Sparks had quite a few good things going for it. The fact that the story was told completely from the male point of view was a first for me - at least that I can remeber. The fact that the matchmaker was a cute little animal or an annoying female friend was another. Ollie was an OK character - but I think that was the point. He was an everyday Joe with a broken heart that wished for a girl he could fall in love with. Along comes Sparks - with a promise to help him - because Sparks "knows things". And so the story begins. Of course Sparks can't just wave a magic wand and have everything work out the way Ollie hopes. Nope, he's going to make Ollie work for it - he wouldn't really appreciate it otherwise. The dialog between Ollie and Sparks was very humorous at times. The love story that follows is very subtle and it really sneaks up on you in the end - and then you realize that it was staring you in the face all along and you just didn't see it - sort of how love can sneak up on a person in real life. I loved that Sparks was out to help Ollie with more than just his love life - he genuinely wanted to help him have a better life and life outlook. This was a cute story - but parts of the relationships seemed a little forced - perhaps because it was a shorter book. Definately worth reading with some very memorable characters though. - See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/2013/12/tour-schedule-sparks-matchmaker-by.html#sthash.kPibDE0h.dpuf