ReMatch by Erynn Mangum

Reviewed by Lori Twichell, Radiant Lit

So now that both of Lauren Holbrook’s sisters and her pastor are matched, who else is left to match. Well, let’s see. There’s her best friend (and boss) Brandon. Shawn, at the coffee shop is still available. She can also, if she tries a little, help the waiter at the restaurant. And then there’s her father. Wait a second….her father? Yup. Seems that dad’s in the match game now too. And what about Lauren and Ryan? Well that’s something entirely different.

Lauren Holbrook is back with a vengeance. Her adventures this time involve a very pregnant sister, a father looking for love in all sorts of weird places and well, Ryan. But Lauren doesn’t really want to look into that topic too far. She’d rather concentrate her efforts on all of the other people around her who aren’t yet matched than worry about her own match.

Erynn Mangum’s love guru is once again on a mission to match and she’s doing everything in her power to get the job done. No matter what it takes, Lauren’s ready to sacrifice for the happiness of her friends and family. And once again, this book reads like a fantastic chick’s movie night on paper. I love Erynn Mangum’s characters and the sometimes painfully real life conversations. (C’mon! Who hasn’t quoted the Princess Bride at some point or another?)

The only thing I felt uncomfortable with in this book was that there were one or two places where Lauren employed minor deception in order to get her matchmaking task done and I didn’t feel that was absolutely necessary. And if it was, it could have been a really good learning experience for Lauren. Nothing she did was intended to cause hurt feelings. I mean really, there’s not a mean bone in Lauren Holbrook’s character. Literally. (I know she is a creation that exists completely on paper but you know that’s not what I meant and you know it!) I just would have felt more comfortable if the deceptions had been ‘called out’ by her friends a little more or if there would have been some more spiritual pushing towards the right thing. Maybe some good remorse with prayer involved too? It was a little bit of a distraction as I was reading. I kept waiting for someone somewhere to point out that if God made Lauren the matchmaker, then deception would not be necessary and for someone to say that they couldn’t support her crazy

schemes because of this.

listen, this was minor. The book read as perfectly spot on (and greatly delightful!) chick lit. Erynn Mangum, still honing her talents in this, her second book, shows incredible promise and is a writer that I see poised to do great things. I laughed out loud. I snickered under my breath. I became emotionally attached to the characters and their trials. And when I finished the book, I was ready for the next adventure. What more could I ask?

Rated G – No concerns about any inappropriate materials here.

*Review copy provided by NavPress.