You Have A Match by Emma Lord

*Spoiler free*

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.

After Tweet Cute, I was ready to devour anything that Emma Lord wrote next. Tweet Cute ended up being one of my favorite contemporaries and I was eager to see what I would think of her next book. I was a bit wary going into this one, just because it didn’t seem like something I would normally read. I’ve never been to summer camp before, I don’t particularly like doing camp-like activities, and it sounded like it would have a heavier feel to it, with the secret sisters being a main plot point. But it was Emma Lord, so I wanted to give it a shot.

Tweet Cute might have been pink and all things sugary, but You Have A Match is green and the feeling of life through a camera lens. I loved it just as much as Tweet Cute.

Gosh, Emma Lord is very quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. The way she writes is just filled with everything that I love. Her writing seems downright happy. It’s fluffy, but less like cheesy and more like the airiness of a well baked cake.

I love, love, loved Abby. She’s so different from me. She throws herself head first into things and loves to take risks. She likes to climb up trees and up on top of roofs to try and get the best angle for a picture, while I like to stay firmly on the ground. But, she also likes to avoid things. She doesn’t like confrontation and she buries her emotions down because they’re big and scary to feel. And gosh, I get that. I’ve done that. I understood her fears and her worries and her emotions just felt so real.

I also loved every single other character. Leo, and how he tries to put everybody else’s feelings first and tries to make everybody else feel comfortable, was someone I connected to. Finn was hilarious. Mickey was brilliant. And I totally got Savvy’s uptightness and need for everything to be in the correct place. Plus, the members of Phoenix Cabin were delightful and so funny.

The secret sister plot went a lot differently than I thought. It wasn’t so heavy, but it was messy. Though, it was messy in all the best ways. I was wondering how this plot would play out. I didn’t really think it could do so in a way that felt realistic. But it did! It didn’t feel out of this world or completely ridiculous. It felt like complicated relationships and unique dynamics. I also really, really liked seeing how Abby and Savvy’s relationship grew.

Though, I do feel like there were two main plots battling for attention. There was the one with the secret sister and then there was the romantic one with Abby. I felt like the romantic one should have been tapered off to become something more in the background. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it did feel like there was a bit of a battle for attention.

That being said, Lord knows how to write yearning with the best of them. THE YEARNING, THE PINING. Wow, this book has some of the best mutual pining. Ugh, I love when two dorks need to talk to each other but keep talking around each other.

I never thought I would be into camp. For me, it’s just so many things that are hard for me. So, I thought I would of just view it as the backdrop of this book and that would be that. But Emma made me like New York. New York, a place that gives me tremendous anxiety. So, of course she made me look at summer camp in a different way. Honestly, I have to give her props for making like places I never thought I would like. Anyway, I loved the little bits of camp that were in there. Little bits, because there’s a lot of drama taking up the rest of the space haha. The friends being made, the swimming, the kayaking, the s’mores, and so many other things.

Also, I loved Abby’s photography. This is going to sound really weird, but I felt like I could see her photos. I could feel her passion for her cameras and for her pictures so clearly. It was such an amazing aspect to the book.

Tweet Cute focused on Twitter and this book focused on Instagram. I am very excited to see what social media platform is next! All in all, You Have A Match is an incredible book. It has messy emotions, yearning, sisters, and summer camp. It’s so, so good.

You Have A Match comes out January 5, 2020! You can add it on Goodreads and pre-order a copy in the meantime!