Matched

Matched by Ally Condi
2010 Dutton Books

A refreshing satisfying YA dystopian novel. 
This is the story of Cassia, a young girl growing up in a future where free-will has disappeared.  Everything in her world is decided for her.  From what she studies, what she eats, how she exercises, to who she will marry.  "Society" no longer leaves life or death or reproduction in the hands of the people but instead controls everything.

Sound familiar?  It is.  You can find similar stuff in Lois Lowry's The Giver or in a Margaret Atwood novel, and it may be that those are better, but Ally Condi does a fine job.  The characters and their relationships are well developed.  The plot moves along at a good pace with all the required twists and turns.  Her descriptions are decent, though not as detailed as an adult reader might want.  And the end is satisfying in a way that other YA novels (like the Meyer ones) are not.  Cassia is a heroine, make no mistake.

This would be a good introduction to dystopian or science fiction literature for teens and tweens.  Kind of a Hunger Games without the crossbow and vicious to-the-death gaming.