them or didn’t find the love of their life and wants Nura to pay for it—but then another couple matched by Piyar goes missing completely. Suddenly, the situation goes from harassment to harrowing. Someone wants to hurt Nura where it counts the most, and she has no idea who, what, or why.

News spreads like wildfire on social media, and Piyar starts to take some hits from bad press. A reputed journalist shows up and offers to help, but Nura doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. She’s scrambling as it is to manage the business and help with her khaala who’s health is now slowly failing. She doesn’t need to sit around answering questions about her process in matchmaking; she needs to get the saboteur to leave her alone. Except that person, whoever they are, has other ideas, and those ideas involve taking Nura down for good.
Author Aisha Saeed melds South Asian and American cultures with ease, clearly writing from a place of confidence in the lived duality of the desi population in the U.S. Her previous books have provided a great springboard to jump into the world of adult fiction. As a protagonist, Nura is well-rounded and three-dimensional. Readers will have no trouble seeing their close South Asian friends in her.

Saeed weaves the romance threads into the book fairly seamlessly; it’s during the thriller moments that the stitches start to show. Some of the plot twists of the thriller feel off in their pacing; it’s possible Saeed chose the wrong moments for those reveals and might have done better to move them a little later in the book to keep tension mounting. Occasionally, the book feels a little confused about whether it wants to focus more on the romance or the thriller; at times, the genre plot points take turns instead of building on one another to form the strong foundation of the book.

Still, Saeed does a good job of keeping readers guessing about the identity of the person sabotaging Nura. Also, despite the minor hiccups with the book’s pacing, it’s clear Saeed has potential to write fine romance thrillers. Readers will certainly have something to look forward to if she decides to do so again.

Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & Netgalley for this e-arc.

The Matchmaker revolves around Nura, who is typically driven, focused, and operates a successful matchmaking firm. The idea was intriguing: a thriller-mystery is sparked by scrutiny, the possibility of bad news, and some strange events. In addition, there are themes of romance, self-discovery, and family history. I liked the plot, the characters, and their development. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

The Matchmaker
Written by: Aisha Saeed
Pub Day: April 8, 2025

How did you find your partner? Was a meet-cute? A blind date? Did you ever consider using a Matchmaker? In our culture it is common to be introduced to potential partners from within the community.

I really enjoyed reading The Matchmaker. The story kept me turning pages until the very end!

Nura Khan is a single 30 year old 3rd generation matchmaker. With an impeccable record she is in high demand! But with all the good, sometimes not all goes well with the prospective clients. Even with demanding clients, she's never faced the type of situation that puts lives in danger.
With her BFF, Azar, who attends weddings as her devastating handsome finance, by her side, she's willing to do whatever it takes to find the person responsible.

Thank you to @randomhouse and @netgalley for the e-arc!

Nura Khan, 31, has taken over a very successful matchmaker business from her aunt. It is called the Piyar Matchmaking Company. Most of their clients are extremely wealthy and, thus, they are vetted very carefully by Nura’s staff.

Nura’s good friend and a man she secretly loves, Azur, acts as her plus-one for many of the weddings and other events she needs to attend.

Nura is quite concerned for her aunt’s health as the woman is in the early stages of dementia. She is the one who owned the business first and then passed it on to Nura.

But an unnamed angry man calls Nura and threatens to destroy her company as he calls her a fraud. She doesn’t know who he is but suspects he must be someone who failed the company’s vetting process. However, this threat increases when a wedding is totally destroyed before it happens by a lie by some unknown person who managed to enter a party leaving despicable notes. As the threats and attacks increase, Nura finds herself in very afraid and doesn’t know who is behind the attacks on her business and on her physically.

This is the author’s debut novel and is touted as a romance novel and a mystery novel. I found it to be somewhat unclear as I know very little about the Indian culture. However, I’m sure someone of that culture would be delighted to read this book.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Nura runs a high-end matchmaking services. For a whole lot of money she helps prepare you for a relationship with life coaches, etc and she has a pretty high success rate. Then some of her weddings are being sabotaged and she needs to find out who is trying to ruin her. The main characters are Nura, her PI - Genevieve, tech guy - Borzu and her assistant and friend Darcy. Nura took over the business from an aunt who raised her and this is her whole life. The only friends she really seems to have are Darcy and Azar. This is a mystery and a little bit of romance. I wish there was more about Nura's aunt and cousin and the ending seemed to wrap up pretty quick but all in all I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with a digital copy.