Book Review: Matched

Well, my friend Ally has done it again. As many of you know, she has been a successful author of LDS YA fiction for some time. Now, she has achieved a national audience for her new Dystopian novel, Matched.
I must say, I tried to read this objectively and forget how much I like the author personally. With that in mind, I couldn't put it down! The creation of a society where everything is controlled, even who you marry, is very cleverly created with the mysteries slowly unfolding to the reader as Cassia, the heroine, discovers that not all is as it seems in her perfect world. While this is not a new theme, I felt that the 'Society' itself was very interesting and had several unique aspects.
The plot is not driven primarily by action, but by character development, which is much more difficult to write. Ally succeeds in creating characters that are compelling and relatable and the love triangle element is handled in a very mature way.
While the book is marketed as a YA novel, I can definitely say that it is much more mature than some in the genre. Ally's writing is very fluid and filled with poetic nuances that are quite moving. This is a book that anyone would enjoy and I am glad to see it getting the buzz it deserves!