I got You Have a Match as an eARC thanks to NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I read Emma Lord’s debut novel, Tweet Cute, also as an ARC. I really loved that one, which is why I hit the request button as fast as I could when I saw You Have a Match. The story follows Abby. She and her two best friends, Connie and Leo, take a 23&me DNA test because Leo is adopted and he’s curious about his history. A part of him was hoping to potentially find family members. Connie and Abby take the test with him to be supportive. When the results come in, Abby is the one that finds a new family member. A full blood sister, meaning they have the same parents, and Savannah (Savvy) has already sent a message to Abby. The two meet and put some pieces together about the fact that their parents (Abby’s parents and Savvy’s adoptive parents). They concoct a plan to go to the same summer camp to figure out what’s going on with their parents.
I didn’t always like Abby, but I really appreciated her as a character. She had some real growth. She reminded me a lot of myself. She’s a ‘don’t make waves’ kind of person. So, instead of telling her parents she doesn’t need all of the tutoring and extra help they’re making her go to, she just goes. She doesn’t want to rock the boat and that’s the story of my life. She has a lot of feelings that she doesn’t let out, which is never good. It causes lots of hijinks between Abby and Savvy (read: Finn is my favorite instigator).
Savvy is an Instagram influencer. I wish we’d gotten some of this story from Savvy’s point of view. I think that would have been the only thing that would have made this story better. I think it would have been nice to hear how she was feeling about everything and then later how things went with her parents. I liked Savvy. She puts on this image for the internet and that sort of makes her feel like she needs to put on the same image all the time. It was really interesting to see her talk to Abby and share things with one another. I loved seeing Savvy open up and be vulnerable with Abby. The two really had a rocky start, but they worked through it and I loved the sisterly moments they had. Also, Savvy is a lesbian (I don’t remember if it was specifically stated, but she has a girlfriend in this book.)
Overall, I loved all of the characters. I don’t want to make this too long and go over each of them. But I loved Abby and Connie’s relationship. It was realistic, filled with conflict and great resolution. I loved Savvy’s best friend Mickey and her food competition with Leo. I loved Finn and how much of an instigator he was, for it only to come out that he was going through some shit. I loved this book. It was filled with diverse characters that I couldn’t help but feel the things that they were feeling. There was family drama and heartwarming resolutions. There was summer camp hilarity. I just had a great time reading this story.

I was obsessed with the Parent Trap, so I was super excited to read this novel about sisters secretly getting to know each other at summer camp. There are plenty of pranks pulled between these very different sisters, even as they work together to figure out why their parents kept the other's existence a secret.

It's a super cute book about family, friendship, love, summer camp, and sisterhood.

I received a copy of this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 4.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

The whole idea of finding family members through DNA tests reaches a whole new level in Emma Loard’s You Have a Match.  Abby does the DNA test in support of her friend Leo, who is adopted—only to find out she has a sister.  A full sister, period, no halfs or anything.  I mean, can you imagine something like this happening to you?  On top of that, her main source of support, her grandfather, passed away a little under a year ago, and while her parents are amazing, they were in law school when they had her, so her bond with Poppy is quite strong.  When he passes, both Abby and her parents are left adrift, and her parents overreact a little by piling on various academic tutors on her.  And since when it rains, it pours, it so happens that around the time that Poppy passed, Abby had a Big Embarrassing Incident with her best friend Leo—yes, the same one as above—and it’s just a whole lot of complicated and a whole lot of coming-of-age that has to happen.  Which it does, beautifully, I have to say, in a way that I feel honours both the turmoil that is adolescence and the nobility that most people carry within them.  This one is definitely a recommended read, something that will leave readers feeling warm inside but also carry a little bit of insight into the importance of communication and love.

Given the cover I thought the romance part would be more in the book. It ended up with a lot of near misses. The parts that did have the romance were great. The story part of Abby's DNA search and resulting changes in her life was good but took up way too much of the book. The secondary characters had so much to offer and I felt they were left behind with the romance also.

I really enjoyed this "Parent Trap-like" romantic comedy. In fact, I did like it a bit more than Emma Lord's "Tweet Cute" which was also really good, but felt a bit longer at parts. This one moved quicker and was easier to slide into. The characters were easy to like and relate to and the situations were a bit new/fun to experience.

I enjoyed Lord's debut, Tweet Cute, but unfortunately cannot say the same about her sophomore effort. I greatly appreciated the emphasis on family, no matter what shape or form it takes, but I didn't particularly care for the rest of the book. "The Parent Trap" reincarnation felt forced and too childish for teenagers to mimic (leave it to Hallie and Annie!) and I found myself not connecting with either of the sisters. In addition, the romance was much too drawn-out and if there was chemistry between the couple, I failed to see it.

However, this doesn't mean you won't have a blast with the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I delighted in Emma Lord's Tweet Cute and could not wait to dive into You Have a Match. This tale did not disappoint! So sweet and fun. I enjoyed following along with Leo, Abby, and Connie and their friendship. The summer camp setting was icing on the cake!

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for a gifted copy of this book.

I loved Tweet Cute and couldn't wait to get into her next book. There's definitely no sophomore slump for Emma Lord! It's a Parent Trap retelling set at a summer camp. I read this in a few hours and it's filled with sisterhood, family, friendship, plus a side of romance. I will say this is more YA fiction vs YA romance since the romance takes more of a backseat. However, I think Lord does an amazing job writing the struggles of a high schooler trying to navigate school, college prep, friendship and romance. Who doesn't remember trying to juggle all that as a teenager?

Looking forward to the next book!

The Parent Trap meets summer camp in this delightful contemporary novel that perfectly blends family drama, teenage shenanigans and young love. When Abby's best friend (and semi secret crush) wants to take a DNA test to find out more about his biological family, Abby is not expecting to learn much more than who is more Irish, her or her other best friend Connie. Abby is not expecting to discover that not only does she have a secret full blooded older sister, but that she lives close by and has known secret crush best friend most of her life. Abby follows her newfound sister to summer camp to discover why their parents kept them a secret for each other, and to maybe discover something about herself in the process. Plus, who doesn't love the idea of falling in love at summer camp?

So. Flipping. Cute. Emma Lord's first book, Tweet Cute, was so adorable and cheesy and everything you need in a teenage rom-com. And she's done it again with You Have a Match.

I absolutely loved the characters. Abby Day is my kinda girl: adventurous and mischievous with her own problems. And her newfound sister, Savvy, is everything I've wanted in a sister (if I had one!) The setting was perfect, a summer camp that brings back so many great memories for me.

The plot: Abby Day does a DNA test to help her best friend (and love interest) feel more comfortable about him sending out a DNA test. She expects the basics to come back when BAM she has a match. A sister who is a year and a half older than her. Before she even has time to process it, said sister sends her a message asking to meet up. Freshly found sisters Abby and Savvy meet up and decide they need more time to figure out why their parents would place Savvy for adoption and have Abby shortly after. The logical answer: Summer Camp. There they learn more about each other and even more about themselves.

The perfect teenage rom-com I didn't know I needed!

This was so cute i enjoyed this so much more than i enjoyed tweet cute! I loved leo and the filipino rep and i loved the tenderness between him and abby like she’s reckless and gets hurt all the time but he keeps track of all her cuts and bruises and i just thought that was so sweet. and then there’s savvy, abby’s secret sister. I loved their slow sisterly relationship so much.

The only thing I wish they would take out from the final publication is all the cringey harry potter and riverdale references. Like not to be like that but as a teenager i find that really cringe.

I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. It started slow with the set up of the plot. However, the interactions between characters and the complex history that binds the two protagonists kept me reading until the very end.

This was a really cute and fun book. I did identify with the main character some! I would definitely recommend this book! A must read!

You Have A Match is a YA novel written by Emma Lord, the author of Tweet Cute. Abby Day and her two best friends sign up for a DNA service, and all Abby expects is for it to confirm that she is indeed more Irish than Connie. She is not expecting the results to show that she has a full sibling, or for that sibling to live a few suburbs away. Savvy, her newly-discovered older sister, invites her to come to the summer camp where she works so they can get to the bottom of what happened and why they didn’t know the other existed for the past 16 years.

Abby and Savvy are excellent foils of each other. Abby is a photographer and risk-taker who has the scars to prove it, and Savvy manages a very popular Instagram feed full of yoga poses, wellness tips, and green juice. They may look alike, but Abby thinks they couldn’t be more different.

You Have A Match strikes a great balance between focusing on Abby’s newfound relationship and her not-so-secret-crush. The romance complemented rather than overwhelmed the core story, which is about family and personal growth.

This is one of the best YA books I have ever read. The characters are fully developed while also acting and speaking like teenagers. There were sweet, touching moments and also scenes where I laughed out loud. Lord writes books that warm my heart and make my stomach growl. I highly recommend You Have A Match and can’t wait to see what Lord writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

You Have a Match is a fun read full of pop culture references. So if that's your thing than this the read for you. It 's a lovely story about following your dreams, love and friendship.

This is a book that I think teenagers would enjoy. I was a bit lost when it came to many pop culture references, and there was a lot of teenage angst ... too much for me. That being said, it was an okay read for me, but probably better for a younger audience.

Thanks NetGalley for the advance read.

Heartfelt story of friendships and family. Lessons of bravery and chasing your dreams. I enjoy a good epilogue, and this delivers.

I really adored Lord’s debut, Tweet Cute, so I was so excited for her sophomore novel! This book was a bit heavier than I was expecting, but it was still so good. I was tearing up towards the end! You Have a Match navigates complex sibling relationships and family secrets with heart and wit.

To support her best friend and secret crush Leo, Abby signs up for a DNA service. She doesn’t really think of anything of it until the results come back, telling her that she has a full sister named Savvy who messages her immediately. After they discover that they live very close, Savvy convinces Abby to go to the camp she’s a counselor for so they can get to know each other better. Once she arrives, she realizes that this is same camp that Leo has been working at. They, along with their friends, try to figure out why their parents have been hiding this big a secret.

I suppose I expected this book to have more hijinks than it did because of the author’s previous book. It does have the level of memes and laughs, just not as often. Also, the romance was a touch more secondary to the “surprise! you have an older sister!” plot although that’s not a bad thing. Honestly, though, comparing You Have a Match to Tweet Cute is a bit like comparing Abby to Savvy: they’re fundamentally different, but at their core, they have the same heart. Both books feature lovable characters who are trying to figure their lives out, as well as navigating complex family dynamics.

I loved all of the characters! I really related to Abby and how she keeps her photography close to her because she doesn’t want to reveal too much of herself. Her best friends Leo and Connie are so great as well, and I really loved their friendship. For me, Savvy was a character I had to grow a little used to at first, much like Abby has to. She appears abrasive and a stickler for the rules, but really she just seeks control. Her best friend, Mickey, is also so fun and adds a lot of humor to the story, as well as their friend Leo.

Maybe the best thing about this book was Abby and Savvy’s relationship. At first, they’re at odds because they’re so different. However, in reality, they’re eerily similar to each other; I loved their dynamic, especially as they grow closer to one another.

The plot is interesting; it was a bit like the movie Parent Trap, in that it takes place at a summer camp and that Abby and Savvy plot to get their parents in the same room. Again, this book didn’t have as many Antics as I thought it would, but it was still really funny. I love Lord’s humor and her pop culture references!

The romance follows the best-friends-to-lovers trope. There’s tension between Abby and Leo after they almost kissed six months ago, but they’re also too close to each other to not be around each other all the time. They’re both so encouraging to both of their interests, which I loved! Also, although she’s dating someone, Savvy is in a somewhat similar situation with Mickey (wlw rep!).

One side plot line that I really liked was that Leo trying to learn more about his culture. He and his sister were adopted from the Philippines, and he’s the reason Abby takes the DNA test because he wanted to see if he could find any blood family. Mickey is also Filipino-American, and she helps him learn more about their shared culture through food since they’re both avid chefs. I really liked seeing this, especially because my biggest tie to my own Vietnamese culture is food (although I am not adopted).

Overall, You Have a Match was a heartwarming read. I laughed, I cried, and most of all, I loved it! I definitely recommend You Have a Match if you enjoyed Tweet Cute or you like complex sibling relationships or friends-to-lovers romances.

You guys aren't ready for this ridiculously adorable smiley book. This will be the reward for surviving 2020. It's not just about sisters finding each other - it's about friendship and how some bonds can be bent or changed but never fully broken, and I just love this story SO MUCH. If you loved "Tweet Cute," you'll love this one too, maybe even more!