I've been a fan of Harlan Coben's for a long time. When I got my hands this book, the second in his Wilde series, I think I may have screamed. Wilde is one of my favourite characters, second only to Win. The series has a lot about using ancestry websites, and I love researching my family tree, so that was an additional element I loved.

In the first book, The Boy from the Woods, we were introduced to Wilde, who was found at the age of 6 (or thereabouts) living feral in the woods of the Ramapo Mountains. Now an adult, he knows nothing of his original family, or even if he had one. He's content to live in the woods, often alone. His only relationships are with the family of the first friend he made as a child.

In The Match, Wilde tries to locate his real family via a family history website - one of those that uses DNA samples to match relatives. When one of his contacts disappears under mysterious circumstances, Wilde feels obliged to investigate. The trail leads to a secret online group who expose online trolls. When people connected with this group begin to die, one by one, it becomes clear a killer is out for revenge - and the next person on their list could be Wilde.

I've read every one of Harlan's books and he just keeps getting better and better. The Match is a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat thriller that doesn't sacrifice character development for plot. You will care about these people! He's also a master of misdirection. While you're looking one way, smugly thinking you've solved the mystery, he hits you with the twist that was there all along if only you'd been smart enough to spot it! There is an Easter egg for fans, with the reappearance of a character from an earlier book (no spoilers!), as well as fan-favourite, Hester Crimstein (Myron Bolitar), who is a main character here and almost steals the show. Reoccurring themes are the morals of revenge and vigilantism, and how your real family is the one you choose. I do hope there are more books to come!

The Match is one of my favourite reads this year. I absolutely loved it. Thoroughly recommended to anyone who loves Harlan's books, clever twisty thrillers, and to fans of authors such as Lee Child (Jack Reacher) and Linwood Barclay.


Thank you to Harlan Coben and Cornerstone/Random House for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Harlan Coben has written yet another masterpiece. Wilde our enigmatic protagonist written about initially in Boy from the Woods is back with a vengeance. A stand alone story with many of the characters linked to the previous book and from the Wilde Series, introduce the reader to yet another five star read . The complexities of modern technology, enhanced by three dimensional characters, complex story line and scientific breakthroughs in DNA all linking ignorant and innocent families unaware of their heritage combining to deliver yet another guaranteed best seller. Every page a gift, nothing irritates, nothing jars, the unfolding of pure magic from star to end. Surprising denouement leading to a worthy conclusion followed by an untangling of a long awaited mystery. Easy to say but difficult to express the gratitude and thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the undiluted joy of reading and reviewing this ARC.

Originally, the boy from the woods, known as Wilde, appeared in a previous story in what may become a series. I hadn't read the previous book and found it made no difference to my reading of this story.
I quickly understood that his parents dumped this boy and grew up in the woods in a mountain range, somewhere in New Jersey. Obviously clever, and without any contact with humans for a long time, he learned how to fend for himself in such difficult circumstances. This knowledge is necessary when you understand how he continues to live while looking for his parents or any other known relatives, some of whom he has managed to find on a DNA database. Some of the results prove useful while many send him downed blind alleyways, leading him to wonder why he was dumped and what has happened to the people that should have been close to him, during his lifetime.
He has cut himself off from some very good friends and has an on off relationship with the lady who is the mother of what appears to be his best friend. This is both helpful and causes a clash with a very clever lawyer who has helped him in the past and is clearly involved in a number of very difficult cases at the moment, but with an outcome that is difficult to foresee. A serial killer is targeting specific individuals and it is only as the story progresses that you find out how the stories are interlinked and how they may become solved.
As with previous Harlan Coben suspense or mystery stories I've read before, the pages turn very quickly as I need to find out what happens next and why. My only difficulty is in deciding whether I should go back and read the previous story that is linked to this book or whether I pick up the writers next book? This one came to me as a free copy and this has not changed my review which found me trying to understand the various twists and turns, which I thoroughly enjoyed and can already see this book on the big screen, like several of his other novels.

The outcome of this really surprised me - I was like Oh wow, didn't see that coming. The characters in the story were all so intriguing.
I really enjoyed it, having only ever seen Harlan Coben's books as TV programmes, I was pleased to finally read one of his books. It was so hard to put down. Can't wait to read my next Harlan Coben!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and Random House for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Another day, another cracking read by a brilliant author. This one is part of a series though, and Wilde is a bit of a complex character with an interesting past, so I would really recommend you read book one - The Boy from the Woods - first for the best and fullest experience.
So... Wilde is wanting to know more about his past. Where he came from, who he came from! So he turns to a DNA website and... finds a match. A close match... His father! So he does what anyone else would do... stalk and create a "chance" meeting. He is shocked to find out that his "father" knows nothing about his existence. And also kinda wants to keep that from his current family. He also doesn't know any more that can help Wilde in his search for further family. Wilde is not deterred and carries on with his search. This time the results take him to a very strange place indeed...
Oh My Days! If there was ever the most complicated family set-up - well... the ones in this book would be right up there! And the plot that weaves around them, all of them, is as convoluted and interconnected as they come and keeps delivering shock after twist as it meanders to some semblance of the truth. It's fast paced and delivered in a short chapter, no nonsense, kind of way too which makes for a very quick read that is near impossible to put down. Wilde, Hester and Matthew are shaping up nicely as a family unit but still with enough creases left to iron out.
And the way we left things... I can't help wondering and hankering for what is next for Wilde. Hopefully he won't lose any of his edginess now he knows more about his past...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I enjoyed the follow up to the Boy in the Woods and was interested to see what had happened to Wilde since he’d been found. He’s now grown up and living in a house on the edge of the woods, still disappearing now and then when he wants some solitude.
This book explores him trying to find out who his parents are and exploring his relationship with Laila.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I have only read a couple of Harlan Coben books and hadn't realised this was the second in a series, but it didn't stop it being the twisty pleasure I am starting to expect from the author. An interesting take on whether DNA is the only thing that creates a family.
Thank you to netgalley and Random House for an advance copy of this book

Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book by Harlan Coben. I have long been a fan of his previous books and can honestly say that I think this is one of THE best I've read by him so far.

I love the fact that the book gets you hooked in the opening chapter when Wilde's childhood past sets the story going straight away.

With celebrities, foster families and vigilante groups - there is something to suit everybody. Full of mystery and curiosity this was a hard book to put down.

I have given this 4 stars instead of 5 as it is the second book in a series about Wilde and I had not realised this. Not having read the first book, The Boy From The Woods, did hamper my enjoyment. However, the book did pretty much explain everything (I think) from the first book.

This was an action packed thriller with Coben’s signature suspense filled plot. I loved this book and would definitely now read the first from the series. I devoured this book; I simply could not put it down. There were so many layers to the plot but it was still easy to follow. Every twist had me shocked and there was mystery until the very end. I would highly recommend this to all thriller/mystery fans.

The Match follows on from The Boy in the Woods, featuring Wilde who was literally living wild in the woods and made friends with a local family. The Match picks up Wilde's search for his real family, and how he came to be abandoned in the woods at a young age. But the story is so much more than that.

Wilde enters his DNA into an online matching service, the results of which lead him on a trail of missing relatives, found relatives, and what Wilde hopes is the real truth.

The Match is just as fast paced as you'd expect from a Harlan Coben novel. Its' focus is more on the missing person search but you do get plenty of character development for Wilde and other familiar characters.

This is Book 2 of 2 in the Wilde series, previous book ‘The Boy From The Woods’

There isen’t many authors who can write a chaotic, sometimes muddled, often repetitive and at times ( for me ) confusing book AND still make it a goodish read, Harlan Coben is one of those that can, I found this book all the things mentioned yet I still wanted to plough through and get to the conclusion, the more effort I put into the book, the more determined I was!
This book deals with DNA Internet ‘search send and find’ companies and the reality of a ‘match’ being found, dabbles with internet bullying and its consequences and takes a look at reality TV programmes and their effects on participants and viewers and manages to tie it up with Wilde and his search for why he was left as a child in the woods
Coben is a Master of thrillers and so can afford to be indulgent in his writing and he is but this coupled with the afore mentioned sometimes confusing storyline led to a good read rather than one of his brilliant reads, he is such a legend though and commands such loyalty from readers including me that when his next book appears I will be as keen to read it as ever

6/10
3 Stars

The Match is a great read and it gives the reader the story behind Wilde - the story he did not know about himself. I would say the main word to describe this book is curiosity. It is the driver behind many people's actions in this book. There are other themes as well, like greed, power, and ruthlessness, and let us not forget love.

A seemingly innocent act of trying to find out about your past intertwines many people and their fates. I found the story of Wilde's search for the truth about his past the most interesting. I also enjoyed seeing him grow. There are so many great and quirky characters in this book, which makes it an even better read! Yet another intriguing, entertaining and great book by Coben.

An easy 5 star read! This is my first Harlan Coben book and it did not disappoint!
Wilde was found in the woods as a child and apart from a few minor memories he has no recollection of how he got there or who is family is. Upon uploading his information to a DNA website with hope to finding where he came from, he discovers a whole new story of secrets and murder.

The Match is full of twists and turns, it’s fast paced and will keep you turning the pages! The character development and story telling is so cleverly written I was so invested in this book. The family and relationships can get confusing at times but overall I really enjoyed the characters relationships.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this! I can’t wait to read more Harlan Coben!

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

this is the 2nd book in the series and unfortunately i haven't read the first book, but in no way did it detract from the enjoyment of reading this book

wilde was the boy found in the woods and this is the next part to his story where he sends his dna to a genealogy website to find out if he has anymore relatives out there

a couple of hits later from the site but will he get the answers he needs...especially as one person has already deleted their account

but its not long before murder is abound and with the police and fbi after him its a wonder he doesnt disappear into the woods again

an enjoyable read that will keep you reading till the end as you wait to find out the answers that wilde has been waiting for all his life

A great thriller with lots of twists and turns! Loved it! Read it really quickly as I couldn’t put it down!
I also didn’t discover until after I’d finished the book that a couple of the characters have featured in other Harlan Coben stories so it shows it’s absolutely fine as a stand alone book. I don’t feel like I lost anything by only meeting the characters for the first time in this story. I’m now keen to seek out the previous books with them in, and work my way through all of Coben’s books!
Highly recommend this one!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the advance copy of #TheMatch by #HarlanCoben
This is the second book featuring Wilde. The Boy from the Woods , I would advise that they be read in order to get the full enjoyment.
Wilde has decided to try to trace his family (He was found abandoned in the woods as a child with no memory), he gets two matches And the man he believes to be his father, he goes to meet up with his father but then he and his family disappear.
The cousin is also believed to have committed suicide. Everything seems to be connected and it all leads back to Wilde.
Can he sort it out and find the truth.
This is a very clever well thought out story which I hope will continue for a few more books.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This kept me reading - it's a real page-turner and intriguing. My first Coben book but probably not my last!

This is a brilliant book.
It’s one that will definitely get you thinking, trying to work out who is behind it all.
Wilde is ‘the boy from the woods’ and has no knowledge of how he got there or who is parents are.
He was found when he was seven or eight and has become a well adjusted adult, but still likes to disappear into the woods now and again.
He contacts a DNA company and is surprised when it comes up with a match.
This leads to a whole new episode in his life with people being killed and secrets exposed.
We also get an insight into a group of people who punish internet trolls, and it soon becomes clear, there is a link to what Wilde is looking into and this group.
This is a very clever thriller that had me well and truly hooked throughout the book.
I highly recommend this book.
Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

My initial feeling as I started this book was that I may have made a huge error by not having read the first book to feature Wilde, The Boy From the Woods. My reservations soon passed though as there is sufficient background drip fed into the story for the reader to get the general gist.
Basically, Wilde was discovered abandoned in the woods living feral and supporting himself by any means possible. Nobody ever came forward to claim him so he has no idea who he is or where he came from. After many years and much deliberation, he decides to put his DNA sample into a database in an attempt to track down his parents and any siblings he may have.
His journey takes him via reality TV "stars", FBI agents and some very unsavoury characters. There are, in true Coben style, plenty of, twists, turns and red herrings thrown into the mix. As you can imagine with someone with Wilde's background, he's not your traditional family guy. He's someone who struggles with trust issues and being able to settle in one place for long. periods of time. Maybe those ingrained survival instincts and gut feelings would be vital in keeping him safe as he sought to solve the mystery of his genetics?
I would recommend reading the Boy From The Woods prior to this book to get the most out of it, particularly in understanding the relationships he has with the people closest to him as he began integrating back into society. The book is pretty fast-paced and will have you on the edge of your seat as you read - I doubt very much you will guess where it ends!
A great book to lose yourself in, snuggled on the sofa on a rainy afternoon.

Ingenious and utterly brilliant. There is a real mystery surrounding the main character as he was found roaming wild in the woods as a young boy, not unlike the story of Tarzan. This story really infiltrates the consciousness of everyone. Add to this mix him finding a match on a genealogical website, could this be a blood relative and will he finally find the truth? There is also a series of killings and the mysterious presence of a vigilante group lurking in the dark web. Add to this a reality tv show and the winner of it going missing… There really is so much to unpack with all of this and the punches and twists just keep on coming. I love the way the story feels utterly contemporary, pulling on the ethics and draw of reality tv and also the dynamics of matching your dna on ancestry sites and the cans of worms this can uncover. There is also some exceptionally fast paced drama and peril, which absolutely kept me on the edge of my seat together with very real and believable human relationships and the beauty and fragility of these. Completely mesmerising and all consuming I’m struggling to do this justice and recommend it enough.