Book Review: You Have a Match

You Have a Match by Emma Lord ~ 320 pages ~ to be published January 12, 2021 by Wednesday Books

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.

But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby’s growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.

But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.

What I Thought:

*I received this book for free from NetGalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. This will not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

As I was a giant fan of Emma Lord’s first book, Tweet Cute, I was immediately on board when I heard she was releasing a new book. You Have a Match was sweet, funny, and heart-warming. This contemporary YA romance has a depth to it that was unexpected and entirely welcome!

First, the premise of this book is so fun and intriguing. Finding out you have a secret sister from a DNA testing kit? Insane, and so much fun! I went into this book fully anticipating the romance aspect of it, but I did not expect for it to lean into family dynamics so much. I was also impressed by how much character growth Abby and Savvy had throughout the story. I love a good book about finding yourself, and this definitely delivers on that front.

Abby was a fun character. She definitely had some flaws, but her growth throughout the story made me like her even more. I loved her relationship with Savvy. It started off awkward, as would be expected, but grows into something really sweet. Her friendships with Leo and Connie were also fun to watch. Seeing the ups and downs of friendships in YA can sometimes be a little trite, but this book dives into these, at times strained, dynamics in such a way that it was very believable, while still being a feel good story.

As unbelievable as the premise of this story first appears (that you would find a secret sister just from taking a DNA testing kit), the backstory of the parents and what happened was surprisingly moving and well-explained, in my opinion. I was not anticipating feeling such a connection with the parents in this story. Parents in YA are usually very much on the periphery of the story, but these were right in the thick of it. As the mother of an adopted child, I really empathized with the entire situation with Savvy, which gave me an even deeper appreciation for this lovely novel.

All in all, I was a huge fan of this book! It had wonderful character development, a fun romance, and a depth that is sometimes lacking in YA contemporaries. I whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a great contemporary romance with some depth and a lot of great family moments.

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I gave You Have a Match 5 STARS!

Are you interested in learning more about this book? Check out the links below!

Emma Lord’s Website

Emma Lord’s Twitter

You Have a Match on Goodreads

Pre-order You Have a Match on BN.com

What do you think? Are you interested in reading You Have a Match? Have you read Emma Lord’s first book, Tweet Cute? (You can find my review of Tweet Cute here!) Are you a fan of contemporaries about family?

Let’s chat in the comments!

Love and happy reading,

Whitney