Is finding true love a calling or a curse?

This is a dual timeline story, 1910 New York and 1994 Manhatten. In 1910 Sara Gilkman has the gift of matchmaking and has to try to find her place in a male dominated profession. When Sara dies, her Grandaughter, Abby inherits her handwritten journals recording details of her matches. The story goes between the two timelines giving us the stories of Sara's matchmaking and Abby's profession as a divorce attorney. This is a feel good story that was a delight to read.

I was given a copy of the book by the publisher and NetGalley and my opinion is my own.

🌙𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🌙
THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: magical realism
𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4.5 ⭐️ 💫
📖 297 pages

What a lovely, refreshing read. Thank you @netgalley, @StMartinsPress & @lloigman for the #gifted copy of this stunning 🤩 hardback- can we have a moment for that cover!!?😍✨💍💒🌸♥️

I loved everything about this from the dual timelines/POV to the magic surrounding the storyline. I was instantly enthralled and couldn’t get enough. I loved how easily the writing flowed and fell in love with both of the MC’s, Sara and Abby.

⚠️ may contain spoilers ahead:

The story follows Sara Glikman from the early 1900’s-1994 and her journey to becoming the town’s matchmaker. She however had to do it in secret as being an unmarried woman was frowned upon for this profession. Fast forward two generations later, you meet her granddaughter, Abby, quite literally in the most opposite profession, a divorce lawyer in NY. After Sara passes away, Abby inherits some of her old journals. She soon realizes she may have more in common with her grandmother than she realized…

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂:
* love a matchmaking plot 🪄
* believe in true love and fate 💖
* love pickles 🥒
* enjoy a glimpse into Jewish 🕍 heritage
* can relate to having a difficult boss (I despised Diana 😡)

Thank you also for my signed #bookplate and the pickling kit! 🥒

➡️ Swipe for the full synopsis 📖

#historicalfiction #magicalrealism #romance #TheMatchmakersGift #SMPinfluencers #fantasy #Jewish #fiction #hardcover #bookaddict #whattoreadnext #botwxbs #bookcollector #booksaremylife #booksonbooks #cozycorner

This was beautifully written and a great read.

I received an arc from Goodreads for my honest review. 😀

Abby is a divorce lawyer who doesn’t believe in love. Her grandmother Sarah is a matchmaker who only made true love matches. When Sarah passes away, Abby begins to see that she has her grandmother’s gift. This book was a wonderful and fun read. I enjoyed the different perspectives and time shifts between Abby and Sarah. It gave a wonderful depth to the characters and to show the differences in the time periods.

I had previously read the Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman which I enjoyed very much and was thankful when I was provided with an advanced copy of The Matchmaker’s Gift by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not disappointed! This dual-timeline story set on the lower East side of Manhattan which happens to be where I grew up in the 1960s, tells the story of Sara who against the wishes of those around her helped make love matches for quite a few people in her neighborhood at a time when this was not acceptable. Years later Abby, Sara’s granddaughter, a successful divorce attorney, inherits her grandma Sara’s journals which tell the details of Sara’s matches and begins to realize she may have the gift her beloved grandmother had for making matches for unexpected people in her life perhaps even finding a match for herself.
I really enjoyed this book and the Jewish phrases amongst the pages and found myself singing the song Matchmaker, Matchmaker from one of my favorite movies Fiddler on the Roof!

Thank you NetGalley for this free eArc to read and review.

A cute read that kept my interest and had me continuing to turn the pages.
Great likable characters, dual timeline, interesting subject, and a story that warmed my heart.

This is the story of Sara Glikman who in 1910, as a young child, was able to see the glow between her sister and the man who would become her husband. She very quietly arranged their match and many more for years.

Her granddaughter Abby is a divorce attorney who represents some of the biggest divorces in the city. When Sara dies, leaves Abby all of her diaries. It is her hope that in reading these diaries, Abby will find and create happiness rather than see love at its worst.

I loved this unexpected book. It is so unique and a pleasure to read. The story is such a wonderful feel-good book

The Matchmaker’s gift ✨
I was compelled to read this book because I adore the concept of matchmaking. I secretly wish I had the gift of matching soulmates for individuals, but I don't 😳
Sara and Abby's parallel histories were used to tell this incredibly charming story.
Even though older men who considered her as a danger to their business used to conduct this type of work, Sara has been a successful matchmaker since she was just 10 years old.
Sara's granddaughter, Abby (me 😅) is a successful divorce lawyer who inherits boxes of her grandmother's journals, but reading them raises more questions than it does solutions.

I adored both points of view and was equally curious to know more about the deeper meanings behind their stories. I adored Abby's quest to discover her true calling in life and her impact on those she met. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I'll give it to anyone searching for a feel-good tale that's charming and witty. 🤍

Wonderful stories in different timelines. I would rate this 4.5 stars just because it moved a little slow in the beginning. Being in the eye profession myself I loved seeing the historical side of the beginning of optometrists to seeing a woman in Ophthalmology. The stories of the matchmaking and the old Jewish culture trying to fit in in the new neighborhoods were great. I loved seeing a woman in that time standing up for herself and doing what is right. Overall great historical fiction for both timelines!

"𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺."

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛𝗠𝗔𝗞𝗘𝗥'𝗦 𝗚𝗜𝗙𝗧 was one of my last reads of 2022 and also one of my favorites. This multigenerational story about two matchmakers - one who cannot ignore her gift and the other who doesn't realize she has it - is a delight. The dual timeline alternates between the stories of Sara, a Jewish immigrant living on the Lower East Side starting in the early 1900s, and her granddaughter Abby, a lawyer in 1990s NYC (ahhh, the days when we checked answering machines!). It was refreshing to read historical fiction about Jewish characters that doesn't revolve around the Holocaust, and I enjoyed how the author brought both the family's old and new traditions (babkas and Zabar's!) to life. And the epilogue... just perfection!

As someone who was set up with her husband, I believe some people have an intuition about couples making a good match, and this book definitely touched that romantic part of my heart. I got a copy for my mother, who I know will also love it.

Thanks to St. Martin's for the copy to review.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of The Matchmaker's Gift. Liogman's writing style just pulls you into the world with the characters and it's always a great mix of comforting, interesting, and exciting. This book has two timelines, they were so well balanced and really made sense together to follow the grandmother in her youth and the granddaughter in her early adulthood. I especially loved the NYC setting. Loigman is always a must-read author for me and I'm already looking forward to her next book!

This enjoyable read presents matchmaking in the 1910's and 1990's by focusing on a grandmother and her granddaughter both with a special gift.

Jewish Matchmaking at its finest! A captivating and heartwarming story to snuggle up with on a cold winters night.

Many thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for this advanced readers copy.

This book was really interesting! I was intrigued by the storyline and that's what initially drew me to this title. I also really love the cover artwork.

Book review:
Are you looking for that feel-good story that makes you want to keep reading, even though the ending is somewhat predictable? Do you wonder if matchmakers really have a gift or are they just lucky when it comes to pairing up couples?

Told from the perspective of two different female characters from two different generations, The Matchmaker's Gift made me want to keep reading, and I'm glad I read it. Sara was a matchmaker in 1910, even though it went against the traditional male tradition. Abby, Sara's granddaughter and a lawyer, learned that she had the gift of matchmaking as well.

Is there really love at first sight? Can a matchmaker really KNOW when two people are meant to be together? I hadn't thought much about matchmakers before, but now I wonder if it can really happen. :)

I would recommend this book to those that love Hallmark movies, the story of love, and feel-good books.

I was given this book for my honest review.

As the Glikman family make their way to America, 10 year old Sara Glikman sees a thread of light no-one else can see. This thread connects a handsome man on the ship with her older sister and she graciously introduces them. It is love at first sight. And so begins the illustrious career of a matchmaker. Sara’s gift does not slow on the bustling streets of the lower east side. Sara matches her lovely school teacher, the man who sells pickles and the daughter of the famous knish maker. It is not always easy for Sara. She is too young and unmarried - the men of this mostly religious community do not approve of her vocation. Most troubling to Sara, a romantic at heart, is how will she ever be able to find a match for herself? Many years later Sara’s granddaughter Abby is a high priced divorced attorney. Far from the love stories she heard growing up, her parent’s brutal divorce forced her to the darker side. Abby has a cutthroat boss and fortunes of famous clients to protect. When her beloved grandmother passes away Abby devours the journals she inherited. These diaries tell a different tale, one she never knew. Learning about her grandmother’s journey to help others, Abby is forced to face her own reluctance to believe in true love. Could this gift of light possibly be hers as well? Narrated by both women, this story is a heartwarming tale of hope and I loved very single minute of it!

#YOURNEXTBOOKCLUBPICK Showcase Series:
THE MATCHMAKER’S GIFT by Lynda Cohen Loigman, Author

What can I say about this gem? This book was outstanding and wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the dual timelines and there were even new plot unfoldings and surprise revelations happening with only 20% of the book left to go! Readers be prepared to submerge yourself in the world of Jewish matchmaking and traditions with a special gift of magic thrown in weaving through generations and families. I love historical fiction written by women centered around strong, brave, and fearless women central protagonists and this book is no dinferent. Even the cover design is a gift in itself with so many details and imagery that are nods and keys to various storylines and symbols inside. Thanks to Lynda for this latest release celebrating love in all forms - for family, for partners, for community, for culture, and for traditions.

I absolutely adored this book! It was light reading but filled with so much love! This book reminds me of The Book Charmer - but instead of matching people with books it’s matching people with their future significant other.

I love this multi generation family of matchmakers. I’m a sucker for family sagas. And I’ve been wanting to read more books with Jewish characters because I find them lacking in fiction but choices are getting better. And I want to read them and tell other readers about them.

This is such a good historical fiction novel with just a touch of.magic. The ending was truly happy and satisfying.. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e copy of this book.