*Review will be posted on my blog on 12/14/20*

My Attention: read in one day

World Building: Washington State – mostly at camp

Writing Style: easy to read and relatable

Crazy in Love: friends to lovers

Creativity: Abby’s life gets a bit tangled and she learns to unravel some of the things tying her up in knots.

Triggers: adoption

My Takeaway: Sometimes when you try to find yourself…you find a sister along the way.

Likes:
*Emma Lord is becoming a must-read author for me. I love how she writes young adult contemporary that is filled with relationship problems, whether it be between a romantic interest or issues that arise with family and friends.

*Abby’s not doing so well in school, her parents have her scheduled with tutoring. But her grandpa passed away, and she’s in love with her best friend – then on top of that she finds out her parents have been hiding a secret all her life. Talk about trying to manage all her emotions at once! It’s rough and she isn’t one to confront things happening in her life, but she learns how to when Savvy comes into her life, since Savvy is all about putting herself out there.

*The story is heart-warming. I love her friendship with Leo but she wants more and she doesn’t know what he wants. And when Abby and Savvy get to know each other, watching their relationship grow after a few rough spots…I wanted them to be in each other’s lives forever by the end of the story.

*The secret that Savvy and Abby’s parents share and hide is just so unfortunate, but I can see it as being totally realistic in adoption cases. I felt Abby’s mother’s pain and Savvy’s adopted mother’s as well.

*Not only is Savvy adopted but Leo is adopted too. He and his sister was adopted from the Philippines (love the rep!) – and he starts to open up about wanting to know his roots, and his people, through food dishes. I thought that was so fitting because as a Filipino myself…food is everything, it’s so connected to our family/history/culture/memories.

Random Notes:
*It takes awhile for Leo and Abby to get together haha – lots of back and forth of not knowing where the other stands, but I did adore their friendship. Abby is a Junior so the angst is expected.

Final Thoughts:
You Have a Match is a heartwarming story about finding yourself and family and friends along the way. Abby is grieving her grandpa, wishing she was “better” at everything so her parents could stop trying to fix her, and she’s in love with her best friend. In the end, she realizes her parents support her, and that the boy she loves, loves her back – she just had to open up and tell them what she felt. I enjoyed this story about Abby Day finding herself and also finding a sister.

You Have a Match was cute and quirky, and also a little angsty. I enjoyed the way the relationships developed between the characters, even if they seemed a little too perfect and unrealistic at times. It was refreshing however, to see flawed but still likeable teen characters - it makes them more relatable. Aside from the whole 'Instagram famous' thing of course. Overall, it's a cute contemporary, fun summer read.

This was such a heartwarming and sweet YA novel. I loved the setting in Washington and that most of that setting happened at a summer camp. I can't even imagine going through something like this and I think the author captured all of the teenage emotions perfectly. Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC.

A cute and uplifting story of family drama, friendship, and sisterhood. Abby spends most of her time with her best friends, Connie and Leo, but things have been strained ever since she made a move on Leo, her long time crush. Her life is further rocked when she signs up for a DNA service and learns she has a biological sister, named Savannah (AKA Savvy), who also happens to be an Instagram star. Together, they decide to head to camp to uncover the mystery behind their parents’ deceit. This story has plenty of secrets and surprises that keep it interesting and engaging. The characters are also relatable and realistic. You Have A Match is a heartfelt read that is sure to appeal to teenage and young adult readers. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-copy of this delightful book in exchange for an honest review!

You Have a Match, by Emma Lord, is a fun, often touching exploration of family, friendship, and first love.

When Abby Day takes a mail-in DNA test, she is just trying to support her friend Leo and prove her Irishness to other BFF Connie. What Abby finds instead is a secret older sister and a whole lifetime of secrets.

Fans of Lord’s debut, Tweet Cute, will be pleased to see her writing remains sharp and clever, with puns and jokes peppered throughout, although You Have a Match is at times a bit of a tear jerker as well.

The adults portrayed in the novel are at times a bit one-dimensional, but the teenagers are fleshed out and flawed, even those who get relatively little on-screen time.

If you are looking for an older teen romcom that will make you giggle AND tear up, look no further!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC!

This is a sweet coming of age, love story. It’s so well-written that it just skips along as you’re embedded in the lives of childhood friends Abby, Leo and Connie and work to unravel the long-protected secrets of Abby and Savvy’s family histories.

I loved the depth of characters in this book. Even more peripheral characters like Mickey and Finn are authentic and well-rounded. And Leo? He’s so loving and lovable and confused, the perfect portrait of a lovestruck teen and romantic interest. And a crazy-creative chef to boot? Swoon.

This book showcases the ambiguities and surprising depths of teen relationships, romantic, friend and family, in poignant, but believable, detail. It has a number of twists and turns that keep the story burning along and, while occasionally predictable, the story line is enticing and engaging.

This is a quick, heart-warming, feel-good read.

* I received a copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This was so fun but it had a lot of the hard things too. Savvy and Abby felt so real and honest. It is always fun to read characters and be able to tell how similar they are without the characters themselves realizing. Savvy had the whole Instragram personality down but only online. I loved the relationship that she had with Mickey and how it mirrored Abby and Leo's. Speaking of Abby, she was by far my favorite. I felt a little of myself in her shoes. The need to show her parents that she was doing fine with the fear of not being enough. Abby's story captured my heart.

The bulk of the novel takes place at a camp. I for one always wanted to attend a summer camp, but my parents weren't so sure. I loved the setting of the book. It was so timely and lovely for what Savvy and Abby needed. The relationship between their parents felt so true that it was hard to read. I felt their pain and their confusion about where their relationship could go from there. I would say that it made it even more true to life than if we hadn't really heard their story at all.

I loved this slice of life novel about two sisters who didn't know each other existed. I have a feeling the readers in my library will feel the same.

I absolutely adored TWEET CUTE (and pestered my sister endlessly until she finally read it and loved it as much as me). I was a huge fan of the ship, the characters, the setting, and the unique plot. I compared YOU HAVE A MATCH a lot while reading it because it’s always hard to bring a sophomore novel to top the debut, which was a five-star read. Both books are kind of complicated, to be honest – there are so many different story threads to follow along with, yet it never feels like the author is taking on too much.

YOU HAVE A MATCH follows Abby as she deals with the fallout from finding out that she has an older sister who was clearly adopted about a year and a half before she was born. How could her parents keep this kind of secret? What happened!? Savvy, her newfound sister, and Abby go to the same summer camp to get to know each other and try to determine how this all went down. Abby’s best-friend-turned-crush Leo is there working in the cafeteria, while Savvy is dealing with relationship drama of her own.

I loved learning about Abby’s friendship with Connie and Leo, while also seeing her sisterhood/friendship develop with Savvy (after some very rocky patches and fights at the start!).The camp setting was a lot of fun and led to some great moments with Abby’s photography. I loved that she was exploring different options instead of college, or considered community college instead of rushing into a four-year school.

I’m a sucker for best-friends-turned-to-more storylines so her whole thing with Leo was right up my alley. Big fan. There was a TON of miscommunication (or lack of communication) to push the drama out further, which is usually not my favorite way to handle a romance, but parts of it made sense. I wasn’t overly frustrated with it but there were plenty of moments I wanted to make them just talk. It was so obvious to the reader what was happening between them!

The resolution on the whole “what the hell happened with this adoption” was really intriguing and satisfying. I enjoyed learning about the relationships of all people involved, adults included, and seeing how everyone chose to move forward in the end.

There are honestly a ton of things I could touch on with this story and all of the characters but I think I’ll let you read it yourself 🙂

After reading Tweet Cute by Emma Lord earlier this year, I jumped at the chance to review her newest work You Have a Match. Lord writes YA in a way that feels authentic to the age group and doesn't come across as cheesy or more like adults having conversations. She includes enough detail about the worries and anxieties of teenages in their last years of high school without coming across as condescending, especially since both these books have a large social media aspect.

Lord's latest work centers around clumsy, photographer Abby as she takes a DNA test in solidarity with her two best friends with little more interest than proving her percentage of Irish ancestry is higher than Connie's. She's in for a huge surprise; however, when she gets the results back and realizes she has a sister. A full-blooded sister named Savannah. Needless to say the shock of such information sends Abby on quite an adventure by agreeing to go to a camp with Savannah, instead of signing up for summer school, in the hopes of solving the mystery that involves both of their parents.

While there is a romance element, the plot centers more a Abby finding herself and how she fits into life than it does her love interests, which I very much appreciated. It was nice to see a female friendship formed that didn't center around a guy. I also enjoyed how Abby and Savannah were characterized as teenages with significant worries that weren't trivialized. As hard as it can be to understand the influence of social media on younger generations, I appreciated that Lord made it seem significant without being dramatic and over the top in a condescending way. Overall, I highly recommend You Have A Match to fans of contemporary YA.

You Have a Match is such a cute rom-com! I could totally see Emma Lord's book being made into a movie. Great beach read!

"You Have a Match" is like The Parent Trap meets Gossip Girl. I'm serious. The drama, the suspense, the angst, the love, the warmth, the nature, and the heartbreak. It was light but serious at times and had some wildly entertaining.

Took me a little while to get into this one, even with the shocking discovery at the beginning of the novel. The will they/won’t they romance really drove me nuts. But I loved all the family relationship stuff, about Abby and Savannah’s shared history and how their families handled their future when it all came down to it. The little Parent Trap touches were very enjoyable too.

There are so many things to love about this story. For starters, Abby loves photography, especially scenic shots. The way she describes capturing a memory and the power of pictures had me completely engaged with her character. It has rekindled my love of photography.
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My next FAVOURITE thing is the nostalgic feels I had while reading this because it reminds me so much of the classic Parent Trap. That movie is still one of my all time faves, and I love the way some of the elements are weaved into this plot.
💙
There are also a ton of references to Instagram, crushes, heartbreak, family drama ... All things that secure this novel as YA, but still make it enjoyable for adults. This is a definite 5-star recommendation for me, for teens and adults alike.

THIS BOOK. Ok, so I had very high hopes for You Have a Match after reading and loving Emma Lord’s other book, Tweet Cute, but my expectations were blown out of the water by this story. I love that Lord creates such a supportive cast of friends in her work and makes each character feel so real with genuine emotions and thoughts. The plot of ‘my long lost secret sister’ could have definitely gotten cheesy, but it was written and worked through in a very thoughtful way. That was also not the only point of conflict in the story and the other plot points added dimension to the story. I will be recommending this book to everyone I know because it is so heartwarming and enjoyable.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

"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."

I received a free Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review. It was a heartwarming Young Adult novel about family secrets and how the people involved dealt with the surprises. I got the "Parent Trap" vibes from this story, though it was in some ways different. Abby learns that her older sister was given up for adoption before she was born. There is a lot of discussion about Instagram in this story. This is fitting for the Young Adults generation because many of them would be familiar with Instagram.

After reading Tweet Cute last year, I knew I needed to read You Have a Match - and it did not disappoint. Emma now has set herself up as the author to incorporate social media sites into her novels, and she does it so. well. You Have a Match uses Instagram to help tell the story of Abby and Savannah, secret sisters who find each other through a DNA app. There's a story here, and the two try to navigate their parent's lies while also getting to know each other. On top of that, there's a subtle romance aspect and a summer camp plot line.

Overall, I found this story to be super cute. Each character had specific personality traits, and the secret sister storyline was VERY compelling. Since the boom of DNA testing, you've heard stories in the media of people finding family members they didn't know existed and familial secrets that wouldn't have been discovered otherwise. I enjoy that Emma Lord incorporated this story line. Instagram is used by both sisters for different purposes, but it isn't as much of the storyline as Twitter is in Tweet Cute. Emma Lord's writing is very good and her pacing is always on point. I never felt unfocused while reading it or that it was too long or wordy.

I didn't prefer the romance portion as much as I wanted to. I actually wanted Abby to end up with a background character, I just felt like he was a better fit for her. But, I recognize why the romance happened the way it did, I just also wish it was resolved sooner than it was. Also, there was a character in Abby's friend group that just didn't have as much page time as she deserved. As a "best friend" you'd think she'd have more of story - but she seemed to only serve to move a minor plot line forward. I wanted more for Connie.

The ending was very heartwarming, and you love to see it. I do highly recommend this story, especially if you read and loved Tweet Cute like I did.

**Thank you to Wednesday Books and Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

I loved every second of reading this book, honestly couldn't put it down. This was just the kind of entertaining read I needed.

I LOVED Tweet Cute. This is pretty different. Lots of different problems going on all at once: feelings on inadequacy, yearning for your best friend, and a sister you never knew you had. Felt very Parent Trap at times. I like Emma's pacing, a good balance between narration of action and narration of feelings. Very satisfying ending.

I loved the family drama between Abby, Savvy, and their respective parents, as well as Abby and Savvy's attempts to become closer. So much so, in fact, that I was annoyed every time the obligatory romance angles came into play. This is one of those novels that might have worked better without the love interests.

Ok, to be quite honest, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read this book at first because I thought the author's first book, Tweet Cute, was just alright and not totally my type of read. But, now I can't imagine not having read You Have a Match, and in a way, it's made me feel closer to my grandfather, who's my own Poppy character. And after every single page, it's clear this book rightfully deserves these five stars and a coveted place on my must-buy TBR list once it is published. Here, we follow 16-year-old Abby, who in a bet with best friend Connie, takes a DNA test to find out her ancestries along with their other best pal, Leo. This book brings an engaging point of view that feels both authentic and current for a teen girl. The language is really fun and relatable, that it had me in stitches the entire first half. So, the test revealed that Abby has a secret full sister, Savannah, who's an 18-year-old Instagram star. The two are polar opposites to their cores, but want to get to know each other. There's a big bombshell coming because it turns out their folks used to know each other, and I sense a story there, and I can't wait to read all the juicy tea. To figure things out and get to know each other, Savvy invites her new sister to attend the camp where she'll be a junior counselor. It's seriously like a modern-day version of The Parent Trap, and I'm here for it. To start, if it's a book set at camp, then you already have my attention because once a camp girl, always a camp girl..

Then, there's also a cute slow-burn romance type story between Abby and her best friend and neighbor, Leo. At the opening of the book, she's still mortified about her almost kiss with him months ago because it turned out, he didn't feel the same and she was legit crushed. Like seriously, I felt so much secondhand embarrassment on her behalf, like eesh. It was hard for her to be business as usual and resume their friendship. Then, it turns out, he's working in the kitchen at the same camp and seems very excited they'll be spending the time together, like in a certain eyes twinkling, heart fluttering way?? But, because boys are stupid, Leo makes my head spin because it's evident he does like her, but is pretending or hiding really well, and gah I don't know what's going on here. Boys! Then, at camp, we meet Finn, the bad-boy camper her age with the Hot Boy Name, so love triangle, here we go. Also, there are diverse lead characters which is great, but they are treated just like regular characters because they are. They aren't stereotyped and have full thoughts and feelings, which is one of the reasons I love [contemporary] YA so fiercely.

This book is just so much fun and I actually cannot put it down, staying up way too late in two nights just to finish it. And within less than one hundred pages, I'm already way more invested in this than in Tweet Cute. It has to be a five-star read, y'all because, I'M OBSESSED! Then, we get so much juicy drama and a big family secret that overshadows romance for a bit, and things escalate that make me actually want to ship Abby and Leo, to screaming and squealing levels, because that definitely happened. I'm so invested in these kids, and just so obsessed that I can't stop reading. Then, things get super heartwrenching,and gut-punchingly emotional that I'm legitimately in tears. All their grandfather did for the girls is making me well up because Poppy really resonates with me to my core about my grandfather, so I need to buy this book just to continue to feel his presence. I just want to say that books typically do not make me cry, but this 100 percent did, because of Poppy and my own life.
But enough about me, back to this read. That ending was absolutely precious and so damn cute, that my cheeks still hurt from smiling so much. Like, Leo's big monologue at the end had me literally squealing at 2 in the morning over its adorableness! I wasn't sure about Leo as a love interest to start, but by the end, we got to see inside his heart and he won me over and proved to be good enough for Abby.

I'm not quite sure how to put this book into words. It's more than a teen romance, more than a summer camp adventure, more than a familial drama, more than a story of friendship and sisterhood, more than a comedy, and more than a deep emotional novel. It's a book in a class all its own and had me captivated until I read that very last word. Seriously, it's totally worth those five stars because now I have to buy and i just can't imagine a world where I haven't read this. Wow, just wow.