Book Review Wednesday: Playing With Matches

For a much-needed break in true crime/suspense novels, I decided to pick up a book I've heard tons about and was much more light-hearted than any other book I've read lately. I also follow the first time author on Twitter and was so happy to see someone so young publish their first book.

"Playing With Matches" was released in June 2018 and was written by Elite Daily editor and former matchmaker, Hannah Orenstein.

The premise of the book is a modern-day romance, filled with references to Tinder and Bumble. Why shouldn't millennials have a story set in their time when the reality is, you're spending Friday nights with your single girlfriends, swiping on hundreds of guys and taking turns messaging them?

I was super excited to finally crack this book open and I was not disappointed. I finished it in 24 hours and that's how I know a book is interesting, easy to read, and I become completely enthralled with the plot and characters.

"Playing With Matches" centers around Sasha, a 22-year-old New Yorker who just graduated college has a handsome, finance boyfriend, lives with her best friend Caroline and is an aspiring writer. Feeling lost, she finds herself with a new job as a matchmaker at the matchmaking agency, Bliss.

Sasha begins to learn the ropes of matchmaking all while trying to remain a good girlfriend and a good friend. She sets up her clients with people who match their checklists and tries to obey the #1 rule of matchmaking: don't get involved with the matches.

Eventually, Sasha does get the hang of matchmaking and really starts to enjoy it... however there are bumps along the way and as she becomes more settled into this unusual job, her relationships begin to unravel.

"Playing With Matches" was very light, very interesting and very conversational. I love when books take place in New York and really bring the city to life. The detail that goes into the locations can only be written by a true New Yorker and just as it did in Sex and the City, Manhattan is a background character in this modern-day love story.

Sometimes with a book as light-hearted and fun as this, you can predict the plot but I was truly shocked by the few plot twists that Orenstein threw my way. It made the story and Sasha's character development much more interesting and intriguing.

I thought the writing was really well and the plot was paced perfectly; not too fast or slow. It was the kind of book I could see myself writing and I really liked that about this.

"Playing With Matches" was a really good book for pretty much anyone and I highly recommend picking it up. It's something light, fun, and definitely worth the read!

xoxo
B