Play 2026 Book Bingo
Books About Matchmakers: From Traditional to Algorithms (and Everything In Between)
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Matchmakers come in many forms, from traditional marriage bureaus and Jewish shadchans to meddling parents, amateur potion-makers, and even AI algorithms. Whether you’re drawn to a classic romance or prefer your matchmaking with a side of murder, magic, or total chaos, these books celebrate the age-old desire to help others find love (for better or worse).
You’ll find cozy small-town setups, cross-continental marriage schemes, Austen-inspired meddling, and even matchmaking for the romantically challenged. If someone’s playing Cupid in any capacity, it counts for this list and our “A Book About a Matchmaker” prompt in our 2026 Book Bingo game.
Best Matchmaking Books to Read
Don’t Forget to Write
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Marilyn wasn’t just caught making out with the rabbi’s son—she was caught by the whole congregation! In hopes of saving their daughter’s reputation, her parents sent her to her great-aunt Ada for the summer. They gave her an ultimatum: spend the summer with Ada, Philadelphia’s premier matchmaker, or kiss her college plans goodbye.
Based on her mother’s description, Marilyn expects Ada to be a humorless septuagenarian. Instead, Ada is sharp and straight-talking, with platinum blonde hair, a Hermès scarf, and a Cadillac convertible. As the summer goes on, Ada and Marilyn set off for the Jersey Shore, where Marilyn helps to scope out eligible matches for anyone but herself. She’s learning a lot from Ada—but not exactly what her parents were hoping for. Marilyn realizes that she doesn’t have to settle, even as her father threatens to disinherit her.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
This book caught our attention when our readers voted it as one of their favorite beach reads of all time. But don’t worry, it’s still a great read year-round with plenty of deeper topics.
After Melissa read it at our readers’ suggestion, she enjoyed it so much that she read the author’s entire backlist.
Book Summary
One of the first things that Millie notices after moving back to her childhood hometown is that the young Amish people keep marrying the wrong person. Widowed Millie is a quiltmaker by trade, but she also has a talent for identifying couples that are a good match (and those who aren’t).
In book one of the series, Matchmaking Can Be Murder, Millie is sure she needs to stop her niece Edith from marrying Zeke, her rude, greedy fiancé. After finally convincing Edith to end things, Millie is shocked to find Zeke in Edith’s greenhouse…dead.
Millie needs to figure out what’s going on, and quickly, as Edith is the natural suspect.
About the Series
There are currently six highly-rated books in this series, with the latest published in November of 2025. Readers say Millie is a likable, well-developed character. They love her almost as much as her rambunctious goats, Phillip and Peter.
While this series reads as a standalone, it is set in the same town as the Amish Candy Shop Mysteries, so if you’ve read those books, you may recognize some of the side characters.
The Matchmaker’s Gift
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Even as a child in 1910, Sara recognized that she was a gifted Jewish matchmaker and a seeker of soulmates. But on New York’s Lower East Side, this profession is dominated by devout older men who see a talented woman as a threat to their traditions and livelihood.
Two generations later, Abby is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney with some of the city’s wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals in which Sara recorded details of her matches. The pages seem to provide Abby with more questions than answers, including why the work she once found so compelling suddenly feels inconsequential and flawed.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
When we saw this novel described as “a captivating, exhilarating, feel-good, heartwarming, and magical historical fiction with the loveliest characters,” we immediately added it to our TBRs.
Another Title to Consider
Loigman is also the author of The Love Elixir of Augusta Stern, which, while not about traditional matchmaking, features magical herbal remedies (elixirs) for love. In this novel, the main character, Augusta, is a retired pharmacist who uses her great-aunt Esther’s elixirs in an attempt to win back her first love.
Book Summary
Emma Woodhouse is an intelligent, pretty, and wealthy young woman living in the English countryside who has taken up matchmaking as her favorite pastime. Convinced of her superior judgment in matters of the heart, Emma arranges romantic connections for those around her, beginning with pairing her governess with a local gentleman. After her first success, she’s determined to improve the romantic prospects of her new friend Harriet.
As Emma schemes and plots various matches, she remains smugly certain of her matchmaking abilities, despite warnings from her friend Mr. Knightley about the dangers of meddling in others’ affairs.
Another Classic to Consider
Matchmaking is also a central theme in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Is She Really Going Out with Him?
Book Summary
Anna is a 38-year-old divorcee with two kids, a cat, and a career as a columnist for a local magazine. But her office rival is vying to take over her column because “According to Anna” isn’t attracting the younger demographic anymore. While she firmly believes that she doesn’t need a man, she definitely needs her job.
To attract attention to her column, Anna has a crazy idea. She’ll go on a series of seven dates set up by her children, twelve-year-old daughter Jess and seven-year-old son Ethan. Her competitor, Will, pitches a similar series, but with dates he’s been matched with on dating apps. Her boss loves both ideas and turns them into a His and Hers column to face off each week to recap their dates.
Thoughts on This Book
If you haven’t read Sophie Cousens, this would be a great book to start with. She blends humor and unlikely scenarios with very believable characters. Her books strike the perfect balance between light and heavy, never being too superficial, while also providing depth without darkness.
One & Only
Book Summary
With her 40th birthday around the corner, Cassia works for her family’s successful matchmaking business and uses an ancient family gift to read people and find their perfect match. This gift lets One & Only Matchmaking promise a 100% guarantee.
Unfortunately, Cassia can’t find her own true love. She asked to be matched ten years earlier, and knows who her partner is, but she still can’t find him. When 28-year-old Ellis comes into her life, they have a surprising connection that could be the key to finding her destined match. But when a family secret is revealed, she starts to question everything.
About this Book
This book includes a touch of magical realism, but it’s more strongly focused on Cassia’s Korean culture and her potential love connection.
Book Summary
Match Your DNA is a company that promises to do just that – use your DNA to match you with your perfect, genetically matched partner. They claim to have found the gene that pairs each person with their soulmate, and they’ve already successfully matched millions of people worldwide.
The downside, however, is that the test results have led to the breakup of countless relationships. And the introduction of genetic matching has upended the traditional ideas of dating, romance, and love.
Now, five very different people have received notifications of matches, but that doesn’t guarantee happiness, because even soulmates have secrets.
More About This Novel
Blending elements of sci-fi, thriller, and romance, readers describe this book as riveting, entertaining, and, at times, darkly humorous.
Ayesha at Last
Book Summary
Ayesha lives with her boisterous Muslim family in Toronto and dreams of being a poet. For now, however, she needs her teaching job in order to pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle.
She’s lonely, and it doesn’t help that her family keeps reminding her that her younger cousin has received nearly 100 marriage proposals. Nonetheless, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid, who is the opposite of everything she thinks she’s looking for. Despite being handsome and smart, he’s also conservative, judgmental, and dresses like he’s straight out of the seventh century.
When a surprise engagement is announced between her cousin and Khalid, Ayesha is forced to confront her irritating attraction to him. Things are further complicated when she hears some unsettling new gossip about his family.
More About This Book
This is a modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice.
The Soulmate Equation
Book Summary
Single-mom Jess understands data and statistics. What she doesn’t understand, or have time for, is relationships. But when her best friend tells her about a new DNA-based matchmaking company called GeneticAlly, she’s intrigued by the idea of finding a soulmate through the reliability of numbers.
She’s shocked when her test results return a 98% match with the company’s founder, Dr. River Pena. She’s already met him, and she’s confident they are not compatible! But the company sees the potential for great PR from this match, so they offer to pay Jess to date River for the publicity.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
In addition to matchmaking, this rom-com features the fake dating and enemies-to-lovers tropes, as well as lots of nerdy, steamy chemistry! What more could you ask for?!
Book Summary
Nura is a thirty-one-year-old third-generation matchmaker in Atlanta with an exclusive clientele and an excellent track record. While she occasionally gets hate mail from those she doesn’t take on as clients, she is blindsided by a cascading chain of increasingly terrifying events and realizes someone is taking things too far.
Although she’s still single herself, Nura’s childhood best friend, Azar, plays the role of her fiancé at the wedding so her clients don’t think she’s failed at her own love life. Luckily, he’s also willing to help her get to the bottom of the threats against her business.
A Note About Genre
While the cover of this book looks like a rom-com, it’s more of a mystery-thriller with a romantic twist and is best suited for readers who enjoy both genres.
Readers enjoy a peek into the characters’ Pakistani-American lives and the elaborate Desi weddings of her clients.
The Rosie Project
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Don Tillman is a charming but awkward genetics professor at a university in Melbourne, on the southeast coast of Australia. He is trying to find love, and true to his academic roots, he approaches the challenge scientifically. He creates a 16-page survey designed to find his perfect match called “The Wife Project.” Will anyone be his perfect match?
Enter Rosie. Although Don quickly disqualifies her as a candidate for the Wife Project, he’s intrigued by her quest to identify her biological father and eager to help. He terms their collaboration The Father Project. As they work together, Don is forced to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie. And, the realization that despite your best scientific efforts, you don’t find love, it finds you.
Thoughts on This Book
The premise sounds like a romantic comedy, and it does have plenty of both, but this book is also so much more than that. It’s a novel about the power of human connection that will restore your faith in humanity.
While it is never explicitly stated whether Don is on the autism spectrum, many readers interpret him as an example of one of the many undiagnosed adults. The Chicago Tribune sums this book up perfectly: “Filled with humor and plenty of heart, The Rosie Project is a delightful reminder that all of us, no matter how we’re wired, just want to fit in.”
Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club
Book Summary
After spending the past three years in Shanghai, Sophie has returned to her hometown of Toronto. She’s a newly minted professional matchmaker, but there’s just one problem… she never actually graduated from matchmaking school. When she’s revealed as a fraud, it appears that her career will be over before it starts.
Desperate for clients, Sophie stumbles upon the “Old Ducks.” They are a secret club made up of seven 70-something Chinese bachelors living in her condo building. She somehow convinces them that she can help. But these will be the hardest matches of her life, and she’ll learn the true depths of loneliness, heartbreak, and love.
Magical Realism in This Novel
Not only is this a heartfelt and heartwarming novel about love, but it also has a thread of magical realism woven throughout. Sophie has a special gift that allows her to “see” potential romantic connections and a person’s contentment in their relationships.
Book Summary
In the Gilded Age of the 1890s, wealthy American heiresses began crossing the Atlantic to marry cash-poor British aristocrats. Julie Ferry chronicles this fascinating era when ambitious American families leveraged their industrial fortunes to purchase titles and social prestige through strategic marriages, while financially strapped British nobility traded ancestral names for desperately needed capital.
These transatlantic unions were often facilitated by social intermediaries who functioned as informal matchmakers. The phenomenon reshaped both American and British high society.
Ferry explores the lives of the women who became duchesses, countesses, and ladies, examining their motivations, the cultural clashes they faced, and the complex dynamics of marriages built on pragmatic exchange rather than romance. Through meticulous research, we see how these “dollar princesses” navigated two worlds, the price they paid for their titles, and their lasting impact on both sides of the Atlantic.
Alternate Title & TV Tie-ins
This book has also been published under the title Million Dollar Duchesses.
Fans of Downton Abbey will recognize this trend, as Cora was the American who saved Downton and the Crawley family, while fans of The Gilded Age saw Gladys married off and sent to England to secure a higher social standing for her family back home.
Book Summary
Meghna Raman has already disappointed her Indian parents with her career choice, so she feels pressured to give in to their matchmaking efforts. Rather than pursuing engineering as her family wanted her to, Meghna followed her passion and became a theater teacher. She’s also an aspiring playwright with a secret crush on her writing partner, Seth. But when Seth gets engaged to someone else, she’s determined to move on by allowing her parents to find her a potential match.
Karthik Murthy is an engineer who has seen firsthand, by way of his parents’ marriage, why married life isn’t for him. Nevertheless, he wants to make his mom happy, so he agrees to let her play matchmaker. After all, he knows he won’t really fall for anyone. But then again, he never dreamed of meeting anyone like Meghna. He can’t offer her a real marriage, but they both realize that a fake engagement could be exactly what they need to keep their parents off their backs.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
This novel is described as “a delightful trip back to the heyday of swoony romantic comedies from the nineties,” and we are always here for that! But it goes beyond that, taking a deeper look at the effects of culture and family on our most intimate relationships. Indian readers specifically praise the cultural representation in this novel.
Be aware that this novel has some steamy scenes near the end, but readers say they stop short of being overly explicit.
Match Me If You Can
Book Summary
As a matchmaker at an elite agency in London, Poppy spends her days finding perfect matches for everyone but herself.
Her newest client is going to be quite a challenge. Tristan is a bachelor who has no interest in falling in love, but he must find a wife before he turns 35 to receive his massive inheritance. He’s a typical, arrogant bachelor type, so why is he getting under Poppy’s skin?
Thoughts on This Book
If you enjoy the classic rom-com tropes, this book is a lot of fun: grumpy/sunshine, enemies-to-lovers, and marriage of convenience. Add in dreamy locations across Europe, from Scotland to Greece, and you’re in for a fun, light read.
Matchmaking for Psychopaths
Book Summary
Alexandra has worked hard to overcome her rough start to life, and now, thanks to her ambitious job, she has it all, including a beautiful home and a doctor boyfriend. That said, her business is unusual… she’s a matchmaker for clients who fall somewhere on the psychopath scale, but they’re not the murder-y variety. They usually have great careers of their own, ranging from doctors and lawyers to teachers. And Alex believes they all deserve love, too.
Everything is going well until Alex’s world is turned upside down the night she’s expecting a proposal. Instead of finding her boyfriend with a ring, he has the news that he’s fallen in love with her best friend.
After losing her boyfriend and best friend in one terrible moment, she bumps into one of her clients, Rebecca, who offers support. But as they become closer friends and Alex starts to heal, her ex turns up dead, and life gets even more complicated.
Things to Know Before Reading
Readers say this witty and often satirical read crosses many genres. It’s a true mystery with many suspects that will keep you guessing, but it isn’t a traditional page-turning thriller. Instead, you’ll find richly developed characters and dark comedy.
At some points, you’ll find elements of horror, so skip this one if you don’t want any gruesome aspects.
The Matchmaker
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
88% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Dabney has always had a gift for matchmaking. Some call it mystical, while others (like her husband and her daughter, who is clearly engaged to the wrong man) simply consider it meddlesome. But her results don’t lie. She’s successfully matched 42 happy couples – all of them still together.
She’s never been wrong about romance, except in the case of Clendenin Hughes. He was the boy who stole her heart many years ago and then moved away to pursue his career in journalism. Twenty-seven years later, Clen is back, and Dabney is feeling very confused.
When tragedy threatens Dabney’s future, she is determined to use her remaining time to line up the perfect matches for everyone she loves. She’s also forced to confront painful secrets and answer for her choices in this heartbreaking story of losing and finding love.
A Note About the Prequel
Author Elin Hilderbrand also wrote a short-story prequel to The Matchmaker, which is included with the current paperback and Kindle versions of the novel, or it can be purchased separately. Titled The Tailgate, this prequel provides a backstory for the characters in the novel and will enhance the primary story if it’s read first.
The Marriage Bureau for Rich People
Book Summary
In a southern coastal city in India, retired civil servant Mr. Ali opens a marriage bureau from his front veranda, determined to help families find suitable matches for their children. As families seek partners with the right caste, education, and dowry, Mr. Ali discovers that matchmaking is far more complicated than he anticipated.
His wife, Mrs. Ali, proves to be an invaluable partner in the venture, while their assistant Aruna brings her own perspective to the delicate negotiations. When Mr. Ali’s own son makes an unexpected romantic choice that defies tradition, the matchmaker must confront whether his professional expertise applies to his personal life.
About the Series
This charming novel is the first book in Farahad Zama’s beloved series, which continues with The Many Conditions of Love, The Wedding Wallah, and The House of Happy Endings. Each book follows the Ali family and their growing matchmaking business as they navigate the complexities of love, family, and social change in contemporary India, blending humor, heart, and cultural insight.
If you enjoy slice-of-life stories in international settings or The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, this would be a great pick!
Book Summary
As a third-generation matchmaker and the creator of the popular Jewish dating app J-Mate, Dara knows the formula for lasting love. At least when it comes to everyone else. Her own love life, on the other hand, seems to be completely stalled.
When her beloved bubbe shares Dara’s checklist for “The Perfect Jewish Husband” on national TV, Chris, a charming news anchor, proposes that they turn Dara’s search into must-see TV. It could be a win-win. She finds love, and he gets the ratings boost his show desperately needs.
Dara’s checklist goes like this: (1) a doctor or lawyer (preferably a doctor); (2) baggage-free (no prior marriages or children); and (3) Jewish, of course.
Single dad Chris doesn’t check a single one of these boxes, so what’s the deal with their chemistry?!
Thoughts on This Book
We’ve enjoyed several of Jean Meltzer’s novels set around Hanukkah, so we’re definitely adding this book to our TBR.
In each of her novels, Meltzer introduces characters struggling with either physical, mental, or emotional pain. Here we see Dara’s struggle with General Anxiety Disorder. Readers praise the way that this issue is addressed in a realistic yet sensitive manner.
Book Summary
Lucy’s parents run a matchmaking service called Valentine, Inc. When they have to temporarily step away from the business, it’s time for Lucy to step up. The problem is that, unlike her parents, Cupid hasn’t blessed her with the ability to read auras and create perfect matches.
Thanks to an electrical surge a couple of years back, Lucy can, however, find lost objects. That might not sound like a useful skill for a matchmaker, but in Boston, it seems that everyone is searching for something.
You’d think that locating a missing wedding ring would make Lucy a hero, but it’s overshadowed by the fact that the ring was found on a dead body. She’ll have to team up with the sexy private eye upstairs if she wants to solve the crime.
About the Series
This is the first of five paranormal cozy mysteries featuring Lucy Valentine.
Matchmaking for Beginners
Book Summary
Marnie felt an instant connection when she first met her fiancé’s aunt Blix, a matchmaker. While the marriage Marnie hoped would lead to her dream life ends after only two weeks, the separation isn’t the only shock she’ll face.
When Marnie ends up inheriting Blix’s brownstone along with her friends, she has no idea what to do with the property or the people who live there. Luckily, Blix already had it all figured out.
More About This Book
There is quite a bit of sadness in this novel, but it is balanced by humor and touches of magic.
Book Summary
While Phoebe has given up on love for herself after leaving an abusive relationship behind in England, she hasn’t given up on it for others. After she arrives at her sister’s home in the Hollywood Hills, she begins playing matchmaker between Bel, her sister’s trainer, and Ren, the carpenter next door.
Since Phoebe writes greeting cards for a living, she begins writing love letters on Bel’s behalf. But as she falls in love with LA, she realizes she’s also falling for the man she’s been writing to on behalf of someone else. Along the way, she also forms a great friendship with an 82-year-old reclusive film star.
Thoughts on This Book
Unlike many of the books on this list that deal with professional matchmakers, Phoebe is an amateur matchmaker who is just trying to set up her friends.
If you’re looking for a feel-good, summery romance with all the California vibes, this is a great pick! It’s also a bit of a love letter to Los Angeles, including mentions of many hidden gems throughout the city.
You are welcome to choose any book you’d like to read for the “A Book About a Matchmaker” prompt in our 2026 Book Bingo Challenge, but we hope this list of books has given you a good starting point.
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Book Recommendations for Every Bingo Prompt
We provide book recommendations for each and every square on the Bingo card so that you can spend less time researching and more time reading. Find all the book recommendation lists in one place here.
When I saw the prompt, I thought, “Hmm, not sure if this is the list for me.” So imagine my surprise when I went through the list and have more checked off as want-to-read than usual!
We worried that may be the initial reaction for some readers, but hoped we could win you over with the books on the list. We’re glad to hear that you found lots of good options!