Thank you @simonteen and @simon.audio for the #gifted DRC and ALC.

2.5 stars

This started out so exciting. The concept felt new, and the more I read the more I was convinced that it was a four or five star read. After reading the first few chapters I downloaded the audio so that I could continue reading. Sometimes when I’ve read a chunk of a book and then I swap to audio it doesn’t work for me because the narrator doesn’t sound as I expected. In this instance, the transition was seamless, Gill Messer was exactly the voice I imagined.

The first half or so was unputdownable. Sadly the second half lost me completely. There were a lot of characters. Some characters were part of their history which we learned early on and is discussed here and there throughout. But they all became important to the overall story and ending, it was too much for me to keep track off. Then there were so many twists and turns that I had to turn off the audio and just read, but it was still a struggle to keep up. There were also big chunks of Sivon figuring out the mysteries just by sitting down and thinking out loud, then explaining it all to her friends.

All that being said, this is a YA novel, and I can see it appealing to that age group.

I loved this book. The story was original, the characters were interesting, and the continuous development was something that i didn't expect from where it began. It was really refreshing to read, somethings were a little cliche but it worked really well. at the end.

I have not ever heard of any book similar to this one and for that reason I decided to give it a go. What I wasn't expecting was for it to blow me out of the water with just how good the plot is. There is a mix of intricate storytelling, futurism, romance, and murder. It definitely gave off some dystopian vibes and I think this is probably one of the best books I have read in 2025. What I loved the most about it is that I really did not see certain things coming in the book so it's unpredictable unlike many other books. The only thing that I felt was confusing was just visualizing the characters because they talk about different lives (same soul) they've been in the story and it was hard to just envision all of the characters physically. If you're thinking about reading or listening to it on audiobook please do, and thank me later.

4.5 ⭐️

This was such a fresh and intriguing YA dystopian!!

I didn’t know what to expect going in, but it totally exceeded my expectations. I’m always drawn to stories that explore past lives and reincarnation, and this one did it so well. The concept of remembering who you were in your past lives? SO fascinating and done in such a unique way. It kept me guessing and thinking the whole time!

It’s action-packed, fast-paced, and nearly impossible to put down. I also loved how it explored soulmates and destined matches in a futuristic setting. The romance had me hooked, and I truly could’ve read even more about these characters. 💘

Highly recommend!!!

Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker
Rating: 4 stars
Pub date: 7/29

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for my advanced copy!

Two hundred years after World War III, peace exists thanks to the soul-identification system. Every 18-year-old has to go through “kirling,” where they find out who they were in past lives, what their future holds, and maybe even who their soulmate is. Sivon’s already suspicious that her soul’s not exactly normal, and she’s right to be nervous. Her results blow everyone’s minds, making her a national headline and a target. Now she’s stuck with a frustrating bodyguard, caught in a love triangle, and thrown into a dangerous game where one wrong move could wreck everything.

If you’ve been missing the golden era of YA dystopian novels, Soulmatch is like a nostalgic hit, but with more twists and a fresh, addictive vibe.

Sivon is smart, stubborn, and easy to root for, and the worldbuilding feels fresh without slowing the action. Rebecca blends coming-of-age drama with page-turning suspense and just the right amount of romance, giving us a bodyguard dynamic and love triangle tension that adds extra heat to the story. The pacing is spot-on! It’s fast, exciting, and full of moments that make you think, “just one more chapter.”

The premise here is so unique, and I loved the way it all came together. It’s unputdownable, bingeable, and proof that dystopian fiction is absolutely making a comeback.

I loved the premise of this book but the execution was horrendous. The summary of the book tells the reader that Sivon finds out she is a "new soul" but then the story does not get to that point until almost 20% in! I trudged through cringey writing that screamed pick-me vibes and shoddy character building just to see when we would finally get to Sivon's kirling. I had to stop after that because I could not stand the characters or the erroneous amount of acronyms that kept popping up in place of actual world building. It was not worth it to go further. I knew I could not force myself to pick this up again. The idea this story is based on is so interested but so poorly executed.

This was a really unique concept for a book. I love the idea of souls continuing through time, and the idea of reincarnation of course is not new, but it was distinct for a dystopian book.

The beginning was really promising for me, as was the first 50%. However, I really wanted more worldbuilding and a little less romance. I also felt like the plot really got mashed together in the last 25% of the book.

Still fun!

Wow this book was amazing!! It had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning! It was so beautiful too. I absolutely loved the idea of a kirling system and knowing who you were in each past life! It would be amazing if we could truly implement some of the ideas from this book. Standing ovation 👏

Soul match follows Sivon. All her life, she’s been terrified to go through kirling- a process which shows one’s previous lives. When her 18th birthday finally rolls around, she’s forced to face her deep-rooted fear of being a bad soul, and find out who she used to be. When the results come, they shock her, and prove that she was never just a normal soul. As she’s thrown into a world of politics, conspiracy theories, and assassination attempts, she finds herself struggling to understand who she is and where her loyalties lie.

The concept for this book was so interesting. In a world where everyone is defined by their past lives, it’s hard to understand if you should stick to what worked in the past, or branch out and explore your new life. There was a strong set up for a corrupt system which would be perfect for a dystopian novel, but I felt it didn’t quite meet the expectations I had for it. I was constantly overwhelmed due to the names and the past lives of each character, as well as their intentions. I also felt a slight disconnect from the romance, but my expectations might have been too high on those terms. Overall, it was a unique world, but could have used a bit more work.

Thank you to Simon Teen for a review copy.

Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker delivers a compelling blend of speculative sci‑fi and romance with a YA dystopian heart. Set in a future where past lives shape your destiny, the tone is tense yet hopeful, with emotional resonance and high concept stakes. It strikes a satisfying balance of political intrigue, self‑discovery, and slow‑burn connection. If you’re into character‑driven speculative worlds with romance and ethical dilemmas—and vibes similar to Scythe or Matched—this one lands in that sweet spot. A fresh debut that feels ambitious, intimate, and quietly unforgettable. Positive and immersive. 

I had a hard time getting into the story of Soulmatch. The alternate terms and new terms that were introduced were hard to keep up with and I though the story was slow in the beginning. However, I can see other readers connecting and immersing themselves in the story more than I did.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this! 4.5 stars.

If you had the power to see where your soul has been, and learn about your past lives, would you do it?

Rebecca Danzenbaker’s Soulmatch explores the idea of reincarnation through the process of soul-identification, in which people get a chance to learn all about their past lives and even if they have a soulmate. For a debut novel I think this was really impressive! I love a good dystopian novel and this checked all the boxes for me; from the looming government presence was always felt, an underlying threat, and the technological advancements peppered into the story to remind you that you’re definitely in a different timeline. In a world where people are cognizant of the process of rebirth and spend their entire adolescence preparing themselves for the discovery of “who” their soul ends up being, what happens when that discovery isn’t what they envisioned for themselves? This is exactly what this book explores and I think it does so beautifully.

A lot of interesting concepts are discussed and handled in such an interesting way; from the idea of soulmates and how (and if) they find each other in each life, reincarnation/rebirth, and even suicide and its residual impact on a persons soul. I do especially think suicide in this fictional world is presented in a way that I’ve never seen discussed before. There is a constant reminder of the implications (and public perception in this world) that taking one’s life has on their soul once reborn into a new life following that, and I think that’s an interesting thing to consider. What we do in this life affects us in the next.

There’s also this idea of being a “lost” soul, not knowing which direction to take in life and a need for guidance, which I think a lot of us struggle with already without the knowledge of our past lives (if that’s something you believe in). We see our main character Sivan struggle with this when she gets results about her soul that she did not prepare for.

Overall, I think there was great pacing from start to finish. Nothing ever felt to me like it was dragging out too long, and every scene we as readers were privy to, felt necessary. It got a bit confusing towards the end and the pacing sped up then. I did not expect the plot twist!! Sivan did a lot of over explaining and “hand holding” as I like to call it but I think it was necessary because without that I would’ve remained confused, and it all came together quite well. It definitely reads more YA but then again it is a YA novel. I didn’t think I’d enjoy this as much as I did and I’d highly recommend this to fans of dystopian novels!!

As a concept this book should have been so interesting. However, it was very boring. The characters were not interesting really at all. it seemed like the world and the soul matching was so interesting but it wasn't very well explained. Things were either happening too quickly or not at all. There really was no in-between. There were way too many characters to keep track of and to many souls, and the fact that everyone had two names got very confusing.
I really wanted to love it but I think it could have used more editing to ensure that the world building was clear.

This book is Danzenbaker's idea and I really enjoyed the fresh ideas and perspectives - as a childhood Star Trek fan, there is a delightfully fun technological strain to the identification of past lives and soulmates. Danzenbaker has clearly thought her world out well and filled in small details. I do wish the book had perhaps been a bit less didactic - while it introduces various perspectives on punishment, on romance and religion, it becomes clear about halfway through the book who are the good guys and the bad guys. The book asks a lot of interesting questions - I wish it had let the readers debate the answers with a bit more nuance.

I'll be excited to continue following Danzenberger's writings and would recommend this to fans of Rebecca Ross or of Laini Taylor.

This book was amazing! What a great concept tying in reincarnation to modern day. It felt a little rushed at times but that did not stop me from devouring this book in two days. I cannot wait to read more from Rebecca!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

I love dystopian books, and this one was a pretty good read!  There were some slow parts in the beginning that seemed to make pieces drone on too much with a lot of repetition.  I do wish there was more explanation to understand the World War it mentioned and maybe the political structure of the dystopian world, seems skipped over a bit.

The story is very unique from others that I have read, definitely makes it more interesting.  The characters are well-written, so that you can really connect to them.  Several twists at the very end were not predictable.. which I always hate being able to easily predict the ending.  It was great to read and connect to these characters!

This book hinges on the idea that reincarnation is real, as well as that some people have true soulmates.

Imagine that each soul has a specific vibration or frequency, and that it can be measured, identified, and catalogued. That is the premise here. Sivon has turned 18 and it is time for her to be kirled, the process by which her soul is identified. She is terrified that she has a bad soul, one that still owes society for crimes committed in past incarnations.

Instead, she finds out that her soul has never been catalogued—a New Soul. This gets her involved in her time’s equivalent of a presidential race, in order to provide protection for her mother from all the people who feel strongly (both positively and negatively) about New Souls.

Along the way, she meets two boys: one infuriating, and one who claims to be her soulmate. She must unravel the realities of who really has her best interests at heart and who is using her.

Although I don’t believe in reincarnation, I found the base premise of this story to be interesting and well-handled. Although it wasn’t particularly difficult to figure out who the true bad guy of the story was, watching Sivon figure things out was only mildly frustrating. I’ve definitely had worse reads.

Possible objectionable material:
Reincarnation. Swearing, including multiple F-words. Same gender relationships. Nonbinary characters. Souls can be born into bodies of either gender in future lives. Kissing. Physical danger. Possible suicide.

Who might like this book:
Fans of YA dystopian fiction. Anyone who enjoys a love triangle.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

#BookReview #NetGalley #YA #DystopianFiction #Soulmatch #RebeccaDanzenbakerBooks #biblioquacious

This book is also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2025/08/a-new-dystopian-twist.html

okay this actually ate so hard is ya dystopian fiction back?!? may be slightly predictable but that doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the book itself. i need more books in this work asap

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this free copy of "Soul Match."

If you like "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August," you'll definitely enjoy this book. Although it's marketed as Young Adult, the themes and plot twists will certainly appeal to "older" readers.

At 18, all people go to the Kirling Institute to learn their soul ID, choose a soul name, find their soulmate, find their vocation based on their past lives, and get their inheritance from their previous soul.

Their biggest fear is that their previous soul was a criminal, where they'd be forced to fulfill any remainder of their previous soul's sentence. (The administration has this as an incentive for people to follow the rules so they won't be subjecting their next souls to punishment....)

So I won't spoil any of the plot, but the idea of "free will" versus predetermination was very prevalent and timely.

And the ending was a whirlwind..!!

i think the genre i need to read more of is dystopian fantasies.. i always enjoy them but i forgot about it completely until i pick another one up. i was very intrigued by the plot and it did not disappoint! whenever i go into a book blindly i always try to guess the love interest and i was wrong w this one (i figured it out quickly though). and i am very happy i was wrong bc the storyline is soo much better with him than it would’ve been with the other dude. i think the timeline and build up of their relationship was done so well.. i live for a good bodyguard romance! #NASShole <3 i will say that i got frustrated w sivon bc she blindly and easily trusted people she barely knew and struggled to confide in the people she’s known her whole life like be so fr right now.