This had all the ingredients of a book that would be a 5 star read for me -- Irish setting, comedic dynamic, and small town vibes, but overall it just didn't quite hit for me. The chemistry between Callum and Katie just didn't quite spark for me, and the pacing felt a little off. It was still a fun and enjoyable read, but didn't quite wow me as much as I had hoped.

Really enjoyed the book!!!



"Thank you so much netgalley, the author and the publisher for the advanced review copy if this book💗
"I voluntarily read and reviewed the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Cute story, predictable, but in a good way. A fun read that makes me want to find a little Irish village to visit.

This was a decent read and had Walsh's cute writing style but I didn't love this plot as much as her others. I liked the romance but the evil corporation and small town feel was very Hallmarky. If that's up your ally then I definitely recommend!

All of Catherine's books hit the mark on being a cute, feel-good romance story. They always have the best main and side characters, along with just being an overall well rounded book. This book was like that for me. Katie and Callum were very fun and also had depth to their own storylines. But we also got that with Adam, Gemma, and even Jack! I love a small-town romance where the small-town is rallying against a big corporation. It really brings out those small-town feelings of community, generosity, and kindness. Callum and Katie were also a bit of a slow burn but it worked really well alongside the main plot. I thought that they were super fun together and also had fun banter.

I love Courtney’s writing. The only thing I wish we had a little more of was a tension between Callum and Katie. But I did like that they were pretty communicative with each other.

Catherine Walsh is officially one of my autobuy authors. I have loved everything she has put out and The Matchmaker was no exception. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect and the banter was so great. I fell in love with all of the characters in this book and just had a fun time reading it. Would absolutely recommend.

4 stars!

I will read literally anything Catherine Walsh writes. I adored "The Matchmaker" so, so much. I have a feeling that a large portion of readers may not buy into main characters Katie and Callum's insta-love... and I don't really know what to say about that, I just swooned so hard reading this! I was rapt by their sizzling chemistry. From the very first page, I was drawn into this entire story. I woke up early and stayed up late reading it. I loved the setting and could visualize it in my mind as if I were there. I greatly enjoyed the side characters, especially Gran, Gemma, Adam, and Nush. I was addicted to the banter, and the humor in this story kept me laughing until the very last page. I was transfixed with Katie's David and Goliath story versus Glenmill, a company that has come into Katie's hometown of Ennisbaum, Ireland that has its sights on bulldozing a majority of the town to build a golf course. I appreciate how the romance between Katie and Callum was not the focal point of the story. I just loved this book so much! Please read it ASAP!

Catherine, if you're reading this, PLEASE stay in the world of Ennisbaum, Ireland. I would love to read Adam, Gemma, and Anushka's stories!

Thank you to NetGalley, Catherine Walsh, and Bookouture for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

We love an emotionally available man 🫶

But seriously, I loved Callum. And Katie. And the whole cast of characters from this book. It felt more like a friends and family story than an exclusive romance, and that was really fun too.

I did wish that we had gotten more Callum and Katie interactions in the beginning because I felt like the story only picked up after 35%. It was a lot of setting up and getting people together in the beginning.

But once it did pick up, god, was it delicious. Callum was the most stable and emotionally mature man ever. What I love about Catherine Walsh heroes are that they always read people SO WELL. He knew when Katie was freaking out, confused, upset, happy, everything. And it brought me back to One Night Only, which is my favorite romance ever.

I was also pleasantly surprised at the lack of miscommunication and third act breakup. It was refreshing and my anxiety thanks Ms. Walsh for it. I kept waiting for some kind of conflict to occur that breaks them up, but it never came, and suddenly it was epilogue time, and I was like, “hey, this is really nice.”

Anyways, as always, every Catherine Walsh book is a banger and a delicacy, and I can’t wait for her next Christmas book… hehe.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

The Matchmaker is a very sweet, small Irish town novel about a women trying to save her village from changing when a big hotel opens nearby. It’s a very cute story of the townspeople and how they band together to support each other, find love and save what’s important to them. It was a little predictable but nothing wrong with that in a rom-com.

I can say I truly have fallen in love with Catherine Walsh. Her novels are truly a delight and this one (while not my favorite from her) was no exception. If Catherine does anything exceptionally well it's banter! This book had me laughing out loud more times than I can remember. I loved the small town antics and perfect side characters that took the humor to another level. While I wish the main characters had more time to pull out their chemistry it was still an incredibly fun read that I had a blast with.

Thank you to NetGall for providing me a copy of this super book to read and review.

I'd not read any of this authors books before but I will be searching for more!
The characters were funny and intriguing right from the start, I was invested in Katie and wanted to know more about her. What drove her, why was she living with her Granny etc. Same for Callum, brooding, serious and interesting.
It was such a simple yet believable story, with timely relevance. Small village is threatened by big time developer, everyone can relate in some degree so this offered more reasons to want to know how this panned out.

Humorous dialogue. Real dialogue- perfect.

I loved some of the twists with other characters too.

I did find a typo though on a page. Happy to share if anyone needs to check, but that's not the authors fault.

"Dive into the heartwarming world of 'The Matchmaker' by Catherine Walsh, a delightful read that leaves you longing for more. With an original plot centered around a small town threatened by a new hotel development, this book captures both the charm and determination of its characters. Clever banter and captivating dialogue keep readers engaged as they witness Katie's strong will take shape through her efforts to organize a matchmaker festival. The love story between Katie and Callum is a lovely blend of honesty and passion, while a touching grand gesture adds an extra layer of emotion. If you're in the mood for a heartwarming romance filled with wit, determination, and heartfelt moments, 'The Matchmaker' is the perfect choice."

A cute read, a typical romance story, so not really any surprises. However, I appreciated it anyway.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

When I started this book I did not know that it was supposedly book 4 in a series written by Ms. Walsh (I found it just before I started writing this review) and now I'm not sure if that was the reason why I felt a little lost while reading this rom-com.
When it's Christmas time I sometimes watch the usual movies that rea mostly called (Hallmark ones) where the main characters need to fight some kind of evilness, or bad forces. And here comes Ms. Walsh "The Matchmaker" - where our female main character is set on rescuing her village and for this Katie will bring back an old tradition that was blooming in the past. She is a hard worker and will do anything to save what she loves, and then she meets the guy - who works for the bad ones and something will start between them. This will bring the chain of events into motion - what will happen after that - you will have to find out yourself!
This story is your typical, average rom-com story where we can find space to be serious or to laugh out loud in quite a few places. I think I would like it even more if I would know more about the series as I lacked some elements.

“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.”

this might be one of my new favourite
books!! it was the coziest little book set in small irish town, all about how important the community and the people are.

callum and katies banter was SO GOOD and callums being obsessed with her !!! thats what i like to see!

The meet cute at the beginning was laugh out loud funny. The storyline was a very slow burn and I struggled at times to stay invested, wishing for more scenes like the opening one. Overall, this was a sweet, Hallmark-esque Irish romance.
Thank you #Bookouture and #NetGalley for the arc copy to read for an honest review

Such a fun read! Loved Katie and Callum so much and loved how they didn’t have a 3rd act breakup and the tension was more with the brothers vs. the two of them. Nush also made me lol.

I first read a book by Catherine Walsh last year and although I’m not a romance reader generally, I really liked it. This was more of the same. A hotshot developer moving in on land in a small Irish town, and a disgruntled heroine. Being an Irish immigrant I loved the setting, and the obvious similarities to the Lisdoonvarna festival. This was cute and fun!

Catherine Walsh has been an author that I’ve been wanting to read for awhile, and I’m so glad I finally did! I loved her writing, and really enjoyed THE MATCHMAKER.

I thought it was such a charming story and I loved the setting and characters, and now I’m excited to read more by this author.

*many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted copy for review