The Match by Sarah Adams
Re-release Date: 7/2/24
Format: audiobook
Rating: Must Love Dogs!! 🐕 🥰

Sarah Adams is a newer to me author (I had read two of her books before this one) and she just writes such feel good romances! I adored the characters in this book so much and I am such a sucker for when a kiddo is involved in the story.

Narrator Connie Shabshab did a great job of bringing this story to life and injecting just the right amount of levity to it, while still nailing the comedic timing! Big thank you to @netgalley for the advanced listening copy!

Here is the run down of what you can expect in this book:
✔️ epilepsy rep x 2
✔️ service dogs in all their glory!
✔️ single dad trope
✔️ FMC with a rich family she does not want to be controlled by
✔️ a ton of good banter & charm!

This was a reread and I listened to the audio. Loved getting back to it with Jake and Evie. She had epilepsy, same as his daughter Sam, and wanted to convince him that a service dog for Sam would be a great idea.

This was a quick and easy read. Nothing stood out but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Can't remember much about the previous version though the heat was definitely kicked up a bit.

The narrators did a great job! Thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This review is for the audio version of the new enhanced and extended book!

Let's start with the narrators who were amazing. Rusty Mewha and Leanne Woodward are new narrators to me and they really did an amazing job! In the beginning the southern accents were a little fake/thick, but they slowly dropped them to a more realistic type that I really enjoyed.

Now the story - when I read Sarah Adams earlier work I expect sugary sweet prose, even sweeter characters, and closed door romance. This is that. With a lot of heart, and an epilogue that I would personally skip if I ever read again.

Evie is from OLD money, but you wouldn't know it. She's semi estranged from her parents and living on her own with her service dog Charlie because she has epilepsy. She works for the service dog company and matches people with their dogs.

Jacob's an architect and has a daughter who also has epilepsy and when the daughter hacks his email and sets up a meeting with Evie he didn't know about, sparks fly.

These two get off on the wrong foot but then quickly have a bit of insta love.

Like I said, Sarah's books are usually full of cinnamon rolls and this is no exception.

I took off a star because there is a bit of miscommunication and over reaction towards the end that was a little too much for me, and that epilogue was just WAY too buttoned up.

Overall it was so cute and sweet and a quick listen. Everything I expect from this author!

A good solid story about a girl who suffers from seizures and runs a business training and pairing assistance dogs with people living with disabilities when she meets the man of her dreams in the form of Jake, the father of a 10yr old girl who like Evie suffers from seizures and wants a dog.
This cute little romance starts of strong, with both lead characters being very no nonsense. They quickly realise they have a mutual attraction and start dating.
I liked the fact that this book was not so much about the journey to discover they like each other but rather what happened once they DID start dating with outside interference in the form of Evie's parents and Jake's ex wife.
Th story is a dual POV from Evie and Jake and both characters are very well narrated by Leanne Woodward and Rusty Mewha, I can confidently say I found neither narrator annoying in the least, which is rare as so often there will be some aspect which doesn't do it for me but not this time.
Definitely recommended for a feel good listen.
Thanks to Dreamscape Media for providing me a Copt of this audio through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was a cute book. I enjoyed the innocence in it. It’s nice to read Sarah Adams wholesome not so spicy books.

I didn’t love the timeline of the relationship and got a little whiplash but still overall liked the book.

4 stars & all the feels 🥹🐶⭐️

This is such a cute, heartwarming, and beautiful romance story with laugh-out-loud humor! 💛

✔️ Single dad - with an amazing and independent 10/11 year old
✔️ Dual POV
✔️ ADORABLE service dogs
✔️ Laugh-out-loud banter
✔️ Forced proximity
✔️ Sweet, realistic, kind, go-for-what-she-wants, and strong FMC
✔️ Sweet and dedicated MMC with some trust issues, but he WATCHED GILMORE GIRLS AND READ TWILIGHT (just to double-check if it’s appropriate for his daughter) to better prep for her teen years! 🥹
✔️ Epilepsy rep

In the audiobook, the narrators did a spectacular job - I loved both Rusty & Leanne 🎧 I was 100% captivated while listening.

I actually think this is my favorite Sarah Adams book yet - the dogs, Evie, Jake, and Sam bumped it up above When in Rome & Practice Makes Perfect.

Evie has left her socialite existence and her overbearing parents in order to dedicate her life to Southern Service Paws, a company that breeds, matches, and trains service dogs to help people with disabilities live a fuller life and become self-sufficient in ways that they otherwise would not be able to do.  Evie has epilepsy and her service dog Charlie allowed her to leave her parents' house and become an independent adult.  Her life changes when she meets Jacob, a handsome single dad of a young girl with epilepsy who was looking for a service dog.  While at first they do not get along, true to the rom com genre they eventually begin to see each other in a different light.
I find all Sarah Adams books to be a fun and light diversion and exactly what I am looking for when I need it.  This one was particularly cute and lovely and I liked all of the characters in it.  Her novels translate well to audio because they are fun to listen to as they go back and forth between the male and female narrators (and both did a great job) but I wished I had the book for this one as well because at night when I was going to bed and wanted to read it, I just had to sit there and listen because I didn't want to put it down (which is a little weird in bed) - but that just shows how much I was enjoying it.  This is a re-issue of an older novel of hers. If you want a feel good and very clean rom com, this one should be a contender.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape for the ARC to review

I adore Sarah Adams’ books. The sweetest romances ever I swear.

The Match was no different than the others I’ve read from her. It was full of sweetness and love and seriously was just the most fun time.

I loved how this book centered around two characters with epilepsy(the FMC and MMCs daughter) and how amazing their service dogs are. I don’t think I’d ever read a book with service dogs before so that was a nice new experience!

Evie and Jacob meet after a little trickery and although the initial meeting isn’t the most romantic meet cute and he’s a little bit of a ass, it all gets turned around when Jacob apologizes and comes around to getting his daughter a seizure alert service dog.

The rest is history 🤪

No seriously their love story was just so sweet. I loved how naturally but slowly things progressed in their relationship.

The epilogues were so stinking sweet. 🥹🥹

Big thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape media for the ALC. the narration was done so well by Rusty Mewha and Leanne Woodward!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC in exchange of an honest review

Evie was diagnosed with epilepsi when she was young and getting her service dog, Charlie, changed her life. Now she's vowed to help other find their perfect match. She's scheduled a meeting with Jacob and his ten year old daughter, Sam, who recently received the diagnosis to find the girl a dog. At first sight Evie falls for Jacob. Sparks fly from both of them, but Jacob's aren't the positive kind because he didn't plan this meeting. His daughter went behind his back and he's definitely not going to be tricked into spending a lot of money by a cute blonde.

Oh this was just so sweet. I really enjoyed Sarah Adams writing style and the way she crafted her characters. The instant attraction between Evie and Jacob was evident, yet Jacob was so stand-offish. They're bickering and banting was funny and cute. I loved seeing how their relationship evolved and how Jacob slowly warmed up towards Evie. He was guarding his heart because of Sam and that was adorable. Evie's connection to Sam and their shared understanding of epilepsi was so endearing. I loved all the cute moments with the dogs as well.

Evie was a strong lead. Despise all the struggles she's been through and the awful treatment from her parents, she stood strong. She never let anyone's comments or condescending behavior affect her. She was constantly trying to sheer up and motivate others. I grew so fond of Evie and Jacob and Sam and would love to spend more time with them. The only minus was the thirdact, but since it was resolved at once I didn't mind it too much.

This is a perfect summer read, highly recommend!

No words. Absolutely none!! This book was a breath of fresh air. Evie has epilepsy but she doesn’t let that bring her down. Jacob has a daughter (Sam) who also has epilepsy and Evie is determined to get Sam her medical alert dog even when Jacob says all the wrong things. I absolutely loved the dynamic of these two, or should I say three because Sam just made it that much sweeter. Mr. Grumpy meet Ms. Sunshine. When Jacob and Evie finally gave in to their attraction I was kicking my feet and giggling! This book has humor, love, representation, and family and it was exactly what I needed to reset. The narrators did a fantastic job and I thought they were perfect for Jacob and Evie! Also Tyler and Natalie can catch these hands 😂
Thank you NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Sarah Adams for this advanced listener copy!

I really loved listening to this audiobook - the narrators did a phenomenal job. I am not familiar with this book by Sarah Adams before this revised and expanded edition, however, it was so adorable.

While I am not personally epileptic or require a service dog, I loved that Sarah included that aspect into this story - I am sure others who are in that community will equally love it as well. I like that Evie & Sam connected on those two levels and Evie was able to be there and help Sam feel confident in growing up with a service dog and living a life, with her service dog, Daisy.

I also love that Jacob is a single dad in this book, and he's doing his best to overcome that challenge alone, along with navigating Sam's diagnosis with epilepsy. Jacob is understandably hesitant with Evie, but rightfully so considering his ex wife and Sam's mom wasn't exactly the best example.

None the less, this was a phenomenal, closed door romance - this was a quick audio book to get through and super enjoyable. I love this small town romance, the dogs, and the found family in this one. I related to Evie in a lot of ways with regards to how her relationship was with her family. The narrators did a great job at telling this story and bringing emotion to it. The pacing was perfection, as was their tone. It was easy to listen to them.

Easily another Sarah Adams winner. She writes the cutest, swoon worthy romances.

4 stars! First off, what a cute cover! I really enjoyed this!

This book is set in Charleston, South Carolina and follows Evie and Jacob. Evie is a service dog trainer who herself has epilepsy and has her own service dog, Charlie. Jacob is a single dad whose daughter, Sam, also has epilepsy. Jacob and Evie meet in a humorous not-so meet-cute. Evie eventually helps to train a service dog for Sam and starts to fall for Jacob. I appreciated the disability representation.

I loved the humor throughout this book! It had me giggling at times. Evie has a difficult relationship with her parents, but finds a family with Jacob, Sam, and their extended family. Evie also has a beautiful and fun mother-daughter like relationship with her boss, Jo. I loved the found family aspect.

Its not a full 5 stars for me because at times, I felt that Evie was a little immature and her mother was so "evil" it was unbelievable.

I enjoyed the audiobook with the two narrators. I did have to speed up the audiobook so that I wasn't distracted by the southern accents. (As a southern, I struggle with over emphasized southern accents in audiobooks.)

I would recommend this to anyone who likes:
-single dad trope
-disability representation
-dual POV
-closed door romance
-cute kids and cute dogs!
-found family trope

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for this audibook ARC!

I enjoyed the narration in this contemporary romance. It’s not a rom com but instead has a serious tone and a high level of angst. I liked that the book helps raise the reader’s awareness of epilepsy and service dogs.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Super cute romance that is perfect for summer! Sarah Adams in now a go-to author for me, and this book just reinforced her standing. This series is set in Charleston....which is always a win in terms of the setting of a book. I do wish she had done a little more with incorporating Charleston into the book, but that is a minor downside. I loved how she included therapy dogs as well as two main characters with epilepsy, demonstrating the impact it has on the life of both children and adults. The therapy dogs were awesome as characters in their own right. Definitely recommend if you are looking for a lighter read this summer!

Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advanced listener copy.

So, I am a big believer that not every book is for every person, yet not loving a book is still incredibly frustrating. There were several things I felt this book did well: I loved the representation of epilepsy in two different characters. Adams did a fantastic job showing how it impacted both daily living and the insecurities it added to dating. I enjoyed the dual POV and I LOVED Jake the father. He was the brother/girl dad of my dreams; between his nonchalance towards menstruation and his obviously overwhelming love for his daughter, I was full on swooning.

The narration was okay. I don’t particularly care for the imitation of female voices by male narrators and since all of the major supporting characters were female Rusty Mewha who narrated our MMC Jake had to do a lot of female southern voices. Leanne Woodward did a good job, but I was bothered that Evie was described as having a southern lilt and then the narration did not. For some reason, the text exchanges were done as a duet, but the remainder was not, and that felt like a missed opportunity.

So you know I loved The Rule Book, and I really wanted to love this. I think had I read this first I would have enjoyed it more but after knowing what she can write, this felt like a rough draft. I can tell her writing has involved (and probably better editing, but I can’t find their names despite my internet searches). There were moments where the conversations just felt cringe with silly banter. I wanted more relationship development and deeper interactions both between Jake and Evie and the secondary characters. Evie had frequent self-doubt in the beginning, and it seemed exhausting to listen to. Finally, the insta-love (even over the course of a few weeks) bothers me every time.

I can’t seem to end on a negative, so while this was a miss for me, I still want to read at least one other book off her backlist!

The Match by Sarah Adams is a heartwarming romance that explores the themes of love wnd second chances. The story centers around Evie Jones, a dedicated employee at Southern Service Paws, who has a deep personal connection to the company's mission through her own service dog, Charlie. The story takes a turn when Evie meets Jacob Broaden, a single father initially skeptical about the benefits of a service dog for his recently diagnosed epileptic daughter, Sam. Despite the rocky start, Jacob is soon won over by Evie's expertise and compassion. Romance blossoms as Evie and Jacob's interactions go from professional to personal. The audiobook version of this book is equally fantastic, featuring outstanding narrators. They did an amazing job bringing the book to life, adding depth and emotion to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC audiobook of The Match by Sarah Adams.

I am a huge fan of Sarah Adams. This book did not disappoint.

Evie is the part owner of Southern Service paws. They train service dogs for people with disabilities. We meet Evie's adorable service dog Charlie in the very beginning when he wakes her up by licking her face. Charlie helps Evie when she has a seizure. A little girl Sam writes Evie requesting a meetup to discuss the possibility of getting a service dog. Unfortunately, Sam is pretending to be her dad in the email. So, when Evie and Jake meet for the first time it doesn't go well. I love a good enemies to lovers book. Great humor, lovable characters, closed door romance, and great talk/education about epilepsy.

Sarah Adams is one of my favorite authors, so I was thrilled to get an early copy of this re-release with all the new content. Sadly, it didn't work for me. The writing wasn't as strong as I've come to expect from Adams (again-- I understand this is a re-release so it makes sense), and a lot of it made me cringe. The dynamic between Evie and Jacob almost made me uncomfortable at times. I didn't love how Evie decided the best way to get to know Jacob was by snooping through his belongings when he wasn't around, and I also didn't like how Jacob was okay with it?! Like, have either of you heard of boundaries?! It may sound silly, but it made me feel weird about their relationship. There was also some miscommunication which I wasn't a fan of. In classic Adams fashion, there were still a lot of cutesy moments, but as a whole, this one wasn't my favorite.

Oh my goodness was this adorable. Jacob was just what I was looking for in a book boyfriend. He was almost perfect. Single dads aren't usually my jam, but I adored this book. Evie helps run an assist dog placement center and with needs of her own, she knows first hand how much they help.
Jacob's daughter wants a service dog to help her with her seizures and to help her to be able to return to a normal life. Jacob isn't sold on the idea, but for his daughter he knows he needs to try.
Jacob sees Evie and is blown away by her beauty, he's gotten burned before by his ex wife and wants to make sure the next time he does it right. As the two get closer, they both realize that there is no denying their feelings and they have to try for what they want. There are obstacles in their way, but they have to just trust one another.
I really loved the representation here and how in detail the book goes about what service dogs do for people they help. It was a lot of information that I don't think many people realize and I appreciate how it was handled. This book only has kissing so it is perfect for someone who just wants a light read without any steam. There is a lot of tension though which I apprecaited.
The narrators were so good and brought such sunshine to each of the characters.
Thank you to Dreamscape, Netgalley and Sarah Adams for an early audio copy.

I have loved all of Sarah Adams’s books and The Match reminds me why I love her writing. The match is an amazing romance story with a difficult topic. I love how Adams handled it.

Evie was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager. She felt that this took her independence away. She lived with her parents who were horrible to her for too long. Evie gains her independence back from getting the cutest partner ever. A service dog named Charlie. Charlie is trained to alert others of a seizure and keep Evie safe until she snaps out of it.

Sam is a ten-year-old who has also been diagnosed with epilepsy. She wants a service dog but her dad Jake does not like that idea. Once Evie enters their lives everything begins to change for everyone involved. Sam not only gets a service dog but she gets the mother figure she has craved and both Jake and Evie find someone they can be themselves with.

This story got me emotional at a few different scenes but I loved every second of it. Evie is so lovable and Jake is the best father anyone could ask for. Them together are just the perfect match for Sam.

Sarah Adams is an author that I will read everything they put out. The Match has been available in print for a few years and is available now in audio. Check this one out.