3.5 stars
TW; gaslighting, toxic family members, foreigner prejudice, side characters having a physical fight

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

This is a good read if you want to escape your current location and travel inside a book. I've never been to Vietnam before, and I enjoyed the author's way of making the reader feel as if they too were eating the local cuisine and taking a holiday in such a gorgeous place. The atmosphere of the setting was done very well and was the perfect backdrop.

However, I admit to not fully getting invested in either main character, and their chemistry was rather weak. At points, it felt like something more substantial would happen to Evie or Adam on this journey, but it remained on the surface level for too long, and when the author did dive deeper into the romance, it lacked connection.

The side characters on Adam's side of things were really toxic and made for an uncomfortable reading experience. I understand some actions come from cultural practices and familial expectations. However, it still felt off-putting at times to read it, especially due to timing when things between Evie and Adam were evolving.

I did love the female friend Evie made on the trip, her addition to this book was amazing, and I'd love to read from her perspective in another book. I appreciated her women empowering women approach, and the connection Evie made with her was far superior to the one with Adam.

Overall, I enjoyed the vibes, the world setting, and some of the more light-hearted, romantic elements. This book may not fit me as a reader as well as I hoped, but I can see many enjoying this tale, and finding some relevance and comfort in Adam and Evie's journey.

I have to admit at the start I was very confused by the two different personalities of Evie, however, the longer I kept reading, the more I understood why and how and everything made sense.
This book is a wonderful joy to read, a great way to feed ones wanderlust because the characters go on an incredible journey through Vietnam and I enjoyed reading about the places, sights and history.

4.5 🌟
What a fun twist on a romcom!
This is my first book by Nora Nguyen -and her debut fiction book I think- and I really loved the ease of her writing. The premise of the book is simple but fun and not lacking emotion.
I loved the slow burn between Adam and Evie. The hesitation they had for each other which turned into this undeniable connection and attraction for one another, but also a great deal of respect and adoration.
Nora uses imagery in such a way that really enhances the setting of the book and encapsulates the Vietnamese culture. Her writing creating a clear picture of the sights the characters are experiencing.
There’s banter, spice and a gentle romance. This is one for slow burn fans who love yearning and layered stories.

Thank you to Quercus for inviting me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a refreshing, easy going standout in what can be quite a overcrowded genre. Evie is a fledgling college professor and poet who is struggling to quite get off the ground after a long break after her first successful collection of poetry. To add to this, she is fired by her own boyfriend and her favourite aunt passes.

In exchange for inheriting her aunt's stunning San Francisco home, Evie must go on a matchmaking tour. Not necessarily to find a man, but to take the trip of a lifetime she had always planned to with her aunt to Vietnam. There she meets Adam, the Chief Finance Officer of the tour company and logical numbers man.

This was a really fun time. It definitely left me wanting to travel to Vietnam myself, and I really wanted Adam and Evie to succeed.

There were perhaps slightly too many obstacles to be able to reasonably overcome for the length of the book, but it was nonetheless a joy to read and definitely one I would recommend to others.

Evie’s aunt dies leaving her San Francisco house, the only trouble is the clause is she must attend a Matchmaking Tour in Vietnam in the next 3 months. When Evie personal life goes into a spin she has nothing to loose, at least it’s a chance to visit her home country.
Adam’s sister owns the Matchmaking business, he’s the CMO but his sister thinks sending him on the first tour will help him get a better understanding of the business, it’s the last thing Adam wants since his last relationship failed.
Once on tour Evie and Adam keep finding themselves drawn into situations together but I found myself more drawn to the descriptions of Vietnam which so very good rather than any blossoming relationship between them, I didn’t connect or feel the chemistry between them.
Thank you NetGalley, Nora Nguyen and Quercus Books for this ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

In Nora Nguyen’s 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘷𝘪𝘦’𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘰𝘶𝘳, the reserved, workaholic CMO of the Vietnam-based matchmaking and travel company Love Yêu and a free-spirited, creative Asian-American client butt heads as the tour group takes in the magnificent sights of Vietnam. While I found the novel to be nicely written with great setting descriptions and interesting characters, I felt disconnected from the story. Romances are meant to draw you in with the chemistry of the two leads, but I wasn’t hooked by Adam and Evie’s banter or romantic potential. Though there is an instant physical attraction between the two, they almost stubbornly cling to bad first impressions and misassumption of each other. Their particular brand of “opposites attract” and “enemies to lovers” may be interesting to other readers but it just wasn’t for me.
Although I loved the cultural aspects of this novel, I'm unsure that because I'm not immersed in that culture myself, it hindered my opinion on some of the situations between our two mains or not.

Evie has lived with loss. Her father died when she was younger, leaving evie with just her mother who becomes distant in depression. Evie spent summers with her late fathers sister and they have always been really close. When her auntie died she left her huge house to evie with one stipulation. She has to go on a matchmaking tour in Vietnam, where her father is from, to see her roots. She doesn't have to fall in love, she just has to experience Vietnam and be open to the idea.

I have very mixed feelings.

I started off very indifferent towards it. Then I really got into the story and the characters. Then I got put off with some of the text used and things that happened and to be honest I was a bit bored in the end. This is very hard for me because I genuinely rooted for the story and loved the idea of it. For me personally I didn't love the ending. It just felt like any other story. The start and middle was great though.

I really want to go to Vietnam so in that aspect, I loved reading about all the different places as I felt I was there. From all the food that was described to the caves and lakes, it sounded incredible. Some of the side characters were pretty funny too. Fen was definitely a favourite.

🤍

"This is why we don't let ourselves get too entangled with men, Pie. They're useful for a good time, but ultimately disappointing."

"I don't think you know what I want. In fact, I think you might be a little scared of what I want."

"My balls are sweating."
"You don't have balls,"' 
"Metaphorical ones. My metaphorical balls are the biggest ones here, and today, they are the hottest."

When I started reading this book I was expecting a cute summer romance, but it was way more than that! I loved the story and the way it was written. Nora did a wonderful job in describing the Vietnamese landscapes, so much so that I really felt like I was travelling with the two main characters. This book contains important topics such as loss, but it never gets to "depressing" or boring. The author really did an amazing job!

Evie Lang’s life is in shambles. On the heels of losing her beloved aunt, she's unceremoniously fired from her poetry professorship by her secret boyfriend. Lacking income and inspiration, she's stuck in Ohio with no idea how to move forward—until hope arrives in a surprising letter.

Auntie Hảo left Evie the deed to her San Francisco row house, a place full of Evie’s happiest memories. The catch? To inherit, she must go on a pre-arranged matchmaking tour in Việt Nam. The last thing Evie wants is to spend time with a group of strangers looking for love. But she can't resist the chance to finally visit her family’s native home.

I thought this was a sweet read. I liked the diversity of the main characters and that the wasn’t a Eurocentric read but instead included some different cultures which was interesting.

The descriptions of the locations are beautiful and I could really picture where events were happening.

The couple were sweet and nice to read about although I didn’t feel particularly invested in them.

I think this was a perfect holiday read

Upon hearing the news of her aunt’s death, Evie has been left a gorgeous house in the heart of San Francisco and that she could sell and be set for life. The catch? She has to join a matchmaking tour in Vietnam, where her father is from. She doesn’t even have to fall in love, but to give it a chance and enjoy a free trip!

Bubbly and extroverted Evie meets grumpy Adam, CMO of his sister’s matchmaking company and here is where spark flies. Flirty banter. Heat and attraction against the steamy Vietnamese sun.

I really hope this one gets the same amount of love as How To End a Love Story cause tbh I enjoyed it a lot more 🤭 The nuances between an American born vs Vietnamese born living in motherland, the culture, languages and history. I loved the detailed descriptions of Vietnam, it’s more than just a holiday destination or a backdrop — it’s a character in itself. Both protagonists are struggling in their respective fields but very career driven. They have fraught relationships with their parents. When Evie’s father passed away, her and her mother drifted apart and neither really spoke about how his death impacted them. Whereas, for Adam, he owes everything to his parents and must fulfil his duties to repay them back, even when it comes to who he marries.

It’s a little bit enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine, forced proximity but I would have liked a bit more of the falling in love.

It gets a bit troupey at the end with the whole rich Viet family doesn’t approve of American born wild child. Also Evie’s personality was a bit inconsistent. But everything ties itself up in a neat little bow at the end!

This is such a delightful and fresh romance 🥰

Adam and Evie find themselves on a matchmaking tour in Vietnam. Adam is a workaholic, struggling with the weight of his parents’ expectations. He works with his sister Ruby and they go on their start up’s first matchmaking tour, where he meets Evie. Evie is Vietnamese American and has been sent on the luxury tour by her late Aunty. It’s slow burn, opposites attract as they navigate all the things and find a way to be together. There’s plenty of pining and delicious steam 🌶🌶

I adored that Vietnam is so lovingly depicted - all the places that they visited were utterly gorgeous. From street markets to waterfalls, beaches, temples, restaurants - just fabulous 😎 The food was amazing, and along with other people and experiences on the tour, added colour and drama in a way that felt natural and interesting. Vietnam is on my travel 'TBR' for sure!

Adam’s parents provide the villains and his sister Ruby meddles as she navigates her own problems.

Adam made sense to me - I could relate to him and empathise with his family issues. Evie was all over the place. A poet and junior academic, she felt younger than she was and had a kind of impetuous flakiness that didn’t work for me. Luckily Adam adored her and they managed to create a really satisfying HEA together.

Thank you Nora Nguyen, NetGalley and Quercus Books for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

I loved the premise of this book & how the author vividly described the setting. It was my favorite part of the book. The author's passion for Vietnam shone through. However, I found that the storyline didn't captivate me as much as I hoped. At certain points, it seemed like the author was trying to incorporate too many clichéd romantic elements - such as forced proximity, enemies to lovers, grumpy x sunshine - which didn't feel genuine given the short amount of time the characters spent together.
I would still recommend for people who are after an easy read.

★★★
———————
I want to thank NetGalley and Quercus Books for the opportunity to review this book.

I loved reading about Vietnam and imagining I was there. The date locations all sound amazing and I am totally here for that. I absolutely loved the friendships Evie was making and actually found myself more invested in these than in the romance which was ok but not the focus for me

I think this was a it's-not-you-it's-me problem. I don't really love insta-love stories and I think it ended up having an impact on how I enjoyed this story. The writing was not bad and I actually enjoyed the side characters, but all throughout the book I kept feeling something was missing. As much as I loved reading about Vietnam and its culture, I think how things ended for Evie didn't make much sense for the overall story. It was fine, but it was just it.

I thought this book did a really wonderful job of showcasing Viet Nam and all its wonders. I thought the premise of the book was great and there were moments of brilliance throughout. However I found myself more invested in the friendships Evie was creating than the relationship that she was building with Adam. It didn’t feel like there was any buildup between them and that their attraction to one another was immediate and then didn’t really grow and there was so much space for this to happen. I also felt like the ending was a little bit rushed.

Okay, so I want to go on a tour in Vietnam now! Not a matchmaking tour, as I'm sure my husband might have something to say, but this book has just made me want to see so many places!

Seeped in culture, romance, and witty banter, Adam and Evie's matchmaking tour was filled with likeable characters, beautiful scenery, and food descriptions that honestly made me hungry just reading about them.

One of my favourite characters was Fen, hilarious and lovable, always ready with some sage advice and witty banter. I'd love to read a book about her and Mei's ongoing adventures!

I liked how the romance wasn't instant. There was a build-up between characters to create chemistry, and the spice wasn't over the top but was nicely done.

All in all, for an easy, light, quick read, I'd recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via Netgalley.

As someone who reads a lot of romance and rom-coms this book felt very mid. The writing is not as polished (even for a debut novel), the banter is unimpressive, the insta-love was too forced and unbelievable and overall story a bit too cheesy. What I liked though was the setting, the Vietnamese representation and beautiful descriptions of real places.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Adam and Evie's Matchmaking Tour" definitely had a captivating premise that drew me in right away. I mean, the idea of a matchmaking tour in Vietnam? Plus, the cover was beautiful and gave off romantic adventure vibes. But, once I got into it, I quickly realized the execution just didn’t live up to that initial promise. It felt rushed, like I was skimming through the story instead of being immersed in it. And the insta-love? Yeah, that totally killed it for me. It’s hard to buy into the love story when Adam and Evie go from strangers to head-over-heels without any real buildup. There wasn’t enough depth in their conversations to make me believe their bond was anything more than physical attraction, which the author tried to pass off as love.

The whole tour itself, which I think lasted about three or four weeks, just didn’t give them enough time to develop the kind of relationship the author wanted us to believe they had. I found it hard to connect with their romance when the focus seemed to be more on how they looked at each other rather than any real emotional connection.

On a brighter note, I did enjoy the bits about Vietnamese culture. It was a fresh perspective for me since I don’t know much about it, and reading about some iconic landmarks was a nice touch. I also appreciated how the author brought in themes of heritage, legacy, and the differences between cultures. The perspectives on grief were thoughtful too. But honestly, Evie’s chaotic life kind of overshadowed all of that for me. It was like her personal mess sucked the air out of what could have been a deeper exploration of Vietnamese traditions and culture.

By the end, I did get a slight sense of growth, but I can’t say I really saw Adam or Evie evolve throughout the book. They just kind of stayed the same, which made the whole insta-love thing feel even more unbelievable. And don’t even get me started on the matchmaking company—it seemed like a complete disaster. I get that everyone deserves love, but the fact that they were only interested in wealthy clients? That felt super off to me.

The writing itself was easy to follow, and the author did manage to touch on some important themes like grief, forbidden love, and self-discovery. But with so much going on, it felt like none of these ideas got the attention they deserved. Everything was crammed in, which made the book feel unfocused, you know?

All in all, I think there were some good elements here, but it just didn’t come together in a way that worked for me. Not every book is for every reader, and unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Quercus Books, and the author, Nora Nguyen, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Evie is a poet who’s unexpectedly fired from her professorship. Her aunt has recently died, and for Evie to inherit her house in San Francisco, she has to go on a matchmaking tour in Việt Nam.

Adam is the CMO of his sister’s matchmaking company, and his sister challenges him to participate in the matchmaking tour himself to better communicate what makes the company so special.

Although Adam and Evie have a rough start, their chemistry is beyond comparison. Are they a perfect match, even though they are very different on paper?

Adam and Evie’s matchmaking tour is a fun holiday read that had me hooked from the very first page. I was unable to put the book down and finished it in a single day!

All the characters are interesting, and the explicit scenes are well-written. Between the hot moments, there is a meaningful plot to follow, and the stunning setting in Việt Nam and the exploration of the characters' cultural backgrounds set the novel apart from other romance books.

While I enjoyed the book a lot, the main characters’ actions felt a bit unrealistic at times, and their character development seemed somewhat uneven. While the conclusions they came to made sense, their journeys to get there weren’t very well-paced. Sometimes, it felt like their realizations came out of the blue, which lessened their emotional impact.

All in all, the book was a good time, and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a holiday read with a less common setting!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review tis ARC of Adam and Eve's Matchmaking Tour by Nora Nguyen.

I went into this book with high hopes on a summer romance, but there were times where I struggled to fully engage in the book.
I feel it had nothing to do with the book itself, I think it was more of a personal thing with me not fully engaging, because when I was engaged I thoroughly loved what I was reading.

I think I need to reread this book again to fully and completely enjoy it in its fullest compacity.