In Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, Marla takes her readers for a hilarious romp through her days in an exclusive L.A. matchmaking agency and her daily struggles to keep her self-esteem from imploding in a town where looks are everything and money talks. From juggling the demands her out-of-touch clients and trying her best to meet the capricious demands of an insensitive boss to the ups and downs of her own marriage with a Latin husband who doesn’t think that she is “domestic” enough, Marla writes with charm and self-effacement about the universal struggles that all women face in their lives.

Readers will laugh, cringe, and cry as they journey with her through outrageous stories about the indignities of dating in Los Angeles, dealing with overblown egos, vicariously hobnobbing with celebrities, and navigating the wannabe-land of Beverly Hills. In a land where perfection is almost a prerequisite, even Marla can’t help but run for the Botox every once in a while.

It’s tough when you’re a matchmaker to the exorbitantly wealthy male population in Beverley Hills. With demands coming in from both her clientele at the busy Matchmaking firm she works for and from her book publisher, Marla’s life is a roller coaster of excitement. Busy days answering emails and star gazing nights leave her with enough material to fill book after book. Now, if only she could focus on writing and not so much on the temperamental demands of her clients, her life would be perfect.

Marla Martenson’s life is extremely comical. Well, maybe not her life so much as the people she has to deal with on a daily basis. From men demanding smaller waists and larger busts to women in need of a man to supply their laundry list of bills relating to their “acting career”, no request is too absurd for the clients she’s trying to appease. Just when you think the next email can’t be worse from the last, it gets even funnier and more outlandish. It’s definitely a laugh a minute when Marla steps into work each day.

Some of the things I loved about Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker were the hilarious emails scattered throughout the book, Marla’s wit and sense of humor, and the fantastic relationship she has with her husband. Her husband, a musician in the LA area also mingles and works with the celebrity elite on a daily basis. Their quirky relationship, including the nicknames “Ricky and Lucy”, make them incredibly lovable and easy to read.

Unfortunately, “Ricky and Lucy” and countless brain-dead guys just didn’t work for me overall. As the funny aspects of email after email wore off I kept wondering exactly where the story was going. Yes, the story is a memoir and to an extent just a recording of some of the instances of her life, but I still felt there should have been more of a resolution. Initially I was also a little put off by the way things were always slanted toward men being the negative aspect of her job. Although, as the book continued Marla was able to share that it wasn’t only the male clients with excessive demands, but many of her female clients as well.

Overall Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker was a fun read. It’s perfect for those looking for an inside peak at the happenings of a matchmaker to the elite of LA. Marla Martenson shares the humorous and often sad story of men and women seeking the “perfect” person. With the added romance of her own personal “Ricky and Lucy” story, Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker is an enjoyable story that will have readers laughing out loud.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending a copy for review!

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