What a sweet romantic comedy! It had me laughing at times, and was overall enjoyable. Would recommend

After reading this book, I think I've officially decided that I'm just not really into the "meddling family" type trope. Overall, I didn't really like the flow of this specific storyline and found it hard to convince myself to pick it up and continue reading.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I think that the complicated intersections of family, community, and identity are well done. I thought the chapter-endings that included edits to the list were a fun touch, and I was really rooting for the main character and her eventual love interest. Lalli does a good job drawing multi-faceted portraits of her characters in a way that makes you really feel for them.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

I had a lot of issues with this book. For a book written by a person of Indian descent, it sure seemed to make fun of Indian traditions and customs. And the character pretends to be gay to get out of being set up? Eesh.

I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this title. Unfortunately, this title archived before I was able to download it.

I was really excited about this book, but I did not finish it. The dates just got too boring and there wasn't enough real story to tie the dates together and make me interested in continuing reading.

Sadly, this one did not work for me. Going into it, I was expecting a more straightforward romance, and I think this leans more women's fiction. I'm a fan of women's fiction, but I think my expectations hindered me getting into the story.

It took me about a week to read about 180 pages, and it was just not grabbing my attention. I have read some other reviews from people who had an issue with the heroine letting people believe she was gay in order to get out being setup by her grandmother. I put the book down before I got to that point, so I can't speak to that.

At the end of the day, unfortunately, this was a DNF for me.

This multi-cultural romance was cute but I barely remembered it when I was finished it. I wish I could relate more to the characters or it’s storyline but I could not.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

I will not be posting a review on goodreads because I was unable to enjoy this book and do not feel comfortable leaving a negative review.

I was hoping for a fun, light, romantic comedy with The Matchmaker's List, but unfortunately I was disappointed by this debut novel. Raina Anand is raised by her Nani, her maternal grandmother, and terrified of not meeting Nani's expectations. Raina Anand isn’t exactly happy that she’s 29 and still single but Nani is scandalized. After getting over a heart wrenching break up, Raina finally agrees to let her nani set her up with a long list of eligible Indian bachelors, none of whom Raina actually likes. As her best friend, Shay, plans a wedding (that, in a terrible coincidence, is happening on Raina’s 30th birthday), the pressure is on for Raina to find a nice man—any nice man—and settle down. After a string of disastrous dates, Raina can’t let go of the one who got away, a dashing charmer named Dev who broke her heart with his inability to commit. Now that Dev’s back in the picture, but just as noncommittal as ever, Raina finds herself unable to stomach the endless list of bachelors. Eager to ease the pressure of being the perfect Indian granddaughter, Raina lets her Nani believe she’s a lesbian. Raina finds temporary relief, but her little white lie threatens most of her relationships.

The Matchmaker's List is more of a drama than a romantic comedy. The author does a great job in exploring Raina's conflicting views of her culture and family. She wants to be her own person, but Nani's influence and the fear of being like her lost single mother quarantines Raina to her comfort zone. Even as she feels stifled by their expectations and pressure, she loves the strength of her community and how they always support one another through hard times. Raina’s desire to both please her family and stand up for herself is deeply relatable and it was the strongest aspect of the book. I loved watching Raina's character grow and soon realizes that she has never made a decision based on her own individual desires and dreams. Raina's self realization is what kept me reading. I also loved her relationship with Nani who I adored and loved. The romance unfortunately is a big let down. We are told of the romantic tension between Raina and an unexpected love interest, but I wanted it to be shown. I also did not buy her relationship with Dev which developed too quickly and ended abruptly for me. I would have also loved a more developed and nuisanced relationship with Raina and her mother, which was hinted at in the book. Overall a pleasant look at identity and culture, but short on the romance.

WHAT DID I THINK OF THE MATCHMAKER’S LIST BY SONYA LALLI?
The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli is actually a pretty okay read. I mean, I enjoyed the audiobook that I listened to. Granted, I came into it knowing about a few issues people had with the content. So, this book is about a young Indian-Canadian woman named Raina who is not yet married much to her Nani’s dismay. So, her Nani gives her this list of eligible young Indian men to go on dates with and hopefully end up marrying. Only, Raina is still stuck on this guy Dev who she dated but who wasn’t exactly the best for her. So, while she’s kind of fed up with all the dates which end up a bit disastrous she tells her Nani a lie. This lie is that she’s gay. That’s where the issues people had come in. How I took it — and yes you need all the salt grains for my thoughts because they are not right or wrong — is that yeah, she screwed up huge. Her lie was NOT played for laughs. She ends up feeling really guilty over it. She knows it is a messed up thing to lie about. There are ramifications for doing that. I don’t get the sense that Raina’s choice to do this in The Matchmaker’s List was to be a dick to people who are gay or to trivialize sexuality.

I do also kind of think this is an adult book, aimed at grown ups, not children or teenagers. So, I feel like adults do tend to have some critical thinking skills and hopefully should be able to use those skills to discover that the book isn’t exactly condoning Raina’s behavior. But then again, maybe I am wrong in my personal interpretation of the book (I do have a lot of privilege so that does impact my views). So, mileage may vary. I liked it, but yes, I came at this book from the experience of an old married lady.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli is narrated by Soneela Nankani. SHE IS AN EXCELLENT NARRATOR. I mean, I really liked how she portrayed the story and the characters with her voice. She was fabulous to listen to and actually my attention did not wander at all. The audiobook is 10 hours and 40 minutes and I 100% recommend you listen to it.

I was NOT okay with the overall premise of this book being that the main character lied about being gay and then continued to lie about it even to the point of having a teen come out to her about his own sexuality.

Just the first line of the blurb sold me on reading The Matchmaker's List. Being set up by one's grandmother in hopes that one of those dates sticks, thereby leading to a happily ever after? There's so much that could happen here.


Raina is loyal to the grandmother (aka Nani) who has raised her and will do anything to make her happy including get married to a suitable Indian boy. The problem is that Raina's heart is not exactly in it. She was so close to being with "the one" but life and career demands took them both in different directions. It still doesn't stop her from holding out hope that there could be a second chance for them, slim as that may be. In the meantime, it couldn't hurt to go those dates with the various men her Nani keeps pulling out of the woodwork. It gets to be too much eventually and Raina takes advantage of a minor misunderstanding and uses it to to throw her grandmother off course. This solution, as temporary and harmless as it may be initially, has far-reaching repercussions that Raina must ultimately own up to. Basically, she's a hot mess and isn't ready to face herself or her actions.


The Matchmaker's List starts out humorously enough. I dug Raina's deadpan humour and quick quips at first. I wanted to hang out with her. But then the story plateaus slightly before taking a nosedive when Raina hits her rock bottom. The comedy was missing during the middle of the story. By midway she relinquishes control of her life, of herself, to appease her Nani. She was completely stuck and had given up. As much as I liked Raina, she was also kind of dull by this point, and it came across distinctly that even she was just as bored and fed up with herself.


Kudos to Sonya Lalli here for writing Raina and her emotions in such a way that I felt her joy at the best parts but also that I was sinking along with her when things were at their lowest. The Matchmaker's List brings the laughs and struggles of family and friends, and the excruciating heartache of letting go of one idea of love before falling in love for real.


~ Bel

Raina Anand lives in Toronto and was raised in a traditional Indian home by her grandmother, Nani. She is turning thirty and Nani is getting concerned that her granddaughter isn't married. Romance hasn't been on Raina’s agenda since she failed at her most recent long term relationship.

Nani is on a mission and provides Raina with lists of suitable single Indian men for a potential husband. Raina makes a light effort to make her grandmother happy but finds no suitor to her liking. They live in a tight-knit community and Raina begins to feel judged by her failures. This pressure builds further when she is asked to be the maid of honor at her best friend’s wedding.

”The Matchmaker’s List” is about a woman trying to balance a modern lifestyle with traditional values. This debut novel by Sonya Lalli has the core themes of romance, friendship and the pursuit of happiness.

The Matchmaker’s List is described as a romantic comedy, but I think it is so much more than that – I’d put it firmly into women’s fiction, as this is not all light and fluffy, and nearly all of the characters are flawed. I sat down with a hot cup of coffee to read this book, and was basically glued to my comfy chair for the next 5 hours, coffee long gone cold. Even with a chunk of the book that niggled at me and made me quite uncomfortable, I still loved it.

Sonya Lalli touches on so many themes – the fear of disappointing our parents (or grandparents, in this case), and the complexities of cultural expectations. The conversations between Raina and her best friend regarding arranged marriages in particular were thought provoking.

For the first 2/3 of the novel, I’m glued – and then comes the a plot device that has me torn.

When things come to a head (especially once she discovers where Nani is getting her new list of bachelors) and Raina finally shares her frustration with her grandmother, Nani reads more into her behavior and basically offers her a way out of the blind-date merry go round she’s been on. (I really don’t want to give any spoilers here.) While she never agrees with Nani’s assumption, she doesn’t deny it, either, and that lapse creates a situation that grows out of control. (“Train wreck” is an apt description.) It’s the perfect example of how one lie (or sin of omission) can grow to monstrous proportions and hurt so many people.

Ultimately, however, it’s a plot device that reflects the discrimination in their culture and community, and how the families deal with it. Was it the best way to do it, and can I forgive her for it? (Probably not, but yes, uneasily.)
I do believe The Matchmaker’s List will create some interesting and opinionated discussion at your next book club meeting!

Despite the angst-producing twist, I really did enjoy the book and I was indeed glued until I hit the very last page. This was definitely a book that twisted me up emotionally, and I absolutely adored Nani – she was a delight, even as she too was flawed. The Matchmaker’s List gets a solid four stars from me.

For a romance book, this wasn't very romantic. After 37% I just skimmed to see if it got any better.

This is portion is behind a spoiler tag:
[I know a lot of people had issues with this because Raina pretended to be gay to get the pressure to marry off her, and yes that did bug me, but my main issue is that Raina is mooning over one guy (a jerk) most of the book and this isn't the guy she ends up with. I like my heroine to spend time with the love interest she's going to end up with. Seeing them fall for each other is what makes the story for me. Also, she doesn't come clean about not being gay until almost the very end. No thanks. End of spoiler.

A copy was kindly provided by Berkley Books in exchange for an honest review.

Heartwarming, funny, and fresh—Sonya Lalli’s novel The Matchmaker’s List is already a favorite in the romantic comedy category for me! I loved the story about a woman who is feeling pressured to get married as she nears the age of 30, and I loved the way Lalli wrote. She lets her characters be flawed and make mistakes, but the book is also clearly filled with love. And not just romantic love! Family love, friendships, and the love of a community in a time of change. I hope you enjoy this one!

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.
Reflection

I found The Matchmaker’s list to be completely refreshing, bright, and filled with heart. To me, this was a book about a woman, and a community, on the cusp of transitioning from generations of tradition, and newer generations who are evolving to a different way of living their culture and religion. An evolution that maybe puts less emphasis on the way things were done in the past. Raina (and even her best friend Shay, to an extent), are both caught in the middle. Wanting to choose happiness on one side, and feeling pressure to not disappoint their families on the other.

But while Shay seems to know what will make her happy and just needs to find the courage to tell her mother, Raina doesn’t know what she wants from life. Raina has always done things because she felt she was supposed to. Which means that Raina has never really thought about what makes her happy. What she does know is that the pressure is becoming too much. Raina has lost a bit of herself, through a heartbreak and a career that she is good at, but not sure she enjoys.

"Not everyone is brave enough to be themselves."

This line has stuck with me long after finishing this book. It’s not only the perfect line to describe the story, it’s something that we can all reflect on and learn from. I can think of several characters in this novel who learn this lesson throughout the book. For Raina, this book is about finding out who she is. Finding out how to be brave and live with the best of her and the worst of her out in the open.

A few things that I completely loved about this novel, in addition to what I already wrote. First, I loved many of the male characters. This is a female-centric novel (as it should be), and the women characters are incredibly well developed. But even many of the male characters who were supporting roles I found to be unique, refreshing, and delightful to read about. I think that is a hard balance to write!

Second, I loved the way the characters were drawn to be imperfect. No one is without fault in the debacle that happens. Raina is perhaps the character with the most outward mistake (that lie…it just spirals out of control and she doesn’t know how to reclaim it), but nearly all of the characters show the best of themselves and the things that make them imperfect. And they are all the more loveable for it!

Finally, I love the context and culture. An Indian community, and all of the quirky and fun and light, as well as the dark sides of a community such as this one. They love and support one another. And they also perpetuate traditions for the sake of tradition. In addition and related to this, there was such a cozy feel to this novel! Lalli mentions the smells and the textures a lot. Talcom powder. Cocoa butter. Roasted cumin. Pepper. Every scene and character had these cozy scents that really brought the book to life for me.

I read this one with my book besties Jennifer and Berit, and we all loved this story. The friendships, the family, and the community made this romantic comedy good-to-great. Because while there is a fantastic love story, to me this is a book about Raina—a woman finding herself in the midst of a cultural evolution that left her behind. I hope you love it as much as we did!
Thank you to Berkley for our partner copies!

This was an adorable romcom bursting with culture, family, friendship, fun, and love!

This was a charming feel-good story that put a big smile on my face! This book did a really good job of showcasing the expectations and pressure we as parents sometimes put on our children when it comes to love, marriage, and many other things... I think the pressure to be “perfect“ is greater in some cultures than others.... but I think almost all parents regardless of culture want the absolute best for their children, we want them to be happy, and it is always hard to let go.... Sonya Lalli did a tremendous job of handling some serious subject matter with respect and compassion... she took the pressures of belonging and assimilating and added in some heart, hope, and humor!

Raina has just turned 29, she was raised by her Nanny Who is a traditional Indian woman... her Nanny is bound and determined to get Raina married off... I think the fact that she feels as though she “failed“ when it came to Raina’s mother adds even more pressure... Raina wants nothing more than to make her beloved grandmother happy so she acquiesces and agrees to date some of the men on “the list“... The biggest problem? Raina is still hung up on her ex, and when her ex comes back into the picture she is hopeful to rekindle the flame... feeling the pressure and the pull of pleasing herself or pleasing her grandma and others leads Raina to some poor decision making.... decisions that impact many others in her life, decisions that she soon regrets, decisions with ramifications, decisions that she ultimately has to atone for.... so how will Raina extricate herself from this mess? And will she ever find true love?

The characters and culture in this story we’re all so colorful and just popped off those pages! Raina’s stress to please not disappoint was palpable as was her grandmothers love... The complexities of familial entanglements really shown through in this book... I especially found the relationship between Raina’s grandmother and mother quite interesting and complicated... there were quite a few complicated relationships in this book most likely compounded by the struggle between the old and the new... Raina’s dating adventures were quite cringe worthy and humorous! And relatable, I mean who hasn’t been on a bad date? But through all the struggle, the complexities, the pressures, what really shown through in the story was LOVE! There was so much love amongst all these characters and even though sometimes it wasn’t shown in the best way, it was always there!

A wonderfully told story full of whimsy, heart, hope, and love! Absolutely recommend with all my heart!

🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! This is what raina needed to say to her ex! What a tool he was!

<i>To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet that's my stuff, yes
If I bought it please don't touch
And keep talking that mess, that's fine
But could you walk and talk at the same time?
And it's my mine name that is on that tag
So remove your bags let me call you a cab
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I'm such a fool, talking about
How I'll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact he'll be here in a minute, baby
You must not know 'bout me
You must not know 'bout me
I can have another you by tomorrow
So don't you ever for a second get
To thinking… </i>

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2EwViQxSJJQ

*** many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***