Matched

Matched by Ally Condie

(Summary taken from the inside book jacket)"Cassia has always trusted their choices. It's hardly any price to pay for a long life, the perfect job, the ideal mate. So when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is the one...until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now Cassia is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path no one else has ever dared follow--between perfection and passion."

It was Tuesday and my Book Group was on Thursday. I still didn't have the book. I headed to the book store and they were out. Then I went to another book store. Phew, they had it. I got home and started reading......and I didn't stop until the next afternoon (Wed.) when I finished. I really liked this book. It's a fast, easy read. It is reminiscent of "Hunger Games" and has a hint of "Uglies" in it as well. Ms. Condie's writing style is close to Ms. Collin's style in "Hunger Games," but it is much lighter. The premises are similar in that the people in this book live in a very controlled society, which seems to be a popular theme right now.

I felt an instant connection to the characters in this book. The character development is very good, and you feel like you live in this neighborhood and the characters are your long-time neighbors. I felt deep loss when Cassia's grandfather passed away, and I felt anger when events happened at the end of the book. This book just drew me in and I couldn't put it down. I also loved that it was clean. There was no language, no "physical intimacy," besides kissing, and very little harsh violence. You do see some violence but a lot of it is hinted at, and it is related to the controlled society. I also liked that this book made me think. A lot. I thought a lot about the lines I would draw between safety and freedom, between having a "perfect" life (no sickness, a perfect marriage partner, the perfect job for me, dying at the perfect time, etc.) and a perfect life (the life I make for myself, the choices I make, and learning and growing from trials). The thing I couldn't handle was them destroying the library!!! No! And it may seem crazy that she didn't know how to write the letters, but with computers and texting, that one isn't too far off....

Rating: PG There is some kissing and some violence connected with the controlled society.

Recommendation: 13 or 14 and up. I'm going to say this right now, but it will depend on the next book in the series. If the next book ("Crossed" comes out Nov. 1, 2011) gets more violent or she adds language or something, then this may change. For right now, yes, I can say it truly is a young adult book!

And yes, I can't wait for Nov. 1st to come!