The Matchmaker

- Catherine Walsh

GOODREADS BOOK BLURB:

Katie Collins has barely ever left her tiny Irish village of Ennisbawn. Why would she? With its tightknit community, friendly local pub, surrounded by rolling hills and perfectly mysterious forests, it’s a place of peaceful beauty.

Or it was peaceful. Until Callum Dempsey turned up. A hot-shot (and, Katie has to admit, hot is annoyingly apt for him…) developer with zero eye for beauty or charm, in spite of his chiselled jaw. He’s not only building some hideous hotel just outside the village, but now he’s also planning to knock down Ennisbawn’s only remaining pub, to make way for a good view from the golf course.

It’s the final blow to the village and the last straw for Katie, who refuses to see her home disappear. Not to mention that the pub is the last connection to her parents, who had met at Ennisbawn’s once-famous matchmaking festival, both throwing coins into the wishing well that sits in the pub garden.

In an instant, Katie knows what to do. She’s going to uncover the now disused wishing well, she’s going to revive the matchmaking festival, and she’s going to single-handedly bring the town back to life again.

She might even help her two best friends find love as well. Since, heck, what’s another project when you’re taking on the world’s hottest, evilest man?

But what Ireland’s newest matchmaker doesn’t know is that even when someone’s really not your type on paper, love might be a little bit more than just a formula…

GENRES:

FIRST WORDS:

I wake at precisely three minutes past seven to the sound of the world exploding.

MY REVIEW:

* Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book. The following review is my honest reflection on the text provided. *

enjoyable/easy to read:
3.5/5
The Matchmaker is a love letter to small towns and rural life. I loved the friendships, the unique characters, and the deep emotion running through this story, particularly between Katie and her grandmother. But, unfortunately, I never really bought the romance the entire book is supposed to be about.

Not only is Katie basically a raving lunatic the first time she meets Callum, she never really improves. They constantly run into each other in awkward situations and have stilted conversations. And while I came to appreciate how incredibly devoted he was to her, it never really made sense. There was nothing that could justify the steps he chooses to make when the range he’s gotten from her is ‘yelling and blurting out non-sequiturs while wearing my PJs and you’re trying to work’, ‘being rude in public places when you’ve been stood up on a date’ and ‘assuming the worst of you and pushing you away because I like to make superficial judgments’.

On the other hand, the relationships between Katie, Gemma, Nush, and Adam were pretty great. They cared for each other without having to be sentimental about it; sarcasm and banter were much more prevalent than anything emotional or supportive. And I have to admit there was something about Katie and Noah’s relationship that was sweet and hopeful and had me looking forward to their strange interactions.

If you read the blurb, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you’re getting from The Matchmaker. There’s nothing genre-shattering or life-changing, but it is a sweet and enjoyable read.

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