You Have a Match
By: Emma Lord
Published Year: 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Pages: 320
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When Abby signs up for a DNA service, it’s mainly to give her friend and secret love interest, Leo, a nudge. After all, she knows who she is already: Avid photographer. Injury-prone tree climber. Best friend to Leo and Connie…although ever since the B.E.I. (Big Embarrassing Incident) with Leo, things have been awkward on that front.
But she didn’t know she’s a younger sister.
When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents—especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.
The logical course of action? Meet up at summer camp (obviously) and figure out why Abby’s parents gave Savvy up for adoption. But there are complications: Savvy is a rigid rule-follower and total narc. Leo is the camp’s co-chef, putting Abby's growing feelings for him on blast. And her parents have a secret that threatens to unravel everything.
But part of life is showing up, leaning in, and learning to fit all your awkward pieces together. Because sometimes, the hardest things can also be the best ones.
First Impressions
I read Lord’s debut Tweet Cute last year and loved it. I thought the banter was witty and the chemistry jumped off the page. I was immediately sold on read this next book without even reading the summary. Also, I’m a huge sucker for cartoony covers.
What I thought
This book was a little slow to get into, but did pick up in the middle and was cute overall.
Abby’s friend Leo is adopted and wants to find more about his background so he asks for his two friends to do it with him. While Leo doesn’t learn anything, Abby discovers that she has a full blooded sister who is only a year and a half older than she is. Instead of confronting her parents, her newly found sister invites her to spend a month at the summer camp that she is working at so they can figure out what happened together. Little does Abby know, Leo is working at the same camp.
For me, the book didn’t really pick up until Abby had been at camp for a day or two. The beginning was definitely a lot of setup. I understand why it needed to be, but it made it a little harder to get into. The meat of the story where Abby and Savannah were getting to know each other and figure out why their parents gave up Savannah were the best parts for me. I wasn’t even crazy about the love story between Leo and Abby.
The writing was still good, but this book didn’t have the same spark for me as the first book. I could get rid of the beginning and the end of the story and just take the middle. I did like Abby and I liked the growth that she had. I think there is an interesting story of teenage grief and stress. Leo felt a little bit like an afterthought to me. Savvy was more of the secondary character and it seemed like Leo was thrown in there just because Lord felt like there needed to be a love story.
Overall, this book fell a little flat for me. I loved the idea of the story and I did enjoy the meat of it, but I wasn’t left with any strong impressions or feelings. I still look forward to reading anything that Lord writes, but it didn’t have that same magic as Tweet Cute for me.