As a huge Roselle Lim fan, I knew I had to read Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club. And I am smitten. This quiet fantasy feels cozy and romantic while also grounded in Sophie’s character development. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
Newly minted professional matchmaker Sophie Go has returned to Toronto, her hometown, after spending three years in Shanghai. Her job is made quite difficult, however, when she is revealed as a fraud—she never actually graduated from matchmaking school. In a competitive market like Toronto, no one wants to take a chance on an inexperienced and unaccredited matchmaker, and soon Sophie becomes an outcast.
In dire search of clients, Sophie stumbles upon a secret club within her condo complex: the Old Ducks, seven septuagenarian Chinese bachelors who never found love. Somehow, she convinces them to hire her, but her matchmaking skills are put to the test as she learns the depths of loneliness, heartbreak, and love by attempting to make the hardest matches of her life.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: domestic abuse, emotional abuse
Matchmaking is a nice interest of mine in literature. I could never be a matchmaker, but I love this premise and Lim infuses it with magic. All of Roselle Lim’s books have this cozy magical feeling to it and Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is no exception. Besides the mouth watering food descriptions – that’s another Lim trademark! Immediately, Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is a book that focuses on Sophie fighting for her own future, but also navigating her complex family. The pressure of their disapproval with her necessity to fight for herself.
And this made my heart weep for Sophie. Because she is determined, resilient, and passionate even as she struggles to fight for her dreams. Asserting our sense of self and responsibility with our own parents is a theme I would love to see explored more in fiction. And Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club fits the bill. This struggle grounds this fiction with plenty of romance and matchmaking on Sophie’s character. On how matchmakers have to find the pieces of ourselves we hide and find others who can speak to us.
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To these hidden vulnerabilities. Sophie’s journey is not only about her gaining credibility, but also believing in herself. To realize that the only one who can really believe in our dreams wholeheartedly is ourselves. It’s difficult to examine our own faults and stand up to our family. But there comes a point when we have to acknowledge relationships – and toxicity – for what they are in any relationship. Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club is a story about finding love. But also about asking ourselves what we truly want. To figure out that we want someone to choose us, but that what’s most important is we choose ourselves.
Find Sophie Go’s Lonely Hearts Club on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.