The Matchmaker’s Gift is a captivating novel told through alternating narrators Sara and Abby, respectively matchmaker of the early 1900s and her high-profile divorce lawyer granddaughter in the 1990s. Though this novel had a slow beginning, by the middle I was hooked. I loved how the story lines become intertwined, with Abby learning how to trust love and her own intuition from Sara’s posthumous records of the matches she had made. I also loved how the reader got to go into the world of Sara and see how the matches were actually made. This is definitely a feel-good novel, and great for a beach read.

Sara, the grandmother, and Abby, the granddaughter, both have this almost supernatural ability to see soulmate connections. Sara identified her ability as a child, but Abby doubts her ability until she is tested. I loved this book. I'm always happy to learn from a book and this one was a lesson in the historical tradition of Jewish matchmaking. So interesting, and the book is so well written that we feel we are learning about real people not just book characters. I highly recommend this fascinating book.

This is one of the very best books I have ever read! The story was unique and the characters were marvelous! The story is told from two timelines. It begins with Sara in 1910 and then to Abby in 1994. Sara is Abby’s grandmother and the story opens with the recent death of Sara. Sara was a matchmaker, a genuine one, at a time when women should not be matchmakers especially when not married. Sara finally stands up for herself, determined to use her gift. She has left many journals for Abby. Has Abby inherited her grandmother’s gift? Read on to find out! This was a simply delightful and heartwarming story.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Matchmaker’s Gift sat on my TBR pile for a long time because, while the storyline intrigued me, I hated the title. It sounds like a cheesy Lifetime movie. However, I am glad I finally gave it a chance because, while it is a bit cheesy, it is a delightfully charming read – not something I would usually say about historical fiction! It is thoroughly researched, funny but poignant, and there is a bit of mystical realism thrown in to keep you guessing. I loved the fully developed world of the Lower East Side in the early 1900’s and appreciated all the insight into Jewish customs and traditions that I knew nothing about. Plus, unlike other novels set in two different time periods, this one hopped back and forth with ease. The two main characters are fully developed, and I was truly invested in each of their separate stories and how they eventually came together.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lynda Cohen Loigman for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

In THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT, matchmaking is as much a curse as a blessing; our two heroines definitely do not spend time wishing they could become ‘matchmakers.’ Rather, they find themselves bestowed with a gift, almost a second sight, wherein they see connections between people in love. In this regard, they work against the popular stereotype of the matchmaker as someone who ingratiates themselves into the community and searches for matches, as much to earn a living as to make a match. Author Lynda Cohen Loigman has written an engrossing dual timeline story about a grandmother/granddaughter, both able to detect matches despite their own misgivings about true love, and both struggle to overcome obstacles as they come to terms with their skills. This is a book that is difficult to put down and once finished, impossible to forget. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The perfect read for someone who is in mood for a make-believe story with strong, developed characters and a unique use of the two-time period novel. Sara's gift of matchmaking is challenged by the male counterparts who lack her gift and believe she is threatening their earning potential. As a result, she is a trail blazer for women rights for her generation. Abby relies on her grandmother as a role model as well as her lyrical words of advice.. Diane's personality as the boss from hell surpasses most other attempts. Enjoy the many unlikely but successful matches during both time periods as you meet a host of characters, the young and the old, the rich and the poor who were all matched by the gift of light.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the advance copy to review.

This book followed two different storylines. The first being Sara’s story which started in the early 1900’s and then Sara’s granddaughter Abby which is set in the present. Sara possesses a unique ability to see threads of light between two individuals when they are a perfect match for one another and starts to discreetly ensure that those two people cross paths where they inevitably fall in love and get married. After Sara passes away in old age, her granddaughter Abby discovers her journals that she kept of all her matches. Abby starts to follow some leads (and threads!) of her own and discovers some interesting things about herself.

The premise of this book really intrigued me and I was excited to get started on this book. However, I had a really hard time getting into this one. I actually put it down and picked it back up about 2 weeks later and it felt like such a challenge to get through it. I’m not sure what it was but I was not invested in the storyline or the characters and at times I found the plot to be very dull and slow-moving.

I was more interested in Sara’s storyline than Abby’s and found that the book focused a lot on Sara’s earliest matches when she was still working out and discovering her abilities and less so on some of her later matches which to me were more interesting. I felt like the beginning of the novel was super developed and detailed and as I got closer to the end of the book, things were glossed over and rushed. I feel had this been split into a duology with one book focused solely on Sara and the other focused on Abby, I would have gotten the details I wanted about some of Sara’s matches towards the end of her life. I also found it interesting that so little time was spent talking about Sara’s own match and her family. Considering this is her business, I wanted to hear more about her own love story.

Overall, this book felt unfinished to me and despite having a hard time getting into the story, I wanted to know more!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copy in exchange for this honest review.

I really enjoyed reading this book by an author I hadn’t read before. I loved the idea of someone having a gift of matchmaking and liked how it tied a grandmothers story to her granddaughter’s story. I learned a lot about the culture of the characters in the book and felt the struggled the main character faced as a woman were very on point. I always like a rounded out ending and this book did not disappoint !

This is just a lovely read! Yes, predictable, yes, a bit corny, but you can't help but come away with a warm feeling in your heart.
The historical details are engaging and Jewish readers will appreciate getting to know some of their own history and culture. The author's research is thorough and detailed. The characters are all fully on display and it is easy to picture them in your mind as you read. The story will stay with you. Perfect reading for turbulent times.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It really hit the spot for me!

A wonderful and heart-warming read about the connection between a grandmother and her granddaughter, and the power of love. Learning about the history of Jewish matchmakers was a fascinating aspect to this book, and the character development was well thought-out. A highly recommended read!

Lynda Cohen Loigman has quickly become one of my very favorite authors! And this new book did not disappoint. I loved the dual timeline stories equally, which isn’t always the case for me. Highly recommend preordering this one! And I hope Lynda will hurry and write another! 💜

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my ARC.

It took me a little while to get into this one. But once it hooked me in, I was completely taken with it.

The Matchmaker’s Gift follows the story of Sara and her granddaughter Abby. They both have a special gift of seeing the connection between soulmates.

Sara’s story is based in the early 1900’s, making matches in New York from the age of 10. It isn’t an easy journey, and there are many obstacles she has to overcome, but she is a strong woman who doesn’t take no for an answer.

Abby is her granddaughter, living in New York in the 1990s. Her story is a bit more modern, being a divorce attorney but finding that it isn’t really the job she is meant to do.

I loved how these stories intertwined, showing history repeating itself with Abby. The connection she had with her grandmother was especially touching.

If you’re looking for a sweet historical fiction where love overcomes all kinds of hardships, then this is the one for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

’The past is never dead. It's not even past.’
-- William Faulkner Requiem For a Nun

A generational story shared in two timelines, begins in 1910, on a ship bound for New York with Sara and her family, along with other families. Sara is ten years old on this voyage, with her eighteen-year-old sister, Hindel and her three brothers and parents. Hindel is sobbing, bereft over leaving their village, as well as the young man she had to leave behind. Their mother whispers to Sara to find her father, and bring back his handkerchief before Hindel’s clothes are ruined from her tears. Sara can’t find her father among the group of men, but notices a man standing apart from the others, polishing his glasses with a handkerchief, and approaches him and asks if she could borrow his handkerchief for her sister, and he agrees to take it to her sister. Leading him over to her sister since his eyesight is poor even with his glasses, she notices a beam of light connecting her sister to this man. Just three months later, at her sister’s wedding, her mother shares the story with everyone of Sara making her first ‘match.’

As the years pass, Sara begins to see this ‘beam of light’ between others, and find ways to introduce these people, although as a female - and a young one at that - it was considered by most as a calling for men only, Sara remembers telling the rabbi at her sister’s wedding how her sister met her new husband, and he shares his thoughts on this gift she was given. A matchmaker.

In the second timeline set in the mid 1990’s, the story focuses on Abby, Sara’s grand-daughter. Abby is a divorce attorney, working at a law firm when news hits about a famous divorce case in the works. Her grandmother calls her to talk about a pending divorce case which Abby is working on, and is everywhere in the news. Her grandmother tells her to stop working on this case so hard, that this couple will end up staying together. The office is also where Abby is when her mother calls to share the news of her grandmother’s passing. Abby and her grandmother Sara were very close, and the news is crushing for her.

This is a story of grief balanced by love, of old traditions giving way to new ones, as well as stories of love, and the gifts bestowed upon some to see love in others that they haven’t yet found by themselves.

There is a bit of ‘everything’ in this story, but in a way that feels both natural and filled with wonder. It’s part historical fiction, and part contemporary fiction. Mystical yet grounded in reality. Humourous and cynical, yet also poignant. Overall, enchantingly delightful.


Pub Date: 20 Sep 2022

Many thanks for the ARC provided by St. Martin’s Press

I loved this book! What a beautiful and engaging story that transcends time. I didn't really know too much about matchmaking in the Jewish culture (other than Mrs. Maisel) and loved how the story was told through past and present. After her grandmother's death, Abby must sort through her grandmother's journals and take a good look at herself and the path she is on as a divorce attorney. Delightful, thoughtful, and heartwarming - I highly recommend this book!! Thank you!

The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman is a charming story interweaving two generations, grandmother Sara and granddaughter Abby who are very close to one another. They also share a special gift of matchmaking. Sara’s story begins in 1910 and gives much insight into the Jewish tradition of matchmaking which was solely a male profession at the time. Sara challenges this notion. Sara's story takes place in the lower east side of New York City and I enjoyed learning about this time frame, customs, and Yiddish language. After Sara’s death, in 1994, Abby inherits her grandmother’s journals and also slowly discovers her own abilities in matchmaking which alters her career path and her understanding of love. This is a sweet, heart-warming story for a fun, light read.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion during a review. All thoughts are my own!


This was SUCH A SWEET STORY. I loved it. I was skeptical at first since historical fiction and I- while I can admit it’s a beautiful genre- do not mesh well. I typically leave feeling down, saddened by something “too real” or too close for comfort. Add in the fact the character had a passing of a favorite relative during a time when the pandemic has taken much from me - I was fairly cautious. But this wasn’t what I expected. I read somewhere that this was going to be a great “book club book” and I agree- I am so excited to discuss this one day with a group when it’s out on the market. The alternating pov/timeline is easily read and mapped out well, the characters are so fun and I thought the history was a different pace from what I’m experienced with. I loved it and I’m excited for more from this author for sure. Well done!

You are going to love this book! And maybe by the end you will believe in soulmates. It’s a beautiful storyline bouncing through the timelines of a grandmother and granddaughter. A story of love and in the belief of soulmates as well as a peek into beautiful cultural traditions. It’s been hard to put down! Highly recommend you pick it up when it releases in September. You will not regret it.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

This book is about Sara and her granddaughter Abby. Every other chapter alternatives POV with most of Sara's chapters taking place in the early 1900s. Sara has a gift where she can see a love match between two people. She starts making matches but is threatened and bullied by the local shadchanim, Jewish Matchmakers. Her story is wonderful and has great resolution.

Abby's chapters take place in 1994. She is a divorce attorney for high profile people. Sara believes Abby has the same Matchmaker's Gift and helps lead her to her calling even after she passes away.

It was so nice to read a book set in the Jewish community without it really being about the Jewish community. I loved how all the stories lines resolved and there was wonderful overlap between characters!

First, thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for allowing me to read this ARC. All opinions are my own. Told through a dual timeline, this story looks at matchmaking skills of Sara and her granddaughter, Abbey. Sara’s story begins in 1910 and gives much insight into the Jewish tradition of matchmaking. Sara is not the typical matchmaker and her story is so interesting. After Sara’s death, in 1994, Abbey inherits her grandmother’s journals. Abbey works as a divorce attorney…so different than her grandmother. And therein lies the problem. Abbey finds herself having to chose between her career and her ability to make matches. I enjoyed reading the book and give it a solid 4 star read.

The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen

5 out of 5
Historical Fiction 320 pages
No Spoilers Review

I decided to venture outside my comfort zone and try something new with this title. It's my first title by Lynda Cohen, and her first two books were really well received so I decided why not read it?

The book did not disappoint.

I felt that there were two very strong stories being told, and I found myself cheering the two main characters on as they overcame the obstacles put in their paths. By the time I was done reading, I found myself actually feeling proud of them for their accomplishments.

Things I liked:
How the narrative switched back and forth between the two stories. I felt this was really well done and the switches were very well executed/timed.
The main characters - the talent, the spirit and the perseverance!
The historical and jewish culture aspects.
The pace was perfect. I could have read the entire book in one sitting if time permitted.
The way I felt after finishing the book. This story will stay long with me and might even be a reread in the future!

Things I didn’t like:
I try to identify at least one thing I didn't like in each book, but I just don't have anything negative to say about this one.

This was a terrific read, and one that I'll remember and cherish for years. I highly recommend this book - it won't disappoint you!