Aisha Saeed’s The Matchmaker offers a refreshing twist on romantic suspense, blending cultural tradition, slow-burn romance, and an escalating mystery into a vibrant, if occasionally uneven, read. Nura Khan is a charming protagonist—sharp, loyal, and driven—with a matchmaking business that’s both a career and a legacy. The fake-engagement setup with her longtime best friend Azar adds a layer of sweetness and tension that fans of friends-to-lovers tropes will appreciate. Saeed brings warmth and wit to Nura’s world, capturing the nuances of community expectations and modern love.

While the mystery adds intrigue, the pacing sometimes struggles to balance the romantic and suspense elements. The threats Nura faces escalate in intensity, but the plot occasionally leans more cozy than thrilling, making the stakes feel uneven. Still, the cultural details, engaging characters, and emotional core carry the story through. The Matchmaker is an enjoyable read—light in tone but layered in meaning—and will appeal to readers who like their mysteries with heart and humor.

I always enjoy a good matchmaking reality show so I looked forward to this book. I liked that it had those similar vibes at the beginning and then it added a bit of mystery about a quarter into the book but then really amped up those vibes about halfway through. It gave it additional depth that it needed.

This was a nice, quick, easy read. I liked the characters, I liked the story. I hadn't read a book from Aisha Saeed before but I enjoyed this one a lot.

Nura is running her aunt’s successful matchmaking business but when things start going weird and it looks like she has a stalker or saboteur she has to figure out who is targeting before it is too late.

It took me a while to get into it, I started the book a few months ago and finally came back to it. Once I got about 30% in I was hooked but it was longer than it normally takes. Even though it’s all about weddings and matchmaking I would not really call this a romance really, much more thriller and mystery with tiny elements of romance, no spice. Definitely exciting with huge twists I never saw coming, I wish there was a bit more closer with her family and the threat on them but otherwise a good ending to a very compelling mystery.

In this entertaining and unorthodox new romance novel, readers meet Nura Khan, a third-generation matchmaker based in Atlanta whose childhood best friend Azar doubles as her pretend fiance because a single matchmaker is more than a bit ironic. When a client’s wedding implodes, Nura starts receiving death threats and experiences some increasingly dangerous events -- bordering on assassination attempts. As things escalate and Nura’s team is brought into the crossfire, she must find out the source of the threat and protect herself and her company which she has worked so hard to build. With an entertaining premise and a fascinating cast of characters, readers will really enjoy the unexpected twists and turns in this romantic thriller novel. The added tensions of the death threats and assassination attempts keep readers from trusting the other characters and brings them into Nura’s mindset, while the world-building adds a great level of detail to the settings and backdrop. The mystery-thriller element is particularly entertaining, and readers will really enjoy digging into this mystery with Nura. Definitely unique and very entertaining, a lot of readers will find this book to be fun, energetic, and intense in some great ways that will keep them hooked on every page.

This was a good cozy mystery! I enjoyed the characters and their romance, but I'm not sure if I'd consider this a memorable read.

I've never read many books featuring matchmakers, but this novel, set in Atlanta had me intrigued with the whole idea of matchmaking. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Matchmaker.

I enjoyed this cozy mystery. It was sweet, light-hearted and fun. I found the cast of characters to be lovable and overall the book was entertaining and enjoyable. I can’t say this book was particularly memorable but I liked it well enough.

This was an enjoyable read. From the cover I expected a fun romcom. I didn’t expect a murder mystery and surprisingly the two genres together was well done by this author.

This was a really fun cozy mystery and I breezed through it in a day. I did figure out who was behind it all a little over halfway through but I didn’t mind. I also found the audio really well done!

Sweet, reflective, and rich with cultural detail. Saeed crafts a moving story about family expectations and forging your own path. The romance was gentle and understated, and while the ending felt a little abrupt, the emotional journey was worth it.

This was really cute, I loved the family dynamics and I'm a big fan of mutual (and not knowing it’s mutual) pining.Ii was so interested in Nura's character, and I was not expecting the twist at all. I think this was a really good blend of mystery, romance, and family dynamics. I can't wait to read more from Saeed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam, for the opportunity to read a review copy. While the premise was intriguing, I had trouble connecting with the main character and appreciating her dilemma. I read 30% of the book, then skimmed ahead to read the end. I appreciated the Pakistani American representation, but ultimately, the book wasn't a good fit for me.

I really enjoyed The Matchmaker! The story was heartfelt and beautifully written, with rich cultural details that added so much depth. The characters felt real and relatable, and the romance was sweet without being over the top. A few moments were a bit predictable, but overall it was a thoughtful and engaging read I’d definitely recommend.

This was a fun, twisty thriller. It kept me guessing and held my attention throughout. The villain was on my list of suspects, but they definitely weren't the only one there. The plot was the kind that it's best not to think about too much and the romance felt a little flat to me, but it was an entertaining, sort of movie-ish book.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

This was fine, but the romance aspect felt too obvious and yet took forever to occur, and the mystery part never felt compelling! What was supposed to be scary and threatening felt like kind of a joke until all of a sudden it wasn’t. I think the writing just didn’t quite work for me. But I really liked the matchmaking aspect!!

This is an adult debut that is part romcom and part cozy murder mystery. I liked the pacing of the novel and Nura. What threw me off a little was the switching back and forth between romance and mystery. Since it dabbled in both, it didn't allow either to fully develop. I like the writing style of the author, and I am interested to see what she writes next.

This was really sweet! I loved the representation and thought it was a very well written low stake romantic mystery. I think I wanted just a little more stakes to make it a more bingeable read.

Thank you @NetGalley and @RandomHousePublishing for the ARC. I love Aisha Saeed and her books are so well written and engaging. The Matchmaker is about Nura who has a successful business as a matchmaker. She is great at her job but weird, destructive things start happening at her matched weddings. Azar, her best friend and plus one, helps her figure out what is going on. He wants her safe, but an online review has him scared for her safety. Such a fun read.

I could not stand this novel. There was WAY TOO MUCH going on. I think if the author took away a couple of sub themes, it might have made the mystery more prominent. As it was, I was uncertain if I should be following Nura’s angst with her family, the mystery, or her relationship with Azar.

Then there was the motivation of the stalker/saboteur. I’m still not sure I actually understand that.

Overall, I rate this novel 2 out of 5 stars.