This Novel was not a Match for Me

I, honestly, don't know what I expected. I go into every popular young adult novel hoping, PRAYING, that this one will be different. That this one will break against the mold and I can finally, in good conscience, recommend it to someone. 

Today is not that day. 

To start, Matched is boring. Honestly, all you need to read is the beginning and the end. Everything in between is just useless drivel. I'm glad I had it as an audio book, since I could be doing something else while I got through the filler. My sister, who read the physical novel, did not have this luxury. Sorry, Liz. 

The reason the novel is so boring is that the plot is not strong enough to carry a novel this size. The only real conflict going on is between Cassia, the main character, and the two people she is matched with. That's it. And, let me tell you, I could care less about a girl's struggle between two different guys. Is that because I am a 20 year old college student who the novel is not made for? No, because I asked Lizzie, my 14 year old sister what she thought of the book, and she said the same thing: it was kind of boring. 

The only thing this book has going for it is the progression of realization about how corrupt the government is. Cassia starts off fully trusting the government and all of it's rules, but you can see, as the novel goes on, that this naivete begins to disappear. I loved this. However, the plot was still too focused on the love triangle and not focused enough on questioning, and perhaps eventually overthrowing, the government. This aspect was seen only as a side piece or as a way to further the relationship between Cassia and one of her matches, which was annoying. 

This novel is just another stereotypical copy out of it's genre. I mean, I've read a ton of YA novels in my time, and there is nothing different about this book. You're better off re-reading a dystopian novel that you like than reading Matched.

I'll "Confess": This Novel is Only Okay

So I know that Goodreads has this as the number one romantic novel of the year but...I don't know. I don't feel it. I just can't take a book seriously when the guy you're supposed to like says some emotionally abusive shit like "I'm the only one that deserves you". 

If any man ever said that to me, I would kick his ass. And dump him immediately. 

That was the major turn off for me because, otherwise, this book has a lot going for it. It hits on a lot of real life situations, like physical abuse and drug addictions. But, once I got to the characters, all I could focus on were their flaws. Owen comes out of the gate as an asshole, since he says so many rude things about his ex-girlfriend. Trey and Lydia? They're just assholes that stay assholes throughout the entire novel. And Auburn? She's not terrible, but she's not great either. A lot of the time she just lets situations happen because she's scared and never does anything to stand up for herself. Until the end, of course. 

Also, the relationships are weird. Owen and Auburn meet and literally are obsessed with each other to the point that the first couple of chapters is them being with each other all day long. I kept waiting for them to go their separate ways so that they could reflect on their feelings, but either Auburn or Owen would find reasons to continue hanging out longer. It was like I was waiting on a friend who met a guy at a party; she might tell me "10 more minutes" but we all know that this could go on for another hour. 

So, overall, this novel is only okay. It has a really solid plot, but the characters are just so problematic that it hinders the readability of the novel. If you can overlook that, then you'll love the story. If you're like me and can't, I recommend just skipping this one.