Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review.
A new love, a secret sister, and a summer she'll never forget. From the beloved author of Tweet Cute comes Emma Lord's You Have a Match, a hilarious and heartfelt novel of romance, sisterhood, and friendship... 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. Emma Lord always manages to surprise me in the best ways. She's definitely making a splash in the contemporary world. You all know how much I loved Tweet Cute--You Have a Match is of a slightly different energy but brings Lord's signature humor and heart to the table. I started out so concerned that Abby and the risks she takes would give me secondhand embarrassment, but by the end I was *definitely not* crying. YHAM is a bit less of a rom-com than I was expecting--the core of the story is Abby's relationship with Savvy. We see both of them learn how to be sisters, and the various insecurities they mask. It's a coming of age story in all the best ways, and doesn't pull out the absent parent trope! Family (twisted as it might be) plays a big part in the story, with Abby's and Savvy's parents both obviously being part of the network of secrets keeping them apart. With Abby as first-person narrator, her character development was my favorite part of the book. There were moments in which I identified quite strongly with the emotions she had about feeling imperfect and comparing herself to others. Gotta admit, I'm an only so I don't understand the sibling angst, but I sure did feel rather empathetic towards Abby. We can talk a little bit about the romance between Leo and Abby, which is a childhood-friends-to-lovers thing that I adored. Them knowing each other so well and being willing to do anything for the other is a selling point, and all the miscommunication drives up tension in a very frustrating way. Abby and Leo (no easy ship name for them, unlike the iconic PepperJack) are so easy to root for. I'm sure you'll love them as much as I do. This is one of the first books I've read from 2021 catalogs and I highly recommend it. Emma Lord continues to knock it out of the park with her books and she's absolutely an auto-buy author for me. 5/5 stars.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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