Full disclosure, I received an advanced reading copy from NetGalley and Bethany House (Thank you!!) but this is my honest review of this book. This review does not contain any spoiler.

Did I ask for this ARC after only reading the title and the first sentence of the synopsis? Of course I did. A puny book title and a book that has a librarian as a main character! I couldn't pass this book. Now, you would be surprise about the number of books I've read that features a librarian that is not accurately portrayed but this one did it right. Mostly. Patrons confidentiality is super important in a library and while the intention behind her breach is cute, I am mad at Evangeline for her actions. That being said, I forgive her because she is a book character and not a real-life librarian.

This story is more than just a romance, it is about loving and accepting yourself. It made me think about how a lot of people go through life as a side character for various reasons and it breaks my heart. I hope this book helps people grow. Yes, I know, it is a big ask for a 320-pages book.

Finally, have in mind that this book is set in the south of the US. It had been a while since I've read a southern book, but thankfully it wasn't my first so I wasn't really bothered. What I am trying to say is that it is very Christian forward and doesn't have any spice. It doesn't need the spice because the heat and attraction is still there.

So if you are looking for a cute romance with A LOT of book references (which I loved) in a small town setting and with a great personal growth story, this one is for you. I mean, there are a lot more tropes in this book, but I am keeping it spoilers free so you will have to read it to know them.

I was so excited about this premise (which delivered!) but the actual meet-cute was a super fun surprise - plus he falls first, which I love. Monzon's characters were layered with great chemistry, fun-to-watch banter, and a beautiful arc for Evangeline. These characters had fresh, unique personalities. This was a hilarious, romantic, out-of-the-box read with swoony tension and laugh-out-loud moments.

*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher, and this is my honest opinion.

This novel is leaving me with a book hangover with all the feels. I can tell the author has an emotional attachment to this story.
First of all, Tai is my new book boyfriend. I can't imagine anyone being better. He sees Evangeline, his Angel for who she is. He pursues her with loving-kindness and witty flirtations. The perceived bad boy with tattoos is not the typical hero in Angel's mind. He conveys to her truth through words and actions, that God loves her.

Secondly, I love not only Tai, but Evangeline. She is a librarian. I want to be her best friend. She is so sweet and loving to her family and friends. However, she has listened to lies about her beauty because of Alopecia and doesn't realize her worth. She wants to stay on the sidelines where it's safe.

Lastly, I love all the characters, except Brett, the antagonist of course. The author has written a world of awesome characters and I can't wait to hear from them again!

I am so glad there will be a sequel! Yay!!
As you can tell from all the gushing, that I loved the book and I highly recommend it.
*I was given a copy of this book by the publisher, and this is my honest opinion.

I loved the characters and the author's writing style. But as a librarian, I was disturbed by the main character's lack of ethics. At most libraries, staff caught searching through or using someone's checkout history would be severely reprimanded at best or fired on the spot.

Note: I did not review this book on my Goodreads account or on any of my social media accounts.

An Overdue Match
di @SarahMonzonWrites che ringrazio per la collaborazione attraverso @netgallery
"Looks like the matchmaking librarian has finalky met her own match"

👩‍🦲Alopecia rep
💜 Strangers to lovers
🔥He falls first
🏠 Small town
💕 Matchmaking

Romance autoconclusivo YA il cui punto di forza nonchè elemento più originale è il fatto che la protagonista Evangeline ha l'alopecia, ovvero non ha nessun tipo di pelo corporeo, capelli inclusi.
Purtroppo questo libro non mi ha catturata, non scorreva e credo probabilmente di essere fuori target. Ritengo che sia un libro che potrebbe essere tranquillamente dato a scuola, ma non è il libro giusto per chi cerca protagonisti molto complessi e mattonazzi.
Il protagonista maschile Tai è fin troppo perfetto: non si fa fermare, ci crede anche quando non ci crede lei, e capisce tutto.
Evangeline è il vero pilastro di questa storia e il focus è sul suo rapporto con l'alopecia: l'aver cambiato città per non ricevere sguardi di pietà, il suo indossare una parrucca fino al suo accettare la sua bellezza, così com'è.
"I learned thst living to please others is confining instead of defining"
Non è mancato un pizzico di matchmaking per portare avanti la trama oltre il piano romance.
Purtroppo nel complesso è una trama che manca di complessità, una storia che manca di strati, e personaggi non troppo caratterizzati.
Inoltre personalemente trovo lo stile dell'autrice fin troppo descrittivo, il libro non è riuscito a tenermi attaccata alle pagine e in generale non mi è piaciuto
⭐️⭐️.5/5

This book started out a bit slowly for me but I ended up really liking it. I liked Tai from the get-go but I wasn't quite as drawn to Evangeline. I thought having a character with alopecia was really interesting and I definitely felt for her with her past experiences and her fears regarding dating. I didn't quite buy into her desire to be a matchmaker, especially using patrons' checkout histories. As any librarian (including this one!) will tell you, it's not really ethical for librarians to look at patrons' histories (some library computer systems don't even have an option for storing them), so that was a bit off-putting to me. Once the plotline moved to feature her and Tai much more than the matchmaking efforts, the book picked up for me a lot. Evangeline's emotions and fears came through really strongly and realistically. The scene where she finally has to tell Tai about her illness--oh my! My heart hurt for her!
There is a lot of great banter and fun book references that were super fun to read. Secondary characters were fun as well.

4 stars.

I read a DRC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I don’t often read Rom-Com fiction, but I have enjoyed other titles by Sarah Monzon so I gave this one a chance. The premise intrigued me enough to want to know Tai & Evangeline’s love story.
First off, this hit very close to home with me because my mom developed alopecia later in her life. I know the stigma of those who suffer from this autoimmune disease….the pity in people’s eyes, the whispers behind their back & what the loss of hair can do to a person’s self-esteem. It can be very debilitating and hinder an otherwise fulfilling life. I was curious to know how the author handled this…then to find out in the reader’s note, her own mom suffered from this disorder. So, I knew she wrote from personal knowledge and with grace & compassion.
Let’s talk about the characters. Tai is our local “bad boy”; you know the kind…tattoos, dark clothing & a supposed reputation for being a ladies’ man—the “love-em-and-leave-em” kind. He’s about to shatter Evangeline’s world and blow her preconceptions out of the water! As the story developed, he began to break down her wall of self-preservation and self-defense. What I admired the most, is when he helped her remember the truth of how God sees her and has always pursued her and never stopped loving her. I call that a true hero! One who can speak life & truth into a broken heart and restore the faith they have in our ever-faithful God.
Evangeline has been torn apart by her ex-fiancé when he left her after she lost her hair. She’s put up solid walls to protect her heart from further hurt. Determined to give other people their happily-ever-after, she turns to matchmaking with disastrous (and hilarious) results. Then along comes Tai who completely ignores those lines she’s drawn in the sand.
I’d say this was one book that really shatters stereotypes & looks to the heart and soul of a person. One where the love of God can shine in broken lives, down-trodden hearts and speak life to dispel those lies we think of ourselves sometimes. I loved the lessons and reminders the author included; they certainly helped me.
If you like humor, witty banter, an opposites attract troupe, wonderful supporting characters, faith-filled fiction and are an avid book lover & devourer of happily-ever-after stories…I’d say this is one you must read!
*I received a complimentary copy through Bethany House via NetGalley and Interviews & Reviews. I was not obligated to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own. *

Sweet He-Falls-First, Opposites-Attract, Matchmaking Romance

The Setup:
• Evangeline Kelly, librarian extraordinaire, just lost her hair (and her fiancé) to alopecia. Convinced she’s no romance heroine, she pours her energy into matchmaking—using library patrons’ check-out histories as her secret weapon!
• Tai Davis, a tattoo artist with a reputation for trouble, is no stranger to snap judgments. Intrigued by Evangeline’s quiet resolve (and her not-so-secret matchmaking antics), Tai hatches a playful scheme: for every townie love connection Evangeline sets in motion using his intel, she owes him one date.

Why You’ll Love It:
• A Librarian’s Matchmaking Mischief: Cue adorable meddling, comedic set-ups, and book-lovers’ fantasies come to life.
• Opposites Attract & He Falls First: Evangeline is introverted and hurting; Tai is edgy but sweet to the core—sparks guaranteed!
• Disability Representation: Evangeline’s alopecia adds unique depth and heart to the story, sensitively portrayed.
• Swoon-Worthy & Kisses-Only: Perfect for fans of closed-door romance, complete with just enough tension and feel-good charm.
• Books About Books Vibe: From checkout histories to swoon-worthy recommended reads, this novel delivers a treat for bookworms everywhere.

If you love whimsical small-town romance, mismatched duos who prove looks can be deceiving, and a hearty helping of bookish fun, An Overdue Match will win you over from the very first page.

#AnOverdueMatch #SarahMonzon #MatchmakingRomance #LibrarianRomance #OppositesAttract #HeFallsFirst #DisabilityRepresentation #CleanRomance #Bookstagram #BookTok #MustReadRomance

A fun story about a librarian who decides to try to matchmake a few patrons due to their checkout history. I love the difficult subjects this book tackles and the message about Jesus' love at the center of it.

The premise of this book is fun a librarian set out to set up people in her new small town, while using information from the towns “bad boy”. The book is about finding yourself and learning to overcome and look past the labels given to people.

Evangeline left her hometown after her fiancé leaves her once she is diagnosed with alopecia. She has decided she is not meant to find love and decides to use her matchmaking skills to set up people to get their happily ever after.

Tai is the towns “bad boy”, really he’s misunderstood and labeled because of his tattoos and general dark aesthetic. He decides to help Evangeline set up people using his town knowledge but only if she agrees to go on a date with him for every person she sets up.

I really wanted to love this book but struggled with the changing POV between the two main characters. Evangeline’s point of view is written in first person. Whereas Tai’s point of view is written in third person. This change took me out of the storyline and made it harder to get into the actual story. The writing felt a little off pace in areas as well. The chemistry between the characters felt forced in spots and rushed or stilted in others. Their challenges though important were lacking in development or felt a little disingenuous. There were some funny moments and it had a lot of potential however there were aspects that caused it to fall flat.

This book is the most perfect romance book, with amazing disability/health struggles rep, from both the main characters. So we have the opportunity to read, not only about their romance, but also about the way they overcome theses struggles.

I absolutely adored both of their characters and, all in all, both Tai's and Evangeline's family, and I do feel like it also pairs well with the small town setting, which is absolutely adorable.

It is not a 5 star read, due to some minor stuff that I felt like held the story back, mainly the switch between first-person POV and third-person POV.

This was a quirky book that had a few laughs, a few tears, and a couple of misadventures. The premise is that Evangeline, a librarian, was playing match-maker based on the check out history of various patrons. While this backfired spectacularly, she had to rethink her original plans. The spanner thrown into the works was Tai, the cousin of Evangeline's coworker, Hayley. Tai was set up with Evangeline as a joke, but it didn't turn out to be the joke Hayley thought it would be.
Sarah Monzon writes entertaining novels that engage the reader from the beginning to the end. The small-town atmosphere that Sarah has built only adds to the enchantment of the story. The people in Evangeline's life either love and support her as she is, or they make butts of themselves in the way they treat her--especially her ex, Brett. This is a book I'd love to read again. Sarah has delved into the world of alopecia and the perceived stigma people have toward the disease. She really brought light to a condition that people truly don't understand but look down upon it just the same. I appreciated her treatment of the situation in Evangeline's life.

This is a strong Four Star Book.

Bethany House Publishers provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

AN OVERDUE MATCH by SARAH MONZON is an inspirational romance novel with unforgettable characters, based largele on psalm 139 verse 14, “I will praise You for I am fearfuuly and wonderfully made…”, as we follow Evangeline Kelly, librarian and avid protector of books, as she deals with her hairless body, caused by alopecia, which led to her fiance breaking their engagement and her heart. The book is laugh out loud funny in parts, especially as she puts people in categories as though they are characters in a novel and tries to matchmake them according to their reading preferences……..
She has tattoo artist Tai Davis pegged as a rake and persistently refuses to go on a date with him, afraid that he too will break her heart……
I am not going to tell you any more for fear of spoiling things for you.
I cannot recommend this delightful and emotional read highly enough.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bathany House Publishers. The opinions in this review arec completely my own,