A delightfully modern look at what happens for a young woman when tradition, dating, and independence collide, from acclaimed author Sonya Lalli. Adulting shouldn't be this hard. Especially in your thirties. Having been pressured by her tight-knit community to get married at a young age to her first serious boyfriend, Anu Desai is now on her own again and feels like she is starting from the beginning.  But Anu doesn't have time to start over. Telling her parents that she was separating from her husband was the hardest thing she's ever done—and she's still dealing with the fallout. She has her young daughter to support and when she invests all of her savings into running her own yoga studio, the feelings of irresponsibility send Anu reeling. She'll be forced to look inside herself to learn what she truly wants. "A poignant coming-of-age story with the added twist that Lalli's spunky heroine, Anu Desai, is long married and a mother of one. Caught in a tug of war between what is traditional and what is modern, between mothers and mother-in-laws, Anu's discovery of self-worth as well as value in family, friends and work is a joy to read. From yoga studios to finding oneself in trips abroad to online dating, Lalli gives readers a wonderful novel about love and belonging and meaning of happiness and home."—Soniah Kamal, award-winning author of Unmarriageable: Pride and Prejudice in Pakistan "Anu's struggle to find herself is wrought with obstacles and sometimes frustrating, but the resolution of her story is both satisfying and realistic. A moving look at one woman's journey between her family and her desire for independence."— Kirkus Praise for  The Matchmaker's List "Sonya Lalli offers up a tale of familial pressures, cultural traditions, and self-discovery, that is equal turns heartbreaking and hilarious...Lalli tears down stereotypes with humor and warmth."— Entertainment Weekly "Lalli’s sharp-eyed tale of cross-cultural dating, family heartbreak, the strictures of culture, and the exuberance of love is both universal and timeless."— Publishers Weekly  (starred review) “Bright and vivid, and fresh and funny—I was utterly charmed by this insight into Raina's struggle to be the perfect Indian daughter.”—Veronica Henry, author of  How to Find Love in a Bookshop “A funny and moving exploration of modern love.”—Balli Kaur Jaswal, bestselling author of  Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows  (A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick) “A warm and refreshing look at cultural identity, unexpected romance, and unbreakable family bonds.”— Kirkus Reviews “A riotous odyssey into the pressures of cross-cultural modern dating that will chime with every 20-something singleton.” —ELLE  (UK) “Lalli's debut is a delightful, multicultural romantic comedy full of humorous banter and loads of life lessons about family, happiness, love, honesty, and acceptance.” —Booklist  (starred review) "Absolutely charming." —Woman's Day "A knockout romantic comedy debut." —Washington Independent Review of Books " The Matchmaker's List  comes through in spades (and hearts)." — NPR S onya Lalli is a romance and women’s fiction author of Punjabi and Bengali heritage. Her books have been featured in Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Washington Post, Glamour and more. S he lives in Vancouver with her husband. Chapter 1 Anu Desai tied her hair back with the elastic around her wrist, and broke into a jog as she turned into the back alley. She hadn’t taken this path in more than ten years, yet it looked exactly the same. A near-rotting wood fence still ran the length of the alley, vines draped over the planks intermittently. The gravel crunched conspicuously beneath her sneakers, and she slowed her pace as she made a right onto another backstreet. After the third garbage bin, she traced her hand along the wood, three large paces past the fire hydrant, and found the latch. Opening the gate just a sliver, she slipped through and closed it noiselessly. She glanced up at Mrs. Jenkins’ bedroom window next door—if it was Mrs. Jenkins who still lived there. The lights were out, and so Anu tiptoed toward the shed. She stuck her back foot on the fence to push herself up the wall, and was surprised by how easy the familiar motions felt. She stepped fully onto the fence and then leaned against the outer wall of the house. From there, it was just one step onto the rain gutter—she tested it first, to make sure it was still sturdy—and then another onto the windowsill. As always, the window was open just a hair. It was one of the best parts about living in Vancouver.  Even if it was chilly outside, like today, nothing beat that fresh Pacific northwest air. Anu pressed her face close in towards the window as she found her footing, and her stomach growled when the smell of deep-fried pakoras hit her. While Anu’s own mother had experimented with non-Indian food, going so far as to serve the family pasta and pad thai on occasion, her