Matched by Ally Conde (Audiobook) This book takes place in a dystopian/Utopian society where everything is chosen and planned for every citizen to make sure that they have a happy, long, fulfilling life (Until they are 80, when everyone dies). But that’s not the conflict in the story.
In MATCHED, a teenage girl goes to her matching ceremony to find out who the society chose as her perfect husband. She ends up “accidentally” matched to two people, but only she knows about it.
Now she is publicly matched to someone who she sees every day, but she is also matched to another boy, who is forbidden to her.
This is a very interesting story that will leave the reader asking a lot of questions like, “What would I do?”
It would be hard for me, I think, to do anything when so much is deemed illegal. While I did enjoy this book, I was never really completely engaged. I think I had a problem believing that a world like that could actually exist. I mean, there were only 100 songs, 100 history lessons, 100 poems, etc. Everything else was destroyed so people didn’t have to be stressed by too many choices. I had trouble believing this world could exist.
However, if you are able to suspend disbelief in the society, this is a well written and engaging story.
CLIFFHANGER ALERT: A major character’s life is left in jeopardy at the end. Even though I’d like to know what happens to that character, I don’t think I’m worried enough about it to continue with the series. I would, however, pick up another of this author’s books. The world she created was very alive and vivid. I just couldn’t make myself believe in it’s plausibility.
Jennifer M Eaton 
I read all of the books (even though I also found it disconcerting that such a world could exist). You find out more about the “rebels” to this forced-not-to-stress- about-making- choices society in the other two books. I would not have read them all if my sister hadn’t loaned me the entire set at once – and the books hadn’t ended with cliffhangers.
I am totally opposed to cliffhangers as a means to get people to keep reading a series. BUT I would be happy to tell you what happens in the end. It’s been a couple years since I read the series, but I think I remember the basics.
Great review!