Matched by Ally Condie

I liked this book. There have been many reviews that compare it to The Giver, and it does indeed bring Lois Lowry's classic novel to mind. (Although it has been some time since I read it) It certainly doesn’t get in the way of this book being an amazing read. 

Cassia lives in a dystopian futuristic society with her mother, father and younger brother. It begins on her 17th birthday, the day she will find out who her match is. In this society, nearly everything - from the food you eat, the clothes you wear, your career path, your life partner and even when you die, are planned for you. There are very few choices an individual gets to make.

At first it looks like Cassia is paired up with her best friend Xander. Then when she opens up a microchip that should have pictures and information about him, a different face appears. It is Ky, another boy she knows. 

I love how this book is written. Cassie's voice is true as she moves from her absolute faith in the way the society plans everything, to her slowly emerging questions and doubts, and eventual opposition to it. 

I love that the characters feel so real. All of them, Cassie’s parents, her brother, and both Xander and Ky come across as complex individuals in their own right. 

I liked how the romance between Cassie and Ky developed slowly and realistically. 

Just as in real life we don’t always know how things are going to turn out, this is the way it is with this novel.  Sure it sets it up for a sequel, but the book is satisfying just as it is.