This is a sweet romance. Sophie does make lovely matches for the “Old Ducks” and she has some romantic feelings also. This is a heartwarming book. It has villains, Sophie's parents who take outrageous advantage of her. She gives the Old Ducks names that seem to suit their personality like Mr. Regret, Mr. Dolphin and Mr. Particular. There is some fantasy involved since Sophie can tell if a couple will match by seeing red cords that appear to come from their chest and spark toward their mate.
This is a lovely book without too much angst and a heaping dose of warm fuzzies.

Thank you Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, my expectations for this was not in the right place. I love Roselle Lim's books and was highly anticipating this one, actually a little convinced that this was going to be my favorite yet. I was hoping to escape into this sweet story and magical realism that I love Lim for. But Sophie Go is much, much darker than Lim's other work, and it caught me off guard. Themes of parental abuse, suicide, and death made this a difficult read for me. I think if I knew what was coming and was ready for how the book handled them, I would have enjoyed this much more. I still love Lim's writing and look forward to her future books, but I was hoping this book would more Feel Good and it simply wasn't what the doctor ordered. No one is more disappointed than me. :/

Super charming and sweet. I love all the Old Ducks and their respective romances. I had a major soft spot for Mr Wolf the cat lover and his eventual match. By the end of the novel, they're planning a cruise with the cats, which is just super adorable. Gay BFFs Mr Dolphin and Mr Durian are also absolutely adorable; their respective matches are absolutely *chef's kiss* perfect. Mr Sorrow's story, and how he eventually meets his match, is heartbreaking and heartwarming; their first meeting is simply beautiful. And of course Mr Regret the baker, with his choice between two lovely potential matches. Amongst all the Old Ducks, he's the one I just really want to hug. The source of his regret runs deep, and when he tells Sophie the women she's helped him meet make him feel loved, how absolutely wonderful it feels to see him so happy. Honestly, this story has a charming hook and a super loveable cast of characters; for most of the story, I kept thinking about how I would love to see this made into a movie. The nicknames Sophie gives her clients are also super charming...who wouldn't cheer on an elderly man named Mr Regret in his quest for true love? Sophie's own romance was a bit underdeveloped, but it was still pretty charming.

I also love the detail about the red threads and how each person's thread acts when there's a potential love match nearby. I especially love how the red threads respond differently depending on the particulars of the match. In one, relatively straightforward match, the ends spark and immediately twine around each other. In another, where both parties are slightly more cautious, the ends begin to move in unison, close to each other but not quite twining around. And in a third, where the connection runs a bit deeper, the threads fuse together almost immediately, turning into a full-on rope with multiple knots. This is such a beautiful visual of how love works, and how it feels when we find our person, and I absolutely, absolutely love this part of the book.

I do wish Sophie had had a bit more backbone in standing up to her parents -- her growth in this area felt a bit too late but also abrupt for me. I recognize the super toxic circumstances she grew up in -- her mom is super abusive and her dad super cowardly -- so I can understand why she would bite her tongue. Her mom's cruelty is just so ridiculously over the top, and honestly just so one-note, that it's a bit surprising it worked on Sophie for as long as it did. And given how much validation she was getting from people around her, I wish I'd seen a bit more of an internal progression within her.

For example, the confrontation at a birthday dinner comes fairly late in the book, at a point where Sophie does already show some growth by calling out her mom on a lie. When the mom fights back, hard, I wasn't super surprised that Sophie eventually backs down, but I WAS surprised that she still internalized her mom's insults so fulsomely. Still, I don't want to underplay the effects of trauma, particularly the kind inflicted from childhood, so I can imagine this part of the story is sadly realistic.

Most of the novel for me was a solid 5 stars. But then something happens at the 90% mark that just shifts the tone and ruins the book for me, dropping it down to a 3-star read. I recognize the author has the right to end the book however she wants, but given how lovely and feel-good the novel had been to that point, this part of the ending felt unnecessary and just left a sour taste in my mouth. If this novel were to be made into a movie, I truly hope the filmmakers change this part of it.

+

Thanks to the publisher for an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 3.5-4 stars

I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

You know that feeling when you find the right kind of book at exactly the right time? That's what happened with Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club.

My last read was so heavy, I needed a chill read, and absolutely DEVOURED Roselle Lim's latest book. Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club is an absolute delight and was the kind of mellow, breezy story I needed after a long and exhausting month.

With her monster sweet tooth, love of snacks and a pocketful of Asian candy, Sophie Go is a girl after my own heart, and her lonely hearts club of seven bachelors had my whole heart.

Some people may find the pacing a bit slow, but I thought it was just right. There's an ease to the way Roselle Lim approaches the story, and she tells it in an unhurried, relaxed manner. The story itself is more slice of life than fluffy romance, and even though it addresses some really difficult and complex family dynamics (more on that later,) there's just something soothing about reading this story.

I low-key dream of being a matchmaker, so I loved the premise of a matchmaker who can see the red threads of fate. I'm not usually a fan of magical realism, but Roselle Lim has a knack for unapologetically inserting bits of magic into her stories in a way that just works. While I loved the concept of accredited matchmakers running around making matches and nurturing love, I do wish the idea had been explored just the tiniest bit more. For the most part the idea of magical matchmakers was incorporated into the story naturally, but I felt like there were still a few holes in the worldbuilding by the time I got to the end that left me feeling a little confused and dissatisfied. The idea that matchmakers are born without red threads was only briefly introduced and never really expanded on, and I would've liked to have a little more explanation about the role of the Match Making Society and idea of thread restoration ceremonies.

The seven septuagenarian Chinese bachelors are what initially sparked my interested in Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club, and the Old Ducks did not disappoint. I love old people and think the geriatric bachelors stole the show. (Also, the found family aspect is ADORABLE.) Though we don't get to spend a lot of time with every single one of them, they each have their own distinct personalities and each is endearing in his own way. They seriously made this book for me. I personally loved Mr. Regret, the sweet, grandfatherly baker, and found the grouchy Mr. Porcupine concerning relatable.

Despite being a book about love, this is not a particularly romance-centric book. Sophie's own romance plays a relatively minor role in the story, and the matches she makes are cute but don't really make the story. I personally found the all romances to be a bit too easy and undeveloped to get emotionally invested in, though I did like what little we saw of Sophie's love interest. The book's focus is more on non-romantic types of love: self-love, platonic love, and familial love. The heart of the story is really Sophie's road to self-discovery. It's sometimes painful to read, and I do think it could've been handled with a bit more finesse, but there was something refreshing about it. I loved watching her relationships with the Old Ducks develop. But the most compelling aspect of the book, in my opinion, is Sophie's relationship with her parents. I'm always a fan of complex family relationships, but the relationship in Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club is just straight-up unhealthy. It's been a long time since I've read anything like that, and I just thought it was a really interesting choice. (I also have so many questions for Roselle Lim.) The exploration of the Go family dynamics are honest and real without feeling emotionally heavy or draining, which I really appreciated.

My main issue with Sophie Go's Lonely Heart Club is the sudden shift in the final act. I can see what Roselle Lim was trying to do, but it just feels disjointed and doesn't fit in well with the rest of the book. Part of me wonders if the original ending was scrapped and the third act was changed last-minute (from what I can gather from the Acknowledgements, there was an event Lim's personal life that I suspect might be related to the sudden ending.) There isn't really a natural transition to the climax, and it makes the third act feel disjointed and at odds with the rest of the story, which is a shame because I ended this perfectly lovely book on a discordant note.

Overall, reading Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club was such a comforting experience. It was like the literary equivalent to listening to chill lo-fi (or ASMR, if you're into that kind of thing.) I had no brain power when I picked it up, but it was an unassuming, quiet book that didn't demand anything from me, and that was exactly what I needed. My usual mindless reading choices lean toward fluffy romance, but there was something surprisingly satisfyingly about Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club even though it wasn't strictly a conventional romance.

This was a very heartwarming read about a matchmaker who finds matches for seventy year old bachelors. There were some sad scenes. However, the ending was very perfect! This was a very romantic novel! I like like how it focused on Chinese culture! I recommend this for fans of Crazy Rich Asians!

I knew that I was going to read everything Roselle Lim had ever published before I was even halfway through with SGLHC. The writing pulled me into a story that managed to be wholly relatable and beautifully magical at the same time.

Sophie Go has just left matchmaking school in Shanghai and arrives in Toronto prepared to bloom in her life and career. The only thing standing in her way? Her opportunistic parents, who’s demands threaten to rob Sophie of her money and confidence. Sophie quickly befriends a close-knit group of senior men in her building, but will their life lessons and support be enough to help Sophie break free of her parents’ reign of terror?

Sophie is an easy character to root for: she’s smart, interesting, and genuine. Her struggles feel like they could be your own, which is what makes it so hard to watch her hurt. I could read a whole collection of books about Sophie and her matchmaking adventures.

I loved how complex the other characters were made to be too. No one was a one-note archetype, which made for a really wonderful reading experience. I can’t wait to read Lim’s other books! You have time to read them too before Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is released on August 16.

this book was so sweet, silly, and cute! i loved the found family aspect and the delicious food descriptions - i did change my goodreads shelf away from romance, because i think this was more of a cute women's fiction with a fun magical realism component!

also, there were some darker aspects that felt out of place to me - a certain third act plot point felt forced in and like it didn't get its proper due, and the relationship with the parents to me felt similar. i wish this had focused on the fluffier parts, which felt perfect to me.

otherwise this was lovely and i'll look for more reads from this author!

I stopped at 10% but it’s an easy four stars for many of our readers if it continues as it has. We would definitely add to our libraries.

For me, Sophie was too spontaneous and unfocused to start off, and I didn’t feel invested in her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC.

First, thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the opportunity to read this lovely book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the read. This was the first book I’ve read by the author.

Some reviewers referred to this as a romance – but I didn’t find it to be that kind of a book. The story was about Sophie, who had travelled to Shanghai and lived there for three years to become a Matchmaker. She is returning home to Toronto someone chagrined because she failed to graduate due to an unfortunate incident. She does have the ability to prove herself and then become qualified and “graduate” – so she sets about trying to find clients who will hire her. The story is about how Sophie triumphs as a person and as a matchmaker – in spite of some pretty significant obstacles.

Sophie is a wonderful and complex character and Lim has written her with deft as creating a woman who has both a strong support network in her best friend Yanmei, whom she met in Shanghai and her friends/clients “the Old Ducks”; and horribly abusive parents who believe it is their right to belittle and emotionally blackmail their daughter for their own personal gain.

There is a little mystical element to the book that relates to the red threads. According to Chinese legend/myth – there is an “invisible red thread” (visible to Matchmakers only) that shows the connection between two people who are destined to be together – kind of like a little waving “flag” that shows the level of electricity between two people. In this book, the red threads were a very important element to Sophie’s natural success as a matchmaker. It made for a fun and exciting part of the plot when it happened between the people Sophie encountered.

Thank goodness for the Old Ducks – who are seven seventy-something Chinese bachelors who are alone and single and live in Sophie’s apartment building: Mr. Regret, Mr. Porcupine, Mr. Dolphin, Mr. Durian, Mr. Wolf and Mr. Moon – become not only Sophie’s friends but her clients. She wins them over one by one in her triumph and their happiness.

The downer in the book is Sophie’s mother. She is a truly reprehensible character who doesn’t have a kind word to say to Sophie and feels it is her right to demand highly expensive jewelry, dinners, and payments for her father’s medical treatments from her daughter. It was actually difficult to read – so applause to Ms. Lim for creating such a believable and horrid character. Sophie, filled with guilt, does her best to accommodate so that the berating will stop…it doesn’t. But Sophie, with the help of her friends and clients, finds a way to stand up for herself at last.

3.5/5

This book was so fun and so enjoyable to read. I absolutely adored the characters and the premise was so entertaining.

I chose this book to request on NetGalley because I found the premise so adorable (who doesn't love the antics of a matchmaker) and decided that for AAPI Heritage Month, this was going to be the book that kick-starts my focus on AAPI authors/ literature, and I'm so glad I did!

Sophie Go is a newly minted matchmaker back in Toronto following matchmaking school in Shanghai, but due to an issue with her schooling, she flunks out of matchmaking school and has to be resourceful to find clients, turning to a group of elderly men in their condo complex, affectionately called the "Old Ducks."

The characters in this book are adorable. I loved the relationships she has with each of the Old Ducks, and the cute affectionate nicknames she gives them! Sophie's friendships with all of the men grow gradually and the ways she gradually helps them piece together their love lives is so fun to watch. I loved all of the Old Ducks and they sounded like the sweetest group of neighbors. Truly found family at its most wholesome.

I really really enjoyed the inclusion of the red thread to Sophie's matchmaking. For anyone that doesn't know, there is a Chinese myth that states that an invisible red thread connects all people who are destined to be together. In [book:Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club|54019924], matchmakers are able to see the red threads to determine if someone is looking for a match or if a match works out. I loved this inclusion of the mythology and it was so great to see it represented in this story.

As much as I enjoyed this book, the only issue I had was the pacing. There are a bunch of side plots in this book (not that I'm complaining about side plots, I love when we get an ensemble cast in a book) so at times, certain side plots feel rushed. I felt that way particularly with Sophie's romance, but I think that might come down to personal romance preference. I am a slow-burn type of girly and because there were so many other things happening, it felt like Sophie's romance was a bit rushed.

And this is just a fun thing I really enjoyed, but I loved the title and it's homage to the Beatles, especially since we learn that Sophie loves the Beatles. It's such a cute detail and I loved it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It's super fun and takes a setting I haven't really read much about (I don't usually find a ton of books with the matchmaker premise!). The story is so sweet and at its center, even though it's technically a romance, it is a found family at heart, and who doesn't love a good found family?

I highly recommend!! Definitely pick up a copy when it comes out August 16, 2022!

Definitely pick up a copy of this when it releases on May 3, 2022!

Huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for the Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are mine and mine alone.

This book is so cute! I loved the intergenerational friendships in this book so much. It's a really heartwarming story with touching relationships between all of the characters. I do wish the parents were a little less cartoonish, but at the same time, I do know that some parents are like the parents in this story. I especially loved the Old Ducks. Each of their stories were unique and SO heartwarming (yes, I needed to say this again).

This was an okay book. I would recommend it in the future, but don't see myself rereading it anytime soon.

Thank you Net Galley, for the copy of this!
I really liked this a lot. There were a lot of different aspects-romance (Sophie finding a match for herself despite herself), the emotional abuse Sophie received from her family, career, and friendship. I loved it that the story started with Sophie's big leap to starting her business and moving into her home (really nice) apartment. It's not until details start to come out a little later that you realized just what a huge deal that was. And what at first might seem like just mother daughter conflict becomes clear that her family is completely abusive. It was fascinating. I loved it that Sophie's professional foray into matchmaking lands with her senior citizens. And I adored watching her become friends with these elderly people. I also really liked how easily some of the matches were heterosexual and some homosexual.
I very much enjoyed this book, though I had one stumbling block--I honestly didn't know if this was magical realism, or more of a metaphor-a way she described how she felt about the matchmaking. I haven't read any of her other books so I didn't know if she always wrote this way. It didn't really make a difference to the story, but I genuinely couldn't tell if this was set in a world where matchmakers legit saw strings, had strings, had strings cut, etc. (nothing else in the world indicated that it was a fantasy world.)


Very enjoyable and would definitely read more by Kim.

This book was so much fun to read. It was filled with heart and humour as it dealt with heavier topics such as love, loss, and grief! The ‘red threads’ that connected characters together was such beautiful imagery and I really loved the relationships between each of the characters! The ‘Old Ducks’ and their stories/journeys with love were so sweet - and the character growth of each of the men was so well done. As was the character growth/development of Sophie! I loved the quirky names given to each of the Old Ducks - naming them after an identifier unique to them gave me Snow White vibes! I am going to add other books by this author to my TBR because this book was so incredible!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the advanced electronic version of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Sophie has come back to Toronto after attending a matchmaking school in Shanghai. Her first clients are a group of older gentlemen who call themselves the Old Ducks. Her mother is a greedy harridan who has tried to undermine Sophie at every turn, disrespecting her daughter--demanding money to satisfy her need for prestige and higher status. (Mother wants a diamond tennis bracelet? A dinner at an expensive restaurant to impress her new friends? Sophie must pay for them, or else she is an ungrateful daughter.) Sophie learns the hard way that family isn't always our blood relatives, and that she is indeed worthy of love. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I didn't used to like all the magic in Roselle's books - it always was a little bit too.... Disney... but to be honest, it is starting to grow on me! Loved the original plot and story along with the charecters.

A beautiful story about loneliness that grabs one by the throat and heart. Sophie is outed as a fake matchmaker with no skills - but she finds a way to prove herself with seven Chinese bachelors all in their 70s! I laughed, I cried , I cheered for them all

Sophie Go is a born matchmaker. Literally: she can see people's red heart threads, and watch them interact with one another. When she returns to Toronto to set up her practice, a shameful secret comes out: she didn't actually graduate from matchmaking school, and it'll be more difficult for her to petition to get certified if she can't demonstrate her abilities. But she can't get anyone to hire her if she's not accredited. In desperation, she takes on the Old Ducks, a group of eccentric friends living in her condo complex. If she can find true love for these seven elderly men, the matchmaking academy--and Toronto high society--will have to take her seriously.

Meanwhile, matchmakers don't have their own heart threads, but that doesn't stop Sophie from dreaming about Mr. Particular, her handsome, young, and quirky client who isn't satisfied with any match she makes for him. And she's dealing with her demanding, selfish mother, who wants nothing less than all of Sophie's time, attention, and money for herself.

Lim's customary use of magical realism continues to delight in this newest tale. No one casts spells or flies, but the little touches of magic make the story soar. I was rooting for Sophie and all of her Old Ducks. I found Sophie's relationship with her mother very stressful, and the resolution of this storyline was less satisfying for me than the rest of the book. But overall, this was a delightful read and I look forward to Lim's next book.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

I’m not much of a romance reader, so this books is a 3 star book, but I rounded up because I thought it was a really sweet story for a genre I don’t particularly like.

Sophie is a matchmaker. She sees red threads coming from the hearts of the people around her that spark and intertwine when they meet their match. This is her calling, but an unfortunate incident leads her to fail her accreditation. Instead of giving up, she seeks clients in an unlikely place: The Old Ducks Club. These elderly gentlemen have given up on romance but Sophie convinces them to give love another shot.

Her relationship with these elderly men is ADORABLE. Friendships that cross the age gap always warm the heart and this was no different. Each Old Duck has a unique personality and watching them date was mushy gross heartwarming in the best of ways.

My only problems with this book are the bits that make it a traditional romance. Sophie has her own “will they/won’t they” situation that seemed almost unnecessary…but follows along the typical romance equation many enjoy. She also had one too many quirks. Listens exclusively to the Beatles and is also always eating candy on top of having an incredibly unique job. I liked the candy portion because I learned about so many that I hadn’t heard of before. Instead of giving her more depth, two quirks made her seem like a stereotypical romance heroine instead of someone who could be real.

Sophie’s mother is also an absolute shrew. This added depth to her character because she’s always trying to please and yet, it’s never enough. It filled her out and made her whole. Hurt can do that sometimes.

I would definitely recommend this to romance readers and even the cold cynics like myself who need a moment to defrost their hearts.

This was an incredibly fast, heartwarming read. Would recommend for clean romance fans and those with AAPI populations.