This was hard for me to get into as it seemed to drag for me, so I ended up deciding to not finish it.

Sloooooow burn, almost too slow for me. But it was a well-written story and I loved getting a touch of Mumbai in a modern-day Emma-style story. Would recommend.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House, for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A young magazine writer in Mumbai must prove her matchmaking skills—and contend with growing feelings for her close family friend. She is unhappy in her job and blogs anonymously but she has already set up 2 couples and really wants to be a matchmaker.

3.25/5 stars
Closed door romance

Tropes:
Jan Austen retelling
Friends to lovers
Slow burn
Found family
Indian culture
Diverse characters
Miscommunication
Dual POV

I liked this book but had a hard time with all the miscommunication. I'm all for the slow burn, but not because the MCs can't TALK TO EACH OTHER. Anyways, aside from that frustration, I did enjoy the Emma retelling set in Mumbai with such a diverse cast of characters. I honestly forgot that this book was going to be a retelling and could easily see the connections within the first few chapters.

This story focused more on the relationships outside of the main romance, so it was entertaining enough to keep me interested. Everything was tied up nicely in the end, so overall, it was a fun book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.

This was a frustrating read for me unfortunately. I didn’t know until this book that I don’t particularly like match-making themes, which is the whole plot of this book. I struggled a lot with the main character, Jia, and her shortsightedness. I know it was a plot point, but it was rough for me. Her wealth also felt flaunted and weird in comparison to some of the other characters and their struggles. The end definitely tied things together nicely and overall it was good, but not for me.

this was cute! a nice retelling of emma without being too obvious and adding some flare. the matchmaking aspect of emma fits really nicely into the storyline. but honestly...the fmc (jia) was annoying at times, and the communication was totally lacking for both of them - which, i know, is half of a romance but for some reason this one just really irked me like just TALK already. not my favorite but a light, fun read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

4 Stars for the plot
3 Stars for the romance

I'm giving it the higher rating though because I did genuinely enjoy the characters and the plot of the story but all the miscommunication between Jia and Jaiman KILLED ME. I literally wanted to reach through the book and strangle the both of them for being so dumb. What I really couldn't understand was that conversation Jia overheard at her sister Tanu's wedding where she said that Jaiman was talking about trying to "get with her"... literally that whole conversation she overheard with Jaiman and those other guys, Jaiman was telling the guys not to talk about her like that!! How did she get "oh he's talking about trying to get with me like I'm a prize" from him being mad that these guys were disrespecting her??? There were several other miscommunication topics throughout the rest of the novel too that honestly made me REALLY hate Jia. She refused to see other peoples POV's on love and relationships and was convinced she was the expert SHE, THE GIRL WHO HASN'T BEEN IN A SERIOUS RELATIONSHIP. Like, I get it, she set up two people successfully and she works on that relationship column but that doesn't make her an expert. I'm in the same boat as her and I wouldn't say I was an expert on love/relationships if I'd never been in a serious one myself.

Regardless, I managed to get to the end of the story to get that happy ending but it almost didn't feel worth it.

Contemporary Emma set in Mumbai?! Yes please.

This was cute.
Jia works as a columnist for Mimosa and has a matchmaking/love advice blog she’d like to bring to the company. She is hopeful setting up the new girls will impress her boss enough to let her matchmaker on the website. Jaiman has had feelings for Jia for a while but between some miscommunication and not wanting to mess up their friendship they haven’t dated. He is hopeful she will finally see him as her match.

I love a retelling and this was a fun one- with nods to you’ve got mail.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and Dell for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts <3

Match Me If You Can is friend to lovers gold! Jia and Jaiman have been friends forever, so they're not gonna let one little (meant: life changing) kiss get in the way. They want each other so bad! I freaking love it! I also like that their beliefs about matchmaking were completely different, but Jaiman still supported Jia's blog.

The whole story is set in Mumbai, and I really got a feel for the city because of Swati Hedge's writing. I want Jaiman to make me a special matchmaking drink! I loved the various settings throughout the story, especially the pub. I'm a sucker for descriptions and Hedge certainly delivered.

This is only her debut!!! Can't wait to see what comes next! If you like Jane Austen retellings, friends to lovers, and a good slow burn, I definitely recommend picking up Match Me If You Can. It's a quick, fun, romantic read!

This is a charming Emma retelling. It is a friends to lovers story and a really great debut novel. Both Jia and Jaiman are charming characters and I was delighted to watch them fall in love. I can't wait to see what else Swati Hedge writes!

Thank you netgalley and random house for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the idea and the concept of this book. I don’t know much about India’s culture but I loved learning and looking things up about it. That was a fun change for me and I hope to continue learning more.

Fmc Jia was extremely unlikeable. She was selfish, didn’t know how to communicate, and overly cocky about herself.

Mmc Jaiman also didn’t know how to communicate.

I really really don’t enjoy the miscommunication trope. It was hard to get through and I hated how selfish Jia was.
The supporting characters were more likable in my opinion.

I wish there was a bit more romance in this book between Jia and Jaiman I know it’s a slow burn but I felt like there could’ve been more..

Overall 3 stars.

thank you netgalley and dell romance for the earc in exchange for an honest review!

i absolutely ATE. THIS. UP. i read this in i think four and a half hours on a road trip because i couldn't stop reading. i love classic retellings and Emma is one of my favorite classics. if you don't like miscommunication or slow burn, then this definitely won't be for you, but even if it isn't and you wanted to give it a chance, i think the supporting cast really does a great job at keeping you at bay as you wait for the main characters to get their shit together.

i loved charu and anshuman. the female friendship that develops between damini, charu and jia is so integral and is as integral as the romantic relationship that develops between jia and jaiman.

the only problem i had with the book is i wish they would've delved more into jia and jaiman's friendship before the "Unfortunate Incident", to really drive home how close they were and why their friendship is worth more than the risk of admitting they're interested in each other. other than that, i think the relationship jaiman has with jia's dad and the rest of the family worked well in the aspect of him not wanting to risk his found family in the face of jia's rejection.

anyway, i love love loved this book and i can't wait for everything else swati hegde will write <3

I think this book was cute and it started off strong but things got meddled as it went on. It’s a slow burn romance between life long friends Jia and Jaiman. Jia runs a vlog about love and matchmaking while her job is to write romance columns for a company called Mimosa. She makes it her mission to set up two of her coworkers to prove to her boss, and herself, she can do this, has credibility, and can eventually start her own matchmaking business. Jia is pretty selfish in a lot of way throughout this story but I can understand where she’s coming from even if she annoyed me sometimes. Jaiman is sweet but incredibly stubborn and, quite frankly, the y both are so horrible with communication that it drove me a little mad while reading. They’re both in love with each other and have been for years but all of a sudden Jia has the revelation she’s in love with him, but it seemed that she knew that already so not sure how that was a revelation.

I really liked Charu, Damini, and Anshuman. They were my favorites, probably because they seemed to be the more sensible people.

I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this Emma retelling set in contemporary Mumbai, wealthy fashionista and self-styled relationship guru Jia challenges herself to find love for her naive new coworker, Charu. She's certain she knows all about romance and love even though she's never experienced it herself. Meanwhile, her lifelong friend Jaiman is ready to give up on Mumbai: his business is struggling, his college nemesis has come to town, and the woman he's loved his entire life has forbidden him to mention his feelings. If only Jia could turn her relationship expertise on herself...

The first half of Match Me If You Can was delightful, with an ensemble cast just as varied and interesting as the original Emma's. But Jaiman, with his failing business and emotional neediness, was an odd update for the Knightley character, and his helplessness seemed a poor match for Jia's ambition and arrogance. I kept waiting for Jia's "Badly Done, Emma" moment (in the original, Emma insults Miss Bates in front of their friends, and Knightley reprimands her, causing her to examine her interpersonal responsibilities for the first time) but it never really came.

Fortunately, much of Emma is about other people's relationships, and Match Me If You Can is faithful enough to keep Austenites satisfied (although the Frank Churchill plotline is abbreviated) with a unique setting and milieu that will keep general readers interested. Despite its uninspiring central pairing, it's a good Match for rom com lovers of any stripe.

This is a cute Desi “Emma” retelling. Unfortunately, I’m not a fan of the “it was all just a misunderstanding” trope. I’m sure others will enjoy the novel. The characters are likeable and fun.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was so much fun! I really enjoyed this. I’ve been reading so much fantasy lately and this was the perfect step out of that. Hedge really created a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed every minute of it. What a fantastic debut!

read if you like:
- diverse characters
- found family
- slow burn
- Indian culture
- Friends-to-lovers
- Jane Austen Retellings

Match Me If You Can is a well done debut novel that is set in contemporary Mumbai.

Jia and Jaiman are best friends who have long-harbored love for each other that neither can confess. But after a kiss gone wrong and some miscommunication, the two stay friends while they struggle to find their person… but maybe that person has been there all along?

Jia runs an anonymous blog and is an amateur matchmaker. Jaiman is a mixologist who is running a struggling bar. This story gives a lot of the will they or won’t they vibes which I enjoy in my romances to slow the pacing a bit more.

I enjoyed the setting and reading a contemporary romance set in India by an Indian author.

I also enjoyed the found family vibes of the book and the references to Indian cuisine, drinks, clothing, and holiday celebrations.

The pacing of the book and their relationship was very slow and then abruptly sped up in the last 10% or so of the book.

Thank you to Dell for the free ARC in exchange for my review.

MATCH ME IF YOU CAN is a modern emma retelling set in mumbai about jia deshpande, who spends her days writing cliché articles about love for a magazine but dreams of starting her own millennial matchmaking business. when her boss gives her the opportunity to prove her matchmaking skills, jia is excited to fix her new coworker up with someone to prove that she knows about love. like any emma retelling, there's lots of shenanigans, miscommunication, and of course, some friends to lovers goodness with her lifelong best friend, jaiman patil. jia can be a little clueless (pun intended) when it comes to her own love life, but she can't ignore her feelings for jaiman forever.

read if you like:
- jane austen retellings
- childhood friends to lovers
- desi heroines
- closed door romance

thanks to netgalley and dell romance for the advanced copy! MATCH ME IF YOU CAN comes out june 4th.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well developed and seem very real. It had a bit of a long set up to get where it was going but still well done. It's a quick fun read.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC copy. The cover is what initially drew me in and the blurb sounded super promising. I found the family aspects of this book to be great, the found family for Jamien was done very well and I was invested in him being able to keep them around in his life. I think the idea of the FMC's job was super intriguing as well and I liked how her journey into finding and finally taking what she wanted from life was portrayed. However, as a romance, the burn was so slow with not enough romantic payoff for me to be fully behind them as a couple. To me their friendship was tested and developed more than their romantic prospect together was really looked at outside of a pining point of view. Had good aspects but I also felt like I needed more once I was done with it.