Jax Review - The Matchmaker

Author: Catherine Walsh
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Happy Pub Day!! 🥳

This was my first Catherine Walsh read, but it certainly won't be my last! I quickly learned I adore her writing style, witty charm, and outstanding sense of humor. (Unrelated to the book, but if you aren't already following her on Instagram, you should do so now!)

The Matchmaker follows the story of small-town resident, Katie, who goes up against *the man* to save the local pub. Here enters the love interest Callum. While I enjoyed their love story, especially their banter, some of the best parts of this story happened outside of the romance!

The relationships Katie has with her friends and family were so relatable! Gosh, I loved them all, but especially Granny and Plankton. Plus the passion she showed for her town was inspiring. But most of all I loved that this was SO focused on being a small town and that being happy with that was more than enough. So often in media, whether that be books, TV, movies, etc., we're fed this narrative that you need to dream bigger, reach for the stars, want more. It was lovely to read something that reinforces the idea that it's a-okay to be content with where you are and what you have for once.

I adored this book and cannot wait to read others from Catherine soon! I've already purchased her entire backlist!

-------
A big thank you to @bookouture and @netgalley for gifting me this ARC.