Review - Matched

Matched

Title: Matched
Series: Matched (Goodreads)
Author: Ally Condie 
Genre: Romance, Dystopian
Publisher: Penguin books 

Age Group: YA

Source: Bought at a local book sale

Review

If you are looking for a light and fluffy read than Matched is definitely the one for you. I know that this book was all the rage a few years back when I was still in high school during the hype of dystopian literature following the success of The Hunger Games. If I had read this book back when I was a young teenager I know that I would have loved it. But as a young adult in my early twenties I was not so keen on this book, not because of the work itself, but because I have personally outgrown ya dystopian romance. Condie’s writing itself is easy to read and non-challenging for ya readers. Although, I will note that even though this book is easy to read there are some interesting themes and issues that are raised that could challenge a reader to think. One of these issues that could make a reader think was the idea of not dying alone and controlling peoples lifespans and aspirations, ‘You could die alone. No one should die alone’. However, I personally found that the pace of the book itself moved rather slowly and was perhaps a contributing factor to my lack of enjoyment.

This book is about forbidden romance in a dystopian society that controls who you marry, how many children you have, your food intake, and when you will die. All these themes are definitely a trope one would expect in a dystopian ya and Condie does not fail to include these in Matched. Cassia is the main protagonist and starts out rather selfish and indulged as a member of the Society who has earned the privileges of a good citizen. She is given a good Match, is on track to have a successful career, and remain a loyal member of the Society. A drawback of her privileged life though is not to question the Society that controls her life and many others as well as her major inability to empathise with other people’s difficulties, ‘I am not used to seeing someone suffer. I turn away’. I struggled to connect with Cassia as the protagonist, not only because I found that throughout the book there was little character development, but because she was just willing to accept the world she lived in as the right way to live and avoid questioning or challenging the inequalities that she began to begin to see and comprehend. Maybe Cassia has the potential to develop over the rest of the series and I really hope this is the case. 

If one of the reasons you love ya dystopia is because of the romance, especially forbidden romances, then this book will not disappoint. Cassia is not only Matched to her perfect future partner but there is a mistake that is made in the system and for a minute another potential Match is shown to her, and of course he is forbidden to her. The romance that develops between the forbidden teenagers is slow moving at the beginning but eventually quickens and becomes rather thrilling. And as their relationship progresses so does Cassia’s ability to begin questioning the injustices of her Society. 

‘I want to reach up and touch that skin under his eyes, the one place I’ve seen any vulnerability in him, make him feel better. And then I could run my fingers there, across his cheekbones, down to his lips, to the place where his jaw meets his neck, where his neck meets his shoulder line. I like the places where one part meets another, I think, eyes to cheek, wrist to hands. Somewhat shocked at my own thoughts, I take a step back.’

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her Match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life.

Except he's not.

In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love.

How many children they have.

Where they work.

When they die.

But, as Cassia finds herself falling in love with another boy, she is determined to make some choices of her own.

And that's when her whole world begins to unravel . . .

Key Quotes 

‘Every minute you spend with someone gives them a part of your life and takes part of theirs.’

‘All of the things that were shown in early studies to be good for longevity – happy marriages, healthy bodies – are ours to have. We live long, good lives. We die on our eightieth birthdays, surrounded by our families, before dementia sets in. Cancer, heart disease, and most debilitating illnesses are almost entirely eradicated. This is as close to perfect as any society has ever managed to get.’ 

‘Am I supposed to fight against authority?'

‘He widens his eyes a little, leans closer, lets me look as long and deep as I want.’ 

“I don’t know how the workers at the medical center stand it when they’re working on people or delivering babies. It's too hard to have other lives in your hands.” 

Similar reads

The Selection, Uglies, Divergent, Delirium 

Afterthoughts

Do believe everything that you are told in society? Do you question authority?

Do you enjoy YA dystopia's and romance's?

Have you read Matched, did you enjoy it?