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rebekabolgren's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
books_and_breaks's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. I tried. Quit at 64%. Just couldn't continue. Pathetic main character. Even her inner dialogue was irritating and whiny.
lyratorg's review against another edition
2.0
The Matchmaker's List tells the story of Raina as she approaches the age of 30. Her grandmother raised her (due to a deadbeat mom and absent father) and they have a special bond. Raina's grandmother, an Indian immigrant who went through an arranged marriage, is trying to get Raina to do the same. Raina agrees but doesn't put any effort into the dates that are set up. She's still in love with Dev, a co-worker she dated while living overseas in London.
It took me a while to get into this book. I later realized it was because there were so many different plot points introduced that a more simple story arc would've been easier to follow. I also became tired of the main character's issues, namely her hang ups about Dev and the rather extreme actions she takes to avoid disappointing her grandmother. I did enjoy the glimpse into an Indian immigrant culture set in Canada.
It took me a while to get into this book. I later realized it was because there were so many different plot points introduced that a more simple story arc would've been easier to follow. I also became tired of the main character's issues, namely her hang ups about Dev and the rather extreme actions she takes to avoid disappointing her grandmother. I did enjoy the glimpse into an Indian immigrant culture set in Canada.
kansas_b's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
genevievefv's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nikkiswans's review against another edition
2.0
The protagonist is desperately unlikable for the first 4/5ths of this book. She's selfish and has no self-respect and like, I GET that it's the point, but also, what's the appeal of reading about an unlikable person, especially in a romance?
The last 100 pages were good but at what cost????
The last 100 pages were good but at what cost????
tagoreketabkhane31's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book - when Sonya Lalli initially wrote this book, she was one of the few writing in the New Adult sub genre the encompasses Romance, Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy etc. to write as an own voice author - focused on bringing Desi romance stories to an English reading audience.
This book did not provide anything that I had been hoping for.
I will say that there are some positives that earned the book two stars - the scene with Raina and Asher in NYC during NYE was well written, and allowed us to see more of Asher, and Raina for wanting to ensure that her apology to Asher was not only heard but accepted. I also appreciated the conversation that Lalli made her characters have on homosexuality, Hinduism and Desi diaspora communities.
However, there were so many issues with the book that prevented me from enjoying the story fully:
1) The lack of positive representation for Desi men:
- Finding positive representation of Desi men in American/Western media is slim, and in novels its even smaller. Lalli failed to provide a positive representation for any of the Desi male characters that appeared in the book. Each one represented a more exaggerated stereotype to allow a showcase of why Raina rejected them throughout the novel - focus on career over relationship, lifestyle choices, family mindset, behavior, dating white women, etc. Even when Raina showcased similar views and behaviors as the males in the book (even her "better" characters of Jayesh and Krishna) we are expected to ignore the parallels that Raina have with these failed men and accept that Desi men are not only not desirable, but that they are inherently toxic.
2) Raina falls for a white man for a HFN ending:
- While I am aware that Raina is biracial (Canadian and Indian), and that her falling for a white man in and of itself is not an issue (ethnicity should never be a factor in why you choose a significant other) but coupled with the lack of positive representation of Desi men in her novel, and with Raina making the comment that she has never really found Desi men attractive, I had to wonder why the author expected us to believe that Nani would not be aware of this and only pair Raina with Desi men - and for us to see Asher come in and be "the one" (though Asher is a great character). I also felt that this was a bias that Lalli herself had that she injected in the writing - she herself is married to a white Canadian, and I felt that she was either utilizing her own experience, or greatly exaggerating the situations with the men, and simplifying it for Asher.
3) Indian culture:
- We are told from Raina that her Nani and Nana (when he was alive) ran an Indian restaurant called Saffron. However, the location is never present in the narrative of what is currently taking place. Also, while the casual dropping of Hindi phrases is expected, there was a lack of Bengali culture; it is mentioned in the beginning that Raina is part of the Bengali community - but nothing to tie her too it. Perhaps the most damning for me is the creation of accents for the elderly women in the community when they are speaking - they speak English fine if the dialogue in the novel is expected to be believed - but both Nani and Sarla Auntie both employ vat (what) and vhy (why) once to showcase their backwardness, their accents, their foreignness - if they were to speak like that, why was it not consistent?
4) Raina being a fake lesbian:
- I'm not sure how this came up in a romantic comedy. Lying about your sexuality should never be a thing; but to lie about it to get out of marriage dates also makes no sense - not when the community you are part of has traditional homophobic positions, and in real life Desi members who come out of the closet are cut off from their family, friends, cultural and religious communities - so to see Raina lie about it (and even when faced with the consequences) makes it all seem so trivial that I felt upset that Lalli would use this to create drama for her novel.
While there a few positive areas that this novel picked up on, I would not recommend this as a romance read, especially with far better own voice Desi romances that are better options.
This book did not provide anything that I had been hoping for.
I will say that there are some positives that earned the book two stars - the scene with Raina and Asher in NYC during NYE was well written, and allowed us to see more of Asher, and Raina for wanting to ensure that her apology to Asher was not only heard but accepted. I also appreciated the conversation that Lalli made her characters have on homosexuality, Hinduism and Desi diaspora communities.
However, there were so many issues with the book that prevented me from enjoying the story fully:
1) The lack of positive representation for Desi men:
- Finding positive representation of Desi men in American/Western media is slim, and in novels its even smaller. Lalli failed to provide a positive representation for any of the Desi male characters that appeared in the book. Each one represented a more exaggerated stereotype to allow a showcase of why Raina rejected them throughout the novel - focus on career over relationship, lifestyle choices, family mindset, behavior, dating white women, etc. Even when Raina showcased similar views and behaviors as the males in the book (even her "better" characters of Jayesh and Krishna) we are expected to ignore the parallels that Raina have with these failed men and accept that Desi men are not only not desirable, but that they are inherently toxic.
2) Raina falls for a white man for a HFN ending:
- While I am aware that Raina is biracial (Canadian and Indian), and that her falling for a white man in and of itself is not an issue (ethnicity should never be a factor in why you choose a significant other) but coupled with the lack of positive representation of Desi men in her novel, and with Raina making the comment that she has never really found Desi men attractive, I had to wonder why the author expected us to believe that Nani would not be aware of this and only pair Raina with Desi men - and for us to see Asher come in and be "the one" (though Asher is a great character). I also felt that this was a bias that Lalli herself had that she injected in the writing - she herself is married to a white Canadian, and I felt that she was either utilizing her own experience, or greatly exaggerating the situations with the men, and simplifying it for Asher.
3) Indian culture:
- We are told from Raina that her Nani and Nana (when he was alive) ran an Indian restaurant called Saffron. However, the location is never present in the narrative of what is currently taking place. Also, while the casual dropping of Hindi phrases is expected, there was a lack of Bengali culture; it is mentioned in the beginning that Raina is part of the Bengali community - but nothing to tie her too it. Perhaps the most damning for me is the creation of accents for the elderly women in the community when they are speaking - they speak English fine if the dialogue in the novel is expected to be believed - but both Nani and Sarla Auntie both employ vat (what) and vhy (why) once to showcase their backwardness, their accents, their foreignness - if they were to speak like that, why was it not consistent?
4) Raina being a fake lesbian:
- I'm not sure how this came up in a romantic comedy. Lying about your sexuality should never be a thing; but to lie about it to get out of marriage dates also makes no sense - not when the community you are part of has traditional homophobic positions, and in real life Desi members who come out of the closet are cut off from their family, friends, cultural and religious communities - so to see Raina lie about it (and even when faced with the consequences) makes it all seem so trivial that I felt upset that Lalli would use this to create drama for her novel.
While there a few positive areas that this novel picked up on, I would not recommend this as a romance read, especially with far better own voice Desi romances that are better options.
tms792's review against another edition
1.0
This book made me deeply uncomfortable and I hated how many lies the main character told. It was really disappointing.
peytonm's review against another edition
3.0
Raina's relationship with her Nani was well-written but *sigh* I wish the plot had been solely about their dynamic of new and old traditions. I didn't like any of the guys, particularly the one she mooned over for the majority of the book. It would have been cool to see one of the arranged matches working out.
everyotherpageorso's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
FMC behaved so flippantly it was almost cruel