Absolutely loved this book! My fave of 2022 so far. Loigman weaves a story that needs to read, rich characters that reveal deep cultural history and immerse the reader into a world they want to be a part of. A bit mystical, an engaging historical, and at its heart a love story.

This was a light, fun read. I enjoyed the dual timeline, the peppering of Yiddish, the immigrant story, feminist themes and Sara was an interesting, compelling character. I wished the relationship between Sara and her husband and child would have been fleshed out more. I get that those were not the main stories but they were glossed over so quickly that it left a big hole in the book for me. Even though I enjoyed the magical aspects of the book, there were other moments meant to be realistic which were just not believable. A quick read and enjoyable as a romantic comedy. 3.5

The Matchmaker's Gift by Lynda Cohen Loigman is the story of Sara, a young Jewish girl, who on immigrating to the US in the early 1900s, makes her first match between a young man and woman who go on to marry happily. She continues to make matches quietly, arranging for people to meet without them knowing she's doing it because the male matchmakers of the time feel that she is stealing their livelihood. She fights for her beliefs in her abilities and makes matches for most of her life. Her story is juxtaposed with that of her granddaughter, Abby who also has that ability in spite of the fact she is a divorce lawyer and is helping people to tear apart their unions. With Sara's death, Abby must take a look at her life and decide what it is she actually wants, to create or destroy happiness.

Thank you to the author, St. Martins Press and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This novel drew me in from the start and kept me going until I turned the last page. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

The Matchmaker’s Gift is an ambitious historical/women’s fiction novel. It follows the life of a Jewish matchmaker and her granddaughter, includes dual timelines, multiple perspectives, elements of magic, and more. It touches on themes from feminism to poverty to racism and domestic violence.

Central to the novel is the tension between modernism and traditions, immigrants and assimilation, and willingness (or inability) to change. Though it was slow in the beginning and dialogue-heavy in sections, the layers of tension and relationships between characters kept me engaged..: finishing the novel in about 24 hours.

One of the things I loved most about this novel is it’s inclusion of all types of love. It wasn’t just romantic, it also included parental, sibling, community, friendship, and a little bit of existentialism. The grandmother repeatedly says, “If you can’t decide what you want to fight for, love is as good a cause as any.”

While some might consider it a light read, for others I think there might be some triggers that make it a bit heavier (mention- not description- of domestic abuse, heartbreak, death, divorce, etc.)

Overall I enjoyed this read. Thank you to Net Galley, the author, and publisher for this electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book goes back and forth between two perspectives: Sara (1910-1990) and her granddaughter, Abby (1994-1995). This was a heartwarming story about Sara and her controversial matchmaking gift and Abby realizing her similar gifts after her grandmother passed away. Abby finds her gift while reading Sara’s journals. I love this story, and I especially loved the relationship Abby had with her grandmother. I also liked how this is a love story but not about the main character finding love. I think it’s a refreshing take on love.

I was gifted an advanced reader copy from St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley to read and review voluntarily and honestly.

This is a story told in 2 timelines. Sara lives in the early 1900s, and her grandaughter Abby is more current. Sara is not just any matchmaker -she can literally see the soul connection between people who are meant to be together. Ironically, her grandaughter is a divorce attorney.

Sara dies, and leaves her journals to Abby, who tries to figure out what they mean, and what her grandmothers past was like.

This was cute and charming and I really enjoyed it. It was exactly what I expected it to be.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3- only because there was no wow - no ooomph..

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

In The Matchmaker’s Gift, Lynda Cohen Loigman delivers a dual-timeline tale that combines humor and romance with a sprinkling of magic. Meticulously researched, the novel effortlessly moves back and forth in time—artfully capturing the male-dominated world of the Lower East Side in the early 1900s and the less restrictive 1990s—as two generations of women share and come to accept their gift of matchmaking. Filled with beautifully drawn characters, The Matchmaker’s Gift is charming and heartwarming; a feel-good read that has arrived at just the right time. I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Matchmaker’s Gift, by Lynda Cohen Loigman, tells the story of a grandmother and granddaughter who share a special ability.

I’ve really enjoyed Lynda Cohen Loigman’s other novels, The Wartime Sisters and The Two-Family House. The Two-Family House is a warm, complicated, character-driven family story that hinges on a wild coincidence. I loved the book and recommend it, but readers really do have to just roll with one unrealistic event. Here in The Matchmaker’s Gift, there’s a magical realism element instead, with the character-driven family novel, which somehow makes it all easier to accept. Sara, and her granddaughter Abby, can both see a special golden light connecting true love.

There are two storylines in this novel. One is a historical story of Sara Glikman, a new immigrant to New York City with a supernatural gift for matchmaking. Sometimes these pairings are romance-novel perfection, like getting her sad sister to borrow a handkerchief from her future brother-in-law, and starting their long and happy marriage. But sometimes it’s comical, when she notices that the heirs of two rival deli are soulmates, or stressful, like discovering her boyfriend is very much meant for someone else. Sara’s storyline blends her supernatural power with the struggles of the family restarting their life in a new country.

Matchmaking is the usual way to meet a spouse in the Glikmans’ Jewish community, but unfortunately for Sara, the existing matchmakers aren’t too pleased with some else taking their job and their profits. I guess my picture of a Jewish matchmaker was the neighborhood yenta, with many single nieces and nephews to introduce to other single nephews and nieces from other good families, like some of the scenes in Last Summer at The Golden Hotel. Instead, these are old-school, old-country matchmakers, mostly men. This blend of Sara’s magical abilities, plus the customs and struggles of her Jewish New York life makes such a great story. There are so many historical meet-cutes, thanks to Sara.

The second storyline is about Sara’s granddaughter, Abby. It’s not quite modern-day, the Manhattan divorce lawyer storyline really feels like a half-remembered 80s movie. After her grandmother’s death, Abby begins to read her grandmother’s old journals and finds notes and comments about the couples Sara brought together. As she reads (and grieves for her grandmother, in realistic and moving scenes), Abby begins to notice the same kind of golden light, with similar unintended consequences in her own life. As a busy divorce lawyer, it’s particularly stressful to see clearly who really should be together.

I don’t always love dual timeline novels because they can be jumpy, but in this case, I felt like I was reading two very solid, compelling novels. They’re two wildly different stories, one about bringing the old-country customs to New York, and one eighties romcom, tied together by family.

There’s an exploration into the not-perfect matches in both timelines. I think most of us have a perfectly nice ex or two — someone who was a good person, but just not quite right. The novel explores a few different relationships between good people who genuinely like each other, but who just aren’t meant to be. I found this touching and realistic.

And this paragraph is a mild spoiler, because this part comes pretty far along in the story, but I don’t think it destroys any tension to share it. Later in life, Sara’s special observation also highlights women in unsafe marriages. Again, there’s a magical realism here with the practical realities of getting women to safety, and again, we see the connections of the community. This continues to add depth and complexity to our characters.

Overall, I enjoyed this book so much. It was an incredibly fast read for me because I just couldn’t wait to see what kind of true love and/or disasters their golden light would bring about next! And I also wanted to read slowly to have more time with Sara and Abby.

What a gem of a novel! Sara Glikman has an unusual gift. She can see soul mates. Starting with a match she made for her sister in 1910, she helps people in her Lower East Side neighborhood when she sees their match. While the men who are the matchmakers in her neighborhood protest, she presents some of her matches as coincidences, to avoid the wrath of the older male matchmakers. In 1994, we are introduced to Abby, Sara's lawyer granddaughter. After watching her mother struggle during her divorce, Abby decided to become a divorce lawyer to try to help people not suffer in the same way her mother had. However, Abby discovers, now that her grandmother has passed away, that she has inherited the gift from her grandmother. As Abby learns more about her grandmother's work over the year through her grandmother's journals, Abby learns that this gift is special and sometimes we cannot fight our destiny.

Genre: Historical Fiction/Women’s Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pub. Date: Sept. 20, 2022

This novel is women's fiction written in the form of historical fiction. I suspected as much after reading the blurb. I’m not usually a fan of women’s fiction, but the Lower East Side of Manhattan is the setting of one of the protagonists in the story. My home was in that neighborhood decades ago, in a subsidized apartment not far from the district's gritty alleys and tenement-style apartments, which in the 1970s, were filled with the neighborhood's Jewish, Italian and Chinese heritage. I read the book out of nostalgia.

In this dual timeline novel, the author weaves together the tale of a child, Sara, in 1910 who is blessed with the gift of making marriage matches but only for those in true love. This gift remained with her until she passed away in her golden years. She explains to her granddaughter, Abby, that when she has found two soul mates, she simply knows, sees, and feels it. In this story, there is a lot of sweet-natured magical realism. Her granddaughter refuses to believe in such nonsense until she recognizes that she, too, possesses the ability.

Loigman brings feminism into the novel long before it was even a word. When Sara was in her twenties, devout older men who do not believe a matchmaker should be female take Sara to a religious court in an attempt to stop her matchmaking. Without giving spoilers, I will share the decision was not very believable. I loved reading about my old hangouts but this book while charming was too predictable for me to truly enjoy.

The Matchmaker's Gift is a beautiful story interweaving two generations with a delicate balance of cause and affect. Grandmother and granddaughter share a gift of matchmaking. Sara navigates the male dominant Jewish matchmakers of the early twentieth century while Abby struggles to understand the gift passed to her from her grandmother. This book is a reminder to learn from the past because some of the lessons can make our future so much easier.
I voluntarily received a copy of the book from Netgalley.

This book is something special and is utterly charming and magical. I especially loved the chapters from Sara's point of view in the 1910s and 1920s. She was such a breath of fresh air, she warmed my heart to no end and was way ahead of her time. The writing is captivating and Lynda Cohen Loigman is a consummate storyteller. This story was wondrously romantic and swept me away to another time and place. I loved the characters and appreciated learning about the Jewish culture and traditions. The two timelines flowed seamlessly together...the same, but different. As much as I loved Sara it made me laugh that her granddaughter, Abby was just like her as I take after my grandmother in so many ways. This novel is such a wonderful take on the custom of matchmaking, with a sprinkle of enchantment throughout. I would be remiss if I did not mention that fabulous cover and how it perfectly fits the wonderful story inside, it is gorgeous!

Judge this book by its cover - both are amazing! THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman was a stand out read not only for 2022 but for the past few years. I’ve been a big supporter of Loigman since she wrote her debut novel, The Two-Family House (which everyone should read). That novel showed an excellence in writing style and the ability to tell a story from multiple perspectives. While THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT had a much different feel than others due to the magical component, there were lots of similarities from her other novels. All her novels feature strong characters balancing the weight of family responsibilities with tugs to help others recognize their full potential. All her novels have family relationships that are impacted by secrets and the weight of expectations. All of them contain an emphasis on the connections of Jewish communities and the passion of their traditions. And all of them are worth reading.

As mentioned, THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT contains a magical element tied to Sara’s ability to see matches between people even if she is unable to act on them officially because she is not of age, not married, and not a man. She is pulled by the possibility of helping her family as well as helping people she cares about to get connected to the right people which angers that community of men that make livings off matchmaking. You get invested quickly in Sara’s character as you follow her circumstances starting in 1910. And then you meet her granddaughter Abby who is navigating being a successful divorce attorney in the 1990s. The story draws you in and keeps you there for decades. I really feel like this read was special and hope book clubs take a minute to discuss it. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

3.25/5 stars

The book follows Sara, a Jewish matchmaker, from the 1920s to the 1990s and her granddaughter Abby, the soon-to-be matchmaker who’s currently a divorce lawyer in the 1990s. The timelines eventually come together and were very well connected. Although, it was fiction, the author really did justice to the history of Jewish matchmaking and bringing in Jewish culture. We witness Sara’s journey to being recognized as woman Jewish matchmaker and Abby’s journey to believing in love again. I felt less connected to Abby’s story due to the simplicity in comparison to Sara’s story. I wanted more depth.

Overall, it’s a beautiful heartfelt story. I would definitely recommend to those interested in a light-hearted sweet romance/coming of age and interested in learning about Jewish matchmaking and Jewish culture.


Thanks to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to say that I absolutely adore this book cover! It is so appropriate for this story. There are many symbols on the cover that relate to the story and the magic dust scattered is very appropriate.

I like to expand my knowledge of different cultures and religions and this book definitely increased my understanding of Jewish customs, although it was done in the normal course of the story and is not forced upon the reader. Tradition plays a huge part in the story and it can be what brings people together or splits them apart.

This story is told in a dual timeline, mainly the lives of a grandmother and her granddaughter, and it is worth noting that the grandmother paved the road for a much brighter future for her granddaughter and all other woman by standing up for herself and fighting for equality.

I generally do not like dual timeline stories, but that was not the case with this book! A dual time line was absolutely the way for this story to be told. I was drawn into the book from the first chapter and my interest was held until the end. It is a book that I wanted to race through to find out what happens and also at the same time, I did not want it to end.

The author created wonderful, life-like, memorable characters and a fantastic, original plot. I truly enjoyed this book so very much.

I want to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for giving me the pleasure of reading the advance reader copy, with no obligation to write a review. My review is written freely as a hobby, and is totally my own opinion, not influenced by receiving the ARC.

This is not a book I probably would have just picked up, but I saw in on Netgalley and it was definitely worth the read! I learned about Jewish culture and loved the split-time story. The characters drew you in right away and I absolutely did not want this book to end!

I received a complimentary copy of The Matchmaker's Gift from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This was a lovely novel. Sara's gift is something I have always imagined would be the most wonderful gift in the world. Just being a part of this environment for the duration of this book was wonderful! Abby, the skeptical divorce lawyer granddaughter, is lucky to learn about her grandmother's talents and experiences in matchmaking by reading her journals. This was a very feel-good read!

This book was a sheer delight in all respects. From the moment I started reading to the moment I put the book down I was thoroughly captivated. These are difficult days and finding a book that did such a good job of lifting my spirits was a real gift. Many thanks to #NetGalley , St. Martin's Press and the author for inviting me to read this book. All opinions are entirely my own!

"1910: Sara was ten years old when she made her first match."
So starts this story of young Sara who emigrates with her family from Moldova to New York on a giant steamship. Along the way she manages to introduce her older sister to a young man who will ultimately become her husband. This was no mean feat, as her sister Hindel was mourning the love she was leaving behind. As this first chapter rolled itself out I felt as if I was right there listening to family interact and hearing words of wisdom - "The Ocean is full enough. If you don't stop crying you'll drown the fish." To be honest, as I read I felt almost as if I was watching a scene from Fiddler on the Roof (and I say that in a good way as I absolutely loved that movie!). While Sara might not be a matchmaker such as I was familiar with from the movie, she clearly had a gift all of her own. I loved how the author described her. When asked how she had picked out this young man for her sister, "She chose her words like fruits at the market, weighing each one before she spoke." It was difficult to explain to others that there was some sort of phenomenom that just let her see when a relationship would work out (and sometimes when it would not).

The book is set in a dual timeline. While it starts with Sara and her story, the reader is also treated to the story of her grand-daughter Abby which is set in 1994 just after Sara's death. Abby is a lawyer (who works at a firm which specializes in divorce) who loves her grandmother dearly and shares a deep bond with her. The news of her death is earth shattering. As a reader we are treated to vignettes from when Sara and Abby interacted with each other and the love that they shared. Again I felt like a little fly on the wall listening in and experiencing the love and laughter. Abby has lived through the divorce of her parents which impacted her choice of law career, but her grandmother has given her so much love and advice that has stuck with her and now becomes clearer as she mourns her loss. " Listen to me, sweetheart. Some things never change. Don't you remember the stories I used to tell you? I should have made you listen better." "One day my brilliant skeptic, I'll be gone, and all of my stories will belong to you. When the time comes try to remember what I taught you. Who knows? Maybe you'll make a few love matches of your own."

Through the chapters that focus on Sara, the reader will learn much about the Jewish culture in particular as refers to matchmaking but beyond that as well. Matchmakers were typically men and were called Shadchan. A female matchmaker was called a Shadchanit. They men looked upon their calling as a job and it could be a job that paid very well. When they learned that young Sara was arranging matches for people, they were not at all happy as they felt she was cutting into their earnings (even if she didn't ask for any financial compensation). Their disapproval of her only grows as she matures into a young women who is relied on more and more by her family.

After Sara's death, Abby inherits some papers and journals that her grandmother has left behind for her. Rather than telling a story outright, they list all the different couples that Sara had matched throughout her lifetime and one of the pleasures of the book was in learning more about each of these couples. Through the stories and their time the author introduces the reader (and Abby) to very timely topics regarding the role of women and their rights. Sara has always known she has a calling to be a matchmaker but when the disapproval of the Chadchan becomes increasingly intense after the death of her father, she is basically forced to go away to school at a prestigious college where she feels much like a fish out of water. On her return she is forced to defend herself in the synagogue before an angry bunch of men and some rabbi. Sara prevails!

As time goes by Sara finds her own love, settles down and raises her family but after WW2 she is called to use her gift again to help the Jewish community to rebound after the Holocaust and to prosper. As Abby learns more about her grandmothers life she begins to question her own lifestyle and a job that really isn't making her very happy. The advice her grandmother has given her begins to impact how she relates to her clients, often not in a way that is pleasing to her boss!

This book is filled with so many wonderful stories, not the least of which is the relationship of these two women separated by a generation but held together by a love that lingers well beyond life. As Abby absorbs more and more of her grandmothers wisdom, her own life changes and she begins to find her own life calling. This book will linger with me a very long time and be one to reread and treasure. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves history and the stories passed on from one generation to the next.

Excellent story of a granddaughters inheritance of being able to match couples.
The characters were well defined. Sara Glikman found her calling at 10 years old, traveling to America. She matched her sister Hindel.
Abby, Sara’s granddaughter finds herself with the same calling.
The story weaves together these matches of Sara and Abby..

This book moved a little slow for me. It was a unique story about matchmaking. Unmarried women were not allowed to make matches. In part because this was income taken away from official matchmakers, and partly because women were not considered to be capable of doing what was meant to be a man’s profession. Very similar to women in this day and age having to push themselves into certain careers and fight for equal reimbursement. I love the way the past and the present came together in this story. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishing for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.