It's a bit slow for me. I couldn't fully lose myself in the book because the writing style keeps pulling me out of the story. But I do find the idea cute and funny, and Evangeline and Tai are pretty sweet too. So although this wasn't a 5-star read for me, I'm still going to recommend this to anyone who's looking for a nice, funny and clean romcom.

Sarah Monzon is a longtime favorite author and this book did not disappoint. It's charming and funny and an absolute delight to read!! I mean what more can you want than librarians making mischief together? One minute you are laughing, and the next you are getting glimpses of how hard life can be. A sweet RomCom that readers will definitely want to pick up!!

OMG! I don’t have words to express how much I loved this book!
Being a book lover, I always love books where the heroine is a librarian or a book lover. I was kind of uncertain about the hero being a tatoo artist. I don’t have anything against tattoos, I even admire them, but I don’t know, it was the first time I read about this kind of hero and I was curious about how it would turn out! Well, let me tell you that Tai is my new book boyfriend. I loved him that much!
Loved the plot: a matchmaking librarian who has deep self-esteem issues because of her alopecia, an illness which provoked the absolute loss of her hair. She’s restarting her life in a new town after being pitied by everyone, and being humiliatingly rejected by her fiancée because of the loss of attraction her baldness caused. A tattoo artist that has finally stepped out of his cocoon and chased his dreams after being limited and overprotected by his overbearing mother who wouldn’t let him do anything risky because of his asthma. It was an original type of opposites-attract, enemies to lovers, and forced proximity trope for me, and I loved it.
The part that completely melted my heart was the characters: Evangeline and Tai. I struggled and related -in some ways- to Evangeline’s low self-esteem. I understood her completely. Being a people pleaser always makes you focus more on your exterior image than on what is really important. Your heart. The heart that only certain kind of people can value in its real worthiness, and that only God can understand in its totality and love unconditionally. The journey Evangeline has to make to discover this, is humbling and inspiring, and I enjoyed watching her resilience and courage emerge. And Tai has the most important part in helping her achieve it. That’s why I fell so deeply in love with Tai, because he reminded me of God’s unconditional love. The way he falls for Evangeline from the start is endearing. The meet-cute -orchestrated by Haley- at the library was fun and lighthearted. The way Tai fights for Evangeline’s love and attention is swooning. He’ll do anything for her, literally anything, even kind of blackmailing her (which was a sweet blackmail really). He loves her for being her. He discovers her flaws and loves her all the more for it. This filled my heart and made me wish there were so many Tai’s out there, loving their soulmate in that unconditional way. Plus, he was patient and didn’t take a no for an answer, he persevered with kindness and gentleness.
So, as you can guess, the romance was super swooning, even if it was slow-burn, and the wait was so much worth it. The kissing scene, sigh!
The bookish quirks from Evangeline, and even from Tai were delightful. And Evangeline matchmaking attempts, so fun. I also loved Hayley as a secondary character. Their unique friendship and the way she made amends for her mistake is beautiful too.
Another particular thing about this book. It made me cry. I never expected that! But I did it with all my heart. A kind of bittersweet-happy cry. More sweet and happy than anything.
Oh, if you haven’t read this book, please go buy it now! You won’t regret it, I promise! And you’ll thank me later!
Can’t wait for the second book in the Checking Out Love Series!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Bethany House Publishers vía NetGalley and was under no obligation to post a review. This is my honest and unbiased opinion.

DNF. :( i really wanted to like this book. i loved the idea of a bookish fmc, as well as the concepts of fake dating and matchmaking. however, i found myself liking the idea of the book more than the book itself.

i loved that the story centers around books, with many puns and references sprinkled throughout. the main character, evangeline, is a bookish girl who i thought i would like, but for some reason, i had a hard time liking her. we learn that she's struggling with an autoimmune disease, which impacts her self-image. despite her own challenges, she has a strong desire to help others, and i admired her for that. but, her personality switched so many times, and i just couldn't really connect with her. tai, evangeline's love interest, is sweet, i guess? but i felt a bit uncomfortable with him at times. he sees evangeline for who she truly is and recognizes her beauty, but something about their dynamic didn't sit right with me. i just didn't feel their chemistry and the romance felt forced.

the switch between evangeline's first-person pov and tai's third-person pov was confusing and threw me off lots of times. additionally, the writing felt clunky, making it difficult for me to immerse myself in the story. some conversations felt jarring, such as the one about tattoos leading into a mention of the sistine chapel..? i tried to read further, but at some point, it began to feel more like a chore, so, ultimately, this book became a dnf for me, unfortunately :( ; it just wasn't really my thing, personally. overall, while the premise was promising, the execution left me a bit disappointed.

This book was a cute, classic, Christian RomCom. It was a little slow and a little predictable for me, and I liked Tai more than Evangeline, but found both could have used a little more character growth to be more interesting. It’s a middle of the road, clean RomCom.

This story far exceeded my expectations. Honestly I was a little hesitant to read a book where the main character has alopecia and had lost all her hair. But I think because the author knew her subject so well she brought an authenticity to the story and I couldn’t put it down

The story was so well written. Tai, an apparent bad boy with tattoos who is a Christian falls for Evangeline who has alopecia and has lost all her hair. Turns out he is a very sensitive and supportive guy. He gently helps her see her true self.

I adored these characters and loved that Sarah could write a story dealing with such a hard thing with such humor and heart.

Things I loved:
the sequins
Albert and Victoria
The nickname Angel
Henna tattoos
Seeing a librarian really enjoy her job

Quotes I loved:

“Bravery isn’t the absence of fear.” “Bravery is just the voice telling ear he can’t win today.”

“I need to forget about his grin that momentarily makes my head spin,
causing all logic to spill out my ear.”

“He can keep his wolfish smiles. I’m not going to become a victim like Little Red Riding Hood.
There will be no eating me up.”

Thank you to Net Galley for allowing me to read this book. The opinions are entirely my own.

I absolutely adored this story by Sarah Monzon!

Evangeline has had her heart broken and her confidence stolen due to alopecia. She’s moved to a new town where nobody knows about it in hopes to have a fresh start. She attempts to play matchmaker, but what she doesn’t expect is the for the local tattoo artist to take an interest in her.

Tai is such a great MMC. He pursues Evangeline in the best of ways and doesn’t give up on her no matter what. He knows there’s something special about her, and he’s not going to let anything keep him from showing her that she deserves to be loved.

These two were so sweet. I loved watching their story unfold and seeing Evangeline start to believe the things Tai told her. The picnic was one of the sweetest scenes I’ve read 🥹 And I love how everyone rallied around Evangeline at the end.

This story of love and acceptance - acceptance of yourself and others - is something everyone needs to read. I can’t wait for the next book in this series!

An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon is a delightful Romantic Comedy and the first book in the new series Checking Out Love. Evangeline Kelly has moved to a new town after her broken engagement to start over where no one knows about her Alopecia. She loves her job working in the library. Tai Davis is a tattoo artist who sees beyond what is skin deep.

I was enchanted by this story. I appreciated that the main characters had so much depth, great chemistry, and it was a privledge to watch their faith journey. The humor and banter between them and honestly all the characters had me smiling and laughing out loud. I was so invested in what happened to everyone. This story is rich with fantastic characters, excellent do-overs, and relatable characters.

The redemptive theme of seeing yourself as God sees you was beautiful. The story encourages you to look deeper with people you know and put your faith in action with them. I highly recommend An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon. Definitely a favorite of 2025.

I was given a complimentary copy and not required to write a review.

This is a sweet rom com with heart. The hero is almost perfect and the heroine has an autoimmune disease that leaves her believing she is unlovable. The heroine agrees to help her in her match-making schemes as a way to get close to her. The result is a sweet love story with humor and heart.

#AnOverdueMatch #NetGalley.

This book wasn't what I thought it would be, I don't like to read the description, I like to dive right in and read the story. Evangeline Kelly is a librarian in a new town. She wants a new start after her fiancée demands the ring back and calls off the engagement, he decides he wants nothing to do with her when alopecia leaves her with no hair on her head, eyebrows or eyelashes. Evangeline decides no one will accept her and love will never find her. No one in the new town she lives in knows that she wears a wig, has tattooed eyebrows, and fake eyelashes. She decides she will play matchmaker if she can't find love herself.
Tai Davis is a tattoo artist and fits the description of a bad boy. He is in demand near and far and has an online following for his tattoo parlor. He meets Evangeline and realizes there is something about her that he can't put his finger on. He dares her to go on a date with him, and she tries to put him off. A book of self-discovery. I absolutely loved this book.

This was such a cute read and I really enjoyed all the books and movie references sprinkled throughout. Evangeline had her heart broken once and won’t let that happen again but she can help others be in love, right? Although when her plan to play matchmaker backfires, she agrees to a deal with Tai Davis. He appears to be a bad boy, but is genuinely sweet and seems to seek her out. But she doesn’t understand what he sees in her and does all she can to push him away, but he seems to not care she keeps turning him down. His deal of this forced proximity is slowly opening Evangeline up, and when the real reason she has been pushing back on love comes out, she realizes that maybe she was holding her true self back. I really enjoyed that a lot of this setting was in a library and the characters were fun! Thank you to the author and Bethany House Publishing Group for the complimentary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord.

This was such a unique story. Yes, it had love but it was also a story of self discovery, self worth, and loving who you are. Life stinks sometimes, and we are dealt hard blows but this story is one of overcoming. Of love conquering our biggest insecurities. I really enjoyed it.

I loved Tai! He was a sweetheart with a “bad boy” reputation who boosts her self-confidence and is so charming.

I don’t know that I’ve ever read about a character with alopecia before, and I thought the topic was handled with empathy and care. Evangeline struggles with insecurity and feeling like a secondary character, and I thought her character arc was really lovely.

I think Sarah is a great writer, and I’ve enjoyed both the books I’ve read of hers. I can’t wait for the Checking Out Love series to continue!

Thank you to Bethany House Fiction for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was unfortunately not what I was expecting. Nowhere in the description did it say that this was a “Christian” romance. The voice of the author felt off for me from the start and this is why - before the overtly religious elements even came into the story. The blurb sounded like something very much to my liking but unfortunately it wasn’t at all.

✨An Overdue Match by Sarah Monzon✨

Genre: Romance
Pages: 300

📚If the covers of every romance book ever published didn’t convince librarian Evangeline Kelly that she isn’t heroine material, her fiancé calling off their wedding when she lost her hair to alopecia did. But what’s a girl head over heels for love to do when her feelings are unrequited? Matchmake, that’s what. Armed with library patrons’ check-out histories, she’s determined to make at least one love connection—even if it’s not her own.

Tattoo artist Tai Davis is used to people judging him with a single glance, so it doesn’t surprise him when the town’s quirky new librarian believes his bad-boy reputation without giving him a chance. He can’t help being intrigued by her, though, so when he discovers Evangeline’s secret matchmaking scheme, he’s not above striking a bargain with her. She just has to agree to one date with him for every time she uses his hometown knowledge to set up library patrons on a romantic rendezvous. The deal is made, but in the process, they both might learn you can’t judge a book—or each other—by the cover.

📝This was such a cute romance read! I’d describe the tropes of the story were: small-town, opposites attract & fake dating.

I like that each of the MCs had to deal with the challenges of a health condition. It not only spread awareness but it also made the characters more well rounded and relatable (Tai had debilitating asthma and Evangeline has alopecia). Plus, in the author’s note, I found out that the author wrote Evangeline as a tribute to her mother, who also has alopecia🥹.

💫Thanks to @bethanyhousefiction for my #gifted copy💫

Evangeline Kelly believes love has passed her by. Surely no man would ever find her attractive since alopecia has claimed all of her hair. But that doesn't mean she can't be a part in other people's love stories. As a librarian, she knows what people are interested in. What if she used checkout histories to play matchmaker for her patrons? Aren't mutual interests a great place for love to bloom?

But perhaps love is not as over Evangeline as she believes it to be. She keeps crossing paths with tattoo artist Tai Davis, and there's something about him that she can't quite define. He lives free while she lives held back, terrified to face more rejection and humiliation over her autoimmune disorder. Could she trust him to see her heart and indeed all of her?

I enjoyed this story. I thought it took a little while to get off the ground, but I loved the themes in the novel and also that the book didn't follow a traditional formula. There are many unique things about it! Conservative readers who are not comfortable with tattoos might not enjoy the story, given the protagonist's profession. The spiritual arc is very well done.

"We prayed... that you'd stop running away from love long enough to see that love will never stop pursuing you." (Chapter 37)

If you like contemporary stories with a different beat that will make you laugh out loud and touch your heart, you'd definitely enjoy this book.

I received my copy of the book from the author. All thoughts in this review are my own.

I was intrigued to read this story of a matchmaking librarian, and it was even better than I had anticipated! An Overdue Match was such a fun and sweet story, while also having so much depth, feeling, and tenderness. I absolutely loved it!

Librarian Evangeline Kelly is an avid romance reader, and she’s convinced she’s not heroine material. Her fiancé calling off their wedding when she lost her hair to alopecia makes her even more certain of that. Evangeline is a lover of love, and might not be interested in the experience for herself, but she’s happy to play matchmaker for others.

Tai Davis is a tattoo artist and is used to being judged by his appearance. He’s immediately attracted to the town's quirky librarian, but she’s not giving him a chance. In spite of her lack of interest, he’s intrigued and is in relentless pursuit of her. When he discovers Evangeline's secret matchmaking scheme, he strikes a bargain with her. She’ll go on one date with him for every time she uses his knowledge of the locals to set up library patrons on a romantic rendezvous.

In the process of this, they get to know each other on a deeper level, and learn that making assumptions based on appearances can be misleading.

This is one of those stories that when I finished, I had to to hug it to my chest.

I loved all the book and character references, and how vibrantly Evangeline’s love and passion for books shines through.

Tai grew up with asthma and health issues, and was held back by intense anxiety. I loved how he had learned to let that fear go, and was patiently trying to help Evangeline do the same thing.

I loved her realizing that she had forgotten who she was by letting the perception of others distort her self-image, and then gained that identity back.

An Overdue Match is sweet, funny, poignant, and utterly charming. It’s a beautiful example of the power of books to entertain, broaden your perspective, and increase your understanding and empathy for people who have completely different life experiences than you do. It was easily a 5 star read for me.

I received a digital copy from Baker Publishing and Bethany House Fiction via NetGalley, but a positive review was not required. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Evangeline knows she's living the life of a secondary character and loves love even if it's never for herself. Caught red-handed in her schemes, she bargains with Tai (the guy who's cover is constantly judged) to keep her secret.
I think most readers really enjoy a bookish heroine and/or hero. Sarah did a fantastic job bringing all things reader into this novel, from tropes to bookclubs to the library setting. I've not read many books featuring someone with alopecia so I found that an interesting challenge for the heroine to embrace rather than hide or be ashamed of. Evangeline reminded me a little of Emma with her perpetual need to matchmake and I loved Tai from page one. He's charming and sincere and an overall good guy.
Thank you to Bethany House & Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

This book made me cry tears of sadness and happiness. Evangeline is the main female character and she suffers from an immune disease called Alopecia Totalis, meaning a complete loss of hair on all of her body.

Learning about Evangeline’s condition was eye-opening for me as I’ve heard about it, but wasn’t all that familiar with it. We follow her struggle throughout this book to see herself as anything other than unwanted by everyone. She was engaged when the condition starts and he leaves her and calls off their engagement because he is so uncomfortable with her condition.

Evangeline moves to a new neighboring small town to start over. She wears her wig and pretends like nothing is different about her. This is one of the elements of the story that really pulled at my heart. Her struggle to love herself no matter how others viewed her.

But her co-worker at the library eventually introduces her to her cousin Tai through a hilarious set of circumstances. Tai is a perfect cinnamon roll character because he is sweet all the way to the core, and he falls for Evangeline hard and fast. Much of the book is spent with these two characters exploring a friendship that is strained because of Evangeline’s self esteem issues. But Tai never gives up on helping her see her own beauty. There were so many lines in this book that made me tear up because of Tai trying to help her see this on her own.

The author does an astounding job at conveying the pain this character is experiencing and extrapolating that across the spectrum of those that have Alopecia. It’s emotionally taxing and without a good support system, can be debilitating to anyone. While Evangeline’s character does have a great support system in her family and new friends, the tragedy of her experience with her fiancé colors everything for her afterwards.

It’s an emotional road, this book, but very worth reading and I loved every single second of it!

“My sister isn’t easily won, but she’s worth the effort.” Tai pierced Evangeline with his gaze. “I’d go so far as to say that she’s worth everything.”

“I’ve got trouble with a capital T, and that stands for Tai Davis.”

Buckle up, because I have a lot to say about this story!

* Secondary character energy for the win 😅
* She is so funny
* Tai and Hayley’s cousin dynamic is my new favorite thing 😂
* Ooh I love him hehe
* Correction: I am obsessed with him
* Ahh I love Rizzoli and Isles!
* Oh man, this is too good haha
* Oh, Evangeline 💔
* I love how much he just wants her to be herself
* This whole book club is hilarious 😂
* Oh my heart 💜
* Well, I feel like she could have done that better…
* Awwww
* Now I’m tearing up 😭

Oh man, this book came out of nowhere for me and quite literally swept me away!

Evangeline and Tai are the kind of characters that just.. soak into your heart. I loved them both right from the start.

“Everyone needs love in their lives. I’ll just get my dose of romance secondhand.”

I felt a lot of kinship with Evangeline and her doubts and fears. Obviously I don’t have alopecia and have never experienced something like that, but isn’t that the beautiful thing about our human experience? Even if we don’t have the exact same struggles, we can still relate. We can still find comfort and strength in others, even fictional others.

“I want you like this, Angel,” he says fiercely. “I’ve always wanted you.”

And Tai Davis? Oh boy! He is a Will Griffen category of man (iykyk). Right from the start he is so taken with Evangeline. And even after he knows what she struggles with, he just wants to love her and help her love herself again. And that’s just so beautiful. We need more people like that in the world.

“…he’s looking at me, his dark eyes probing, a familiar expression on his face, and I realize what it really is that he’s doing. He’s not merely looking at me; he’s seeing me.”

I definitely forgot that this was Christian fiction, but it was so well done and I loved the element of God and how He never gives up on us or stops loving us, even if we might ourselves for a while.

“You never know who you’re going to encounter each day, who you’re going to influence. You don’t even have to say a word. You just have to be yourself.”

I loved the whole theme/idea about how we are the main characters in our own story. And we are worthy of and deserve all the love and support and appreciation that anyone else does, regardless of anything we might perceive to be a failing on our part.

“We all deserve to be seen as heroes and heroines of our own stories.”

“Brett, society, the world—they told me I wasn’t desirable. Tai kisses me as if I’m the sole object of his desire. They said no one would want me. Tai kisses me as if he’s never wanted anyone else before and will never want anyone else ever again.”

In conclusion, I loved this story. It was beautiful and heartfelt and I was laughing, crying, and swooning the whole way through.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ebook. All opinions are my own.