TGIF all!
Excited for the weekend and excited to share with you my review for this totally adorable romcom that brought a huge smile to my face! This was a group read with a few of my Besties and we found it quite delightful!💕💕
The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli
My Thoughts
This was an adorable romcom bursting with culture, family, friendship, fun, and love!
This was a charming feel-good story that put a big smile on my face! This book did a really good job of showcasing the expectations and pressure we as parents sometimes put on our children when it comes to love, marriage, and many other things… I think the pressure to be “perfect“ is greater in some cultures than others…. but I think almost all parents regardless of culture want the absolute best for their children, we want them to be happy, and it is always hard to let go…. Sonya Lalli did a tremendous job of handling some serious subject matter with respect and compassion… she took the pressures of belonging and assimilating and added in some heart, hope, and humor!
Raina has just turned 29, she was raised by her Nanny Who is a traditional Indian woman… her Nanny is bound and determined to get Raina married off… I think the fact that she feels as though she “failed“ when it came to Raina’s mother adds even more pressure… Raina wants nothing more than to make her beloved grandmother happy so she acquiesces and agrees to date some of the men on “the list“… The biggest problem? Raina is still hung up on her ex, and when her ex comes back into the picture she is hopeful to rekindle the flame… feeling the pressure and the pull of pleasing herself or pleasing her grandma and others leads Raina to some poor decision making…. decisions that impact many others in her life, decisions that she soon regrets, decisions with ramifications, decisions that she ultimately has to atone for…. so how will Raina extricate herself from this mess? And will she ever find true love?
The characters and culture in this story we’re all so colorful and just popped off those pages! Raina’s stress to please not disappoint was palpable as was her grandmothers love… The complexities of familial entanglements really shown through in this book… I especially found the relationship between Raina’s grandmother and mother quite interesting and complicated… there were quite a few complicated relationships in this book most likely compounded by the struggle between the old and the new… Raina’s dating adventures were quite cringe worthy and humorous! And relatable, I mean who hasn’t been on a bad date? But through all the struggle, the complexities, the pressures, what really shown through in the story was LOVE! There was so much love amongst all these characters and even though sometimes it wasn’t shown in the best way, it was always there!
A wonderfully told story full of whimsy, heart, hope, and love! Absolutely recommend with all my heart!
🎵🎵🎵 song running through my head! This is what raina needed to say to her ex! What a tool he was!
To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left
To the left, to the left
Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet that’s my stuff, yes
If I bought it please don’t touch
And keep talking that mess, that’s fine
But could you walk and talk at the same time?
And it’s my mine name that is on that tag
So remove your bags let me call you a cab
Standing in the front yard telling me
How I’m such a fool, talking about
How I’ll never ever find a man like you
You got me twisted
You must not know ’bout me
You must not know ’bout me
I could have another you in a minute
Matter fact he’ll be here in a minute, baby
You must not know ’bout me
You must not know ’bout me
I can have another you by tomorrow
So don’t you ever for a second get
To thinking…
*** many thanks to Berkley for my copy of this book ***
About the Book
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.
The Besties
*** don’t forget to check out Jennifer and Kenzie’s amazing reviews!
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