I really enjoyed the concept of reincarnation in this story and how the system was utilized to understand and keep track of reincarnations. I also loved the slow burn romance that was involved and the twists at the end. However, I felt like I needed to make a physical map of the reincarnations and who was who to keep up with the events towards the end. The book feels a little slow at the beginning, but picks up heavily towards the end and things happen fast! I loved the concept of soulmates and how that worked in the world as well. It’s definitely an interesting concept and the execution was fun. I thought the MFC really prospered towards the end of the book, meaning she stopped feeling like a damsel in distress. The MMC was awesome all the way through. Shepherd, her bodyguard, was my favorite character by far. He had a lot of personality and he was very blunt and said what he needed to say. I really enjoyed how he showed on page.

YA dystopia romance set 250+ years in the future. Think Gen Z quadrupled. Slang & acronyms flow well!

Imagine, when you turn 18, you learn about your past lives, achievements, inheritance, crimes and you'll find out if you have a soulmate! Sivan just knows that her past will clue her into her future, only to discover she's not like everyone else!

The story is charming and the friends/family really come through for each other. The ultimate found family...through multiple lifetimes. I would love to read a sequel!

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to read and review!

I went into this book blind , knowing that it is a YA book and I must say , it is exactly that. The concept that Rebecca is going for did keep me intrigued and interested throughout the story. However the plot reminded me of a lot of early 2000s syfy teen books , such as Matched, The Host, Divergent, and Uglies, (i swear if you put them all together . . . Thats the book ) with a love triangle twist and spy adventure added in right at the end. I did love the development of the love triangle/thought process that Sivon goes through ( typical teen syfy fashion). And the introduction of Donovan and Janus were perfect. But towards the height of the plot I kept screaming in my head "TELL ME WHY WE ARE DOING ALL OF THIS ! WHHHHYYYY !? WHATS POINT!?!" we got there eventually, it just took a long time to get to point and the story wrapped up quickly after that. All in all , a perfect book for a teen audience looking for a new syfy fantasy.

This book had a fascinating premise, but I found myself a bit lost in the details. The dystopian world was interesting, but the complexity made it difficult to connect with the characters. I had trouble remembering who was who, and I didn't find myself invested in Sivon or Donovan's journeys. Some concepts felt over-explained, while others needed more backstory. Overall, there's potential here, but I wished it was a bit more streamlined. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC opportunity for my honest review this releases July 29th.

3.5 ⭐️ What an absolute whirlwind! Just when I thought I had things figured out, the twists proved me completely wrong. I had such a fun time reading and it was tricky to put down (had me feeling that nostalgia for YA dystopians and it fit the bill). The narrative was fast-paced (maybe a little too much, since everything happens within a span of 3ish weeks. Overall I really enjoyed the premise and the ideas were there with a strong start and middle, but unfortunately I got lost in the execution of the ending.

I appreciate the opportunity to read this debut! I’m looking forward to reading more by the author.

4.25 but I'm rounding up because this book deserves some serious praise for its unique story and beautiful writing technique.
I had such an amazing time with this book.
The characters were compelling and you wanted to know their current and past struggles and felt for them in moments of distress.
The author does a phenomenal job moving through scenes/transitions so that the story; while quick, feels very seamless.
I truly loved the concept of the book as well, reincarnation, generational/wealth or disparity, touches on topics of deep truth without being super on the nose.
My one reason for a not perfect rating has to do with the ending. A lot is dumped at the readers in the end and I personally would have liked to discover some of the plot points a bit sooner/alongside the main character Sivon. However; everything comes together and makes sense so while it wasn't my favorite execution it works plot wise.
Overall if you are someone who wants a fast paced, standalone sci-fi, that has compelling characters, and some very well thought out romance. I would absolutely add this to the tbr.

Thank you SO much Simon & Schuster for this advanced reader copy, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have a sneaking suspicion that I was not the target audience for this book. You might wonder what it was that gave me that impression. Was it the young adult categorization, the teenage female lead, the love triangle with 2 dreamy eyed teen boys? Yes, yes, and maybe. I think this was really written for someone in their mid-to-late teens, so I tried to approach reading and reviewing this novel with that in mind.

Soulmatch takes you into a world where reincarnation is proven fact, and you are required to be “kirled” (having your soul matched to your previous lives) when you turn 18. We get a glimpse of this world through the eyes of Sivon, who we meet just as she’s heading out for her own kirling. She has all of the questions and worries of a normal kid coming of age, as well as the weight of her past lives ready to rest on her shoulders. Will she be found to be a good soul, with good prospects and a hefty inheritance from her previous life? A bad soul, to be immediately whisked off to jail to pay for her past life’s crimes? Or even the famous Flavinsky, a soul famous for pain and misery in every life they’ve had?

We get a glimpse into all of these possibilities and more, in between numerous paragraphs about how one love interest smelled, or how dreamy another one’s eyes were, or how charming he was, or… I digress. I did find that often when the book got a bit romance-heavy for my tastes, Danzenbaker would drop some kind of existential plot bomb soon after that drew me back in to repeat the cycle.

The plot at times was driven a little too far by teenage naivety and hearthrobs. I think the premise and ideas presented are really cool and were explored in a lot of interesting ways, but since everyone has well defined aspects and past lives there are some issues with interesting or meaningful character development. There were also some moments that were heavily expository, with plot points being spelled out and recapped in detail as more of the core mystery of this book were revealed. I don’t think a reader in their late teens need their hand held quite so much through a story.

Overall, despite its flaws, and despite my lack of being a teenage girl, I think this was an enjoyable an interesting look into an imaginative world. And for the record, I was #TeamDonovan from the jump.

4.5 Stars

I was really blown away by this book. I loved how such a compelling story was also very thought provoking about reincarnation and what it means to carry the guilt and memories from our past lives - does those past decisions define who we are, do we change with circumstance, do we have innate traits, how does knowing impact the life we lead?

From the beginning of the book I was totally intrigued and I binged the book within two days. For how fast the time passed in the novel, the strong bonds and relationships formed in the book felt genuine and I really was invested in the characters’ journeys.

I really liked Sivon and Donovan and I was rooting for them until the end.

The world building was so unique but explained pretty well. I loved the little definitions at the beginning of each chapter to give us a little more insight about the world as well.

The only thing that prevents me from giving it the 5 stars is that the ending felt rushed. There was a lot of information dumping at the end where Sivon basically came to a realization off page and was sharing her findings with other characters or other characters would just confirm and tell her things they found off the page as well. It slowed a bit of the action at the end and the reveal didn’t pack as much of an impact since so many details were revealed all at once.

I still like the ending and I enjoyed reading the book. It would be fun to explore these characters in another lifetime or maybe even other characters like Ziva in a future life, because I do think the world has so much potential.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Give me all the YA dystopian romance, because I really enjoyed this! I really loved the concept and the story lived up to the expectations.

If you like YA dystopian romance, this might be right up your alley. I think trend will especially enjoy the love triangle and all the twists and turns.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA Dystopian Romantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: July 29, 2025
📖 496 pages

Dystopian Future
Soulmates
Rom-Com Vibes
Forbidden Romance
Slow Burn + Banter
Sci-Fi Romantasy
Reincarnation

The premise comes down to reincarnation and soulmates. Each person has to participate in the kirling on their 18th birthday, which is essentially a test which will judge them based on their previous lives, match them with their ideal job and potentially a "soulmatch".

The dystopian future setting taking place after WWIII was interesting and I enjoyed use of new technology to better immerse the readers in the world-building. While this did not hit the mark of dystopian fantasy for me, it did hit a lot of other ones. If you're looking for an enemies-to-lovers rom-com with banter, tension, and a bit of mystery, set in a dystopian future, Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker is perfect for you!

Thank you so much, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

#SoulmatchBook #NetGalley

⚠️ I would not personally recommend to anyone under 15 due to use of profanity. There's also mentions of suicide which may be too sensitive for some readers.

The premise of Soulmatch is quite unique and intriguing—present lives atoning for sins of the past. I found the beginning to be a bit slow, but once Sivon goes through her kirling the plot developments move swiftly. I devoured the last 50% of the book within a day.

I did find the romantic subplot to lack development. Some elements felt rushed and didn’t feel authentic. Regardless, it was still an enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing for a chance to read and give a honest review an advanced copy of this book.

Soulmatch has become a top favorite read of mine for 2025. It’s nothing like I’ve read before. Learning about your previous lives when you turn 18? The level of corruption within society behind everyone’s Souls? Yes please. Soulmatch has the famous girl x brooding bodyguard dynamic and all the yearning! Sivon’s two best friends Corah and Vivi are so lovable that I beamed whenever they appeared on page. The eventual love triangle isn’t cringey or cliche and what I mean by this is - I appreciated both love interests and how different they were. The plot twists were definitely twisting, making this a page turner!

I wanted to like this book more than I did. The premise had so much potential -- exploring direction, purpose, and the choices we make -- but it was hard to connect with the main character. While I could relate at times to her desire for clarity and direction in life, her constant self-centeredness made it tough to root for her.

The journey she takes felt less like growth and more like entitlement masked as self-discovery. I kept hoping she’d pivot, make a choice that challenged the system in a meaningful way -- but instead, she followed a path that didn’t feel impactful or satisfying. I think the story would’ve been stronger if she had made a different decision from everyone else, especially with how much the book sets up the stakes.

Overall, a strong concept that just didn’t land for me emotionally.

This book had a lot going on. At first, it starts off slow and I was wonder how much longer they could keep talking about the kirling. After Sivon officially gets her title things kick off and it feels like it flies from one thing to the next. Ngl, there were times I felt a bit lost but it all comes together at the end and feels like you went through so much. Definitely an interesting read if you can get past the beginning. 3.5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc

I really liked the whole concept of this book, set in the future w a dystopian vibe centered around reincarnation, it was something I hadn't read before. The reincarnation angle was explained more scientific than religious, which I think was a smart choice. It's also a romanticy, so you can't go wrong there. The plot started out really strong and stayed that way through the first three thirds of the book, it was easy to follow but still had some good twists. Then came the last part and it may have just been my simple mind but I think it got really complicated. It branched out into all these different conspiracies that I had to read over twice to follow. It did come back together at the very end, and I like how it wrapped up. Is it worth the read? Yes, it's a good book, my personal opinion, if it would have been simplified a bit, it would be a great book. I'd still recommend.

I was able to read an eARC copy through NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and thank you Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. The thoughts and opinions were all my own.

I don't get to read solid dystopian romances enough, so I thoroughly enjoyed this! The premise is fresh, unique, and enthralling. The social commentary in regards to prisons was well-placed and relevant in our current world. The romance was swoon-worthy and I found the characters to be very well-developed, and they were intriguing and quirky enough to hold my attention and interest.
You get plenty of unexpected twists throughout, and the pacing was done well enough that I stayed invested without getting bored. This definitely reminded me that I would never want to live in a society where I have to deal with my past being brought back in to my current life, and this felt like it could honestly be a little too realistic one day, which is scary!

The days of improbable YA fiction are so back, baby. This is very like Matched and Uglies with a soulmate scifi twist that keeps you guessing until the end.

God i've missed dystopias! Scythe meets the Program, i was completely enthralled with this world. I need more ASAP because I loved this concept. Romantic, twisty, and totally thought-provoking, you need to put this on your TBR if you want to get back into the age of Divergent and The Selection.

I am a middle school librarian and I was immediately drawn to this cover. I saw that the recommended age suggested by the publisher was 12 plus. In my opinion the book has way too much profanity for 12 year olds and it doesn’t add to character development or the plot in anyway. I liked the premise of the story but it got confusing when people’s past lives and different names were changed. This does mention reincarnation and have a few characters that use the they them pronouns. Overall it was ok. Maybe a secondary purchase fora larger collection.