Parent reviews for Matched, Book 1

So I like this book it’s fine. I don’t want to be negative but I feel like I couldn’t relate with the characters. In the beginning of this book I was really excited and had high expectations for this book. I thought it was going to spiral off into some dramatic forbidden romantic “I’ll risk the consequences if I get to love you” it kind of was but it moved to fast without development. They were talking with once and she just was like I love him. THEY BARELY KNEW EACH OTHER! From what I took from it they knew each other for like 3 weeks and only saw each other once a week… It was a good-ish fill in read if you just want to soak up words but not so much of a story line :)

This was written by my eleven year old daughter : I loooooove matched. Since I read it it’s my favorite book by far. This is for 11 year olds for sure and I totally recommend you read it.

this book is ok for younger teens. the characters are so boring. the main character Cassie is a bit annoying because all she can think about is herself and who she would be better off with. the story line is painfully slow and nothing happens in the book to spark much interest. would recommend for someone who is between the ages of 11-14 because its cute and s.i.m.p.l.e. ps would not read it again. too boring. the characters lack personality

Matched may be a fine dystopian novel for little kids, but I feel that this story uses too many of the same tropes we see in other stories like the Giver, Brave New World, and just about every other dystopian story. The story has some educational value with its simple to understand theme of following your heart, freedom, and authoritarianism, but those themes are used so often in literature that this story feels just like every other dystopia. Perhaps the worst problem with Matched is the stupid love triangle. Cassia abandoning her friend Xander for Ky is not a good role model for kids. It would be better for kids to read the Giver or anything else instead of this novel as this novel has hardly any innovations. One other thing is that the pills are a very badly thought-out part of the story. It alludes to drugs and basically copies the Matrix. Without meaning it, the author of this book is encouraging kids to take "pills" that supposedly grants them immunity. An uneducated kid could easily mistake that part of the story as promotion of drugs as there isn't a clear enough message.

If you like romance or want to start into the romance genre, this is a great book for you! It is a clean and sweet romance novel. The reason for the rating is that it is a little slow and a little bit over-dramatic, but it isn’t nearly as bad as some other romances on the market. A great start for dystopian books as well as romances.

It was good, but Cassia is a little full of herself. She breaks Xanders heart for Ky, but it's kind of interesting how everything is so perfect, and how no one chooses anything, and no one knows how to write. Everything is in the future, like they have Air-Trains (which are pretty cool). it's a little violent with the Officials (leaders) taking Ky away and forcing him to fight, but other than that, it should be good.

I loved this book! Many say its boring, but it is only because they probably dont like slow reading and prefer to go fast on books. Cassia seems selfish for wanting her life to go her way, but she really isn't. She wants to break free from being a puppet! That makes sense!!! The book was very detailed and it was very detailed in the parts when they would kiss. I would totally recommend this book for anyone with the maturity to take the time to read this.

Matched was a good book and could be a tween-teen book. Although, i think that it should be more of a girls book and i disagree with an autistic kid reading it. My step-son is 12 and he is autistic an ADHD and this book i feel was not suitable for him.

This series was great and I particularly enjoyed the first book. My students love it and it is one of the few longer novels they will go to on their own. It doesn't have any sexual content beyond a few quick kisses, the main character is not even thinking about it. However, in the later books, Cassia does end up progressing to thinking about doing more. The first book is appropriate for a younger audience but the whole series would only be for the most mature younger readers. There is very little violence in this first installment and the series as a whole does not focus on violence, but rather on other ways of rebelling. It will be a great conversation starter for families and an excellent resource in classrooms for discussing authoritarian governments.

I have only read the first one and am on the second chapter of the second. There is no questionable material as far as language, sex or violence. There are a few scuffles but no outright fighting. I could not put this book down. The concept is a little different than other dystopian novels I have read. Society is functioning well (seemingly) and people are actually happy. It did not give me the hopeless feel that I had with Maze Runner or The Hunger Games. I cannot wait to read the two others.