Matchmaking for Beginners

Larry H

Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars.

What a terrific, sweet charmer of a book this was!!

Every family has at least one oddball, one eccentric. Free-spirited Blix Holliday is her family's black sheep, and that doesn't bother her one bit, because she doesn't like them much anyway.

She believes there's a perfect match for everyone, she believes in thought energy, watching people's auras, and her ability to wish things into existence—and she has a book of spells to prove it. Now in her 80s and terminally ill, she wants to live whatever time she has left on her own terms, surrounded by joy and those she loves.

"This is a family that is rotten at its core, no matter what the decor tells you. I see things as they are, right through the fakery and pretense. I can still remember when this place really was authentically grand, before Wendy Spinnaker decided to throw thousands of dollars into some kind of fake restoration of its façade. But that sums up this family's philosophy of life perfectly: plaster over the real stuff, and slap a veneer on the top. Nobody will know. But I know."

When she meets Marnie MacGraw, her great-nephew's fiancée, she immediately feels the two are kindred spirits. Both share some of the same abilities, like the ability to see when two people are destined for one another. But Marnie just wants a normal life—husband, kids, a house in the suburbs—so she doesn't believe Blix when she tells her that there's a great big life out there waiting for, an exciting one far beyond the comforts she craves.

"The subversive truth about love is that it really is the big deal everyone makes it out to be, and it's not some form of security or an insurance policy against loneliness. It's everything, love is. It runs the whole universe!"

Marnie's marriage ends shortly after it began (and it never quite began), but she still can't believe that Blix was right, and that she's capable of exciting things. Little by little, she pulls her life back together and starts to trust her heart again, only to be thrown for another loop, when she learns that Blix has died and bequeathed her brownstone in Brooklyn. (Of course, the bequest isn't as straightforward as she expected.) But it's not just the house—Blix has "left" Marnie all of her pet projects; namely, her friends who are all desperate for love but they just don't see themselves as ready, or even worthy.

So now Marnie finds herself in Brooklyn, uprooting her life and those closest to her once again. She's looking for a quick resolution to the whole brownstone issue, so she can get back to Florida and the plans she's made for her future. She doesn't understand how Blix thought her capable of greatness, because she just wants ordinary comforts. Yet as she settles into her life in Brooklyn and deals with some unexpected surprises and challenges, she starts to realize that perhaps Blix's work needs to be carried on—and maybe she's the one who needs to do it. The only challenge is, she needs a little of this work herself.

"Everybody wants love, and the ones who appear to want it the least actually need it the most."

This was one of those books that feels like a great big hug. It hooked me from the very first page and didn't let go, and I found myself utterly immersed in these characters. Is it predictable? Sure. Did it matter? Not in the slightest. This book was the perfect antidote to the heavy books I've read most recently, and it not only made me smile, but it made me tear up through the smiles, too.

I thought Maddie Dawson did such a terrific job creating quirky and complex characters. Not everyone is likable (just like real life), and not everyone is 100 percent good or selfless (again, just like real life), but even though the book made me believe that just a little touch of magic and mysticism can exist in our world, it also was tremendously believable, because quite often the people who can be difficult to love are the ones who need that love most.

Three cheers for Matchmaking for Beginners . When you need something to charm you, pick this one up.

See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.

emma

Rating: really liked it
I saw the word “matchmaking” in this title and thought hell yeah, and then I saw the cover and thought hell yeah, and then I started reading and discovered the weird inclusion of strange spiritual lowkey magical realism and thought oh...no...oh hell no…

And then the rest of the reading experience was mostly the latter reaction.

This just felt like it focused on all the things I did not want. The main character’s descent into sadness. The main character’s weird, also sad, unbelievably mundane life in Florida. (Nothing makes for a fun read like mundanity and monotony. And Florida.) The main character’s...realization that she’s magic? Except don’t think about it too much because it will never never be explained or make even a lick of sense. The long-term illness and suffering of a non-main but still very important character.

What I wanted from this book: Matchmaking. What I got from this book: Simply everything but that.

Bottom line: Did someone tell this author this book should feel like homework? If not, WHY WAS NONE OF IT FUN.

1.5 stars
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tbr review
you had me at "matchmaking"! (because i'm interested in literally every book that mentions matchmaking) (please, if you ever see one...send it my way) (please i need it)

Patricia Sage

Rating: really liked it
I liked this book. It was a cute, quick read. I liked Blix although I would have liked to hear more about her. Marnie got on my nerves at times, especially when Noah continually came into the house to take things. After the first time, what idiot doesn't change the locks? The man came in the house, uninvited, to take things, four times!

Em Lost In Books

Rating: really liked it
What a mess of a story!! It was all over the place, characters didn't help either, and the author added some magical touch to it which made it weird and boring. :|

Jessa

Rating: really liked it
I really wanted to love this book, and there were aspects that were good, but there was too much happening in what could have been a much more streamlined/focused story. And Marnie was SO very unlikable to me?? I didn’t feel any sympathy for her, and honestly, I think she and Noah deserved each other. She def didn’t deserve Patrick. And wow, I hate how shabbily she treated poor Jeremy, the real underdog of the story.

Kerry Anne King

Rating: really liked it
MATCHMAKING FOR BEGINNERS walked straight into my heart, trailing a shower of golden sparkles. Dawson has created a magical world inhabited by characters so engaging and real it seems plausible they might drop by for a cup of coffee. By turns funny, wise, and poignant, this is a story about falling in love—with the painful, messy, joyful business of living.

Books on Stereo

Rating: really liked it
Matchmaking for Beginners is a nonsensical, overly sappy romance novel that features a incoherent story coupled with insufferable characters.

DJ Sakata

Rating: really liked it
Favorite Quotes:

Pay no attention to Wendy… She missed the class on manners because she was attending two extra courses on personal intimidation.

The life force is running out of this room! I’ve been at funerals that had better vibrations than this.

We never got married because I’ve finally learned that if you have to bring the law into your personal relationships, then you’re doing it wrong.

One time he said to me, “You know, I had a great six-pack when I was young,” and I said to him, “Bragging about beer is so unbecoming for an old man.”

It’s like he’s a person who has his emotions in a safety deposit box somewhere, and he forgot where he put it.

My Review:

Matchmaking for Beginners was the second superbly written book of Maddie Dawson’s that I have had the pleasure of reading. It produced a near-constant smirk and frequent subvocal chuckling. I have a strong compulsion to stop everything and simply indulge in all the various publications of this woman’s clever and creative work as I reveled in her word skills. I adored her highly amusing, clever, and keenly crafted storylines from start to finish. Her quirky characters were each uniquely, inexplicably, and magnetically intriguing, even the villains.

The main character of Marnie was an oddly unobservant bubblehead who was all too easily tilted off the rails and careening towards ruin. While I may have wanted to give her a few smacks to the head with my Kindle, I also found her extraordinarily endearing and held my breath for her on numerous occasions. Ms. Dawson’s humor was well-honed, shiny, and crisp. I particularly enjoyed the witty exchanges between Marnie and Patrick, the “luminous” misanthropic hermit living in the dank basement. Sigh, more, please!

Tanya

Rating: really liked it
So here's the thing....sometimes you want a book that is sweet and lighthearted and with a happy ever after. It has been a long time since I read purely for fun.

And this book was sweet. Less lighthearted than I expected. It had a lost inheritance and lots of love and a "bad guy" and more than one good guy and you can't forget about the magic.

But, the reason I gave it 5 stars, is because I didn't expect to love two of the characters - Blix, and her lover, Houndry. Blix could have felt silly but she had such warmth and love written into her. And Houndry just exuded contentment.

I really like the motto of the book: Whatever happens, love that.

The world could use a little of that these days.

Bibi

Rating: really liked it

*2.5 stars*

My very first audible romance and the narrators, Amy McFadden and Joyce Bean, were pure joy to listen to; elevating the story from mundane to something quite remarkable.

Blurb
Marnie MacGraw wants an ordinary life—a husband, kids, and a minivan in the suburbs. Now that she’s marrying the man of her dreams, she’s sure this is the life she’ll get. Then Marnie meets Blix Holliday, her fiancé’s irascible matchmaking great-aunt who’s dying, and everything changes—just as Blix told her it would.

When her marriage ends after two miserable weeks, Marnie is understandably shocked. She’s even more astonished to find that she’s inherited Blix’s Brooklyn brownstone along with all of Blix’s unfinished “projects”: the heartbroken, oddball friends and neighbors running from happiness. Marnie doesn’t believe she’s anything special, but Blix somehow knew she was the perfect person to follow in her matchmaker footsteps.

And Blix was also right about some things Marnie must learn the hard way: love is hard to recognize, and the ones who push love away often are the ones who need it most.

Jill Urie

Rating: really liked it
ok. I wanted to love this. I really liked the idea of the plot. And ultimately that is what kept me reading. I wanted to know how it ended.

But I struggled with the writing. A lot. And I wouldn't say that I'm overly particular about that usually. But. It just felt amateur. The dialogue, especially, rubbed me the wrong way. It often felt completely implausible or stilted or a million other off-putting things.

Also. Marnie just annoyed me. Her name annoyed me. Her relationship with Noah? And Jeremy? Oi vey. She is just not a terribly likable character. And how the heck is she supposed to have a 'big life' when she is such a passive character!? She waits around for everything to just happen to her.

I will end my tirade there. I really wanted to like this. But I just couldn't.

Rachel

Rating: really liked it
Well, this was unexpectedly perfect and lovely.

This is ultimately a feel good story about an endearing woman named Marnie who has to struggle a bit to figure out who she is and where she wants to be. This self-discovery is strongly aided by a push from our other protagonist/POV, a charming elderly lady named Blix who sees herself in Marnie. There is also an inheritance of not just property in Brooklyn but really a second, quirky family of sorts. This is a book centered around love, but it’s love of all kinds. There are some complications and false starts. And while there is a bit of magic in the ability to read energy of people who are in love/meant to be in love, this is NOT a book about a career as a matchmaker. The book title kind of makes it sound that way, but it’s more about the central characters finding their way to happiness. I also like that some of the paths were messy. Some characters are dealing with obstacles like grief, infidelity, etc.

I was so excited to see there is a second book, I can’t wait to dive back into this world and experience more with these characters. Especially Patrick, I love him.

Chris

Rating: really liked it
An enchanting read with some magic forces at work, whether you believe them or not! The magic is not over the top; it consists of Blix Holliday, an elderly great aunt of Marnie’s fiancée, Noah. Noah once was a caring and loving nephew to his great Aunt Blix when he was very young; now he is an arrogant, immature, haughty, rude and absolutely spoiled young man.

When Blix first sees Marnie at the engagement party, there is an immediate connection between the two women and Blix calls Marnie over to introduce herself. The conversations and deep-connection between these two will continue whether they write to each other, see each other, or “messages/feelings” are conveyed to each other. Blix has told Marnie that she’s amazing and is powerful and is in line for a big, big life (whatever that is - read the book to find out!). That there are lots of surprises in store for her and that the universe is going to take her to great heights. Without giving away the story, there are for sure, lots of surprises in store, beginning immediately on leaving the engagement party. Blix “sees” this relationship is not going to go well but she’s rooting for Marnie and sending her positive messages through something like telepathy?

There was also discussion between them of being matchmakers, being able to see auras and seeing “sparkles” when two people are truly matched together. Blix had the ability to “coerce” their compatibility and Marnie kind of has it too. In time, Marnie recognizes and strengthens this ability. However (and unfortunately) it does not work on yourself so we experience her desperation, her bad love choices, her angst, her betrayal of her family, reuniting with her first love, her mistakes, her losses, her gains, her new friends, a new job, her new life, and in the end, a true love and feeling of belonging that she never could have imagined, without the magical help and insight of Blix and an understanding of herself.

I was somewhat irritated with some of Marnie’s bad decisions through the story. They were so obviously bad choices! I know it was meant to be - “part of the plan of the universe” - according to Blixx, for Marnie to go through it all and then “get it” and get to where she finally was meant to be in her life.

A good book and a nice light hearted read. I loved Blix; a free spirit and lover of all things, and a wise old woman who wanted some of her ways and means passed down to Marnie, to live on and be carried out into the future.

Nan

Rating: really liked it
This book started promising but unfortunately it went downhill from there, the protagonist is an immature, self-absorbed and a cheater on top of it all, she hurts this actual sweet guy twice and the hurt she causes in his life is dismissed as “he was too boring and now he can find his true love” but the thing is that there’s nothing more boring than her, she’s the least exciting person in the book, every other character is more interesting and complex than her. My feelings about this book can be described with the good and old “disappointed but not surprised”!!

Marilyn Rothstein

Rating: really liked it
Fantastic fun, fabulously well-written

I loved this delightful, honey of a novel and recommend it to all. Maddie Dawson, thank you for the entertainment, the escape as well as your knowing commentary on life and love.