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A review by booglelooreads
Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde
1.0
BIPOC Romance Retelling of Austen's Emma in which a young magazine writer in Mumbai, India must prove her matchmaking skills and contend with her growing feelings for her close family friend.
1/5 stars: This is Hegde's debut novel that takes place in Mumbai, India that is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma about a magazine writer who'd rather be matchmaking than writing clickbait “relationship” articles for a popular periodical sets out to prove her matchmaking skills. But things don't go smoothly and she's also contending with her growing feelings for her close family friend, a struggling pub owner. Not only is Hegde's writing well done but the character work is excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Jia and Jaiman are great, very Emma and Knightly but both are dealing with very modern issues. I very much appreciated that this was set in Mumbai and that it celebrates all things Indian, including great food, traditional dress and the Diwali holiday. Jia and Jaiman's romance is swoony but there are no OPS scenes. And while there are plenty of sweet and humorous moments, Hegde does tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, Emma's my least favorite of Austen's novels. I loved Jai and Jaiman's relationship but I really didn't like how Jai was using her matchmaking for personal gain; leading me to DNF it at 49%. I will be trying this author again in the future.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dell in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.
1/5 stars: This is Hegde's debut novel that takes place in Mumbai, India that is a retelling of Jane Austen's Emma about a magazine writer who'd rather be matchmaking than writing clickbait “relationship” articles for a popular periodical sets out to prove her matchmaking skills. But things don't go smoothly and she's also contending with her growing feelings for her close family friend, a struggling pub owner. Not only is Hegde's writing well done but the character work is excellent; the characters are well-rounded, complex and yet remain likable. Jia and Jaiman are great, very Emma and Knightly but both are dealing with very modern issues. I very much appreciated that this was set in Mumbai and that it celebrates all things Indian, including great food, traditional dress and the Diwali holiday. Jia and Jaiman's romance is swoony but there are no OPS scenes. And while there are plenty of sweet and humorous moments, Hegde does tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, Emma's my least favorite of Austen's novels. I loved Jai and Jaiman's relationship but I really didn't like how Jai was using her matchmaking for personal gain; leading me to DNF it at 49%. I will be trying this author again in the future.
I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House, Dell in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.