Cover Image: You Have a Match

You Have a Match

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

4/5 stars

First off, let me be clear when I say that Emma Lord may have just become an auto buy author for me. I absolutely loved reading Tweet Cute earlier this year and still consider it to be one of my favorite books of 202o. So I was extremely shocked when I was given a chance to read and review You Have a Match as I was highly anticipating it for this next year and expecting to love it as much as I loved Tweet Cute. 

So did You Have a Match stand up to my feelings for Tweet Cute? 

In some ways yes and in other ways no. In this book, the romance takes much more of a back seat to all of the other events happening instead of being one of the main driving forces of the book. So for me that was a little bit of a bummer as I absolutely love a good romance story. However the overall story line and execution of the story itself was absolutely great. So if you are looking for a more family focused story with hints of romance sprinkled throughout then this is a book for you. If you prefer your stories to be more romance focused you may find yourself a bit disappointed in this one. 

I think this story reminds me a bit of the more family focused books that Sarah Dessen has  written where there is still a romance in the story but its not as present as the big issues being worked through with the family. And there are definitely some big issues being worked on in this family. 

Emma Lord also has great command of her writing.. With both stories I have been completely pulled in and invested in the characters and wanting to know how their story is going to end. And while some of it may be a bit predictable I still felt like it was a fresh enough take that I wasn't completely bored with being able to guess where some elements of the story were going to take us. Overall this was a very solid story and I'm so excited to see what Emma Lord is going to write next.
Was this review helpful?
oh this was SO cute. i didn’t realize how much i was craving a good family story!! also i want this book from savvy’s point of view. i love her. the only reason i didn’t give this the full five stars is because i really saw no point in abby’s brief thing with finn?? and there were times when i wanted to skip the romance and just get back to solving family secrets. but overall i loved this book!! loved it more than tweet cute!! definitely recommend for anyone looking for an easy read.

(thank you netgalley for the arc!!)
Was this review helpful?
You Have A Match was a cute YA contemporary novel, with a focus on what happens if a DNA test brings back surprising results.

And I must admit, the chances of surprising results has been the reason why I haven’t done a DNA test yet - lol

Of course, it’s not surprising that the results would bring upheaval to Abby’s life and her family. And the aftereffects as well as the way it all unravels makes for an interesting story.

I personally wasn’t as pulled into this story as I was by Tweet Cute. I loved the romance in the first book, but was missing the same in You Have A Match. Although Abby and Leo were very cute together. But the book was more about the sisters and how they navigated the aftereffects than it being a romance novel.

Overall You Have A Match was a cute coming-of-age novel that will appeal to anyone enjoying young adult books.
Was this review helpful?
Abby signs up to get a DNA test to help nudge her best friend and secret crush Leo to find out more about her birth parents. What she doesn't expect is to find a secret Instagram-famous older sister. When they plot to spend the summer together at camp to discover more about their parents (a la Parent Trap), things don't go exactly according to plan--including Abby being in forced proximity with Leo, who turns out to be the camp chef!

I don't read a lot of YA, but the cover and blurb really drew me to this one. I ended up enjoying it exponentially and binged it in one evening. I've heard some people say it's a slow start, but I disagree--we jump right into the DNA test and Abby finding out she has a sister (this is in the blurb, so not a spoiler). I like the romance aspect, because who doesn't love a little romance, but I think this story is much more about Abby and Savvy's relationship as sisters than Abby and Leo. Makes me wish the cover featured the two sisters, rather than a boy and a girl. There was definitely a point where I was 3/4 of the way through and thought the book was over but then realized I still had an hour left, so the plot could have been a little more concise, but I do think this way it had more twists and turns. I think this is a great read for teens or adults and has a little bit of everything--family drama, sisterly bonds, romance, Instagram fame, and summer camp fun! 

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 8/10
Was this review helpful?
The writing is good but I don't feel like I am the proper audience for this novel. I am not really a YA reader and found it hard to relate to the teenage characters.
Overall, I did enjoy this one even though it wasn't a perfect read. With romance not being the number one plot, I think the book best fits in the young adult fiction genre.
Was this review helpful?
I quite enjoyed Tweet Cute so I was very excited to read this book because I thought the whole DNA service and long-lost blood-related sister was a really unique idea, especially since the sister is a social media influencer. I thought the mystery and secrecy behind her adoption was intriguing and found the summer camp setting to be cute and fun. Unfortunately, it was really hard for me to feel engaged in the story. It just felt like it dragged a bit, and I couldn't make myself care about the characters like I did with the characters in Tweet Cute. 

Thank you Net Galley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Was this review helpful?
After Abby and her friends do one of those mail in DNA kits on a whim, Abby finds out she has a biological sister...and she is a beautiful and somewhat famous instagram model named Savannah. Abby does not need anything else complicating her life, as she struggles in school, with SAT prep, and with very inconvenient feelings for her best friend Leo. But Abby, Savannah, and Leo all end up at the same summer camp, forcing Abby to confront her challenges on every side.

This was a cute YA book. I liked the twist of focusing on a sibling relationship. Everything felt VERY LIFE SHATTERINGLY URGENT for Abby which was exhausting, but I guess that's how we all were at 17. ;)

Emma Lord has now written two books very much into food and I am here for it. Don't read while you're pregnant and hungry though, or you'll find yourself making random snacks at 9pm to fill a craving.

Thank you to Netgalley, author Emma Lord, and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the eARC.
Was this review helpful?
This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Was this review helpful?
I enjoyed this book. It was not only a love story, rather it was more of a family story about Abby discovering her sister Savvy.. The camp setting was fun, although it felt more like a summer book than one to read in the winter! The friend group was fun to read about and I loved that Abby was a photographer.
Was this review helpful?
I have heard only super positive reviews for Emma Lord's first book, Tweet Cute. So when this book came up on Netgalley, I grabbed it with both hands...er, requested it immediately.

What a unique story!

Abby is a passionate photographer. She has her own quirks but she is doing quite well in life, thank you. Then her friend (plus secret crush) Leo announces that he is submitting his name for a DNA test. Abby does it too, just for him. 

Imagine the shock when she finds out that she actually has a sister she didn't know about! Her name is Savannah (goes by Savvy), is passionate about photographs in reverse (she likes standing in front of a camera, not behind it), and is a social media influencer.

Obviously, both of them have endless questions but they decide not to ask either set of parents and instead decide to spend time together at a camp.

The premise was unique and the story was excellent. I loved the writing. I loved Abby, but I also loved Savvy and Leo. 

I am reading Tweet Cute next!

Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Emma Lord for this ARC.
Was this review helpful?
This is actually a fun and interesting YA book. During Summer, Abby learns more about her family, and in the process ends up discovering more about herself and what she really wants to do with her life. She ends up with two matches - one from a DNA test and a second one as a love interest. She is the typical high school teenager - with a group of close friends, good to average grades, and a promising future. But things get a little bit out of place when she and her friends do a DNA test and she ends up finding out things that her parents were hiding from her for 16 years. When she tries to find her "match" she ends up discovering a lot more things along the way.
Was this review helpful?
Okay I really wanted to like this. I was so excited when I read the synopsis. A guy who cooks and an adventure to find family. I was absolutely into it. But then just everything just kinda fell short for me. I would like to preface that I did really enjoy the premise of the book that dealt with finding a long lost sister through a DNA service.

Well first things first I just couldn't get behind the writing style. And I do read a lot of YA, but this just felt too young. Just way too young. And the love story just felt immature, and didn't really redeem it's self. I wonder if I am too old for the target audience for this book but then I have to remind myself that I do read a lot of YA and it's been a hot minute sense I have felt too old for a YA book. So for me that just really fell flat. But I do feel like this would be a great book for maybe someone who is younger and going through something similar.

I was so excited that one of the main characters was a cook and I was ecstatic to get some fun new ideas for cooking and then it was just "anything bite sized that could fit into a counter top convection oven" and while that is super creative and requires a lot of work. The very first thing was lasagna balls. And I have a lot of questions about this one. Was it full Lasagna cut into pieces, then breaded, and then baked? I feel like that would be a mess and would not hold up in the oven. And The cinnamon? What? Why did he use cinnamon in everything? He's a home chef I'm %90 sure that if you asked any cook they would not use cinnamon for everything. And I love cinnamon, seriously it's one of my favorite spices. But just why? I dunno, I use garlic in pretty much everything but I don't smell like it all the time? Every aspect about cooking just kept throwing me off and it was so hard for me to focus on the story. 

I was given a free digital ARC by the publisher to read and review.
Was this review helpful?
Overall a cute premise, but just not for me. The main characters are high school aged and it very much reads with that mindset. Typically, that's something I can get past, but I wasn't able to for this particular story. It was for that reason that I did not finish this book. I do think this has great potential for other readers.
Was this review helpful?
This was real cute and fun contemporary, with some expected heaviness. When you find out you have a secret sister older and decide to meet up with her, while lying to both your parents, and oh yeah, your best friend who you have a giant unrequited crush on is there, things can get a little emotional. I so felt for Abby whenever she talked about her Poppy, because my grandma and I were really close. The resolution was pretty easy, in my opinion, but it was a fun read nonetheless. Some The Parent Trap vibes, plus some teenage relationship drama, this is definitely one I can see rereading in the summer to get another dose of camping vibes.
Was this review helpful?
As a BIG fan of The Parent Trap, this book has BIG PARENT TRAP ENERGY. What I really appreciated was while it was a friends to lovers trope (twice in the book!!) , the main focus was on the relationship between Abby and Savvy. Lord really showcased what it is like to be a teenage girl regardless of where you are from or the amount of instagram followers you have — there are similarities and struggles they both face. After reading this book, all I want is it for to be summer again.
Was this review helpful?
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give support best friend, Leo. After all, she knows who she is already: a normal teenage girl who feels pressure to do well in school, is trying to pass the SATs, who loves photography, and has the two best friends in the world.

When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, it’s clear that maybe her life isn't as straightforward as she originally thought.

The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications that may just ruin everything. 

Well there are two things I didn't realize when I started this book: 1) This book is YA, 2) The title actually doesn't refer to a dating website or really to dating, for that matter. However,  I will say that I happen to like YA books, and was pleasantly surprised by this book overall. 

This book is a lovely mix of the Parent Trap, some mystery, domestic drama, and a sprinkling of romance. In fact, while you'd think this is a YA romance at first glance at the title and cover, it really is more focused on the family drama and the dynamic between Abby and her sister, Savvy. The romance is more of a subplot,  but I did love it. 

I thought this book touched on some important topics: adoption, identity, forgiveness, and communication, among many others. The downside is that parts of this book seemed repetitive to me, and miscommunication is not my favorite trope. I will admit that it does seem to be common in YA though.

If you enjoy cute young adult books and tidy, wrapped-up endings though, I'd definitely recommend this.
Was this review helpful?
I started reading this one and found it cute and fun. I didn't love it as much as I did Tweet Cute, but it was still a great read. I think it was just the wrong time to be reading it for me...
Was this review helpful?
Emma Lord does an excellent job with the writing! There were many parts where I laughed out loud, I liked that she used some modern references in pop culture (Lana del rey). You Have A Match was a fun read. One problem I had was with the pacing, the book should’ve been shorter. The overall plot was interesting but it was dragged out for too long. Also, I wish we saw more development between Savvy and Abby. We did see them have little fights like sisters do but seeing them break barriers with each other would’ve been great! I have not read Lord’s debut but will pick it up. She seems to be becoming a prevalent YA author in romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC copy of You Have A Match
Was this review helpful?
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review

This is one of my most anticipated YA releases of next year, I loved Tweet Cute and gave it 4 stars for being a wholesome and modern love story.
This was no different, the beginning was a bit slow however I feel that it was made worse as I am in the middle of a reading slump, which is of course not the books fault, but the second half of this book I flew through.  
I felt that the camp setting was really immersive, as I’m English it’s not something we really have over here but the writing made me feel like I was actually there! 
Watching Abby and Savvy’s relationship grow from strangers to sisters was absolutely heart-warming and I really enjoyed it. I’d have loved to see more pranks though, that aspect gave me massive ‘The Parent Trap’ vibes (the Lindsay Lohan version of course) and I wanted  more of it! 
The romance was the one point where I felt it was lacking, the two characters were clearly pining over each other for a very long time, I would have loved some more angst, some more will they won’t they.
Overall though, I really enjoyed it – Emma Lord has become an auto-read author for me after 2 books which is quite impressive. I can’t wait to see what else she brings out in the future!
Was this review helpful?
Imagine a modern day “Parent Trap”. Such a fun story of Abby and Savvy who find out they are sisters via a DNA test. Adventure ensues when they attend summer camp and try to figure out their shared history. Savvy is a picture perfect Instagram influencer while Abby is a talented photographer who doesn’t like to show anyone her work. There’s romance, pranks,  food which make the perfect YA summer read. 
I finished this book in a little over a day, I couldn’t stop devouring it.
Was this review helpful?