"I breathe in the sticky warmth of the air, the pine and the electricity and the ache of something deeper than I can name., knowing that no view I can capture will ever compare to this feeling - seeing it through my eyes while seeing it through his, letting us both bleed into a world where those two things can be the same"

Abby Day is stuck in a rut. Her grades are failing, her long-term crush on her best friend Leo accumulated in the BEI (big embarrassing incident) and she's struggling after the death of 'Poppy' - her adored grandfather. All of these aspects of her life are in motion when she discovers through a genealogy app that she has a full-blooded, Instagram perfect sister. These events lead to the most formative summer of her life as she agrees to go to camp to discover the story behind the adoption and bond with the sister she never knew.

This book was a delight and reminded me of a modern day 'Parent Trap' of two secret sisters at camp navigating through their lives in an Instagram age - discovering what is real and what is not. Lord has a talent of creating meaningful dialogue that leaves you feeling as if you were breathing the air of the Puget Sound yourself, combined with funny one liners from the characters of Leo and Finn. It has everything a teenage summer could ask for - drama, love triangles, sisterly pranks and ultimately self discovery. Reading the world according to Abby Day flung be right back into my formative years. Trying to navigate through the world whilst also discovering who you really are and where your passions lie. Lord captures the teenage experience with delicacy, drama and humour. A wonderful read.

(Review will be posted on my book blog instagram.com/whatson.mybookshelf in the next 24 hours)

Anyone who has taken a mail-in genetics test knows that feeling of what if something comes back? What if my family is not who or what I thought they were? Abby and her two best friends take one of those tests and when the results come in, it sets off a summer of uncovering the importance of friendship and family, but also the importance ofbelieving in yourself. I loved Emma Lord’s newest novel, You Have a Match. It’s fast plot and lovable characters will keep you turning the pages, whether you are 16 or 38. This will not be the last book from this author that I read.

This is the perfect book to fall under "best friends to lovers" trope! Not only one, but TWO!! Emma Lord has done it again with this fantastic YA romance.

What I loved about this book was how it was about the relationship between Abby and Leo but also Abby and Savvy. I love stories about sibling relationships and this one was done really well. Most of the story revolved around Abby and Savvy. The romances were more of side stories. I really liked that aspect.

Abby was exactly what I think of when I think of a 16 year old girl. I think I found myself relating so much to her. She was anxious and nervous about telling people what she wanted or how she felt. She really grew into her own as the book went on. Her and Savvy really complemented each other so well.

Savvy was such a cool 18 year old. She has hundreds of thousands of followers on instagram and is a health influencer. She is also like Abby in many ways. She is still anxious and cares a lot about what her followers think. Abby and Savvy helped each other grow into wonderful young women. Also her and Mickey are SO CUTE.

Overall, this was a wonderful book. I loved Emma Lord's first book, Tweet Cute, and this one does not disappoint!

In my quest for reading that takes me away from the dumpster fire that is 2020, here is another winner.

I was hooked right from the start, when artistic, academic-slacker Abby sends away for a DNA kit, and discovers that whoa, she has an older sister she never knew about? How could that happen???

Cue a twist on The Parent Trap as Abby, and her mysterious, total overachiever older sister, go away to a summer camp to . . . duke it out, uh, work things out, um, *confront the issues.*

There's a lot of issue stuff, too: grief, anxiety, parental expectation, lies and truth, and of course first love. Emma Lord deals with them in an engaging way, with the right amount of snark and light-hearted side characters to keep this well out of the lugubrious Problem Novel category, while giving it some reread able heft.

I loved the characters, the pacing, and especially the narrative voice.

Interesting story. I wish the 3 main characters had met earlier in the book. It seemed drawn out and the ending was too fast with the reconciliation of the families.

There are no bad guys in this story, just MESSY parents and a couple of girls who Parent-Trap themselves at summer camp to find out why one of them was adopted as a baby. The romance is slow and sweet, and there's an excellent epilogue, which is quickly becoming a hallmark of Emma Lord's!

After reading and loving Tweet Cute earlier this year, I was really hoping You Have a Match was going to be equally as good, and it came through! Abby takes a 23 and Me-style genealogy test and discovers she has a full-blooded older sister she never knew about. Abby follows her new sister Savvy to summer camp so they can figure out why their parents gave Savvy up 18 years ago.

This book feel emotionally mature without being too sexy; it centers on friendships and family relationships, but the dash of romance still feels developed and satisfying. Emma Lord manages to create a fun and sweet story while also tackling feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and grief. I am also a sucker for a good summer camp story! I hope to see more great contemporaries from Lord in the future.

You Have a Match was a very cute and intriguing story with a unique plot point. I am fascinated by many of the stories and discoveries that are coming out of advancements in DNA testing and genealogy mapping, and Abby's discovery of a sister she never knew existed was a fun use of this new scientific advancement and its increased availability. Though the book was a little heavy on the miscommunication trope in the romance department, it was still a sweet addition. Overall, I liked the book quite a lot.

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Abby Day is taking honors anthropology with her two BFFs, Connie and Leo (secret crush. Like big, stupid, ridiculous secret crush). In order to learn about the proper way to track and denote linage in their family tree, the trio decide to spit in some tubes and send their DNA kits off to an ancestry database. Life goes on… Until Abby receives a message request from a girl named Savannah Tully, who the DNA site identifies as Abby’s full-blooded sister. GASP!😱 Say whaaaa! It’s like Abby’s own person episode of Jerry Springer. And Savannah (Savvy) is totally Insta famous. Only a year and a half apart and they absolutely look like siblings. But they could not be more different. Savvy is Tony Stark level wealthy. Abby refers to herself as the English class flunkie. Savvy is the queen of GCal and Abby is….not. Savvy is the trophy child and Abby is the participation award. So they’re from different planets. The girls have some Qs: why did Abby’s parents place Savvy for adoption? Do their parents know each other? Why are their parents harboring the Titanic of secrets? 🤔

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The next step is to (obvi) meet up at summer camp (nerd jail) to Nancy Drew the past sixteen years. GUESS who is at the SAME summer camp? It’s Leo….Who smells like cinnamon and home and gives full-body smiles. 😍 Sigh. However, since the BEI (big embarrassing incident) things have been slightly awk city for the pair and Abby has been trying to ignore the Leo-shaped ache. I adore this OTP! Infinite heart eyes. Abby is the daredevil and Leo is the safety net. Back to the summer goals… get over Leo and operation secret sister.

Emma Lord’s stories are everything my little heart desires in a YA novel. The right amount of snark. ALL the wit that elicits a snort and/or a laugh-cry. Pop culture references (Hufflepuffs 🖤💛 unite!). A romance that you root for. FOOOD (pb&j cinnamon rolls🤤). I have a hankering for flaming hot Cheetos. And, snap, teenage tension that’s basically an ultra-dramatic CW episode. YHAM has some major parent trap-y vibes! Sisters at summer camp. Emma Lord’s story will have you all misty eyed, split your sides laughing, and the ending will have you smiling like a Cheshire cat. You Have a Match is a coming-of-age story about sisters, family, friendship, forgiveness, and love. Readers will absolutely adore Emma Lord’s sophomore novel!

Big thanks 👏🏼 to Wednesday books for allowing me to plow through an advanced reader copy! Extra grateful! 🤟🏼

🎶 Song: Am I the Same Girl by Dusty Springfield 🎶

A cute, light-hearted summer read. It follows the general framework of a contemporary YA novel, with a creative twist involving the DNA and “long lost sister” situation. It was a pretty nice book, and a quick read.

I loved this book! A great follow up after Tweet Cute. They’re not in the same world or anything but I think it dove into the characters a bit better and didn’t have gaps between events like Tweet Cute did. This was my second Emma Lord book and I’ll be back for more!

LOVED this book! As a big fan of Tweet Cute I had a feeling I would like this book but it exceeded my expectations. Think The Parent Trap but with a modern twist!

You Have a Match is a heartfelt contemporary about finding family and yourself. Abby takes a DNA test only to find out she has a sister! Her sister reaches out to her and they decided to get to know each other at a camp. Cue the Parent Trap vibes! They hatch a scheme to figure out what their parents were hiding. Throw in a longtime best friend/crush in a will they or won't they situation and you've got an adorable book! I loved the characters. It was nice to read a YA contemporary that didn't focus solely on a romantic relationship. I liked seeing the vast differences in Abby and Savvy. It was nice to see them grow from strangers to sisters. I really loved You Have a Match!

What if you took a DNA test on one of those genealogy sites only to find out you have a sibling you never knew existed? What if that sibling is just a little older than you and is perfect (or at least seems to be on her Instagram)? What if you have to face this at the same time you're dealing with shifting friendships, parental pressure, and grief over your beloved grandfather's death? All of these questions and more are explored in Emma Lord's You Have a Match.

I have to be honest, this book drew me in because I have a friend who experienced something similar but from Savvy's perspective and as an adult. Watching Abby grapple with this newfound information was fine as a hook, but what really made this story work was the deeper exploration of her character, how she perceives herself, and how she believes she fits within the construct of her family. At one point, I thought I was going to be disappointed, but the author was true to the characters and their development. This was an enjoyable read, and I'll certainly purchase it for my library.

This book was terrific. I read it in one day and could not put it down. The characters were layered, the story kept me guessing, and I really enjoyed the ending. I think anyone who is a fan of books with family secrets or films like The Parent Trap will enjoyed this novel.

This was different from Lord's first book, Tweet Cute, because it focused more on a sibling familial relationship over a romantic one. It was very much a story that could happen to anyone today using DNA testing websites. I liked how Savvy and Abby got along. I was a little lost by the whole camp aspect but I understand it gave a way for all the characters to come together. I liked how you got lots of different relationships in this one story, siblings, romantic, parents and kids, etc.

Emma Lord has done it again. Tweet Cute is one of the best YA books I have ever read, so I was a little worried about this next book. I was worried for nothing. This Parent Trap spin-off made me useless to the world. I binge-read it in one day! The bonds of sisters was portrayed so well and the romance was just excellent. Emma Lord is a master YA author and I don’t know how anything can ever top her books. I laughed-out-loud, swooned, and did not want this to end. I will forever read anything that she writes.

Wow, this book was such a delight! I went into You Have a Match knowing two things:

1) It was written by Emma Lord, the author of Tweet Cute, a book I am obsessed with.

2) It was described as having "Parent Trap vibes" which is one of my all-time favorite movies.

So before I even started reading, I was pretty much hooked, and somehow this book still managed to exceed my expectations!

Abby's junior year was rough. She was grieving the loss of her grandfather, struggling to understand Shakespeare, and failing to get over her massive crush on her best friend Leo, who definitely doesn't like her back (read: he definitely does). Then after sending in her DNA as part of an ancestry test, she learns she has a biological sister living in a neighboring town. Savannah, aka Savvy, is the opposite in Abby in every way. She's a star student, wellness expert, and a major Instagram influencer. The girls conspire to meet at the same summer camp to figure out the secret their parents have been hiding.

Just like Tweet Cute, Emma Lord is a master at writing unique characters, swoon-worthy romance, and hilarious commentary. As I read this book I alternated between dying of laughter and yelling "JUST KISS ALREADY" to Abby and her BFF/crush Leo. The summer camp setting, with Parent Trap worthy pranks galore, is fun, but the characters also show real depth as they wrestle with grief, relationships, identity, and family.

Long story short, I adored this book with every fiber of my being, and I can't wait to see what Emma Lord writes next!

Emma Lord is my new favourite author. This is no sophomore slump; she's written two knockouts in a row.

The friendships in this story! Ugh! I love how well drawn all the cast was, and how everyone at camp had their own motivations and goals and quirks that came--or didn't--to fruition. Loved Savvy and how she went from doll-like to humanised. Finn was my absolute favourite.

And most of all I love that this featured someone who wasn't stellar at school, who had other passions and curiosities, and how that was okay. We need more books that show that. And of course, the love story was gloriously sweet, yet not overpowering.

“Emma Lord’s You Have a Match gave me all the feels. I laughed, cried and waited anxiously for Leo and Abby to fall in love.”

The Story
You would never guess that an Honors Anthropology course could do to you life. Abby Day’s best friend Leo has an idea to trace his ancestors inspired by an assignment in Honors Anthropology. He, Abby, and their other best friend Connie send in their DNA to find out about their genealogy and even biological family members. The results from her DNA test are in and Abby was not expecting a match, let alone a biological sister.

And when she finally meets said sister, Savannah Tully, convinces Abby to participate in the month long summer camp that Savannah works at. Once at camp, Abby begins the journey of finding out who she really is, the family she never knew existed, while also figuring out her feelings for her best friend.

My Review: You Have a Match
Emma Lord has done it again! I fell in love with this story from the very first page. It’s fresh, hilarious, and filled with a slow-burn romance that is utterly swoon worthy.

I had so many emotions. I felt the ache whenever Abby tried to convince herself to get over her feelings for her best friend and heartthrob, Leo. There were laugh-out-loud moments that were so sweet and heartfelt between Abby and her friends (new and old). And then there were those tear-filled moments where Abby had to make hard choices that impacted her relationship with herself, her parents, her new-found sister, and her best friends.

You Have a Match has everything you want in a teen rom-com. The characters, the food, and the unexpected twits were all indelible. I truly appreciated the LGBTQ representation. For a moment I thought Lord was going to do a weird love triangle, but thankfully, that was not the case. And the more books embracing Queer representation be it the main character or the characters around them, the more these stories reflects the relationships and people within our society. Bravo to Emma Lord!

My one concern was towards the end. Without giving too much away there was a scene where the POV began to drift from Abby to that of an adult perspective. When that happened, it was a jarring experience. I felt like I was stepping into another novel momentarily. Where Abby and her sister are no longer the leading characters in the scene and the tone and storytelling shift to their parents.

Besides that slight shift (which could be easily fixed) You Have a Match is another reason why Emma Lord should be on your auto-buy list.


Happy Reading ̴ Cece