This was such a great read! It’s kind of heavier than a cozy mystery, but lighter than a serious thriller. I loved the characters, and the false leads, and of course a little bit of romance always helps lighten things up as folks are getting murdered ;) I hope this becomes a series!

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
Is an interesting window into the matchmaking business. The Piyar Matchmaking Agency of Atlanta, Georgia is the premiere company for wealthy clients to find their true loves. Nura Khan has put all of her energy into making every match perfect. She learned from the best, her Aunt Khala, and she has been very successful. Until rumors, posts and podcasts begin to circulate about the agency’s practices bring unsuccessful and dishonest.
Nura must navigate business problems as well as family drama with her cousin Nina and her aunt’s dementia diagnosis.
And to top it off, her best friend Azar, Nura’s date to the many weddings that she must attend, is at the cusp of a serious relationship. This puts their friendship as well as her insecurities and long held love for him at risk.
With all of the stressors in her life, how can Nura Kahn continue to be the perfect matchmaker as her detractors wait to see the next big wedding collapse?
Read the Matchmaker to find out…
#netgalley

“The Matchmaker” is Aisha Saeed’s debut adult novel, having written a number of books for younger audiences. I think that the overall idea of this book was a good one - a matchmaker (Nura) great at making matches for others, finds herself being targeted by not only haters but also someone deliberately targeting her company. Add to that the fact that she, herself, isn’t married (a matchmaker not married - horror!) and enlists her childhood best friend, Azar, to accompany her to weddings and events of her clients. And, once again, add to that some family drama - and you have this book. I did like that this book wasn’t just a straight rom-com, but had the mystery element. However, in a number of ways this book was a bit too all over the place for my liking. Nura is smart and has smart people around her, but I wish that Nura had been the one to work on the mystery more than her very helpful and smart employees. I also found the romance to be a bit - well, flat at times. It felt like it was an afterthought, not the main focus. However, in the Author’s Note, Ms. Saeed explains what she likes to read and this book followed that - so maybe it’s just a me thing. This book had some good lines and moments, though some of the family drama felt a bit over the top for me - however, I’d more than likely pick up Ms. Saeed’s next adult novel - and, heck, might pick up one of her younger audience books too. The writing was engaging and a quick read.

If you love romance, complicated family dramas and mysteries, then this is the perfect book for you. The story follows a modern day matchmaker using technology and other means to find the perfect match for her VIP clients. However, the colorful world of weddings and parties is marred by the darker elements of those who are not chosen. While Nura, the matchmaker, tries to find some balance in her life with its busy work schedule, complicated feelings and history with her family, and a love life this is unfulfilled, someone is working hard to ruin her life for reasons she cannot figure out. It is a mystery to the very end with great twists and a killer ending. I also really enjoyed learning more of the matchmaking world and the world of wedding events of the Desi culture. Its a well-written thriller with the right amount of romance, friendship and family mixed in.

So many incredible plot twists, I couldn’t put this one down! Really loved the suspense and I felt like all the characters were so well developed.

Aisha Saeed’s The Matchmaker is a beautifully crafted story of love, destiny, and cultural traditions. With heartfelt prose and richly drawn characters, Saeed explores the delicate balance between following one’s heart and honoring family expectations. This poignant tale is both timeless and deeply relatable—a must-read for fans of thoughtful and emotional romance.

Overall, there were a lot of positive points to this book. It has a really intriguing premise and did keep me guessing the whole time. There was also a decent amount of character development that made me feel connected to Nura and her family. I don't know that I completely agree with the comparisons to Jane Austen's Emma, but I think they're interesting to consider. Given recent events in my own life, though, the high-stakes mystery and danger were not what I needed right now. Don't let that dissuade you, though, if you're a thriller-lover.

Nura is a sought after matchmaker offer VIP personalized service with great success. Suddenly bad reviews and complaints take a sinister turn to threats and accidents. Is there a disgruntled client or who could have it in for Nora?

The Matchmaker is a fast-paced mystery that also offers a behind the scenes look and matchmakers and some high end weddings that result. The writing is excellent. The characters and their dynamics with each other are complex and well developed. The mystery was a page turner that kept me guessing until the reveal. I highly recommend The Matchmaker.

A wonderfully written mystery thriller with an ending you never see coming. Nura is the best at what she does, match making, but what happens when her perfectly sculpted world begins to crumble…I couldn’t figure out the big twist which was a wonderful surprise because more often than not I can figure it out well before the big reveal. This book is great for anyone who likes softer thrillers, with happy endings! Great for book clubs and beach reads!

I DNF this would around the 40% mark. I couldn’t connect to the characters or the writing style. I found this one to be too slow for my liking and just couldn’t get into it. I did love the premise though, the dating app concept was interesting. Overall, okay.

I wasn't sure if this book would be for me but it sounded so good based on the blurb. I am so glad I went ahead and read it because it had the perfect blend of all my favorite genres.

This is more of a mystery story with romance as the subplot. Nura Khan, the main character, works as a matchmaker and trouble comes when the clients aren't getting married. This story has bits of Desi culture that I found to be interesting in the story. There is a bit of a miscommunication trope, so take that as warning for some romance readers

I went into this thinking it was pure cozy mystery but it also was very much about family (loved all of them) and friend relationships. It brought more heart than I had expected and that was nice. I had never come across a small business cozy that centred on a woman with a matchmaker business, which made me want to read this. I even rooted for her to find her match and was sure I knew she had already so I was very smiley when that came together in the end also.

The setting of Atlanta was well done at least for this reader who has never visited. The weddings described were extremely lush undertakings and a nice look-in especially since that's not my thing. And even with all the accoutrements, it was clear that true love was the goal of Nur for her clients. I also appreciated the topic of crushing debt being a thread for a character. It's timely and a reminder to truly see people and what they are struggling with, especially when you are not faced with the same things. We all have challenges and could use some grace, especially from friends.

All in all, I would recommend this one. It was my first read by the author and I would happily read another.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the Advance Reader's Copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for providing this book, with my honest review below.

The Matchmaker was fun as a mystery, fun as a romance, and fun as a book that brings in a bit of Desi culture.

I enjoyed Nura, our main character and the owner and driving force behind Piyar Matchmaking Agency, which has an unparalleled successful match rate and a successful app. Nurs was warm and intelligent and I enjoyed reading about her success and her family, her Aunt (who started the agency) and her sister and niece. Nura’s life seems perfect until she runs into some blowback from press about her agency (equating what she does to arranged marriages traditional to Indian culture) and weddings of her successful matches starting to go wrong from outside influence. The mystery behind what’s as afoot there would have been impossible to guess, but was well done. The best part is that where other books similar to this may have just ended there, I found myself only at 60% as the story continued into a larger mystery which was just as tricky to have guessed.

The Matchmaker also features a romance (for Nura), but I frankly could have left that part out and it would not have taken away anything from the story. Pick this up for where it shines, with its mystery and fun characters and plot.

I had a hard time putting down this book! I was super engaged with the plot, characters and mystery! This book did stress me out since it became kind of intense with all the mysterious shenanigans that kept happening throughout the story.

What I loved most about this book, this plot is very different compared to any other murder mystery. It was so nice to have something new to read!

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in excellent for my honest opinion!

Good! I liked the original plotline as it truly was one I have never heard before. I love a good matchmaker story and this was filled with mystery, intrigue and family drama

Matching making has been in Nura Khans family for 3 generations. Her business has a very elite clientele with a long waiting list. As with many businesses, reputation and word of mouth can make or break a company. When a wedding is cancelled the day before it is to take place, then a bride and groom go missing from a wedding, the online trolls and gossips come out with a vengeance. Normally, Nura would brush off these exceptions but when she has a break-in, her cat is taken and she starts receiving threatening notes and threats to her family, she knows this is much more than bad business. Someone is out to destroy her and her company but who and why?

This was a good book, written well, I enjoyed the characters and the plotline was engaging. I did enjoy the cloak and dagger aspect of this book but I have to admit, for me, it was obvious who was behind destroying the business. Alert: The author made it apparent who was behind destroying the business without stating their name or reasoning until the end. Still, I did enjoy the writing and the story and would recommend you do too!

At no point did I know where this book was going., the twist and turns definitely kept me on my turns. This novel also ended up being much darker than I had expected it to be with the final plot twist actually making me a little nervous. I do think that there were maybe too many turns in this book, it got exhausting after a while. However, I do think this book was enjoyable. I laughed out loud, gasped and was locked in to finding out what was happening. The additional themes of family, friendship, and culture were enjoyable especially to break up the drama. This book also has a subplot of romance, and I will always love that. There was no way to guess this plot and I would definitely recommend.

This was very slowed paced and predictable. You can guess who is behind all the chaos and deception from the beginning. And I do wish that the love interest would have happened quicker. To me it seems like it was thrown in at the last minute to create another dynamic.

hank you to Net Galley and Random House publishing for the advanced readers digital copy.

Nura has inherited the family business, matchmaking. She is a third generation matchmaker. She inherited it from her aunt that raised her, who has taken a step back due to health issues. She has just launched a matchmaking app but still has a limited VIP client list that she provides personal services to. Things start to go wrong with some of the matches she has made at the agency and she is receiving threats. There is also a podcast that is attacking her and the agency.
This book is well written and hard to put down. There is a lot going on and layers to the story. I haven’t read anything like this. I think it is a great debut adult novel for this author. I really loved how the story unfolded and how the author talks so much about her culture. There is some romance but the book mainly is a mystery.