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.”

A humorous romantic drama set in an upmarket dating agency. Though the two main characters had chemistry, it was obvious they would end up together which spoiled the denouement. A Light and easy read.

A hilarious romcom with slow burn romance, grumpy sunshine and marriage of convince tropes.

Poppy Dean is a matchmaker at an elite London agency, she spends her days finding Mr right for everyone expecpt herself.

Poppy is in for a challenge when Tristan Fellows walks into the agency, a bachelor who has no intention of falling in love, but if he wants his 30 million inheritance he needs to have a wife by his 35th birthday.

This might just be Poppy's hardest case yet with Tristan's birthday is only a month away. Tristan's friend is the one who convinces him to use the agency to help with the search. It is a rocky start with disastrous matches, bickering and a connection that they just can't deny you will be turning the pages to see how this unfolds.

I really enjoyed this and the chemistry between Poppy and Tristan, as well as the slow burn in this. I can't wait for the second book as the teaser chapter has piqued my interest.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the chance to read this book.

Match Me If You Can by Sandy Barker is a rom-com with an enemies to lovers type storyline.
Poppy Dean works for an elite London match making agency. After having her heart broken years before, she much prefers to help others sort their love life's while she stas single.
Tristan Fellows is a banker who is happily single and has no plans to marry until his grandfathers will changes things. He must marry by his 35th birthday, or the family fortune is donated to charity. The only problem is his birthday is 4 weeks away.

His best friend/lawyer talks him into engaging the matchmaking agency to stepp things up. Cue some disastrous pairings, bickering and banter between Poppy and Tristan, and an attraction that they try to deny.

This story is light-hearted (aside from a couple of more serious moments) and easy to read. It's one of those stories that you can easily fall into and laugh along out loud with.
I am looking forward to more in this series.

Aw what a cute read! There are so many references to the big rom com films and this fits right in!

The slow burn, marriage of convenience, grumpy-sunshine, funny, whitty and full if humour this book is exactly what you need if you want to feel all warm and cosy this autumn!

A sparkly and fun romance, with (in my opinion) an underused premise of one lead character trying to find love for the other. Of course, the perfect match is closer than they think!

From the very first book I read by Sandy Barker, she has been one of my automatic purchase authors and I consider her to be the Queen of Armchair Travel. Given her own love of travel, it is no surprise that she writes travel into her books so effortlessly.

Her latest novel, and first book in a new series, Match Me If You Can by Sandy Barker is a fabulous slow burn of a romance, with two characters who have a grumpy sunshine connection, and palpable chemistry that will make you want to keep reading.

I love the way in which the characters are multi-faceted and well drawn. Written in first person narrative, I found myself drawn to the characters and their individual personalities as I learned more about them with the progression of the novel. I also loved the additional characters, who added to the story.

Although the story is predominantly set in London, it would never be a Sandy Barker novel without some armchair travel so the reader is taken to various locations in Europe. There were some really humorous moments, particularly with regards to the dates that Poppy arranged for Tristan as his matchmaker.

Match Me If You Can is an entertaining slow burn romance, and the beginning of the Ever After Agency series of books, and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

I liked both main characters in this book. Enlisting a super exclusive and secretive matchmaking agency to find a woman for a marriage of convenience to meet the requirements of a hefty trust is a little far from reality but it was still a fun plot. The disastrous dates, the great friends of both MC, the grumpy meets sunshine were very fun elements that kept the book moving along.

The dual POV didn't really seem necessary in this book. With the short chapters/segments it was more distracting than insightful.

I'm looking forward to a second book because the teaser chapter presented a pretty intriguing setup. I don't really care what Tristan and Poppy are up to in the future but I'm interested in another matchmaking scenario.

Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. I am required by federal law to disclose this.

Sandy Barker is a QUEEN at making me want to read just one more chapter...then another...then another until I've devoured the entire book. I loved both Poppy and Tristan. Tristan comes across as a grumpy wanker banker, but we see a different side of him. And boy did I fall for him as much as Poppy did!

This book had some laugh out loud moments, especially the trip to Greece and Vittoria climbing into the "wrong" bed. I really liked the slow burn and how everyone could notice that Poppy and Trista liked each other, but they couldn't admit it to themselves. I adored Jacinda and Ravi- they were fantastic friends!

Between the love match, the travels, the longing looks and the zingers, I smiled throughout this entire book!

The premise of 'Match Me If You Can' intrigued me, but the book overall fell a bit short of my expectations. I enjoy a slow-burn and the marriage of convenience trope, but the plot was a bit too over the top with some of the prospective brides the agency lined up, and I wasn't sold on the anonymous blogger story line.

Overall, an okay read. I really liked Poppy, I wasn't fully sold on Tristan, whose insecurities at times were a bit irritating. A lighthearted read, if you're looking for a bit of escapism.

I REALLY enjoyed this! Thank you netgalley for the chance to review.
Poppy is a match maker, working at a prestigious match making company for England's elite and wealthy: Tristan is a soon-to-be wealthy man who must marry someone before his birthday in order to inherit a fortune. With that hook, what could go wrong?
I think where this story shines is its banter: british romance just GETS banter. Poppy and Tristan are believable right from the start, and the story doesn't shy away from the absurdity of Tristan having to marry on a whim to cash in from his grandfather. The twists and turns with the different potential suitors is funny and enjoyable, and the slow-burn between Tristan and Poppy really pays off, even if most of the steam is PG-13.
The ending was predictable but adorable, and the side characters really bolstered the romance! I see this is a series and I'm excited to grab the next one!

I adored this book and it really hit every trope that I like to read, all in one story! So if you like enemies to lovers, marriage of convenience and of course grumpy sunshine, then you'll love this one!

Enemies to lovers-check and Marriage of convenience-check and Grumpy & Sunshine all of them available!

Poppy works for the Ever After Agency, an elite matchmaking company known for working with exclusive clientele. She has nicknamed her latest client “Mr Impossible“ because he is known to not be on board with the whole idea. But as soon as Tristan “Impossible” walks in, the sparks start to fly between him and Poppy even as she is working to set him up with his future wife, and the clock is ticking as there is a very large inheritance on the line. So the obvious solution is a marriage of convenience!!! It's very cute and I really like it.

“Match Me if You Can” is a fun read. With its mixture of romantic tropes, it keeps the story moving at an easy pace.

A marriage of convenience is necessary for the MMC and through the use of an exclusive matchmaking service, chaos ensues. You find yourself clearly rooting for a grumpy/sunshine match with the FMC throughout.

I enjoyed this book from Sandy Barker and can’t wait to read the next one in the series. Thank you Sandy Barker, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books for this ARC.

It wasn’t awful but it really wasn’t good. The only two likeable characters were Ravi and Jacinda; everyone else has too much they needed to work on. I’m not a fan of her writing style and the MCs falling in love was almost too unrealistic. Eh. I liked the overall plot of things though 🤷🏽‍♀️

So I absolutely love enemies to lovers. So when I realised Match Me if you Can was enemies to lovers with a bit of grumpy vs sunshine thrown in, I was immediately sold!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Poppy works for the elusive Ever After Agency, which is a dating agency that not just anyone can join. Poppy loves her job and loves bringing people together, however her latest challenge is more Mr Impossible than love at first sight.

Tristan has one month to find a wife (not a bride…) before he loses his £30 million inheritance. But one wrong woman after another has Poppy worrying that she won’t find Tristan his Mrs Right before time runs out. Or will she?

I really loved the narrative between the two character throughout the story, also I love a dual perspective book so I really thought this gave both the characters depth, whilst letting the reader see their inner most thoughts.

Thank you Sandy Barker, Boldwood Books and Netgalley for this advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Match Me if you Can is out now and I would definitely recommend picking yourself up a copy!