Member Reviews
Emma Lord's Tweet Cute was one of my favorite YA books of 2020, so I had high hopes for her sophomore novel, You Have a Match. I'm so thrilled to say that this book was just as charming and sweet as its predecessor, cementing Emma Lord's status as a Must Read author for me.
Like Tweet Cute, You Have a Match plays on a classic film premise, this time with a Parent Trap-esque summer camp story featuring two girls who find out they are sisters via an online DNA test. The two set off to the same camp for the summer in hopes of figuring out more about why Abby's parents gave her older sister Savvy up for adoption (turns out parents doing sort of WTF things is a running theme in Emma Lord's books!). The two sisters could not be more different and of course hijinks ensue, but watching their relationship develop was really lovely and quite well done. I found this part of the story to be the most compelling, but this novel also includes an adorable friends-to-more romance. I also thought this book highlighted Abby's friendships really well, showing how its important to foster all the relationships in your life, not just the romantic ones.
All in all, You Have a Match was a true delight, and will be a perfect boost for your inevitable post-holiday blues when it releases on January 12, 2021! Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy.
This sweet, adorable, and funny YA was the perfect dose of summer camp hi-Jinks and a CW drama.
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Abby’s best friend Leo, and secret love interest, is adopted and with Abby’s nudging, decides to take a DNA test. She takes it with him as encouragement but she doesn’t realize she would be the one to come back with shocking news.
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It turns out Abby had a sister that her parents gave up for adoption, Instagram influencer Savvy, basically her complete opposite.
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They decide to meet at summer camp, where Leo also works, and figure out what happened with their parents and to get to know each other. Getting major parent trap vibes, the scenes at camp are full of high jinks, friendship and love.
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This sweet story is one of forgiveness, friendship, love and being brave. It takes a lot of bravery to go for what you want in life and having friends and family by your side makes it that much sweeter.
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Thank you to #netgalley and #stmartinspress for granting me a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
You Have A Match is a beautiful story about family, love, friendship, and self-development. It follows Abby as she navigates through life with 1) a new-found secret sister 2) a best friend who she secretly wants to be more with 3) more secrets and lies from all angles. Reading those and you already know this one’s going to be interesting.
I just looked through the list of books I read in 2020 and noticed that I didn’t read as much YA Contemporary as I used. I love this genre so much and I’m telling you, You Have A Match might be one of the best YA Contemporary I’ve ever read. (disclaimer: this is just based on what I like to read about in books) It’s complete with all these amazing factors I love reading about and they’re done so well. OH MY GOODNESS.
I can’t discuss the romance side without spoiling anything and removing the fun for those who want to read this book, but I would like to mention I love reading about both Friends to Lovers and just plain opposite-sex friendship. Give me a slow-burn friends to lovers or a 100% friendship between opposite sexes in a book and I WILL SAY THANK YOU VERY MUCH. Plus, Filipino characters like me who like to cook Filipino dishes? SIGN ME UP (and give me something to eat too, please, thank you.)
Let’s not forget about the main topic of this book which is the “secret sister” thing. I became so attached with the development of Abby and Savvy’s relationship. The up and the downs of their relationship. I don’t have any sibling, but I connected to what they have. And their amazing friends!!! God, I love Leo, Finn, Mickey, and even the Savvy fans turned friends!!
What a really great read. I am so glad I read this one.
Huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, and Emma Lord for allowing me to read this book in advance! Can't wait to grab my own physical copy.
(more detailed review to be posted on my book blog -- ronthebookworm.wordpress.com -- on December 20,2021 at 9:00pm, Philippines' Time)
Emma Lord dazzles readers again with the novel “You Have a Match.” Abby is your typical high school senior who is swamped with tutoring and parent pleasing. However, her world turns upside down when DNA results pop back with her having a close in age relative. Set to discover more, Abby goes on an adventure to summer camp with her secret crush, Leo. Will she learn more about her relative? Will this summer camp experience be like any other? Will she share her true feelings with Leo? Readers, I strongly urge you to pick up this novel when it is released January 12!
This book had me smiling the whole way through. I could easily relate to Abby’s camp experiences and her desire to keep her thoughts inside of her. I loved the way that Emma Lord crafted this novel so that it could be identifiable with the teenage reader. This is a story that has a beautiful setting, well written characters and an even better plot twist. “You Have a Match” reminded me of parent trap in the best possible way. Packed with emotion and thought, this book had me on an emotional high.
Readers of romance, ya fiction and adventure at camp should run, not walk to grab this when it hits shelves. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
I thought this had a very fun premise, especially using the 23 and me test to find out Abby has a sister. I love the location at camp, but I feel like she uses people like Leo and Connie. And she’s so juvenile (I realize she’s 16, but still) she’s trying to know Savvy and then plays pranks on her? It didn’t make sense to me. I do love that in the end they solve the mystery of their parents and what happened. I also love the hidden meaning between about the Magpies. But I think it would work for other people. I did like how ambitious all the teens were and i would love to try Leo’s lasagna balls! I’m still looking forward to Tweet cute.
*I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and St Martin's Press in exchange for my honest review*
This was such a cute read. I loved Emma Lord's first book Tweet Cute so I was really excited to get an early copy of this one.
You Have a Match was basically a 2020 retelling of parent trap, complete with some family drama, a summer camp setting and a prank war. I loved the two girls, Savvy and Abby and watching them overcome their differences and grow into their own.
Plus Emma Lord lives up to her food queen status from Tweet Cute (I really wanted to try some of Leo's kitchen experiments, lasagna balls sound amazing). Also some great LGBTQ+ rep in the book which I loved. All in all, a great YA book and the perfect escape read for this year.
This one is out January 12th 2021 so keep an eye out for it!
4/5 stars
* I received this as an E-ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review**
I loved this book. It had me teary-eyed while reading. This was so much better than I thought it would be. I"m not going to go into too much detail because honestly, this is a book you just want the basics and not much more. My recommendation is to give this a read! I highly recommend this book. I read it super fast, it's easy to get lost in the book, it was cute and had some heart in it.
Oh. My. God. I loved this book so much. I’m smiling like a fool over here! The friends, the sisters, the loooove. I’m obsessed. So sweet and charming. So many emotions all wrapped into one great book.
Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this copy of You Have a Match.
I read and adored Tweet Cute earlier this year, so when I discovered that Emma Lord had a new book coming out, I was dying to read it.
I really enjoyed YHAM, especially the focus on family and finding your way. The summer camp setting was a lot of fun and I loved all of the side characters, but especially Finn in all of his sarcastic glory. The relationship between Abby and Leo was sweet and I was rooting for them through the entire book.
The twisty storyline wasn’t my favourite, and the reveal made me feel a bit icky, but otherwise I really enjoyed each page. (I did like Tweet Cute more though!)
This time last year I received an ARC of Emma Lords debut novel Tweet Cute and I was thrilled when I was accepted for her newest release. I tried really hard to not draw comparisons between the two but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't low-key disappointed and kind of underwhelmed by this sophomore novel.
There's nothing concrete I can point to as to why I wasn't a huge fan it's just a simple fact that the things that didn't quite click for me outweighed the things that I did like.
Mix in some family drama with summer camp and you get this book. Finding a new sibling you never knew existed and then spending summer camp with them brings this book to a heart warming part of 2020 I didn't know was still a thing. While I didn't love this one as much as Tweet Cute, it still had a great message about family and finding a voice in the chaos and unsurety of life.
I read Emma Lord's other book, Tweet Cute, earlier this year and it had me grinning from ear to ear. I was so excited to hear she was releasing another book and was estatic when I was approved for an eARC of it on Netgalley!
You Have a Match is a really cute and captivating story. It is exactly what I would imagine Parent Trap to be like if it took place in 2020. The book had a goodmix of family drama, friendships, the growing pains of being a teen, and trying to figure out what to do with your life, and first loves, which all made it an enjoyable read. I really liked the diversity of characters and the non-traditional plot line. Bonus: the book takes place in Seattle so as a current Washington resident, I loved all the discussions about Seattle, puget sound, and life on the west side of the state.
While I loved reading it and adored Abby and Savvy's characters, the book is by no means going to change your life, hence why I gave it 4 stars. It's just a good YA novel. Regardless, I still really enjoyed it and Emma Lord has officially solidified her status on my auto-buy author list. I absolutely cannot wait to read whatever she releases next!
“My life is basically a CW drama right now, is all.”
Thank you to Emma Lord, Wednesday Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC of You Have a Match in exchange for an honest review! This was lovearctually’s second discussion book and I can’t wait for our chat on Sunday!
Abby Day signs up for a DNA testing service after her BFF and secret crush Leo asks her to do it in solidarity with him. Leo’s adopted and hoping to finally get some answers about his Filipino heritage. Instead, it’s Abby’s life who is turned upside down when she discovers she has a sister… a full-blooded sister…. that her parents never told her about. The obvious solution to this problem is to secretly meet up with Savannah and then attend summer camp in the San Juan Islands so that they can solve the mystery of their families.
You Have a Match is an ode to The Parent Trap (the Lindsay Lohan version obvs). There is a prank war and a cute lil summer camp romance that made me nostalgic for my teens. While I enjoyed the romance aspect of the book, my favorite part was just watching Abby grow as a human. She struggled with some major identity issues and family drama but her reactions felt true to how a teen would feel.
This book is also a bit of a love letter to my beloved San Juan Islands, specifically Vashon Island. If you have never visited Washington State, then put these beauties on your travel bucket list! They are truly magical.
You Have a Match is full of heart and I can’t wait for you all to get a chance to read it!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CI9CsClgy-I/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3689440718
A pub day post will also be posted on 1/12/21 on Instagram.
I like the story line of this book. I haven’t read any other rom com/YA that have this kind of story line (don’t want to give away too much). The author does a great job developing her characters, and it has a similar feel to her first YA book Tweet Cute. It’s a quick, happy read that would be a perfect escape read for any one right now.
I read Tweet Cute by Emma Lord around this time last year and loved it. So when I received this ARC I was fairly certain that this was going to be a 5 star read for me and it did not disappoint. I am so thankful to Wednesday Books for sending me this one; I received the approval through Netgalley originally and was so so excited and then about had a heart attack when a physical book showed up on my doorstep.
This book has a little bit of everything; sibling dynamic, friendships, parent and child dynamics, old school campy vibes, romance, loss of a loved one, grief, anxiety, conflict avoidance, photography, culinary, arts, coffee... literally almost anything you could ask for in a book this one has.
This book is a roller coaster ride, it makes you feel every emotion possible while also being funny and relevant, and raw. I haven't read a book that brought me to tears several times in years. This book has so much heart and emotion and just hits you right in the feels.
I felt so seen reading this book. I identified so much with the main character Abbey. While she is definitely more of a Dare Devil than I am, her tendency to avoid conflict at all costs really hit home.
I loved the character development in this book and the fact that a good portion of it takes place at a summer camp. This also reminded me so much of The Parent Trap which I found so fun and unique.
My favorite thing about Tweet Cute was how relatable and current it was and Emma continued that trend in her 2nd book. I think at this point it is safe to say that I will pick up any book she writes.
This was absolutely another home run by Emma Lord and I cannot wait to see what else she has in store for us in the future.
Thanks to Partner NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC of Emma Lord’s You Have a Match in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on Tuesday, January 12.
I missed out on Emma Lord’s first book, Tweet Cute, but I’m definitely going to read it now. I could not have loved this second book, You Have a Match, more. It is such a brilliant YA read, dealing with friendships and romance and parental expectations and grief and identity, all wrapped up in a brilliant narrative that I found myself unable to put down.
As a sign of support, Abby agrees to sign up for a DNA test with her best friend Leo. Leo and his sister were adopted from the Philippines when they were tiny, and he has questions about his biological parents and his heritage. Abby expects that she will be there for Leo in case he discovers something unexpected. What she DOESN’T expect is that she’ll have her own discovery . . . she has a sister.
Abby, who’s the oldest of four children, is skeptical at first, but once she accepts that she has an older sister (Savannah, or Savvy), she can’t figure out what possibly could have happened with her parents.
Enter: Major Teen Angst. Or just Angst in general (because who wouldn’t be feeling that?!).
Abby is a previously successful student whose grades have plummeted since her beloved grandfather died. She has two best friends, Leo and Connie, although that friendship has become complicated after a B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) between her and Leo (clarity about that Incident is peeled back in layers through the novel). Her parents are trying to figure out how to help her, and so they decide to send her to a camp . . . that has an SAT-prep focus. It also just happens to be the camp where Leo and Savvy have been counselors together for years.
I’ll spare you any more spoilers, but there’s a fun, Parent Trap element that emerges as we see Abby and Savvy start to know each other and try to unravel the truth behind their pasts.
This is such a rich, well-told story, and I found Abby—and the secondary characters—to be strong, nuanced, realistic individuals. I just absolutely loved this book.
Title: You Have a Match
Author: Emma Lord
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5
When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.
But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.
When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.
The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby's growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.
But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.
I enjoyed this read quite a bit! It was kind of a riff on The Parent Trap, but only loosely. Abby was a lot of fun to read and the contrast between her and Savannah was sometimes glaring and sometimes funny. I enjoyed Abby’s growth and the friendships in this book were wonderful!
Emma Lord lives in New York City. You Have a Match is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)
(Blog link live 1/4.)
I enjoyed this! I loved the focus on relationships (not necessarily romantic), and Abby was a very compelling character and was fun to read about. I loved her chaotic approach to things and her passion for photography and her relationships with all her new friends. The characters were all fun and I loved at the beginning where the two halves of Leo's life collide with Abby, who also knows both sides but not how they both related to Leo, in the middle.
I thought the pacing was a bit weird, especially with the timeskips in the second half where we were expected to just understand that relationships had developed without seeing them. However, it wasn't a huge issue for me because I did like the characters and their relationships even if there were incongruities.
My major issue with this book was actually all the Harry Potter references and I hope those will be removed in the finished copy.
I think this was a great sophomore novel by Emma Lord.
I think this novel was as much about Abby & Savvy's relationship as it was about their parents. After a DNA match, Abby & Savvy find out they're sisters and decide to go to summer camp a la The Parent Trap. While at camp antics ensue, but they also learn more about each other. I really enjoyed the other campers, mostly Finn (he's a big marshmallow) and Mickey (I want to eat her cooking). Abby and Savvy also try to dig into what happened, why Savvy was adopted, how do their parents know each other, etc.
I enjoyed journeying with them through the rollercoaster of emotions they went through in the few weeks at camp. I didn't expect the reason behind the adoption or what followed afterwards with the parties involved. I did however guess what happened to the Bean Well and I have to say, I loved the outcome.
The only thing I missed from her first book was the banter between the love interests, but since this isn't enemies to lovers, I can't fault her for that. Speaking of love interests, I was thrilled to see Savvy as openly gay and that she didn't have to hide it from her "fans" on instagram. I also liked story between Leo and Abby. A true tale of miscommunication.
After signing up with her friends for a DNA testing service, Abby discovers she has a full biological sister living close by, just 1.5 years older than her. Together, they hatch a plan to go to the same summer camp together to figure out why Savvy was put up for adoption, and of course when she shows up, Abby discovers her best friend and secret crush Leo will also be spending the summer with her.
This was a really fun, heartwarming and entertaining story about building the bonds of sisterhood with a nice dose of angsty, “will they ever actually communicate?” teenage romance. I love the dynamic between Abby and Savvy and all the other friendships that wove in and out. It also had a really sweet, feel-good ending that I was so in the mood for at the time, and yes, I may have shed a tear or two, but let’s be honest, sappy gets me every time.
I absolutely loved Tweet Cute and this was such a solid second novel from one of my new favorite YA contemporary authors!