✩3

✦What to Expect✦
•Matchmaker
•Mystery
•Desi Rep
•Childhood friends

✦Characters✦
•Nura Khan
•Nina
•Khala
•Azar
•Darcy

✦Fav Quotes✦
Because sooner or later, you’re going to have to wrap your head around the fact that tonight, Nura Khan, you will die.

However I could be in your life, I’d take it.

✦Thoughts✦
This was such a fun read! I was on the edge of my seat trying to guess what was going on and who was behind all the crazy things happening.

Did not see that ending coming at all!

I was so worried about what was going to happen with Nura’s relationship with Azar too!

This is a quick and easy read that is more mystery than romance, so I wouldn’t label it as romantic suspense imo.

Super readable! This is definitely the kind of book you binge-read. It has lots of action and a compelling plot that keeps you reading to find out just how everything will shake out. There is a friends-to-lovers romance that will have you rooting hard for a happy resolution, although it is more of a side plot than the main story. My only complaint is that this book suffers from trying to do too much. I think the idea was to plant some read herrings to throw us off the scent of the ultimate bad guy, but I had the main antagonist clocked pretty early on and felt that the side trips got a little messy (i.e. her mother's death, father's family). Overall, a very enjoyable adult debut reminiscent of Dial A for Aunties.

4 out of 5 Stars!

Nura Khan is a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta. Not just any matchmaker, but an exclusive one with a long history of perfect couples. Even though Nura can match up people perfectly, she is unable to find one for herself. So, her childhood best friend Azar pretends to be her fiancé at her client’s wedding. This is the perfect setup, as long as Nura can hide her true feelings about Azar. One wedding they attend is like no other, before it implodes before it even starts. As the matchmaker who set this couple up, Nura takes the hit on her business. But as more situations start to implode, Nura is starting to wonder if these are all a coincidence. Or, if someone is trying to get her.

Wow! “The Matchmaker” by Aisha Saeed is a romantic comedy mixed with mystery. In the mystery/thriller genre, this book really stood out by having romance intertwined throughout and for its cultural interest. This book was fast-paced, with a main character you will love and multiple twists you won’t see coming.

The first half of this book really caught my attention. We get introduced to Nura and her business, and are thrown right away in the mystery. We build up this twist until a bomb drops halfway. I will admit, I was like, where will this book go now that we have figured everything out? But little did I know, we were just starting to unravel a bigger story. Personally, I liked the first half more than I liked the rest. The first half really had me guessing what was going to happen, whereas the second half had some twists that I saw coming.

One thing unique about “The Matchmaker” was all the cultural information packed into this book. We learn a lot about Nura’s cultural traditions, especially surrounding weddings. It was so interesting to learn about other cultures throughout this mystery! Also, another fun aspect was about family. This novel had themes of family and dementia. If you feel like that could impact you, I suggest looking up triggers prior to reading. Again, I felt like this book was so much more than just a mystery and thriller. Saeed did an amazing job at combining these themes. They seemed effortless.

I really loved the main character, Nura. She was so empathic, kind, and determined. She really seemed like an amazing matchmaker, who took pride in her work. So when that was being threatened, she really shined. I thought she was really smart about figuring out the mystery alongside saving her business. Really, all the characters seemed so bright and bubbly, like I wanted to meet them in real life.

If you are a fan of mysteries and thrillers, like myself, and want something fun, I would recommend “The Matchmaker” by Aisha Saeed. It is coming out on April 8th, 2025!

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, Aisha Saeed, and Netgalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Nura Khan is a third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta, and owner of an uber successful Desi matchmaking service. She is very selective about her clientele, and she has an entire team designated to do deep dives on clients and their potential matches. Nura’s childhood best friend, Azar, is willing to double as her pretend fiancé at her clients’ weddings—even though Nura’s feelings for him might not be so pretend. She is not about to tell him her true feelings, though. While it’s not uncommon to get the occasional hate mail from rejected prospective clients, Nura is blindsided after a couple’s carefully planned wedding implodes, the first in a series of suspicious and increasingly terrifying events. Someone is taking things too far, and with Azar and her matchmaking team by her side, Nura embarks on a dangerous cat-and-mouse game that threatens not only her safety but everything she’s worked so hard to build.

I love the show Indian Matchmaking on Netflix, so I was excited to read ths. This was like a combination of that show plus a mystery that kept me guessing until almost the very end. There were twists and turns, and lots of drama, and tension, even a few nail-biting moments. I loved Nura, and I kept hoping she and Azar would finally admit their feelings for one another because they were so perfect together. I thoroughly enjoyed this, and I think you will too.

The Matchmaker is such an engaging blend of slow burn romance and mystery/thriller. Adding matchmaker culture to the mix is so fascinating and adds another element to hook the reader. I read the Matchmaker in 24 hours, once you start, it's hard to put down- this is a great weekend away read.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC.

The Matchmaker is a gripping cozy mystery with a hint of romance. I was quickly absorbed in this story. There was no obvious answer to who could be terrorizing Nura Khan, but I did have some hunches. This story was new and fresh— not something I have read before. It was highly entertaining without too much excitement or anxiety surrounding the mystery.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of cozy mysteries. I would not categorize this book as a thriller or a romance, but it does have aspects of both.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

📖arc review: the matchmaker by aisha saeed
⭐️rating: 3/5
🌿genre: mystery / romance

💌my thoughts: thank you so much to bantam publishing & aisha saeed for this ARC via netgalley!

so this one definitely took me a bit to get into — it was slow at the beginning at took until about 30% in for me to be fully immersed. once it picked up though it read easily and kept me intrigued, though it did slow at some parts.

the two main issues i had were that for being marketed as a “mystery romance” i truly don’t feel like the romance was that big of plot point or fleshed out enough, which i totally fine because i still enjoyed it as a mystery but just a heads up if you go in wanting a lot of romance! the second was that i felt like there was almost too much going on so nothing had as much depth as i wanted and seemed one dimensional at times.

for what i loved — being from atlanta i loved the setting! i also really enjoyed seeing bits and pieces of desi culture and all of the weddings was super interesting! and finally i did not guess any of the twists or turns so that definitely kept me engaged!

overall, if your looking for an interesting mystery with a little sprinkle of love, you should check out the matchmaker when it releases tomorrow, april 8, 2025❤️

This book was great! I loved the FMC and the slow introduction to her life & those in it. She had great energy & was mature. The plot twist is what got me because I would have never expected it to be the way it ended! Great read!

The Matchmaker is an intriguing mystery/thriller with a fun romance side plot line that I really enjoyed.
Nura is a third generation matchmaker in Atlanta making big changes in the field. Her high profile clientele couldn’t be happier with her services and business is booming, until unfortunate events begin taking place at her weddings. She soon realizes she’s being targeted for her business practices, and the perpetrator won’t stop until her business fails.
It took me way too long to figure out the twist, which was excellent! I love a good mystery. There was somewhat of a slow buildup but everything culminated very excitingly. The romance subplot was endearingly frustrating and I was so happy for the conclusion. The only complaint I really have is that there was somewhat of a random plot line that seemed to have gone nowhere and some follow up on that would have been nice, but it doesn’t necessarily take away from the rest of the book.
Ultimately this was a really fun and fast paced read once things pick up and I was absolutely invested in seeing where things went. I found it to be a really solid adult debut!

Thank you to Bantam for sending me this eARC via NetGalley!
Publication date 4/8/25

Nura is the owner of a large matchmaking company. This is the family business for Nura as it was her aunt’s business first. Due to some health issues, Nura runs the company full time. They made several successful and happy matches over the years but suddenly strange things start happening.
For some reason I thought this would be a romance novel but the romance is definitely a side plot (If you could even call it that.) It is essentially a mystery novel that focuses around a matchmaking company. I found the first half of this book to be slow and slightly boring but things really picked up in the second half. The ending felt a little rushed to me and there seemed to be some loose ends. Maybe leaving it open for a second book? Overall, it’s not a bad read.

I couldn't put this down- the growing tension as it seems someone is targeting both Nura specifically and her matchmaking business as well is well done, and I was really curious where it was going to go when there was a good chunk of the book left when it initially seemed like things were resolved.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed is a captivating blend of mystery and romance, making it a fresh and original read that is utterly charming. From the very beginning, I was drawn into the story and found myself unable to put it down.

This book had so much going on and I loved it, not only is Nura a matchmaker who is well known, this is a family business, she has an amazing success rate. And she's single with a best friend who who is her fake fiancé, lol. Well she has someone against her because she is getting bullied online, and someone is working hard too sabotage her business. This book went from romance to murder mystery, to suspense real quick. And then to find out that she has this huge family secret?? This book had an identity crisis lol. I liked the humor and the fact that her family and friends all teamed up to protect her and be there for her but that's about it for me.

I liked the idea of this more than the execution. There was nothing glaring but it just didn't make a lot of sense. I kept wanting Kasey to just tell the truth. The cozy mystery vibes were ok but something just didn't click for me. Hope you have better luck!

The Matchmaker comes out next week on April 8, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

The bride beams for the cameras against a backdrop of blood-red roses framing the wedding stage. Her newly minted husband stands by her side in a cream sherwani and matching turban. She's in a golden lengha, hand-stitched with one thousand and one diamonds that shimmer beneath the lights. One could genuinely mistake them for royalty.

She scans the wedding hall. Every detail has been carefully arranged, from the long-stemmed moth orchid centerpieces to the twelve-layer wedding cake designed by Bontemps's very own head pâtissière. Her eyes land on mine.
The crowd parts like the Red Sea as she and her husband make their way toward me.
"You made it!" she exclaims.
"I wouldn't miss it for anything," I tell her. "Your vows were beautiful, and you look gorgeous." I gesture to the ballroom. "This is all a dream come true."
"Because of you." She pulls me into a tight embrace.
"She's right. Thanks, Nura." Her husband smiles at me.
The crowd that's been edging ever closer gasps. I've gone from just another of the seven hundred guests here to Nura Khan, matchmaker.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed was unfortunately a miss for me!

The premise was unique and I was intrigued by the thriller plus rom-com description, but the execution on putting those together fell flat for me. Myra is a society matchmaker and finds herself in hot water, in a terrifying position and in her own cat-and-mouse game while also realizing her feelings for her best friend are no longer just platonic.

While I was hoping for more thriller and romance, this felt to me like more of a family and work drama book. It was a cozy read, I just quickly lost interest in the story itself.

The Matchmaker releases April 8, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Bantam for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Is there such a thing as a cozy thriller? This book is somewhere between a suspense novel and a PG rom com. Maybe it’s best described as a drama.

This is a compelling story with interesting characters and a whole lot of drama. It was fun to get a glimpse of Atlanta society and the world of matchmaking. The plot is suspenseful with lots of twists and turns. The love story is a slow burn with lots of pining. Overall, this was a fun quick read.

Nura is a matchmaker who finds herself in the middle of a dangerous situation as her company and personal safety are threatened. How can matching couples suddenly turn so treacherous? I found this to be exciting and once I got towards the end I couldn’t put it down. (ps the cat is okay)

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This romantic suspense debut about Nura Khan, a third generation South Asian matchmaker in Atlanta, Georgia whose reputation gets trashed started off strong but went a little off the rails for me. There was stalking, gun violence, car crashes, drug overdoses and so much more. The strongest part of the book for me was the family relationships between Nura and her aunt, cousin and niece (and the shocking family secret Nura didn't know about).

I did enjoy the friends to lovers, second chance romance Nura gets but it definitely felt like it took a back burner to all the other shenanigans going on. Good on audio and recommended for fans of authors like Sara Desai's Sima Chopra series. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars for The Matchmaker. It takes until 50% for the story to really get going and even after that I found myself entertained but not super invested in the plot. The suspense definitely needed to be pumped up. I did enjoy reading about Indian culture and I thought this was a good start for the author, as it is her debut. I definitely could see her improving and would be interested to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballentine for the advanced copy. The Matchmaker hits shelves on April 8, 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for the eARC.

This book was just so fun to read. I really enjoyed the characters and the mystery. It was an easy read and one that brought me joy.