Dream Vacation: A matchmaking romance set in Japan

by Kirsty McManus

Schoolteacher Poppy always seems to pick the wrong guys, and after years of boyfriends treating her badly, her sister Sky signs her up to a matchmaking agency.

Soulmates Incorporated claims a success rate of over 95%, which they attribute to their foolproof algorithm and a program that sends potential matches to Japan for ten days.

However, upon arrival in Osaka, Poppy’s match is just like everyone she’s previously dated—and after bonding with fellow customer River, she wonders if perhaps the agency got it wrong.

But with River seemingly happy with his own match, Poppy starts to lose hope. Will she finally break the cycle and find her happily ever after?

Or will she return home alone once again?

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2025

Reviews

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy’s sister Sky signed her up for a matchmaking agency, after seeing the results of all the wrong guys Poppy always picked. That ends up with schoolteacher Poppy travelling to Osaka, Japan, for a ten-day trip organised by Soulmates Incorporated, which claims it has a ninety five percent success rate. She spots a good-looking guy sitting on the aisle seat on her flight over from Australia and quickly finds he is one of the small group also there for the matchmaking trip. River ends up on the row opposite her on the bus, but unfortunately not in her pair of seats, meaning someone else is apparently her match. River has been matched with Alice, who seems very weird and already has a list of questions of him and interrogates him on the way to the hotel. Poppy’s match is Zane and they both find out what is in store for them, as Jun and Lottie explain the process. Each pair would be sharing a room, with two separate futons to sleep on, but if for any reason pairs couldn’t get along, then there were a couple of spare rooms booked as well. But the company asked that they try to stick it out and get to know their mate, as they state that their algorithm is nearly perfect! It seems with both Poppy and River, there might have been something a little off. Both of them are vegetarians, but have been matched with meat eaters, with River’s match actually a proud big game hunter! There are events planned every day for the pairs, often in a large group, but where they are working just with their partner. Other events get them into fours, with two pairs coming together, on other social activities out and about.

River has gotten away from a stressful situation at home, after seeing a colleague die in a work accident. He is hoping he could avoid all the trouble following the case, but it seems both sides want him to testify for them. Poppy bonded with River briefly at the airport once they had landed, and realises that along with her attraction to him, they seem to have more in common with each other than their selected mates. Poppy feels comfortable in Japan and wants to explore some of the places she has been told about, but it seems that Zane is happier being amongst loads of others. In a pretty similar way to most of her previous boyfriends, he seems to more interested in the others around them, rather than in her personally. Alice has some out of this world ideas about this whole matchmaking experience, even when River tries to tell her that they aren’t going to work out, and insists that they pretend to still be together! Poppy has come to the same conclusion with Zane and he keeps trying to get her to try again, even though it is obvious he had gone off with someone else. How the only two vegetarians weren’t matched together, is quite the puzzle, with Jun and Lottie trying to get them to continue working with their matched partner, no matter how wrong it all feels! River and Poppy get to spend quite a bit of time together, but just as things seem to be starting to come together for them, they are pulled apart. Real life tries to intervene and events leave mistaken ideas about the other until fate finally brings them together and past mistakes are cleared up. A lovely ending after hope had almost been lost, and a stressful time for River before he can get his life back on track. I loved all the descriptions and details of events and places in Japan, making it very clear how much detail went into it all.

I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my opinion of the book above.

[Marie Bourgery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy has been dating the wrong men so she agrees to let her sister set her up with a matchmaking company that sends her on a trip to Japan with her match. She makes a connection with River on the plane but he's not the one she's set up with. Zane who is chosen for Poppy and Alice for River keep trying to change them. I don't like how the matchmakers made them share a room with their matches and kept trying to force it even when the couples weren't happy. What if something bad happened? I don't blame River for asking for a separate room as soon as he could. It sounds like they should have done a better background check on Zane and Alice. Will Poppy and River have the courage to go for what they want especially when they have to return to real life? I enjoyed reading about all the places they visited in Japan.

[Indie · Rating 5 out of 5]

loved it !! this is the first story that I'm reading by Kirsty and it was good !!! love Poppy and River... not so much Zane and Alice... this is their story... a fast apced rom/com drama... Poppy has not had any luck dating... they all are lemons.. her sister signs her up on a new dating site... ten days in Japan with your date... she meets River on the plane but, he's not the one chosen for her... her date is with Zane and Alice is chosen for River.. Poppy feels River is the perfect choice for her but, he seems happy with Alice... the couples have to share a room together... strangers !!! and Zane is like all the guys Poppy had dated before... not a match... and River ? it's funny and sad all at once... you feel for Poppy... it's good !!!.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Nadine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolute, total love!

Japan as a setting is new to me, so that made it extra interesting for me. I can only travel in books, so I love discovering new countries! McManus has the writing skills to really pull the reader in, and that meant the ultimate escape for me. And it’s good for me, to escape my reality for a while. When life gets tough, read a McManus book and you’ll get that happy feeling! Works every time. I could relate with Poppy in many ways and I also liked River. Hope lost, hope won? Read and find out!

[Sandy C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fun, cute, engaging story take me to Japan and a little bit to Australia.
Poppy, with a bad choice of boyfriend, and River, with a traumatic experience, meet at the matchmaking overseas trip. Both are wonderful, sweet people who have matching interests.
I have mixed feelings about the room arrangements; this situation can be overwhelming.
There are few characters with hilarious, quirky antics.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jordan Ely · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 ⭐️ loved! just got out of my reading slump and had to finish this comfy romance. poppy and river are adorable! cute and quirky romance with ups and downs. the instant attraction and finding their way to each other!! i loved having both povs i haven’t read that in a while. the court case came out of no where! this book brought me right to japan i felt so connected with the story. thank you kirsty for letting me read your work it truly was amazing!

[Rachel Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poppy meets River when they are on a matchmaking holiday. They are not matched with each other, despite how well matched they seem, so what is going on. A great setting, makes me want to go to Japan. Looking forward to more from this author.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the story of schoolteacher Poppy and River to be incredibly engaging and well-written. The twists and turns, along with the court case, kept me turning pages and made it a truly worthwhile read. I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rebecca E · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely “closed door” romance set in a fun location.

[Cherie Melbourne · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, totally enjoyable read and the best way to enjoy an extremely hot day when spending it in doors. I always like Kirsty's characters, they're entertaining.