This was such a cute book! I really enjoyed the whole story line about how Abby decides to take a DNA test only to find out she has a sister. With DNA tests being so popular within these last few years, this story resonates me for so many reasons. I loved it!

This was a pleasant read for fans of YA literature. I enjoyed the relationship of the main characters but I found the main plot of the parents somewhat lacking. This was a 3 star read for me.

Abby and her friends take a DNA test and she gets the surprise of her life when she discovers she has a sister, Savannah.  They decide to meet up at summer camp in order to figure out why her parents put her up for adaptation and why they never told anyone.  How the discovery will change them all? 

You Have a Match is a  heart-warming and fun story of discovery and learning to take part in life.  It is a good book to read.

This was a very cute novel, but I feel like I would have enjoyed it more if I was a little bit younger.

I really enjoyed the story. Loved the characters, especially Abby. It’s a perfect summer read. Abby took a DNA test to help her friend Leo ( who was adopted). She ends up finding that she has a sister whose name is Savannah who is an influencer. Surprisingly, They end up meeting in the summer camp to talk about their parents and family. Savannah is really opposite of Abby in terms of personality.  Abby has a crush on Leo. But there wasn’t too much about the romance part though. Overall it was a cute story.

You Have A Match, by Emma Lord, is such a gem of a novel! In this day and age where DNA tests have become popular, a YA novel centered around that what if question of discovering an unknown sibling was super fun! Abby is our main character throughout our journey here, and takes the DNA test at the nudging of her best friend Leo, who's adopted and wants to find out more about his heritage. So along with their other best friend Connie, they all take a DNA test together to lessen the nerves. But instead of Leo finding out about his past, Abby gets the shock of a lifetime when she discovers a full-blood older sibling named Savannah. Not only that, she's a popular Instagram influencer who reacher out to her and wants to meet her. Abby is curious, I mean wouldn't you be? One thing leads to another, and the girls find a way to go to summer camp together without their parents any the wiser. It's not love at first sight with Savvy, but they grow together and figure out their mysterious past while strengthening their relationship despite some personality differences. Throw in some relationship drama and pranks, and you have a five star novel!

Emma Lord's debut TWEET CUTE was such a fun romp, and I was super excited for her sophomore YA novel. While her signature snarky wit and pop culture references were in full force here, too, it felt like the writing was skewed to a younger audience than her first book. Some of the writing reminded me of Meg Cabot in the 90s (not a bad thing, I loved Meg Cabot as a teen and was obsessed with THE PRINCESS DIARIES) but some of the terms and nicknames felt dated for today's YA audience. I also felt like the story and the characters were not quite as fleshed out as in her first book. I had some unanswered questions about the family dynamics (especially the parents' role in everything), the summer camp setting wasn't as vibrant as I would have hoped, and the romance felt like it should have maybe been more secondary than it was? I might just have aged out of Lord's particular brand of YA, but I think the 12-14 set might enjoy this one more!

Chosen to be a featured book in our Through the Stacks book club for February 2021. This story gave me Parent Trap vibes with an updated DNA services twist. I gushed to everyone I know about Tweet Cute but liked this new book from Emma Lord even more!

After giving in to help one of her best friends (and crush) Leo, Abby gets her genetic test results back to discover she has a secret full blooded sister just a year older and a few minutes away from her. Shocked at the discovery, Abby reluctantly agrees to meet, and finds Savy who could not be more Abby's opposite. The two concoct a plan to spend time together at a summer camp to attempt to get to know each other behind their unsuspecting parent's backs, which will be the most disastrous and memorable summer of Abby's life.

You Have A Match gets all the stars from me, I really loved it! This was cute and emotional, fun and dramatic, spanning the gauntlet of emotions to make me up and down within the same chapter and I would not change a single element of the story. The story dealt with some hard truth such as lies/secrets, unrequited feelings, adoption, betrayal, uncertainty and lack of direction that plagues most teens (and most adults, let's be real), and yet this was a super positive read that left me incredibly happy and content with everything I was given- this is 100% how a standalone read should be, leaving everything concluded. This is my second read from this author, and she is now hands down one of my favorite YA Contemporary writers and I will gobble down every book she wants to write- as well as force everyone I know to read them too.

This review will be short so I don't fangirl ramble on forever, just know this is a great read and I adored it. I recommend this for anyone who loves sister books, a kind of parent trap retelling in a really unique way, memorable well developed characters (be it main or side) fans of great friendships as well as adorable epic romances (with friends to lovers trope), and self discovery stories- with an adorable dog friend.

I loved Tweet Cute so had high expectations going into You Have A Match and it didn't disappoint! I love the realistic relationships Emma Lord so effortless depicts between her characters, not just romantically.

I was so bored by this book, I made it halfway through and I just really didn't care about any of the characters of their storylines so I did not finish the book.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

This book was amazing, heart-felt and just pulls at all the feelings in so many different situations! Very much reminiscent and nostalgic to the Parent Swap and I love that this took place at a summer camp as well, like Parent Swap did!

This novel follows Abby as she is continuing to work through the grief of losing her grandfather, who I personally feel like was her REAL best friend, nothing against Connie and Leo! Abby is frustrated and not doing well at school and feels like her life has no direction as her other besties, Connie and Leo, seem to be forging their future paths...and Abby feels left behind. As besties do, the trio take the genetics test to support Leo in trying to find relations (as he is adopted) and while he does not find any links....Abby does. This starts a whirlwind of trying to find a sibling she never knew about and the crazy antics and family history that comes out during this journey.

This was such an amazingly sweet novel, and while predictable, totally enjoyed and did not want to put down until the wonderfully heart-warming ending. Such a fun book and I will absolutely look into more books by this author!

I want to say thank you to the Wednesday Books for sending me a copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily. All opinions are my own.

3.5 stars.

Blurb:
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.

Review:

Abby and her best friends wanted to try this DNA service mainly for school but also because they wanted to. Leo and Connie are her two best friends. They have been inseparable since day 1. The test results are in and Abby finds out she has an older sister. That older siser is famous insta star Savannah. Savannah and Tully want to me Abby. After Abby & Savannah meet secretly, they planned on going to camp together to get to know more about each other and their parents.

This book is the classic parent trap. I love how the book came together. I enjoyed hearing the back story of Abby's and Savy's parents. The ending was just to sweet it made my cheeks hurt. I'm not going to spoil anything but I highly recommend this book.

Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute was one of my favorite books last year and possibly one of my favorite YA contemporaries of all time. I’m also a big fan of the 1998 Disney Classic, Parent Trap, starring Lindsay Lohan, so when I heard the premise of her sophomore novel, I was ecstatic. 

However, while You Have a Match touched me with its emotional family reconciliations, I kept hoping for more romantic and friendship banters and summer camp activities. The book as a whole was a solid standalone, but if compared to her debut novel, I found Tweet Cute to be the more enjoyable read.

You Have a Match follows high-schooler and amateur photographer, Abby, who decides to sign up for a DNA testing service along with her best friend and crush, Leo. The results reveal a shocking surprise...that Abby has a sister named Savannah who lives only a few miles away.

In order to uncover why their parents put Savvy up for adoption, Abby signs up to attend the summer camp where her sister works as a counselor. There, she also runs into Leo who has actually been working at the same summer camp for years. 

While I would give the family and sister plotline a 4 or 5 star, everything else from the romance to side friendships felt underdeveloped. The playful banter and charm between the MCs wasn’t as apparent here in comparison to Tweet Cute, but I can understand why Emma Lord let romance take a back seat since this book touched on heavier themes of family secrets.

Since a majority of the book is set at a summer camp, I kept hoping for more scenes of the characters doing ~iconic~ summer camp activities. I could see how this book takes inspiration from The Parent Trap through the prank wars and sister bonding, but the vibes felt more Camp Rock 2 than Camp Rock (if you know what I  mean). 

Overall, You Have a Match was a solid read filled with touching moments of sisterhood and family. While I didn’t enjoy it as much as Tweet Cute, I’m still glad that I gave it a try, and hopefully, I’ll come to love Emma Lord’s next book even more.

You Have a Match is cute, but there are a lot of flaws that I had to overlook in order to enjoy this one. Abby is our main character and does a DNA test as a favor to her friend, Leo. Leo is also her crush, but since the pair does not communicate, the crush is kept a secret. This side story bothered me because you couldn't ever see the chemistry between the pair and if they ever just talked to one enough (instead of referencing a BEI - big embarrassing incident), this could have been resolved.

The main storyline is between Abby and her secret sister. What's that, you say? Secret sister? Yes, apparently during the DNA test that she took, she found out that she had a sister that was a direct match. Yet there is no mention of this in the 16 years of her life from her parents. Does she ask her parents about it? Nope. (Did she ask her parents before taking the DNA test even though she is under 18? No... explain that?!). Instead, she meets with the secret sister, Savannah, and the two make a plan to go to the same summer camp to get to hang out. Their relationship is strained, but they try to get along. The whole thing is strange and neither of them have any desire to actually talk to their parents to see what happened.

The summer camp setting was interesting, but the characters weren't developed very well. Overall, it was a cute YA book, but with too many flaws in the overall storyline.

I was very excited to read You Have a Match after so thoroughly enjoying Tweet Cute. Emma Lord is a wizard at crafting complex young adult characters on the cusp of adulthood. She makes you feel so immersed in their dramas and worries that, as an adult reader, I do not feel like any of it is trivial, I get emotionally invested.

You Have a Match has one heck of a hook -- finding an unexpected genetic match that turns out to be a full-blooded sister -- and spins out a good mystery and family drama. The main characters have depth and realistic relationships with each other that grow and evolve in the summer camp setting when the newly-discovered sisters secretly seclude themselves their without informing their families that they know about each other.

Overall I tore through this in a morning and can't wait for Lord's next work!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

Q: did you ever go to a camp? I went to a church camp once when I was a kid & got stitches on my chin after trying to show off for a boy on the see saw. He was not impressed 🥴.

I thought Emma Lord’s Tweet Cute was adorable & I couldn’t *wait* to get my hands on You Have a Match.

Featuring Abby Day, a grieving 16 year old who’s also trying to recover from the humiliation of having feelings for the best friend who doesn’t have feelings for her, You Have a Match takes it one step further on the emotional scale by having Abby learn her family’s biggest secret after taking a DNA test: she has an older, biological sister named Savvy.

Abby & Savvy make plans to get together at the same summer camp where they’ll try to figure out what happened: how their parents know each other & why they haven’t known anything about the other sister until after the test.

At camp, Abby will also try to put the Big Embarrassing Incident—when she tried to kiss her best friend Leo—behind her, a feat made more difficult by the fact that he is in fact at camp with her.

This is a heart-stirring & emotional YA contemporary that takes place in the charming locale of a summer camp. Seeing Abby make new friends while getting into hijinx, form a strong bond with her seemingly total opposite sister, figure out what’s going on with Leo, & take charge of her photographer dreams is really sweet. It just is.

My only real quibble with this one is that the situation with the parents after they find out what their kids know feels so big & I wasn’t entirely satisfied by how it plays out on the page. Not that it wasn’t well done; I just wanted something more—especially with Savvy—because there’s so much emotion there.

Lord has a deft way of writing stories that pull me in & make me invested, & while Tweet Cute is still my number 1, You Have a Match cements Lord as one of my fave YA contemporary authors.

4.5 ⭐️. YHAM is out now.

Emma Lord marked herself as an author to watch with her debut Tweet Cute. In You Have A Match, she secures her place as a must-buy contemporary author and an expert in characterization. Abby and Savvy play great against each other. They definitely read as sisters and the conflict/tension feels organic. I’m not surprised that Reese Witherspoon picked this book for her book club, nor that it debuted on the NYT list. You Have A Match is yet another gem and I cannot wait for Lord’s next novel.

You Have A Match is my second Emma Lord book and while it was a delight to read, I wish I liked it more. 

Going into it, I had very high expectations as Tweet Cute was one of my favorite books reads last year and You Have A Match definitely stands it’s own ground and is a delightful book. I just felt like something was missing for me, perhaps it’s the fact that I just couldn’t connect to the characters as much. I still however enjoyed it and I think others will as well!

This was a fun read and I liked the characters, but it was hard to suspend my disbelief about the Abby and Savvy keeping their big deal discovery a secret for so long. I can imagine the sister-separation-by-parents and in played out in a way that was interesting to uncover - but I have a hard time accepting that the two of them would keep their discovery secret for so long and then rapidly develop a relationship behind their parents' backs. Overall it was cute and the friendship and relationship conflicts felt realistic.
3.5