The Matchmaker’s Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman was such a delight to read! I could not put it down once I started it, which is just the best (right?!). 🤍

The story is told in dual timelines, and I was equally drawn into both, which is not often the case with this kind of structure. The modern-day timeline shares the story of Abby, a young divorce attorney, reevaluating her life in the wake of the death of her grandmother, Sara. The historical timeline tells Sara’s story after emigrating to New York in 1910 and discovering her gift for matchmaking (to the consternation of the traditional male matchmakers). Both stories unfold as the women come into their own, facing ups and downs in their families, their communities, their careers, and their love lives. What made this novel stand out was the touch of magical realism and the insights into both traditional and modern Jewish culture in NYC. It all came together beautifully in this heartfelt, enjoyable read.

This novel releases September 20, but I was given an advance copy as part of the @thoughtsfromapage Patreon community (we get to chat with @lloigman this upcoming Monday!). 🎉

Have you ever heard of a matchmaker?

Sara Glickman had a gift of matchmaking that she had to keep secret so the elders wouldn't complain she was stealing their business of matching up couples.

Sara would see a beam of light travel from a man to a woman or vice versa, and she knew they were made for each other.

Her first matchmaking was on the boat from Europe to New York for her sister.

She made many matches, and unfortunately the one she made for herself was heartbreaking because she found out the man she loved had sparks leading to another woman.

We follow Sara and her granddaughter, Abby, throughout the book.

Abby is a divorce attorney in present day, and we meet Sara in 1918 as she does her magic.

Sara was an endearing character.

Abby was just as endearing and had reservations about being an attorney. Should she become a matchmaker like her grandmother?

Loved this book from the first page to the last with its marvelous research, lovable characters, and gorgeous cover.

If you need a sweet read with sweet characters, don't miss THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT.

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

This book has a very original storyline, told in dual timelines. A story of gifts, family and true friendship. Really enjoyed it. #netgalley #thoughtsfromapage

This is such a feel good, well written book. I loved Sara and Abby's character. Reading the book would be the great way to spend an rainy afternoon. The plot was very well developed and so were each of the characters. I felt like they were my friends.

Their journey teaches and reminds us to reflect about our own values, integrity, and — once again: purpose!
What matters to us most!! This is a book that you will think about long after you read it.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the free book.
I have enjoyed the author's previous books so I was looking forward to this one. It was much sweeter than her other books, which I didn't mind. The idea of a Jewish matchmaker, a female one at that, captured my attention. There is also a small magical element that comes with this, which I found to be completely lovely. I could've spent so much time with Sara in her timeline, which starts in 1910. Sara is a woman who knows what it means to fight for what she believes in and that is evident on every page. Abby, whose timeline is in 1994, was harder to connect with. I found it a bit slow. I understand why she was written the way she was, but I wanted to see her transformation earlier in the book. From 80% on, I was fully invested in her timeline also, and I wish I would've seen more of that Abby in the story. But I did like how her story evolved and how she grew. I think this is a story that I will come to appreciate more over time.
Also, I just want to ask, would you look at that stunning cover? If you read the book, you will come to appreciate all of the small details that are present here. I think it's a cover that will definitely grab a readers attention and make them curious about the book.

Thank you St Martin’s Press and the Thoughts From a Page podcast for a digital ARC through NetGalley.

The extent of my knowledge of matchmaker’s before reading this book was the character of Yenta in Fiddler on the Roof. But boy was Sara Glickman nothing like Yenta! The Matchmaker’s Gift taught me so much about Jewish culture in NYC in the 1910’s and I loved every minute. Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, was the POV for the 1994 timeline and her profession - divorce attorney- could not be farther from her grandmother’s line of work. But after Sara’s death, Abby’s grief brings her even closer to her grandmother in strange yet satisfying ways.

From the historical fiction aspects, to the multiple POVs and timelines, to the hints of magical realism, I loved this book from start to finish!

As Abigail examines her recently deceased grandmother’s journals, she discovers that her grandmother’s matchmaking career was more complex than she realized. Will her grandmother make one final match from beyond the grave—this time pairing Abigail with a new path toward a more fulfilling life?

This is a solidly enjoyable book with winsome (if a tad bit cliched) characters. The conflict and plot keep the reader engaged, though perhaps not gripped. This lack of strong conflict is balanced by the pacing: it’s easy to finish this book in one or two sittings. There’s a slight element of magic in the novel, but it plays a relatively minor role in the plot so should not impede the satisfaction of most fans of realism. If you’re looking for a light, pleasant read, this may fill the bill.

I loved THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman. Many threads weave together in this enchanting story. Relationships take center stage in this dual time line novel with related protagonists. In 1910 Sara, a young immigrant girl discovers her talent for making love matches. In 1994 her granddaughter, Abby, discovers she shares her grandmother’s unique gift. This is not your average romance novel but a complex satisfying story rich in fascinating details. A woman’s struggling to compete in a man’s world, being true to oneself while honoring tradition, and finding happiness after heartbreak are themes that surface again and again as Sara and Abby try to help others across several decades. The New York City setting and the Jewish proverbs sprinkled throughout the story add to the charm of THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

*Publish date - 9/20/2022. Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Thoughts From a Page for the advanced e-copy of this book.

Lynda Cohen Loigman does a wonderful job of bringing the characters of The Matchmaker's Gift to life. In 1910, Sara Gilkman becomes aware of her gift as a matchmaker at the age of 10! This is mainly a male vocation, and she is met with resistance and threats in the New York Jewish community. Fast forward two generations to her granddaughter, Abby, who discovers that she might also have this gift. The trouble is - she is a divorce attorney. Abby struggles to reconcile whether the business side of her (making money when couples part ways) will win over her desire to help soulmates find each other. The story is told in alternating times and voices from each of these women, and you learn of their struggles of what to do with what they know. There are unexpected twists and endearing characters that will find their way into your hearts!

I highly recommend this delightful book!

CONTENT WARNING: death, grief, death of a parent

Even in more recent history, matchmakers played a vital role in Jewish society. And while I’ve heard about this, I didn’t know a whole lot about it. But I was still drawn to this book thanks to some of the amazing Jewish instagram accounts that I follow. And I was absolutely not let down by this story.

It can be really hard to hold my attention when I read a book in dual timelines. What I tend to find is that one timeline is much more interesting than the other, and I rush through one POV trying to get back to the other. But this book completely bypasses that trap, creating two timelines that are equally enchanting—both Sara as a young woman in the early part of the 20th century and her granddaughter Abby in the later part of the century are both POVs that caught my attention and had me reading avidly to find out what happens to both of them. I was fully invested in both stories, despite how different they were initially.

Sara is an immigrant to NYC, but she is drawn to matchmaking by a natural gift for it. However, she faces some challenges—matchmaking was generally a field limited to older, married, devout men, so there is a lot of pushback from the older matchmakers in the neighborhood who see her as stealing her business. She makes her first match at age 10, and while that can be viewed as a sign of her destiny, it can also be a strike against her, since who would want to take matchmaking advice from a kid? And in making matches, she also goes up against the rabbinical court. She’s also facing poverty, which makes basically everything else in life hard, especially since the pressure from the other matchmakers makes it hard for Sara to accept any money for doing what her heart is telling her to do. Finally, she can’t exactly explain how she makes her matches, which aren’t advantageous matches, but love matches, and this is where elements of magical realism come into play in the story.

Abby, Sara’s granddaughter, is a divorce attorney. She’s ambitious, driven, and successful, but some recent cases force her to question her motivations to do her job the way she is supposed to. And after the passing of her grandmother, she discovers that she was left all of the matchmaking journals that her grandmother had kept over the course of her life. I loved seeing Abby’s growth over the course of the story as she starts to see a different path open to her, just as she starts feeling trapped in her life. Her journey also corresponds to her grief, and as she works through it, she is guided by her memories of her grandmother as well, and her beliefs in what her grandmother would have wanted her to do.

While the stories seemed very different at first, I enjoyed seeing how they dovetailed with each other. Both of the women have character traits in common, and they are guided by their moral compasses, even when they’re told to do something different by the people around them and society at large. I loved watching them do what they felt was right, and see how their lives changed as a result.

The story is full of strong-willed women, who are full of heart. I loved reading about the Jewishness of the early 20th century, and how certain customs were practiced. The part about how tashlich was celebrated was so beautiful to me, since it’s a ritual that has always held so much meaning and it’s one of the memories that stands out to me from celebrating the High Holy Days as a child. It’s a really fast read, and it’s beautifully written. I especially loved how it incorporated more diversity into Sara’s later matchmaking efforts as she assimilated into a more diverse world, and it made me so happy to see her expanding her efforts to non-Jewish people, other races and ethnicities, and the queer community, because she was able to see that love is love, no matter who it is. This is the sweetest, most heartwarming story, and it reaffirmed my belief in love. As my father used to say, there’s a lid for every pot.

Loved the setting and the bumps between time periods. Really wonderful job situating the story in New York and I truly didn’t know where it was headed - and then I enjoyed the ride!

How do matchmakers actually work and make good and lasting matches?

We meet Sarah in 1910, NYC where she has a "gift" of helping young couples and spinster aged couples find love matches. During this time, most of the matchmakers were actually men--are you thinking of Fiddler on the Roof? Yes, men. The group of them were angry that Sarah, a young girl, would have audacity to match make and take food out of their children mouths by taking away their matchmaking opportunities. So she hides her matches, yet she continues to help young love find one another.

The authors note at the end points out some homework she did on matchmakers and she used some popular newspaper articles that she found in the early 1900's to incorporate into her story! This book has a great sense of place and time and need!

I gobbled up this book, it was very entertaining to read!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advance e-copy of this book.

In dual alternating timelines Loigman explores the role of the matchmaker in Jewish culture in a charming and engaging novel.

In the early 20th century on the Lower East Side of NYC, young Sara is struggling with her family to merely survive. She is not a matchmaker but is able to “see” a certain light that emanates around a man and a woman when love is present. Not realizing the traditions of a matchmaker, she embarks on a lifelong quest of bringing people together. Her road is rewarding but not easy.

In the 1990s. Sara’s granddaughter Abby seems stuck in a totally different paradigm. She is an up-and-coming lawyer in a high profile divorce firm. Her mission is separating couples or writing pre-nups for the inevitable break-up. Financially on the rise, but lacking emotional satisfaction, Abby is stressed.

When Sara dies, she leaves Abby her notebooks which chronicle her life, her struggles and her successes. Sara always said that Abby may have a certain talent/gift that her current job was not letting her use. Was it possible that these journals would be a key to that ability and a pathway for her to find meaning and happiness in her life?

Loigman’s touches of Yiddish, NYC contemporary life, the history of the Lower East Side and a small dose of magic realism is just the right mixture. This is an enjoyable and fun read. Recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this title.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a solid 4 star book. It is captivating, well written and fun. There are several story lines, but they are all interesting and they all work together. The book moves from the 1990’s back to the early 1900’s very seamlessly. The mystical “light” and Sarah’s very early realization of her “gift” are a little beyond my realm of belief, but the stories themselves are heart warming and well written. Matchmaking was a serious business, not a hobby and Sarah’s endeavors were not appreciated by the men who had always counted this profession as their own. Abby is an attorney in NY with no interest in matchmaking or mystical powers for doing so. Right??? Thank you for a book that took my mind off everything while I was reading.

Sara has a gift, she 'sees' the connection between those meant to be together. Her granddaughter, who we meet in 1994, discovers the grandmother's secrets in the journals left to her and fights hard initially to deny her own skills in matters of the heart.
This is a lovely, heart-reaching story of the drawing together of beloveds. Sara in 1912 is confronted by the shatken, the traditional male matchmakers, who believe that a single woman could not/should not be a matchmaker.
Decades later, Abby fights against the belief of true love as a divorce lawyer. However, her bond to her grandmother gives her the faith to put kindness and humility first for a non-conventional meeting of partners and is told with humour and insight. 'The heart us big enough to hold both grief and love.'
The sprinkling of Yiddish phrases and Jewish customs were a bonus and lend depth to the history of matchmaking. The descriptions of food, dress and old NewYork culture were wonderful too.
You will cheer on these characters to their individual happy endings.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #St.Martin'sPress for this early copy of a truly enjoyable book.

This book was a sweet easy read, but “fantasy twists” in the story were not my thing! I liked the two different timelines and the way one would easily lead into the other, and I liked most of the characters. I thought the little part at the end was sort of cheesy, though, and that lowered my rating from 4 stars to 3.

Thanks to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me!

Loved it!!! This book was everything and so much more. Before I started reading it, I was worried it wasn't going to be the right book for me. I was completely wrong. I was hooked from the start until the very end. Loved how it alternated between Sara and Abby. I was sad when it was over because I wanted to see what was next for Abby. "When you weep, the one you are meant for tastes the salt of your tears." That ending may have caused me to shed a few tears. I loved Abby, but Sara's story was my favorite. I would have loved to read more about her matchmaking, especially the time after WWII and until her death. She led such an interesting life. Sara was such a brave woman. I loved how she stood up to all those old shadchanims in court. They harassed her for years. Sara was better at matchmaking than all of the men combined. She truly had a gift and they were jealous and set in their old world rules. Loved the chapter titles that were associated with Sara. I loved how the stories all intertwined.

Definitely recommend the book. Loved the characters, story and writing style. This was such a beautiful and magical book. I loved everything about it. Look forward to reading more books by the author. Loved the cover of the book. There's pickles on it for the Pickle King!!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The Matchmaker’s Gift is a gift itself, to all the readers lucky enough to read it! When she is only 10 years old, Sara discovers that she has a special gift—being able to find couples who are meant to be together. Even as a teenager, Sara faces scrutiny, condescension and threats, but she knows what she knows and she brings joy to the couples and families she helps. This heartwarming, dual timeline story begins in 1910 with Sara’s story; the contemporary timeline is set 80 years later, and features her beloved granddaughter Abby. Abby’s life and career were shaped by her parent’s divorce, and when Sara dies, Abby starts looking through boxes of journals her grandmother left to her. Reading those journals, and remembering all the wisdom her grandmother imparted, Abby starts to question her own path in life. Each of their stories are rich and compelling, and the magic within the pages of this book often took my breath away. Both women faced conflict and pain, but their stories also contained many layers of hope and, especially, love. True love is the thread that weaves these stories together, as couples across the decades find their soulmates, with a little nudge from a gifted matchmaker.

“The Matchmaker’s Gift” by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an Arc of this book! This review is entirely my own.

The description of this book was what caught my attention at first. This story includes dual point of views and dual timelines. It is a heartwarming story of love and ancestry between a grandmother and her granddaughter.
The book begins in 1910 telling the story of Sara Glikman and her family as they migrated to New York. On the ship over, Sara discovers that she has the gift of matchmaking– seeing love connections between persons. Unfortunately for her, the journey of becoming a professional matchmaker faces threats from older men steeped in tradition, poverty, loss, heartbreak and acclimatizing to a new life with a different culture.
The other timeline introduces Sara’s granddaughter, Abby who is a divorce lawyer which is ironic as the matchmaking gift seems to have been passed to her. After her grandmother’s death, Abby is gifted journals allowing her to understand her grandmother more and even to become at peace with her own gifts.
This is a wonderful and heartwarming story of love that spans through the years. The real love story is between the grandmother, Sara and her granddaughter, Abby as she reminds her to not let her negative past experiences define her view of love.
This book was well written and kept on drawing me in chapter after chapter. It was also eye opening to learn about matchmaking within the Jewish culture. The author did a great job of differentiating between timelines and characters, but still allowing the reader to clearly follow the storyline! Even more so, it was lovely to journey with Sara and Abby as two women striving to find acceptance, happiness, and love in a world more rooted in what they can see than what they cannot.
Easily one of the most refreshing reads! I would highly recommend it!

The Matchmaker’s Gift is a story told from 2 perspectives; one the grandmother and the other her granddaughter. Both are matchmakers but they come to it from very different ways. The grandmother, Sara, is very persuasive and stands up for herself once she realizes her gift of matchmaking which started for her at age 10. The granddaughter, Abby, comes to realize her gift of match making much later and by the end of the story is comfortable with it. The story is beautifully written jumping back in forth from the 1900s on the Lower East side of New York City to the 1990s where Abby is an attorney with a prestigious law firm doing divorces for the rich and famous. A great read!