book review: "matched" by ally condie

"Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate . . . until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow" (Amazon).

This is a good book :) This is a YA book unlike any other I've read. The idea of a society controlling everything down to the food portions, customizing them to meet the nutritional needs of each person blows my mind. She does a fabulous job with the details, painting a very vivid picture of the world in which Cassia lives. And unlike most YA books where I find myself pulling for one of the two guys, I like both Xander and Ky. They're very different from each other but both have likable qualities. And Ally kept me guessing the whole way through. Towards the end of the book there's a scene that caught me completely off guard - a twist making me dislike the Society very much - and when I finished, I already had Crossed on hand so I could continue Cassia's journey. I really enjoyed this book and it has a theme that makes you think...

You can find out more on the Matched trilogy and learn about the final book, Reached, coming out this November.