“It’s because i don’t know how I’m going to tear down your favourite place in the world when I can barely stand the thought of you getting caught in the rain” a wholesome small town romance. I loved that even though the main love story is the focus, The side character storylines were good and I loved the additional themes of friendship and community. This book gave me a warm feeling multiple times through. Callum is a dream man. Only reason it isn’t 5 stars is that they fall in love too quickly for me!

THE BLURB:
Katie Collins has barely ever left her tiny Irish village of Ennisbawn. Why would she? With its tightknit community, friendly local pub, surrounded by glistening lakes and perfectly mysterious forests, it’s a place of peaceful beauty.

Or it was peaceful. Until Callum Dempsey turned up. Part of a hot-shot (and, Katie has to admit, hot is annoyingly apt for him…) development team with zero eye for beauty or charm, he’s not only building a hideous hotel just outside the village, he’s also just announced a plan to knock down Ennisbawn’s only remaining pub. To make way for a view from the golf course.

It’s the final blow to the village and the last straw for Katie, who refuses to let her home-from-home disappear. The pub is her life – her job, but also her last connection to her parents, who had met at Ennisbawn’s once-famous matchmaking festival that was held in the grounds.

But, after being laughed off the building site in her best flannel pyjamas for demanding the builders leave, Katie decides enough is enough and hatches a plan. She’s going to revive the matchmaking festival, save the pub, and single-handedly bring the town back to life again.

She might even help her two best friends find love as well. Since, heck, what’s another project when you’re taking on the world’s hottest, evilest man?

But what Ireland’s newest matchmaker doesn’t know is that even when someone’s really not your type on paper, love might be a little bit more than just a formula…

MY REVIEW:
While it does feature a tried and true plot, and the ending is blindingly predictable, I still really enjoyed this book. A classic opposites attract trope was used, as well as the small town trope.

I had not heard of this author before, but I found her pacing good, and her characters (mostly) relatable.

A fun, quick read, easily finished in an hour.

RATING:
4/5

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in return for my honest review.

Catherine Walsh is AMAZING! I have read her previous novels and am so thrilled Ireland is her usual setting for romance novels that aren’t cringy or a bit ‘twee’ - instead she has effortlessly shown the irreverent humour and one line phrases that are used so often, as well as building a whole community and town that is incredibly believable.

The Matchmaker has a perfect sizzling romance, starting with an unforgettable first meeting (I think Callum might be her best romantic character yet)! The plot was really engaging and I loved that the supporting characters stories were all followed through so well. The small-town community banding together to overthrow the plans to ruin their village had me rooting for them and I loved the ending. Will be recommending to friends who love charming books about romance and who appreciate great humour! I would also love to see a separate book about the main character’s granny, she was a hoot!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book a lot. I loved Ennisbawn and the characters within it and I thought the premise of fighting for the village, resurrecting the festival and of course, some romance a long the way, was a good one. The characters all felt likeable and believable and Gemma and Adam’s relationship was probably my favourite- it’s always what’s under your nose all along! A lovely, wholesome read.

- Irish small town
- matchmaking festival
- enemies-to-lovers
- found family
- amazing banter

When I was approved to review this ARC, I was so excited because Catherine Walsh's last book, Holiday Romance, ended up being one of my favorite books of 2022 (and of all time)! And I was not disappointed!

Katie is fighting for her small Irish town's survival against the big bad corporation that want to tear everything down to build a resort. On a building site, she happens to meet (yell at) Callum, and things quickly heat up between them.

The Matchmaker feels a little bit more like a Women's Fiction than a Romance, but I don't mean that as a bad thing! The love story, while a bit more of a subplot, felt fresh and real. You are rooting for Katie from the beginning, and her getting the (perfect) guy is just the cherry on top!

The side characters and their own love stories are just adorable! And the relationship between Katie and her grandmother is beautifully written (and her grandmother is hilarious)!

And while The Matchmaker didn't quite beat Holiday Romance for the top spot, it was still an amazing five-star-read for me! I definitely recommend this book if you love small-town romances with a dash of enemies-to-lovers!

Thank you to Netgalley, Catherine Walsh and the publisher for the advance copy to read.

The story follows Katie as she tries to save her local pub and town from a local development whilst falling in love with a worker from the development team.

I normally love a light hearted rom com but for some reason this just didn't do it for me. It felt like they weren't from strangers to being in love over nothing. There were some funny parts that made me laugh out loud.

Easy read but not a favourite.

Katie Collins loves her small Irish village, Ennisbawn, and will do just about anything to keep the town's character intact and safe from incoming developers. Callum Dempsey works for said developers, but Katie's awkward, relatable, sweet loyalty stands to pull his heart in new directions...

Objectively, this had everything I love in a romcom - small town, warm and relatable characters, a feisty heroine and a tenderhearted hero, and humor. Subjectively, it started off really strong, but I ultimately found the plot a bit meandering. The ending was sweet and satisfying, so I recommend this for small town vibes with big heart.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for gifting me with an ARC to review. I enjoyed it!

Ennisbawn is a lovely little village in Ireland. Kelly's is the go-to bar and everyone knows everyone. Not much has changed in the last fifty years and that's exactly the way Katie Collins likes it. That is until, Jack Doyle and Glenmill developers come to build a huge hotel in Ennisbawn. This brings serious upheaval for Katie......in more ways than one...

I really enjoyed Holiday Romance by Catherine Walsh so I was thrilled to receive an e-arc of 'The Matchmaker' from @netgalley.
A very cute romance novel that would be perfect for a summer beach read. I flew through this! I really enjoy @catwalshwriter's sense of humour and she portrays family relationships and friendships so beautifully. If you like romance and Irish wit, this one is for you.

Thanks to @netgalley @catwalshwriter for the advanced copy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Katie loves her little village of Ennisbawn, and the pub where she works. But when the pub is threatened by developers she needs a plan to save it - and settles on reviving the Match Maker Festival where her own parents first met.

This is such a fun book! Katie is exactly the kind of character that I love to read about, and the whole community angle left me feeling warm. The enemies to lovers romance was sweet too, but it was the whole village that I loved reading about!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I loved The Matchmaker! The setting was lovely and the characters all had a great depth to them. I especially enjoyed the pub and how it was the center of the community. Katie and Callum are the best and they were both easy to love. Finished this book with a big happy, contented sigh.

I thought this book was just lovely! Catherine Walsh writes relatable and hilarious characters.
Katie is adorable and I would totally want her in my corner! Callum... S W O O N.
Such a cute story of love and loyalty. A great lighthearted and fast paced read that will have you feeling all of the emotions. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was exactly the sweet, fluffy romcom I was looking for at the moment.

I'd never read a book by Catherine Walsh before, but I was immediately hooked by the setting of a small-town romance in rural Ireland and stayed for the characters.

Our main character, Katie, was incredibly relatable to me. A person in her 20s with driving anxiety who was raised by grandparents and always puts others before herself - am I describing Katie or me? Katie's written to be very funny and quirky, but in a way that feels realistic and natural. I found myself laughing out loud at her quips as well as cringing along with her embarrassment.

I loved how all of the characters felt like they had quite a bit of development, even those who were primarily just in the background. Recurring names would pop up to help out Katie or grab a drink at the pub and it all added to the feeling of this tight knit community. I think I've ended up becoming a bit attached to it all and wish I didn't have to leave just yet!

The romance between Katie and Callum was so sweet and the build-up to them officially getting together felt very natural. I will say that I had expected this to be more enemies-to-lovers in that I thought the two would have more conflict. The not-liking-each-other situation doesn't last for very long and things felt a bit too insta-lovey for me in the second half, which is why I had to bring it down a star.

Overall, this was a light, feel-good romance with fun characters and lots of laughs. It was a great palate cleanser for me and I'd absolutely recommend it as a way to break up heavier reads. I'll definitely be checking out Catherine's other books and crossing my fingers for more Ennisbawn novels!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was an ok rom-com for me, I liked the setting and the writing but the characters and their plot were just not for me. Katie loves her small village of Ennisbawn and thinks there is no place better but she needs to prove that to grumpy Callum who is trying to knock down her beautiful village for a golf course! So by trying to stop the development she decides to bring back a matchmaker festival that they used to be famous for. I will say that their meet cute is probably one of my favorites that I have read in a long time! The author's writing was really funny and engaging which is why I read this one pretty quickly but I am just not a fan of the matchmaker trope. I am looking forward to reading more from this author because a lot of my friends rave about her! Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for my gifted copy for review!

Four stars for the newest story by Catherine Walsh! This was a fun enemies to lovers romance set in a small town with some witty banter and great characters. I definitely enjoyed the story of Katie and her passion to save the bar she knows and loves. I did find that the romance took a bit more of a back seat than I was expecting, but overall I thought Katie and Callum were pretty cute together.

This a really cute small town romance! It has a real hallmark vibe with the small town girl and the big business man coming in a trying to ruin it. Katie and the whole town were funny and you want to root for them to save their pub. Katie and Callum were so cute together. I wish there was more time spent with them getting to know each other but I still loved them together. If you’ve liked Catherine Walsh’s other books, definitely check this one out.

What a fun, sweet and hilarious romance! I fell in love with these characters and all their little quirks. I became a fan of Walsh's work, after i read her book, Holiday Romance, and this new book, just solidified her as an auto buy author!

Catherine Walsh has officially become one of my auto-read authors. I adored Catherine's book Holiday Romance, so I was absolutely excited to be able to read their new book. It did not disappoint! A classic Romantic Comedy, cute town, great characters. I just adored this story. I did not want this book to end because the town is so magical, and the characters felt like friends. It was nice to "get away" into the world that Catherine Walsh created. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of The Matchmaker in exchange for an honest review.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Another good read by Catherine Walsh! The story of Katie trying to save her town was a good one but a little slowly paced. Her story turned out to be a cute one but I felt lacked some detail. Overall, the storyline was good!

Thank you for netgalley for letting me read this book.

First of all, it was a cute read. I iliked the writing style, the characters, how the story goes... Because of these I will give it 4 stars. If you want to read a cute short novel this is for you.