One of my favorite reads in 2022! Love the chemistry and romance, plus all the chocolate and Filipino traditions. Full disclosure: I did beta read for this manuscript. Honest thought is this author never fails!

The publisher archived the ARC on Netgalley before I could download it to my kindle, leaving me unable to read or review the book.

This is an amazing follow-up to Carla's previous romance book set in Lipa, Batangas!

I loved all the elements that brought together Santi and Kira, like the astrology, the childhood friends-to-lovers-trope, and the underlying business drama that I thought was gonna be the major conflict, but it turned out so much better than that!

I also enjoyed the cameos of characters from Carla's other books and how it worked so well without being overwhelming.

Highly recommended even if this is your first book from Carla De Guzman!

Carla de Guzman’s A Match Made in Lipa is the sequel to Sweet On You and features another shopkeeper on the street called the Laneways, but you don’t have to have read Sweet On You to enjoy this one. And oh, how you will enjoy this one!

Anton Santillan (Santi) and Kira Luz grew up together in Lipa in the Philippines, until Santi’s controlling grandfather summoned his family to Manila to work in the family hotel business. Unfortunately, he froze Santi out with the same imperial iron fist that summoned him, so now Santi has been exiled to Lipa, where he has transformed a villa into a jewel of a boutique hotel. Kira, similarly, returned to Lipa after a bad experience in Manila. While she loves her business, Gemini Chocolates, it isn’t as successful  financially as her investors (her own family) would like it to be. She and Santi combine lifelong friendship with business partnership and romantic attraction to form a delightful, fully-rounded relationship.

The highest praise I can give to this book is that absolutely all of it feels real. If you’re around or in your thirties, Kira is that friend you have (or maybe it’s you!) who is awesome and yet life, circumstances, and pure chance seem to have conspired to keep them single. When she reflects on life, it’s real and thoughtful:

She knew full well that losing friends was part of the process of growing up. People just fit different, or didn’t fit at all as you became the person you wanted to be. When she moved to Lipa, her Manila friendships just… fell away… But it hurt like a bitch every time.

Santi needs not only to journey towards Kira and towards Lipa, but away from his family and away from Manila. His family is toxic. His grandfather manipulates and plays his grandsons off each other. His parents accept the unfair and unequal treatment of their children as the cost of their own financial well-being. This genre often gives us eeeeeevil villains (not just cruel but also criminals and also with creeper sexuality and probably with bad B.O!). It was powerful to read about how devastating it is for Santi to come from a family that is self-centered and narcissistic, but straightforwardly so.

Meanwhile, Manila is It for the Philippines. “Success” isn’t really success unless it’s attained there. Despite the fact that he’s happier in Lipa, Santi struggles to let go of the belief that the provinces aren’t enough. Oh, and what a delight it is to see Santi be happier in Lipa. It is 100% shown, not told, how his work there is more fulfilling, and how being with Kira is unlike being with anybody else, and how he wants to feel the sense of belonging in the Laneways that even his family doesn’t give him.

I believed all the details here Kira’s chocolate enterprise isn’t just credible in the tasting and marketing, but also in the manufacturing process and logistics chain (de Guzman thanks her chocolatier sister in her postscript). Family members with MBAs take a different approach to business and investment from people who haven’t had profit and shareholder value drilled into them. Santi’s boutique hotel in Lipa makes financial sense but it also shows how he was incompatible with his family as a businessman, not just as a grandson.

Was there anything I didn’t like? The author seems to be heading for a predictable Big Mis, and even though she doesn’t go there, it soured my genre-reader experience to be reading and begging, ‘Please don’t ruin it with this’. De Guzman has a tendency to over-use dialogue tags, The book gets off to a slow-ish start; by the end, I completely blew up my bedtime because I had to finish it, but I didn’t have that same sense of urgency all along.

I gave the first book in this series a B. I’m so thrilled to see an author growing in her craft and improving with the follow-up book, and I’m delighted to wholeheartedly recommend A Match Made in Lipa.

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A Match Made in Lipa was not as sweet as Sweet on You. It has the bitter aftertaste of dark chocolate. As much as I enjoyed reading Santi and Kira's slow burn friends to lovers romance. Unlike its predecessor, the romance wasn't heavily focused. The book dealt with Santi's toxic relationship with his family and his responsibility as the eldest child. I found this relatable as I also have a fair share of toxic family members and am the eldest child in the family. Aside from that, I learned a lot about astrology and chocolate making in this book.

If I were solely rating Anton Santillan, I'd probably give him all the stars (and then some). That man sounds like a bad idea, but I'm down to make a bad decision.

Final impressions:
• First, before anything else, I want to commend Carla de Guzman for choosing violence. She really cracked her author knuckles and went, "Listen, we all make fun of Ateneans - but at the end of the day, we still want to get underneath them." (Kidding.)

• I delved into this novel with the expectation of finding an endearing, hopeful love story between childhood friends. But amidst the holiday warmth and merriment, there was a lingering undercurrent of melancholy and yearning that tugged at my heartstrings. With Santi torn between prioritizing his happiness and conforming to his family's ideals, reading A Match Made in Lipa felt very heavy and even triggering at times.

• Speaking of, Santi is truly the shining star of this book. Estranged from the Villa side of his family while constantly taken for granted by the Santillan side, behind that Uniqlo polo lies a hurting heart that just wants to love and be loved properly in return. (I'm a simp for him, your honor.)

• In contrast, I looked at Kira in the same way that you'd look at a pesky housefly. Not quite as annoying as a mosquito, but would still prefer its absence.
- While I liked her in the beginning, I struggled to connect with her as the story progressed. Which had initially baffled me because she's very much a confused, still-figuring-life-out millennial (and so am I).
- But I think the roadblock lies in her exceedingly privileged lifestyle and circumstances. (view spoiler)

• I also can't help but feel that the writing in Sweet On You was much stronger in comparison. While I still really enjoyed the story, I occasionally struggled with the writing style due to the following reasons:
- A Match Made in Lipa often came across as, for lack of better adjectives, aggressively upper-class millennial. This was notably more evident in Kira's POV.
- Some attempts at humor did not land very well, while some jokes were overly repetitive.

• For a contemporary romance novel, I was genuinely more invested in Santi's character arc (and his struggles with his toxic family) than in the romantic development between him and Kira.
- My initial kilig died down once I concluded that I wouldn't be getting some nice 'will they, won't they' tension between childhood friends.
- Instead, Santi and Kira quickly established their mutual attraction and were essentially together without labels, so it felt like their relationship plateaued too early on. Moreover, while I recognize that malabo relationships are a common happenstance in real life, it wasn't particularly compelling to read about.

• On a more praising note, I appreciated how this book delved into the toxicities of some Filipino families and the additional burdens placed on panganay (eldest) children. I also really liked the emphasis on different forms of love, be it between partners, among friends, or within families - and how sometimes people just can't love us in the way that we need them to.

• Criticisms aside, I still think that this book has much to offer and is worth picking up. More than a romance, A Match Made in Lipa is an incredibly evocative story about growth and the difficult choices to be made in order to grow into the person you want to become.

Recommended!
* I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of this book from its publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are all mine.

It was always fun reading a book while being familiar with the places where the story is set in.

Growing up in Batangas province where Lipa is located, I can vouch that Carla de Guzman did her research well regarding the setting.

I am also a fan of the writing style, I believe the author published a handful of books via local publisher so time to hunt those titles down.

This book was read thanks to NetGalley.

I am torn, sometimes I loved it, sometimes it hurt me in a not so positive way,

He comes from a toxic family environment, and it clearly affected his relationship with Kira, to the point that it was hurtful to read, he had a redemption arc that made it worth it.

If the books with toxic families trigger you, I do not advice to read it.

Childhood friends to lovers theme with gradual/slow burn towards the romance. You get bits and pieces of flirting & romance but have to wait a little while for it to really climax. Think of it as mental foreplay. At first I was worried about my own attention span & being used to instant gratification from quick burn books. However those tend to leave me feeling fizzled out after because its too much too fast & not plausible. The pacing is a nice change from many books where the characters fall in love instantly without reason. Love has always been there for the 2 main characters but it takes time for them to really be motivated by that love and act on it. You get a chance to really know the characters & why they are the way they are, what motivates & moves them. There is some witty banter, heartfelt moments, & heartbreaking moments. Carla builds layers upon layers.

As a white American (with Filipino in-laws) I did not find this book hard to follow. Yes there are different customs, foods, & bits of Tagalog peppered through out but the surrounding context makes it all make sense to those not familiar with Filipinos/Philippines. I think it will be important to keep an open mind towards the family dealings in this book. Knowing the families (however good or bad) will help you to understand the choices the characters make.

The initial time jumps/timelines were a touch confusing in the beginning of the book. Aside from that I enjoyed this book.

To me the book shows that family is not always blood but your community & friends can really be the ones to build you up & cheer you on.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book via Netgalley. All opinions are my own & not impacted by this.

Many thanks to the author Carla de Guzman and Carina Press for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

⭐️2.75 🌶4
CONTENT WARNINGS: food descriptions, astrology, toxic family dynamics (including but not limited to financial manipulation, intervention, and estrangement), eldest sibling perspective, COVID-19 pandemic setting in one chapter

I’m not big on astrology and all its trappings, but for Kira Luz, one of the most memorable characters from Carla de Guzman’s first Laneways book (Sweet on You), I had been more than willing to enter the second Laneways book with an open mind. When I started reading at last, though, I quickly became more and more impatient for A Match Made in Lipa to end already.

My first issue: this book really should have come with content warnings. The New Year’s Eve scene alone at the beginning of the story contained so many elements I personally find triggering about Filipino families, with none of the heads-up. After that, the chapters were just landmine after landmine of more triggering, toxic family scenes. And they all hit extra-close to home because the book and author are Filipino like I am.

Second, I was not a fan of the author’s writing style, though I acknowledge it’s something that other readers would enjoy. At some point, the many segues and side comments were no longer cute, just unnecessary. For example, in one paragraph I was reading about Kira chaperoning a younger couple’s date, but in the next I was reading about her opinion of focaccia bread, and then suddenly Kira was back to musing about her childhood friend-turned-lover Santi. The lack of transitions proved to be more grating on paper in A Match Made in Lipa than in the previous book, which I had consumed as an audiobook. (At least audiobooks could be sped up.)

Some turns-of-phrase could also be confusing. For example: “‘Call her on Monday if you really have a boner to pick with her.’ ‘A what now?’” And there wasn’t any internal monologue to explain that joke, if it was intended to be funny at all, so I was also left asking: a what now?

Third, other minor details in the story constantly had me raising my eyebrows. At some point, I was glossing over the astrology parts because I didn’t understand them, but I thought someone else’s comment on Goodreads was valid. There really was some over-stereotyping according to the characters’ star signs, that at times got in the way of actual characterization. Same goes for stereotyping according to schools attended and clothing brand preference. (Full disclosure: I attended the same university as Kira Luz and minor character Gabriel Capras, and only about a quarter of the people I knew there fell under the school’s stereotype.)

Also, I’m quite sure that the waters next to Nasugbu, Batangas are the West Philippine Sea. Why was it still called the South China Sea?

Anyway, to end this review on a less critical note, I did thoroughly enjoy the observations on culture that were not about family. Some examples:
“The success of a restaurant in the Philippines hinged on two things: hype and ambience.”

“Manila was supposed to be good, the place to live. But experience had told him that Manila had her horrors. Manila could be the Most Terrible and Expensive Place in the World To Live In, even with all its conveniences.”

“‘I’ve never seen Friends,’ Santi admitted, and he knew very well that was a source of shock for a lot of people. Really, the more shocked people were that he hadn’t seen it, the less he wanted to watch it.”

Also, a shout-out to the best salon name ever: Curl Up and Dye.

Reading circumstances/Disclaimers:
*I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
*First Carla de Guzman read
*Informal buddy read with Sunnybook Farm book club members
*Not a regular romance reader with an aversion to smut

I rarely pick up romance books but wanted to expand my horizons a little bit with this one. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy it as much as I'd hoped. While A Match Made in Lipa sparks a very important discussion on toxic family relationships, especially when business is involved, I found it lacking in emotional depth in almost all other respects.

Except for a few lines of dialogue, I felt next to nothing in terms of the romance. I didn't think we really got to see how Kira and Santi's feelings developed for each other. They were just kind of there. I also found it incredibly frustrating to be in their heads when they would still be confused about their feelings despite multiple undoubtedly romantic interactions.

I also found the main character to be incredibly annoying. While I have nothing against astrology, Kira's obsession with it to the point of being a whole personality trait was irritating to say the least. That said, if you love astrology, there's a good chance you might love this book. I also didn't really feel her passion for chocolate. Much of it was told but not really shown.

The thing that probably diminished my enjoyment of the book the most was the writing style. I just could not get into it. While there is much to be appreciated about the narrative voice feeling authentic and almost stream-of-consciousness-like, I did not vibe with it at all. There were too many side comments and unfunny jokes. If you like books that read like a friend is telling you a story on the fly, de Guzman's writing style might be for you.

From reading this, I have decided that de Guzman just might not be the author for me. It was worth a shot though.

Heat Factor: In the first chunk, there’s one chaste kiss and one toe-curling kiss

Character Chemistry: Butterflies

Plot: Toxic Family + Corporate Shenanigans + Astrology + Chocolate

Overall: I struggled through the first third before giving up

I know nothing about the Philippines, so when A Match Made in Lipa showed up in a Carina Press promo email, my interest was piqued. The first thing you should know, therefore, is that this book is very rooted in its location—not just in the Philippines, but in Lipa specifically. This is both good and bad. I loved the immersiveness of it. I could figure out what most of the unfamiliar terms were based on context clues (i.e. whether something is clothing, food, or a term of endearment). I suspect that someone more familiar with the culture would gain a more nuanced understanding of the characters, because they would know what the author was signaling when she talked about the hero wearing a banyan—or when he was wearing Uniqlo, for that matter. However, occasionally the author includes full lines of dialogue in (I think?) Tagalog. Take for example:

"“Lakas mo mang-asar, ha,” she warned him, but there was no actual anger in her tone, just a playful glare that made Santi smile."

I get that it’s banter based on their larger conversation, but, uh, what exactly is she warning him? So my first big takeaway from this book is, if you’re not deeply familiar with Filipino culture, be prepared to miss some details.

To be clear, this would not be a dealbreaker in and of itself. However, the writing is generally clunky. Take, for example, this definition of roasting that opens one of the chapters:

"Roasting: a step in the chocolate-making process that involves delicately roasting the beans to achieve a particular flavor"

Defining a word by using that same word is a particularly egregious misstep, but I frequently found myself caught by unusual turns of phrase or unclear referents or scenes that didn’t quite flow.

I could, perhaps, have overcome the writing style not working for me if the story was really engaging, but at the 30% point, I still wasn’t clear what the main conflict was. There are hints: Santi’s toxic grandfather wants Santi to buy out a mall owned by Kira’s family. (But Santi seems to have decided that he doesn’t want to do it, that getting back into the family fold in Manila is not his endgame after all.) Kira’s chocolate business needs to start showing a better ROI for her investors. (But right after she finds out about the upcoming audit, Santi asks her to be his supplier for his fancy boutique hotel, so problem solved?) Kira’s worried about putting herself out there and telling Santi she has a crush on him until she knows his feelings. (But Santi makes it pretty clear that he’s interested in business *and* pleasure.) Everything seemed to be wrapping up already, so there just wasn’t a point of conflict that looked like it could sustain another three hours of story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

A Match Made in Lipa explores different issues such as family dynamics, family problems, culture, and life crisis.
I enjoyed how the culture was a big part in this book. Not was only able to relate as a Filipina but I also got to learn about the culture in Batangas. I commend the representation and inclusivity in this book. I also like the details the author provided with chocolate making and the subject of business. I can tell she did her research and she was also able to disseminated knowledge through her book.

The plot itself was fast paced and there was never a dull moment. The main characters in this book are very entertaining. I like how different Santi and Kira are different from each other yet complement each other. I also love how Kira is very outspoken and how she knows what she wants. I also like how the story explored toxic families and how it can affect a person.

I just feel like there was too much zodiac sign stereotyping and school stereotyping, which got in the way of the characterization of Santi and Kira. I was also hoping more angst because of the friends to rivals aspects.

For me, this romance was all about family. Both Kira and Santi have large, complicated families who put a lot of personal and professional pressure on them. Their relationship gives them the tools they need to navigate these tough familial dynamics in healthy, productive ways—with plenty of romantic chemistry in the mix, of course, and steam for them what wants it. It’s solid small business romance that clicks on every level.

The book’s set pre-pandemic, but I appreciated the epilogue where we see how the Laneways, Kira’s family’s shopping district, has dealt with Covid. I hope the gang’ll be back for a third book someday.

this was such a lovely story. i can relate to santi being a virgo & kira being a gemini like my partner 🥺

I was so thrilled to get approved for an ARC of this. I was really looking forward to Kira and Santi's story after reading the first book and I really enjoyed it. They were so sweet together. Total opposites but the complement each other well. I'm a Virgo like Santi so I totally got him hehe.

Apart from the budding romance they're each have their internal and external conflicts to deal with. Santi's family is just...terrible...his grandpa especially and I just wanted Santi to see how much he was loved by so many others...*insert heart eyes*

Kira is amazing and I need every bit of chocolate thing she sells at Gemini. It was quite sad that I didn't even have any chocolate while reading this. It was pretty intriguing learning about the process of chocolate making. I think this was incorporate well through the book and wasn't info dumpy.

Also shout out to Carla for making Kira a BTS fan cuz as a fellow army myself it was another cute and fun layer to her character!

Also also...Santi and Kira were sizzling together so I think we got ourselves a sweet AND sexy romance here folks!

I am a long-time fan of the #romanceclass books and Carla de Guzman is one the authors whose work I consistently enjoy. This is the second book in the series, Sweet on You, was a true delight and this one, while standing on its own, brings on the same sense of joy and content for me.

This is a lovely childhood friends to lovers romance, a bit of grumpy / sunshine dynamic thrown in.

I loved both MCs, Kira with her explosiveness, matchmaking and obsession with astrology and Santi, all closed off and efficient problem-solver hiding so much hurt. I really, really liked his arc. Dealing with a difficult family, coming to accept that they can never love him and he has to sever ties with them. We knew it in his heart and Kira's family with all their messiness and meddling but at the same time with their unconditional love and support, helped him realise that a different life is possible for him.

Still, it was not easy decision to make, we see his hurt, sense of loss, the tentative attempts to maintain some relationship with his brother at least. Here I have to say something about the villains and how much I appreciate they felt real and not caricatures. Their motivations are clear, their actions make sense in their world. The author does not make excuses for them, Santi does not cave to their blackmail in any way or form=.

The romance was brilliant, some dark moments, but no unnecessary thrid-act break up. Instead they talked things through. Kira's love for Santi was a thing of beauty - tender and nurturing. And it made her heart full to be able to give that to him.

A central element in the story was also the sense of community (a connect element with book 1), building a sustainable business, supporting the local economy. It was all there, not in any preachy way but just natural, it all made sense.

So much care and kindness! And joy and delicious food. Making food and feeding other people is truly the love language in the story.

CW: parental neglect, family abuse/extortion

I had to stop reading this a few times to soothe my aching chest. There is an undercurrent of melancholy in Carla de Guzman’s A Match Made in Lipa that gives depth to the sweet and hopeful childhood friends to lovers romance.

Kira and Santi played together as children in Lipa until Santi’s grandfather demanded the family move to Manila. Years later, Santi is wandering through Osaka, having just been fired from the family hotel business and cut off from all family money. He runs into Kira in a convenience store when they both reach for the same onigiri. Their conversation sets Santi on a path back to Lipa, and though they kiss, their relationship stays firmly platonic for another few years. Kira has also been let go from her dream job, so she pivots to chocolate making and managing her family’s commercial property, The Laneways. Two things, I would love to go back to Japan and this time I will know to go into every convenience store I find. Second, A Match Made in Lipa is a gloriously foodie romance. So much good food is described.

Santi and Kira have been in a holding pattern. Santi wants to prove to his grandfather that he deserves to be brought back into the family business by making a falling down old hotel into a shining star. But, he also knows that his grandfather is manipulative and will always withhold approval. He wants Kira, but he doesn’t want her to be exposed to his toxic family. Family and business are tightly linked for both Santi and Kira. Kira has been waiting, for something? For love to come along? She’s not sure. She knows she loves making chocolate, her chocolate shop, matchmaking, The Laneways, and her family. She’s frustrated with Santi’s “we’ll talk later” line. When her family lets her know that the family board will be reviewing their investment in her chocolate shop, Kira realizes she has to stop waiting and work on saving herself. When Santi’s grandfather asks Santi to do something that will hurt Kira, he knows he needs to choose between returning to his old life in Manila or the life he’s built in Lipa.

Carla de Guzman gives everything layers and complexity. Kira’s family loaned her the money he start her business, but they also want her to justify that investment. She has built a community around her, but she’s convinced she has to solve her problems herself. Santi’s grandfather is objectively awful, but he remembers the loving grandfather of his childhood. Kira and Santi don’t have to learn to love each other, because they have always loved each other. They do have to learn that they don’t have to solve problems alone. Time and again, their community comes together to help. There is a constant awareness of impermanence and fragility, and a tension between family and individual. But community comes together and generosity inspires more generosity.

If you are not familiar with Filipino food and culture (my familiarity is limited) have Google at the ready. It is absolutely worth the time.

CW: toxic family, threats of financial ruin, and an epilogue set during the pandemic.

I received this as an advance reader copy from NetGalley and Carina Press. My opinions are my own.