The One

This didn't blow me away completely but I was living with every twist and turn especially in the last 30 or so pages of the book. I loved that each story ended with different conclusions and that even though there was a major reveal (you know the one) that changed everything, there was still couples that formed from the process.

I listened to this with my friend while we were taking a short road trip and it was the perfect choice for that purpose. The concept was interesting and rotating between five different POVs meant there was never a dull moment. By the end, almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger or reveal and I could not put it down until I was done. Having different narrators really enhanced the audiobook experience for me too, though the audio mixing wasn't perfect. I had to keep changing the volume especially with Nick's narrator.

I loved how different each of the POVs was and how they were used to show the various ways this app could impact people's lives. My enjoyment of each changed as the story went on because they all had their moment in the spotlight. I didn't like Mandy at first because the secondhand embarrassment was real, but by the end I just felt so bad for her. A Christopher's POV had me at the edge of my seat the whole time. Justice for Nick btw. Highly recommend picking this up if you want something that'll grip your attention.

SO MANY TWISTS THAT I DID NOT SEE COMING. if it wasn’t one thing, it was another. i plan on buying another book by him in the future

Gosh. This was everything I wanted. It could almost be *more* than I wanted - so many of the chapters had me in fits of giggles because "...seriously? Seriously? That's what this was leading to?"

After my last update, I sat down and binged the rest in one evening. I liked this a lot. I'm oddly glad that I read it at the same time as watching the series, because the two were very different despite existing in (almost) the same universe. I was surprised at some of the plot bits that weren't included in the series, but can understand why others were left out.

NOTE: I read "A Thousand Small Explosions", which was the first (?) version of this book. Have since gotten my hands on a copy of The One, and after a quick flick through, spotted that a number of the character names had been changed. Not sure if anything else has also been modified, but it would have to have been pretty substantial for me to change my opinions.

This is such an interesting concept, Having your DNA matched to find "The One" - It is fast paced with at least 5 different stories going on so you end up not being able to stop as it makes you need to read on. Just really good book.

I'm in minority here with only giving this 3 stars and I'm wondering if I would have enjoyed it more if I've read it instead of listening to it. Sometimes there is a difference. I just didn't feel as engaged and thrilled as I thought I would be reading the premise. I will wait a while and see if it pops up in my library when it opens again

SYNOPSIS

People can take a “Match Your DNA” test to discover their perfect partners. Scientists have discovered a gene that each person shares with only one other person, their soulmate.

Your Match can be any age, gender, race, and sexuality. They can live anywhere, so they may end up down the road or on the other side of the world. They can be married, single, divorced, engaged, etc.

We follow five people discovering their Match.

For ease, I am going to summarize characters below.

CHARACTERS

Mandy, a divorcee in her late 30s, matches with Richard. When looking him up, she discovers that he’s recently died. She befriends his mom & his sister.

Christopher, a serial killer, matches with Amy, a police officer.

Jade, who is stuck in a dead-end job & living with her parents, matches with Kevin, who lives across the world in Australia.

Nick, who is engaged to Sally & considers himself heterosexual, matches with a man named Alex.

Ellie, who is a billionaire, matches with an ordinary man named Tim.

MY THOUGHTS

Ahhhh! I loved this book. The premise was extremely unique, and it was a compelling read.

I would characterize this book as a mix of science fiction & suspense/thriller.

It is a long book (around 500 pages), but all chapters are short. I ended up finishing it quickly. I started it Monday night, and I finished it on Tuesday night.

It is told from alternating POV chapters of the 5 different people exploring whether their Match is their soulmate. At first, it was hard to keep it straight, but after a few rounds of the POVs, it was easy to follow. I also think it was a solid choice to incorporate different stories with such a unique premise.

This is my first read by John Marrs, but I keep seeing him mentioned & recommended by others. I can’t wait to read more of his books.

I’ve seen some comparisons of the book with a Black Mirror episode, and that’s so spot on.

I loved how Marrs took time to flush out some of the negative societal & large scale impacts of a system like Match Your DNA.

The execution of the plot is fantastic, and all the twists & turns are wrapped up neatly. Very satisfying ending.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️extremely unique premise. science fiction mixed with suspense/thriller. execution of plot was perfect. multiple POVs. short chapters. loved this one. highly recommend!