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No matter how much we try to plan things out—our family, our career, our relationships—most of us find that our lives don’t go as we expect. And in Matchmaking for Beginners by Maddie Dawson, one woman’s path takes her everywhere but where she planned.
The story embarks on an unexpected journey with Marnie MacGraw, a young woman who once thought that she was on her way to the perfect life: the man of her dreams, a nice house in the suburbs, and a family. When her marriage ends before it has a chance to begin, she’s shocked and heartbroken. But then she gets an even bigger surprise: her ex’s free-spirited great-aunt, Blix Holliday, has died and left Marnie her home in Brooklyn—and when she flies out to see the house, she meets Blix’s band of heartbroken misfits.
While Marnie may be the main character, it’s Blix and her dysfunctional little family who make this story so endearing. Blix is an eccentric woman—the black sheep of her prim and proper Southern family—who believes in magic and love and her ability to help brokenhearted people find their match. She believes she’s found a kindred spirit in Marnie—and that Marnie is destined for a life that’s so much bigger than she one she’s planned for herself. And when Marnie arrives in Brooklyn, she meets Blix’s friends—the truly lovable but lonely and broken people who need a little guidance.
It doesn’t take long for Marnie to see what Blix saw in all of her friends—and to want to help. She’s a sweet young woman who cares about the people she meets—despite her own heartbreak and uncertainty. Marnie is a mess—for some very good reasons—and she makes some bad decisions along the way. She can, at times, be a frustrating character, but her big heart guides the story—with a little help from Blix—into something that’s sweet and absolutely captivating.
Admittedly, though, this novel is a long one—around 400 pages—and it takes some time to get to the good parts. But its magic and free spirit—and its stories of forgiveness and acceptance and learning to love again—make it well worth sticking with it.
It may not be a quick and brainless beach read, but Matchmaking for Beginners is a beautiful (but often amusing) novel about working through the chaos and finding the life we’re meant to live. You’ll fall in love with the characters—flaws and all—and you’ll feel a little bit heartbroken when you finish the last page and it’s time to leave them behind.
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