I felt this book was too heavy with too many topics thrown in together. there wasn't much of the romance and there were parts it would have fit in better to make the story flow.

⭐️ 2/5 | 🌶️ 1/5
First Person Narrative | Closed Door Romance
Suspense, Mystery, Romance, with a little bit of Thriller.

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Content Warnings: threats, stalking, drugging, impersonation, sabotage, hacking, hospitalization, blackmail, forced confinement, car accident, lost pet, dementia, unhealthy work-life-balance, murders, physically abusive relationship, gun use, tense family dynamic, troubled upbringing, manipulation, violence, cultural indifferences, knowledge hiding, stolen identity.

There was A LOT going on and it all seemed to fight against each other. I love romance mysteries and appreciate a good subplot, but there were way too many subplots happening. I could see potential for this book/author but it just wasn’t working out this time. I don’t even know how to write a short summary of this book. But the most frustrating and annoying thing (besides what happens with the cat) was the reason for the extreme sabotage and murder. NONE of this would’ve happened if Khala hadn’t withheld from Nura, the crucial, life changing information about Nura and her traumatic family history! Had Nura known all of this she maybe would‘ve been able to better explain to her clients, friends, and employees why there are such strict requirements and standards in place to be taken on as a client with the agency! That’s seriously all what it comes down to. Ugh. But besides that, the whole premise of who was behind everything and why just didn’t work for me. I guess the way the story was given to us as the reader left me feeling like this was a bit over dramatic and a lame excuse to terrorize someone like that. Even though there was so much going on, something was missing for me to find it plausible.

The romance and spice part of the book was disappointing and lacking. I didn’t find myself swooning. And with all the chaos, fear, and danger that she was going through, there was definitely opportunity for tense, vulnerable, passionate intimacy with someone she felt safe with.

Many thanks to Net Galley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and Bantam for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Incredibly witty touching quite heavy subjects. You get drawn from the start. Aisha Saeed is an automatic buy for me since i discovered her first book

Fun twists and turns as well as a hint of romance! Fast paced and a really interesting and unique premise.

The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed

A mystery and heartfelt romance all in one!

Nura is a third generation matchmaker. She’s single but her childhood best friend is always willing to be her fake fiancé at her clients weddings. Nothing is ever perfect though. Someone is trying to mess with her business.. who could it be? I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I loved that there was some romance and some mystery to the story. The twist near the end was good.

I’m looking forward to reading more books by Aisha! Thank you NetGalley, Aisha and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC!


Publication Date: April 8th 2025
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#NetGalley #TheMatchmaker

This read was a fun change of pace! We meet our main character, Nura, as she's doing her best to keep up with the steady stream of work from her aunt's matchmaking firm. Routinely working her client's weddings with her best friend/"faux fiancé" Azar, Nura's world starts spinning when it becomes clear that someone is set on ruining her business (and, just as importantly, her reputation).

While I was expecting much more of your standard mystery/thriller plot and pacing, the timeline of events and the uncovering of information felt a bit slow through the first half. The first big plot twist was exciting and really deepened the overall story, but I found myself disappointed that we didn't get more out of it. Regardless, the final plot twist still caught me by surprised and the writing overall kept me intrigued!

Strong 3.75 stars, I hope we see more of Nura and her family in future books!

Ok this took me by complete surprise. The twists and turns were so fun and I haven't read a premise like this before. Nicely paced and loved the characters. Overall I would so recommend this!

I read one of Aisha Saeed’s YA books years ago and really enjoyed it, so I was excited to read her adult debut.

The Matchmaker started out a bit slow for me. However, once it picked up there was so much suspense and the mystery had quite a few twists and turns to keep you reading.

This was not just your standard mystery though. Saeed also tackles family and relationship dynamics and includes a romance. Though I felt that she succeeded in a number of respects, especially her discussions of abusive relationships, the romance did not work for me. There wasn’t enough tension and a lot of the feelings felt like we were told rather than shown.

Overall, I think this was a great adult debut and I look forward to seeing what Aisha Saeed does next!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a solid debut adult novel. Ms. Saeed takes on many issues and while none are to the detriment of the others I would have difficulty classifying the genre. Love of family and the many pitfalls along the way have a strong identity. The difficulties and successes of running a dating service business is in the forefront as is Desi culture. Romance, love and the inherent mistakes people make are dropped in and left to simmer. Mysterious subterfuge and business attacks threaten to overtake the narrative. So you decide, but read this book as all of the elements are well done and coalesce perfectly.

Thanks to Bantam Books and NetGalley for a copy

I truly enjoyed reading this book! It was so hard for me to stop reading because I was invested in the story. The book was part mystery and part romance which kept the story interesting for me. I love the desi representation and the details Aisha Saeed put it the story to have a visual of the characters and setting. I loved reading through Nura's POV and seeing her connection to her family,friends, and culture.

I only wish the romance was a bit more developed. I feel like it rushed toward the ending with Nura and Azar and I barely really knew Azar's character. The chemistry felt lacking on his part.

For the mystery, I think it was well developed. I only wish there were way more thrills. I wanted higher stakes in my mystery/thriller but this was definitely more "cozy" to me. I didn't hate it but I wasn't expecting it.

Overall, I think this is a 3.75 stars. It was a quick book, with a fun mystery, and a sweet romance that I would recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I thought this was a fun twist - combining two genres I read frequently - romance and thriller. The writing was fine, but nothing special. It had good twists, and some interesting stuff to learn about Desi culture.

Aisha Saeed knows how to write books that will leave an impact on you. Her writing has improved significantly and I find myself eagerly looking forward to it.

I love when my two favorite genres combine so this was going to be a delight for me. I went into this blind but was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully written this was. I loved how the weddings were described. So beautiful and lush!

I found the main character Nura to be relatable and easy to root for. She's trying to be successful while also doing right by her clients. Even when her life is in danger, she keeps trying. I really liked her.

The mystery was interesting and the setting was a lot of fun.

A cozy mystery read with a lot of heart. Would recommend!

The Matchmaker titular character, Nura, has been a successful matchmaker for years. Now, her business is flourishing even more and her fame is growing. With this fame comes some naysayers and some people who are not so happy with her services - in fact, they are so unhappy that they stoop to wedding sabotage, kidnapping. stalking, and more.

Nura has to deal not only with these work place shenanigans, but with family drama, friendship drama, and trying to figure out if she is going to be the matchmaker who is going to end up unable to find her own match

I thought this was a fun mix of drama, mystery, and romance. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy!

The cover looks rom-commy, the book seems like a murder mystery, but when it comes down to it its a great book about NON romantic relationships like friends and family.

This book was an interesting mix of some romance and a mystery. I enjoyed my time reading this and if you like cozy mysteries with a splash of romance you will like it too! There were times when the story felt slow but overall it was good and a new concept that I haven't read before. Overall I would recommend this book to someone, especially in the cozy season!

Read if you like:
❤️ cozy mystery
❤️ matchmaking
❤️ couple's drama
❤️ a splash of romance

Thank you to the publishers and NetGally for this Advanced Release copy. I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

i think the cover does a good job telling you what you're getting into. romance and fun chunks, yeah! mysterious stalker? also yes! could be better gelled, though. 4 stars, tysm for the arc

Reading challenge category - 2024 Flourish and Blotts: Charms - Expecto Patronum: Includes a happily ever after

Nura Khan is a 3rd generation matchmaker. She has her own business, the Piyar Agency, inherited from her Khala (aunt). She's in love with her best friend, Azar, who poses as her fiance for her clients' weddings - yet she won't tell him she's in love with him. She has a supportive team at the office and invested clients. Yet someone is stalking her and trying to ruin her business. Can she discover who it is before it's too late? (mostly).

I can tell that this is the author's first adult novel. Some of the storyling tropes, red herrings, resolutions - jk not yet - situations are very reminiscent of middle grade/YA books. That being said, it wasn't 'bad.' I enjoyed a lot about this book. I learned a lot of desi cultural information through reading this. The story itself could have been improved and edited for more flow, but I liked Nura as a main character and Azar as the love interest. 3.5 stars, rounded down. Thanks to #Netgalley for the ARC ebook.

3.5 stars- I was engaged in this one and overall enjoyed the story, the romance, and mystery. I went in blind honestly not really expecting the thriller aspect and enjoyed it. However, it seemed implausible someone wanting her dead. I felt a little lost in the second half of the book with her precious family history and then the last 10% seemed a little thrown together/messy. Overall, I did enjoy the book and the characters.

3.5 stars

This is a solid mystery with an intriguing main character and a fulfilling romance as an added bonus! In fact, the mystery might be the bonus to the romance in this case.

I really enjoy Saeed's middle grade books and have taught them many times, so I was excited to read this debut for adult audiences. It's an engaging if generally chaste read.

Nura, the m.c., is a matchmaker in Atlanta, and while she's had success pairing many others, her heart really lies with her best friend, Azar. It's a bit of an occupational hazard that Nura proclaims she can find love for others while struggling to land it for herself, so the focus on a potential romantic relationship holds more weight here than it would for characters in different careers. While Nura's relationship status presents her own internal case to crack, she is also contending with a troubling situation: someone is trying to sabotage her business and maybe even bring physical harm to her and to those she loves. Although solving this mystery is a central point of the book, for me, the romance was an unexpectedly more interesting storyline.

I enjoyed this read and look forward to more from Saeed, regardless of the intended audience!