Matched

"Matched" (Trilogy #1) by Ally Condie
Hardcover: 366 pages
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (November 30, 2010)

Book Description:
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 with complete certainty that 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.

One of my favorite book series is the "Hunger Games" books.  This book, "Matched" reminds me a lot of that particular book series.  If you enjoyed the "Hunger Games" trilogy I'm sure you'll love this one.  The writing and overall feel of the story is really great and unique.  I absolutely love books about what our society would be like if something altered it in the future.

You can relate to Cassia in that this is the only life she's known up til now.  Anything different for her is a new discovery.  Not following the rules has never been done before, and she can see both sides clearly now.  She is torn between two people that she comes to love, one that she's known since childhood, the other the "mistake" she comes to know.  She slowly realizes that this is something that others have experienced, but nobody talks about.  Perhaps other things have been lied about or covered up as well.

This is a great beginning to a trilogy, and I wish I didn't have to wait until the next one comes out: "Crossed" (November 1, 2011).