I was so excited to read this book, and this plot was extremely interesting!! I feel like I've been looking for something like this book for such a long time now. I wasn't bored, was captivated, interested and stayed up to finish this!

This was my first ARC and wow, setting the bar high aren't we?
I enjoyed this so much. The world building was descriptive, the characters were multidimensional, and the story had my guessing until the end.
The MFC was realistic, relatable and you could see she was just like everyone else her age trying to figure who she is.
I LOVED the headers at the beginning of each chapter. It helped with the world buidinh but it also made it more exciting on guessing what would happen next. This book reminds me of the feeling that other books gave me when I was a child in school. That uncomfortable unease by characters when, superficially, they are good people. Protect your heart and enjoy this wonderful story ❤️

My mind is actually blown. I was so excited to read after hearing it was a similar concept to matched. This book absolutely surpassed it. All my favorite parts of dystopian world while intertwining mystery, thriller, and star crossed lovers.
My jaw was one the floor half the time and the heroine is so damn smart it makes me proud. She blows them all away and I was one the edge of my seat probably 3/4 of the book. This was absolutely a five star book and I will highly recommend this book to anyone I can!!!!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @simonteen for an early copy of Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: July 29th, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220160382-soulmatch?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bfSUudRPo8&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Soulmatch is a dystopian sci-fi fantasy that explores the concept of reincarnation as a tool to guide each soul’s future in its current body. While the premise is promising, I feel like the execution and pacing was lacking. The world building and system was quite all over the place and the pacing was too slow for my liking. Additionally, the main characters were difficult to connect with, especially Shepard and how judgmental he is of Sivon.

An overall okay read but not something I would pick up again to re-read.

This was. SO unique and such a fun read! Highly recommend if you enjoyed the divergent boom of the early 2010s. Really great read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

SOULMATCH by Rebecca Danzenbaker

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Teen for the earc (Jul 29)

SOULMATCH is set in the future. when people come of age, they are kirled---where the learn about their past lives and/or who their soulmate is. Sivon knows she has no ordinary soul. When she is kirled, she learns the truth---so does everyone else throwing her into a world she isn't used to (threats and scrutiny). She teams up with her bodyguard to figure out what was really happening, who she could trust, etc.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I know SOULMATCH wasn't at all what I was expecting. I knew this would be a dystopian/romance type deal, but what was delivered was much greater. DANZENBAKER combines romance with corruption in perfect proportions. There is an underlying mystery that goes back years---lifetimes even. With it's dystopian-esque setting, SOULMATCH grabs the reader with promise of romance and soulmates. Its premise is interesting and immediately drew me in. I really liked how the romance was everso subtle in a way that really intoned what this book was about.
Without spoiling it, I was rooting for Sivon and [REDACTED] from the get go, and I loved seeing how their storyline played out.
SOULMATCH is for those looking for futuristic settings. This is book is for the hopefuls that there is someone put there for them regardless of past lives, current lives, etc. This may not have been a five-star read, but it was pretty close.

When I say I want a YA dystopian w/ a side of romance, THIS IS WHAT I WANT 👏 This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, whether it was a major plot twist or the chemistry between Sivon & Donovan.
I really loved a lot of the social commentary about classism, fate & even the idea of what it means to be a “good person”. There were so many amazing things about this book but my favorite was just the way it completely sucks you in. This is not a book that takes awhile to get invested in, you care about the characters & the high stakes from chapter 1.
This story has the perfect mix of mystery, romance & drama and I absolutely could not get enough.

This sounded like such an interesting premise and one I jumped to request, and it carried its promise(for the most part). The beginning dragged and it took me a while to get through laying out the world and plot but once it picked up i flew through it. The ending definitely set the book up to become a series, but I think it could have wrapped it up nicely in the one book and it would have been more satisfying, but that's my only real gripe with it. Overall, a solid read and an innovative new story.

Soulmatch takes the concept of reincarnation and atoning for past sins, combines it with a well-meaning but flawed system and then throws in dash of corruption, a lovable found-family of teens determined to beat the odds, a swoony romance and just the right amount of heartbreak - all set in a post WWIII United States.

This was dystopian romance perfection.

Bonus points: It’s a well wrapped-up standalone!

I’m crossing my fingers and toes, praying to the book gods, and begging publishers to keep this resurgence of dystopian romance coming!

What’s to love…
- interesting & unique concept
- swoony romance
- a little baby love triangle (in the best way possible)
- fast-paced plot
- well-developed characters
- twists and reveals that will have you gasping
- utterly binge-able
- found family
- excellent social commentary on good vs bad and the flaws of the prison system

What’s not to love…
- my biggest complaint is that some of these “new” words and terms just felt silly. I think if this was a series with more time for world-building they could have worked but as is, it felt like it was an attempt to sound futuristic without the effort required for it to make sense.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and think it hits on all the aspects of the 2010s dystopian romance that we love and crave!

A note for adult readers: This is YA book (age rating 12+) and it is a really great YA book, but if you’re looking for an upper YA or New adult you might be disappointed with this one. However if you’re an adult reader that enjoys YA books and doesn’t mind when the MCs act their age, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Teen for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Soulmatch? Nah. I think you mean Mindblown.

Thanks to Netgalley and SimonTeen for the eARC!

I’m still reeling from the craziness and insanity that was this book. The last 20% or so was so much bam bam bam that I think my brain exploded for a short time. 😂

The beginning was great. The world itself is so intriguing. I do think the world building was not quite enough because this world is just so extensive that while I predicted some aspects, I think I could have worked out more had I had a better understanding of the system.

The middle was a tiny bit slow and I wasn’t super happy with a lot of him being that way. But the ending did make up for it in being concise and well executed!

The characters… I liked Sivan well enough for a protagonist. She’s not my favorite because she did question things and then just make silly decisions anyway… BUT I do like her mind and her mission and she came out as a good character in the end!

I didn’t really like Donovan but that’s a me thing. He’s just not really my type. And I do wish we had gotten a little … more with him and Sivon.

The side characters were fine enough but not many really stood out for me, to be honest. I think overall, while the plot was a win in my book, the characters themselves were a bit of a letdown.

I’d recommend this book for anyone craving the dystopian energy of the 2000’s and 2010’s. Uglies, Matched, Chemical Garden, etc. this is definitely in line with all of them!

This book is everything I enjoy in a dystopian novel depicting a world under government control. I like the author’s pacing and was drawn in right from the start.

It takes place after World War III, where the soul-identification system is now in place. All eighteen-year-olds must go through the “kirling” to find out about their past lives, a terrifying process for which there is no escape. No one wants a bad soul or to leave the institute in handcuffs.

Sivon, a chess expert, is one hell of a main character. She epitomises the word `heroine', with her courage, determination and resourcefulness. She knows there is something different about her soul and is terrified to find out. But when they find out that Flavinsky, one bad soul out of fifteen billion, is at the SKI, this intensifies the pace. What if it were a family member, sequestered from their friends and loved ones, sealed in a sound-proofed room, and unable to process the horror of their abandonment?

The book lays out each chapter to explain government acronyms and symbols, so I never felt lost or confused. Dialogue drives the story forward and gives each character a distinctive voice. The author has created a world so realistic and intriguing you just can't help but to imagine what happens next. I will say this, Soulmatch comes with all the trappings of a bestselling. Its visual appeal is so striking, I'd be amazed if it weren't snapped up and optioned after publishing. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebecca Danzenbaker for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wowwowwowwow, I read this book in one sitting!

Soulmatch is a YA dystopian romance that is written like a true YA book. If you don’t like that kind of writing/dialog, this isn’t for you. Lucky for me I don’t mind it!

Amazing concept and plot, love the characters. It was fast paced but easy to follow. I thought I had everything figured out but I liked the little twist at the end!!

I don’t want to say too much because this is an ARC, but do yourself a favor and pick this up once it’s published.

DNF at 52% - The beginning of this book was giving me EVERYTHING I typically look for in a dystopian novel---isolation, a test/trial of sorts, a complex political backdrop.

I found myself flying through the first half of the book due to the interest I had in finding out who Sivon's soul was. Unfortunately, I found myself a little let down with the idea that she was a new soul. I almost wanted her to be one of the 'bad' souls to see how she wrestled with this. Ultimately, I understand why the author went this route, but since we took the new soul route, it made the middle part of the book drag a little. This is where I set the book down. I could see we were going to be searching to find out if her friend actually killed herself or the government killed her, but the pacing slowed and I didn't feel the urgency.

The author did do a great job of tying in the media's influence in Sivon's life. This was interesting to me as it is very reminiscent of our current society.

Thank you for the advance copy!

This was an absolutely phenomenal read.

One of my favorite things about reading is when you really get a good story that makes you FEEL without explaining in literal words how you're supposed to feel.
When an author can weave characters so well that someone on page that says and does all the right things and is seemingly a good guy, but just FEELS wrong. You're not entirely sure, because there's been no evidence to suggest otherwise but you just FEEL off about them - only to later have all of those suspicions confirmed and you get to have a HA I KNEW IT moment but really you're just thinking 'thank god cus I wasn't sure and I felt like I was losing my mind'

This was a sci-fi ish dystopianish perfect story. There were complexities and intricacies and they were confusing but they never lost me - they were explained well, I never felt there were plot holes or missing chunks of story. I felt connected and invested, and (exhausted from staying up far too late).

The entire concept of the story is so cool, horrifying after the conclusion and the reality of what would happen without a doubt if this was real, but god did I enjoy every moment of it.

One of my fav reads of the year so far, and I can't imagine that will change. I loved this. Rebecca has succeeded in everything she sets her mind too, and this was no exception, so congratulations Rebecca - this was an absolute killer debut and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us all next.

This was such an interesting read! It kind of boggles the mind and makes you question what kind of life you would want to live.

I liked the writing style. Although I found some parts dragging. (Mostly the beginning chapters.) The last 10% made the most impression on me.

I don't know if this is the first book of a series? The end made it seem like there's potential for more. And I'm definitely open to more.

Equal parts heart-stopping thriller and tender romance, this book is impossible to put down. Will be recommending this book all over social media closer to its release date.