People are preparing for the end of the world as we know it.

Everywhere you look, you see movies and books coming out about what the world will look like if the world does in fact end. “Matched” by Ally Condie, the first book of three, tells the story of a place where everything is decided for you, even who you love. Citizens are “matched” with each other to determine the perfect mates for life. Sounds like the perfect solution to the age-old heartache of love, right? Well, everything is not always perfect when all of your choices are made for you.

Cassia is overjoyed when she finds out that she is “matched” to her best friend and neighbor Xander. But someone obscures her vision of true happiness, a mysterious boy named Ky. Who is he? Where did he come from and what is his real story? How far will Cassia be willing to go to find true love and happiness?

Being the hopeless romantic I am, you don’t have to ask me twice to read this book. A battle for true love, star-crossed lovers, and dystopian society is exactly my cup of tea. And at first I was a little disappointed. There was nothing wrong with Xander, a handsome and kind boy with quite a knack for games. And then there’s Ky, a mysterious outsider who tends to keep to himself.

My initial though was “oh please, not another “Twilight” romance dilemma.” I don’t understand why authors do this. I have yet to meet any girl who can have her choice between two equally amazing guys. If any real girl is that lucky, she shouldn’t get a book. It makes all of the rest of us not-so-lucky girls jealous. But thankfully, this book doesn’t string the reader on for three books, trying to decide which heartthrob the heroine should pick. She makes her decision clear and simple. And another good thing about this novel is that the relationships between Cassia and each boy are fully developed and pull the reader into the chaos of Cassia’s struggle to fight for her heart.

I personally feel like Condie could have gotten to the main point much quicker. Cassia could have gotten the guy and taken down the awful government in one book flat. Instead there are three. I haven’t read the second (“Crossed”) or third (“Reached”) books yet. Reached comes out in November. But hopefully the next few books have a little bit more action then the first one and Cassia doesn’t decide to pull a Bella Swan and change her mind a thousand times.