✫✫✫

As someone with Irish roots, I was so excited to see a story representing a place that means a lot to me. This book takes place in a small Irish town, being overrun by the building of a giant hotel that is destroying this little place that is so magical to its' residents. In the process of trying to put an end to at least some of the madness happening due to the building of this hotel, Katie takes it upon herself to revive an old Matchmaking festival, in hopes that the tradition they once had, will help to cease the tearing down of a place she holds near and dear to her.

We do see a romantic element here, with one of the men who runs the construction site, Callum. As far as the idea of this book goes, it had a lot of promise but the romance is overall where the story did fall short for me. Katie and Callum had so few, and short, interactions before they're somehow head over heels for each other. It felt like insta love, but even with that, it felt like they didn't even have enough of a connection.

The first half of the book felt like a lot of filler. Some background info, which is of course important, but a lot of things happening that didn't feel super pertinent to the story.

I really enjoy the author's writing style and will absolutely be checking out more books in the future, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me, it just wasn't my favorite. And that's A-OK in my mind and still certainly worth the read!!

It was a fast, easy read and still worth checking out!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Catherine Walsh, and Bookouture for an Advance Copy of this book. The publish date for this book is April 18, 2023, make sure to check it out!

2.75/5

It's a bit of an unpopular opinion, but I can't say I loved this book. I really wanted to, and it had potential, but it wasn't for me.

I felt it was just okay. The romance took the backseat to the festival and I felt Katie's character could've been so great-but wasn't. I struggled with the pacing too, it took me a lot longer than expected to read it.

It just fell a bit flat for me, but others are loving it.

Tropes you may love:
Small town
He falls first

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A quick easy read. Great for people into cozy romances. I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately I struggled with the writing and found it difficult to relate to the characters. However, I've never read a book set in Ireland before and I loved seeing that! A refreshing change from a small town romance set in America. I do own Holiday Romance and am still excited to read that one! Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC!

Really really cute concept but I wasn't a massive fan of the execution. The single POV made it difficult to connect with Callum at all; I felt like I didn't really get to know him very well. This ultimately impacted the chemistry he had with Katie; I had a clear understanding of her personality and motives but felt disconnected from Callum. I also had some issues with the pacing of the book, it takes place over the course of a few months but feels like it's flying past events to get to the festival at the halfway point only to draw out the three-day event for almost the entire second half. Gemma and Adam really saved this one for me, I was invested in their budding relationship and enjoyed seeing that side story play out throughout the book. Overall the side characters were well thought out and definitely gave the book the feel of a small town that looks after each other like family.

Set in rural small town Ennisbaum, Ireland, Katie was happy with her life. One rough morning as construction started wreaking havoc near her changed everything... Katie will do whatever she can to prevent a development company from taking over the town including the bar near and dear to her heart, where her parents met during a matchmaking festival. The direction she takes lays in on the line for the bar and future for the town, and for her too.

This was a cute read with fun characters. It's fast paced with memorable scenes. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

“You told me once that Kelly’s was your favorite place in the world. Well, you’re mine. You’re mine and I’ll go where you go. For as long as you want me to, I’ll be right there with you.”

A new development team Glenmill are building a new hotel in the small town of Ennisbaw, Ireland and the townspeople are afraid that this will ruin the heart and soul of their town. Katie is determined to save her local pub from Glenmill, no matter what it takes. This included organizing a Matchmaking festival in hopes to gain enough publicity and local support to stop Glenmill from acquiring the pub.

Star rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️
Tropes: Small town romance, enemies-to-lovers

Things I enjoyed:
- There was a plot to the story, and it wasn't entirely focused on the romance aspect
- The characters were realistic, imperfections and all
- The FMC was not constantly described as short throughout the book (big pet peeve of mine)
- Good character development including all side characters
- Fairy rings!!!

Things I did not enjoy:
- The insta-love aspect of the main character and her love interest. The to main characters chemistry did not stand out to me. If they were a real couple, I wouldn't expect them to last longer than a year. They had been dating maybe a few days when Callum makes a bold proclamation that he will go wherever she goes, anywhere in the world. While I thought the line was cute, I was rolling my eyes because they JUST started dating. Totally unrealistic! I was more excited about one of the side characters finding her romantic interest at the festival than I was when Katie and Callum finally got together.

Unfortunately, this book was not a match for me. I liked it enough to keep reading but did not enjoy it as much as I expected. I rated this a 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

I loved this book so much! I really didn’t know what it was about when I started reading it, but I quickly was obsessed! The characters are well developed, and I couldn’t help but love them all!

Such a sweet book. You know they're gonna fall for each other but there are so many obstacles in their way! Charming and funny and relatable. Really enjoyed it.

I thought this book was funny and light hearted. With her small town village on the verge of being commercialized, Katie Collins will do anything to assure the town she grew up in can keep its charming qualities and locations. Even if it means finding a way to revive the once famous matchmaking festival. This leads to her having constant run-ins with the construction company and becoming well acquainted with one worker, Callum.
I loved the plot of this story but everything else fell short for me. I didn’t really buy into Kate and Callum’s story and the development of their relationship. The pacing of everything just felt slow yet too quick, I wish I would’ve gotten a view of them away from putting on the festival.

I received an ARC copy of The Matchmaker by Catherine Walsh in return for an honest review. Everything that I write here is completely my own thoughts and opinions. Before I start though I do want to take a moment to thank Netgalley and Catherine Walsh for a chance to read this book before it is released to the public.

I wanted to read the newest book by Catherine Walsh because I absolutely loved the two Christmas books I read by her in the past. I am happy to say that this new book was not a disappointment and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a cozy rom-com that takes place in a small town in Ireland.

This is the story of Katie a strong-willed twenty-something willing to take on the big bad construction company that wants to take over her sleepy little town and destroy everything that she loves. She has lived in this town for as long as she can remember and it is the place where her parents met and fell in love. Katie's life revolves around taking care of her granny, her friends, and her beloved place of employment Kelly's Pub. One of the special things about this town is the Wishing Well which is located right outside of the pub where she works. It is a place where people go to make all kinds of wishes including wishes for love. Her parents once long ago carved their initials into this very same well so it really holds a special place in Katies's heart. You see her parents were killed in a car accident when she was only five years old and so she was raised by her granny. The accident did have an impact on Katie beyond losing her parents however it also has caused terrible anxiety in her especially when it comes to driving or riding in cars. So needless to say she sticks close to home.

Katie is fed up and sleep deprived which may be a terrible combo when she decides to stand up to this company. Throughout the book, you see Jack the boss of the Glenmill crew, and Katie going at it. I found the bickering to be entertaining and the coldness of Jack to be frustrating. Needless to say, it all comes to a front when Jack decides he is going to demolish her beloved workplace and the Well. Katie manages to get Jack to agree to give her some time so that she can get The Matchmaking Festival up and running again. She hopes it will bring people to town which in turn might get the local papers and news stations involved. It is her hope that this might save her little town. Jack only agrees because he doesn't think it will work and he still plans to destroy the pub. The question is will it work? Will she save the town?

Lets not forget though that this is also a rom-com. It is in my opinion an enemy-to-lovers type of situation for the main characters. I enjoyed their banter and best of all the way they met. I am not going to say to much about it because I do not want to give things away. I will say though that they never would have met if it wasn't for Glenmill coming to town.

The side characters I also found to be entertaining in this story. They had some depth to them which had me rooting for them as well. I also loved that the romance in this book was not just focused on two characters but multiple characters which made me happy. Oh and I can not forget to mention that Katie's granny had me giggling throughout the book with her bluntness and how stubborn she could be. I would say that all in all I enjoyed this story and will continue to read books by Catherine Walsh.

Trigger Warning:
Parental Death
Absent Parent

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What happens when a construction company starts working in your small town and threatens to destroy the pub that you work in? Well, you bring back The Matchmaking Festival to show them that the pub and small town are not to be messed with!

We meet Katie, a 29 year old woman who grew up in the small town of Ennisbawn in Ireland. Katie has had enough of all of the noise coming from the construction crew, so she decides to sneak into the construction site to give them a piece of her mind, only to be introduced to Callum, the project manager.

This story was cute! The ultimate small town romance. I loved that the story wasn’t just strictly based on the romance between Katie and Callum, they formed a friendship first which turned into something more. Their banter was too notch and even though we didn’t get Callum’s POV, I still enjoyed it! I loved seeing Katie’s relationships with everyone in the town. This was such a comfort read 🥰

My first Catherine Walsh was The Holiday Romance, which made me swoon. When I saw this book on NetGalley I was stoked. My two favorite things are getting early reads of authors I love, or binge-reading an authors entire backlist. So this was my second Catherine Walsh. I still intend to binge her backlist, which is a good sign.

This was an adorable small town romance, almost as great as a hallmark movie. There is a small under current of grief, and hardship, but it doesn’t dim the sunshine in the book.

What I loved: the slow burn between Gemma and the man she meets at the matchmaking festival, there is small town trying to save themselves against the evil corporation, Katie spreads herself too thin (don’t we all feel that way at times?? Super relatable.) There wasn’t a third act break up.

What I didn’t love: Callum’s brother— although if you want a redemption arc book I’m good with it, especially after what happens in the end. The driving anxiety— completely made sense, great complexity, but it just annoyed me.

Overall rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level: 🌶️

This book was truly such a delight. 4.5 stars rounding up to 5, because this book put a smile on my face throughout.

I loved Katie--the witty heroine/bartender at the local pub in Ennisbawn. She's charming, fearless, and self-aware, and the type of leading lady you find yourself rooting for throughout the book. The love interest, Callum, is my favorite kind of book boyfriend. He's loyal, sweet, obviously exceptionally good with his hands, and has a body like an Irish/Greek god.

This is my first book written by Catherine Walsh. I adore her writing style and the quick banter between all of the town residents. I found myself falling in love with the town of Ennisbawn through each chapter of rapid-fire retorts and relationship building. Seeing the town team up to take on the big bad man of capitalism felt a little like a Hallmark trope, but didn't diminish the love I have for this book and these characters.

My one negative(s) is that I would have liked to see more of the relationship building between Katie and Callum.. Their love connection was pretty immediate and chemistry is off the charts, but I would have enjoyed seeing more one-on=one time between the two of them.

Looking forward to my next Catherine Walsh book! Can't recommend this one enough.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and the authors way with words.

What I liked: the setting, the amount of description the author uses isn’t too much or too little, the characters all have defining differences. The premise of helping to save something was well written.

What I didn’t like: there wasn’t much, the romantic spice was placed uniquely in the book and not along the lines you’d expect, but it was still good and fit the novel overall.

Thank you NetGalley for the copy of this book, I enjoyed getting introduced to Catherine Walsh, she is one I will definitely be reading more of.

4⭐️!! This was exactly what I expect from Catherine Walsh! Her ability to write dialogue that makes the characters feel real is my favorite thing about her books. The conversations all the side characters had made me feel like I was actually listening in on real conversations. This story has such a great cast of side characters as well. The only reason I’m removing a star is because at times I felt like we got more from the side characters than the romantic interest, who was swooooony. I really wanted to see more of Katie and Callum together developing their relationship. Callum and Katie did feel like a perfect match, though. I highly recommend this enemies to lovers story! Thank you to the publisher, Catherine Walsh, and NetGalley for this ARC.

I loved Holiday Romance, the first book by Catherine Walsh I've read, so I was excited to dive into The Matchmaker, and it was amazing! The plot was so interesting, as well as the development of Katie and Callum's relationship, he would literally do anything for her, and I loved their moments together a lot! The secondary characters were also endearing, especially Adam and Gemma, and their own little love story in the book 🥺 Overall, this was a cute and feel-good rom-com, and I can't wait to read more of this author's work, as her writing instantly pulls me into the story until the very last page!

This book was so cute! Love the small town setting, the enemies to lovers trope and loved the different characters. Plus who doesn’t love Ireland!!

This is the charming story of how the inhabitants of Irish small town Ennisbawn (somewhat reluctantly) rise up against a bully developer to save their town pub by restarting the annual Matchmaking festival.

The characters were generally likeable and while it was a cute story with some hallmark vibes it didn’t have quite the same spark as Holiday Romance.

My favourite part of The Matchmaker was definitely the atmosphere. The small town heart, descriptions of Kelly’s bar, the festival, wishing well and the history - all perfect.

The romance element wasn’t my favourite. It was an insta-love situation, and seemed immediately intense without the characters having really shown why they were so in love with each other.

This is one for lovers of small towns and atmospheric settings all wrapped up with a grumpy sunshine bow.

Thank you Bookouture ans Netgalley for this arc. Catherine Walsh is my autobuy author but it is always nice to receive an arc.
The story is happening in a small town. It was a slow burn and quite interesting seeing how the instant secret atraction would work out. It was also about family and family bussiness and traditions. Lovely and tender. I loved the characters so much, you get an instant connection and you can not leave them.

3.5 🌟 (rounded up)

The story started off great. Fantastic setting in a small irish town, the characters and the premise were promising.

And while I absolutely loved the story about the festival, the battle of the small town community against the big corporation, the romance fell flat for me, unfortunately. To me it felt forced. I just didn't get to experience that spark and belly flutter feeling I had during Holiday Romance.

That said, apart from the romance the story kept me turning the pages, the humour was on point and had me laugh out loud. So while I missed the big love emotions I still enjoyed the rest and will keep reading Cat Walsh's books!!