Matched Review

Author: Ally Condie
Release Date: November 30, 2010
Pages: 384 (ARC)

Publisher: Dutton

Most Appropriate For Ages: 12+
Where I Got It: For review from Book It Forward ARC Tours

Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.
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Matched, one of the most buzzed about books of the fall, proves to live up to the hype with gorgeous writing, a thrilling plot that keeps you turning the pages late into the night, and characters that are easy to fall for.

The world of Matched is frighteningly over-controlled. You have very few choices, despite what the Society says. What you eat, what you wear, when you die, who you marry--all of this is decided by the Society. That got me thinking. A lot. A lot of the story is fueled by a wonderful romance.

I loved Cass, the main character. She loved when she was told not to, she disobeyed rules that have been taught to her sine birth, she questioned. I love a rebellious character, so I also loved Ky. Ky, with scars that were as close to being healed as they've ever been before because of Cass but didn't let those scars stop him from breaking the rules. I like Xander a lot, too, even though we didn't see too much of him.

Ally Condie's writing was absolutely beautiful and poetic. I was seriously in awe as I read that Ally Condie isn't already a mega-famous author.

The ending definitely left me wanting the sequel immediately, and I most definitely plan on reading it. Matched left me thinking for days and days. Left me going What if? along with other, lengthier questions. I can't think of a problem that I had with Matched, except that it had to end. I loved it.


How kid friendly is it? Pretty. No drinking or drugs or even crime. However, I don't think that tweens would appreciate as much as older teens.