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adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The storylines were definitely sensational, I almost abandoned it because of how "out-there" each one was - and it was a mix of predictable and surprising - BUT I still could not stop reading. The major plot twist I did not see coming and that made it worth it. I also love short chapters!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Miscarriage, Murder
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
The One follows 5 characters and their experiences with the company called "Match Your DNA". This company is like a cross between 23andMe and Tinder: it takes a DNA sample your provide and tells you who your soulmate is. This book is a fast-paced thriller full of plot-twists, sure it hook anyone in. The chapters are short and has tiny bits of humor sprinkled in, which helps alleviate some of the darker tones.
I rated it 4.5/5 stars. The only gripe I have with this book is the constant cliffhangers. The book is 103 chapters and I would say all but 5 end on a "wait, then what?!" before switching character perspectives. While this was definitely useful in the beginning for keeping me sucked in throughout my reading slump, it became repetitive around the 60% mark (thank you, kindle) and I began to roll my eyes. However, the stories of each character are so intriguing that I pushed through.
Who I would recommend this to: honestly, anyone. Unless you dislike thrillers, I can't see why someone would not enjoy this. I ESPECIALLY recommend this for any reader who is in the middle of a reading slump, this book yoinked me out of it. I finished it in 3 days, which is unheard of for me.
!!SPOILERS!!
Trigger warnings for this book: I marked this as spoilers because some consider it that. Please read them. The cancer one, especially. The author was not loose with this .
Book-specific spoilers below:
All that being said, it's still a great book. I LOVED how the character plotlines intertwined at the end, but hated how Mandy's and Ellie's stories aren't really finished. Like, yeah, Richard moved and Ellie was put on trial. But does that imply Richard woke up? Is Ellie guilty or not? Honestly, I have a few friends who HATE unresolved endings, and I'm really going to warn them about this book before recommending it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Kidnapping, Stalking
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Murder, Classism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
This was out of my typical genre, so I’m sure that influenced my rating a bit. It was certainly an interesting read and I really appreciated the twist and turns. However, the format of the story, following 5 different people, just didn’t give a connection to the characters that I generally aim for. Honestly, I didn’t care about them and if I spaced out in the middle of their chapter, I didn’t care to go back for anything minor.
The chapters are short and typically end on mini cliffhangers so it did help this to be an easy one day read.
The chapters are short and typically end on mini cliffhangers so it did help this to be an easy one day read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Murder
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a fun book but also provocative. In my day job, I deal a lot with what's in this book - digital ethics, cyber crime, data integrity, data privacy, among other things. So this book had an extra layer of interest for me, but I think most people would find all these topics fascinating to ponder.
The book was wedged against something everyone wants in life - true love. We are programmed to believe in it and yearn for it and chase it since we are little with fairytales (though they are way toooooo sexist for my comfort). I think most people would be glad to pay a fee for a guaranteed answer. I might. Actually, I probably would - assuming it would be affordable. But that's why I don't think it would ever be true or work even if it was - because aside from all the consequences explored in this book, I am also sure capitalist greed would completely drive the market and would either make it unaffordable and/or some form of corruption would occur and this book would be prescient. The science could be flawless, but humanity would get in our own way. We always do.
The book was wedged against something everyone wants in life - true love. We are programmed to believe in it and yearn for it and chase it since we are little with fairytales (though they are way toooooo sexist for my comfort). I think most people would be glad to pay a fee for a guaranteed answer. I might. Actually, I probably would - assuming it would be affordable. But that's why I don't think it would ever be true or work even if it was - because aside from all the consequences explored in this book, I am also sure capitalist greed would completely drive the market and would either make it unaffordable and/or some form of corruption would occur and this book would be prescient. The science could be flawless, but humanity would get in our own way. We always do.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, Violence, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy