Emma Lord has done it again! Going from TWEET CUTE right into YOU HAVE A MATCH was such a delight, and I've loved living in the adorable, kind, and multi-layered worlds Lord creates. She has such a wonderful way with words, and writes teens (and for teens) so well. YOU HAVE A MATCH is super fun, super sweet, made me tear up, and made me (almost) wish I had gone to summer camp!

A take on THE PARENT TRAP, one of my favorite movies (the original 1961 one thankyouverymuch), is super smart -- especially with the twist of biological sisters who find each other on 23&Me and decide to meet up at camp to try to figure out what happened. There are so many twists and turns, and the drama between their parents is so delightfully page-turney. Lord writes parent/daughter relationships so well, and I love how fully-formed the characters are and jump off the page. She also writes teen romances so well too! The main love story will make your insides all gooey, and you will absolutely love this story. It's going to be a huge smash, I can feel it!

This ARC was provided by the Wednesday Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Wednesday Books/St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of You Have a Match by Emma Lord.

You Have A Match is a cute YA novel about family, friendships and growing up.

Abby does an online DNA test when her friend/crush Leo, who was adopted wants to find out more about his background. While Abby justs wants to out Irish her other friend Connie, she find out she has a sister. After her sister reaches out to her she finds out she is a bit of an Instagram star and she convinces Abby to spend the summer at summer camp with her. Lots of mayhem, finding out Leo knows her sister from camp and trying to figure out their parent's past.

This had a little bit of a Parent Trap-esque with the Summer Camp storyline. While it was cute, it was definitely a YA book. I loved the themes of friendship, family and figuring out your place in the world.

First, I read Tweet Cute and loved it. I picked up You Have a Match solely because of how much I enjoyed Tweet Cute. Emma Lord's books are fun and insightful, showing that she understands Gen Z culture. The characters she creates are unique and likeable and her stories are original. I recommend You Have a Match for high school and middle school libraries, as well as public libraries.

It’s very hard for me to finish YA novels but I really enjoyed this. The relationship between Abby and Savvy was so good and definitely stole
the show. While I would love to see more of certain side characters (Finn!), overall I loved the romance and the messy drama and it was just a good time.

This is such a cute story that just goes everywhere you wan it to! I loved Abby and Leo, and I loved the summer camp aspect of this story. I personally didn’t like Savvy. Otherwise, this was great! Definitely would read again!

Emma Lord perfectly captures what it’s like to be a teenager. Their voices, how they communicate, how they act and think, all the messy parts and the good parts. You Have A Match was a heartwarming (and rather surprising!) coming of age story about Abby Day. Abby is struggling in school, stressing over the BEI (big embarrassing incident) that happened between her and her best friend who she has feelings for, grieving her late grandpa, and barely navigating this new surprise that has entered her life. Abby has a full blown sister she’s never met.

I think this story was handled with humor and compassion. Not only were Abby and her friends and family allowed to experience the wide range of human emotion, they were allowed to be messy and get things wrong. So often books have these perfect, untouchable characters but here, everyone was human. I really felt like these were real people. Not only that, the setting was fun, dynamic, and creative. I haven’t read a camp story in I don’t know how many years, and this just transported me back to the times I was at camp.

The messages this book has can touch readers of all ages. Speak up for yourself, express your feelings, follow your dreams, love wildly, and cherish your friends and family. These are lessons that everyone should learn and I’m glad that it is happening for teenagers, people who need this message more than anyone.

YOU HAVE A MATCH has a lot going on at once. There's a family storyline as Abby grapples with the discovery that she has a secret sister, Savvy, that she knew nothing about. There's also friendship struggles and a bit of a romance as Abby tries to figure out how to move past the Big Embarrassing Incident (BEI) with one of her best friends, Leo.

Of the various elements in the story, I found the family storyline the most compelling. The budding relationship between Abby and Savvy was wonderfully done and almost made me cry quite a few times. Each of the sisters has to work through the preconceived notions of the other, their feelings towards their parents with the light of this discovery, and how it makes them view themselves. Both Abby and Savvy are well-rounded characters who felt like real people. I particularly loved Abby, who grows so much over the course of YOU HAVE A MATCH.

I wanted more from the Abby/Leo storyline. The book is only narrated by Abby so we see her try to figure out how to resume a normal friendship with Leo despite having a huge crush on him. Leo seemed a bit too perfect and one-dimensional at times but was overall still a likable character. I would've loved a bit more about what it was like for him to do the DNA test looking to learn more about his biological parents (Leo is Filipino and was adopted by white parents). It comes up briefly but seems surprisingly glossed over considering Leo's decision to do a DNA test and rope his friends into doing them also is the spark for the whole plot.

One thing I really didn't like about YOU HAVE A MATCH was the reasoning behind Connie's decision to lie to both her friends about their feelings for each other. Connie says that she worried it would change their friendship dynamic and was afraid of being left out as she hasn't had romantic feelings like that for anyone. I read Connie as aromantic based off this and found this characterization yet another instance of YA using aro/ace characters to thwart potential romances between other characters out of a sense of jealousy. There are so few aro/ace characters in YA that it stings every time one appears only to be the wrench in other characters' romance. This didn't ruin the book for me but as an aro/ace reader, I found it really disappointing that Lord continues this broader trend of aro/ace characters as essentially the villain in the romance. Connie could've easily been just the third member of the friend group that was worried about being left out regardless of whether or not she is interested in romance for herself.

YOU HAVE A MATCH was an entertaining read with some compelling characters. I think the story had a bit too many elements going on, which resulted in some being much stronger than others, but overall found it to be an enjoyable read.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This was overall very good! I will say, Abby made some decisions that I very much questioned, butttttt. Luckily everything worked out okay!

Savvy I was not a fan of for a while throughout the book. But, near the end she really grew on me! She is such a well developed character. I love how she changed throughout the story. I loved her so much by the end!

Leo was honestly such a sweetheart! I just love how supportive and caring he was. Such a cutiepie!

I just really enjoyed this. It was such a fun read! I highly recommend this!

Funny and thoughtful, You Have a Match is a beautifully written story about secrets, friendship, history and love. It is also about the fact that the family we create and embrace often has very little to do with biology or upbringing. A quick, engaging and heartwarming read!

This is like The Parent Trap, updated for this generation's teenage readers. There's nothing life-changing about this story, but it was a fun adventure -- the perfect read for a sick day!

Thanks to St Martins and Netgalley for the free early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Teenage Abby takes a DNA test to get her friends off her back. When she gets the results she finds out some crazy news. She has a sister that is a big instagram star! She ends up meeting up with her.

This story was long and boring for me. I didn't get into it and didn't really care what happened. Probably 2.5 stars. Maybe great for teens to read but not for me.

*Thank you to St. Martins Press, Emma Lord and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

You Have a Match has it all. Teen Romance, surprise sisters, summer camp, life long friendship, annoying siblings and teen angst. The problem is there is too much of everything.

Abby is 16 and in love with her best friend Leo. They agree to do a DNA test because Leo is adopted and Abby wants to support him. While Leo finds out virtually nothing, Abby is surprised to find out she has a sister. Instagrammer Savannah Tully, who only lives 30 minutes from her. Savannah couldn't be more different from her, despite the fact that they look almost exactly alike. Savvy convinces Abby to come Summer Camp with her so they can figure out the mystery of why they are sisters. and what happened.

There is so much going on in this book that the reader may find that there is little focus on any one thing. I personally wanted more focus on Leo' and Abby's friendship to romance and maybe less focus on other characters, of which we only get a glimpse of, such as Finn.

I have not read TweetCute but I have heard it is a much different book. I would definitely read Emma Lord again. This book had the potential to be fabulous!

I loved this book! I loved the camp setting. I felt like I was back at summer camp. I liked all the characters. Their friendships were very real. This was the first book I read by this author but I will definitely be reading more.

You Have a Match is cute, but it felt like it was geared toward a more middle-grade audience than something that would appeal to the same crowd as John Green YA. This may be more indicative of the shift in the industry, as 'New Adult' becomes more popular, carving separate spaces for the 12-15-year-old audience, versus the 16-20 crowd.
As far as the actual story here, it's well-crafted and unique, even if the 'scandal' and relationship troubles are too innocent for my personal taste. I would imagine most people who participate in those mail in ancestry kits, like myself, harbor a certain desire to discover a hidden relation or unknown origins. In that way, it does indeed strike a chord, making it relatable, but also exactly the kind of 'what if?' scenario we might imagine for ourselves. I would recommend this for middle school readers, up through 9th grade.

A fun YA book where we find what events transpire when Abby takes an online DNA test and finds a sister, Savvy who shares both parents in fact. The sisters then decide to meet in a summer camp to start scheming on how to find out the truth from their parents. Finding out this truth and the corresponding explanation made it intriguing. Both Abby and Savvy with their opposite personalities are fun to read about and various pranks by Abby at the camp were hilarious.

On the other side, we have the constant tension between Abby and her close friend Leo. They keep trying to stay just friends but have their feelings pushing them towards each other. I like Leo and his cooking antics. Savvy’s instagram savviness was so on point and depicts current reality perfectly.

Overall a cute and fun read!

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an e-arc of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

First off, let me be clear when I say that Emma Lord may have just become an auto buy author for me. I absolutely loved reading Tweet Cute earlier this year and still consider it to be one of my favorite books of 202o. So I was extremely shocked when I was given a chance to read and review You Have a Match as I was highly anticipating it for this next year and expecting to love it as much as I loved Tweet Cute.

So did You Have a Match stand up to my feelings for Tweet Cute?

In some ways yes and in other ways no. In this book, the romance takes much more of a back seat to all of the other events happening instead of being one of the main driving forces of the book. So for me that was a little bit of a bummer as I absolutely love a good romance story. However the overall story line and execution of the story itself was absolutely great. So if you are looking for a more family focused story with hints of romance sprinkled throughout then this is a book for you. If you prefer your stories to be more romance focused you may find yourself a bit disappointed in this one.

I think this story reminds me a bit of the more family focused books that Sarah Dessen has written where there is still a romance in the story but its not as present as the big issues being worked through with the family. And there are definitely some big issues being worked on in this family.

Emma Lord also has great command of her writing.. With both stories I have been completely pulled in and invested in the characters and wanting to know how their story is going to end. And while some of it may be a bit predictable I still felt like it was a fresh enough take that I wasn't completely bored with being able to guess where some elements of the story were going to take us. Overall this was a very solid story and I'm so excited to see what Emma Lord is going to write next.

oh this was SO cute. i didn’t realize how much i was craving a good family story!! also i want this book from savvy’s point of view. i love her. the only reason i didn’t give this the full five stars is because i really saw no point in abby’s brief thing with finn?? and there were times when i wanted to skip the romance and just get back to solving family secrets. but overall i loved this book!! loved it more than tweet cute!! definitely recommend for anyone looking for an easy read.

(thank you netgalley for the arc!!)

You Have A Match was a cute YA contemporary novel, with a focus on what happens if a DNA test brings back surprising results.

And I must admit, the chances of surprising results has been the reason why I haven’t done a DNA test yet - lol

Of course, it’s not surprising that the results would bring upheaval to Abby’s life and her family. And the aftereffects as well as the way it all unravels makes for an interesting story.

I personally wasn’t as pulled into this story as I was by Tweet Cute. I loved the romance in the first book, but was missing the same in You Have A Match. Although Abby and Leo were very cute together. But the book was more about the sisters and how they navigated the aftereffects than it being a romance novel.

Overall You Have A Match was a cute coming-of-age novel that will appeal to anyone enjoying young adult books.

Abby signs up to get a DNA test to help nudge her best friend and secret crush Leo to find out more about her birth parents. What she doesn't expect is to find a secret Instagram-famous older sister. When they plot to spend the summer together at camp to discover more about their parents (a la Parent Trap), things don't go exactly according to plan--including Abby being in forced proximity with Leo, who turns out to be the camp chef!

I don't read a lot of YA, but the cover and blurb really drew me to this one. I ended up enjoying it exponentially and binged it in one evening. I've heard some people say it's a slow start, but I disagree--we jump right into the DNA test and Abby finding out she has a sister (this is in the blurb, so not a spoiler). I like the romance aspect, because who doesn't love a little romance, but I think this story is much more about Abby and Savvy's relationship as sisters than Abby and Leo. Makes me wish the cover featured the two sisters, rather than a boy and a girl. There was definitely a point where I was 3/4 of the way through and thought the book was over but then realized I still had an hour left, so the plot could have been a little more concise, but I do think this way it had more twists and turns. I think this is a great read for teens or adults and has a little bit of everything--family drama, sisterly bonds, romance, Instagram fame, and summer camp fun!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for my free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

5 stars - 8/10

The writing is good but I don't feel like I am the proper audience for this novel. I am not really a YA reader and found it hard to relate to the teenage characters.
Overall, I did enjoy this one even though it wasn't a perfect read. With romance not being the number one plot, I think the book best fits in the young adult fiction genre.