Review: Match Me If You Can

Match Me If You Can by Swati Hegde
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

DNF at 33%.

Jia Deshpande is a journalist, albeit she seems to be writing click-bait rather than real articles, for Mimosa, Mumbai’s top women’s magazine. In her spare time she writes an anonymous blog about love and dreams of writing a matchmaker column. Her boss says she can have a shot at the column IF she can match a new colleague, Charu, who has recently arrived from the countryside and has said she is looking for marriage.

Jaiman Patil is a struggling local pub-owner, he's been in love with Jia since he was twelve years old, but aside from one perfect kiss at Jia's sister's wedding (a kiss that Jia told him never to speak of again), he has never shared his feelings. Which is a pity because Jia has feelings for him. Also, the reason Jia said to never speak of that kiss again is because of a misunderstanding, but as a reader the misunderstanding is 100% in Jia's head - more of an excuse to reject him than a genuine reason.

Manoj is a comedian who has a weekly slot at Jaiman's pub, he and Charu hit it off immediately but Jia thinks he isn't good enough because he's younger and still deciding what he wants to be in life. Jia wants to set Charu up with another colleague, Eshaan, despite one of her friends saying what a terrible boss he is - so again ignoring clear signs and pursuing her own agenda.

There's also a blooming sub-plot involving Jaiman's rival from culinary college who has just bought the shop next door to Jaiman's pub, I suspect that he and Jaiman's other friend form culinary college are in love with each other but nothing has happened so far.

I feel a bit hypocritical not finishing this book because it does what it says on the tin, its a modern-day Mumbai-set re-imagining of Jane Austen's Emma. The trouble is, it isn't bringing anything new to the party, worse its more like the film Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone. So, it just feels like a few minor details changed and relocated to India, no more. Such a pity.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

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