YOU HAVE A MATCH by Emma Lord is a fun adventure, exploring the ups and downs of friendships, family, and first loves.

Initially, I wanted to read this story because this publisher puts out quality books, and I was intrigued by the premise. YOU HAVE A MATCH is well-written and engaging from page to page, and I found myself walking on the treadmill longer than I had to because I wanted to finish a scene or chapter. My only real criticism of the story is based on a personal pet peeve of mine: I hate it when an entire problem (or plot) could be resolved by simply talking to someone rather than keeping an issue secret. I wanted to yell at the main character: JUST TALK TO THEM! But that was honestly my only issue with this book. And even with that, I still looked forward to returning to the story each time I'd left it.

Thanks Emma Lord for a terrific story!

Some of my favorite passages from the story:

"Living in that moment-in the adrenaline rush of seeing something magical and knowing you only have a small window to capture that magic ... photographing nature and landscapes ... You never know exactly when the magic is going to happen. There's nothing quite like the rush of getting to hold that magic still and keep it forever-allowing something so big to feel so intimate and personal because a part of you belongs to it, and a part of it belongs to you."

"It was always too good to last. Like when you're in a good dream, but you know you're dreaming. I was here on borrowed time."

"Confidence blazes through me, making me feel like I could snap fire into existence, strike lightning at will, control the tides."


[I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influenced my opinion.]

This was a fun YA book to start off the year. It took me a little while to get into but I think that might have just been because I was trying to read it last week with all of the craziness happening in our nation.

Abby Day takes a DNA test and discovers that she has a full blooded sister. Abby is completely shocked and upset that her parents have hidden this from her. After exchanging messages, the girls decide to meet. Abby meets up with Savannah and the two girls decide to go to summer camp together. Abby has to hack into her parents email so they do not see that she needs to actually be at summer school and off to camp she goes to find out more about her sister and why they are just now figuring out about each other. But guess who will also be at camp with Abby? Her crush, Leo!

As I mentioned about, this was a fun book to start off the year. But I just wanted a little bit more. I wanted a little bit more romance with Leo. I wanted a little bit more of the story of why Abby’s parents made the decision to give up Savannah. When the parents found out that the girls knew, they were mad for a second but seemed to get over it pretty fast. If you enjoyed Tweet Cute, I think you will enjoy this one too!

Thank you to @wednesdaybooks for copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐
2021 is already delivering some amazing books. Emma Lord wrote on of my favorite YA contemporaries of 2020 and I think she will making that list again this year. This book was difficult, heartbreaking at times, and so wonderfully impactful. I definitely teared up more than once throughout this book.
I loved the strong emphasis on family and friend relationships. This really explores what it means to be family and what it takes to be a good friend. And Emma Lord has such a knack for writing realistic and believable teenage characters. Abby is such a difficult character read from at times because she is flawed and 16. She's stubborn and hard headed and make choices that drove me absolutely wild. But that's what being that age is and I really appreciated that perspective. Abby does not have her life together and figured out and I think a lot of teens will appreciate and relate to her character.
The family dynamics and relationships in here were heavy and tough but this story always had a feeling of lightness to it. There is so much humor and wit weaved into this to balance out some of the more difficult topics.
This slow burn romance was everything. I was screaming by the 3/4 point for these two just admit their feelings. But it was so worth the wait. I absolutely loved these characters together!
Overall I'm just in love with how Emma Lord writes relationships. This book was absolutely wonderful and I already can't wait for her next release!

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the chance to read and review, "You Have a Match" by Emma Lord. While I loved her previous book, "Tweet Cute", this one fell a little flat for me, The characters were okay, the storyline was interesting but seemed a little far fetched in my opinion. The details and pop culture references that I loved so much abut the previous novel, were sprinkled inhere and there but I would have loved to see more of both! The main character Abby seemed like someone I could be friends with in real life but I wish she hadn't felt so two-dimensional in the story. Overall, it was an okay read for me but I was just hoping for more.

That sense of pushing off something solid, leaving something behind and thinking, No going back now.”—You Have a Match
Just the second novel from new author Emma Lord, You Have a Match is a heartfelt read for all ages. Babies of the Parent Trap generation will adore this sweet tale of sisterhood and friendship.

Emma Lord has some serious writing skills. Starting with a unique and truly of the times premise, the question of what would you do if you found out that you had a full-blood sibling is something not everyone would handle gracefully. For teenager Abby Day, that very question rocks her world.

There is an overarching mystery in You Have a Match, which I adored because it brought sisters Savannah Tully and Abby Day closer together. If their parents knew each other prior to Savvy’s birth, then what happened to cause the abrupt end to their friendships? It’s one of those wonders of life when a child realizes that their parents are real people who make real mistakes, and watching Abby and Savannah come to grips with the consequences of their parent’s decisions make this a truly memorable read.

It’s not just how parents and children navigate relationships in You Have a Match. Savvy and Abby learn how to become sisters to each other, as well as friends. They each have their own personal relationships to contend with as well. One aspect that I applaud is the normalization that Savvy has a girlfriend. There isn’t any drama to a same sex teenage couple, and honestly why should there be? Abby also faces the challenge of coming to terms with her feelings for her best friend, Leo. She alludes many times to the BEI (Big Embarrassing Incident), and yet Leo’s relationship with Abby is one of the most poignant.

I highly recommend reading You Have a Match. Emma Lord has crafted a story that is perfect for any age, and for parents, siblings, and friends. A memorable read from start to finish, You Have a Match will be a highlight on your reading list for sure.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Wednesday Books, I was lucky enough to read an eARC of You Have A Match by Emma Lord. I really enjoyed her last book, Tweet Cute, and was super intrigued by what she would write next. I was not disappointed! This was a fun afternoon read after a chaotic week. (However, I will include a few CW/TWs: grief, death of grandparent, contentious parent-child relationships (they do get worked out in the end though!), divorce, brief talk of wellness culture, I think that is all but I forgot to write them down as I was reading).

So, without further ado, here are 5 reasons to read You Have A Match:

The Family Dynamics: The reader gets to see a few different types of family dynamics and interactions. Emma Lord is really good at creating loving and complicated relationships between family members. I loved seeing Abby’s interactions with her parents and brothers and her memories of her grandfather. We also see Savvy’s parents through a few different lenses and learn about why they act the way they do.
Sister, Sister: Although Savvy and Abby aren’t twins, they are similar ages and look pretty similar. They are night and day personality-wise (or so they think), but I loved watching their relationship grow throughout the book.
Camp Rock: Jk. However, the camp setting is super fun. As someone who never got to go to summer camp, it’s always fun to watch a movie or read a book set at one. There’s outdoor shenanigans, pranks, weird campers who become friends, and more! There is a bit of Parent Trap-esque nostalgia I got while reading this book.
Friends to Lovers (x2): If you’re a sucker for for a kind of angsty friend to lovers relationship, this book is for you. Abby and Leo are in a state of embarrassed limbo after an almost kiss last fall. What will a whole summer without their third best friend lead to? There’s also a side plot friends to lovers story I won’t spoil, but I called it 😂
The Importance of Friendship: This book not only deals with family and romance, but also with friendship and the changes that happen as friends grow up together (and maybe even grow apart). There is one specific friend group where I really loved the journey they had. I wish I could talk about it more, but it’s *spoiler territory* if I do.
BONUS: THERE IS A DOG NAMED RUFUS!

EXTRA BONUS: There are queer side characters! A f/f relationship and an a-spec character 🙂

Overall, a 4.5 simply because there were a lot of things throw at the reader right in the beginning and it took a bit to understand what was happening.

A total hit! This unique story is filled with so much nostalgia and reminds us all what friendship and family truly means. Loved it!

*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.

I gave You Have a Match 5 STARS!

You Have A Match is a wonderful coming of age story. As summer approaches, Abby is still grieving the death of her grandfather, who was her rock. She is also under pressure from her parents to improve her grades and fears being rejected by her best friend/secret crush. Abby discovers she has an older sister that her parents kept a secret through a DNA ancestry service. Her sister, Savvy, lives nearby and is a social media influencer. The two sisters hatch a plan to spend the summer together; hijinx and family drama ensues.

Reminiscent of The Parent Trap, I loved the family aspect and summer camp fun! You can't help but laugh at the various predicaments that Abby gets into. As a typical teenager, miscommunications and assumptions rule her life. Big or small, everything is "make or break" to her! Learning many life lessons throughout her camp experience, Abby emerges with a strong sense of herself and finds her place in the world. She figures out that life is all about trying hard things because the biggest rewards come from doing difficult things.

Unlike Tweet Cute, the romance takes a back seat to the family drama. I would have liked for the romance aspect to have played a more prominent role in the story. Abby and Leo are an adorable, ship-worthy couple, but I needed a little bit more of them in the story.

I enjoyed the sisterly bonding too. I liked how Abby and Savvy's relationship developed organically with stops and starts. They didn't become friends or sisters overnight. In the end, they emerged with a strong relationship.

You Have A Match is a fun read. While this is a YA book, I recommend it to readers of all ages. Everyone can relate to the topics in this book and enjoy its humor.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy to read and enjoy. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

If you like the movie “Parent Trap,” you’ll enjoy this book. As a matter of a fact, I love that movie and it was the first thing that came to mind as I dove deeper into the book. I then became immediately invested when Abby learned she had a secret sister because I wanted to know how/why that came to be, especially since Abby’s parents never mentioned it. As we continue reading the book, the readers become aware that is a bit of a painful part of her parents’ pasts.

While I liked all of the characters, I wanted a bit more of the friendship between Connie, Leo, and Abby. That was a bit difficult here, I think, because school is all but over and summer starts. Saying that, I loved the friends-to-lovers between Leo and Abby. I found them both completely adorable and all the confusion regarding their feelings for one another made their actual romance so much more worth it. As for Savvy and Abby’s relationship, you expect the bumps and rough patches they go through, but at the same time, I thought it was little harsh for Abby to play pranks on Savvy. I want to right it off as confusion and figuring out how to cope between learning she has a secret sister and why her parents never told her.

This is most likely the adult in me talking but I found the revelation about Savannah and Abby’s parents incredibly fascinating. The same thing goes for Savannah’s parents, which I won’t say due to spoilers. I loved how things…fell into place and you see these people picking up the pieces and the mess they made and turning it into something…good, something worthwhile and worth keeping.

I think what could have made this story a little better is having Savannah’s POV. I would have loved to know if she and Abby had the same thoughts about discovering each other, their respective parents, etc. I felt like the two sisters were dealing with a lot of things internally and externally, and while I enjoyed Abby’s POV, knowing Savannah’s would have been the icing on the cake.

Overall, this was a fun (although sometimes frustrating) and adorable book. I’ll definitely add it to my personal library, and am excited to see more from Lord.

Emma Lord’s new YA contemporary, You Have a Match, follows 16-year-old Abby Day. When Abby agrees to take a DNA test, alongside her two best friends, Connie and Leo, she thinks she’s just doing it for moral support because Leo is adopted and would like to know more about his biological family. What Abby doesn’t count on is that taking that simple little test will turn her entire life upside down when it connects her to an older sister named Savannah (“Savvy”) she never even knew existed.

Abby has no idea what to do with this information, but then Savvy reaches out to her and wants to meet. After an initial meeting where Abby ends up with more questions than answers, she agrees to meet up with Savvy at summer camp so they can really get to the bottom of why Abby’s parents gave up Savvy for adoption. Add Leo, who Abby has some awkward more-than-friends feelings for, to the mix because he also attends the same summer camp and you’ve got a recipe for an entertaining and cute read with lots of potential for emotions to run high.

The relationship between Abby and Savvy was the biggest highlight of the story for me. Abby is a born risk taker, who tends to act first and think about it later. She’s also a budding photographer who inherited her love of photography from her grandfather who passed away recently. Abby has been struggling a bit with her grief since his passing, both in her personal life and academically. In contrast, Savvy comes across as little Miss Perfect. She’s a social media influencer who focuses on healthy living. Her Instagram feed is filled with yoga, meditation, healthy eating, etc. Savvy wants everything in her life to be picture perfect so Abby’s act first, think later, rules are optional philosophy does not sit well with her.

These two are such polar opposites that it’s hard to believe that they could possibly be sisters, but I really loved watching their relationship progress the more time they spend together. There are plenty of bumps in the road as the two of them constantly butt heads over pretty much everything, but the relationship growth comes across as very authentic and I liked that both sisters learned a lot and grew as a result of the challenges they encountered and mistakes they made along the way.

I also loved the blend of family, friendships, sisterhood, and romance, along with the summer camp setting. In addition to the sibling relationship, there’s also the mystery of why Abby’s parents gave up Savvy for adoption and then promptly had Abby a year and a half later. Getting to the bottom of that mystery kept me turning the pages, as did wanting to see Abby sort through her feelings for Leo. Leo is such a sweetheart so I was 100% invested in Abby being brave enough to take a chance on him.

I really enjoyed reading You Have a Match. It’s a fun and quick read, but also just one of those stories that has a little something for everyone and that will leave you with a contented smile on your face.

3.5 Stars (rounded up)

Thanks #NetGalley #StMartinsPress @StMartinsPress for a complimentary e ARC of #YouHaveAMatch for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Abby and her childhood friend, Leo (secret crush), sign up for a DNA service. For Abby, it’s a lark, but Leo is adopted and is curious about finding some bio relatives. A big surprise: Leo receives no matches but Abby finds out she has a full bio sister living within a couple of miles of her. Abby stalks the bio sister on Instagram,, and they make contact. They agree to meet at a summer camp and compare notes to try and figure out the secret that both sets of parents are keeping. Leo is also a cook at the camp, so this keeps life interesting for Abby in the romance department. Life becomes complicated as camp life, romance, secrets, siblings, friendships, and parents collide.

Have you done DNA?
What would you do if you found out you had a full sibling?

If you’ve read Tweet Cute, you know that Emma Lord can write an engaging and page-turning story targeted for the YA (young adult) audience. Maybe because I read Tweet Cute first, I loved it a bit more, but You Have a Match and Tweet Cute are both enjoyable and well-written stories.

I think a secret crush on your childhood friend, DNA results, summer camp, teenage friendships, and a secret sister who is also an Instagram influencer are elements that work together to create an intriguing story that will capture the interest of a YA (and even adult) reader.

I like that this lighthearted story with relatable and likable characters reminds me of Parent Trap and is on the innocent end of the YA spectrum. I enjoyed the themes of found family, adoption, friendship, social media, positive family relationships, and first love.

For Fans Of: light fiction with poignant family themes, sweet and innocent romance, and Emma Lord (Tweet Cute reviewed here). Parents, if you’re looking for a recommendation for your teen girl, I can highly recommend You Have a Match and Tweet Cute!

Though I loved this author's previous work, Tweet Cute, this one wasn't as enjoyable for me.
This title felt like a modernized version of The Parent Trap in a lot of ways. It wasn't necessarily bad or anything like that. It just felt a little more bland.
Considering it's target demographic, I think there will be those that enjoy it. For me, it just didn't hold up to the previous title.

Emma Lord has done it again! While I didn't love this like I love Tweet Cute, Emma Lord nailed it with this fun contemporary. I'm convinced she can do no wrong when it comes to YA contemporary.

You Have A Match follows Abby Day during the summer before her senior year. After taking a DNA test to both support her best friend/crush Leo and compete with her other best friend Connie, Abby finds out she has a sister her parents never told her about. Of course, this revelation shakes Abby's world. Things only get more overwhelming the more Abby finds our about her sister. Savvy Tulley--said secret sister--is everything Abby is not: health conscious, organized, a stickler for the rules and an Instagram star. Abby, after meeting her sister, decides to follow Savvy to summer camp so the two can bond and find out why their parents kept such a big secret from them.

If you read the above summary and thought that it sounds like The Parent Trap, you would be right. This book is like The Parent Trap in book form and I LOVED IT. Abby and Savvy are basically Annie and Hallie in the sense that they prank each other before they love each other. It was so freaking fun and kind of felt nostalgic.

All that aside, I do think there was a little too much going on in the story for how short the book is. I never felt deeply connected to the characters because they didn't have a lot of page time (aside from Savvy and Abby obviously). The Leo plotline and romance especially comes to mind when thinking of this complaint. I found myself not really invested in the romance because I barely knew Leo. In Tweet Cute we spend a lot of time in Jack's head but in this one we barely see the love interest. I guess I just needed more of the side characters.

While I didn't love this like I love Tweet Cute, I am glad this was a hit. Emma Lord is now an auto buy author for me.

4.5⭐️

Abby takes a DNA test to encourage her best friend (and secret crush) into trying to find out about his biological family.. Although Leo doesn’t find out information about his family, Abby finds out she has an older sister. They decide to meet up at summer camp to get to know each other and try to figure out why they didn’t know about each other.

They are lots of complicated relationships addressed in this story....between sisters, parents and kids, and best friends from the past and present.

I really enjoyed this story. It had a bit of a different tone from Tweet Cute in that there were some serious situations being dealt with in this book including figuring out how Abby and Savvy are sisters and why they were brought up separately.

We also see Abby grow a lot in the communication area as far as her parents and friends.. Learning how to talk about her feelings instead of hiding them away.
J
I really liked all of the characters and enjoyed the story...I might have even teared up a couple of times.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Parent Trap meets Switched at Birth... kind of. Featuring Summer Camp (the drama!) and a Summer Romance, I can see how Emma Lord has claimed a top spot in Contemporary YA. (I haven't read Tweet Cute yet. 🙈) I will definitely be rereading You Have a Match on audiobook for my Summer tbr.

I loved Tweet Cute, so I was so excited to get my hands on an early copy of You Have a Match by Emma Lord.

This book is a clever take on the Parent Trap theme mixed with a contemporary dash of 23andMe. There's young love, and it takes place mostly at summer camp, which was a nice distraction from our chilly winter days.

Plus, there are totally fun moments about that IG life.

People are going to love this one. I know it.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Emma Lord has written a great story about growing up and not being afraid to face new things and hidden it inside a plot that sounds straight out of a Jerry Springer/'90s Disney movie mashup.
It's mostly fun and innocent, full of the anxieties and worries typical of adolescence, while also taking the fact that all those feelings are valid and complex into account in creating a story that breathes life into even the side characters.
Abby is immensely relatable and Savannah is a great counterpoint to her. They each have their own worries before being hit with the big reveal but they're both handling it differently. It doesn't help that they both also feel like they're the only ones facing adversity and that they have to handle it alone. Just their interactions and that of their parents are enough to make this a worthwhile book, but add in a crossed-wires romance, finding a path to the future, and a super strict summer camp, and you've got the makings of a great story.

Manny happy thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the early read.

Books about camp make me so happy and this one was like reading a childhood favorite When Abby signs up for a DNA service she finds out she has an older sister so what do they do The 2 sisters meet and decide to meet up at summer camp to try and figure out what all happened and along the way the girls discover themselves, find love, and a whole lot more this was just so campy!! Loved it!

My thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Welp. Emma Lord has done it again. She has delivered the most precious cast of characters for a second time. I didn’t think I could love anybody like I loved (and still love) Pepper Jack, but to be honest, I adored Abby wholly and completely. I loved all of them, if we’re being honest (‘sup Finn?) and they were just so good and wonderful and pure fun.

One of the things I love most about Lord’s writing is her ability to transport us back to when we were teenagers. She has this way of writing characters that you want to throttle, but also completely understand because you were those characters. You were insecure, and selfish, and learning, and trying to hold on to the things in your life that were sturdy, while still being scared of change and losing people. You were Abby, worried about everything slipping out of your grasp while trying to stay afloat. You were Finn, just wondering why your friends all seem to be moving on without you and you seem to be stuck in the same place. You were Connie, overworking yourself with activities and schoolwork just to feel accomplished and in control of your future. You were Savannah, trying to grasp some sort of control in a life that was chosen and laid out for you.

You were all of these characters and it makes them that much more relatable and that much more endearing.

Look, Abby was a mess. I’m not going to sugarcoat it and honestly, neither would she. She was a mess. She was basically just floating through life, unsure of what she really wanted, overscheduled and over-committed (courtesy of her parents) and she just wanted to breathe. I think we can all relate to that feeling, right? Regardless, the results of her DNA test send her into a tailspin because she finds out that, for her entire life, her parents have been keeping a major secret from her. So for once in her life, Abby takes the reins and does something about it. She takes control of the situation and goes after what she wants, and from there we get this beautiful journey of self-discovery, friendship, and growth. The Abby we start the book with is not the same Abby that the book ends with, and getting to that point is just such a fun ride. You meet such a fun crew of characters that you’ll have a hard time not inhaling this book up. You’ll laugh, you’ll squeal, you’ll cry, you’ll scream at Abby, but all the while, you never stop rooting for her.

It was delightful and I had such a good time. And I am anxiously awaiting what Emma Lord delivers next because if she keeps writing books like this, I’m never going to want her to stop.



**Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the review copy**