While I’m happily and intentionally single, I recently read Lunar Love by Lauren Kung Jessen (A book I enjoyed and easily recommend!), and found myself intrigued by the exploration of matchmaking and compatibility contained within in.
Matchmaking is a subject I’ve seen covered more and more in books for all ages in the past couple of years, and with Valentine’s Day around the corner, I thought now might be the perfect time to do a little research and compile a list of books on the subject for young adult readers. Whether the characters are the ones being set up or the ones doing the matching, I had a blast putting this post together and I hope you’ll join me in curling up with one or more of these titles this February!
The forthcoming publication dates listed below might be subject to change.
Publication Date June 27th 2023 by HarperTeen
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Fans of Emma Lord and Rachel Lynn Solomon will revel in Kelsey Rodkey’s latest swoon-worthy YA rom-com as self-proclaimed matchmaker Lahey finally puts her own heart on the line — to find a date in just one week.
Lahey Johnson is notorious for helping her friends and classmates find love, but she’s never had a reason to focus on her own love life. Until now. When her detested cousin Summer decides Lahey doesn’t need a plus one to her sweet sixteen, Lahey has the ultimate reason: revenge.
Lahey will do anything to prove that she can get a date to Summer’s party — anything, including juggle six prospective suitors in seven days.
The only issue? Her sister’s irritating friend Adler has decided to take a front-row seat to the spectacle that is Lahey’s life. Lahey is determined not to let him distract her from one-upping Summer. But as the party creeps closer, the panic sets in. Can a matchmaker ever really meet her own match?
Last Chance Books author Kelsey Rodkey delivers another perfect read for all who love their romance with a side of repartee.
Publication Date January 17th 2023 by HarperTeen
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Fans of Emma Lord, Rachel Lynn Solomon, and Alex Light will love this clever, charming, and poignant debut novel with a masterful slow-burn romance at its core about a girl who must decide whether to pursue her dreams or preserve her relationships, including a budding romance with her ex-best friend, when an app she created goes viral.
Ro Devereux can predict your future. Or, at least, the app she built for her senior project can.
Working with her neighbor, a retired behavioral scientist, Ro created an app called MASH, designed around the classic game Mansion Apartment Shack House, that can predict a person’s future with 93% accuracy. The app will even match users with their soulmates. Though it was only supposed to be a class project, MASH quickly takes off and gains the attention of tech investors.
Ro’s dream is to work in Silicon Valley, and she’ll do anything to prove to her new backing company — and the world — that the app works. So it’s a huge shock when the app says her soulmate is Miller, her childhood best friend with whom she had a friendship-destroying fight three years ago.
Now thrust into a fake dating scenario, Ro and Miller must address the years of pain between them if either of them will have any chance of achieving their dreams. And as the app takes on a life of its own, Ro sees that it’s affecting people in ways she never expected — and if she can’t regain control, it might take her and everything she believes in down with it.
Publication Date January 3rd 2023 by Salaam Reads / Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before meets Pride and Prejudice in this delightful and heartfelt rom-com about a Bangladeshi American teen whose meddling mother arranges a match to secure their family’s financial security — just as she’s falling in love with someone else.
Zahra Khan is basically Bangladeshi royalty, but being a princess doesn’t pay the bills in Paterson, New Jersey. While Zahra’s plans for financial security this summer involve working long hours at Chai Ho and saving up for college writing courses, Amma is convinced that all Zahra needs is a “good match,” Jane Austen style.
Enter Harun Emon, who’s wealthy, devastatingly handsome, and…aloof. As soon as Zahra meets him, she knows it’s a bad match. It’s nothing like the connection she has with Nayim Aktar, the new dishwasher at the tea shop, who just gets Zahra in a way no one has before. So, when Zahra finds out that Harun is just as uninterested in this match as she is, they decide to slowly sabotage their parents’ plans. And for once in Zahra’s life, she can have her rossomalai and eat it too: “dating” Harun and keeping Amma happy while catching real feelings for Nayim.
But life — and boys — can be more complicated than Zahra realizes. With her feelings all mixed up, Zahra discovers that sometimes being a good Bengali kid can be a royal pain.
Publication Date March 8th 2022 by Razorbill
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A hilarious, heartfelt rom-com about the unexpected consequences of one teen’s quest to help her friends find love, perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Jane Austen.
High school junior Gigi Wong strives to be the best. After all, that’s what everyone expects of her — her parents, friends, and even potential colleges. Thankfully, her best friend, Kyle, is always there to listen with a smile and a delicious bowl of ramen. Still, with her future — and her dreams — on the line, how is she to stand out when her classmates seem so perfect too?
Her answer comes in the form of an app writing contest. If Gigi can secure the nomination to represent her school, she has a chance at a prestigious tech internship. That’s sure to get her applications noticed…All she needs is a winning entry.
When transfer student and new friend Etta confides that she’s struggling to fit in, it gives Gigi an idea. What if she takes what she’s learned from shadowing her aunt Rose, a professional matchmaker, to create a fun friend-making app? Perfect!
When Gigi’s app goes viral at school, she’s the center of attention – and a major scandal. She never meant to hurt anyone, let alone Etta and Kyle. Can she save all she worked so hard for and the relationships that mean so much to her?
Publication Date September 7th 2021 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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Jenny Han meets The Bachelorette in this “sparkling, witty, warm-hearted gem” (Karen M. McManus, #1 New York Times bestselling author of One oOf Us Is Lying) of a romantic comedy about a teen Korean American adoptee who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a competition for her heart, as orchestrated by her overbearing, loving family.
Jasmine Yap’s life is great. Well, it’s okay. She’s about to move in with her long-time boyfriend, Paul, before starting a nursing program at community college — all of which she mostly wants. But her stable world is turned upside down when she catches Paul cheating. To her giant, overprotective family, Paul’s loss is their golden ticket to showing Jasmine that she deserves much more. The only problem is, Jasmine refuses to meet anyone new.
But…what if the family set up a situation where she wouldn’t have to know? A secret Jasmine Project.
The plan is simple: use Jasmine’s graduation party as an opportunity for her to meet the most eligible teen bachelors in Orlando. There’s no pressure for Jasmine to choose anyone, of course, but the family hopes their meticulously curated choices will show Jasmine how she should be treated. And maybe one will win her heart.
But with the family fighting for their favorites, bachelors going rogue, and Paul wanting her back, the Jasmine Project may not end in love but total, heartbreaking disaster.
Publication Date February 2nd 2021 by Razorbill
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For fans of Jenny Han, Jane Austen, and The Great British Baking Show, A Taste for Love, is a delicious rom com about first love, familial expectations, and making the perfect bao.
To her friends, high school senior Liza Yang is nearly perfect. Smart, kind, and pretty, she dreams big and never shies away from a challenge. But to her mom, Liza is anything but. Compared to her older sister Jeannie, Liza is stubborn, rebellious, and worst of all, determined to push back against all of Mrs. Yang’s traditional values, especially when it comes to dating.
The one thing mother and daughter do agree on is their love of baking. Mrs. Yang is the owner of Houston’s popular Yin & Yang Bakery. With college just around the corner, Liza agrees to help out at the bakery’s annual junior competition to prove to her mom that she’s more than her rebellious tendencies once and for all. But when Liza arrives on the first day of the bake-off, she realizes there’s a catch: all of the contestants are young Asian American men her mother has handpicked for Liza to date.
The bachelorette situation Liza has found herself in is made even worse when she happens to be grudgingly attracted to one of the contestants; the stoic, impenetrable, annoyingly hot James Wong. As she battles against her feelings for James, and for her mother’s approval, Liza begins to realize there’s no tried and true recipe for love.
Publication Date October 6th 2020 by Inkyard Press
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In this contemporary romcom retelling of Jane Austen’s Emma by USA Today bestselling author Jillian Cantor, there’s nothing more complex — or unpredictable — than love.
When math genius Emma and her coding club co-president, George, are tasked with brainstorming a new project, The Code for Love is born.
George disapproves of Emma’s idea of creating a matchmaking app, accusing her of meddling in people’s lives. But all the happy new couples at school are proof that the app works. At least at first.
Emma’s code is flawless. So why is it that perfectly matched couples start breaking up, the wrong people keep falling for each other, and Emma’s own feelings defy any algorithm?
Publication Date January 21st 2020 by Flux
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Emma gets a Hollywood-tinged, feminist update in this funny and fierce retelling of Austens classic about a well-intentioned but tragically misguided matchmaker.
The summer after her first year of college, teen starlet Emma Crawford returns home to Manhattan to prepare for the role of a lifetime and play career matchmaker to her friends. When Emmas search for an assistant leads her to the wide-eyed Brittany Smith, Emma sees the big screen in the girls future. And because Emma knows best, she’s sure that steering Brittany onto the right path is all she needs to do to make her a star even if Brittany doesn’t know it yet.
Emmas plans start to unravel, however, when professional soccer player Liam Price re-enters her life. Not only is Liam her former best friends older brother, but he’s gorgeous, smart, and has no problem pointing out the (totally exaggerated) flaws in Emmas plans. But as Emma comes in close contact with the darker side of Hollywood, she starts to question the glamorous world she’s always known and realizes her role in it needs to change if she can find the courage to go off script.
Publication Date October 1st 2019 by Wattpad Books
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He’s mythologically hot, a little bit wicked, and almost 100% immortal. And he’ll hit you right in the heart…
“Miss Black, we have a big problem.”
Lila Black doesn’t believe in matchmaking, let alone soul mates. So then why is she constantly being hassled by the Cupids Matchmaking Service? But this gilded, cherub-bedecked dating agency isn’t exactly what it seems…and it’s about to turn Lila’s entire world upside down.
It turns out that Cupids Matchmaking is the real deal. As in, it’s run by actual cupids ― who don’t look at all like they do in the paintings ― and they have a serious problem with Lila’s “match.” Because this guy shouldn’t be in the system. He shouldn’t have a match. And while he’s irresistibly hot, he’s also incredibly dangerous. Because Lila’s true love match is Cupid. The original bad boy of love. And he wants her.
Now Lila’s once-normal teenaged world has exploded into a mythological nightmare overrun by crime-lord sirens, wrathful cupid hit men, magic arrows that cause no end of trouble, and a mischievous, not-so-angelic love god she can’t seem to stop herself from falling for…
Adored by 50 million readers on Wattpad, Lauren Palphreyman’s smash-hit book is now in print for the first time.
Publication Date October 1st 2019 by Disney-Hyperion
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One broken heart, ten blind dates ― and a whole lot of confusion!
Sophie wants one thing for Christmas ― a little freedom from her overprotective parents. So when they decide to spend Christmas in South Louisiana with her very pregnant older sister, Sophie is looking forward to some much needed private (read: make-out) time with her long-term boyfriend, Griffin. Except it turns out that Griffin wants a little freedom from their relationship.
Heartbroken, Sophie flees to her grandparents’ house, where the rest of her boisterous extended family is gathered for the holiday. That’s when her nonna devises a (not so) brilliant plan: Over the next ten days, Sophie will be set up on ten different blind dates by different family members. Like her sweet cousin Sara, who sets her up with a hot guy at an exclusive underground party. Or her crazy aunt Patrice, who signs Sophie up for a lead role in a living nativity. With a boy who barely reaches her shoulder. And a screaming baby.
When Griffin turns up unexpectedly and begs for a second chance, Sophie feels more confused than ever. Because maybe, just maybe, she’s started to have feelings for someone else…Someone who is definitely not available.
This is going to be the worst Christmas break ever…or is it?
Publication Date September 10th 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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For fans of Brandy Colbert and Jenny Han comes a lighthearted novel about tradition, high school social hierarchy, matchmaking, and swiping right (or left!).
Fifteen-year-old Simran “Simi” Sangha comes from a long line of Indian vichole – matchmakers – with a rich history for helping parents find good matches for their grown children. When Simi accidentally sets up her cousin and a soon-to-be lawyer, her family is thrilled that she has the “gift.”
But Simi is an artist, and she doesn’t want to have anything to do with relationships, helicopter parents, and family drama. That is, until she realizes this might be just the thing to improve her and her best friend Noah’s social status. Armed with her family’s ancient guide to finding love, Simi starts a matchmaking service – via an app.
But when she helps connect a wallflower of a girl with the star of the boys’ soccer team, she turns the high school hierarchy topsy-turvy, soon making herself public enemy number one.
Publication Date March 5th 2019 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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“Amber! I never even thought of that! Maybe she can tell you your match.” Whoa. Now that’s interesting.
Amber Sand has spent half her life solidifying other people’s happily-ever-afters. As a matchmaker, she has the ability to look into anyone’s eyes and see their perfect match. But lately, her powers have been on the fritz, and not only is she totally unsure whether her matches are true, she can’t see anyone in the eyes of her boyfriend Charlie Blitzman. With Amber and her friends graduating high school and about to take off for various colleges, Amber is hoping to have one last carefree summer – but she’s also dying to find a way to fix her powers, and learn, for better or worse, if she and Charlie are truly meant to be.
So when an online matchmaker named Madame Lamour comes to Chicago, Amber sets out to talk to her and find out who her match is once and for all. Of course, when it comes to the magical community, nothing’s ever that easy, and Amber soon finds herself caught up in a breathless showdown that involves a fairy family feud and a magical-creature auction – and requires teaming up with a certain siren nemesis. Can Amber and her friends save the day one more time before setting off for their new lives? And will Amber ever learn whether Charlie is her one true love?
With tons of laugh-out-loud moments, appearances by all your favorite characters, and one totally tearful reveal, you won’t want to miss a single swoony moment of this romantic conclusion to the Windy City Magic trilogy.
Publication Date January 8th 2019 by Swoon Reads
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Tiana Smith’s Match Me If You Can is a hilarious YA novel about a young teen whose attempts to match herself to her “perfect” guy result in disastrous consequences.
Mia’s best friend Robyn is known for her matchmaking skills, which is perfect, because homecoming is just around the corner. But Robyn refuses to set Mia up with the guy of her dreams, which forces Mia to take matters into her own hands. She uses Robyn’s matchmaking service to make sure popular Vince Demetrius falls for her.
Vince asks her out, but Mia doesn’t count on Logan, the persistent school newspaper photographer who seems to like her out of the blue. Now she has to choose between Vince – the guy she knows is right for her – and Logan, who insists that she give him a chance. And she needs to make sure Robyn doesn’t find out that Mia’s been matchmaking behind her back.
Mia has two weeks before homecoming. Can she fix the mess she made or will she have to kiss her perfect match goodbye forever?
Publication Date May 30th 2017 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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The rom-com everyone’s talking about! Eleanor & Park meets Bollywood in this hilarious and heartfelt novel about two Indian-American teens whose parents conspire to arrange their marriage.
Dimple Shah has it all figured out. With graduation behind her, she’s more than ready for a break from her family, from Mamma’s inexplicable obsession with her finding the “Ideal Indian Husband.” Ugh. Dimple knows they must respect her principles on some level, though. If they truly believed she needed a husband right now, they wouldn’t have paid for her to attend a summer program for aspiring web developers…right?
Rishi Patel is a hopeless romantic. So when his parents tell him that his future wife will be attending the same summer program as him — wherein he’ll have to woo her — he’s totally on board. Because as silly as it sounds to most people in his life, Rishi wants to be arranged, believes in the power of tradition, stability, and being a part of something much bigger than himself.
The Shahs and Patels didn’t mean to start turning the wheels on this “suggested arrangement” so early in their children’s lives, but when they noticed them both gravitate toward the same summer program, they figured, Why not?
Dimple and Rishi may think they have each other figured out. But when opposites clash, love works hard to prove itself in the most unexpected ways.
Publication Date December 27th 2016 by Katherine Tegen Books
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From the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl, Stacey Lee, an evocative novel about a teen aroma expert who uses her extra-sensitive sense of smell to help others fall in love — while protecting her own heart at all costs. Perfect for fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and I’ll Be The One.
Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking — all while remaining incurably alone.
For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend.
But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.
At once hopeful, funny, and romantic, Stacey Lee’s The Secret Of A Heart Note is a richly evocative coming-of-age story that gives a fresh perspective on falling in love and finding one’s place in the world.
Publication Date May 6th 2014 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
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High school romance is tough — even for a bona fide love goddess. Can Cupid succeed as a mortal matchmaker?
When Eros (aka Cupid) is expelled from Olympus for defying Zeus after falling in love with Orion, she is banished to what she believes to be hell. We call it New Jersey. If she ever wants to go back to the comforts of her old life, she will have to find love for three couples — without using her powers.
Eros, now calling herself True, immediately identifies her first project in Charlie and believes finding him love will be a piece of cake. Charlie is new at school and eager to break out of his old image of band geek, so it’s lucky for him when he falls in with the right crowd on his first day. But music is still his passion. That is, until he meets Katrina…
Katrina is floundering after the death of her father and takes refuge with a boy who, while not entirely supportive, will be there when she needs him, unlike her mother. Too bad True thinks any girl Charlie talks to is perfect for him. Can she get out of her own way and help Charlie and Katrina connect, or will she be stuck in New Jersey forever?
Publication Date January 1st 2010 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
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In the Society, Officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die.
Cassia has always trusted the Society’s choices. And when her best friend appears on the Matching screen, she is certain he’s the one — until she sees another face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black. Now she is faced with impossible choices: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she’s ever known and a path no has dared to follow…between perfection and the truth.
