This is a romance that blends humor, cultural exploration, and a touch of modern-day matchmaking. Naina, a successful yet single woman who is navigating the pressures of family expectations, societal norms, and her own desires for love and happiness. When a marriage proposal from a charming man arrives, Naina is caught between her own career-focused ambitions and the possibility of finding love in the most unexpected places.

I dnf'd this book around 50%, as I just couldn't get into it. It was a bit too slow for me, and I was getting somewhat bored. However, I do hope to try again with it, as I've seen a lot of great reviews! I think it was just a case of right book wrong time for me.

First, thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book!

This one was a bit of a miss for me, unfortunately. It was somewhat hard to follow with there being so many characters seems a little all over the place. The FMC, Jia, also annoyed me quite a bit. She comes off as very entitled and all the meddling she does during the book is just over the top. I also really, thoroughly dislike the miscommunication trope and I feel like that's what had been going on between, Jaiman, the MMC for YEARS. Not to mention Jaiman is also just horrible at showing emotions.

All in all, the relationship between the MMC and FMC was all just too confusing, along with all the other characters in the book. It felt like too much all at once. And there is nothing I dislike more than a miscommunication trope and a man who does not know how to express their feelings. This is a 2 star read for me.

Jia's a magazine writer that secretly wants to be a matchmaker. Jaiman is Jia's best friend (since they were kids!) and has been in love with her just as long. She has no idea. There's a long slow burn that occurs.

This is an Indian take on Emma and I think it's really refreshing! Especially in a country like India, it makes sense that Jaiman hasn't really acted on his feelings minus a bad kiss a year prior, because love is still somewhat taboo in Indian general society. I'm Indian, don't knock me out for commenting on my own people. The book takes place in Mumbai, which is definitely one of the more modern cities, so it's the perfect place for the romance to be set.

Jia as a character was pretty frustrating. She wants to be a matchmaker but can't see when she's setting her friend up with a pretty shitty dude? She knows Jaiman loves her but she treats him like shit?

Match Me If You Can is a charming and lighthearted friends-to-lovers romance set against the vibrant backdrop of Mumbai. Jia’s journey from matchmaking cynic to someone grappling with her own feelings for her childhood friend is relatable and fun, though the plot can feel a bit predictable at times. The dynamic between Jia and Jaiman is sweet, and their chemistry adds a nice layer to the story. However, while the characters are endearing, the pacing occasionally drags, and some of the conflict feels resolved a bit too neatly. It’s a delightful read for fans of cozy, feel-good romances but doesn’t quite push any boundaries.

I love that the book is set in Mumbai, India; it’s a nice change of pace from the many books set in the USA. Accordingly, in the audiobook, the narrator would use Indian accents for some of the characters which was fun to hear.

The story itself was great. Jia is an aspiring matchmaker who, herself, is looking for love while also trying to matchmaker other people. Jaiman owns a pub and has been in love with Jia for years but has put that notion aside, thinking she’s not interested.

I love how each MC is so well developed; there is vulnerability, emotion, confidence, and uncertainty. the pressure to succeed while also staying true to their ambitions. I enjoyed how Jia and Jaiman kept being pushed together, and the attraction and chemistry was obvious.

I’m definitely going to pick up the author’s second book.

Match Me If You Can is a delightful and heartwarming read! I really enjoyed the mix of humor, romance, and the unique matchmaking premise. The characters felt relatable, and their chemistry kept me engaged from start to finish. While some parts were a bit predictable, the writing was engaging, and the story had plenty of charming moments. Overall, it’s a fun, feel-good read.

Lack of communication at its finest.

This book was frustrating and bordering on boring.

Spoilers following…

Jia, 26/27 year old woman who writes a love column for a magazine and has a secret blog about the same wants to be a matchmaker one day. She’s never been in love, hasn’t ever felt attracted to anyone except the same guy her whole life. Hasn’t ever had a boyfriend… Maybe I’m misunderstanding something but HOW?!

Jaiman, has been in love with Jia his whole life and has been part of her family since birth. He owns a pub and when it doesn’t make profit he watches it crumble. I kept waiting for him to start doing events and deals or something - anything - but he doesn’t. He’s loved Jia his whole life and has kissed her once but due to a misunderstanding nothing ever comes of it.

Neither of them talk about anything serious until they both lose almost everything.

Maybe the author just wanted the woman to save the day but… I didn’t like how Jaiman was going to accept the loss and run away.

After reading this book it comes off as two pretty people with family money lacking communication skills and grit.

I really liked this book, the writing was so cool, and the characters really well-fleshed out. I immediately started reading Swati's next book after this one, I can't get enough of her writing style.

The MCs had such an angsty and cute pining to lovers, I was racing through the pages for the hea -- and their love confession scene was absolutely perfect. I also loved reading about their respective careers and dreams in this one, and I really really liked the way that arc was resolved too!

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

2.75 stars. Thanks to Penguin Random House for the widget. I want to start off by saying that the beginning and the end were really strong. The middle just did not work for me Im usually okay with miscommunication but I felt a little confused by this one. I also could not get behind neither one of the main characters. This was just not the story for me even though the concept was really promising.

Overall I would say I liked this book. Jia was a tad exasperating because she was so set on her ways and wasn't open to hearing anything else. I did like how the story picked up toward the end and I always enjoy a slow burn. I really liked that the setting was Mumbai and the glimpse we got into the environment/culture.

This was a very sweet contemporary romance filled with matchmaking, blogging, and romance! I absolutely loved reading a diverse cast and the setting involving a magazine day job / secret blog life. Overall looking forward to reading more from this author!!

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

Jia is an aspiring matchmaker but struggles with finding her own love. Jaiman is her childhood friend and supporter. Their friends to lovers story was quite the slow burn, but enjoyable to read. I appreciated the setting, the plot and the character development. My first introduction to designate. I look forward to reading more.

This was a cute romance read. I loved the fact that it was set in Mumbai, with a pure desi vibe rather than seeing the typical Indian American characters. HOWEVER, Jia was a character that was a little too much to handle and did make the book unenjoyable at times but not too much to make me want to stop reading

It's hard to review a book when you just don't like any character. I am sure for those who didn't mind the characters this was a lovely story of friends to lovers/second chance romance in a way... for me the FMC was a spoiled, self-serving, delusional girl and needed a soul-searching gap year or something like that to mature before being forgiven by everybody and getting with the MMC.

I kept rolling my eyes and was hoping the guy would move away and start over somewhere else.

Nothing should have worked out for her, she should have learned a few lessons from her actions and decisions but alas it was a happy ending for her.

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde is a delightful and humorous romantic comedy that blends wit, charm, and a heartfelt exploration of love and self-discovery. The story follows a determined protagonist who embarks on a journey to find love through a matchmaking app, leading to unexpected encounters and personal revelations. Hegde’s writing is engaging, filled with light-hearted humor and relatable moments that make the characters and their journey feel authentic. The book explores themes of cultural expectations, independence, and finding love on your own terms, all while delivering plenty of fun and romantic tension. With its clever dialogue and lovable characters, Match Me If You Can is a feel-good read that will leave readers smiling.

I love FMC's who think they know everything discovering that maybe they really don't, and Jia is such an Emma! She's confident she can set up her coworker for a matchmaking column she's writing, and is so engrossed with what she wants to see, she misses out on what is actually happening. Meanwhile, the only man she's ever had feelings for is her childhood best friend. There's a lot of miscommunication to clear (I love it--it's the most realistic trope) to get to the HEAs, and this romcom delivers all the fun, the swoons, and delicious slow burn as well. I loved this book, and a retelling of Emma set in Mumbai felt so wonderfully fresh and exciting.

This was such a cute story. Great for the foodies and who doesn’t love getting lost in a retelling. I haven’t read Emma so can’t confirm how closely it follows the original story but I’ve seen the movie and Clueless and it’s easy to tell the main plot

A fun and entertaining romance! I always love representation of other cultures, it creates a different experience than most of the books we’re exposed to.