Sophie Go is trying to gain clients as Toronto's newest Matchmaker, but after a tragic incident and gossip spread to all the potential young clients, she is struggling to launch her business. Her new apartment is filled with elderly, single, and tired of being lonely. Despite the demographic being notably difficult to match, Sophie does not shy away from a challenge.

I love love loved this book so much and I wish I knew a group of Old Ducks. Each Duck was so well described I could picture him. I've loved Roselle Lim's previous two books, but this one is my favorite. So well written, so descriptive, with wonderful characters that you root for and laugh with. But it will also bring tears to your eyes and make your heart well so Sophie navigates the world of matchmaking and seeing the red thread between two people twine together. Cannot say enough how much I loved reading this.

I loved this book so much and want to see it turned into a movie. It is heartfelt, cute, hits so many foodie buttons, and is specific and yet universal. I rooted for Sophie, was disappointed by her parents, wanted her to give Mr. Particular a chance, loved all if the Old Ducks, gasped out loyd when tragedy struck...as my daughter would say, "all the feels." More please.

This book was not what I expected at all, but I absolutely loved it! It was an incredibly unique read- full of self-discovery, Chinese traditions, family challenges, love, and unexpected friendship.

My favorite part was the friendships the main character and aspiring matchmaker, Sophie, made with the "Old Ducks," a group of elderly men who after giving up on love, give her new skills a chance.

I found the relationship between Sophie and her parents both eye-opening and heartbreaking, but I was pleased with how part of the story ended and how it transformed Sophie. I really enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my gifted review copy.

This book was an absolute treasure. I went into this not knowing what to expect and was surprised in the best way. From the title, it seems like it would be your average rom-com book but it was so much more. The magical realism qualities weren’t something I would’ve said I enjoyed before this book but it fits so well. Watching Sophie’s goal of making others happy with her love of matchmaking throughout the story was so fun and I found myself constantly smiling and easily falling in love with almost every character. On top of all this sweetness, we got a deeper and more complex view into Sophie’s relationship with her parents that left her feeling worthless and broken, allowing us the ability to watch her find a newfound family that was proud of her and loved her unconditionally. It did take me a minute to get into this book but once I did, I couldn’t put it down and ended up finishing it in a day. Sophie’s romance felt like such a cherry on top of this novel.

This author writes such sweet stories and this was another one! I love the magical realism intertwined with the matchmaking storyline. The romance was subtle and cute.

This book made me sob and laugh. It reminded me of the newest Disney movie, Turning Red. Generational trauma is strong with this one.

Sophie Go has returned to Toronto, after failing to graduate from the matchmaking school in Shanghai. However, that doesn't stop her from trying to gather clients and get her accreditation to keep her red thread sights. The red threads are what she sees when couples walk by or when a new couple is being formed. She attends an event to obtain clients and meets Mr. Particular, but also where her mother let's everyone know about her failure. Because of this, Sophie meets the Old Ducks and helps them find their loves.

I hated Sophie's mother so much and how her Dad never stood up for her. Her mother was not how a mother should treat their child. Every time Sophie gave in, I got mad at Sophie for not standing up for herself. I'm glad Sophie had the Old Ducks and Yanmei to help her navigate her horrible parents. All the couples in the book were so cute and I loved the matchmaking aspect.

Also, the description of the food will make you DROOL! Sophie also loves to eat some GOOD candy. I got hungry when I would read this book late at night. Don't read this book on an empty stomach!

I really really enjoyed this book. Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is the finest, sweetest, most well executed work of Roselle Lim. Another exemplary story of vivid magical realism meets with Eastern symbolism with romantic vibes. This is more a self growth, learning to love yourself women’s fiction than a romance ( actually our smart, gold hearted , determined heroine Sophie’s love story takes only minor part of the book)

The book is mostly focused on Sophie’s working too hard to sharpen her matchmaking skills to bring octogenarians together for helping them have their HEAs by acting against very demanding and strict Chinese mother’s wishes.

There are so many lovable crowd of supporting characters in this book with their well crafted stories that make you sigh and put a smile on your face. But I have to admit I was so close to punch Sophie’s mother at several times for treating her daughter so unfairly. She acted a worse kind of villanelle and I hated the guts of her! But Ms. Lim is talented enough to find a way to make us forgive that character by wrapping up the story in a most harmonized way.

If you read the previous books of Roselle Lim, you already know how she can create real magic with words, melting our hearts with dreamy and promising stories that give us hope, happy smiles and cries at the same time! This book is truly special and you shouldn’t miss it!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.

A delightful book, with magical realism at its best. The Old Ducks were great fun, especially as Sophie helped them to find love. Great descriptive language too - I kept finding myself craving candy and baked goods while reading.

I really loved Roselle Lim's first two books, but I think this is her best yet. The emotions are so rich and deep in this story about love and family and friendships. I definitely cried at the end.

I love reading this new one from Lim even though it was difficult to read at times because the mom is so awful and emotionally/financially abusive. But I love found family and the Old Ducks and how they all found romantic love but also found family and friendship love.

I went into Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Clubs with no idea what kind of book I was reading, and honestly—I was not expecting what the story had to offer. Instead of a mere bubble gum romance, as the title suggests, the novel uses magical realism to further legitimize the professions of matchmakers. While I, personally was rather disinterested in Sophie’s love story (which was—to my pleasant surprise—only a minor plotline!), her attempts to matchmake the octogenarians throughout the novel creates the ultimate heart of the story (especially Mr. Durian and Mr. Dolphin). Despite the large cast of characters, Lim does a good job creating really vibrant characters with distinct personalities that made it easy to remember the sheer number of people Sophie interacted with. Also, Lim’s conscious decision to reference Toronto (and the Great Toronto Area with mentions to the other boroughs) was such a lovely touch to the book overall. Her attempts to create setting were quite vivid without overtaking the narrative itself.

That being said, the structural quality of Lim’s sentences veered on choppy and stilted at times. In fact, I’m quite curious how the novel will translate over to the audiobook format due to the overuse of simple/short sentences. While the characters and the setting were quite engaging, the narrative (due to the writing style) often struggled to move along at a steady pace. As a result, major developments in the plots felt abrupt and this made it difficult to construct a continuous reading process.

Furthermore—and this may be a testament to Lim’s writing ability—but Sophie’s mom was truly one of the worst characters I have ever read. She was just this horrible gaslighting, morally reprehensible, and incredibly abusive mother that I wanted to slap every time she showed up in the book. At times, I just wanted to stop reading because I was so frustrated with the way Sophie was treated. This particular plot-point may be a deterrent for a number of readers (and also quite triggering!), but I do think Lim adds an emotional quality to the book which proves she has the literary chops to build a diverse range of characters (from pieces of garbage to loveable characters).

Rozelle Lim does it again! The growth of protagonist Sophie Go is something for any first or second generation Asian Canadian or Asian American to aspire. I loved the relationships Sophie made as she grew to become her own person. Her relationship with her parents, in particular, resonates with me- the struggle to be the perfect child while trying to become an individual is tough. Can’t wait for Lim’s next novel!

Roselle Lim is consistently a delight and Sophie Go is no different. A highly recommended first purchase, particularly for collections where her previous titles were popular.

Roselle Lim remains a favorite. This book has everything she does beautifully (lush language, magic, complex family dynamics) and adds a layer of heartbreak. Beautiful book with a beautiful supporting cast and a tiny twinge of bittersweetness.

I ugly cried with this book. It was so cute and heart warming and fun. I love all of Roselle Lim's books. The magical realism is great. I wish she had more books.

Aspiring matchmaker Sophie Go is a pluckky, resourceful and clever young woman whose conflict with her overbearing Chinese mom will resonate with many readers. The novel has a touch of magical realism in that Sophie can see red threads extending from everyone's heart, threads that show how ready someone is for love--to make a match. Sophie is an inspiring protagonist; in her quest to become Toronto's premier matchmaker she persists despite her mom's disparagement and the eventual loss of her power to see the red threads.
The novel spends a lot of time describing Sophie's relationship with her (actually cruel) mother, establishing that Sophie needs to break free, then re-establishing and re-affirming and repeatedly reminding us of what we already know. The pace picks up when Sophie corrals a group of elderly Chinese men in her apartment building as potential clients.