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Happy Friday! Welcome to my stop on the blog tour celebrating the release of The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli! Thank you to Berkley Publishing for the invitation! Stay tuned for information on how to win a copy at the bottom of this post!

About the Book:

One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it

Raina Anand may have finally given in to family pressure and agreed to let her grandmother play matchmaker, but that doesn’t mean she has to like it–or that she has to play by the rules. Nani always took Raina’s side when she tried to push past the traditional expectations of their tight-knit Indian-immigrant community, but now she’s ambushing Raina with a list of suitable bachelors. Is it too much to ask for a little space? Besides, what Nani doesn’t know won’t hurt her…

As Raina’s life spirals into a parade of Nani-approved bachelors and disastrous blind dates, she must find a way out of this modern-day arranged-marriage trap without shattering her beloved grandmother’s dreams. 

My Thoughts:

Raina Anand has modern values, but her family is more traditional, especially her grandmother. Raina is receiving pressure to get married and along with that to allow her grandmother, Nani, to be matchmaker. 

Nani has big plans with a long list of potential suitors. Raina ends up on one ridiculous date after another, and she’s looking for a way out. Will she find it and her own happiness one day?

The best parts of the book were Nani’s antics. She is warm and endearing and offered insight into some traditional Indian cultural norms. 

It was also fun to experience Raina’s blind dates along with her, reliving my own disastrous dates from years ago when I was single. 

The Matchmaker’s List is a fun and winsome tale of a family on the cusp of change- grappling with new ways versus old traditions. It was about growing up and choosing what’s important to you in life, and how to balance that bond with your family and what they wish for you. While I would have liked Raina to perhaps find a different way out of the matchmaking by Nani, it was the author’s choice, and without a doubt, I enjoyed this endearingly told story of Raina’s search for happiness. 

Thank you to the publisher for the complimentary copy. All opinions are my own. 

About the Author:

Sonya Lalli is a Canadian writer of Indian heritage. She studied law in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and at Columbia University in New York City. She completed an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at City University London in 2015, and currently works as a journalist at a legal magazine in London. She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and loves travel, yoga, piano, reading and cocktail bartending.

Check out these reviews by the other Book Besties:

Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

Mackenzie at PhDiva

***Book Giveaway***

For a chance to win a paperback copy of The Matchmaker’s List, just comment below. To enter, you must have a US address, per the publisher. Book will be mailed by Berkley. Thank you for entering and good luck! 

Have you read The Matchmaker’s List, or is it on your TBR? Happy Reading! ~ Jennifer THR