195 reviews for:

Match Me If You Can

Swati Hegde

3.39 AVERAGE

_emileereads's review against another edition

3.0

Match Me If You Can

3/5 ⭐️

You will like this book if you enjoy;
•frenemies to lovers
•slow burn
•closed door spice

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC opportunity to read this book!

This FMC was hard to connect with, she was very obtuse, self absorbed, and unrelatable. Horrible communication until rhe end —- but I’m glad I pushed through to see MMC get the HEA he deserves, I did not leave this story feeling satisfied with how it went down. It fell flat, and felt like it was glorifying poor communication and treating your partner badly.

This is a quick, shorter read that has no explicit or raunchy scenes.

nina_chan01's review against another edition

3.0

Jia Deshpande works at a fashionable women's magazine writing articles that she never agrees with but can stand thanks to the blog she anonymously writes in response to them. It's her dream to become a matchmaker and she hopes to get the magazine to run a column where she helps readers find their match, yet her boss won't even consider it unless she can prove she's a capable matchmaker. Meanwhile, Jia's longtime friend, Jaiman Patil, is struggling to keep his pub running despite the empty seats and red in the ledgers. He's also madly in love with Jia even though she ran away from him the one time he mustered up the courage to kiss her and then demanded that they never talk about it.

It's not bad but it's also something that I've read a ton of times before. I think a big part of what saved it from being completely forgettable is the unique setting of Mumbai instead of the typical New York or American city. I also appreciated all the little cultural details that Hegde includes because it really helps you dive into the story.
Jia is a strong and confident woman, but that strength comes out feeling a bit like bullying when she bulldozes people into doing what she wants because she's convinced she knows better. It makes her a bit unlikeable so it took me a while to really warm up to her as the lead, but Jaiman is such a sweetheart that he's the reason I kept waiting for Jia to show her more positive side.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Dell for the interesting read!

syndi3's review against another edition

 DNF

The story is not appealing to me. First few chapters, it has Emma vibe. The name and the relationship between characters are confusing and too much. 

librosymas's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

_gracecvkohl's review against another edition

4.0

how i read 98% of this book without realizing it’s an Emma retelling is beyond me and, quite frankly, a humbling experience.

I absolutely adored Match Me If You Can! It was fun, flirty with a great amount of pining, a vibrant cast of characters and an amazing use of dual POV.

Jaiman was the perfect book boyfriend, while still being a real person with flaws and depth. Jia was a touch annoying (which makes sense, given the Emma retelling and Emma's overall low-key annoying traits) while still being a baddie with a clear vision and actual self worth (something I've found to be lacking with many FMCs so loved that).

This book was perfectly paced, such a blast and genuinely so much fun. I haven't read any books that are set in Mumbai, so I was enthralled with the culture and overall vibe of the setting. Overall: I adored this book. It is a wonderful debut from the author, Swati Hegde, and I am so looking forward to reading more of their work!

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Random House Publishing, and Swati Hegde for the ARC!

shibanifaehnle's review against another edition

4.0

✅ Emma, but set in current day Mumbai
✅ Gia writes listicles for a lifestyle magazine (and is trying to launch a matchmaking column) and her childhood friend Jaiman owns a pub. Both are in their mid/late 20s
✅ dual POV
✅ friends to lovers 
 🌶️: no. All off page.

sarahpie626's review against another edition

3.0

Match Me If You Can is a friends to lovers, slow burn romance between magazine writer Jia and pub owner Jaiman.

I struggled with the pacing on this one. Although I love a slow burn romance, I found myself getting bored at times. And I didn't care for Jia's selfish behavior.

All in all, I thought it was a solid debut and I'm looking forward to the next book from Swati Hegde.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dell for receiving an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

moonandstars24's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

cozy_soul_reads's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Non-Spoiler Review 

📍Book Tropes ⬇️

❤️ Friends to lovers 
💌 Anonymous pen pals
🇮🇳🌏 Set in Mumbai
🫑 He cooks & fell first 
📚 Funny FMC
✨️ Banter
✒️ Blogger FMC

~~~~
🌅 My Favorite Qoutes 🌅

"Maybe falling in love wasn't a choice, but working on nurturing that love within a relationship absolutely was."

💌 "if you decide There is only one perfect soulmate out there for you who'll love you so much there'll never be arguments, then this distorted idea of love will keep you from giving a relationship your all abd growing with your partner as you disagree, fight and fall deeper in love. Your future partner becomes "The One" for you when you decide they are, when you commit to them despite their shortcomings because you want them around even on their bad days- even when they're cranky and hungry, even when they're unemployed, even when they're battling cancer. You choose "The one" for you, and you continue To make that choice for the rest of your life." 


~~~~~

🦋 My Review 🦋

I fell in love with the slow burn friends to lovers romance between Jia & Jaiman. Jia's family brings warmth in this vulnerable contemporary romance that reminded me so much of the 1998 film You've Got Mail (which came out the same year I was born!)

I loved how Jia's secret blog "love better with J!" I also loved the sense of found family between Jaiman and Jia's family. I also adored Jaiman's creative side & passion for his pub, creating a cozy space and mixology! I adored the description of the cocktails and how Jaiman made the whipped rose inspired by the scent of Jia! The matchmaking element of the story reminded me of Emma & the way Jia is so unaware of the MMC's feelings reminds me a little of the 90s rom coms I grew up with. 

Did i mention theres blog posts between chapters?? Genius! 


🚨 Trigger warning: Mention of death of a parent due to cancer 

maya1134's review against another edition

funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75