Matchmaking for Beginners (2018) by Maddie Dawson
It is so rare that I read a book for adults. This is probably because A) I use reading as an escape, so I don’t want to hear about adult difficulties, and B) There are SO many adult novels out there, that I usually have no idea where to begin to find a book I’ll like.
After a few suggestions of 2018 releases, and a couple ones that just weren’t for me at this time, I finally fell into Matchmaking for Beginners. And while it does cover “adult” topics like failed marriage, death, infidelity, and tragedy, I still managed to zip right through it.
Elderly Blix Holliday is a bit of an eccentric and the “oddball” of her extended family. She meets the young Marnie, her grandnephew’s fiancé at a family gathering and immediately connects with her. While Marnie is a bit unsure of herself at the time, both women find out they can sense people’s energies and use it to find good love matches for other people. Not so great at love matches for herself, however, Marnie’s doomed marriage ends during the honeymoon. She sets about trying to piece her life back together in her childhood home. Meanwhile, Blix is dying but hasn’t mentioned it to her family. When Blix unexpectedly leaves her Brooklyn home to Marnie, instead of family, everyone is surprised. Marnie has no intention of staying in the home, of course, but during her time in Brooklyn she becomes involved in the lives of those around her, finding herself in a role of helping others find love, including herself.
While I wouldn’t say that matchmaking is the central theme of this novel, despite what the title says, I found myself glued to the story and unable to stop myself from starting new chapters way past bedtime. A very enjoyable read, even if it is a book for grown-ups. =D