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The Matcha Maker Café: The Cosy Small-Town, Opposites Attract Romance
Not yet published
Expected 19 Mar 26The only person harder to match than her clients . . . is the matchmaker herself.
The Matcha Maker Café is a sweet, small-town slow-burn romance set in a charming matcha cafe, perfect for readers who love Laurie Gilmore, B.K. Borison and the gentle magic of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
At Matcha Moments, owner Sasha Lee is a star matchmaker, helping customers find love over a smooth cup of matcha. You’d think that as the master she’d be living her fairytale ending, but Sasha is allergic to commitment.
With a growing reputation, her successes are challenged when the ‘unmatchable’ Ben walks in - a man who believes he’s too boring for love. As Sasha tries to match him, she slowly finds herself drawn to his quiet charm.
As their daily banter becomes the highlight of her day, Sasha must confront the possibility that her own love story might be brewing. Will she embrace the unexpected romance, or let her past fears keep her from true love?
The Matcha Maker Café is a sweet, small-town slow-burn romance set in a charming matcha cafe, perfect for readers who love Laurie Gilmore, B.K. Borison and the gentle magic of Before the Coffee Gets Cold.
At Matcha Moments, owner Sasha Lee is a star matchmaker, helping customers find love over a smooth cup of matcha. You’d think that as the master she’d be living her fairytale ending, but Sasha is allergic to commitment.
With a growing reputation, her successes are challenged when the ‘unmatchable’ Ben walks in - a man who believes he’s too boring for love. As Sasha tries to match him, she slowly finds herself drawn to his quiet charm.
As their daily banter becomes the highlight of her day, Sasha must confront the possibility that her own love story might be brewing. Will she embrace the unexpected romance, or let her past fears keep her from true love?
- GenresRomance
Kindle Edition
Expected publication March 19, 2026
1 person is currently reading
67 people want to read
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for this ARC! All opinions are my own.
3.5/5
The Matcha Maker Café is a cosy paranormal small town romance; our heroine, Sasha Lee, is a psychic tea reader who sees visions of her clients’ futures. She mostly uses her talent to matchmake, however she sees scenes which also bring people joy as well. All is well in her world until she faces two challenges, both of which consist of the two conflicts of the book. One internal, and one external.
The internal conflict within Sasha consists of her controversial feelings regarding a newcomer in town, Ben. She cannot read him nor see visions of his future, and she has several internal battles; first, regarding her own abilities, whether they are fading or not, and secondly, concerning the spark of attraction she feels towards this new person in her life. Having quite a traumatic experience with her last boyfriend, and a very distant relationship with her family, Sasha’s conflict arises mostly due to her lack of comfort and love in her life. While she has her friends and her community, it is not the same to have someone who is there for her unconditionally. Consequently, the barriers she has placed around herself are challenged, forcing her to become vulnerable.
A direct parallel to her internal conflict, the external discord of the book is regarding the state of her business. In the year 2026, there are challenges which most of the hospitality industry faces, and she is sadly not spared of that either. Sasha is once again forced to break out her usual rhythm, and adjust to the new requirements.
Ben’s character is absolutely delightful, and he is definitely one of the best male leads out there. He is bold when he needs to be, but patient and discreet when the time requires it. Truly a knight in shining armour.
The romance between the two is naturally developed, extremely sweet, and sunny (meaning they both bring out the best in each other). It can be considered a slow burn, but I daresay it’s just a well-paced, realistic advancement, with the added touch of mutual healing. Their chemistry? 10/10, not only do they understand each other perfectly, but their flirtatious banter is delightful.
Despite my elaboration, the plot is simple and cute, somewhat reminiscent of old Hallmark movies, in the best way possible.
The narration is done in third person, which is definitely a bonus, as it elevates the literary aspect of the writing. Regarding the prose, I admit I have mixed feelings. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and I believe that the author is a good writer, however, I found the exposition a bit too mechanic for a romance and the overall organisation of the book set in a manner in which everything important happens in the last quarter. While one can easily merely say it is the added nuance of a slow burn, it is not quite that — the structural arrangement is extremely reminiscent of how a thriller would be written. The exposition being so direct and sharp reminds me more of how it is normally executed in an espionage novel (it actually made me think of the detailed directness of John le Carré) and the culminating point being so close to the end, along with all the dramatics occurring all at once, was more fitting for a murder mystery or a suspense. And while she is an endearing character, I found Sasha’s personality a bit too stubborn at times, with no good reason whatsoever aside from her behaving in this manner being used as a plot point, again something quite common for a thriller, but not quite naturally fluid for romantic prose.
Overall, this is a sweet and lovely read, a light romance with nothing too overly dramatic, perfect for a fun read during an afternoon or the weekend, when one just wants to read something just for positivity and relaxation. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison and My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella.
3.5/5
The Matcha Maker Café is a cosy paranormal small town romance; our heroine, Sasha Lee, is a psychic tea reader who sees visions of her clients’ futures. She mostly uses her talent to matchmake, however she sees scenes which also bring people joy as well. All is well in her world until she faces two challenges, both of which consist of the two conflicts of the book. One internal, and one external.
The internal conflict within Sasha consists of her controversial feelings regarding a newcomer in town, Ben. She cannot read him nor see visions of his future, and she has several internal battles; first, regarding her own abilities, whether they are fading or not, and secondly, concerning the spark of attraction she feels towards this new person in her life. Having quite a traumatic experience with her last boyfriend, and a very distant relationship with her family, Sasha’s conflict arises mostly due to her lack of comfort and love in her life. While she has her friends and her community, it is not the same to have someone who is there for her unconditionally. Consequently, the barriers she has placed around herself are challenged, forcing her to become vulnerable.
A direct parallel to her internal conflict, the external discord of the book is regarding the state of her business. In the year 2026, there are challenges which most of the hospitality industry faces, and she is sadly not spared of that either. Sasha is once again forced to break out her usual rhythm, and adjust to the new requirements.
Ben’s character is absolutely delightful, and he is definitely one of the best male leads out there. He is bold when he needs to be, but patient and discreet when the time requires it. Truly a knight in shining armour.
The romance between the two is naturally developed, extremely sweet, and sunny (meaning they both bring out the best in each other). It can be considered a slow burn, but I daresay it’s just a well-paced, realistic advancement, with the added touch of mutual healing. Their chemistry? 10/10, not only do they understand each other perfectly, but their flirtatious banter is delightful.
Despite my elaboration, the plot is simple and cute, somewhat reminiscent of old Hallmark movies, in the best way possible.
The narration is done in third person, which is definitely a bonus, as it elevates the literary aspect of the writing. Regarding the prose, I admit I have mixed feelings. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it and I believe that the author is a good writer, however, I found the exposition a bit too mechanic for a romance and the overall organisation of the book set in a manner in which everything important happens in the last quarter. While one can easily merely say it is the added nuance of a slow burn, it is not quite that — the structural arrangement is extremely reminiscent of how a thriller would be written. The exposition being so direct and sharp reminds me more of how it is normally executed in an espionage novel (it actually made me think of the detailed directness of John le Carré) and the culminating point being so close to the end, along with all the dramatics occurring all at once, was more fitting for a murder mystery or a suspense. And while she is an endearing character, I found Sasha’s personality a bit too stubborn at times, with no good reason whatsoever aside from her behaving in this manner being used as a plot point, again something quite common for a thriller, but not quite naturally fluid for romantic prose.
Overall, this is a sweet and lovely read, a light romance with nothing too overly dramatic, perfect for a fun read during an afternoon or the weekend, when one just wants to read something just for positivity and relaxation. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Lovelight Farms by B.K. Borison and My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella.
Displaying 1 of 1 review