One devoted modern girl + a meddlesome, traditional grandmother = a heartwarming multicultural romantic comedy about finding love where you least expect it.
MY REVIEW:
MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
This was such a charming book and a fun read. It opens a window on the world of modern arranged marriages in the Asian community. The story is entertaining, and each character adds colour to the story. I enjoy this book particularly because it takes place in Toronto and the area. I am very familiar with the different locations in the book and it makes it even more relevant to Toronto readers. If you are not from Toronto, you will discover some of the great spots in this beautiful city.
This book deals with many subjects such as modern arranged marriages, pleasing family, deception, and repairing damaged relationships. Sonya Lalli provides you with all the right ingredients for a fun and light love story with all its ups and downs. Don’t wait and get a copy; you will enjoy this book!
Thank you Penguin Random House for sending me an advanced copy of The Matchmaker’s List by Sonya Lalli and for including me in the blog tour.
Q&A WITH THE AUTHOR:
1. Congratulations on your debut novel! What inspired The Matchmaker's List?
Thank you so much! I came up with the idea for the book in my mid-twenties, and often that point in life where one is done university and has started working. Overnight it seemed I had gone from a kid into being a woman, and I remember getting ‘looks’ from some of the aunties. One even offered to try and set me up! I’m not sure exactly where Raina’s story came from -- it just sort of appeared -- but it definitely happened around that time…
2. Did you know everything that was going to happen in The Matchmaker's List, or did you decide as you wrote?
Not exactly. This is my first book so it was a very steep learning curve. I plotted out everything, and even though the story is still roughly the same, there was quite a bit of editing and refining to be done with my agents and editors.1. Congratulations on your debut novel! What inspired The Matchmaker's List?
Thank you so much! I came up with the idea for the book in my mid-twenties, and often that point in life where one is done university and has started working. Overnight it seemed I had gone from a kid into being a woman, and I remember getting ‘looks’ from some of the aunties. One even offered to try and set me up! I’m not sure exactly where Raina’s story came from -- it just sort of appeared -- but it definitely happened around that time…
2. Did you know everything that was going to happen in The Matchmaker's List, or did you decide as you wrote?
3. What other books have influenced you as a writer?
The biggest one for me is The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I talk about it a lot, actually. There weren’t a lot of books about the South Asian immigrant experience in North America when I was growing up, and I identified a lot with the main character Gogol.
4. What is the best advice you have ever gotten as a writer?
Keep your butt glued to the chair, even if you have writers’ block. It can be hard to make yourself write when you don’t feel like it, but do it anyway. Even if it means doing character development, refining your plot, or research instead of upping your word count. Eventually, whatever you’re doing will get your creative juices flowing again, and you’ll be able to push on with the writing.
5. What projects are you currently working on now? Perhaps the sequel to The Matchmaker's List (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)?
Heh heh. I have another book coming out with Berkley in 2020, but it’s another standalone romantic comedy, sorry! I do have an idea for a sequel/prequel that would more be about Raina’s Nani and mom, but I’m pretty sure it’ll just stay an idea.
Thank you so much for having me!
BOOK GIVEAWAY:
You can win a finished copy of The Matchmaker’s List. Please visit my Bookstagram account @twodogsandabook to enter.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Blogger and is opened to Canadian residents only!
DESCRIPTION:
GENRE: Romance | Contemporary | Fiction | Adult
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.
You can win a finished copy of The Matchmaker’s List. Please visit my Bookstagram account @twodogsandabook to enter.
This giveaway is not affiliated with Blogger and is opened to Canadian residents only!
DESCRIPTION:
GENRE: Romance | Contemporary | Fiction | Adult
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.
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.
Follow me on Blogger or on Instagram @twodogsandabook to see my latest book reviews.
#read #readers #readersofinstagram #reading #readingblog #readingblogger #reviewblogger #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreviewblog #book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #instabook #igbooks #instagrambooks #bookclubofinstagram #bookish #ilovereading #booklover #bookaddict #sonyalalli #thematchmakerslist #blogtour #fiction #giveaway #bookgiveaway
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.
Follow me on Blogger or on Instagram @twodogsandabook to see my latest book reviews.
#read #readers #readersofinstagram #reading #readingblog #readingblogger #reviewblogger #bookblog #bookblogger #bookreviewblog #book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #instabook #igbooks #instagrambooks #bookclubofinstagram #bookish #ilovereading #booklover #bookaddict #sonyalalli #thematchmakerslist #blogtour #fiction #giveaway #bookgiveaway
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