"You're my favourite place"

This tale of Katie Collins and her fight to save a small Irish village is heart warming.

This book was such an easy to read story, nothing too chaotic and unforeseen. I love how the relationships all come together and the story is easy to follow.

I would have loved to see Katie's relationship with Callum a bit closer and more of a slow burn, along with a surprise bundle in the epilogue, but that is probably just a personal preference *I can see the teary eyed me reading this now*.

Overall it was a lovely read and I could see myself enjoying it again.

Thank you to @netgalley and @catwalshwriter for sending me an Advance digital copy for my honest review.

This was such a cute read! It was very different from other cute little romance books I’ve read before. The main character was funny and determined to get her little town back to some normalcy. The book was well written and really made me feel like I could see the landscape and the little town even though I’ve never been overseas.

This was a cute Irish rom-com and the idea of a matchmaking festival was so fun. Being a small town girl, I really enjoyed seeing the villagers fighting back against the big developers to preserve their town’s charm and structures. I thought Katie was a fun, sweet, and quirky lead who really pushed out of her comfort zone, which was great to see. Her chemistry with Callum was a bit of a slow burn, which I didn’t mind, and gave us a low-level steam with some open-door scenes that provided a nice balance to their romance! Katie’s relationships with her friends and family were really sweet and I loved how they all came together to support her idea and the town. Overall, I enjoyed this light-hearted romance and can’t wait to see what Catherine writes next!

I’d like to first start off by saying I’ve come full circle because Catherine Walsh and her novel “The Rebound” was one of my very first reviews. I adored Holiday Romance. With that being said when this was announced, I ran to snag an arc.

If there’s anything Walsh should be known for, it’s her ability to write these picturesque small towns that are so incredibly dreamy. In The Matchmaker, Katie is on a mission to save her sleepy town and local pub from the developers.

In true, awkward girl fashion Katie is known to word vomit in uncomfortable situations and I have never felt so seen! What a relatable gal. Nonetheless, she’s a spitfire queen and stands for what she believes in. The secondary cast of friends and ‘bad guys’ are equally charming, lovable, and downright hilarious. Throughout the story I was chuckling and getting riled up to save Ennisbawn’s pub along with them!

Let’s not forget that romance! Ooooh Callum Dempsey! What a heartthrob and those grand gestures! With a tinge of ‘kinda’ enemies to lovers, he definitely fell first, and the ever so popular philosophical question of “do soulmates exist”, it’s a recipe for a match made in heaven. See what I did there?

I'm ready to travel to Ireland with every book I've read by Catherine Walsh. it is impossible not to fall in love with the descriptions of Ireland and its people, especially the rural part like the small town of Ennisbawn
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Her heroes are as sexy as they are serious but when they fall, they fall hard for the heroin trying to balance life, or taking courage for the next step. And all this is cooking in a really perfect slow burn way
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Katie Collins never left her small town,Ennisbawn, in Ireland and why would she when all her favorite people are there?
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Her witty grandmother, her friends and her favorite places like the forest and the bar where she works with her grumpy boss who is like an older brother. Sometimes life in a small town can be difficult but with a community so close like this one, that is always there to support each other nothing is impossible
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Not even stopping the construction company that wants to turn their small town into a big resort, demolishing every obstacle in its path. When her loved Bar is in danger of disappearing Katie appeal to the last resort, reviving the old Matchmaker festival with its wishing well appealing to the heritage of the community
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With a couple of months to go and a massive to-do list, Katie must decide who to trust and the one in charge of carrying out the construction of the resort seems to be a bad idea, especially when Callum Dempesey listens to her complaints and appears at her grandmother's house to help her with the garden especially when she can't stop seeing how handsome he is
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It is not the first time that I fell in love with Ireland through a Catherine Walsh book but this time the secondary characters began to take center stage and the book became a complete romance by Ennisbawn and its people
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Thanks to Catherine Walsh and Bookouture for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh is a laugh out loud swoony read that will make you want to buy a flight to Ireland stat in search of the nearest fairy wishing well!

Katie is desperate for sleep and to save her job. What's a girl to do when a new developer has come in and bought up most of the land of her dwindling small town in Ireland? Determined to save her sanity, she marches straight into Callum, the handsome construction foreman clad in her duck pajamas. When a week later she's well rested from Callum helping her out, she walks straight into the news that she's going to lose her job at the town's last standing pub. What's a girl to do? Bluff it out by mentioning their historic matchmaking festival because of their wishing well. Now on a quest to set her friends up and make it a success there's just one last question Katie has to solve - is she ready for a relationship of her own?

I've never read anything by Catherine Walsh before but I couldn't put this down. I laughed and clutched my chest so many times and can't wait to read more!

The Matchmaker is a light-hearted Irish-based rom-com centered around Katie Collins, a young woman who has lived in the small Irish village of Ennisbawn her entire life. She is a bartender in her “uncle’s” local pub and is close to her network of friends in this small village.

The quaint, countryside town is currently being inextricably altered to make room for a high-end resort and golf course, and the plans include her own special, historical pub. Katie’s first, rather humorous encounters are with one of the developers, Callum Dempsey, who is easy on the eyes, but determined to heartlessly make the changes to her beloved hometown. The two continue to meet and their antagonist relationship quickly becomes something more.

This concept has been done before: big business taking over small town, family-owned establishment. The characters are quirky and fun, but it’s truly more about saving the pub (which is rather unrealistic in it’s attempts, though decidedly cute) than it is about a romance, which is definitely secondary. Though it has it’s moments and the setting of the Irish festival and related descriptions are charming and entertaining, I unfortunately found the rest to be a bit predictable and dull. I’m sure others will enjoy this story, and it had parts that I also found sweet and humorous, but all-in-all, it wasn’t all that I’d hoped for.

*I received an Copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair, unbiased review*

This would be the first book, I have read by Catherine Walsh, and can I just say that this book had a great plot, the small town romance was to die for and it being set in Ireland is just amazing, the Sweet quotes that are in this book made me want to start highlighting and tabbing every thing when i order the physical copy!!!

When Katie Collins's tiny Irish village pub, as well are her job, are threatened by the construction of a huge hotel and golf course, she sets about reviving the old matchmaking festival to prove the pub is of historical importance. Callum Dempsey is the frustrating (but hot) developer, always seeking Katie out. But is he spying, or genuinely wanting to get closer to her.
Catherine Walsh has quickly become a one-click author for me. I really enjoy her writing, and her characters always feel well-rounded and relatable. I loved Katie immediately. She felt like someone I'd want as a friend, and I absolutely loved her self-deprecating humour as well as her friendships with Gemma and Nush. Watching her confidence bloom was wonderful and I loved the development of her relationship with Callum. I don't want to spoil it, but I appreciated that the main romance was relatively easy, and not bogged down by lots of conflict. Callum was absolutely adorable, and they were so sweet together. I particularly liked how he treated Katie.
Alongside the romance in the blurb there's plenty of hilarious banter between many of the supporting characters. I really enjoyed the narrative on community, and the all too common reality of small villages being wiped out. I think the subplot that resonated most with me was the one surrounding Gemma and her son Noah. I really understood her as a single parent, and loved the found family aspect.
The actual matchmaking was so fun. I won't spoil anything, but I saw a certain match coming, and let me tell you, I am here for every second of it.
This wasn't quite what I expected from the blurb, but I really enjoyed it.

Overall Rating: ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Heat Rating: 🔥🔥
Emotional Rating: 😢😂🥰💓🙈😬😂🙈😂💓🥰👏🏻💓😬💔😢🥰😍💔😢💓😭🥰

*Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to leave an honest review. The Matchmaker is published today in the UK*

Favourite Quote:

"...I don’t know how I’m going to tear down your favorite place in the world when I can barely stand the thought of you getting caught in the rain.”

I have uploaded the same review to Amazon UK but am awaiting moderation

The book was enjoyable and I cared about the main characters. It was also a cute concept with a fun grandmother character. My only negative feedback was that there wasn't a lot of conflict in the book, especially for the main couple. I had expected some obstacle or turning point, but none came up.

There were a lot of things I enjoyd with this books, the banter, the humour... However, it just didnt stratch the itch? It was an easy read, I liked it. But didnt love it unfortunately. So I read it quite slowly.

Banter-filled and playful, this was super cute. After seriously enjoying Holiday Romance over the winter, I was excited to check out Walsh's next book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I figured it'd be similar in vibes to the rom com that stole everyone's hearts during the holiday season. And while the two do share some similarities in terms of the banter and lighthearted feel, this one spins in an entirely different direction. This couple falls for each other hard and fast - 100% instalove - which is SO different from the slow-burning friends to lovers vibes of Holiday Romance. They also don't share as much time on the page together, and there's more of a community feel to the story. So it took a little bit for me to acclimate to the tone, but I ended up really enjoying the story. Callum is such a sweetheart, and it is clear that he is gone for his girl (almost) from the moment they meet. Their chemistry was apparent right away, and this ended up feeling so wholesome and light. Not quite what I was expecting, but a fun read for sure.

The story follows Katie, a woman who has not been getting any sleep recently. A big corporation has come to her small town, and the construction crew has been seriously messing with her sleep schedule. Overtired and irritable, Katie stomps onto the construction site and demands to speak with someone. She ends up voicing her complaints to Callum, one of the crew members. He thinks she's ridiculous(ly adorable), and it's clear that Callum is amused by Katie's chaotic personality. After several more run-ins, Katie realizes that Callum might not be as terrible as the company he works for, but that doesn't change the fact that it's his job to tear apart the community she's loved for her whole life.

You'll notice that I didn't mention the matchmaking element, and that's because I honestly couldn't care less about it, lol. Sorry. Katie and Callum stole the show here, and I was living for the moments when they were on the page together. There's a whole subplot revolving around the matchmaking festival, and I ended up skimming a lot of that. I can see why some readers were disappointed that the sole focus is not on the romance, but there are still plenty of great moments between Katie and Callum. I loved their banter, and every interaction made me smile. Sure, Callum is smitten almost from the start, but that was a big part of the appeal for me. It was exceedingly low angst and lighthearted, with plenty of humor and some swoony situations. So maybe not as memorable or as all-around great as Holiday Romance, but certainly worthy of a 4-star rating from me.

Sometimes (or most of the time if you're me) all you want is a romance that's easy to read, gives you those warm fuzzies, and takes you on a journey with plenty of humour & enjoyable characters.

The Matchmaker totally ticked every box for me!

We follow barmaid Katie's life in the small Irish town of Ennisbawn, which is sadly being destroyed bit-by-bit by a hotel developer, costing her possibly her job, community, as well as her sleep! When she marches onto the site to complain about noise, she meets the (very handsome) construction manager, Callum. The book follows her attempts to save the pub she works at, alongside her and Callum's romance.

As someone who lives in a remote Highland village and loves her community, peaceful surroundings, and local inn, I totally connected with Katie from the get-go. While my village isn't under threat from a hotel developer, I was rooting for Katie the whole way through, and really liked her dedication to what she loves most.

I also really enjoyed the connection and humour between her and Callum, as well as his clear love for her. There was no messing around with this couple's feelings for each other, which was executed really well. If you're a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope where they spend 75% of the book hating each other, you might not enjoy it the same.

As a whole, the plot, characters, and settings were well thought out and developed. I recommend you pick this up if you're looking for an easy, fun, enjoyable romance!

4 Stars

#TheMatchmaker #NetGalley #CatherineWalsh

Thanks to Bookouture, NetGalley, and author Catherine Walsh for this digital ARC to honestly review.

Irish romances are always adorable and “The Matchmaker” by Catherine Walsh was no different!

This was my first read by the author and i’ve got to say I’m pleasantly surprised. The premise for this book was cute to begin with but for the story to actually come through and be more of the same? Consider me happy.

Katie and Callum were both loveable main characters in their own ways. Though, of course the MCs usually make or break a good book, for me it was the quaint little village with heaps of personality, steeped in Irish folklore and peppered with its inhabitants (read: side characters) and their own stories that really elevated this strangers to “enemies” to lovers for me.

Overall, this was a refreshingly cute, funny and quick read! Would definitely recommend picking it up.

I definitely enjoyed this book! It was a pretty standard rom-com. I found some of the actions/dialogue of the characters to be a bit weird, and cringy, especially in the beginning of the book, but it didn't stop me from reading it. It definitely had the small town charm that is quite popular in these books, just the small town was in Ireland which was a nice change of pace. I am a sucker for a "save the town/pub/something of emotional importance" trope, especially when it involves putting on a festival, so this hit all of that for me. A great, quick read.

“Or maybe,” he continues. “It’s because I don’t know how I’m going to tear down your favorite place in the world when I can barely stand the thought of you getting caught in the rain.”

This story was very cute! It felt like the textbook rom-com that we all know and love.

I personally felt like the personalities of the characters, specifically the main love interest felt a little bit underdeveloped and therefore a little bit lacking.

Overall a great beach read with some squeal-worthy rom-com moments!

I received this book as an advanced reader copy with no incentive, all thoughts are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Such a fun read! I enjoyed the cozy vibes and also the enemies-to-lovers aspect of the plot.
Catherine's writing is amazing and really puts you in the middle of the story, among with the characters.
It was the first book I have read from this author and I am excited to buy a physical copy of it. I will so be reading more of her, because the writing is divine.

This book is not so spicy, I would say 2.5/5 🌶

Overall, it was a great read and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys a good rom-com book.




Tw: anxiety, car accident, talking of death of the loved ones.

The tiny Irish village of Ennisbawn has always been home to Katie. Even as shops closed and people moved away, she was content working at the local pub Kelly's whilst caring for her grandmother Maeve.

So when large areas of land surrounding the village are sold off to developers and a hotel is announced, the once quiet village becomes a hub of construction. This is hard enough, but when Katie learns that Kelly's may also be demolished, she knows she must take a stand. On a whim whilst arguing with the developer, she dedicates to reinstate the Ennisbawn Matchmaking Festival, where her parents fell in love 30 years before.

Hit with opposition every step of the way, Katie and the village are determined to see the festival through and find a way to stop the demolition. So when Katie begins to develop feelings for Callum, a worker from the development, there are mixed opinions. Is Callum genuine or is he there to sabotage them? Will Katie be able to pull off the festival & save Kelly's?

This was a lovely read and I enjoyed the closeness of the community of Ennisbawn. The Author did a great job at bringing forth the spirit of the village and I loved the close friendships of Katie, Anushka, Gemma & Adam. The passion they have for their home is inspiring and I wish all communities could come together like this.

As expected with a Matchmaking festival, there are many romantic scenes in the book (including spicy scenes 🔥) and we witness several romances bloom. I thought the concept was a lot of fun and made for some great reading.

Thank you to Author @catwalshwriter @bookouture & @netgalley for providing this ARC. All opinions within this review are my own

💕The MATCHMAKER 💕
By : @catwalshwriter

After reading Holiday Romance, I just HAD to pick this up!

Katie is in love with her small Irish town. Living with her grandma and working at a local pup, she thrives in her little nook in the Irish countryside with her family and friends. Unfortunately, some big construction company decides to purchase land and start moving toward making her town into the modern world. Katie puts in her all to prove that this town is worth saving...which includes reviving a "matchmaking" festival. Is she up for the task?

Katie is quirky, fun and so compassionate. I love her heart for the town and family. She does everything for them. I can see why this certain project manager falls for her.

Callum is this tall, dark and handsome hunk that interrupts everything. The chemistry is SO SO good! He falls first. The kisses are just 😍

Loved the small town Irish setting. Her friends are hilarious. The little side character romance was super sweet. Oh and don't forget about her grandma!! She is delightful! 😂😍

Another fun read by Catherine Walsh!

Thank you to @netgalley and the author for the early copy!

*Romance- open door x2
*TW- car accident, grief, talk of death of loved ones

Another fantastic book by Catherine Walsh! She really knows how to write lovable characters, heartwarming storylines and make me laugh out loud. *Adds to auto buy list*

The Matchmaker had so many great scenes and dialogue. The dry, witty humour is exactly what I love, and I was smiling and laughing a lot. I think what I love most about Catherine’s books is that they are full picture snippets into the character’s lives. Not only do we get a great romance, but we get to explore the character’s friendships, family, careers, self growth, etc. I like how involved it is. Especially in the small town, Irish setting of the Matchmaker. I was wishing I lived there and could be a part of that friend group!

The chemistry between Katie & Callum was so good. I thought their relationship developed expertly - “I want to be where you are” SIGH! I don’t want to say too much, not because you can’t guess where it’s going, but because it’s special (and funny) to see it unfold for yourself.

And I’ll say it again, I appreciated that while Katie and Callum’s love story was amazing, I loved that this book didn’t serve up frustrating miscommunications and unnecessary breakups. It felt mature and more realistic in my opinion, which is what makes this book stand out to me.

Thank you Bookouture for the digital copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Grateful my physical copy arrived because I already miss this place and these characters.