I loved Dawson's Happiness for Beginner's, so I was eager to read her next book and was even more delighted to find out this is a sequel to Marnie and Patrick's story. Four years later, Marnie and Patrick are co-habitating in New York City. Marnie is eager to begin a family, Patrick is more reluctant. When young Fritzie and her mother arrive on their doorstep, life as they know it is forever changed. As a darkness settles in their lives, Marnie's belief in magic wanes. While their home is often full of friends and family, something is missing.
This book was not as light and whimsical as the previous story, yet the ending was beautiful and satisfying, so I definitely recommend A Happy Catastrophe.

I adored the first book from this series and was totally intrigued to see where their story would take us. It was fabulous to catch up with Marnie, a character you just can’t help loving for all her optimism and positivity ❤️ and she was certainly on top form as we rejoined her and Patrick , happily settled together. However the universe springs some surprises on the pair and we watch as they try to adapt to their new family and situations.
Just as I was in the first book, I was totally captivated by the story, the new characters were so wonderful and I enjoyed seeing them join the family.
I found the book utterly spellbinding and full of magical moments. I do hope there will be another opportunity to spend time with these gorgeous characters in a follow up book one day. 🤞🏻

As the sequel to Matchmaking for Beginners, A Happy Catastrophe picks up with Marnie and Patrick madly in love several years later. Their lives are soon consumed by chaos that challenges everyone - even Marnie's unwavering optimism and belief in the magic of the universe. It is an emotional book that will have you feeling both giddy and deeply moved, a testament to Maddie Dawson's skill as a writer.

I found the title, A Happy Catastrophe, slighly misleading; I spent so much time empathizing with Patrick's deep despair and PTSD - so much so, that at one point I nearly gave up on this book. But, as a note to readers, push through that feeling because Maddie Dawson will reward you at the end with a beautiful story of forgiveness and unconditional love... and a little sparkle.

I highly recommend this book!

Galley copy given for free courtesy of NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Marnie and Patrick live in a brownstone in Brooklyn. Marnie is a matchmaker and owner of a flower shop. She has a bright, bubbly personality and attracts many followers, mostly teenage girls who like to hangout in her shop. Patrick is an artist, introverted and shy, he barely survived a gas explosion that killed his previous girlfriend and now has disfiguring scars all over his body. Being 33, Marnie wants a baby, Patrick does not. Cracks start to appear in their crazy, happy existence. Further cracks appear when Patrick comes face to face with 8 year old Fritzie, a product of a 2 night stand with a friend of his sister’s. Tessa, Fritzie’s mother wants to spend a year in Italy with her lover, and has decided it is time for Patrick to parent. Add to the mix, Marnie’s mother decides she tired of her 40 year marriage and bored with her husband so she moves in with Marnie, Patrick, and Fritzie. Then of course, one of the teenage followers, Ariana decides to move in as well. With the icing on the cake, Patrick is preparing a “comeback” art exhibition, leaving him a bundle of nerves and doubt.


I really enjoyed the author’s first book that introduced Marnie and Patrick, but I had a hard time with this continuation of their story. Patrick’s self flagellation throughout the book was tedious and depressing. Had I not been doing a review, I would not have continued past 20% of the book, but I persevered and found a happy ending. The author has talent, but much of the time Marnie , her mother , and Tessa were acting more like teenagers and Fritzie an obnoxious brat.
I wish to thank author/publisher/netgalley for an advance copy.
3.5 stars

Another love story by Maddie Dawson with a dash of chaos. Sweet and lovable moments throughout the book with a heart warming happy ending. You cannot go wrong with this book. Its a bit long, but its worth the read.
Thank you NetGalley, Maddie Dawson and Lake Union Publishing for reader’s copy of this novel. The review is based on my opinion and was not influenced.

In "A Happy Catastrophe" Maddie Dawson has authored another life-giving book! We follow along with Marnie and Patrick once again as their relationship goes through a series of difficulties: grief, unexpected parenthood, etc. Dawson takes us on a wonderful journey which leads to a happy conclusion. I really enjoyed the foster care/adoption themes as that is very timely for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a cute story with a little bit of magic and a lot of love. The story features an eclectic cast of characters. At times it feels a bit over the top and chaotic but overall the story is sweet. I found the book to be a bit long for my taste. A lot of introspective narration that could be cut down but I would still recommend it for a read.

ARC received from netgalley for honest review.

Oh this sweet Rom-Com hit me in ALL THE FEELS!!
I absolutely love the character of Marnie - her personality, her outlook on the world, the way she loves completely and with her whole heart. She truly inspires me! I want to be more like her, I want to meet more people like her and I want to read more about her!
Marnie is a flower shop owner and matchmaker who literally sees "sparkles" around people who are meant to be together. And she makes it her mission to make that happen no matter the situation. The flower shop is just a side gig for all the love she is trying to spread. Her live-in boyfriend Patrick is a similar amazing human, but with a much darker past that is constantly threatening his happiness and his life with Marnie. Add in the arrival of Patrick's previously unknown 8-year-old daughter, Marnie's mother and a smattering of other unique folks and you have a delightful story of redeeming love on many facets!

A Happy Catastrophe, a whimsical adventure. We follow Marnie, Patrick, Blix (now in the form of a toaster) along their journey of raising an 8 year old that just showed up on their doorstep.

Marnie is a matchmaker. As her mother says, she’s got the “magic”. She gets sparkles when she sees people that should be together. She lives with Patrick, her boyfriend. A burn victim that saw life again once he met Blix, and then met Marnie.

This was a fun read. I enjoyed Marnie’s optimism and passion for life. About halfway through the book, I was annoyed with Patrick and his antics. Everyone deals with grief differently, but I just couldn’t grasp the total 180 he made. Tessa was absolutely horrendous. She was narcissistic and callous. I’m glad Marnie was able to be in Fritzie’s life.

Fritzie was the absolute star in this show. Her comments, (kids really do say the darndest things!) her questioning, and of course her defiance made her such a great character. I hope to see her more if the author chooses to make another book after this.

Overall, I give this 3.5 stars. It was short, sweet, happy ending wrapped in a bow. It did get a bit murky in the middle where I found myself lacking attention. I was able to be roped back in by her mother or by Fritzie.

I would like to add there may be some TW/CW: for grief, loss of a loved one, or burn victims. Thank you NetGalley & Lake Union for a copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review! A Happy Catastrophe comes out May 26th!

This is the sequel to Matchmaking for beginners and I was so excited to get a chance to read it! Some of the same great characters with a few new ones sprinkled in. It was a mostly feel good story with a little bit of drama. I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoyed Matchmaking for Beginners!

This book was so good! The characters were so well rounded, you felt like you actually knew them! The plot was so good you didn't want the book to end!

I absolutely LOVED Patrick and Marnie's story in Matchmaking for Beginners, so I was thrilled to see that their story was being continued. I didn't enjoy this quite as much - it was much more somber, and who likes to see turbulence in a beloved love story? But I also think it was a great look at the realistic long-term mental health effects after trauma, and how that impacts relationships. I love Marnie's perseverance, and I thought everything wrapped up so nicely! Maddie Dawson will be an auto-read for me from now on.

Maddie Dawson's latest book, A Happy Catastrophe, is a continuation of the love story between Marnie and Patrick, two of the real, relatable characters that we meet in Matchmaking for Beginners. Like any happy couple seriously dating, they find themselves trying to figure out what the next step is for them when, true to M4B, the universe steps in and throws a kink in the works. Or maybe it was Blix, and maybe it was meant as the push the pair needs for a lasting love. Whatever the case, Dawson introduces us to delightful new characters of all ages who will live on past the pages, from squealing babies to precocious children with an answer for everything, to wise-beyond-their-years teens who seem to have it all figured out. We are also given a peek behind the lives of characters we met in M4B, as Dawson develops existing characters in Marnie and Patrick's lives and gives them dimensions I couldn't have predicted.

With such well developed characters, it is so easy for me to get caught up in the plot, allowing it to take me through all sorts of twists and turns, while a voice is calmly reassuring--maybe Blix again?--that love is still all that matters.

If you enjoy a book that will make you think, sigh, ugly cry, and laugh out loud, then this is definitely one to consider.

I LOVED "Matchmaking for Beginners" and was so excited to read this. I couldn't wait to get back to Patrick and Marnie and all the magic. I really wanted to love this book, but I found it hard to enjoy the story and I blame everything on PATRICK!!! But also Marnie because she put up with Patrick. Patrick is so hard to like in this book. Why does Marnie want to have a baby with him?? Throughout the majority of the book Patrick doesn't want to be a father to the child he already has, complains about having Fritzie, has a countdown to when Fritzie will be leaving and has nonstop negative views about children. I really felt bad for Fritzie. Yes, she was a bit annoying and definitely acted out. But what do you expect from an eight year old whose mom pretty much abandons her with a complete stranger who happens to be her father who also doesn't want anything to do with her. Marnie did everything for Fritzie and Patrick still complained. Would Patrick be able to simply snap out of it and change everything overnight???? It didn't seem realistic.

I did enjoy the rest of the characters in the book (not Patrick). It was nice to see some of the people from the previous book, especially the magical toaster. Marnie's mom was an added bonus. So was Ariana and all her unicorn sparkle. It wasn't hard to guess what was going to happen with Janelle. There were some humorous spots. I just wish the book was as magical as the first.

I say give the book a try, especially if you loved the first book. I didn't hate the book, just didn't love it. Definitely looking forward to reading more books by the author. I wouldn't mind reading more about Marnie and Patrick and there adventures in parenthood.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was such a delight. I absolutely adored Matchmaking for Beginners and this next book did not disappoint. It managed to tackle some heavier issues while still maintaining the upbeat and humorous tone I’ve enjoyed in both of these novels. If you’re looking for a (fairly) light and charming read, I can’t recommend this one enough!

I was immediately swept into Marnie and Patrick’s magical world. I felt the sparkles and the love. While the ending was predictable; I thought it was perfect and well written. However, the middle lost me for a bit. It was a lot of repeating and I was not sure I would continue. I’m glad I stuck it out. I really wanted to love this book but the middle of the book made that hard.

Lukewarm follow-up to Matchmaking for Beginners. The protagonists of the original novel return - including the haunted toaster - but the plot seems forced. She wants a baby; he doesn't; chaos ensues; suddenly, he does. Three stars for the spot-on descriptions of caring for a child.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. This is book two about Marnie Macgraw. She is living in a brownstone given to her by Blix. One of her tenants is her boyfriend who she wants to have a baby with. In the mix of this, a one night stand of Patrick’s show up with an 8 year old that is his. Patrick enters in a deep depression regarding a fire he was involved in that killed his then current girlfriend and pulls away from both girls in his life. I thought this book was ok. The humor all comes from the 8 year old.

absolutely enjoyed this book. Not at all what I had expected however it was a wonderful read and I suggest this to all!!!