“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.”
Cecelia Beckman Sheaf & Ink
The Story
You would never guess what a Honors Anthropology course could do to your 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.
A Few More Thoughts…
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.
Last Thought
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
RATING: 
– Exceptionally Inked
Author: Emma Lord
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: January, 2021
Pages: 320
ISBN-10: 1250237300
ISBN-13: 978-1250237309
Audience: 12 and up
Jacket Art: Unknown at this time
Jacket Design: Kerri Resnick
Reese’s Book Club Winter YA pick: Announcement via Instagram
You can find You Have A Match at Macmillan Publishers
Similar Books to You Have A Match Recommended by Sheaf and Ink
You Should See Me In A Crown, Leah Johnson
Only Mostly Devastated, Sophie Gonzales
Need More Book Recommendations?
Sheaf & Ink has reviewed a number of Young Adult novels in contemporary fiction like You Have A Match. Read You Should See Me in A Crown and Tweet Cute reviews to find your next favorite book and join the conversation. We love hearing from you.
You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson
I haven’t read this yet, so it’s cool to see you gave it such a good rating! I’ll have to look through more of your blog posts to read some more of your reviews!
I hope you get a chance to read it! Thanks so much for being part of the community.