I'm thankful that more YA books are receiving the recognition they deserve in recent years. This was my first book by Emma Lord, and I absolutely loved her writing! I highlighted so many incredible lines as I was reading. This was my favorite: "We took reckless steps to get here, but we'll have to take careful ones to get back."

This story is frequently lighthearted and includes scenes of both physical comedy and camp pranks between siblings (think "The Parent Trap"). It was highly entertaining! At it's heart, though, it's a rewarding story about family, friendship, love, and growing up.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy of this title.

I hadn’t heard of this author before, so I had no idea what to expect in terms of writing style, character development, any of that. But despite my going in blind and that friends-to-lovers isn’t my favorite YA trope, this was still a really heartwarming, adorable read about family and friendship. I absolutely adored the friendship between Abby and Leo (even if at times the assumptions and the miscommunication drove me crazy, but I guess that’s part of being a teenager). They supported and encouraged each other through everything, and I loved that they always wanted to be there for the other, even if it was hard or inconvenient.

That being said, Abby’s attitude and meltdowns got old after a little while. I understand that she had a secret sister thrown at her and nobody would react gracefully in that situation, but I expected her to adapt and eventually stop seeing herself as the victim in everything (especially with Leo). Because of that, I really wish I had gotten a better understanding of Savvy and seen things through her perspective. I think this could’ve made a great dual perspective story because Abby and Savvy struggle with very similar things all throughout the novel. Plus, that might’ve helped with the pacing because, at times, the plot felt very rushed.

Overall, this was a very quick, easy read that provokes some insight into what it means to be a family and a friend in good times and in bad.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review!

After reading her first novel, Tweet Cute, Emma Lord quickly became one of those authors who's every work I anticipate. So when I saw her sophomore novel, You Have A Match, was available, I eagerly requested it.

I'm so happy to say I wasn't disappointed. This novel is heartfelt without being cloying, and covers the messy sides of human relationships.

When Abby Day decides to take a DNA ancestry test with her best friends she's not expecting much other than winning the bet over how Irish she is. Imagine her shock and surprise when the test comes back identifying a full-blood sister that lives right down the road.

What follows is the hijinks the two girls get into as they try to unravel the mystery that hit their family so many year ago. This novel involves long lost family, first loves, and summer camp. What could be better? I highly recommend!

This book was pure fun! I loved the summer camp setting, it helped me flash back to my summer camp memories. The plot had a lot of heavy topics but the author did a great job of mixing in fun and light moments to balance the harder subjects. I really enjoyed getting to know Abby, she was genuine and so relatable! The story has a lot of twists and turns a long the way, I truly enjoyed the journey.

Really sweet YA story that isn't centered around a cliched teen romance. Two biological sisters meet after finding each other through a 23-and-Me type company. They plot to attend the same summer camp so they can get to know each other without their parents' involvement. It felt like a modern reinterpretation of the Parent Trap. There is a little romance, but it takes place on the sidelines. The whole story was refreshing and I recommend it to anyone who could use a little escapism.

This was a fun young adult read set at a summer camp with all the fun you expect at camp, about two young people who find out they are siblings when they take a DNA test through one of those ancestry sites.

You Have A Match is a great story about family, friends and romance that not only would a teen enjoy but I think an adult would like this as well. The backstory is interesting and the book overall is well written and held my interest to the end.

The book has excellent pacing and flows well. I would recommend this book and will read other books by this author.

Emma Lord does it again! Her debut, Tweet Cute, was the epitome of a cute teenage rivalry. In You Have a Match, she tackles family relationships with impressive depth and nuance. An only child accidentally discovers she has a full blood sister after receiving the results of an online DNA test. They decide to meet and hunt down the story behind their parents' deception. It all goes down at summer camp, with a bunch of friend drama and a little bit of love thrown in as well.

I adored this unique take on a sister relationship and the complicated history of parents. It was a pleasant break to read about navigating families rather than the typical teenage love stories. These girls had plenty of flaws, but they were relatable and changed in understandable ways.

A terrific young adult book that I'd recommend for readers of this genre or anyone looking for great women's fiction!

Predictively cheesy, but a very cute read. The family drama was actually more intense than I thought it would be! A light-hearted, fun read.

4.5 stars!

I am becoming a huge fan of Emma Lord! Her writing is fun and refreshing.

You Have a Match took on many different meanings throughout this book.. Abby wasn’t ready for the train that was coming to impact her life, but she took it in stride and made the best of an awkward/surprising situation. It was was nice to read about a teen that wasn’t all consumed with themselves and cared about family and friends as well.

Overall You Have a Match was a unique story. It definitely kept me interested throughout and Emma’s writing is just good. She knows how to write a good book! I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves YA, I don’t think you will be disappointed.

A delightful popcorn read, You Have a Match is Emma Lord's sophomore novel, and a big hit for me. Abby is going into her senior year of high school, if she can make it through summer school that is. Her life was pretty simple until her Poppy passed last year. Since then her grades have taken a nose dive, and although she still spends time with her two best friends Connie and Leo, she doesn't have time for much else and begins feeling lonelier than she could ever have imagined. When Leo decides to take a genetics test to try to find information about his birth parents, Connie and Abby jump on board for support. The information they get, about Abby having a secret sister, is as far from the expected as they could get.
This YA rom com was filled with delightful and snarky teenagers living their best lives. Their pranks and the things they tried to get away with were fun and relatable. The use of technology as a plot point felt relevant to the way we all use our phones now. Overall I felt Lord did a good job of harnessing regular life and turning it into a coming of age adventure. This is a feel good read where all the characters learn a lot about themselves, each other, and how to set and maintain appropriate boundaries while still letting people in.

When Abby Day takes a DNA test for a school project, she does not expect any shocking revelations, but she gets one anyway. When she gets a message from an Instagram influencer named Savvy who claims to be her long-lost sister, her whole world takes a turn. Abby and Savvy decide to meet up at a summer camp to try to get to know each other and solve the mystery of each other’s existence. Between parental drama, crushes on best friends, and newfound family, summer camp is a confusing and exhilarating time for Abby. With Lindsey Lohan “Parent Trap” vibes, in the sense of meeting a sister at camp, Emma Lord pulls readers into this story by introducing relatable yet flawed characters. While this is a story about secrets and lies, the reasonings behind them are based in reality, and readers will be able to feel the heartbreak and truth of the situation. Readers will fall in love with Abby and her new sister, and all of the supporting characters, in this sophomore novel by Emma Lord.

You Have a Match is a satisfying read. Lord has taken the idea of discovering a family secret through a simple, mail-in DNA test and has added an unexpected twist! With the camp-life setting and BFF boundaries being crossed, there is a lot going on, but it is done well.

The summer camp escapism we all need in 2020 - if you loved Emma Lord's previous book Tweet Cute, you'll certainly enjoy this as well! Abby's best friend ropes her into taking a DNA test to hopefully find out more about his birth family, but Abby is the one who ends up getting more than she bargained for with the discovery of previously unknown full sister, and all the assorted implications that follow.

At times I just wanted the main characters to clear up their miscommunications... but I feel like these delayed conversations skirted actually being what drove the plot which was good. All in all, a very cute and light read about self-discovery, how one fits in their family, and how your imperfections form who you are, warts and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press & Wednesday Books for providing an advance copy of this book! I will update this review with a link to my Instagram post review when I post it. Review posted to Goodreads.

I went into this book having really high expectations because I loved Tweet Cute a whole heck of a lot last year. In some aspects, this book did not disappoint and in some aspects it did. I wasn't 100% hooked and I didn't fall in love with the characters like I did with Tweet Cute, but I did enjoy the story.

Each character definitely had their own distinctive voice but they just weren't as engaging to me as I thought they would be. I didn't love them like I wanted to or fully get attached like I thought I might. I really loved Abby and Savvy's relationship. I enjoyed seeing how they went from initially annoyed and somewhat offended at each other to being totally 100% in each other's corners.

The romance was unnecessary, in my opinion. The story could have done without it and I would have been perfectly happy. It seemed shoehorned in there and the fact that they tried to do the whole love triangle thing was a tad annoying, especially considering there was really no resolution with Finn. He just disappears toward the end and doesn't get any closure, in my opinion.

Everything seemed too perfect and wrapped up too nicely. Everyone had a nice happy ending. I'm not saying that's a bad thing but it just seemed too unrealistic for me. An 18 year animosity is almost erased overnight, Savvy's addiction to social media and her 'brand' is pushed back, and Abby goes from not being able to even show her parents her photographs to having them displayed and SOLD in the family coffee shop. I know we had a bit of a time jump at the end but to me, everything felt so rushed and easily wrapped up.

A cute YA read! My first Emma Lord book, but definitely not my last!

When Abby takes a DNA test, her results reveal that she has a sister that she never knew about. Even more interesting, the sister, Savvy, lives nearby and is only a year and a half older than her. The girls meet and make a plan to spend the first month of summer together at Camp Reynolds so that they can get to know each other, while figuring out why Abby's parents put Savvy up for adoption 18 years ago.

Throughout the story, there is a strong theme of family and friendship as well as love and forgiveness. I really liked the supporting characters and thought they added a lot to the story, The plot of the story had me curious and turning pages, wanting to learn more.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if someone’s 23&Me test actually did reveal they had a full-blooded sibling who had half a million Instagram followers, but also it’s that just barely believable, ridiculous Parent Trap kind of situation that raises the stakes of the book while still being wildly entertaining. You Have a Match is a wild ride from start to finish, but while some of it may require a suspension of belief in order to enjoy the read, there’s an honesty and rawness to the emotions and experiences of the characters that I, for one, wasn’t expecting.

When we meet Abby, she’s still grieving her late grandfather, Poppy, and struggling to navigate a world without him in it. On top of that, her parents are so intent on helping her get her grades up that she barely has any free time between school and tutoring, which means things between her and her two best friends, Connie and Leo, are still pretty awkward because of the BEI – big embarrassing incident. But when Abby decides to do a DNA test to be supportive of Leo, she never expects to receive a message from Savvy, telling her they’re full-blooded sisters and asking if she wants to meet. They hatch a plot to go to Camp Reynolds together to try and uncover the reason why Abby’s parents put Savvy up for adoption, and why they never told Abby she had a sister, but their shared history is far more complicated than either of them could have expected.

The plot of You Have a Match is pretty far-fetched, to say the least, but the heart of the story contains messages that can hit home even for people who don’t find a surprise sibling through an ancestry website. Emma Lord tackles sibling relationships, family communication, loss, change, and trying to find a sense of belonging, but perhaps most impressively of all, she almost made me want to go to summer camp.

You can read my full review on my blog: https://loveyoshelf.com/2020/11/29/review-you-have-a-match-by-emma-lord/

I LOVED Emma Lord's debut novel Tweet Cute, so I was incredibly excited to see she had another novel out. I really think she may be becoming one of my favorite YA authors. You Have a Math is completely different than her first, but just as engaging. I loved the geneology aspect of it, since I am intrigued by ancestry and the whole secret sister thing added a fun element of suspense as you move through the book and wonder exactly what happened. This book was equal parts funny and pull at your heartstrings emotional. If you haven't discovered Emma Lord yet, and you like the YA genre, immediately go out and get both of these books to devour!

"You Have a Match" fell a little flat for me. I think part of me unfairly compared it too much to "Tweet Cute" which I loved. But the other part just found it to be a little too unrealistic. I mean...[the dad was so horribly sick with an unknown heart condition and severe pneumonia they they thought he was going to die but was well enough to have sex (without dying) to produce a child? And then he took a magical experimental pill that "cured him" but his kids never knew anything about his heart defect and near death experience that caused his parents to get married? (hide spoiler)]. Too much over the top drama that all tied together nicely with a big red bow. I did like the camp premise. I'm a sucker for a good camp, coming-of-age story. And the author continues to show her talent for writing witty and humorous narratives. I will definitely pick up her next book. I think she's a fantastic young adult author. This book just wasn't a perfect fit for me.


***Advanced copy obtained by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley***

I loved Emma Lord's Tweet Cute, and I was expecting another light-hearted, fun story. Instead, I got something more, and I liked it. You Have a Match explores what happens when the life you know is unraveled. There is a surprising depth that counteracts the teenage angst that can sometimes be overpowering in YA novels. You Have a Match was a compulsively readable book with a rich storyline. Go read it!

After Abby discovers the existence of an older biological sister via a genetic test, a summer at camp reveals secrets that were meant to stay buried forever. This is less a rom-com and more about the newfound sisterly relationship. Not gonna lie — I cried like a baby during a couple scenes. There are a few plot/pacing issues that I didn’t like, but Emma Lord’s voice is strong enough that I hand-waved most of it away. When the voice works, everything clicks into place and other issues be damned.

Caveat re: rep. Abby’s love interest Leo is a transracial adoptee (his white parents adopted him and his sister from the Philippines). Clearly I’m not an expert in gauging the rep here, but: 1) the entire book is from Abby’s POV (which is a smart choice and I think the author stayed in her lane), 2) in general, I’m fairly frustrated with the popularity of “white authors writing biracial/adopted BIPOC characters that have little-to-no connection with their heritage” (Leo is unfortunately the latest example of this trend), and 3) Leo has a close Filipino friend Mickey in the camp (I really liked their friendship and how Leo wanted to become closer to his cultural roots). The romance is peripheral; we don’t get much insight from Leo since we only see him through Abby’s eyes.

One thing that I thought was odd: the reason Abby even takes the DNA test in the first place is because of Leo. He doesn’t know anything about his birth parents and (because there’s a discount if you buy several tests) bought tests for the friend group. Abby’s test results in a surprise sister and kicks off the story, but I’m puzzled by the discussion surrounding Leo’s DNA test. There’s a minor plot point where Leo reveals that his DNA test didn’t yield any results (his parents haven’t used the service, obviously) and he says that it’s probably for the best (he’s not prepared for what he might dig up).

And this isn’t BAD or anything, but I was surprised that the book never discusses how faulty/useless DNA services can be for BIPOC. The algorithms, the overly white sample size affecting bloodwork analysis, and more. If Leo’s birth parents still live in the Philippines, the odds of them taking the test are lower than if they live in the USA (I assume that these services tend to be American/Euro-centric). The lack of discussion re: DNA service flaws felt... odd. Like a glaring omission that needs to be remedied. I expect a book about DNA services to at least touch on the issue; they are controversial for extremely good reasons! I mean, the book never even discusses the security/privacy concerns of handing your genetic material over to a private company! That seems relevant, but what do I know?

Anyway: I enjoyed the book! I had a fun time reading it. But there is a lot to critique and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I would be interested in reading criticism from someone who didn’t like the book as much as I did, especially re: the DNA test aspect.