I recently finished reading Matched by Allie Condie. I was originally motivated to read it because it was dystopian fiction, a genre I really enjoy. However, Matched could also be considered romance, which I haven’t really ever read before.

Matched follows the story of a seventeen-year-old girl named Cassia Reyes. In her society, when you turn seventeen, you go to a Matching Ceremony, where you find out who your life partner will be. Cassia is matched with her best friend, Xander Carrow. Being matched with someone you already know is an extremely rare event. When Cassia tries to view the information about her match, a face that is not Xander’s flashes on her screen. It is the face of a boy from school, Ky Markham. He is an aberration, due to a huge infraction committed by his father. Because of his classification, he cannot be matched.

Cassia is informed that it was a mistake and Xander is the best match for her. Cassia however, begins to notice Ky more and more. She slowly begins falling in love with him. She knows she’s supposed to love Xander, and she does, but only as a friend. Cassia begins to think that maybe Xander isn’t the perfect match for her.

Cassia is lost in a tangled web of chaos. She loves Ky. Xander loves her. Ky might love her, but he shouldn’t, and Cassia shouldn’t love him either. Cassia doesn’t know who to love, and she begins doubting that her society knows what’s best for her.

Cassia faces hard decisions, begins to understand what it’s like to lose someone you love, and discovers a new side of her society. One that’s not as perfect as what she’s always believed.

I would recommend this book for any middle school or high school students that enjoy dystopian fiction or romance. It is a beautifully written story with characters that you will remember long after you finish reading All ie Condie’s Matched.