April 8, 2024
Hegde’s heartwarming Mumbai-set debut introduces Jia and Jaiman, two formerly close family friends who have grown awkward around each other after sharing a quick but passionate moment at Jia’s sister’s wedding. Their fraught dynamic is further complicated when Jaiman begins spending even more time with Jia’s family after his own moves away. Meanwhile, magazine writer Jia pitches a new column on matchmaking to her boss. After pairing off two of her close family members, Jia has discovered that bringing couples together is her passion and a way to feel closer to her late mother, who found love through a matchmaker. To win over her boss, Jia offers to prove her skill by matching up two of her coworkers, not realizing they’re totally incompatible. As Jia works to bring them together, Jaiman is rightly skeptical of the whole endeavor, which Jia resents—especially after he’s proven right. Jia’s matchmaking attempts keep the pages turning as her own love story with Jaiman simmers in the background. The pair’s gentle friends-to-lovers dynamic will delight readers who like their romances to burn slow. Hegde shows promise. Agent: Rachel Beck, Liza Dawson Assoc. (June)Correction: A previous version of this review incorrectly stated that Jaiman moves in with Jia’s family and that Jia’s mother was a professional matchmaker.
May 1, 2024
DEBUT Jia Deshpande, bored with providing generic content for the women's magazine Mimosa, is eager to pitch a matchmaker column for the publication. There's just one problem--she needs to prove to her less-than-enthusiastic boss that she is up to the challenge. Jia's love life isn't exactly enviable, despite her popular anonymous personal blog where she doles out love advice on the side. Jaiman, her friend from childhood, has more dating experience than Jia. Jia has done her best to ignore her attraction to him, while Jaiman, who is fulfilling his dream of running his own pub in Mumbai, has been quietly in love with Jia for decades and is waiting for her to realize that they should be more than just friends. Jia decides to recruit Charu, her new astrology-driven coworker, to test her matchmaking skills. When not one, but three hearts end up broken, Jia recognizes that her love instincts may not be as sharp as she believed. Unfortunately, the novel's repetitive misunderstandings don't increase the slow-burn tension, and too many subplots detract from the main story. VERDICT Hegde doesn't quite hit the mark with her debut.--Nicole J. Suarez
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