⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 stars | As adorable as Tweet Cute was, it's Emma Lord's second novel You Have a Match that stole my heart. It centers around Abby, who signs up for a DNA service along with her best friend and crush Leo, expecting nothing to come out of it. Except she finds out she has a sister named Savannah ('Savvy') who's only a year and a half older than her, lives close by, and happens to be an Instagram star. They decide to meet up at summer camp so they can uncover the truth of why Abby's parents gave Savvy up for adoption but it's about so much more than that. (Although that was clearly a driving plot throughout!)
The two girls are complete opposites and are dealing with insecurities related to growing up and their relationships with their respective parents and the mystery behind their situation only heightens that. It also doesn't make it easy for them to connect. Part of the joy of reading this was watching them start off as strangers and work their way towards becoming sisters, even when it was painful. Lack of communication was actually kind of a running theme with every sub-plot and while again that might be frustrating, it rang true to me given that they are a bunch of teenagers! That was especially true with Abby's secret crush on Leo. These two were so clueless but I related to the fear of change and admitting feelings. I just loved them! I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that Leo and another friend at camp were Filipino. I was very happy to see that representation here (plus all the Filipino food callouts made me hungry!). And finally, the last thing I need to mention is friendship. It's a huge theme in the book and it's portrayed in many different ways but the one I found most moving is between the adults (which you'll understand when you read this!). But truly every theme -- friendship, identity, online image, not knowing how to communicate with family, and finding your own way -- resonated with me deeply.
Favorite camp scene from a TV show/movie | I immediately got Parent Trap vibes! And I'm referring to the 1998 version featuring Lindsay Lohan that I was totally obsessed with in high school. My favorite scene is when they decide to switch places!
You Have a Match was so delightful! I'm glad we both ended up enjoying this book, and I'm definitely surprised by how emotional I got at certain moments in it.
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