Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me. There were parts that I did enjoy. I loved learning more about Vietnam, and it sounds like an absolutely beautiful place to visit. I thought it was interesting to read about matchmaking tours as well. I thought the love story in the book, however, was extremely slow at times and I just didn’t buy the love story that much. There was insta-love between Adam and Evie with a little bit of enemies to lovers as well. I appreciated the growth of Evie, but I just felt like her actions were far too immature compared to her life. She was a professor, but she was also extremely childish in her courting of Adam. It just didn’t work for me. While it wasn’t my favorite book, it could certainly be for other readers.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced reading copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

Loved the cultural aspects and the writing -- made me want to visit Vietnam, which is what I was hoping for when I picked up this book. Found the writing style refreshing as well. Where the book fell short for me was the characters -- Evie felt like two different characters when she's in her POV and through Adam's POV. And the matchmaking company setup was confusing AF -- is it an established "empire" or are they just starting out? Or is this the first tour by an established company. I'm so lost. All in all, a fun, fast, yet confusing read.

This was just OKAY to me. There were too many characters and storylines that at times made it difficult to follow. I know others will enjoy the story though

Well this was a disappointment... I wanted to like this audio so much but it fell incredibly Flat.

- The insta-lust Adam and Evie had for each other was hard to believe and felt Forced.
- There was so much disconnect between the 2, so much misunderstanding and miscommunication, I just couldn't understand how it worked.
- Both characters were incredibly Boring and one-dimensional, I was never fully invested in either of them and just wanted the audiobook to hurry up and be over.
- I liked the unique setting but wish they would have spent some more time describing that instead of only a few locations.
- Everyone seems outdated and argumentative in Việt Nam, which seemed like stereotyping on the author's part.

In the end, if you're looking for a not-so-deep diverse read with mediocre characters you won't cry over at the end of the story, read this book. I think the author has a lot of potential but this fiction debut didn't work for me.

This is a romance set on a whirlwind romp through Vietnam. Loved the setting and the development of the characters. They are more complex than I expected, and I appreciate that this book is more than just a fluffy romance. Adam and Evie both confront real issues - family expectations, cultural identity - and grow as people. I was pulling for both of them!

Two strangers embark on a matchmaking tour in Vietnam that they each are attending for different reasons other than to actually meet someone romantically. They end of being drawn to each other but believe it would be too complicated to make things work between them. I really wanted to love this one, and there were aspects of it I really enjoyed, but overall, it was just an okay read for me. I liked Evie as the main character and I was rooting for her throughout, but Adam was not a very likeable or convincing love interest in my opinion. I feel like he was swayed by his sister’s and parent’s opinions way too easily. I also did not feel much chemistry between the main characters and the amount of miscommunication between them was just annoying. I did really enjoy the tour itself, learning about the sites and cultural aspects of Vietnam. The story was decent but the chemistry and communication between the main characters could have been more convincing. This was just an okay read for me but someone who loves the romance genre may enjoy it more than I did! Thank you to NetGalley, Nora Nguyen, and Avon and Harper Voyager for the gifted ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

I have never been to Vietnam but after reading this I feel like I need to visit and explore. The scenery is magical. The characters and story are warm and fuzzy. There are a couple of open door scenes and adult language. I would definitely recommend this for anyone interested in trying out open door romance.

# Adam & Evie's Matchmaking Tour
# 2/20/2025 ~ 2/22/2025
# 4.0 / 5.0

When I first started reading this book, I thought it would be another predictable romance novel -- boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back. And it is that. But it's also much more. Despite being a combination of a Hallmark movie, Sex and the City and Crazy Rich Asians, the book, which has a love story as its focal point, also deals with issues of self worth, self identity and finding your own version of success and happiness, all set on a backdrop of Vietnamese sights and sounds. It includes an eccentric set of characters, all likable and all relatable. I definitely enjoyed this book, and I would recommend that others give it a chance as well.

DNF…

I felt that there was way too much filler in this to the point of boredom. It took too long to get to the premise of the story. There were so many things that could’ve stayed out of the book. This was too dull for me to finish.

Even though the plot had a lot of potential, it fell short on delivering the fun romance I was hoping for. However, I really enjoyed the writing! It was beautiful and poetic and resonated with me so deeply.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙍𝘾.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of Adam and Evie's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen!

A delightful, adventure-filled romance with sizzling chemistry and heartwarming moments. Adam and Evie’s reluctant connection blossoms against the vibrant backdrop of Việt Nam, making for a fun and emotional journey. Perfect for fans of grumpy-meets-sunshine tropes and stories about love, self-discovery, and embracing the unexpected.

Thank you for the advanced copy. I really liked this book! It had a perfect Rom-Com feel similar to Crazy Rich Asians. It was an easy read, but still felt mature. I the characters felt well developed, especially Evie and Adam. I found their relationship to be believable and realistic. I would definitely recommend this book to friends who also like contemporary romance novels.

The 3rd person POV prevented me from really sinking into this story and connecting with the characters. I love the scenery and the entire idea of a matchmaking tour, but the story didn't grab me and I found my mind wandering as I read. I ended up not finishing it, and will not be writing a more in-depth review than this.

the romance in this book didn't completely work for me, but i did love the setting and the writing! i will check out the author's other books under her other author name.

I was so thrilled to see a book with Vietnamese main characters and even set in Vietnam. It has such a fun and enticing premise as well! There are some things I absolutely loved about this book and some elements that just could have been stronger.

The romance, once it really picked up, did seem a bit forced and typical in a way that so many other romantic comedy books tend to fall into. A bit overly angsty, a lot of miscommunication, and head over heels, almost-aggressive actions taken by our male lead that seemed out of character from how he was in the rest of the book.

It is unfortunate that I didn't love the actual romance as much because the rest of the writing was so incredibly engaging and well-done. The description of the locales visited on the tour, all the food mentioned, and the depictions of culture and people were so very immersive. I loved being along for the ride with Adam, Evie, and the rest of the tour group. This portion of the story was truly a fun time and it's too bad that the main part of this romance story couldn't quite round out the book as a whole.

As a Vietnamese person who rarely sees this representation and has always wanted to experience all there is to see, taste, and try in the motherland, this was still such a great book to pick up. I hope Nora Nguyen can continue to improve her writing and keep telling fun stories.

I really enjoyed this story. There is not only the Rom-com situations but also a look at family expectations and the different ways they affect each family member and the romantic relationship. There's not only self-growth but also growth in the sibling relationships with the main characters and Adam's sister. The descriptions of Viet Nam and the life styles are wonderful.

i’m unfortunately dnf’ing this one for now…

the culture was interesting and i would’ve loved getting to know more about this including our fmc’s family, but the mmc was giving me the ick and i was feeling a bit of a disconnect from the romance. the writing itself so far is gorgeous and i enjoy nguyen’s storytelling abilities. as i have not completed it, i will not be providing a public review 🩷

This book is obviously a love letter to Vietnam--the people, the scenery, the history, the food, and the culture. Hopefully, it will tempt some people to take a look into visiting, who Nora Nguyen portrays as a truly beautiful place.

As for the story itself, poet and college professor Evie Lang's life has imploded, and when an opportunity arises to visit the homeland, she reluctantly takes it. (I don't really understand her reluctance considering what happens to her. No spoilers here.) Her Auntie Hao has left her a townhouse in San Francisco on the condition she visit Vietnam and take an all-expense-paid luxury matchmaking tour. This is where is meets grumpy Adam. He and his sister Ruth run the company that is hosting the matchmaking tour.

There is a hilarious meet cute involving a motorcycle and a roving rooster (or chicken, I can't remember which) that sets-up the dislike between Adam and Evie, but of course, both soon start to warm-up to each other against the lush backdrop of Vietnam.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon for this ARC. What a fantastic trip through Vietnam with this enemies to lovers couple. The descriptions of the landscape were so vivid, I felt submersed in the view. I loved learning about the culture in the midst of complicated family dynamics and the main characters trying to figure out what their futures hold. A fun and sweet reading experience.

This was such a cute and sweet romance. I loved seeing Vietnam in this book and getting to experience such beautiful places I will most likely never get to go. This was fun and definitely worth the read!