On the hunt for a light-hearted heatwave read? Come through Emma Lord. For March book club, we read her hilarious and heartfelt YA novel, You Have A Match – a fun and modern reimagining of The Parent Trap with all the feel-good summer camp vibes.
With hidden relatives, big family secrets and friends-to-lovers subplots, it needs to be coming to a garden hammock near you, asap.
Keep scrolling to read the team’s reviews!
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.
Lareese
You Have A Match is a YA delight, full of personality and heart. Emma Lord has a knack for creating engaging, realistic characters and YHAM is no exception – the friendship dynamic is expertly crafted. The budding romance bubbling away throughout the novel seemed a bit superfluous in places, I found myself wanting to find out more about the messy family drama and sibling bond at the heart of the story rather than the teen situationship.
I was reading this alongside A Little Life (if you know, you know) and all I can say was when it all got too much, this fluffy summer camp tale picked up the pieces of my broken heart. If you’re after a coming-of-age beach read that’s easy to get through and reminiscent of Parent Trap, You Have A Match will do nicely.
Rating: 3/5
Would recommend it: For sure, it’s the perfect easy breezy read!
Danielle
This book has turned me into an Emma Lord lover and I’ve already ordered her other book Tweet Cute. You Have a Match is such a lovely smooth read packed full of amazing flawed and relatable characters. I like my reads to lift me up and make me happy and this book did exactly that, it wasn’t all completely fluffy and cheesy and tackled some hard subjects like grief but overall the tone was positive and light-hearted. I love everything about the idea of summer camp as I’m sure a lot of British people do (how exotic) so having the story come alive at one gave the characters interesting ways to interact that you don’t get in normal life. There was no guessing when your favourites would be interacting as they were there every day having all sorts of fun. I appreciate people who love a deep read with lots of self-reflection and analysis but with everything going on this year this book was exactly the kind of escape I needed. If you love Beth O’Leary, you’ll love this!
Rating: 4/5
Would you recommend it: Yes, if you’re looking for light-hearted loveliness
Darcey
If you are after a light, heart-warming read, this one is for you! A truly lovely YA read, following the lives of two sisters who accidentally find each other through a DNA service. If you love Parent Trap, you’ll love this! Filled with friendship, sisterhood and romance, this is a fluffy, easy read, perfect for when you want a pick me up book that you can fully indulge in!
The characters are all so relatable and that’s something I really enjoyed throughout, any of them could be your friend and I love a book that you can find that kind of connection with. I would have loved for the book to have delved deeper into the sister’s relationship and the family drama, but overall I really enjoyed reading You Have a Match.
Rating: 3.5/5
Would you recommend it: Yes
Charlotte
God was I in need of some feel-good and ‘You Have a Match’ truly delivered that! First things first the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous- the colour palette is v dreamy and a lovely one to have out on your bedside. Although the book got off to what felt like a slow start in some respects, the bulk of the story entirely made up for this and I truly fell in love with so many of the characters, namely Abby who’s book (excuse the pun) I think we can all take a leaf out of. What a gem.
The storyline felt super nostalgic and comforting (the summer camp setting was pure escapism) and I was drawn to pick it up every time I needed a slice of calm in my day, which as Covid restrictions drag on has been v often lately. The diversity of the characters within ‘You Have a Match’ and the pearls of wisdom to be found in all of their stories and souls is one that makes this book feel super sentimental. This book is a real testament to Emma’s wonderful writing style and ‘Tweet Cute’ has been immediately added to my Waterstones basket!
Would you recommend – Yes, to me this is perfect summer garden/beach reading.
Rating: 4/5
Would you recommend it: Yes!
Holly
I knew I was going to love this read just from the blurb.
In the beginning, Abby and her friends are super normal, I could definitely relate which had me wanting to know what was to happen even more. But the further in you get, you really don’t know what people have going on in their life! Kind of a parallel to real life.
The whole storyline of the book was just right up my street. I love young adult fiction and this one also had sub themes of LGBTQIA+ which is a plus. There is twists and turns and I honestly wasn’t expecting the secret that Abby’s mum and dad had. I’m normally pretty good at guessing what happens in books, but not this one.
I enjoyed that there was other stories going alongside the main one and although it was far fetched in some places, overall I felt like this could have been a true story.
I decided to try out listening to the audiobook to accompany me on my walks. I found the person reading it to be a tad annoying. I think there’s something not as gripping as listening. I’ve just brought this book and going to read it properly in a few months, I think I’ll enjoy it even more.
Rating: 4/5
Would you recommend it: Yes, 100%
