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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
This was a very cute YA book, romance is not the biggest part of it (but OH MY GOD am I glad I'm not 17 and getting in my own way when someone I like OBVIOUSLY likes me). The family stuff was interesting although some of the adoption stuff was not handled super great. I came to like the main character better as time when on and she learned to have hard conversations and be less avoidant. It did seem like a big old advertisement for Instagram though? Is this sponsored content???
But... SPOILER:
The adoption stuff---the adoptive mom being so angry that the bio mom started to change her mind about placing the baby for adoption??? Did she just...keep the baby when the bio mom changed her mind after the birth? Ummm, you can't do that! That's just... even if we consider how adoption law may have changed in the last 18 years since the birth of the adopted character, there's never been anything that says a bio mom MUST give her baby up for an adoption she had planned prior to the birth. She's allowed change her mind when the baby is born! That was a tough look.
But... SPOILER:
The adoption stuff---the adoptive mom being so angry that the bio mom started to change her mind about placing the baby for adoption??? Did she just...keep the baby when the bio mom changed her mind after the birth? Ummm, you can't do that! That's just... even if we consider how adoption law may have changed in the last 18 years since the birth of the adopted character, there's never been anything that says a bio mom MUST give her baby up for an adoption she had planned prior to the birth. She's allowed change her mind when the baby is born! That was a tough look.
This novel wasn't written for me, and I'm sure I would've liked it better if I was the target reader. Usually I'm able to tolerate more insecure, confused, immature protagonists, but this time the I didn't love the personal angst. With as much objectivity as I can muster, I see that "You Have a Match" is a compelling, realistic portrayal of one type of teenager on the cusp who is struggling to assert her identity and failing at balancing her relationships. I see that the author created an interesting story about family, lifelong friendships, and loyalty, but unfortunately I didn't connect.
I did enjoy the setting and the personable secondary character, on a surface level.
I did enjoy the setting and the personable secondary character, on a surface level.
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Major thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book!
Emma Lord may just be the new queen of teen!
She quickly moved to the top of my favourite authors list after I finished Tweet Cute — easily one of the best (and cutest) YA novels to come out this year. I instantly fell in love with her ability to juggle authentic teenagers, humour, and chaos so poignantly. So I was happy to see that same literary magic present in You Have a Match. For me, this novel was not quite as good as Tweet Cute, a conclusion I did struggle with at times. But by no means is this book underwhelming. It’s actually A LOT of fun!
The main attraction, Abby finding out she has a secret biological sister through a DNA service, is strong in execution and pays homage to The Parent Trap without feeling unoriginal. That’s in big thanks to the added dilemma of Savvy being an Instagram famous influencer (love the social media theme here) and having very little in common with her new sister.
The infighting between the two sisters may just be my favourite part of this book. This conflict goes beyond teenage romance to explore deeper themes of family and embracing our differences. I’m just glad to see a book portray sibling relationships as the messy dumpster fires of emotions they are because the world can give you a secret sister, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get along.
The couple pairings are adorable, and some of them are a little more subtle in buildup than others. I have to point out the romance is not the centre focus of this story, oftentimes getting pushed aside for the more chaotic sisterhood shenanigans (as it should). Thankfully the potential love interests still play into the fun hygienics of this blissful summer setting.
This leads me to this book’s greatest draw — the setting. I am a sucker for summer camp coming-of-age stories! To see Lord so effortlessly swap her beautiful big city world-building for cabins and an arsenal of camp activities is bittersweet. On one hand, she crafts an authentic forest landscape for her characters to run amuck in, but I’m going to be greedy here and say I needed more. More archery, more campfires, more cabin pow-wows, just more of everything. Too many times the conflict was confined to the same rotating setting or removed the reader from the summer camp vibes altogether. I would love to have explored that world a little bit more.
Lord continues to bring a fan-fiction-like whimsy to her writing without sacrificing quality in her quest to give us all the teen tropes. Not only are her story concepts so ridiculously intriguing but, as You Have a Match has proven, this author will deliver on them in great and unexpected ways. If you want a light summer read to warm your heart in the colder months, this book will give you that and SO more.
Emma Lord may just be the new queen of teen!
She quickly moved to the top of my favourite authors list after I finished Tweet Cute — easily one of the best (and cutest) YA novels to come out this year. I instantly fell in love with her ability to juggle authentic teenagers, humour, and chaos so poignantly. So I was happy to see that same literary magic present in You Have a Match. For me, this novel was not quite as good as Tweet Cute, a conclusion I did struggle with at times. But by no means is this book underwhelming. It’s actually A LOT of fun!
The main attraction, Abby finding out she has a secret biological sister through a DNA service, is strong in execution and pays homage to The Parent Trap without feeling unoriginal. That’s in big thanks to the added dilemma of Savvy being an Instagram famous influencer (love the social media theme here) and having very little in common with her new sister.
The infighting between the two sisters may just be my favourite part of this book. This conflict goes beyond teenage romance to explore deeper themes of family and embracing our differences. I’m just glad to see a book portray sibling relationships as the messy dumpster fires of emotions they are because the world can give you a secret sister, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get along.
The couple pairings are adorable, and some of them are a little more subtle in buildup than others. I have to point out the romance is not the centre focus of this story, oftentimes getting pushed aside for the more chaotic sisterhood shenanigans (as it should). Thankfully the potential love interests still play into the fun hygienics of this blissful summer setting.
This leads me to this book’s greatest draw — the setting. I am a sucker for summer camp coming-of-age stories! To see Lord so effortlessly swap her beautiful big city world-building for cabins and an arsenal of camp activities is bittersweet. On one hand, she crafts an authentic forest landscape for her characters to run amuck in, but I’m going to be greedy here and say I needed more. More archery, more campfires, more cabin pow-wows, just more of everything. Too many times the conflict was confined to the same rotating setting or removed the reader from the summer camp vibes altogether. I would love to have explored that world a little bit more.
Lord continues to bring a fan-fiction-like whimsy to her writing without sacrificing quality in her quest to give us all the teen tropes. Not only are her story concepts so ridiculously intriguing but, as You Have a Match has proven, this author will deliver on them in great and unexpected ways. If you want a light summer read to warm your heart in the colder months, this book will give you that and SO more.