I enjoyed the premise of this book as well as the connection between the main character and her best guy friend. However, towards the end of the book, all of the things that were happened since a bit unrealistic and dramatic.

So, imagine a mystery and a romance had a baby.

Nura Khan is a Desi matchmaker whose business has been passed down from generation to generation. Suddenly her business begins getting targeted. Wedding events are thrown off, couples break up, and suspicious things start occurring all over the place.

Just when you think you know who's is behind all the madness, there is another twist that I can't say I really saw coming.

This was perfect for somebody like me who is in to romance and starting to try new genres.

4.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a chance to preview this book. It was pitched as a mystery but it is so much more than that. There is romance, family drama and a mystery as to who is trying to sabotage the matchmaking business.
Nura Khan is a heroine I very much enjoyed getting to know. She lost her mother when she was young and moved to Atlanta with her aunt and cousin. With her aunt she has built a very successful matchmaking business with many wealthy and high profile clients.
Things begin to go wrong and ensues a madcap series of disasters that are pretty crazy to follow. Nura and her staff are working hard to find out who is behind them. While the mishaps were pretty outrageous there was a sense that things like this could happen. The reader is led nicely along with plenty of clues as well as red herrings along the way!
This was a totally fun and entertaining book that I managed to figure out just before the ending was revealed- perfectly satisfying.
As an adult debut I think this will be a big success. Hope to hear more from Nura and company!

I am a long time fan of Aisha Saeed's work. As a teacher, I started reading her middle grades work first. I've always found her work whether YA, picture book, or middle grades outstanding. I was so excited to see that she had written her first adult novel. Even though I typically don't read this genre, I had to check it out! I was not disappointed! The characters are well-developed and interesting. I enjoyed the at times light-heartedness mixed in with at times suspenseful and serious flow of the story. I look forward to more work for adults.

This book was a ride. Just when you think everything is working out and we are shifting to a new focus… bam!

Matchmaker Nura has an exclusive list of clientele, she vets them with a fine tooth comb, and will not be persuaded to take on clients who are less than stellar — you follow the rules or you’re out. Some powerful people do not like to be told no… and Nura finds herself amidst a whirlwind of bad press, threats, and unexpected family drama from all angles. Nura must rely on her friends and family to help her figure out what is going on and save the business, while helping her cousin care for her sick aunt, and navigating her own nonexistent love life.

I loved the imagery in this book. The author did such a beautiful job of giving the reader insight and visual into Desi wedding culture and the ceremonies involved - Mehndi and Sangeet. I also really liked how the author tied the matchmaking business to a throwback of parental arranged marriages, but with a modern and elite twist.

Very well written and thoroughly enjoyed! Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Aisha Saeed's first adult novel is a knockout! A thriller threaded through with family secrets and a slow burn romance that kept me turning the pages. As ever, Saeed's dialogue sparkles when it needs to and is a gut punch when the story calls for it. Fantastic.

This was tough to get into and, while an interesting premise, just didn't really hit for me.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

I believe this is a debut mystery by Aisha Saeed and I hope there are more to come! 9 times out of 10 I have sorted out the villain long before the reveal, but this one was such a shock I literally threw my phone. BRAVO!

Nura and the whole cast of characters were utter delights and I loved every second of this book. From the magic of the weddings to the gripping mystery, all perfectly executed. Plus a bit of romance? Phenomenal

Nura Khan is at the top of her game. Her matchmaking business is thriving: her clients are guaranteed their happily-ever-afters, and couples are clamoring to get on her list. The one flaw in her otherwise perfect life is that she's single. But all of that is about to change. Threats are becoming commonplace, weddings are being sabotaged, and everything is spiraling out of control. But with the dedicated assistance of her team--and her pretend fiancé--Nura is confident she can find out who's behind the targeted attacks before everything goes off the rails. Buckle up--this Atlanta-set mystery takes you on a wild ride through the luxury wedding business, carting plenty of nuanced characters along for the ride.

I couldn’t get into this book. But just because I didn’t care for it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try it!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I struggled with the start of this as I wasn't seeking so much family history and setup, and it ended up being a fine book but nothing memorable. I probably won't pick it up again.

My thanks for the ARC goes to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam. I'm voluntarily leaving a review, and all opinions are my own.

Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery Suspense, Thriller
Language: Brief moments of profanity, including F-bombs
Spice Level: Complete fade to black
Representation: Most of the characters are South East Asian

THE MATCHMAKER completely drew me in—I even dreamed about this book and had to finish it as fast as possible to know whodunnit!

I loved the twists in this book. That's one of my favorite things actually because I kept trying to figure out who was guilty. AND I was surprised! (The author gets a standing ovation for pulling it off.) Another fun element is all the cultural details from Pakistani Americans.

There is a romance (that shouldn't be a surprise since it's about a matchmaker, but it's not the main plot). I wanted these characters to really talk to each other and not stuff their feelings. It worked out to my satisfaction.

The main reason I recommend this book is for the twisty, fast-paced action.

Happy reading!

I’m not sure what I expected from this book, but this was not it. I wasn’t expecting a family history mystery, a stalker, or a kidnapping. This was a wild ride and I really enjoyed it. I did end up predicting the ending but that didn’t take away from the story. I think a lot of people will love this one.

Wish this website let you do half star ratings, because this is a 3.5 every day of the week! Enjoyed reading this one, but did not strike me as completely memorable. I think fans of the genre will really like it.

I like a good thriller or mystery story, but this book disappointed me. As other reviews have mentioned, I find it hard to provide a summary of the book. There were a lot of storylines going on, but they never came together for me. I was intrigued by the suspense and romance in the opening chapters and appreciated the way the author introduced the characters and setting. However, as the story went on, I wasn't sure where it was going. If I hadn't skimmed, I would've DNF'ed the book.

This was a good read. Not exactly a cozy mystery but a mix of mystery and romance…. A first for me. I wish it didn’t end so quickly!

The Match Maker was a fun read! The suspense and story development kept me invested and anxious to keep reading. I liked the writing style and the connection to the character’s culture. The ending felt a bit rushed and I would have liked to stay in the world Aisha Saeed created a bit longer. This is great for fans of suspenseful romance.

A society matchmaker realizes she’s in danger when her clients' weddings are sabotaged in increasingly disturbing ways.

At its heart, this novel is about finding love. A task that is not a always easy. This can be evidenced by the sheer number of matchmaking apps dedicated to pairing people up that one can find on the internet. This book tells about Nura, a woman who runs an extremely successful matchmaking company that caters, not only to the average person, but also the very wealthy. Not everyone can find a love match on their own. But, Nura has a strict policy about not accepting all those who apply for her services. There is a vetting process!

The concept of this story is very appealing, because everyone wants to find THE one. But add to this a stalker, a kidnapping, hackers trying to bring down the business, a humdinger of a family secret, and you have a winner of a novel. This mystery/psychological thriller is a real page turner. And I highly recommend it.

Okay y’all! This book had me from the start. It started off with bliss and then went haywire real quick. And the person who was behind it all?! Was not expecting that! I’m so glad to have had the chance to read this story and to love Nura’s character. Also, I was Gertie so bad! Such a loyal cat. There were a lot of moving parts but it kept me engaged all the way through.

5/5 stars for family, matchmaking, mystery, and love!

**Thank you to NetGalley for a free review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.