**I received an ARC from the publisher. These are my honest opinions, and in no way was I compensated for this review.**
The Matchmaker's List by Sonya Lalli
Release Date: January 22, 2019
My Rating: 3.75 stars
Summary: One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it
Raina Anand may have finally given in to family pressure and agreed to let her grandmother play matchmaker, but that doesn't mean she has to like it--or that she has to play by the rules. Nani always took Raina's side when she tried to push past the traditional expectations of their tight-knit Indian-immigrant community, but now she's ambushing Raina with a list of suitable bachelors. Is it too much to ask for a little space? Besides, what Nani doesn't know won't hurt her...
As Raina's life spirals into a parade of Nani-approved bachelors and disastrous blind dates, she must find a way out of this modern-day arranged-marriage trap without shattering her beloved grandmother's dreams.
I'll admit, The Matchmaker's List caught my eye because of the cover; then I read the summary, and my interest was piqued even more. I'm so glad I got to read an ARC of this because I really liked it, excluding one aspect.
I really loved the writing. It reminded me a bit of Little Fires Everywhere and The Namesake, the way it's so contemplative and reflective without seeming boring or stagnant. Most of the book is first person, but the flashbacks are in third person. These chapters are short but pack a lot of meaning and subtext in them, and I really liked that.
There is no shame in love. We make choices, and then, we try and move on the best we can. We try and live with those choices.
Honestly, this book reminded me a lot like The Namesake, not just in the writing, but also culturally (of course) and the family relationships. Although in this book, it focuses on the main character and her grandmother, it still held the same generational differences.
Which leads me to the characters. I adored all of them; Lalli has such a way of making each character real and known. Although I disagreed with some of Raina's choices (particularly one big one, but I'll get to that), I still fully understood her reasoning behind them. I also loved Nani with her willingness to be so modern in such a traditional culture out of her love for Raina.
I will say that I had read a review before starting The Matchmaker's List saying that this should really be marketed more women's fiction and not romance. I didn't think much of it, but about halfway through the book, I realized how much truth that held. Although the summary (and the title lol) makes the matchmaking seem central, it's a very underlying aspect overall. The romance as well is not a very big part; instead, most of the book is about Raina getting over her ex and dealing with her complex family relationships. I think they made the matchmaking to be a bit more...comedic? The dates are cute, but they're fairly short and trivial in comparison to the whole book to me. I did like who she ended up with though; that was cute.
Now onto the big thing that bothered me. I suppose these are spoilers, so ignore this if you don't want to know. So to stop her grandma from setting her on more dates, Raina leads her to believe that she's a lesbian. Or, specifically, her grandma thinks that, and Raina doesn't correct her. Which isn't totally a big deal, if it hadn't dragged on for so long. I personally think that she should have told the truth much, much sooner than she did, and it got a bit tiresome as well as a bit...hurtful? Like at the end where she tells everyone that she's straight, it felt a bit "I'm coming out as straight" and trivial to the experiences of LGBTQ+ people.
It is called out by Raina's best friend and her other friend who is a lesbian, so. I liked that Raina had some people to act as her conscience. Actually, Raina does know that it's wrong, so that and the fact that she had people telling her to STOP made how long this act dragged out more problematic to me. I would have rated this book much higher if not for this whole problem.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Matchmaker's List; the writing is atmospheric, the characters are detailed, and the relationships complex. Although the romance is not overly apparent, I found what we got was very cute. Unfortunately, there was a plot line that dragged on for too many pages that made me lower my rating. I did really like this book in spite of it, and I do think it's worth a read!
About the Author: Sonya Lalli is a Canadian writer of Indian heritage. She studied law in her hometown of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and at Columbia University in New York City. She completed an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing at City University London in 2015, and currently works as a journalist at a legal magazine in London. She has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and loves travel, yoga, piano, reading and cocktail bartending.
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