Book review : The Matchmaker - Catriona Innes

I didn't get much reading done over the Christmas holidays, but I've certainly been making up for it since going back to work. The latest book that I have just finished reading, having raced through it in just a few days, is The Matchmaker by Catriona Innes - a book that I won in a competition on Facebook. I'll be honest - I didn't know any more about it than what I'd read on the front cover, so I came to it with no expectations ... then surprised myself by bursting into tears half way through it !

Don't worry - it probably won't have the same effect on you ! It just struck a chord and resonated with something that had been bouncing around inside me for a while. The author managed to put into words a vague feeling that I'd had ever since Madhouse Daddy died, so it is safe to say, I could really relate to the main character.

Caitlin Carter is a professional matchmaker, with a special knack for linking up people who are just destined to be together. Watching romance blossom, even when first impressions don't always seem too hot, makes her feel good and it all pays the bills so she's on to a winner. She has a close relationship with her best friend Verity, whose loud laugh and raucous sense of fun frequently had me smiling, reminding me of my student days. She also often mentions, and posts Instagram pictures of, her husband Harry, but he seems largely absent in her day-to-day life. I suspected that he had headed off with another woman, but it turns out, he actually died a year ago and Caitlin has just been putting on an act at work.

As she breaks down, talking to her best friend, we see another side to this strong woman. " 'But it feels like. It feels ... like ...' I have to find the words somehow. Explain to her. Escape the 'fine'. Like someone has gnawed a chunk out of my side and left a gap there and that bit of me is lost. Gone. And there's nothing that can fill me in." Yep, that just about sums it up perfectly.

But Caitlin puts things to right. Girlie holiday? Check. Chat with the mother-in-law? Check. Sort out her business and reveal to everyone that her husband has died? Check. Work towards her own happily-ever-after? Well, time will tell, but there's at least a hint of hope in there.

Don't get me wrong though, the overall tone of the novel is light-hearted and there are a good many belly-laughs, particularly when listening in on Verity's antics. You definitely don't have to be a widow or even down on your luck in the love stakes for it to appeal to you - this just really made me relate to and feel for Caitlin on a deeper level.

If you're a fan of chick lit, you'll love it. It's an uplifting read that gives you a sense of empowerment, reminding you that you are the master (or mistress) of your own destiny and, whatever life throws at you, you can reinvent your own destiny and find your happy ending.

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £7.99

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Trapeze (28 Nov. 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 140918837X
• ISBN-13: 978-1409188377