This was a great read for those who miss the days when Dystopian was the most popular genre amongst YA readers. The book encapsulates a striking theme, plot, and subplot of romance all in one. It was an enjoyable read from start to finish. The concept was intriguing. Although it did get a bit convoluted at the end when wrapping up, it still had a satisfying ending for a standalone novel.

I was gifted an eARC from the publisher of this book in exchange for an honest review via NetGalley!

Rebecca Dazenbaker came out the gate hot with their debut novel SOULMATCH. An interesting and fresh take on a futuristic version of our world, where they’ve figured out how to link all passed lives of every soul. Upon turning 18 they learn all about their soul — how many lives they had, their passions, hobbies && careers, when they die, && if they have a soulmate. They then use this information to help shape the path they take.

But not all souls are good, and sometimes you’re forced to pay for crimes of your previous self.

Sivon knows something is different with her soul, her mother who reads auras has never seen anything like it. Worried what her past lives may have gotten into, we follow Sivon as she figures out her heart, what she wants for her life, & her soul — of both past, present and future.

✍️DEBUT NOVEL
🎣 HOOKED IMMEDIATELY
🌪️& ↪️ GREAT TWISTS & TURNS
🤖🛰️FUTURISTIC SETTING
🪽vs👹— GOOD vs EVIL

1st IMPRESSIONS @10%:
interested in the story, seems fresh & different than anything else I’ve read.
PREDICTIONS:
— Sivon soul is a brand new/original soul
—>> CORRECT! ✅ (@21%)
— Sivons dad was killed; safety system
purposefully disabled — he figured out SKI is SUS/SHADY AF!
—>> CORRECT! ✅ (not til ending)

UPDATE @20%:
Still interested! FMC is funny & super relatable, find myself cheering for her.
Interesting array of side characters so far.
Story flows && world builds nicely.

UPDATE @30%:
ooooh do I sense a LOVE CONNECTION brewing *eye brow raise* with Sheppy

UPDATE @ 50%:
Can’t put it down! This book has me gripped & thoroughly enjoying the read!

PREDICTIONS:
— the entire SKI except Windrose are SUS AF && Savon shouldn’t trust any of em
—>> CORRECT! ✅
— Janus is ONLY flirting w/ Sivon to use her for his Uncle & probably his own desire to be Prime Minister
—>> (FOR THE MOST PART) CORRECT! ✅

THEY SAY “ANY MAN WHOS NAME STARTS WITH ‘J’ WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE” — well this one’s name is J-ANUS. He’s bound to be a GIANT ASSHOLE.
—>> CORRECT! ✅
— Doubling down on Sivon/Shepard being Soulmates. IDGAF what these “tests” say.
—>> CORRECT! ✅

UPDATE @ 85%:
OMG- the twists, the turns! It’s *chefs kiss* SO GOOD! I AM SHOOKETH!

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Reading this book really was a wonderful experience. I had been in a bit of a slump the last 2 months, struggling to be truly into any of the books I’d been starting.

Just when I’d think I’d know what was going to happen, I’d be pleasantly surprised to be wrong. Even though all my predictions were proven right, it was always still somehow different then what I had assumed. It was fresh, interesting and a hell of a debut. Truly look forward to seeing what else the author puts out in the future! One of very few 5⭐️ reads for me so far in 2025! Has the potential to be a big hit on BookTok if it can get the push behind it/the exposure

In Soulmatch, the world is 200-plus years after WW3. Scientists have figured out how to identify souls and match them to previous lives. Which means, they may suffer their past lives' sins, benefit from their riches, or anything in between. I love the concept of reincarnation and how our past lives could impact our current and future lives.

The world-building was incredible and immersive, though I would have loved more time to explore this futuristic world and what it has to offer.

The characters were believable and relatable. But please note, the teens act like teens, which is a great thing for a YA book, and they weren’t obnoxious or annoying for this adult reader. Sivon can be a bit dramatic and impulsive at times, but she just turned 18 at the beginning of the book, so I didn’t expect her to act like a 30-something and have that level of emotional maturity. Again, it’s a YA book, made for teens, and the characters acted how I would expect people of their age to behave.

This book is very fast paced, with the last 100 pages being unputdownable with so much happening. There is a little bit of a love triangle, but it was resolved quickly and has a satisfying resolution.

The only downside for me was that I would have loved to spend more time with some of the plots and locations. I feel like a whole book could be spent in the Fringe alone exploring what that area is a how it works, and why it’s so different from the rest of the country. I could easily read another book or two in this world, and with Sivon and her friends. I don’t view this as a negative for the book, but a positive because I wasn’t ready to leave when it was over.

Thank you, SimonTeen and NetGalley, for the eARC copy. This review is based solely on my opinions.

I received an ARC of Soulmatch and was completely hooked from the start. This dystopian YA blends reincarnation, soul bonds, and fate in such a gripping and thought-provoking way. I loved trying to piece together who was truly good or bad, who belonged together, and what it all meant when fate felt like a mystery. The twists kept me guessing, and the central question—what do you do when you don’t know your fate?—lingered long after I turned the last page. It’s a compelling, emotional, and unforgettable read.

I was so excited to read this book, and this plot was extremely interesting!! I feel like I've been looking for something like this book for such a long time now. I wasn't bored, was captivated, interested and stayed up to finish this!

This was my first ARC and wow, setting the bar high aren't we?
I enjoyed this so much. The world building was descriptive, the characters were multidimensional, and the story had my guessing until the end.
The MFC was realistic, relatable and you could see she was just like everyone else her age trying to figure who she is.
I LOVED the headers at the beginning of each chapter. It helped with the world buidinh but it also made it more exciting on guessing what would happen next. This book reminds me of the feeling that other books gave me when I was a child in school. That uncomfortable unease by characters when, superficially, they are good people. Protect your heart and enjoy this wonderful story ❤️

My mind is actually blown. I was so excited to read after hearing it was a similar concept to matched. This book absolutely surpassed it. All my favorite parts of dystopian world while intertwining mystery, thriller, and star crossed lovers.
My jaw was one the floor half the time and the heroine is so damn smart it makes me proud. She blows them all away and I was one the edge of my seat probably 3/4 of the book. This was absolutely a five star book and I will highly recommend this book to anyone I can!!!!!!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 ARC REVIEW 📖

Thank you @simonteen for an early copy of Soulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🤍

Rating: ⭐⭐.5/5
Release date: July 29th, 2025

Blurb: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/220160382-soulmatch?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=bfSUudRPo8&rank=1

🛑Read on with caution; review may contain spoilers🛑

Soulmatch is a dystopian sci-fi fantasy that explores the concept of reincarnation as a tool to guide each soul’s future in its current body. While the premise is promising, I feel like the execution and pacing was lacking. The world building and system was quite all over the place and the pacing was too slow for my liking. Additionally, the main characters were difficult to connect with, especially Shepard and how judgmental he is of Sivon.

An overall okay read but not something I would pick up again to re-read.

This was. SO unique and such a fun read! Highly recommend if you enjoyed the divergent boom of the early 2010s. Really great read!

⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

SOULMATCH by Rebecca Danzenbaker

Thank you Netgalley and Simon Teen for the earc (Jul 29)

SOULMATCH is set in the future. when people come of age, they are kirled---where the learn about their past lives and/or who their soulmate is. Sivon knows she has no ordinary soul. When she is kirled, she learns the truth---so does everyone else throwing her into a world she isn't used to (threats and scrutiny). She teams up with her bodyguard to figure out what was really happening, who she could trust, etc.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I know SOULMATCH wasn't at all what I was expecting. I knew this would be a dystopian/romance type deal, but what was delivered was much greater. DANZENBAKER combines romance with corruption in perfect proportions. There is an underlying mystery that goes back years---lifetimes even. With it's dystopian-esque setting, SOULMATCH grabs the reader with promise of romance and soulmates. Its premise is interesting and immediately drew me in. I really liked how the romance was everso subtle in a way that really intoned what this book was about.
Without spoiling it, I was rooting for Sivon and [REDACTED] from the get go, and I loved seeing how their storyline played out.
SOULMATCH is for those looking for futuristic settings. This is book is for the hopefuls that there is someone put there for them regardless of past lives, current lives, etc. This may not have been a five-star read, but it was pretty close.

When I say I want a YA dystopian w/ a side of romance, THIS IS WHAT I WANT 👏 This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, whether it was a major plot twist or the chemistry between Sivon & Donovan.
I really loved a lot of the social commentary about classism, fate & even the idea of what it means to be a “good person”. There were so many amazing things about this book but my favorite was just the way it completely sucks you in. This is not a book that takes awhile to get invested in, you care about the characters & the high stakes from chapter 1.
This story has the perfect mix of mystery, romance & drama and I absolutely could not get enough.

This sounded like such an interesting premise and one I jumped to request, and it carried its promise(for the most part). The beginning dragged and it took me a while to get through laying out the world and plot but once it picked up i flew through it. The ending definitely set the book up to become a series, but I think it could have wrapped it up nicely in the one book and it would have been more satisfying, but that's my only real gripe with it. Overall, a solid read and an innovative new story.

Soulmatch takes the concept of reincarnation and atoning for past sins, combines it with a well-meaning but flawed system and then throws in dash of corruption, a lovable found-family of teens determined to beat the odds, a swoony romance and just the right amount of heartbreak - all set in a post WWIII United States.

This was dystopian romance perfection.

Bonus points: It’s a well wrapped-up standalone!

I’m crossing my fingers and toes, praying to the book gods, and begging publishers to keep this resurgence of dystopian romance coming!

What’s to love…
- interesting & unique concept
- swoony romance
- a little baby love triangle (in the best way possible)
- fast-paced plot
- well-developed characters
- twists and reveals that will have you gasping
- utterly binge-able
- found family
- excellent social commentary on good vs bad and the flaws of the prison system

What’s not to love…
- my biggest complaint is that some of these “new” words and terms just felt silly. I think if this was a series with more time for world-building they could have worked but as is, it felt like it was an attempt to sound futuristic without the effort required for it to make sense.

Overall I really enjoyed this one and think it hits on all the aspects of the 2010s dystopian romance that we love and crave!

A note for adult readers: This is YA book (age rating 12+) and it is a really great YA book, but if you’re looking for an upper YA or New adult you might be disappointed with this one. However if you’re an adult reader that enjoys YA books and doesn’t mind when the MCs act their age, this is the perfect book for you!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon Teen for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Soulmatch? Nah. I think you mean Mindblown.

Thanks to Netgalley and SimonTeen for the eARC!

I’m still reeling from the craziness and insanity that was this book. The last 20% or so was so much bam bam bam that I think my brain exploded for a short time. 😂

The beginning was great. The world itself is so intriguing. I do think the world building was not quite enough because this world is just so extensive that while I predicted some aspects, I think I could have worked out more had I had a better understanding of the system.

The middle was a tiny bit slow and I wasn’t super happy with a lot of him being that way. But the ending did make up for it in being concise and well executed!

The characters… I liked Sivan well enough for a protagonist. She’s not my favorite because she did question things and then just make silly decisions anyway… BUT I do like her mind and her mission and she came out as a good character in the end!

I didn’t really like Donovan but that’s a me thing. He’s just not really my type. And I do wish we had gotten a little … more with him and Sivon.

The side characters were fine enough but not many really stood out for me, to be honest. I think overall, while the plot was a win in my book, the characters themselves were a bit of a letdown.

I’d recommend this book for anyone craving the dystopian energy of the 2000’s and 2010’s. Uglies, Matched, Chemical Garden, etc. this is definitely in line with all of them!

This book is everything I enjoy in a dystopian novel depicting a world under government control. I like the author’s pacing and was drawn in right from the start.

It takes place after World War III, where the soul-identification system is now in place. All eighteen-year-olds must go through the “kirling” to find out about their past lives, a terrifying process for which there is no escape. No one wants a bad soul or to leave the institute in handcuffs.

Sivon, a chess expert, is one hell of a main character. She epitomises the word `heroine', with her courage, determination and resourcefulness. She knows there is something different about her soul and is terrified to find out. But when they find out that Flavinsky, one bad soul out of fifteen billion, is at the SKI, this intensifies the pace. What if it were a family member, sequestered from their friends and loved ones, sealed in a sound-proofed room, and unable to process the horror of their abandonment?

The book lays out each chapter to explain government acronyms and symbols, so I never felt lost or confused. Dialogue drives the story forward and gives each character a distinctive voice. The author has created a world so realistic and intriguing you just can't help but to imagine what happens next. I will say this, Soulmatch comes with all the trappings of a bestselling. Its visual appeal is so striking, I'd be amazed if it weren't snapped up and optioned after publishing. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Rebecca Danzenbaker for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Wowwowwowwow, I read this book in one sitting!

Soulmatch is a YA dystopian romance that is written like a true YA book. If you don’t like that kind of writing/dialog, this isn’t for you. Lucky for me I don’t mind it!

Amazing concept and plot, love the characters. It was fast paced but easy to follow. I thought I had everything figured out but I liked the little twist at the end!!

I don’t want to say too much because this is an ARC, but do yourself a favor and pick this up once it’s published.

DNF at 52% - The beginning of this book was giving me EVERYTHING I typically look for in a dystopian novel---isolation, a test/trial of sorts, a complex political backdrop.

I found myself flying through the first half of the book due to the interest I had in finding out who Sivon's soul was. Unfortunately, I found myself a little let down with the idea that she was a new soul. I almost wanted her to be one of the 'bad' souls to see how she wrestled with this. Ultimately, I understand why the author went this route, but since we took the new soul route, it made the middle part of the book drag a little. This is where I set the book down. I could see we were going to be searching to find out if her friend actually killed herself or the government killed her, but the pacing slowed and I didn't feel the urgency.

The author did do a great job of tying in the media's influence in Sivon's life. This was interesting to me as it is very reminiscent of our current society.

Thank you for the advance copy!

This was an absolutely phenomenal read.

One of my favorite things about reading is when you really get a good story that makes you FEEL without explaining in literal words how you're supposed to feel.
When an author can weave characters so well that someone on page that says and does all the right things and is seemingly a good guy, but just FEELS wrong. You're not entirely sure, because there's been no evidence to suggest otherwise but you just FEEL off about them - only to later have all of those suspicions confirmed and you get to have a HA I KNEW IT moment but really you're just thinking 'thank god cus I wasn't sure and I felt like I was losing my mind'

This was a sci-fi ish dystopianish perfect story. There were complexities and intricacies and they were confusing but they never lost me - they were explained well, I never felt there were plot holes or missing chunks of story. I felt connected and invested, and (exhausted from staying up far too late).

The entire concept of the story is so cool, horrifying after the conclusion and the reality of what would happen without a doubt if this was real, but god did I enjoy every moment of it.

One of my fav reads of the year so far, and I can't imagine that will change. I loved this. Rebecca has succeeded in everything she sets her mind too, and this was no exception, so congratulations Rebecca - this was an absolute killer debut and I can't wait to see what you have in store for us all next.

This was such an interesting read! It kind of boggles the mind and makes you question what kind of life you would want to live.

I liked the writing style. Although I found some parts dragging. (Mostly the beginning chapters.) The last 10% made the most impression on me.

I don't know if this is the first book of a series? The end made it seem like there's potential for more. And I'm definitely open to more.

Equal parts heart-stopping thriller and tender romance, this book is impossible to put down. Will be recommending this book all over social media closer to its release date.