I adored The Matchmaker's Gift. Told from the dual perspectives of Sara, a Jewish matchmaker in early 1900s NYC ,and her granddaughter Abby, a divorce lawyer, it is the type of escapist novel the world needs right now -with a touch of magic, incredibly well drawn characters, fascinating historical details and two protagonists that you root for from the very first page. It's a beautiful, whimsical story of family and love and finding your place in the world. I loved it!

Review-The Matchmakers Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman

This delightful story follows a dual timeline. Sara is a ten-year-old in 1910 and she has a special gift for matchmaking that begins with her sister in an unusual way. Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a New York City divorce attorney in a prestigious firm with a difficult, female boss. Sara’s story unfolds after she passes, leaving Abby heartbroken, because of their close bond. Sara leaves Abby her journals of matches she has made over the years. As Abby reads the journals her own relationships with clients take a different turn. The author has a unique way of expressing the special affection and bonds of love which help Abby in her business and personal life.

The Matchmakers Gift was fun adventure to read, and I highly recommend it!
I received a free advanced copy of this book from the publisher. This is my honest review.
review by Shirley W. 7-15-22

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
Sara is an unlikely matchmaker at age 10, but she manages to bring people together in happy matches for most of her life. Her journey through growing up poor and hungry until she uses her given talents openly is quite intriguing. The book also jumps back and forth to her granddaughter Abby's modern life as a divorce lawyer. A beautiful book about family and love.

Alexa, please play "Invisible string by Taylor Swift'. The story begins with Sara, a Jewish matchmaker, whom has a special gift for matchmaking. We flash forward to the 1990s where her granddaughter Abby is a divorce lawyer and discovers journals her grandma Sara left behind. It was a slow burn in the beginning but I wouldn't change anything about this book. i absolutely fell in love with it...and am questioning if I should pursue a matchmaker for myself! Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC, in exchange for a honest review.

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone! Can't wait to read this one!

This plot is so good that I hated to put the book down. The pages kept turning.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A great dual timeline book with touches of magic, historical events, feminism and the journey of a grandmother and granddaughter finding their true selves through their shared gift. Set in New York in 1910 and 1994 I was swept into the stories of each of these strong women and their Jewish heritage. Really enjoyable!

THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman

This was such a heartwarming story! I never knew there was such a thing as Jewish matchmakers, or “shadchan” or how they were/are paid highly for their services. I found it all quite fascinating.

The story is told through a dual timeline following Sara Glikman, a young girl growing up in the Lower Eastside of Manhattan in the 1910s and her granddaughter Abby, a NY divorce lawyer in 1994.

Sara makes her first match when she’s only 10 years old. She never knew when it was going to happen or how, but somehow she saw what she saw and knew what she knew. Being that most if not all Jewish matchmakers at the time were men, they were against her from the start.

Fast forward to 1994, we meet Sara’s granddaughter Abby who is a divorce lawyer in a firm that handles high profile cases. After living through her parents messy divorce, Abby’s goal is to fight for what is fair for her clients.

I didn’t know what to expect when I requested this book, but I enjoyed reading it. There’s just enough magical realism, love (without it getting cheesy!), strong female characters and of course history! The Yiddish words and terms sprinkled throughout added so much to the story.

Overall, a well written and meticulously researched novel. If you love love, you’ll enjoy this story. I will definitely look into reading Lynda Cohen Loigman’s other novels soon.


**ARC courtesy of @NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️
Release Date: 09.19.22

For me, to read this book was to suspend my perception of reality as I was immersed in the lives of Sara and Abby. From the beginning to the end of this book, I was totally absorbed with Sara and Abby.

There are dual timelines in this book. The early half of the 20th century is with Sara, 1990s are with Abby. Sara is the grandmother, Abby the granddaughter. The events are almost parallel in the 2 timelines. Sara became a successful Jewish matchmaker in her time. Apparently, this talent is genetic as it was passed down to her granddaughter. In this book, the art of matchmaking is not learned.

In the earlier timeline, there were many steeped traditions evident, and rules to be followed in accordance with the Jewish culture. While I have always been aware (though not totally familiar) of the art of matchmaking I did not know any details. I found it quite fascinating. I had no idea that matchmaking was very prevalent in the Jewish Community in the early 1900s.

I love both Sara and Abby as characters. They both overcome challenges. While these challenges were 70 years apart, they were about the age-old issues that women experience in the workforce.

They are both strong women. I loved how Sara evolved over the years. And loved how Abby grew to be someone her grandmother would have been very proud of.

The author included a detailed description of the research involved to create the historical background for this story. I love the fact that there was an actual Pickle King in New York. And, that there was a Knish War. Ms. Loigman worked hard to create this magical story for the readers.

Finally, an excellent choice was made for the cover. It drew my attention to this wonderful book. There are many elements from the story displayed on the cover. It is an excellent preview of what is to come. Sometimes you CAN judge a book by its cover. It truly is a “feel good” book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an Advance Readers Copy.

Just finished reading this delightful novel. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to read about two women and the beautiful gift they possess. A special thanks to #NetGalley and #St.MartinsPress for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for this review.

I loved the intertwined stories of Sara and Abby, her granddaughter. Following their journeys through alternating chapters and time periods made for a wonderful read. The book started a bit slow but it definitely picked up and I read the middle to the end in one sitting. By the end of the novel I finished with a smile on my face….was very satisfying.

Thank you Ms. Loigman for this enjoyable historical fiction. I look forward to reading your next novel I am giving this one 4.5 out of 5 stars ….. only due the the slow start.

What a lovely, fun book! This story alternates chapters between Sara, a young immigrant to NY who discovers her talent for matchmaking and her granddaughter, a divorce attorney. Both of these women are strong and caring women who find themselves at odds with the expectations of those around them. I felt pulled into their stories and enjoyed reading about each character as she became more confident. This book is really well written and well researched. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest opinion.

3.75 ⭐️ Heart warming, light Jewish fiction. Be sure to read author’s note at the end. And since this one isn’t out until Sept. read the author’s outstanding first book Two Room House. Thank you STMP for the ARC.

This story follows the timelines of a grandmother and her granddaughter, exploring both of them growing into their gifts despite the demands of those around them. I adored this book and loved seeing the parallels between Sara and Abby and how they fought for the love of those they encountered. I also loved how this book was set in the 90s instead of modern time.

This was a book that I couldn't put down. I finished in a day! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the privilege of reading this ARC!

A feel-good book about the magic of love -- and the mysterious way connections are made! Abby's grandmother, Sara, was a matchmaker -- a power that Abby, a single New York divorce lawyer, confronts in unexpected ways as she figures out the right path for herself in life and love. I enjoyed all the elements of Jewish culture and history In this novel, especially surrounding the very important role of the matchmaker. And I also loved the secondary characters in this novel -- the colorful Victor, the desperate Evelyn, the earnest Jessica, and more. This was a fun, hopeful novel with a message about love that transcends the generations. Highly recommend!

"Every match she made was a candle in the darkness, a beam of hope after an endless eclipse."

In pre-World War New York, Sara realizes she has a special gift. When two people are supposed to be together, she sees a golden strand between them, and her love matches always work out. But not everyone appreciates her gift, including sometimes even Sara herself.

This book is told in a split timeline, following a young Sara getting her start and her granddaughter Abby, a divorce attorney who may have inherited her grandmother's gift. This book got a slower start, taking a long time to build to the real drama. Sara, who is Jewish, faces off with the neighborhood matchmakers - or shadchan - who object to a female, unmarried matchmaker. She operates quietly for a while, but is finally hauled before a rabbinical court to defend herself. Meanwhile, in another time, Abby's dealing with her beloved grandmother Sara's death by going through the journals she left her, which are a record of the matches she made. But when Abby begins to sense that one of her divorce clients should not be getting divorced and another couple whose prenuptial paperwork she's working on isn't right for each other, her eventual interference lands her in trouble at work.

But the biggest drama happens when Abby and Sara each sense that a man they are dating may be right for another.

Sara's fierce, feminist and fights for the right to use her gift, provide for her family and pursue happiness. She spends her life helping others be happier, even as her gift ebbs and flows over the years. Abby's conflicted, grief-stricken and questioning how much her parents' divorce affected her. Each uses her gift for good while striving for her own happiness.

This is a cozy, feel-good historical fiction novel perfect for someone who doesn't mind a slower pace of storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was sweet. It was lighter than my typical historical fiction read and was fun to read the alternating timelines and points of view. I loved learning about the traditional matchmaking process and was enamored with Sara's journey. I found the modern-day (90's) part of the timeline a bit predictable, but it was still a fun and enjoyable read.

I received an advance copy of The Matchmaker’s Gift via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was excited to read this book as I have read Lynda Cohen Loigman’s other books and enjoyed them. This novel did not disappoint. A story of finding love, embracing heritage and supporting family, I found this book to be engaging and heartwarming. Abby is a modern day woman who is a practicing divorce lawyer that just lost her grandmother. This was an immense loss and led Abby down a path to find out who her grandmother really was and found that they had much more in common than she had realized. Strong women raise strong women and Abby begins to search for her way in the world that goes beyond what she thought her dreams were. This book intertwines the story of Sara, Abby’s grandmother, from her childhood to her death and Abby’s story. Discovering her grandmother’s past leads Abby to find her true self and create her future.

Super cute and heart warming! This #gifted copy was an easy read about generations of women helping others find love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel.

This book was a refreshing, pleasant, and lovely quick read.

The story follows a young divorce attorney in the 1990s as she learns about her grandmother's past of matchmaking in the New York Jewish community of the early 1910s. Combining historical research with a family-based plot, the reader takes interest in both the tradition of matchmaking and a legal career centered around undoing marriages. Abby, the main character of the 1990s, must face reality regarding her beliefs in love and the success of her career as an attorney. These juxtaposing sides must somehow work together.

Sara, Abby's grandmother and the matchmaker from the early twentieth century, has a gift that is unmatched by all other traditional (and male) matchmakers. She uses love as a guide but is met with adversity along the way, being a young, unmarried woman amidst a career that is dominated by older men.

The author successfully combined tradition, culture, and research within a compelling storyline. I really enjoyed this book!

The Matchmaker’s Gift

4.5 ⭐️/ 5

* Thank you @netgally & @stmartins for my very first ARC book!!!
* The story is a dual timeline what worked well as we weaved through the story of how the Matchmaker realized her gift. Her meticulous records helped her granddaughter realize her own talent and made some matches of her own!
* I enjoyed reading this sweet story and enjoyed reading how much love Abby had for her grandmother, Sara.
* The beginning of the book had me hooked with heartbreak 💔
* The ending was predictable but loved how it came back to something that Sara shared with Abby.



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