The Boy From The Woods + The Stranger = The Match. This book has a lot of story lines going on at once, but I loved the characters and the twists. Harlan Coben is a truly amazing author.

Just who is Wilde? Who is his father, his mother? How did he end up alone in the woods for months or even years as a little boy? Book 2 in the Wilde series by Harlan Coben finds Wilde exploring those questions through the help of DNA testing.

If Wilde can find some answers, will he finally feel free to pursue Laila, the love of his life? As his godson Matthew says, 'We get it--you can't settle down, you have trust issues, you have difficulty with commitment, you can't attach, you need to be alone in the woods. But a relationship is a two-way street. You can't just keep saying it's up to her.'

There are some DNA possible matches. Wilde meets with a man who could be his father and hears from another who could be a cousin. But when he tries to contact that cousin, a man named Peter Bennett, Wilde learns the guy has disappeared and is believed to have committed suicide. It seems Peter and his wife Jenn, known to fans as PB&J after hooking up on a popular reality tv show, are in the midst of a divorce after Jenn's sister publicly accused Peter of rape. Social media has turned on Peter and cancelled him.

Wilde starts looking into this case with the help of his foster sister, Rola. They track down the worst of the social media harassers only to find that person dead. There are several threads to this complicated plot line including a secret group called Boomerang whose mission it is to go after those who bully, harass, and abuse online. When one of their group is the killer's second victim, the leader contacts Wilde. We even hear from the killer in occasional chapters--someone who has discovered they enjoy killing.

As someone who has done some genealogical searching of my own, the plot really intrigued me. Wonder where Coben will take this story next?

I received an arc of this new thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

My first Harlan Coben book was The Boy from the Woods after loving The Stranger on Netflix. I was instantly hooked and could not have been more excited to get the opportunity to read The Match (Wilde #2) via NetGalley. If you liked The Boy from the Woods, you’ll love The Match. There is more intrigue, more drama (family and otherwise), and more answers to questions you probably had following the first book.

We pick up with Wilde following the discovery of a DNA match on a genetic genealogy website. He is able to discover the identify of PB and his father with the help of the few he has let into his inner circle. No surprise, chaos ensues and there are several mysteries to be solved along the way. I very rarely figure out the twist and typically fall for every red herring and this was no exception. It was a fun ride of a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read the book early. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

I absolutely loved this one. I had no idea this was a book two in the Wilde series when I picked it up, but that didn’t matter at all. Corben is a seasoned vet, and he quickly and efficiently caught me up with what I needed to know from book one, The Boy From The Woods (which I will for sure be reading). This book had a complexly layered plot that was fast paced and suspenseful. I love how it centred around so many things that our society loves but have such nefarious underbellies, such as reality television, social media, cyber bullying and DNA match data bases. I honestly had no idea how exactly the various story lines were going to come together until I was almost done, and still, Corben delivered one last twist.

I am a sucker for a broken but proficient male protagonist with a good heart and Wilde is exactly that.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Harlan Coben, and follow-up to his book, The Boy in the Woods. This book could easily be read as a stand-alone but it's much better having some of the background information. 4.5 stars!

Wilde grew up knowing nothing about his family; he has only memories of growing up alone in the woods. When he gets a hit from a DNA website that he has relatives, he starts investigating. His first hit is to possibly be his father but that turns into a dead end. However, his investigation starts linking to a group of online doxxers - a group of vigilantes trying to out and make right those internet trolls causing so many others pain. But Wilde himself might have put himself right in harm's way.

I loved getting reacquainted with these characters and thoroughly enjoyed this book. There were plenty twists and turns, many which didn't get solved until the very end, It also brings up a very relevant topic of DNA websites and the many secrets they can uncover. This was another fast-paced thriller and a must read for Coben fans!

I have read many Harlan Coben books over the years and have enjoyed most of them. This one was no exception. In fact, I REALLY liked it! I didn't realize it was a sequel of sorts to The Boy From The Woods. And I didn't feel lost at all having not read the earlier book. This can definitely stand alone and any back story is explained as needed.

If you're a Coben fan, definitely check this one out. I felt like the storyline was fresh and original compared to a lot of books and movies these days. And now, I'm off to read The Boy From The Woods because I want more of the story!

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

I am a big fan of Harlan Coben, and this one did not disappoint. This is the second book in the Boy From the Woods series. It follows Wilde, who finds his father through a DNA genealogy service, as well as another familial match. When he tries to pursue these leads it turns into a missing persons case and he gets swept up in a web of lies, pain and deceit. It is a must read.

The Match is the second book by Harlan Coben to feature the protagonist Wilde. This follow-up to The Boy from the Woods (2020). The Boy from the Woods is actually the Coben book I have liked the least. Because of this, I was slightly hesitant to pick up The Match. However, Coben definitely brought back the magic with this second installment in Wilde’s story.

The Match is the fast-paced, action-packed thriller I expect from Harlan Coben, about a DNA match on an ancestry site that leads to uncovered secrets and murder. While The Match is a sequel, it can be read as a standalone. Coben reintroduces the characters and their backstories well. (Of course, I am not the best judge of this since I have read the previous book.)

Everything I took issue with in The Boy from the Woods was addressed and made up for. This time around, Wilde and the supporting characters are fully fleshed out and have some depth. We finally find out the mystery of Wilde’s past, leaving me satisfied with that mystery no longer haunting me. With the murders tied directly to Wilde and the enigma of his past, I was easily invested in getting to the bottom of them.

The mysteries at the heart of The Match compelled me through the book, eagerly turning the pages to find out what happened nest. There were many twists and turns. While you may or may not deduce the murderer’s identity, you will still be surprised by the reveal and the ending. I love when I fail to guess what is going to happen. The Match fulfilled this, and left me a very happy reader.

I love that Coben has some characters that reappear throughout his books, including The Match – like the forever sassy lawyer Hester Crimstein. It is like a little treat for fans and avid readers of his books. Still, if this is your first book by Coben, you are not at a loss.

My only criticisms of The Match were that the ending felt a bit rushed and slightly disjointed. There was one plot element that felt a bit like a loose end, enough that I went back to see if I missed something. None of this ruined the book for me; I just think it could have been marginally smoother with events better tying together.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Match and was happy to see Coben redeem Wilde’s story with a book that does it justice. I highly recommend this book whether you have read The Boy from the Woods or not.

Harlan Coben never disappoints. Strong characters, fast-paced plot, several unexpected twists make this one of his best books yet, and that's saying a lot. I literally could not put this down. I read it in one setting (late into the night). Highly recommended - as all of his books are.

Thanks to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for this advanced readers copy.

The Match by Harlan Coben is another top tier novel. The Match is book two in the Wilde series which follows a man named Wilde who was abandoned in the woods as a small child. I highly suggest reading The Boy From the Woods first to have the background and character development but Coben does do a good job of setting it up to explain things even if you haven't read it.

The first little bit is slow building up to our action but it was important leg work to really give us the knowledge we need to be impacted by the twists!

I like his short chapters that end on sentences that make you have to know what happened next. I love how he webbed everything together and even though there is total conclusion and wrapped up without any cliffhangers, I would absolutely love another book in this series as I think he has a lot of material he could work with!

Thank you publishers for allowing me to review this book in exchange for my honest review!

No one does fast pace, hook you from start to finish like Harlan Coben. This is the second book from the Wilde series. While this can be read as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading The Boy from the Woods first. It made finding out Wilde's story that much better. I just love the sarcasm and banter between characters in all of Harlan Coben's books. And of course all the twists and turns! It doesn't matter what he writes, I will read it!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review.

WOW!! Harlan Coben has become one of my favorite authors, and one of the reasons is the scope and variety of his books!! I first got acquainted with his writing with the Myron Bolitar series, which I am still reading. Then I found a miniseries on Netflix that was based on another book. And then I read The Boy From the Woods. These are all great reads and VERY different!!

I would recommend you read The Boy From the Woods before this book, if only to find out who Wilde is, or who he has been assumed to be. This is a continuation of his story and it does give some background, but I was glad I knew the previous story. At this time, Wilde has entered his DNA on one of the popular search sites and gets a hit! It is not a close relative, but probably something like a second cousin. But he reaches out and then goes along with his life, which is mainly lived "off the grid", so it is some time before he realizes the person has responded, but months ago. When he tries to get back in touch, he only meets dead ends. Curious, he relates the story to his group of friends and someone thinks they may know who this is, but that person has gone missing and is possibly/probably dead.

I am not going to spoil the story, but it is a good one! Read it, you will NOT be disapppointed!!!

I love Harlan Coben and have read all of his books so I couldn't wait to read this one. I didn't realize it was a sequel to THE BOY FROM THE WOODS. I'm so glad we get more of Wilde and Hester. It's another of his that I couldn't put down. I love that his books are fast-paced and just enough supporting characters to keep you guessing!

Definitely a must read!

In New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben’s latest thriller, THE MATCH, he revisits Wilde, The Boy from the Woods, who is continuing his journey to discover the secrets of his childhood. A DNA matches him to his biological father and a distant cousin. One lead has no future, but the other holds a mystery of its own.

The rest of the article is available in the March edition of The Big Thrill.

Wild is a simple guy who has a terrible past but was also fortunate to meet wonderful people that had helped him with socializing.. But he is a loner, he is gone for some time from those people. And one day he is back. He did a DNA test and he wants to know who the parents are. He get a match for his father and an other match that could be his cousin. But this cousin is nowhere to find. So Wild is on the mission to discover all the family secrets of his potential family and to find his mother. And maybe to find himself too.

It was a nice journey and I was fun guessing who and why, partialy me and my buddy read Danielle were right but there were many surprises not knowing comming. We would love to see no.3. To read this book

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for this opportunity

Wilde, from "The Boy From the Woods" has submitted his DNA to an online ancestry database, hoping to find out who his parents were. He gets a match that leads him to his father, but that leads him to more questions than it gives him answers. Then he receives another match, this time it is a cousin. But the cousin leaves a series of troubling messages for Wilde and then disappears without a trace. Wilde becomes determined to find him, and get to the truth of what happened.
I love this author's books, and this was one of his best, I think. There were several plot lines going on - Wilde trying to find out who his parents were and why they abandoned him, Wilde trying to find his cousin and get to the bottom of his fall from fame, a vigilante group who hid behind animal faces that brought down revenge on internet trolls, and a serial killer who is tied to that group. The book was non-stop action, with a great storyline that kept me wanting to find out more. This is a great book for anyone who loves a good thriller.

So many twists and turns, Coben keeps you guessing right up to the end. We meet some interesting "ripped from the headlines" people, along with the regulars of the Wilde series, in this very of-the-moment story. It's got reality TV, sex scandals, betrayal, dark web dealings, Hester, and Wilde - good read!

I love Harlan Coban and was excited to read an ARC of “The Match.” Unfortunately, I struggled to get through it. Everything about this book felt slow. When I read thrillers & mysteries I want to be hooked right away with surprise along the way, and I didn’t get that from The Match. I am still a big Harlan Coban fan and look forward to reading more!

Thank you Netgalley for this Arc!

Harlan Coben is a masterful storyteller and this was another terrific read. The Match carries on the tale of Wilde. Wilde is a man with a mysterious past but in this sequel the threads of his history have begun to be pulled apart. I loved the revelations about this character and the connections he seems to be embracing more in this book.

Of course, this was also a complete thrill-ride full of suspence and action! I loved the fast pace of the book and I consumed it in one sitting. I definitely recommend this series and this author!

Look for this on March 15th!

Upon requesting I had no clue that The Match was the second book in a series, and it took me about 50 pages to confirm. As much as I wanted to be invested in the story and the characters, this Coben didn't do it for me! Might have to do a double-take when I return to The Boy In The Woods.