Matched was a really interesting book. I was struck by how much it reminded me of The Giver. A society that has 100 poems, 100 songs, and 100 history lessons so that people don't get overwhelemed? A society that matches your spouse for you? Dying at the age of 80 because that's a good age to die? Definitely a society that reminds me of The Giver. 
 I was really intrigued with her idea, though. The idea that the Society controls every aspect of your life, and having no input whatsoever, is scary. For Cassia and everyone around her, it's completely normal to have everything decided for them. No one questions it or goes against it. But Cassia slowly starts to see that there could more than one path for her. 
 I'm getting a little tired of love triangles, and unfortunately, it looks like they'll be hanging around for a while. Condie clearly wants us to want Cassia and Ky to be together, but I can't really like him. Sure, he's interesting, mysterious and off-limits to Cassia, but she's ignoring her childhood best friend and match, Xander. Cassia doesn't seem all that happy she was matched with Xander, especially when Ky appeared on her screen for a couple seconds. Poor Xander- not only is he not as developed as Ky, but he doesn't really stand a chance. 
 I like that Cassia slowly starts to see that things could be different, but I HATE that she's questioning things because of a boy. At least there wasn't much romance in the book. However, her focusing on Ky was annoying given that she kept reminding herself that Xander was her match. 
 It moved pretty slow, so it's probably laying the groundwork for the next book. I wish Condie had mentioned how the Society was formed and how they got to the point that they had to control everyone's move. Perhaps it is mentioned in the next book? 
 It gets a 4 out of 5. It's well-written and things are not as perfect as they seem.