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A review by celia_thebookishhufflepuff
You Have a Match by Emma Lord
5.0
This was a surprisingly powerful little novel.
It's been a while since I've read a genre that was first and foremost YA, especially one with straight, white characters. This genre and especially type can be really hit or miss for me, and I prefer to read novels with more of a direct plot relating to race or gender instead of just YA.
I think it helped that the romance in [b:You Have a Match|53138158|You Have a Match|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589256633l/53138158._SY75_.jpg|79888669] was very much a side plot. This was not YA romance for YA romance's sake. This was a book about family and self-discovery and finding your place even when the world implodes on you. Overall, it's a very heartwarming story.
The characters are more complex than I expected going in. Again, with the sole idea of YA romance, there's not much you can do to make the characters as complex. On the other hand, when it becomes a story with real people at the core, there's a lot you can do. All characters had their own demons to fight, and their own struggles to overcome, ones that went far beyond who-likes-who romantic tension..
The self-discovery and found family stories were very prominent in this novel. Found family is one of my favorite tropes, and so are stories about characters actively becoming friends. This latter plot is one that is not explored often enough, and YA is one of the only places you can actively find it at least sometimes, and I'm so glad this novel included so much of it, and especially of female friendship and of girls overcoming catty rivalries.
[b:You Have a Match|53138158|You Have a Match|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589256633l/53138158._SY75_.jpg|79888669] was surprisingly unique and authentic for YA romance, and I really appreciated the story all around. I could definitely see myself rereading this in the near future.
Disclaimer:
It's been a while since I've read a genre that was first and foremost YA, especially one with straight, white characters. This genre and especially type can be really hit or miss for me, and I prefer to read novels with more of a direct plot relating to race or gender instead of just YA.
I think it helped that the romance in [b:You Have a Match|53138158|You Have a Match|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589256633l/53138158._SY75_.jpg|79888669] was very much a side plot. This was not YA romance for YA romance's sake. This was a book about family and self-discovery and finding your place even when the world implodes on you. Overall, it's a very heartwarming story.
The characters are more complex than I expected going in. Again, with the sole idea of YA romance, there's not much you can do to make the characters as complex. On the other hand, when it becomes a story with real people at the core, there's a lot you can do. All characters had their own demons to fight, and their own struggles to overcome, ones that went far beyond who-likes-who romantic tension.
Spoiler
Side note, I also liked that Savvy and Mickey are gay from the start, so that there's definitely no tension of that sort between siblingsThe self-discovery and found family stories were very prominent in this novel. Found family is one of my favorite tropes, and so are stories about characters actively becoming friends. This latter plot is one that is not explored often enough, and YA is one of the only places you can actively find it at least sometimes, and I'm so glad this novel included so much of it, and especially of female friendship and of girls overcoming catty rivalries.
[b:You Have a Match|53138158|You Have a Match|Emma Lord|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589256633l/53138158._SY75_.jpg|79888669] was surprisingly unique and authentic for YA romance, and I really appreciated the story all around. I could definitely see myself rereading this in the near future.
Disclaimer: