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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
“Brave. It’s a word I’m still getting used to, after a lifetime of ducking from my problems. But maybe I’m growing into it in my own way.”
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
The very anticipated sophomore novel from Emma Lord is here! I read Tweet Cute as an ARC and was extremely happy to do the same for this one. Though I am really stunned by this author’s ability to tell a wholly unique story with such signature writing.
You Have a Match is the story of Abby, who loves photography despite being terrified of showing anyone her pictures and is doing way worse in school than she should be. On a whim, with encouragement from her friend, Leo, she takes a DNA test and discovers a full-blooded, surprisingly-close-in-age surprise sister Savannah. The two hatch a scheme to go away to camp together and bond, which back-fires as the summer slowly descends into what can be called chaos.
This was an auto-buy author read for me. I got an email offering the new Emma Lord book and I honestly did not read the synopsis. I just dived in. This back-fired a bit as I was pretty bored for maybe the first quarter of the book. I couldn’t get invested into these characters and I wasn’t very interested in the story. It picks up rapidly once they get to camp though.
The camping hijinks ensue and remind me of why I love camp stories so much. This book is shameless, wacky Parent-Trap trope with so much heart to offer. At some point, I really loved Savvy and Abby’s relationship. The banter and drama of it all. I really loved the group of friends they have that push the story along and make it truly memorable. The book is incredibly funny when it wanted to and tugs at your heart when it needs to.
The romance sublots were also adorable. I really liked Savvy’s whole mess that she has going on. I think the book was doing a love triangle with Abby that I was never really sold on. Maybe it’s really just to make more obstacles for the real romance, but I did feel like this book fell victim to the whole “if they just talked, the whole thing is solved in two minutes” and of course, that’s essentially what happened. But regardless, it was very cute. I didn’t get as frustrated as I normally do.
I did however, get frustrated with the way the characters were set-up. Some books have this habit of setting up all their characters with One Cool Thing that they do bafflingly well, as half their personality and kind of set everyone up to be Super Successful in life, by Living Their Dream. I probably didn’t explain that well, but in this book it shows in Abby being a Super Talented Photographer, Leo being a Super Talented Chef, and Savvy being a Super Talented Instagram Influencer. Maybe I’m bitter at not having a cute, passionate, yet luckily marketable talent, but it always just seems unrealistic to me. I know it’s just set-up for the story, but it tends to come off as TOO set-up.
Aside from that very small portion of the book, I was really blown away by the relationship between all the parents, it was sweet and adorable and I just really enjoyed the Parent Trap portions of this book. I thought the parts where Abby had to work through her insecurities were the best.
TL;DR: Easily one of the cutest, most enjoyable books I’m likely going to read this year. I can’t recommend this one enough for its humor, heart, and fabulous dessert ideas.
E-galley provided by Wednesday books in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected proof.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
The very anticipated sophomore novel from Emma Lord is here! I read Tweet Cute as an ARC and was extremely happy to do the same for this one. Though I am really stunned by this author’s ability to tell a wholly unique story with such signature writing.
You Have a Match is the story of Abby, who loves photography despite being terrified of showing anyone her pictures and is doing way worse in school than she should be. On a whim, with encouragement from her friend, Leo, she takes a DNA test and discovers a full-blooded, surprisingly-close-in-age surprise sister Savannah. The two hatch a scheme to go away to camp together and bond, which back-fires as the summer slowly descends into what can be called chaos.
This was an auto-buy author read for me. I got an email offering the new Emma Lord book and I honestly did not read the synopsis. I just dived in. This back-fired a bit as I was pretty bored for maybe the first quarter of the book. I couldn’t get invested into these characters and I wasn’t very interested in the story. It picks up rapidly once they get to camp though.
The camping hijinks ensue and remind me of why I love camp stories so much. This book is shameless, wacky Parent-Trap trope with so much heart to offer. At some point, I really loved Savvy and Abby’s relationship. The banter and drama of it all. I really loved the group of friends they have that push the story along and make it truly memorable. The book is incredibly funny when it wanted to and tugs at your heart when it needs to.
The romance sublots were also adorable. I really liked Savvy’s whole mess that she has going on. I think the book was doing a love triangle with Abby that I was never really sold on. Maybe it’s really just to make more obstacles for the real romance, but I did feel like this book fell victim to the whole “if they just talked, the whole thing is solved in two minutes” and of course, that’s essentially what happened. But regardless, it was very cute. I didn’t get as frustrated as I normally do.
I did however, get frustrated with the way the characters were set-up. Some books have this habit of setting up all their characters with One Cool Thing that they do bafflingly well, as half their personality and kind of set everyone up to be Super Successful in life, by Living Their Dream. I probably didn’t explain that well, but in this book it shows in Abby being a Super Talented Photographer, Leo being a Super Talented Chef, and Savvy being a Super Talented Instagram Influencer. Maybe I’m bitter at not having a cute, passionate, yet luckily marketable talent, but it always just seems unrealistic to me. I know it’s just set-up for the story, but it tends to come off as TOO set-up.
Aside from that very small portion of the book, I was really blown away by the relationship between all the parents, it was sweet and adorable and I just really enjoyed the Parent Trap portions of this book. I thought the parts where Abby had to work through her insecurities were the best.
TL;DR: Easily one of the cutest, most enjoyable books I’m likely going to read this year. I can’t recommend this one enough for its humor, heart, and fabulous dessert ideas.
E-galley provided by Wednesday books in exchange for an honest review. All quotations and opinions are based off an uncorrected proof.
Sweet, dramatic and heartwarming, You Have a Match by Emma Lord is about a teenage girl who takes a DNA test and finds out she has a full biological older sister.
Summary: 16-year-old Abby Day takes a DNA test with her friend and finds out that she has an 18-year-old biological older sister who is fully related to her. She meets up with Savannah "Savvy" Tully, who invites her to Camp Reynolds. There, the newfound sisters get into conflict but grow along the way. Meanwhile, Abby worries that her friendship with Leo will be affected by their awkward kiss.
Tropes/Genres:
• long-lost sisters
• young adult
• coming of age
• romance (subplot)
• friends to lovers
• summer camp
• contemporary fiction
• set in Washington
Review: This book is cute and has such a satisfying ending. Even though there was a lot of miscommunication, I liked the way the story panned out. The pacing was quite slow in the first half, but the story eventually got very engaging. I also enjoyed the development of both sisters throughout the story.
The primary focus is the relationship between long-lost sisters Abby and Savvy as they attend Camp Reynolds. I enjoyed the family drama that came along with it, and the conclusion was satisfying and heartwarming. The romance is secondary in this story, but it's also quite cute! There are so many amazing characters in this story. Despite the miscommunication, I'm glad everything worked out.
Abby and Savvy have an interesting and enjoyable sibling dynamic. Individually, they're different and nice to read about. I liked the subset of dramas that come along with each character, such as their relationship problems. Both characters developed well as the story went on. Abby learned to be more confident in herself, and Savvy learned to be less controlling about the things around her. They are both nice characters to follow along.
Leo didn't appear as much in the story, primarily serving as Savvy's friend and Abby's love interest. However, there is no denying that he is such a green flag. He has supported Abby's photography dreams from the very beginning and did everything he could to help her gain confidence in her art and achieve her goals. There is a nice blend of cute and realistic when it comes to their relationship.
My only issues with this book are the pacing in the first half and the heavy use of miscommunication to create drama. In the beginning, the pacing was quite slow, which can be hard to read. However, past the halfway mark, the story picks up in pace and gets more engaging!
The author did a great job balancing out the proportion of the subplots present in the book, namely the family drama, Abby's photography and Abby's and Savvy's romantic relationship problems with Leo and Jo respectively. The use of miscommunication to create drama, however, feels lazy. I think whatever reason Abby chose not to communicate could've been conveyed better, else it's just eye-rolling. Aside from these issues, the story is quite nice.
In conclusion, I recommend this book to readers who are interested in a story about two long-lost sisters with an interesting family history. There is a romance subplot that is quite cute. Overall, this is a nice heartwarming book that is worth a shot!
Summary: 16-year-old Abby Day takes a DNA test with her friend and finds out that she has an 18-year-old biological older sister who is fully related to her. She meets up with Savannah "Savvy" Tully, who invites her to Camp Reynolds. There, the newfound sisters get into conflict but grow along the way. Meanwhile, Abby worries that her friendship with Leo will be affected by their awkward kiss.
Tropes/Genres:
• long-lost sisters
• young adult
• coming of age
• romance (subplot)
• friends to lovers
• summer camp
• contemporary fiction
• set in Washington
Review: This book is cute and has such a satisfying ending. Even though there was a lot of miscommunication, I liked the way the story panned out. The pacing was quite slow in the first half, but the story eventually got very engaging. I also enjoyed the development of both sisters throughout the story.
The primary focus is the relationship between long-lost sisters Abby and Savvy as they attend Camp Reynolds. I enjoyed the family drama that came along with it, and the conclusion was satisfying and heartwarming. The romance is secondary in this story, but it's also quite cute! There are so many amazing characters in this story. Despite the miscommunication, I'm glad everything worked out.
Abby and Savvy have an interesting and enjoyable sibling dynamic. Individually, they're different and nice to read about. I liked the subset of dramas that come along with each character, such as their relationship problems. Both characters developed well as the story went on. Abby learned to be more confident in herself, and Savvy learned to be less controlling about the things around her. They are both nice characters to follow along.
Leo didn't appear as much in the story, primarily serving as Savvy's friend and Abby's love interest. However, there is no denying that he is such a green flag. He has supported Abby's photography dreams from the very beginning and did everything he could to help her gain confidence in her art and achieve her goals. There is a nice blend of cute and realistic when it comes to their relationship.
My only issues with this book are the pacing in the first half and the heavy use of miscommunication to create drama. In the beginning, the pacing was quite slow, which can be hard to read. However, past the halfway mark, the story picks up in pace and gets more engaging!
The author did a great job balancing out the proportion of the subplots present in the book, namely the family drama, Abby's photography and Abby's and Savvy's romantic relationship problems with Leo and Jo respectively. The use of miscommunication to create drama, however, feels lazy. I think whatever reason Abby chose not to communicate could've been conveyed better, else it's just eye-rolling. Aside from these issues, the story is quite nice.
In conclusion, I recommend this book to readers who are interested in a story about two long-lost sisters with an interesting family history. There is a romance subplot that is quite cute. Overall, this is a nice heartwarming book that is worth a shot!
fast-paced
It was ok - 2.5 stars. It was twisting a little too much together (secret sisters, best friend love, Finn’s trauma, a second set of best friend love, grief) and was a lesser version of the Parent Trap. It was fun but honestly, I never came around to liking Savvy. Of all the story lines I was least interested in the sisters one and it seemed resolved too easy. I can get on board with the parents resolving enough to let the children see each other but start a business together? Unlikely. Plus I’m pretty sure adoption law gives bio parents a window after birth to change their mind but that could vary state to state.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I truly adored Emma Lord's debut, [b:Tweet Cute|45045129|Tweet Cute|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558456354l/45045129._SY75_.jpg|66924806] and immediately put You Have a Match on my TBR because the premise just sounded like it was ripped straight from the headlines! A teenage girl discovers that she has a long-lost sister, who just so happens to be a social media star and the two of them try to uncover the mystery behind why her parents have kept them apart over a summer sleepaway camp. And while the book had heartfelt moments involving both Abby and Savannah's families as well as fun moments where Abby and Savvy get to know each other better, I think there were maybe just too many plot threads happening at the same time that didn't weave together very cohesively. Part of it may also have been that I found Abby's character a little grating so I couldn't relate to her as much.
Abby discovers that she has a secret sister, Savvy, when she takes an ancestry test to accompany her crush, Leo who was adopted into a white family and is curious about his biological background. Abby takes the test for fun, basically, and doesn't expect to actually find a secret relative. Abby and Savvy couldn't be more different than each other as Abby is basically a take-no-prisoners kind of girl, pretty impulsive and finds the summer camp's rules to be an annoyance and an impediment to getting to know her sister better. Meanwhile, Savvy pretty much has her life planned out - every single post is curated to perfection, she has always wanted to be in the healthcare/influencer industry and her job at the camp is to try to uphold the rules as much as she can.
Meanwhile, Abby and Leo have a whole will-they-won't-they thing as they've practically grown up together and Abby is starting to develop feelings for Leo, while being pretty convinced that he doesn't feel the same way.
Abby discovers that she has a secret sister, Savvy, when she takes an ancestry test to accompany her crush, Leo who was adopted into a white family and is curious about his biological background. Abby takes the test for fun, basically, and doesn't expect to actually find a secret relative. Abby and Savvy couldn't be more different than each other as Abby is basically a take-no-prisoners kind of girl, pretty impulsive and finds the summer camp's rules to be an annoyance and an impediment to getting to know her sister better. Meanwhile, Savvy pretty much has her life planned out - every single post is curated to perfection, she has always wanted to be in the healthcare/influencer industry and her job at the camp is to try to uphold the rules as much as she can.
Spoiler
While the summer camp was a fun conceit, I was actually a little peeved at how slow the plot was moving because of this. A great mystery behind Abby and Savvy's parentage is teased and I hung around hoping that they would resolve the mystery but they basically don't figure anything out until their parents run into each other...Meanwhile, Abby and Leo have a whole will-they-won't-they thing as they've practically grown up together and Abby is starting to develop feelings for Leo, while being pretty convinced that he doesn't feel the same way.
Spoiler
I actually thought that Abby and Leo had a pretty sweet friendship but I didn't really buy into the "won't they" aspect of it because it seemed pretty clear to me that they would end up together. So it actually felt a little like there were many obstacles that were being thrown in their way just to create more drama.
Fave Line: “If you learn to capture a feeling, it’ll always be louder than words.”
Genre: YA Romance
Synopsis:
When Abby signs up for a DNA service she finds out that she has a sister. One that her parents have never told her about. They chat via Instagram and decide to go to summer camp together to get to know each other. They work together to try to figure out why Abby’s parents put Savvy up for adoption.
While working through all of this Abby is also grappling with her feelings for her close friend Leo. Can they be more than friends?
Rating:
3.5/5 ⭐️s
This book is like a new and updated version of parent trap, which was a movie I adored as a kid. I also really loved the romance that blossomed throughout.
Genre: YA Romance
Synopsis:
When Abby signs up for a DNA service she finds out that she has a sister. One that her parents have never told her about. They chat via Instagram and decide to go to summer camp together to get to know each other. They work together to try to figure out why Abby’s parents put Savvy up for adoption.
While working through all of this Abby is also grappling with her feelings for her close friend Leo. Can they be more than friends?
Rating:
3.5/5 ⭐️s
This book is like a new and updated version of parent trap, which was a movie I adored as a kid. I also really loved the romance that blossomed throughout.
This was okay, but didn’t quite land. I liked the sister stuff more than the romance and I feel like it didn’t need both.
Like a teen version of The Parent Trap, but this one really missed the mark for me. I was intrigued by the genetic discovery of a sibling and the ensuing mystery of how that happened with their parents, but the story meandered away from that so often that I felt I was reading a different book. The love stories, the camp drama, the photography and social media hobbies, and the overall voice of the main character were not at all what I had been hoping for. Lord over-wrote the thoughts of her teenage character Abby, to the point that no teen would ever think in such a poetic or fake-profound way, and I couldn't take much more.