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

I enjoyed Lord's debut, Tweet Cute, but she's definitely leveled up here. Abby was a flawed, chaotic, and totally lovable protagonist and I loved the friends to lovers relationship between her and Leo. Savannah and Abby had a realistically fraught relationship. Camp was a fun setting for the mishaps and miscommunications, and gave it all big nostalgic Parent Trap vibes. The whole book is fresh, funny, and emotional. I wasn't sure if Lord would be able to pull off a believable reveal for why the sisters were raised apart, but it all worked out. Great for fans of Emma Mills and Morgan Matson.

I requested this ARC of You Have a Match completely because I liked the cover, and was initially disappointed that this was a YA. That disappointment faded within a few pages, I was hooked pretty quickly. The story is fresh and polished, I stayed up late to read One More Chapter, and actually teared up at one point (don't worry, no dogs die). I would loooove to have a sequel to see what happens to our main characters, I feel so invested in their lives at this point.

This was my first book by Emma Lord but I will absolutely be seeking out more books by her.

This was sappy sweet and gave me Parent Trap vibes. I loved it.

There were 2 errors that I noted in the ARC:

(Double Negative) There's no scenario where my parents don't yank me out of here.

(Spelling) Think I'd agree to that? Nobody has to taken (spelling-take) any legal action

What would you do, if you found out, you had a biological sister you never knew existed just because you took a random DNA test to support your best friend ? Abby discovers she has a full blooded sister, Savannah 'Savvy' Tully, who her parents gave up for adoption a mere 18 months before she was born. When Savannah, her Instagram famous sister, asks her to join her in the summer camp where she's in charge, Abby takes the opportunity and goes with her. The blooming kinship between Abby and Savvy is the heart and soul of this novel and I found the evolution of their relationship to be just so charming. I expected to like this book, but I was pleasantly surprised but just how much I did enjoy it. It is a super cute book about family, friendship, love, summer camp, and sisterhood, with a modern day Parent Trap feel to it. I can't recommend this one enough. This is my first book by Emma Lord and I am adding Tweet Cute to my TBR pile immediately.

4.5 Stars.

Move this up on your radar!

I was going to try and wait to read this book, but I just couldn’t!

I absolutely loved this book and it was exactly what I was looking for! I love Leo and Mickey so much in this book. The only reason I didn’t give this a full 5 stars is it just felt like it was missing something in the beginning. I can’t put my finger on it, though.

I’m so excited and blessed to have been given the opportunity to read this arc! It packs a punch in all the right ways. Light, yet handles more serious topics, cute adorable banter, and newfound love platonic and romantic!

Tweet Cute (Emma Lord’s debut novel) is one of my all time favorite YA novels, so I went into this book with high expectations and... they were totally met (maybe even exceeded). I loved this fun twist on The Parent Trap!
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This book was sweet and swoony and I *literally* hugged my kindle multiple times while reading it! I also found myself laughing out loud throughout the story.
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If you were a fan of Tweet Cute or you’re a fan of YA novels, or you know, just good books in general... put this book on your TBR list! It’s such a good one and I’m SO excited for more books from Emma Lord in the future!

Connie bets Abby she is more Irish. I like the name Abby. Leo is having a DNA test done and the girls decide to also. Iiked how Abby interacted with Leo. Abby finds out she has a long lost sister Savannah m I really liked the characters and dialogue.

First, thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC! I LOVED Emma Lord's first book and I'm so happy her sophomore effort was just as enjoyable.

I really love Emma Lord's writing and it reminds me so much of Emma Mills, in that they're both so matter of fact in their story telling and her characters, especially her female characters, are bold and badass. I really liked both Abby and Savvy and the ways they complemented and were different from each other.

One thing that didn't work for me was the whole Savvy falling off the cliff thing. It felt so trite and like its purpose was the encourage a heart-to-heart conversation between Abby and Savvy that could have happened with them not stuck in a ditch.

Maybe I'm showing my age as 39yo consumer of YA lit, but I would have liked more information and background about each of the parents. Their interactions with each other and also with their kids were really great.

I loved the romance. I love a slow burn when it's SO obvious they'll get together.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'm so excited I got my greedy little hands on it early.

What a gem this was, I absolutely flew through it. I loved the characters and the plot was brilliant! What a wonderful reading experience.

Thank you Wednesday Books for my review copy. All opinions are my own.
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I fell in love with Emma Lord while reading her debut Tweet Cute. With You Have a Match she sealed her status as auto buy author for me ♥️.
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There are so many things I love about this book. Where to start, where to start 🤔. Let’s go with these...
1. The Parent Trap (with a twist) premise. I mean. Precious.
2. The amazing cast of characters. I swear I loved them all.
3. The fact that a YA book (not my jam), makes me smile and laugh and giggle and swoon, in such a lovely way.
4. The setting. Camp is always a good idea. Always.
5. The writing. Simply put. Emma writes well. It doesn’t feel cheesy. It should. But instead it is a delightful premise with amazing execution.
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Amazing readability with a stupid grin on my face the whole stinkin time.
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I will highly recommend this title. Not just to my YA lovers. It really speaks well to lots of people.

St Martin's Press sent me an ARC of "You Have a Match" after I read and loved Tweet Cute. Emma Lord is such a fresh voice in YA fiction and I feel privileged to have read both of her novels.

Abby, Leo and Connie are best friends even though Abby has feelings more than friends for Leo. They are take a DNA ancestry test on a whim and Abby is surprised to learn she has a biological older sister, Instagram famous Savannah Tully. The two girls meet and decide the best way to get to know each other and figure out how their lives ended up like this is to spend the summer at camp together, away from curious parents. And of course, to complicate matters, Leo will be at the same camp.

This book was the perfect amount of fun fluff and heart. The story of these two estranged sisters trying to reconcile their history, of Abby trying to figure out who she is in the world and of course a teenage love story is always fun. I always find myself a little frustrated in these types of books about the lack of true communication but I've learned to look past it and just see it as a plot device, whether I like it or not.

I would absolutely recommend this book who enjoyed Tweet Cute or anyone who reads a lot of YA. Emma Lord is the future of the genre in my opinion and you can't go wrong with her work.

I got an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you.

This story is the author's second book (I enjoyed "Tweet Cute") that, just like the first one, is able to make a social media platform like a character itself. With her first book, Twitter was the character. Now, Instagram takes center stage.

Budding Photographer 16-year-old Abigail (Abby) Day lives in the Seattle area and is crushing on one of her best friends, Leo. To help give him a nudge to finding his biological family, she agrees to sign up for a DNA service. What she doesn't count on is the results: a secret older sister that her parents didn't tell her anything about. Her sister is Savannah Tully, a fit, rule-following Instagram star that Abby feels like is her complete opposite. To learn more about Savvy (and spend more time with Leo), she goes to a camp on an island nearby. She doesn't expect to find out more about herself as well shortly after her beloved grandfather passes away.

What first made me want to read this book is the author herself. I got an advanced copy of "Tweet Cute", loved it, and wanted to see what her sophomore effort was like. I just love how in each book (I've mentioned this before) that she makes social media a character. And this book made me want to continue reading even before it got to the "Camp Reynolds". It's also got some romance, but the driving subject of the book feels more like the growing sisterhood between Savvy and Abby (which I enjoyed).

This book also feels realistic, like something like this could actually happen. At first, I thought one boy was going to be her love interest (even though there was no romance, but more of a friendship), but it surprised me sometimes.

This is a great teen book if you're into stories about any of the following: camp, finding yourself, sisterhood, surprising romances. Also, if you were a fan of "Tweet Cute", you should DEFINITELY pick this one up, too.

I got an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. Thank you.

This story is the author's second book (I enjoyed "Tweet Cute") that, just like the first one, is able to make a social media platform like a character itself. With her first book, Twitter was the character. Now, Instagram takes center stage.

Budding Photographer 16-year-old Abigail (Abby) Day lives in the Seattle area and is crushing on one of her best friends, Leo. To help give him a nudge to finding his biological family, she agrees to sign up for a DNA service. What she doesn't count on is the results: a secret older sister that her parents didn't tell her anything about. Her sister is Savannah Tully, a fit, rule-following Instagram star that Abby feels like is her complete opposite. To learn more about Savvy (and spend more time with Leo), she goes to a camp on an island nearby. She doesn't expect to find out more about herself as well shortly after her beloved grandfather passes away.

What first made me want to read this book is the author herself. I got an advanced copy of "Tweet Cute", loved it, and wanted to see what her sophomore effort was like. I just love how in each book (I've mentioned this before) that she makes social media a character. And this book made me want to continue reading even before it got to the "Camp Reynolds". It's also got some romance, but the driving subject of the book feels more like the growing sisterhood between Savvy and Abby (which I enjoyed).

This book also feels realistic, like something like this could actually happen. At first, I thought one boy was going to be her love interest (even though there was no romance, but more of a friendship), but it surprised me sometimes.

This is a great teen book if you're into stories about any of the following: camp, finding yourself, sisterhood, surprising romances. Also, if you were a fan of "Tweet Cute", you should DEFINITELY pick this one up, too.

#NetGalley #YouHaveaMatch

I adored Emma Lord's debut, TWEET CUTE, and was anticipating another stellar YA read with her latest release, YOU HAVE A MATCH. Verdict: it was delightful, charming and full of soul.

Thanks to unexpected DNA test results, we are treated to a wonderfully witty Parent Trap retelling at summer camp. Hayley Mills & Camp Inch forever.

It's part coming-of-age with a bit of romance and a lot of complex "newfound family" navigation. These various points were cleverly woven together with a wonderful mix of heart, humor, sweetness and struggle. Lord writes teenagers so authentically. The characters are dealing with some hefty issues- grief, friendship, adoption, sisterhood, romance, high school and next phase of life pressure. Once I started reading, I didn’t put it down because. I was invested in the growth of the main character, Abby. So much so that it almost felt like I was at camp with her, sleeping on the top bunk in Phoenix Cabin.

A PG, YA homage to Disney’s 1961 children’s movie, The Parent Trap

Abby, Leo, and Connie have been a trio of BFFs since early childhood. While the three of them are taking an anthropology course together toward the end of Abby and Connie’s junior year and Leo’s senior year, they jointly sign up with a DNA service as part of a class project which involves each student tracing their family tree. Nothing much turns up of interest for Leo or Connie, but a world-changing event happens to Abby. She discovers she has a sister whose name is Savannah (Savvy), who is only 18 months older than Abby and lives within relatively close driving distance. Abby is appalled. Why in the world would her parents give up their first child for adoption when they were married at the time, stayed married, and subsequently had four more children together, including Abby?

Without informing her parents she knows their deep, dark secret, Abby contacts Savvy, who is equally shocked to learn that she has a sister and three young brothers. She suggests that Abby spend six weeks with her at a summer camp not far from where they both live so that they can get to know each other. Soon after this invitation, Abby is amazed to discover that Leo actually knows and is good friends with Savvy, because for quite a few years he has been attending the same summer camp that Savvy has invited Abby to. Unfortunately, rather than having lots of bonding time at camp with Savvy, Abby’s sister turns out to be a very busy junior counselor at the camp and an obnoxious enforcer of what Abby considers to be far too many stupid, oppressive rules. In addition, Leo—whom she wishes were much more than just a platonic friend—is so busy working as a cook in the camp kitchen, he can’t do much to cushion the blow of Abby’s disappointment about Savvy.

You Have a Match (YHAM) is a PG-rated, YA novel which is an obvious homage to Disney’s 1961, G-rated, children’s film, The Parent Trap (TPT), and its Disney remake by the same title from 1998. I had assumed before reading this book that, because the fabulous debut novel by this author, Tweet Cute (TC), is a G-rated, romantic-comedy, YA homage to the adult, romantic-comedy movie, You've Got Mail, that this book would also be a G-rated, romantic-comedy, YA homage to another, famous, adult, romantic-comedy movie. It is not. Though there is a romance plot between Abby and Leo, it is a relatively small part of the book, and it is not comedic. Instead, the book is a combination of comedy of errors and family drama, what I’d call a “dramedy.” The vast majority of the book is dedicated to the budding, sister relationship between Abby and Savvy. So it is a love story of the “buddy movie” variety, rather than a love story in the vein of romance. Anyone who enjoys buddy-love stories will definitely enjoy this book.

Most of the humor in this book, similar to TPT, involves pranks at a summer camp between two sisters. In the case of TPT, unlike YHAM, the pre-teen girls do not know before they meet that they are twin sisters separated in infancy, and there is no real drama in TPT, with a humorous tone maintained from start to finish. This version of two separated sisters, of necessity, takes a different tack from TPT, because the sisters are not twins, and one is 18, a legal adult, and the other is almost 17, and a rising senior in high school. The role of parents in this story is very different than that of TPT as well. They are not divorced, so there is no comic subplot of the girls playing matchmaker to get their parents back together.

Speaking of parents: one thing I’ve noticed in virtually every YA novel I’ve read (and there have been hundreds over the years), whether indie-published or mainstream, is the tendency of authors to neatly tie up family drama plots. No matter how sordid the circumstances of parents as the main antagonists to the YA protagonist throughout the book, all is ultimately forgiven and forgotten in service of offering an upbeat, HEA ending to the story. This book is no exception to that rule. As a children’s film, TPT lightly slides over the fact that it is utterly despicable that a divorcing couple would split up their infant twin daughters between them, never the twain to meet again, as detachedly as they divide up their linens or furniture, as if their mutual offspring are of no more value than inanimate possessions. The version of this parceling off of a child in this story is no less horrifyingly unethical, and the person who is most at fault, in my view, is let off the hook. In TPT, neither of the divorced parents ever acknowledges they did anything wrong in separating their daughters, so the children who are enjoying that movie, by vicariously living out the fantasy of two clever young sisters’ acting as a team to reunite their divorced parents, are easily distracted from ever contemplating the awfulness of the original separation. In contrast, this book’s tale of older teens pushes the reader to think about what the parents did that caused the girls to be separated. And because it is not glossed over with cute comedy, older teens and adults reading this novel will be unable to avoid examining the original sin of the separation with much more distressing clarity than in TPT. As a result, for me personally, anyway, the HEA resolution of this tragic family secret was unsatisfying. However, I am not grading this book down for that, because the author has stayed true to a common expectation of the YA genre which routinely leads to authors' creating this type of story resolution. For that reason, very likely most readers of this book won’t be bothered by it.

Though there is no sex or drunken parties in this book, there is an excessive amount of off-color language, including dozens of F-bombs, which is why I consider this book PG.

The fascinating story concept of the reuniting of twins separated at birth got me to wondering how many other movies might have been made over the years with this premise. I researched the subject and made a list. In case fans of this book might be interested in that as well, I have included that list below:

Handsome Siblings, foreign movie, 2020
Twinsters, movie, 2015
The Identical, movie, 2014
Great Queen Seondeok, foreign movie, 2009
Twitches, TV movie, 2005
Attagasam, foreign movie, 2004
Forgotten Twins, foreign movie, 2004
The Legendary Siblings, foreign TV show, 1999
Swear on India, foreign movie, 1999
The Parent Trap, movie remake, 1998
Twins, foreign movie, 1997
Sister, Sister, TV show, 1994-1999
ChaalBaaz, foreign movie, 1989
Twins, movie, 1988
Big Business, movie, 1988
Seeta Aur Geeta, foreign movie, 1972
A Stranger That Night, foreign movie 1972
Start the Revolution without Me, movie, 1970
The Parent Trap, movie, 1961

I rate this book as follows:
Heroine Abby: 4 stars
Subcharacters: 4 stars
Sisters Plot: 4 stars
Family Drama Plot: 3 stars
Romance Plot: 4 stars
Writing: 4 stars
Overall: 4 stars

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.