Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club

Written by Roselle Lim

Narrated by Annie Q

A new heartfelt novel about the power of loneliness and the strength of love that overcomes it by critically acclaimed author Roselle Lim.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Aug 16, 2022
• ISBN: 9780593591147

Reviews for Sophie Go's Lonely Hearts Club

[kiaya40 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this story! LOVED this one! I love Roselle Lim and all her books. If you haven't read any of her books, then you should check her out.
This is so full of heart and swoon-worthy romance. It's such an emotional read, and I related to a lot in this story with the family issues and how the main character, Sophie, is trying to find herself and establish herself and her independence in her life. Sophie decides on a career in matchmaking and moves to Toronto after being in Shanghai for 3 years. She isn't a fully accredited matchmaker because she didn't quite graduate and is trying to find clients and build up her clientele. She discovers a secret club in her condo complex called the Old Ducks, which is made up of seven septuagenarian Chinese bachelors, and gets them to hire her. She is able to find and help the 7 bachelors with love and in the process finds and works through a lot for herself and meets a swoon-worthy guy.
This is fantastic and I highly recommend it. If you haven't read it, then go check it out. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for letting me read and review this amazing story. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[foggidawn · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After training as a matchmaker in Shanghai, Sophie returns to her home city of Toronto to take up the vacated matchmaker position there. Slight problem: she technically didn't graduate from matchmaking school, so unless she secures accreditation within six months, she'll lose her ability to see the red threads that indicate connections between people. Another problem is her parents, who don't support her in her career and assume that she will fail and shame them. Sophie is determined to make a success of things, but when her mother reveals her tenuous status to a roomful of prospective clients, Sophie has to get creative. Enter the Old Ducks: seven older bachelors who have all but given up on romance. If Sophie can convince them to use her services, she might get the testimonials she needs to gain accreditation -- but not all of them are on board with her plans...

I thought this was a cute premise, with the matchmaking angle and the Old Ducks. The author does a good job of delineating characters; I found it easy to keep track of this group of loveable curmudgeons. Going in, I didn't expect that touch of magical realism with Sophie actually being able to see the red threads and the connections between people, so that felt a bit like cheating to me. If I'd gone in expecting it, my reaction might have been different, so that's on me for not paying attention to the summary. My main issue with this book, though, is the writing. It feels extremely clunky in places, with lots of explain-y chunks and repetitive descriptions of how awful Sophie's parents are. I also thought from something Sophie said at the beginning that matchmakers were not allowed to experience love/romance themselves, but by the end of the book that's clearly not the case (hope that's not too much of a spoiler for anyone), so that caused me some confusion. Lots of readers seem to have really enjoyed this book, but it wasn't really one for me.

[electrascaife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sophie has just returned to her hometown of Toronto after attending matchmaking school - a gift she was born with - and is ready to start her career. However, her overbearing mother and her lack of an actual diploma threatens to keep her dream from coming true, and she's worried that she won't be able to get her client list up and running and prosperous enough to keep her new apartment before she runs out of savings. Her saving grace may just be the Old Ducks Club - a group of older single men living in her building and who have bonded over their lack of SOs. Can she convince them all to let her be their matchmaker and can she successfully match them all before time runs out?

Adorable, this one. Fun and cozy, with lots of great characters.

[shazjhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

pretty good book. lovely old people and great food