A delightful popcorn read, You Have a Match is Emma Lord's sophomore novel, and a big hit for me. Abby is going into her senior year of high school, if she can make it through summer school that is. Her life was pretty simple until her Poppy passed last year. Since then her grades have taken a nose dive, and although she still spends time with her two best friends Connie and Leo, she doesn't have time for much else and begins feeling lonelier than she could ever have imagined. When Leo decides to take a genetics test to try to find information about his birth parents, Connie and Abby jump on board for support. The information they get, about Abby having a secret sister, is as far from the expected as they could get.
This YA rom com was filled with delightful and snarky teenagers living their best lives. Their pranks and the things they tried to get away with were fun and relatable. The use of technology as a plot point felt relevant to the way we all use our phones now. Overall I felt Lord did a good job of harnessing regular life and turning it into a coming of age adventure. This is a feel good read where all the characters learn a lot about themselves, each other, and how to set and maintain appropriate boundaries while still letting people in.

When Abby Day takes a DNA test for a school project, she does not expect any shocking revelations, but she gets one anyway. When she gets a message from an Instagram influencer named Savvy who claims to be her long-lost sister, her whole world takes a turn. Abby and Savvy decide to meet up at a summer camp to try to get to know each other and solve the mystery of each other’s existence. Between parental drama, crushes on best friends, and newfound family, summer camp is a confusing and exhilarating time for Abby. With Lindsey Lohan “Parent Trap” vibes, in the sense of meeting a sister at camp, Emma Lord pulls readers into this story by introducing relatable yet flawed characters. While this is a story about secrets and lies, the reasonings behind them are based in reality, and readers will be able to feel the heartbreak and truth of the situation. Readers will fall in love with Abby and her new sister, and all of the supporting characters, in this sophomore novel by Emma Lord.

You Have a Match is a satisfying read. Lord has taken the idea of discovering a family secret through a simple, mail-in DNA test and has added an unexpected twist! With the camp-life setting and BFF boundaries being crossed, there is a lot going on, but it is done well.

The summer camp escapism we all need in 2020 - if you loved Emma Lord's previous book Tweet Cute, you'll certainly enjoy this as well! Abby's best friend ropes her into taking a DNA test to hopefully find out more about his birth family, but Abby is the one who ends up getting more than she bargained for with the discovery of previously unknown full sister, and all the assorted implications that follow.

At times I just wanted the main characters to clear up their miscommunications... but I feel like these delayed conversations skirted actually being what drove the plot which was good. All in all, a very cute and light read about self-discovery, how one fits in their family, and how your imperfections form who you are, warts and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for providing an advance copy of this book! I will update this review with a link to my Instagram post review when I post it. Review posted to Goodreads.

I went into this book having really high expectations because I loved Tweet Cute a whole heck of a lot last year. In some aspects, this book did not disappoint and in some aspects it did. I wasn't 100% hooked and I didn't fall in love with the characters like I did with Tweet Cute, but I did enjoy the story.

Each character definitely had their own distinctive voice but they just weren't as engaging to me as I thought they would be. I didn't love them like I wanted to or fully get attached like I thought I might. I really loved Abby and Savvy's relationship. I enjoyed seeing how they went from initially annoyed and somewhat offended at each other to being totally 100% in each other's corners.

The romance was unnecessary, in my opinion. The story could have done without it and I would have been perfectly happy. It seemed shoehorned in there and the fact that they tried to do the whole love triangle thing was a tad annoying, especially considering there was really no resolution with Finn. He just disappears toward the end and doesn't get any closure, in my opinion.

Everything seemed too perfect and wrapped up too nicely. Everyone had a nice happy ending. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it just seemed too unrealistic for me. An 18 year animosity is almost erased overnight, Savvy's addiction to social media and her 'brand' is pushed back, and Abby goes from not being able to even show her parents her photographs to having them displayed and SOLD in the family coffee shop. I know we had a bit of a time jump at the end but to me, everything felt so rushed and easily wrapped up.

A cute YA read! My first Emma Lord book, but definitely not my last!

When Abby takes a DNA test, her results reveal that she has a sister that she never knew about. Even more interesting, the sister, Savvy, lives nearby and is only a year and a half older than her. The girls meet and make a plan to spend the first month of summer together at Camp Reynolds so that they can get to know each other, while figuring out why Abby's parents put Savvy up for adoption 18 years ago.

Throughout the story, there is a strong theme of family and friendship as well as love and forgiveness. I really liked the supporting characters and thought they added a lot to the story, The plot of the story had me curious and turning pages, wanting to learn more.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Emma Lord's debut novel Tweet Cute, so I was incredibly excited to see she had another novel out. I really think she may be becoming one of my favorite YA authors. You Have a Math is completely different than her first, but just as engaging. I loved the geneology aspect of it, since I am intrigued by ancestry and the whole secret sister thing added a fun element of suspense as you move through the book and wonder exactly what happened. This book was equal parts funny and pull at your heartstrings emotional. If you haven't discovered Emma Lord yet, and you like the YA genre, immediately go out and get both of these books to devour!

"You Have a Match" fell a little flat for me. I think part of me unfairly compared it too much to "Tweet Cute" which I loved. But the other part just found it to be a little too unrealistic. I mean...[the dad was so horribly sick with an unknown heart condition and severe pneumonia they they thought he was going to die but was well enough to have sex (without dying) to produce a child? And then he took a magical experimental pill that "cured him" but his kids never knew anything about his heart defect and near death experience that caused his parents to get married? (hide spoiler)]. Too much over the top drama that all tied together nicely with a big red bow. I did like the camp premise. I'm a sucker for a good camp, coming-of-age story. And the author continues to show her talent for writing witty and humorous narratives. I will definitely pick up her next book. I think she's a fantastic young adult author. This book just wasn't a perfect fit for me.


***Advanced copy obtained by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley***

I loved Emma Lord's Tweet Cute, and I was expecting another light-hearted, fun story. Instead, I got something more, and I liked it. You Have a Match explores what happens when the life you know is unraveled. There is a surprising depth that counteracts the teenage angst that can sometimes be overpowering in YA novels. You Have a Match was a compulsively readable book with a rich storyline. Go read it!

After Abby discovers the existence of an older biological sister via a genetic test, a summer at camp reveals secrets that were meant to stay buried forever. This is less a rom-com and more about the newfound sisterly relationship. Not gonna lie — I cried like a baby during a couple scenes. There are a few plot/pacing issues that I didn’t like, but Emma Lord’s voice is strong enough that I hand-waved most of it away. When the voice works, everything clicks into place and other issues be damned.

Caveat re: rep. Abby’s love interest Leo is a transracial adoptee (his white parents adopted him and his sister from the Philippines). Clearly I’m not an expert in gauging the rep here, but: 1) the entire book is from Abby’s POV (which is a smart choice and I think the author stayed in her lane), 2) in general, I’m fairly frustrated with the popularity of “white authors writing biracial/adopted BIPOC characters that have little-to-no connection with their heritage” (Leo is unfortunately the latest example of this trend), and 3) Leo has a close Filipino friend Mickey in the camp (I really liked their friendship and how Leo wanted to become closer to his cultural roots). The romance is peripheral; we don’t get much insight from Leo since we only see him through Abby’s eyes.

One thing that I thought was odd: the reason Abby even takes the DNA test in the first place is because of Leo. He doesn’t know anything about his birth parents and (because there’s a discount if you buy several tests) bought tests for the friend group. Abby’s test results in a surprise sister and kicks off the story, but I’m puzzled by the discussion surrounding Leo’s DNA test. There’s a minor plot point where Leo reveals that his DNA test didn’t yield any results (his parents haven’t used the service, obviously) and he says that it’s probably for the best (he’s not prepared for what he might dig up).

And this isn’t BAD or anything, but I was surprised that the book never discusses how faulty/useless DNA services can be for BIPOC. The algorithms, the overly white sample size affecting bloodwork analysis, and more. If Leo’s birth parents still live in the Philippines, the odds of them taking the test are lower than if they live in the USA (I assume that these services tend to be American/Euro-centric). The lack of discussion re: DNA service flaws felt... odd. Like a glaring omission that needs to be remedied. I expect a book about DNA services to at least touch on the issue; they are controversial for extremely good reasons! I mean, the book never even discusses the security/privacy concerns of handing your genetic material over to a private company! That seems relevant, but what do I know?

Anyway: I enjoyed the book! I had a fun time reading it. But there is a lot to critique and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I would be interested in reading criticism from someone who didn’t like the book as much as I did, especially re: the DNA test aspect.

This was a story about a girl who discovers that she has a sister she never knew about and the path she takes to find out what happened. Throw in a BFF romance and summer camp and you have a nice summer story.

Sometimes a person comes into your life and you never expected her or him to make such a big impact on you. Abby, Connie and Leo are the best friends you could have but as summer approaches this trio’s friendship is about to get tested.

Super cute, relatable teen story. I enjoyed Emma Lord’s first book a lot more, but this was a good, quick read.

This book missed the mark for me and I had to force myself to finish it. Although I think the writing is good and easy to read, I just wasn't drawn into the story.

a sweet book about secrets and what happens when they come out one by one, secret sisters, secret friends of the family, secret crushes, mutual or not, secret dreams and ambitions and how much more love we can expand our hearts to contain.

Abby doesn't expect much from her DNA test - she's just trying to support her friend Leo as he searches for clues about his birth parents. Imagine her surprise when she gets a message from Savannah, whose DNA classifies her as a full sister. How can they get to know each other? In true Parent Trap fashion, they end up at summer camp together along with Leo and Mickey, their secret crushes. Chaos ensues as the girls learn more about themselves and each other and as they try to solve the mystery of their shared parentage.

This is a fun coming-of-age tale, and I know teens will relate to Abby's struggles with being over scheduled and misunderstood by her parents. The camp setting provides good comedy while also moving the story forward. Ultimately, the pacing was a bit off for me - the book seemed to simultaneously have too much and not enough going on. This conflict may be due to the packing of lots of drama into the last 20% of the book, while the middle moved more slowly. As other reviewers have said, this is probably not a YA book for those of us who are "young at heart", but I think teens and tweens will certainly enjoy it.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emma Lord for an ARC of this book!*

23andMe was just the beginning of the latest trend: use my DNA to tell me, well, all about me! Abby gets the idea to participate in genetic testing herself when best friend and latent crush Leo takes the same test to find out more about his background. Abby is stunned when she gets her results, however...she has a sister (!) Savvy is the lovely social media-savvy Instagram picture of lovely new age health, and when the two meet for the first time, they decide they have to get to the origin of their mysterious family secrets and subsequent separation. Savvy invites Abby to a camp she is working at over the summer, where Abby gets smacked in the face with another shocking surprise: Leo works there too and has known Savvy for years. Can Abby find the truth about her family's past, learn to get along with her new sister....and WHAT will she do about Leo?

Emma Lord's Tweet Cute was enchanting, sweet, and full of delicious treats, leaving me hungry for more, so I eagerly picked up her newest release, ready for more of the same. Unfortunately, these books almost feel like they belong in different worlds and at the very least are aimed at entirely different age groups. Tweet Cute had such universal appeal, I could really relate to the two protagonists in a cute, nostalgic sense. You Have A Match, however, is a YA book I would strictly recommend to the 11-13 set. The focus on all of the highs and lows of Instagram and social media stardom isn't really a concept I relate to at all. I know social media influencer is an actual 'job' these days, but for Abby to aspire to simply get a hundred thousand followers with her photography rather than focus on creating work she's proud of in her own regard simply plays into the pressure young people already face to get the next 'like'. I liked that Lord wanted to meld family dynamics and a budding love story, but between all of the backstory with both sets of parents, Abby's conflicts with friends, her internal conflict over her crush, and other extraneous characters, there was a LOT going on. The last third of the book is more interesting and cohesive than the beginning, and I wish the whole book had felt as though it proceeded on a more linear track.

Although this concept was a unique mix of the Parent Trap, exploring a first crush at summer camp, and finding a long-lost sibling that I've never seen before, I feel there was lots of unrealized potential here. This would be a good summer read for a preteen, but for the adults who still enjoy YA like me, I would probably move on to the next. 3.5 stars

This was my first book by Emma Lord and I would say it was a very lively, light hearted fun YA read. I do not read much of Young Adults, but this book had me gripped from page 1!

While three besties Abby, Connie & Leo decides to sign up for DNA service, Abby finds out she has a older full sister living very close to her. The story begins with Abby and her sister Savvy figuring out the mystery and why was this kept a secret from both of them.They have their fair share of ups and downs, hurt and betrayal, love and forgiveness!

Along with the sisterhood love their is this cute love story happening in the parallel between Abby and Leo, where they both have feelings for each other and both are in denial.

The writing style was very fresh and lively and this book will totally rock with all those young readers out there! Highly recommended

Thank you #NetGalley, #St,Martin’sPress and #emmalord for the copy of ARC in exchange of my honest review!

4.5 stars

To be honest I didn't even really read the synopsis, I just saw the cute cover and that it was from Emma Lord and asked for it on Netgalley. So glad I did. It's definitely A Parent Trap for the new age and I enjoyed seeing the sisters find, stick up and help each other and the families dynamics. I would even read a part 2 if there was one! The side characters is where it lost me a bit, I just didn't basically care if they were there most of the time.

Big thank you to Wednesday Books, Emma Lord and Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well cheers to another charming, smile-your-face-off read by Emma Lord! This one with a sibling-surprise twist and a possibly unrequited romance. The same elements that made Tweet Cute so good are here as well. There is humor, quick prose, and characters that make a ton of mistakes but you understand why they make them.

It was another joy of a book to read and, honestly, I am just chuffed that I got to read it early. It was just about everything I was hoping for following Tweet Cute. I have to confess that I like Tweet Cute just a smidge more. I found the constant surprises in that one grabbed me and in this book there is a bit more of a slow burn and a build if you will. The payoff is fantastic though and Abby makes a great protagonist.

I think if you loved Tweet Cute you will certainly enjoy this one. The sibling storyline between Abby and Savvy is compelling and the camp shenanigans are fun to read. The ending might also just sneak up on you and make you more emotional than you had planned on being. No? Maybe that is just me then.