This was a super cute book! I loved Poppy and I’m a sucker for grumpy and sunshine so this book definitely hit the mark for me. The perfect light hearted read, I’ll definitely recommend to friends!

A gentle, light, easy read with a slow burn romance. This is the first book I've read by Sandy Barker. I do like a grumpy bachelor. I enjoyed this and would happily recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Soooooo cuteeee
Im such a fan of books like this and I can’t put them down and they are just like super super cute 😍😍

This romantic comedy is amazing! Every time I picked up "Match Me If You Can" (also love the title!), I was whisked away, and went on such a journey with this enemies-to-lovers opposites attract romance.

Poppy works at a matchmaking agency, and must find Tristan a wife in a short amount of time in order for him to be able to get his inheritance. Never could either have imagined how their meeting will change both of their lives, and perhaps they will actually be one another's happily-ever-after! What happens? You will just have to read to find out!

I hope to see some of these characters again, and to see how their stories continue! I also found the Dual-POV really interesting, and helpful into giving a deeper understanding of what the characters are feeling and thinking.

If you enjoy Contemporary Romance and / or Romantic Comedy, I highly recommend this book! I look forward to reading this continuing series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a matchmaker/wealthy bachelor. The bachelor also has to get married by a certain time to receive a inheritance. I feel like I've read this exact plot line before, but I can't pinpoint where exactly. Nontheless, this story was super funny, quick, and fluffy. I wish we got a bit more interaction between the two characters before it ended, but overall a fun and enjoyable read.

This RomCom story was just everything I expect from RomCom and the narration was just brilliant.

The story and descriptions were so vivid that combined with the dual POV storytelling with different accents I felt like I had really experienced this story and met all these wonderful people. I loved Poppy right from the start, everything about her was just right. Tristan was not really my cup of tea at the start of the story. Fortunately that changed once we really got to know him and then I started rooting for Poppy and Tristan to realize what was happening and that finding a wife for Tristan really was a mission impossible and that they were perfect for each other.

I could easily picture this story being made into a RomCom movie and I would be very keen to watch it. Seeing the banter on screen and all those characters would just be amazing!

Absolutely sublime! While a bit outlandish in believability at times, Match Me if You Can was the perfect romcom story for a beach or light vacation read!

Loved that it was duel point if view! It just really adds to the context in a book.
Loved the grumpy sunshine aspect. Was an enjoyable if predictable rom com.

The HEA Agency gets it’s HEA
Match Me If You Can
Ever After Agency Series - Book One
Author: Sandy Barker
Boldwood Books

This is the first book I’ve read by Sandy Barker, and it certainly won’t be the last.
Having finished this book – the first in the Ever After Agency series – including the excerpt from book two at the end, I’m hooked.
Ever After is an exclusive matchmaking agency set up by lawyer Saskia later in her life, to help others find their HEA. Or if not that, the perfect marriage of convenience.
Tristan Fellows is grieving the loss of his grandad and dealing with the unexpected discovery of the clause in the patriarch’s will. Added to that is the stunning discovery that his Grandad had somehow invested to end up with a fortune.
Described as “the love child of Henry Cavill and Theo James”, Tristan might be gorgeous, but he’d give the Grinch a run for his money.
Through a stroke of luck, he’s discovered that if he’s not married by thirty-five, he loses a thirty million inheritance.
Ravi, the best mate and lawyer, gets him a referral to Ever After Agency, where his agent, Poppy, drags him reluctantly through the process, naming his case ‘Marriage Impossible’ after meeting Tristan just once.
She is his matchmaker on this journey.
Rav and his wife Jass were also matched via the agency in an attempt to avoid an arranged marriage, which is why he’s able to get Tristan accepted.
He has just a month to find a wife.
Amidst all of this is a threat to the agency itself via a mysterious blogger revealing secrets about the agency.
Poppy is a bright ray of sunshine, and her addiction to romance is based on 30s screwball comedies like ‘His Girl Friday’ so perhaps a tad unrealistic, though her nature itself is down to earth. When they meet the first potential Mrs Tristan, she makes a joke about switching to a lower price skincare brand when the other woman’s cost of living crisis is downsizing her yacht.
Oh yes, the potential brides are eclectic and ... unique.
Amidst the whole humour of the will requirements and the dating mishaps, there’s a softer side to Tristan as he opens up, particularly about the grief of losing his granddad and the impact of his Dementia, a subject many readers may relate to. Myself included.
The hijinks of the various dates are laugh-out-loud funny, Poppy’s nosey colleagues especially George and her best friend Shaz are loving the drama, but best of all is Ravi.
Though he and Tristan are best friends he is relishing his mate’s discomfort and it’s like the whole supporting characters are getting ready to ‘break out the popcorn’ as Poppy puts it.
Despite the laughter, there’s emotional issues each character deals with, there’s a burgeoning friendship and chemistry between Tristan and Poppy – which is not allowed – and lots of sweet trope-ish moments.
Saskia is a great, strong, forthright but supportive boss and I want so much more from this office of romantic experts who are also a little bit like a misfit family.
This is an absolutely adorable, funny, sweet, slightly steamy read.
And I’m now addicted to the Ever After Agency.

Cute rom-com that ticks most of the boxes - dual point-of-view, grumpy hero, forced proximity and many more. Easy to read and pretty good chemistry between the main characters - would recommend!

Grump-Sunshine or even Enemies-to-Lovers sounded good, but this book missed the mark by legions.

Poppy, a matchmaker for a very exclusive agency has to try and find a wife for Tristan, who needs to be married within the next month. So far it sounded plausible. But, Tristan is an investment banker and doesn't really need the inheritance to keep up his minimalist workaholic lifestyle . Why does he insist on finding a wife then? And Poppy, a trained psychologist, has nothing better to do than trying to match her latest client with a woman who isn't satisfied with her current husband's bedroom performance?

The two main characters don't have enough depth for me and some of there backstory just doesn't make sense to me; how can an investment banker who works up to seventy hours a week take off for three days without any kind of thought at how this impacts his work performance? Furthermore, there is no chemistry between Tristan and Poppy - at least there wasn't any up to 42% when I bailed on the book. It's hard to believe that the two of them hit it off in the second half of the book.

The idea behind the book is good, but the execution left me baffled.

Based on the ARC: That sexually frustrated wife mentioned above is Italian, but uses 'Google translate' Italian phrases to spice up her speech. It's a no-go for me. If the author doesn't speak the foreign language, they should get a native speaker to make it sound authentic. Which I hope was rectified before the book went to press.

I enjoyed getting to know the main characters in the book. So funny to see grumpy meets sunshine :)
I enjoyed the humorous moments that had me laughing out loud!
A perfect romantic comedy love story.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Just a good one.
Read it in one sitting. Four stars read.
I deeply enjoyed it.
Thanks to netgalley for this book

A big thanks to NetGalley and BookandTonic for the chance to dive into Match Me If You Can by Sandy Barker. I'm usually all about Sandy's writing, but this time, it didn't quite hit the mark for me.


The Ever After Agency, a place that works its magic on all your love life problems. Whether you're on the hunt for real love, a fresh start in the romance department, or just want to keep up appearances, they've got you sorted.

Tristan Fellows, the typical single guy who's not really looking for love. He's in a hurry to find a wife before he turns 35.

I kinda like Tristan, but he fell for Poppy super fast, and their chemistry was a bit meh. 💔💑

There were some seriously funny moments that had me laughing out loud! 😂🤣

Match Me If You Can is a light and easy read. It didn't quite give me the same warm fuzzies as Sandy's other books, but if you're into romantic comedies and quirky love stories, it might just tickle your fancy.

Who doesn’t love an enemies to lovers book? This is definitely a book that will make you laugh out loud.

I do love a Sandy book and this one has been the comfort read I’ve been looking for.

This is unique, I love that this is set in a match making agency.. who isn’t curious about that?

This is fun and filled with so much love. I have adored this book from beginning to end. This is one I found myself completely unwilling to put down.

I’ve read most of Sandy’s books and this is a firm favourite. An absolute must for the TBR.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

What a completely charming book! I immediately fell in love with Poppy (side note: one of my favorite character names) and her no-nonsense approach to the job of matchmaking. In walks Tristan, a certified bachelor with no desire to fall in love... and a a disastrous plan (*not* hatched by Poppy) to pair him with a vapid, affluent socialite who insists they meet aboard her expansve yacht off the shore of Greece.

The writing was delightful, but the characters were what really set this book apart for me. I was so invested in their individual story arcs and the way the story might resolve itself. No spoilers!

This is well worth your time. It's delightful.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. :)

The idea of matchmakers has always fascinated me. Blame Mulan if you need, because I’m fairly sure that’s where it originated. So when I got the opportunity to read Match Me If You Can, you just know I was curious to see what this book would bring!

I was offered an ARC by Netgalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are strictly my own.

The story
Poppy Dean lives and breathes romance – in her job at least. As a matchmaker at an elite London agency, she spends her days finding the perfect Mr Right for pretty much everybody but herself.

When Tristan Fellows walks into the agency, Poppy knows she’s in for a challenge. A typical bachelor, Tristan has no intention of falling in love, but in order to receive his 30-million-pound inheritance, he must find himself a wife before his 35th birthday.

This may be Poppy’s hardest case yet, but even the most arrogant of men can sometimes warm a woman’s heart. And who knows, maybe it’s finally time for Poppy to find her happy ever after too?

From the sunny skies of Greece, to the trendy streets of London, to the romantic hills of Scotland, Match Me If You Can is a laugh out loud enemies-to-lovers romance, guaranteed to make you believe in love again!

The opinion
Here’s the thing: Poppy does a lot of things that were, at the very least, a bit questionable. For someone who prides herself on her professionalism, she sure doesn’t act all that… professional, a lot of the time. That being said, I was willing to suspend my disbelief – if only because I wanted to see where this story would go!

And one of the main places it went, turned out to be an amazing cast of side characters. Don’t get me wrong – I really liked Tristan, the male lead. But the entirety of Match Me If You Can is filled with people I want to know more about. Whether that be more insight into the love story of Ravi, Tristan’s best friend, and Jacinda. Or to (hopefully) see more of the long-term happiness of Shaz, Poppy’s fellow Australian.

Because that’s one thing the author does really well: she writes really entertaining characters. Even the ones I disliked, I enjoyed (well, mostly, let’s say) reading about. And if this book left me with a sudden yearning to go back to Greece or Edinburgh Well, that sounds like a me-problem, doesn’t it?

The rating: 3/5
All in all, Match Me If You Can was a really fun, quick read. Apparently, there’s more books coming out in this serieus, so that’s something to look forward to… Perfect for a day off, or just for a cosy evening in!

So sweet! Thanks to @netgalley for the chance to review Match Me if You Can. Poppy works at a matchmaking agency and is working to find Tristan a wife before his 35th birthday so he can have his inheritance. A little slow at times, this was just a sweet tale - I loved watching these two dance around their feelings.

Here we have a funny and a quick read that I truly enjoyed. It might even be a rom-com at its best.

If you are a reader that loves books with following tropes then this might be a perfect match for you:

Grumpy x Sunshine
"Enemies" to lovers
Forbidden love
Forced proximity

I really liked the characters and how the story is written.
The story isn't at a too fast speed and while reading it it gave me a few laughs and although you kinda can figure out how it will end it sure is a book you shouldn't miss reading.
Another thing I liked with the book was that was basically no spice and it more like a slow burn read.
At one point the song from The Greatest Showman poped up in my head; "Ladies and gents
This is the moment you've waited for".

This was my first read by Sandy Barker and it won't be the last because I am waiting for the second book to come up because I literally need more from Poppy and the agency.

Sandy Barker is a favourite here at GRTL as she always guarantees her readers a great romantic destination getaway from her Holiday Romance Series. Now she is embarking on a new series, Ever After Agency and it looks to be equally engaging and fun.

This is the book you read for a wonderful getaway (Greece, London, Scotland) and it ticks all the right boxes of this genre - marriage of convenience, enemies to lovers, grumpy and sunshine! A romantic comedy that has a few mishaps along the way but is certainly full of love and laughter in the long run. It’s light and it’s fun. With the promise of more match-making adventures and dating dilemmas to come, I look forward to the next book in the series.

“… we have exactly forty days to find this impossible man a wife … because that is when our client turns thirty-five. And he’s either married by midnight … and becomes the beneficiary of a sizeable fortune, or that fortune is bequeathed to the Avian Wildlife Trust of the Hebrides.”